The humidity was the first thing felt when Inichi let them loose in the hot jungle air. Kamiko was quick to start tasting the air for any familiar scents before leading the others along. Mitsumi was being carried by Saitama now, and she was extremely concerned for Kamiko's safety. "You know where to go?"
"I think so. It feels…familiar around here," Kamiko admitted.
"Who gave you the charm?" Genos asked.
"It's weird. It's like…I found it on my path around the place. A shaman around here said it was a blessing and a curse when I showed it to him. That it called itself to me. He warned me that I could not leave the jungles with it. I had to leave it behind. And I know I did!" Kamiko frowned. "But…it was in my carry bag on the plane home. I figured I'd just keep it…but maybe I should have left it on the plane. All I remember after that was stepping off the plane and blacking out the moment my feet hit the runway pavement."
"And now?" Genos asked.
"I don't feel any different. But…maybe if we can find that shaman…" she mused aloud. "Inichi, can you read my thoughts to find him?"
"I've been sensing for any thoughts within a five mile radius the moment we arrived. I am sensing…nothing out of the ordinary," Inichi frowned hard. "Let me get an aerial view. I'll be right back."
"Want me to help?" Tatsumaki asked.
"Not just yet," Inichi said and continued to float upwards. "Thank you for the offer, though!"
"Hmm," Saitama frowned and continued to keep Mitsumi close. Several minutes later, Inichi formed a bubble around the group to carry them off.
"Hey! I wish he'd warn us beforehand…" Kamikaze frowned.
"Look!" Tacki blinked and saw the natives that were encroaching on them suddenly. Inichi now hovered a bit lower and thought to them calmly. Kamiko was now gestured to. "What's going on?"
"I'm…mentally conversing with them. I didn't hear them at first due to them being able to blend their thoughts in with natural wildlife. It's interesting! It was when I heard the need to attack that I realized what was going to happen. They understand that we are no threat now and only seeking answers. They are quite amazed with me, of course. But they are concerned about you, Kamiko. They know what has you bound down," Inichi said.
"They do?!" Kamiko gasped.
"Yes. They will lead us to their shaman. The same one that tried to warn you before. However, I will carry you all. I am strong enough," Inichi nodded. Zenchu was now studying the terrain and where they were. Even Rendor was taking in the sights from being an explorer.
"Better than a video game?" Kianna giggled at King.
"Well…as long as I know we're safe…" King admitted. "I usually don't get out too much."
"Eh. I should have Iaian try to come out here at some point," Kamikaze thought aloud. "The weather is enough to cut through anything with heat exhaustion. What do you think, Bane?"
"Oh? It's true. Some of the trees would make excellent wood for a dojo, though," Bane mused. "I'm sure all of this is protected, anyways."
"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Saitama said and pressed a kiss to Mitsumi's cheek. It was another five minute flight before they were all set down carefully in the middle of a village. The shaman was waiting, and he moved straight up to Kamiko. He wore a tribal hat of feathers, a leather loincloth and multiple necklaces of animal teeth. He gestured to see her hands, and she opened them up. Now he pointed at a small imprint of a chameleon.
"That's where I held…I…" Kamiko blinked. The shaman looked at Inichi as though telling him something.
"Kamiko, you need to stab yourself in that area," Inichi frowned.
"What?" she blinked.
"Why?!" Mitsumi gasped.
"He says it's buried in your skin. You need to cut it out. Literally cut it out of your flesh," Inichi sighed. "Much like Lady Mitsumi's snake…the charm is a monster…"
"WHAT?!" Kamiko gaped and stared at her palm.
"It was called to you for being different. The natives here knew what it was. You didn't. The shaman here was trying to tell you to not take it or pick it up. But you took it out of curiosity. He knew it would make you a strong monster, but only if you left. Once it was out of these lands, it was able to attack you. The jungle heat had it weakened. You did leave it behind, but it already picked you to infest, and it fed from you lightly as you held it. It gained the strength it needed. It…jumped into your bag…" Inichi grimaced.
"How do I cut it out?" she asked now. "I mean…I don't even feel it…"
"Here is what you need to do," Inichi said when the Shaman bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt. "Put that in your palm. Squeeze hard. When you feel the lump, slice it out. That will pull it from you in full."
"Can I kill it after?" Saitama asked.
"Hmm…" Inichi looked at the shaman. "He informs me that it would be saddening, but it will happen again. This monster charm needs to be destroyed. It has tasted human flesh for too long. Destroy it the moment it is freed."
