The Bonds of Time
Chapter 2
Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima
DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to. Therefore...
(A/N: This is a slightly revised version of the second chapter, one which I hope is better than the first.)
''
"Mmm... I'm so glad the Jolly Rancher company came back..." Murmured Talon, as he popped another watermelon flavored hard candy into his mouth. Crunching it, as was his habit, he quickly but carefully swallowed it, before turning to Miss Arney and offering the bag. "Like some?"
"No thanks, sir," she demurred, before shooting Talon that 'eager beaver' look again. "So, what was it that you found in the church on the hill?"
"Impatient person, aren't you?" Groused Talon, though his smile gave him away. "Well... As I said, I had it with me in a picture on that last book about me."
"Knight of Forever, right?" Talon made a face.
"Terrible name, for an even worse book," Talon sighed, pushing the Jolly Rancher bag back into his desk drawer. Arney looked at him in confusion.
"What? I thought it was a good book!" Talon rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, if you want to see your best friends portrayed as morons, and only yourself as the smart one. The truth is WAY away from what that despicable woman wrote. It wasn't ME off doing all that stuff. There are hundreds of heroes in this Era of the Goddesses who deserve recognition for what they did, not me. Which the idiot who wrote Knight of Forever seemed to skip over," Talon growled, clenching his fist and teeth.
"And I did NOT have a child with Emily Fletcher," he added with a huff. Arney scratched her pointed chin thoughtfully.
"But... You were close to her, right?"
"Yes... Yes, I was. I stayed with her at her parent's home. We would have moved into the new community at our ex-school, before the three weeks was up, but... She wanted to stay at the only place she'd truly called home. And, I was committed to being with her. For support," Talon answered, a faraway gaze upon his face. Arney coughed.
"Did you... Love her?"
"I suppose... I mean, we'd cared for each other, kind of like brother and sister, before the Cataclysm. And... Well... She tried to get us to... You know..." Arney smiled.
"But, you resisted. And, won the Guinness World Book of Records for the longest recorded virginity, of two hundred years, two months, and six days!" Talon shot Arney a beady-eyed expression.
"First off, that's not really true, which I'm not ashamed to say. Second, you read this about me? Did you have ANY semblance of a life in high school?" Arney blushed.
"Well... Erm... I, uh... Kind of... Had a crush on you. When I was a little girl. And, I... Started a fan club." Talon raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you get any ideas now, Miss Arney," Talon said coldly. Arney blushed even more.
"I wasn't! I wasn't!"
"Good. Because I'm above such things as abuse of teacher-student relationships, or groupies. Believe me, I've had a lot of experience with bizarre, misguided people who thought I was 'the One' for them, simply because I was some sort of hero in their eyes. No offense."
"None taken. So, what was it? Your, um... Cloak?"
"Yeah, right. You have any idea how many sets of armor and clothes I went through, thanks to constant combat with the ENE?"
"My bad. Um... Your... Sword?"
"Very good. Yes, I found Greyspar at that church, during a... Rather unpleasant time..."
''
"GAH!" Andrew jumped over the fallen tree trunk, hitting the ground hard with his shoulder. Not wasting a moment, he threw himself up behind the trunk, raised his 12 gauge rifle, and started firing.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! With each click of the magazine, the young boy sent another shell at his pursuers. At least ten older men and boys, all sporting red bandanas over mussy clothing, and all armed with rifles, pistols, even a sub-machine gun. Andrew ducked as the group returned fire, his covering log racked by bullets.
"C'mon, kiddo! Give it up! We outmatch you at every turn, boy, so why not surrender? We won't hurt you!" Called a woman's voice in a superior tone. Andrew dared to peek above the log, then ducked back down. He cursed under his breath as another few shells hit the log.
"Great, guess she found her calling in life," Andrew snarled.
At the head of the small but well armed gang, a robust, blonde young woman cocked her scope rifle at the log. She pointed with her fingers, and two of her men headed to the left. She hissed a breath.
