Chapter Twenty Eight

Cye looked at the blade on her back as they walked, "only one Ferver?"

"Don't ask me," she replied as they walked. "Have you talked to Ryo?"

He remembered the small crush she had on him a few years ago, "he's alright. It wasn't his fault though, but I agree he should be locked up for now. He's a danger to himself and to us while the inferno sits inside of him."

Kayura scowled at him, "he's a danger to everyone."

"What happened between you two?"

He saw her blush for the first time, "you didn't, you know, did you?"

"What? No," she said turning scarlet knowing what he was insinuating. "After Mia left, he was super low and I confessed my feelings for him but...he never reciprocated them."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she replied. "He was too in love with Mia to let her go."

"More like obsessed," he said softly as they headed towards the hangar. "So, 'Maria' talked to Fury a while and she's going to accompany us to look for the twins."

"Splendid," she responded unenthusiastically as they headed towards the a different quinn jet than the one Tony had rigged.

The ramp opened up and she Steve walking towards her and Cye saidd, "oh, yeah, he's coming too."

Steve was wearing his complete uniform now, she hadn't seen him in before but he looked amazing in it. The demure blues with a red and white striped stomach and a silvery star on his chest. He looked so heroic. She smiled, "well, I guess you get to help me find the brats."

"Fury wanted me to make sure that Maria was alright," he said with a smile. "Looks like the armor is keeping you on your feet."

She touched her stomach both stab wounds healed completely, there wasn't even a scar on her throat for that matter, and she could feel the familiar energy coursing in her veins. It wasn't really noticeable until that moment but she didn't let it show that she hadn't noticed it. She was good at not letting things show, "yes, well it'll take more than a sword to put me under."

"That's good to hear..."

Kento leaned down the ramp, "well, if you two are done making up can we get this show on the road?"

Kayura scowled, "you know, you're more irritating than Sekh is at times!"

He gave a thumbs up, "glad to hear it."

Steve just quietly smirked as he walked up the ramp with her to greet the two men and Maria who was in the pilot's seat. She was dressed in her uniform again and there was a change of clothes next to her, "you should get dressed before we go anywhere, Kayura-sama. I know fatigues are probably not your style, but better than wearing ripped up clothing."

Kay nodded and took the clothes to private part of the jet as Maria closed the ramp. Cye smiled as he sat next to her seat, "I remember the days when we had to rely on Kento's lottery money to go anywhere."

Kento frowned, "yeah and you all used it up."

Maria looked back at Steve, "just do me a favor Captain, don't let them talk you into their idiotic plans. They may look intelligent but this one is like banner minus the brilliance and Kento is a minihulk."

"I take offense to that," Cye complained.

"There ain't nothing mini about me," Kento added on.

Steve smiled to himself, it was was nice to see Maria bantering with the two men in much the same way that he would have with the Avengers. Kayura walked back in wearing camo pants and a black button up shirt with some military boots. She slid the sword through her belt and she looked some sort of modern samurai. Kento laughed, "camo looks good on you."

"Shut it, Kongo," she replied as she sat down across from them. "I'm glad for the company, but may I ask why you have to come along?"

Steve didn't like the tone of her voice, but it was Maria who said, "it was a favor to me actually. As much as I believe in Cye, Kento, and yourself, I needed someone who couldn't be manipulated by the Nether Realm and could keep up. Cap fit the bill."

"Oh," she replied and stood up to go the end of the plane as Maria started up the engines and started to steer the plane out of the bunker.

Kento shook his head, "don't mind her. It's not you, the ogre is a hard armor to handle."

"No, I don't think that's it," Steve said getting up to go talk to her. He would rather figure out what was bothering her than let someone else tell him what was wrong. The plane was in the air, and he wanted to make sure he was on the same page with her.

She looked up at him with her dark blue eyes, "don't come patronize me."

He ignored her comment and asked, "what's wrong?"

She pursed her lips and then said, "I apologize, I'm just on edge. The warlords left with Leah, and I don't trust her anymore than I trust Kunito. Hiding among us all along."

"So who was this Meep?"

"She was what we called an other worlder,"

"So, an alien?"

"I suppose," she laughed. "Yes, now that you put it that way, that's exactly what other worlders are. Although, I've only seen a few."

"I didn't have a chance to see your armor," he said trying to make conversation.

She looked at the sword, "I wouldn't be too heartbroken by it. You'll have another opportunity if you decide to stick around us a while."

"I have to keep an eye on Fury's favorite second," he said looking back at the woman who was quickly getting irritated by the two old friends. "Looks like she gets along with them pretty well."

"Kongo and Suiko were best friends," she said with a smile. "It's nice to see them that way again. I need some time to contemplate, may I?"

He nodded, and went to sit next to Maria who said to him as she gently maneuvered the controls. She looked at him, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"No, I just wish you had been honest."

"Oh, yeah, like that would have gone over well," she snorted then mocked, "hey, guys, do you wanna know a secret? I was a former college mythology professor who got dragged into a ancient war between evil demons and magical samurai. One of them had kind of a creepy obsession with me and might try kill me, or worse yet? There's still an angry god out there who might try and open the gates to the nether realm and destroy everything. Fury knew, that's all who needed to know."

He knew she was being sarcastic but he found it highly unnecessary, "and he couldn't tell us?"

"I don't think he realized it was that severe but I should have been more clear when I said that anything involving the nether realm is trouble," she said flipping switches above her head and adjusted her headphones. "If anyone will guide you through the nether realm unharmed it will Kayura, I'm glad you trust her over these bafoons."

Cye complained, "resorting to name calling now?"

"You heard me," she replied.

Kento chuckled, "she's just mad that she can't play super spy with us and scare us."

"I don't need to be a super spy to scare you all, never did," she said with a smile. "After all, who is the one here trained in munitions?"

Kento laughed, "what's the saying about sticks?"

"Seriously," Cye sighed, "you mean 'walk softly and carry a big stick'?"

"No, I don't think that's right."

Steve couldn't help but laugh and Maria scowled at him which made him just smile and not say a word. She looked back at Kento, "you're sure that Junko and Seito are at these coordinates?"

"I know its strange, and I can't imagine why but that's where their last messages to me were from," he said looking down at his cell phone. "Tanzania."

Steve asked, "what's in Tanzania?"

"That's where this inferno mess all started," Maria said, "years ago, before the warlords returned. A man named Mukala challenged Ryo to a duel in Tokyo. He was the bearer of something known as the black inferno."

"So there's two of those things," Steve asked.

Cye nodded, "that's exactly what I thought. One is a Nuke, two is Armageddon."

"My only concern now is one is back in existence, doesn't that mean that the second one is reborn," Maria asked out loud and Steve saw the two men grow a little pale.

Kento shook his head, "lets hope not, I don't want to have fight Mukala again. That guy whooped all of us in our armors without any armor, so I can't say that I want that again, considering we're three down."

"I thought we through this, aren't you supposed to be the optimist," Cye smiled and then glanced back at Kay who was meditating. "We also didn't have Kay with us that time. She's a heavy hitter even without armor. I'm sure you know that Captain."

"You can just call me, Steve," he responded with a slight nod. He did know she was a heavy hitter but putting on the armor made her seem different. She seemed more sure of herself, less afraid, and very curt. He sat back in the copilot seat as the two ronins bickered on and Kay meditated in the back.

Maria looked at him as the two ronins started bickering, "that's their way catching up unfortunately? Feel free to rest. I'm sure you've had a less sleep than the rest of us."

He leaned over on his hand and nodded, "Maria, are you sure Fury didn't make you second because the Avengers are just as looney?"

She smiled but only thought, 'you are more alike than I really like.'