"Okay," Saitama nodded.
"Oh, they also ask for a favor. There is a monster nearby that has been attacking their village for the past month. Due to them living out here, they had no way to call for help. As we are strong monsters and heroes…they are politely asking for us to help them in trade for helping Kamiko," Inichi said.
"Let's take care of the monster first. Then we'll take care of me," Kamiko said. "I don't know what state I'll be in, so let's handle that first."
"Agreed," Rendor nodded. Genos also nodded with the others.
"Where does it reside?" Fubuki asked.
"Due northwest of us. I can take us there and bring us back," Inichi said. "I have the coordinates."
"Let's go," Saitama nodded.
"They know we will return," Inichi said and pulled the group back into a blue bubble to carry them off. He brought them to a flat landscape with a large hill. At the base of it was a cave. The front of it was littered with the bones of both humans and animals. Mitsumi frowned and got carried by Saitama now.
"Don't think about it," he muttered and kissed her forehead. "We're putting a stop to it now. Okay?"
"Yeah…I just…never saw something like this before…" she frowned hard.
"This thing was feasting," Kamikaze frowned and kicked aside an animal skull. "Everything is picked clean, too."
"Heh. Tsuruga's gonna be jealous that we got into a fight without him," Rendor chuckled. Tacki just nodded and stepped over a ribcage.
"Whatever did this has to be large," Bane frowned. Then they heard screams down in the cave. Kianna gasped and bristled with a defensive posture.
"King. Stand aside," Saitama muttered softly. "Zenchu, can you scout?"
"With shadows? Ah. It's a cave. Yeah. Stay here," Zenchu muttered back and bolted over to merge into the shadows to see what was going on.
"He can do that?" Tatsumaki blinked.
"That he can," Rendor nodded. A few moments later, Zenchu was carrying out a wounded man with long claw marks down his side.
"Skin scratches. Nothing punctured yet. It was like he was being played with first. It…reminds me of what I did long ago. I'm going back in to see what it is," Zenchu said grimly. Kamiko was already taking a close examination of the wounds the native man had. Tacki was quick to help start gathering up anything soft she could find and even plucked out a few downy feathers to help with blood clotting for now.
"Back away! King, please take the wounded one and back away!" Inichi said quickly at Zenchu's report. "The rest of you get ready!"
"Isn't King gonna help attack?" Kamikaze asked and drew out his sword.
"Someone has to protect the wounded!" Kianna said and let her claws come out to ready her own attack.
"He doesn't have to do a thing with me here," Saitama said with a touch of boredom. "What's in there?"
"We're gonna see it now!" Zenchu said when he appeared from the shadows and bolted over to them. The monster that came out first showed the massive claws grip either side of the cave opening before launching out at them. It resembled a yellow eyed bear with porcupine spines all over it. On rising up now to a height that rivaled Shenjou, it lunged right for Zenchu. The massive jaws snapped down on nothing when he simply phased out with the nearby shadows to smack it from behind. "Way too slow, bud…"
When it turned to attack him, it now got struck with Kamikaze's expert swordsmanship. Bane was now quick to attack with his martial arts skill of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist to pummel into it. Genos and Kamiko attacked from a distance with their darts and bullets. Rendor now leapt at the monster to snap his jaws down on its throat in a death grip. Inichi watched calmly to ensure to bubble anyone out of the way that got in its path. Fubuki was slowing it down with intense wind and pebbles. Tatsumaki wanted to attack, but Rendor was in the way. All she could do was ensure it didn't try to bolt down the cave, so she collapsed the entrance to it just in case.
"Tacki?!" Kamikaze shouted when he saw her fly over the bear and land on it neatly to sink her talons into it and rip out flesh.
"It's okay!" she shouted back and flew out of reach when the monster swiped at her. Then she noticed something that made her furious. "It's a regenerator! It won't die easy!"
"It's regenerating?!" Bane gaped.
"Is it my turn?" Saitama asked.
"Quite possibly," Mitsumi frowned. "I already know I can't talk to it. It's a true monster. Just make it quick and painless?"
"It usually is," Saitama nodded and pressed a kiss to her mouth before turning to face the monster. Rendor saw Saitama get ready to launch himself and was quick to jump away from the monster. Zenchu was soon at Mitsumi's side to help protect her. Saitama now launched himself at the monster and sucker-punched its head off its body. A second later, the rest of the bear simply collapsed on itself in a dead heap. Zenchu nodded and glanced at the others there.