"Andrew! Listen to me, it doesn't have to be like this!"
"Yeah right, Brittany... Uh..."
"Trebecht!"
"Who cares? You were a bitch in school, and you're a bitch now! And, this show of force just proves what a coward you are! Hey guys, how much did she charge you for her 'services'?!" Andrew shouted back, managing not to let his 'be nice and polite, even while under fire' instinct take control.
The girl, with elaborate make up, narrowed her eyes. Brittany Trebecht had been the head cheerleader, student body president, and more or less most popular girl at Talon's high school-Mostly by trading her sex for prestige. She was worse than a simple whore, though-She was an intelligent whore, a mean, nasty, conniving whore, who enjoyed treating boys like one-use razors, then tossing them into the gutter. Andrew had come at odds with her on the intellectual battlefield before, mostly after she'd used one of his friends like this. And, he'd managed to humiliate her in class and on a debate team. And though they were pretty insignificant to Andrew, to Brittany, it was a series of blows to her power base she could not forget.
"Look, we've been pretty bad enemies in the past-"
"And present! And, hopefully, the foreseeable future!" Brittany rolled her eyes. Even while fighting for his life, he was a smartass.
"But, we could set that aside! I mean, I can always use another good man."
"I'm not enthused about being part of a harem, thanks. And besides, you only want me because I have the access codes to Fortune's defense system!"
Fortune, the name the mix of students, teachers, strangers, and assorted survivors had given to the old high school, had quickly filled out into a one-building village. The school labs were well equipped with tools, chemicals, and systems, which the inhabitants had rigged into a decently sophisticated defense grid. It was a combination of a high-powered electric fence, a modified sprinkler system to spurt out noxious gases, and electric barriers and bars.
Of course, they'd tied all of this together into a single computer, for simplicity's sake. And, all of the people who were sent out daily into the wreckage of outer Denver for supplies were given the ID codes to disable the system. The guy who'd programmed it had wanted a bit of adventure to his masterwork, and, since he was the only network expert they had, they'd been forced to let the deluded worm do what he wanted.
"Well... Yes, that's one of my goals... But, I'm willing to help you in anything you need, in order to reach my goal!"
"No thank you, Borg Queen," Andrew tossed over his shoulder, dismally checking his ammo in his long, patched brown trenchcoat. He was down to a mere five shells. That's all his "Salvage Team" had managed to find for him, before they'd gotten separated in an ambush. Andrew wondered where they were... He saw movement to his right.
"Excuse me, got to run!" BANG! BANG! The sounds of two men screaming in pain, along with erupting gunfire, followed Andrew as he ran like hell up the hill. Trebecht cursed, then motioned two of her men to go after him.
"Everyone else, let's get back to Fortune! We'll try out the rocket launchers." And with that, she was gone. Andrew panted as quietly as he could, struggling, foot by foot, up the hill. He'd spotted an old church he'd used to ride his bike past on the top, and it looked like it would make a decent hideout. Well, for a little while, anyway.
But, he also might be trapping himself inside, with two armed gunmen. He made it to the side of it's door, breathing heavily, all the while his nerves were raising the hairs on the back of his neck.
PANG! Andrew's eyes were wide open. A bullet had hit the door frame, not ten inches from the tip of his nose. Rushing in, he threw the door shut behind him, and quickly scooted a nearby chair to hold it. The sound of fists banging on the door began in earnest as Andrew ran through to the large, open sanctuary. He shut the door, blocked it with a chair as well, and staggered into the rows of dully-colored pews.
The sanctuary was dusty, sun light pouring in (and causing glare) from a large, circular stained glass window documenting the Virgin Mary, with the infant Jesus. Talon ignored the twisted, colored light, crawling under the pews to the pulpit. He heard the men break through the outer door, and start pushing against the second. Andrew got to the pew, ducking behind it. He loaded his last shells. Through the hole cut into it for the microphone cord, Andrew set his aim for the shuddering door. Took a deep breath...
CLANK. Andrew spun around, dropping his gun in his panicked attempt to get a bead on whatever...
Oh.
Andrew sighed in relief, at the dusty sword and scabbard lying before him. He reached for his gun.
SMASH! The two men had leveled the door, and began spraying the sanctuary with lead from machine guns. A deafening buzz accompanied the bullets, wood splinters erupting from the furniture.
"Shit!" Andrew covered his head with his hands, the pulpit's thick, hard wood taking the punishment for him. His rifle was sprayed by bullets, being knocked out of handy reach. The onslaught stopped with a few loud clicks. Andrew's ravaged eardrums managed to pick up the two men whispering, before he heard them advance toward the pulpit, their boots making dull thuds against the thinly carpeted floor. He heard them cock different guns-He guessed they'd run out of ammo for their machine weapons.
Andrew looked up, and stared for a moment at the broadsword. He looked about him. No way he could run for it, there was no cover available. His gaze met the sword again. Gulping, and feeling like he wanted to throw up, he picked up the sword, and clumsily pulled it from the scabbard. He held it in front of him, gripping the handle tightly. It felt light, easy to maneuver...
But this sword was technology of the 11th or 12th century. The men behind him had weapons of the 21st. It was like... Fire versus an atom bomb. He had no chance. Andrew felt tears form in his eyes, as the men closed in. He was going to die, in a church of all places. And here he was, still unable to figure out if there really was a God.
No more Emily... No more Ben, not that he'd seen him in two years, but still...
Andrew took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and gritting his teeth. Better he died facing them, instead of crouching here without even the slightest chance. Maybe the desperate sight of him wielding a sword would catch them off-guard...
"YAH!" Andrew leapt up with all his strength, twisting in the air, going higher, higher, higher…
And came to a dead stop on the ceiling. His breath caught in his teeth, as he stared down at the equally shocked men below him.
He was sticking to the ceiling. His feet had made contact with the hard wood above him, as had his flailing, free hand without his sword, and all three were now stuck. He blinked, staring down at the men, before looking up at the ceiling again.
"What… What the hell…" One of the men stuttered below, his rifle shaking in his hands. The other, getting over his astonishment, pulled up his own rifle and fired.
Andrew instinctively moved to his left, with a speed he'd never known before and the bullet hit the roof instead. The men below got over their shock, and began casting lead at the confused, frightened teenager.
It was a barrage of bullets, all shooting at him at well over the speed of sound… But to Andrew, each one seemed to be moving in slow motion. He crawled down, up, side to side, in order to avoid every single projectile. And he did. At one point, though, he seemed to lose his grip, and fell, right at the men below.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!" And even as he fell, everything around him seemed like it was swimming through cold peanut butter. The bullets continued to come, and faced with a lack of any other choices, Andrew lifted his sword to deflect the bullets. He saw the men's faces grow and stretch into fear and horror, as he closed in on one of them.
The blade made contact with this goon, with the broad side of the sword. He was hit hard, his eyes widening in shock and pain, as he slowly crumpled into the man next to him. And that's when Andrew hit the ground, flat on his face.
"Oof!"
Everything sped back up, the men hitting the floor in a chorus of grunts and groans of pain. Andrew shook a bit, gripping the sword so tightly his knuckles turned stark white, staring at his pursuers. Though his nose was bleeding from landing on it, he didn't notice.
"Oh God... Oh God..." Andrew shakily got to his feet, leaning on the sword like a cane, and slowly walked out of the church, through a side door. He stared toward the local road, and numbly walked down it. Somewhere overhead, a songbird called happily. Andrew kept shaking his head, staring at the ground, pulling himself along with a combination of half-hearted steps and his sword's footholds.
"How'd I... What..." He didn't feel much like talking to himself. How'd he leap so high? How had he stuck to the ceiling? How had he dodged those bullets? What had happened in there? It was like...
"The Matrix," he murmured, looking up and straightening himself. Andrew held up the sword in his hand, furrowing his brow. Had the sword given him... Super speed, or something?