"Everyone okay?" he asked when Saitama walked back over to Mitsumi to pull her close to hug tight in celebration.
"I think so," Bane nodded.
"Yeah. Tacki?" Kamikaze asked and moved to her side. He noticed she was limping and he checked her left foot. "You broke a claw…"
"Owwww!" she gasped and winced when he touched it.
"She has some regeneration, but it's much slower. We'll just keep her claw bandaged to her toe. It's cracked at the quick there. When we get home, she'll get some pain medicine," Kamiko said on assessing her.
"It swiped at me and hit me then. I didn't feel it until I landed," Tacki sighed. "I can hobble for now."
"You still have hands, right?" Kamikaze asked. She nodded and now he turned his back to her. "Hop on. Let's see if this works."
"Oh…" she blinked and managed to just barely fit her long bird legs around his waist. "This is clunky…"
"That…doesn't look right…shouldn't she be facing the other way on you? I mean…that's how it's supposed to be done with a girl, right?" Zenchu asked. Now Tacki looked at him with shock. Kamikaze paused and burst out with laughter while falling to his knees.
"Ow!" Tacki gasped when her foot landed on the ground.
"Shit! Sorry!" Kamikaze said and quickly stood back up.
"I can simply carry her for now," Inichi said. "And, ah, Mr. Saitama, please slap Zenchu for being…ridiculous."
"I can do that," Saitama said with a small smile on his face to get Zenchu sputtering with an absolute shock of his own. King was just shaking his head, but he helped the native move with him carefully to the others. Inichi focused on him to talk, and various issues were now explained.
"He's lucky. He was just caught. He was trying to see where exactly the monster was sleeping. It woke up and nearly killed him. Let's go back to the village and get you cured, Kamiko," Inichi said.
"Right," she nodded and let Inichi gather her up with the others in a blue bubble to take them all back to the village. On arriving, the wounded native was quickly taken away, and the villagers rejoiced that the monster was dead.
"I'm letting him know to call for me if anything else happens," Inichi said with a chuckle.
"Oh. Should we grab some of the meat to take back to the association?" Zenchu grinned. Inichi mused at this and looked at Kamiko.
"First we see if we can get that thing out of her. Then we will harvest," Inichi nodded. Genos rested a hand on Kamiko's back gently to show he was there. She nodded and shivered with nervous excitement.
"Zenchu, get ready to cut it out for me. I can think of no one else to do this. I would say Lady Mitsumi, but she won't hurt us," Kamiko said.
"Right," Zenchu nodded. "I'm ready."
"I'm right here," Saitama said and kissed Mitsumi's temple. She nodded and watched Kamiko grab a mound of earth and squeeze it tight in her hand. Then she gasped and buckled into herself at what she felt next.
"Kamiko!" Mitsumi cried out, but Saitama had to hold her back. Tacki watched the chameleon tail shrink back in. Then the scales started to disappear. The entire monster process that took her over began to melt away swiftly. When she lay unconscious on the ground, Zenchu was quick to clear away the dirt in her hand to see the small mound under the skin of her palm. He cut it away delicately and removed the small charm. Then he tossed it at Saitama.
"Got it!" Saitama said and crushed it to pieces with a squeeze of his fist. "Done."
"Kamiko!" Mitsumi said again and was now able to rush to her side. Genos now saw that Kamiko had short, blond-brown hair that was neatly trimmed at her shoulders. Her body was lean, slender and hard from exploring. She still had her intense womanly curves, too, and just barely covered up by the altered clothing for her monster form. Fubuki took off her coat to place over Kamiko now and looked up at Inichi to nod.
"Hold on. She's starting to wake…" Inichi said and gently urged her to open her eyes to reveal her dark blue gaze.
"Ugh…" Kamiko said and managed to slowly sit up. Then she paused at her hands. "I…I'm human…?!"
"Yes," Mitsumi said and they hugged each other tightly with tears of joy. Then Kamiko looked at Kamikaze to smile and nod her intense relief. It was clear what she wanted to soundlessly say to him.
"You're welcome," Kamikaze chuckled. "I'm glad I thought of it."
"Me too…" she whispered. "Lady Mitsumi…I…don't know what to do now. Normally I'd be planning a trip, but…"
"You can still stay with me, sister," Mitsumi smiled and got hugged again.
"At least I don't feel an urge to eat bugs anymore!" Kamiko grimaced to get them all laughing softly. "Oh. Thank you for the coat, Fubuki."