Super speed... Andrew set the sword down, and bent down in a rough approximation of a runner's starting position. To an imaginary gunshot, he pushed himself forward. He ran.
"Hoooolllllyyyyyyy shiiiiitttt!" Andrew found nearly everything a blur around himself, though he was able to pick up every detail of what he passed without trouble. A contradiction he would have sorted out if he hadn't lost his footing in shock.
"GAH!" Andrew hit the ground, gritting his teeth at the pain. He'd landed on his shoulder, ow... Clumsily, Andrew pushed himself to his feet with his other arm, managing to get up without much trouble. He checked the shoulder he'd landed on. It wasn't dislocated, though it sure hurt a lot. Taking his eyes off his shoulder, Andrew looked up the hill. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping... Again.
"Wow..." He could barely make out his sword on the top of the hill! In that short burst, he estimated he'd covered a quarter mile, the length of the track at his old school it had taken him five minutes to get around at a pretty fast jog.
And it had taken him a matter of seconds to run it. And he didn't even feel out of breath.
Andrew looked around himself, at Fortune in the distance. He looked back up at his sword, lying up above him. He couldn't help but grin.
"Well... So much for taking the bus to school..."
''
"So, let's see... Super human speed, enhanced perception, increased stamina and endurance, and… sticking to walls," Arney recited, smiling up at Talon.
"That cover it?" Talon nodded thoughtfully, trying to hide his chagrin at the girl's beaming smile.
"Yes. However, you realize my powers are barely above that of the baseline demi-god and goddess?"
"But, you were able to defeat people much more powerful than you were!" Arney protested.
"That was due more to luck, ingenuity, and determination on my part," Talon drawled.
"And your sword?"
"Well, it helped a lot. Much later, I'd find out that my sword (to my knowledge) couldn't be broken, melted, or dulled by anything on Earth. I ran to Fortune, to find the battle in full swing. And, well..."
"You stopped them all by yourself," smiled Arney, a slightly devilish look coming onto her face. "They never knew what hit them! Man, what I would have given to see the looks on their faces..."
"And the looks on my friend's faces? Before they became my persecutors?" Talon asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at Arney. She blushed, smiling sheepishly.
"Er... Sorry, sir. I forgot, they... They threw you out." Talon nodded, a hard look on his face.
"I guess it's true, people will FIRST fear what they do not understand, and it takes time for them to understand it. In my case, they didn't give themselves time to understand it, and so they banished me." Arney looked at her professor in curiosity, tilting her head.
"What about Emily?" Talon shrugged, sighing.
"She wanted to go with me, but I made her stay. In hindsight, it was probably a moot point. She stopped aging a year later, and when her powers finally emerged, they threw her out too. But I didn't know that, and so, I set out for the South." Arney narrowed her eyes at the hard wooden desk before her, frowning in thought.
"But sir, why South? Did you feel... Compelled? Did you feel a sense of destiny in going there?" Talon blinked.
"I went South, because I picked a random direction and WENT that way." Arney blushed.
"Oh... Erm, sorry." Talon shrugged, a slightly amused expression growing on his face.
"Besides... Winter was approaching, and so, I decided to play migration and see where I ended up. I wandered around the West for about ten years." Arney raised an eyebrow.
"Ten years? Why?"
"Well, I didn't exactly have anywhere to go, after all. That's kind of the point of wandering. I don't remember most of what I did, aside from walking around, catching and eating my food, and talking to myself." Talon walked back behind his desk, sitting down behind it, and pulled out a bottle of water from a drawer. Taking a swig, he looked up at Arney with a raised eyebrow.
"Would you like some water? I have a few more bottles." Arney nodded.
"Sure." Talon tossed her one, which she deftly caught. Twisting it open, she downed a sip, before looking back at the professor.
"And, I'm guessing... Around this point, you met the Goddess of... Well, what is Empress Mutsumi's element?" Talon smiled with a slight sparkle in his eyes.
"Ah, now that is a good question... Well, we know she's an incredibly powerful telepath, possibly the strongest on this planet. She can heal with her powers, various ailments of the mind and body, and she can process information at speeds the greatest super computer on Earth can't match. But, of course, I didn't know this at the time I met her. It was in the ruins of San Diego. Mutsumi had been stranded here, essentially, by the Cataclysm, as she was originally from Okinawa. She'd been wandering, somewhat like myself, for the last twelve years, not knowing what she had become. And so, I met her when I had to rescue her from a gang of thugs..."
"You like rescuing people, don't you?"
"Hey, who doesn't?"
''
"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" Crooned one of six badly clothed thugs, bearing his yellowing teeth in a grin. His cronies followed suite, closing in on the dusty but beautiful woman standing in front of the remains of a large office building. Her long, raven black hair, wrapped in a crude ponytail, was mussy and clumped, with odd ends sticking out everywhere. Her pale face had a fine layer of dust on it, as did her long blue cloak, white turtleneck, black skirt, and knee-high boots.
However, her face, though dirty like the rest of her, was heart shaped and gentle, a slight smile playing on her lips even now, with a benign spirit shining out for all to see.
"I suppose... Ara... Are you really quite sure you'd like to do this? I mean, we could share some watermelon... I have some in my satchel..." The goons laughed heartily.
"No thanks, babe! I think the only 'melons' I'm in the mood for are right in front of me." The woman held up one of her watermelons from her bag, smiling ever-so-nervously.
"Ara... This one? Oh my-" The woman tripped, falling to her knees and tossing the watermelon into the leader's face.
"OW!" He went down, the blow surprisingly strong. One of the other goons reached over and grabbed the woman's hair roughly.
"Ha! Guess you're sloppy seconds, Lead! I call her first!" A second later, a black blur rushed by this adventurous fellow. He was still grinning, though a few of his teeth had fallen out. Another goon stared at him.
"Denorio... You okay, man?" Denorio fell over, still grinning though unconscious, into the dirt. The woman slowly began to get to her feet, while the rest of the gang began to look around apprehensively.
"Did you see that?"
"What was-AUGH!" The blur reappeared, though this time it stayed in one spot and punched another goon. He went sailing into a brick pile, crashing into it at cringe worthy velocity. The black blur, now a black figure, stood like the specter of Death in front of them all.
"What the hell-?"
"GET HIM-GAH!" The figure blurred again, punching this next speaker so hard he sailed over a wall. Another ran and tried to jump the dark figure, but it effortlessly grabbed his fist and flung him into a bent lamp post. The figure turned, and stared at the last two men. They pulled their guns.
"Dodge this, Diablo!" Snarled one as they fired multiple shots at the figure. It twisted and turned in mid-air, a blur of movement as it dodged every bullet. The two men stopped firing, gaping in horror.
"Holy-!"
"Hey," said the figure quietly, "I did what you said. Comprende?" And with that, the figure blurred again, punching both men into an overturned truck. The leader, getting up (finally) from his watermelon-induced nap, blinked blearily at the black figure.
"Who... What the-?" The figure blurred again, and pulled the leader roughly to his feet. The figure snarled in his face, an otherworldly sound that made the leader shudder.
"Let me tell you one thing, hermano. You so much as THINK of raping another woman ever again," the figure threw the leader, screaming, into a crushed mailbox. He was silenced with the impact.
"I'll throw you into the sea," the figure stated, before turning on the leader, and walking over to the woman. She was looking mournfully at her crushed watermelon, sighing dismally. The figure crouched down near her.
"Miss?" She turned, and smiled sadly at him. He blinked.
"Ara... Thank you for rescuing me, whoever you are... But, ara, there goes my last watermelon," she sighed again, looking at it in a heartbroken kind of way. The figure blinked, then awkwardly patted the woman on her back.
"I'm... I'm sorry, really. Um... Well, I think I should be going now." The woman nodded, smiling at him. The figure kept staring at her. Why couldn't he break eye contact, dammit?
"Well, thank you again, I have to be going... too... ara..." The woman's eyes rolled back into her head, as she collapsed, the dark figure catching her in his arms. His eyes widened.
"Holy-No pulse?! Oh crap, oh crap, um... CPR!" With that, the figure removed his cowl, and began to breathe air into the woman's lungs. Ignoring the sensation that resulted when their lips touched, Andrew (for that, of course, was who it was) began pumping her chest. He bent down, gave her another breath, and pumped her chest again. He bent down once more...
"Mmmph, mmph mm mmph?" She mumbled against his mouth. Talon pulled back, and in his shock fell back on his butt.
"Gah! Are you-Are you okay?! You passed out, and weren't breathing, um, so I-" The woman giggled a bit.
"Oh, I thank you for your concern, but I'm all right. You see, I'm an anemic." Andrew blinked at her.
"An anemic." She nodded.
"Yes, I am. I pass out whenever I over-exert myself... Um, which seems to happen often." Talon's eyes grew wide as he threw up his hands in disbelief.
"Then what the hell are you doing wandering around, alone, at night in a place like this?!" She smiled sheepishly, shrugging.
"Ara... I don't have anywhere to go. I've been wandering around here for quite some time, you see. Ara, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. Perhaps, I should just go..." She stood up, hefting her satchel over one shoulder under her cloak, and turned away. Andrew put a hand on her shoulder, gently. She stopped.
"Um... I do feel obligated, to make sure you get to safety," Andrew said, looking earnest. Mutsumi stared at him, before holding up her hand and cupping his cheek. Talon felt his face go hot at the sensation.
"Um... Miss?"
"You remind me... Of someone... Long time ago," she murmured, looking over his face. Talon blinked once or twice, his mind going pleasantly numb at her soft touch. However, his enhanced sense of awareness kicked him out of it, and he (reluctantly?) pulled her hand away.
"Miss, I think we should go. These goons are part of the Descalabro Ejercito, the Misfortune Army. Former drug lords turned... Well... Drug lords who essentially own the area we're in. Can we go?" The woman smiled at him, as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Oh my..." Talon pulled out a grappling hook and cable. He shrugged at the woman, as he started whirling it around.
"It seemed like a good idea, since I don't have the endurance to run everywhere I want to go," he explained, throwing it and watching with satisfaction as the hook locked onto an old flagpole. He tightened his hold on her slightly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"If I may... What is your name?" Andrew tried to keep his thoughts away from the fact that her warm body was pressing against his, with two large, firm yet soft lumps-He shook his head, silently growling his perverted side away.
"Andrew Talon. And, you?" The woman's eyes crinkled in a way reminding Talon of his grandmother.
"Mutsumi Otohime. It's a pleasure-" She was cut off when Andrew leapt, using his powers and the rope to speed them away into the darkness.
''
"Heh... You always struck me as a kind of romantic," Arney said with a smirk. Talon raised his eyebrows.
"It was practical at the time."
"Well, it's kind of hard to ignore speculating what went on in, and I quote, 'the next three years Mutsumi and I wandered together in the East.'" Arney raised an eyebrow at the professor. Talon allowed himself a slightly twisted smile.
"Well, frankly, Miss Arney..." The student bent forward, smiling eagerly.
"Yes?" Talon winked at her.
"It's none of your damn business." Arney blinked, then grinned in a rather triumphant way.
"So you two DID-" The professor held up a hand to silence her, and she complied. Talon had that effect on people, for some reason.
"I'm not saying we did... Though I will admit, there were times when my love for her... Grew in a direction I didn't particularly care for," he said diplomatically, making a face at his as yet unsquashed perverted side. Arney blinked at him curiously.
"Love her?"
"Well, you couldn't very well NOT love her, if you spent that long of time with her, as her friend. And that was why I became her second-in-command when she united the people of Washington, DC, together, willingly, into a larger community," Talon stated, taking a long drink from his water bottle.
"Yes, and started your own navy, of submarines you yourself designed, which are still in use by numerous navies around the Goddess Empires today," said Arney, as if reciting it from a textbook. Talon nodded, tossing the now empty bottle into the trash.
"Indeed. Because, well... I remembered Ben's prophecy, and I decided that, in the event these five other entities came around, I wanted to be prepared if they became hostile." Arney titled her head.
"But sir... Where did the Goddesses come from?" Talon smirked slightly.
"From Japan, actually. They were all roommates at a dormitory in the little town of Hinata Springs, along with their landlord. Mutsumi was one of them, but she and the landlord (who, by the way, was Lord Keitaro) were here in the US on a foreign study trip, before they got separated by the Cataclysm." Arney pursed her lips.
"Kind of odd, that it was everyone from that dorm who became goddesses." Talon shook his head, a serious expression on his face now.
"Not everyone became a goddess, and none of them knew what they were until much, much later. They were more concerned about staying alive. They didn't notice they'd stopped aging until two years later, and it wasn't until three years after that they made it here." Arney blinked.
"Why'd it take them so long?"
"A large number of demi-gods and goddesses were keeping them busy, in a super powered gang fight. And, they'd been trying to build an aircraft to get them here. But it was slow going, there wasn't a lot to work with. Finally, they flew over here, to the last city they'd known Mutsumi and Keitaro were in-"
"Denver."
"Right, and began to search. Five years later, though, they'd all separated due to varying reasons." Arney nodded, narrowing her eyes.
"And so the First Goddess Empires were born," she said. "Naru, Goddess of Fire, in Denver, Shinobu of Light and Suu of Earth in Colorado Springs, Kitsune of Water and Ice in Las Vegas, and Haruka of The Storm (Darkness, Lightening, and Wind) in Montreal." Talon nodded, impressed.
"With Motoko and Kanako, who would later get Haruka's powers." Arney shook her head thoughtfully, looking at Talon in wonder.
"Who were their lieutenants? The demi-gods and goddesses they met on their way?" Talon smiled, his eyes showing his relief.
"Well, I'd be happy to tell you..."
"You're happy we're moving away from you, aren't you?" Arney asked blandly. Talon looked slightly taken aback, before narrowing his eyes.
"Miss Arney, as you well know, I dislike recognition. I was content to serve Mutsumi, first and foremost as her friend, as her second in command-"
"And, as her lover?" Asked Arney slyly. Talon lowered his eyebrows.
"Miss Arney, do you want me to continue, or shall I simply walk out thanks to these interruptions?" Arney raised up her hands in appeasement, her eyes widening slightly.
"No, no! I'm sorry sir, really, but... I couldn't help it. The stories that filter out about your sex lives..." Anrey shook her head, smiling sheepishly.
"Yes, yes, that's something Kana would probably find most amusing," Talon sighed. Arney shifted forward.
"Can you tell me why?"
"Well, why not? Let's start with the goddess I liked most of all after Mutsumi, Lady Shinobu. And her often depressed knight in shining armor," Talon said with a slightly dramatic flair. Arney's eyebrows ascended slightly, her thoughts bouncing about her mind.
"Have you ever considered taking up theater?" Talon rolled his eyes.
"People have been asking me that since I was your age. Some things never change..."
''
Now, I'm going to have to be a bit more specific in my requests for reader participation: Who would like to be the steadfast lieutenants of the Goddesses when they set up their Empires? Any volunteers?
Please keep in mind, you volunteer at your own peril. I haven't killed off a lot of characters in my time, but please do remember, the plot could twist every which way. R&R, please! And I'd appreciate any advice you could offer me, Kanako and Kana! You too, Kebinu!
Next Chapter: Well away from the East Coast, Shinobu and Suu set up their empire in what was once Colorado Springs. Suu takes control of Cheyenne Mountain, as Shinobu's kindness begins to heal the land and people. But, a darkness is growing to the North... One with antenna...