"Of course. Do you think you can walk?" Fubuki asked.
"I can try," Kamiko nodded and rose up to do just that. "I think I'll be okay after an hour. It's just…the shock. Ah! My palm! Okay. I'll have to bandage myself up at home. Can we get home now?"
"We wanted to do a quick monster meat harvest. Then we'll go home," Zenchu nodded and glanced up at Inichi when the natives started to point at Mitsumi out of curiosity.
"Hmm. The natives do not know what you can do, Lady Mitsumi," Inichi said to her. "Can you show them?"
"Ah…okay. Just the fan dancing, I think," she nodded. With that done, she started to flick out the fans to mesmerize and amaze the natives. The shaman now saw the other fans on her and pointed to them. "Oh. Um…okay…"
On showing off the bladed fans, the shaman studied them. Then he seemed to smile and gestured to wait. Now Inichi paused with absolute shock. An old black box was now given to her to open. With this, she paused at seeing another set of crane fans. She looked at him with confusion.
"They were given to him to hold on to. To give to another when it was time. He never knew what they were, but he held onto them. He is glad to give them away at last. I…have no explanation for this, Lady Mitsumi," Inichi said with confusion. "His thoughts just show a visitor arrived and requested it of him."
"Thank you," she smiled and bowed to him respectfully.
"Okay. Puzzling…but…I know the Wind Crane Clan traveled everywhere for disciples. When they started to vanish, they began to hide things everywhere. It's very possible that one of them found this remote region a worthy hiding place. Mitsumi, may I take those fans to study them? I promise to return them to you undamaged," Bane said.
"Let's get home first," she said. "I don't want him to see me give them to you. Just…respect and such."
"Oh! Yes. We can do that," Bane nodded.
"Shall we go back to that monster?" Inichi asked them to get small nods. "I will need to send off what we harvest first. Then I can transport us home."
"That's fine," Zenchu nodded. Inichi was quick to gather his small group up and move them back to the battlefield. Zenchu was quick to start slicing into the corpse to remove the best parts.
"Are you sure you're okay, Kamiko?" Mitsumi asked when Saitama brought her over to where Kamiko was resting against Genos.
"I am. I'll need new clothes, but that's easy," Kamiko chuckled.
"Was Kamiko your real name?" Kamikaze asked.
"It is," Kamiko nodded. "I remembered it right after Lady Mitsumi woke me up. It's interesting, though. I still have…the intense memory capability from my monster form. It's like…I lost the form and the attacks, but I still have my mind 'opened' from the monster I was."
"Oh? So…you didn't lose your enhanced mindset?" Inichi mused.
"No. It's the same. I know I'll want to study more medical practices, but it seems…easier for me to understand things. I wonder if I can mildly apprentice under Child Emperor," she mused.
"I am sure he would accept you," Genos nodded.
"So, Genos, what do you plan to do now?" Saitama asked and moved to Mitsumi's side to sit down on the ground with her. She moved into his lap to let him cradle her, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I still plan my date night," Genos said and put a black, robotic arm around Kamiko. "Not only is it a mission from you, but there is a definite alternative interest on both my side and hers. So we will continue with tonight to see how it goes. I am sure it will have positive results."
"I am curious, though," Zenchu said and let Inichi transport the monster meat and parts away. "As a robot, do you, eh…have the 'part' to make kids?"
"Ah…" Genos paused and went silent.
"Zenchu. Shut up," Kamiko said. "Saitama, can you please just slap him?"
"No," Genos said quickly. "This…could be a concern…"
"Oh? You think you can get something like a removable attachment?" Zenchu asked with a small grin. Kamikaze's eyes widened at the thought and he groaned before cringing with laughter. The others started to laugh and snicker now. Mitsumi's jaw was simply dropped and she shook her head with disbelief. At the stunned silence, he continued with a slightly wider grin, "It'd be kinda neat if it was a rocket launcher, too!"
"Master Saitama, now you can slap him," Genos said with a small nod. Kamiko died laughing and covered her face in her hands.
"Shit!" Zenchu hissed and merged away with the nearby shadows to get them all laughing hard again. Saitama wasn't laughing, though. His neutral face showed he was serious in getting ready to slap him.
"Hey," Mitsumi smiled and kissed his cheek. Now he glanced at her and kissed her passionately in return. "We'll see what to do with Tacki's urn when we get home. Okay?"
"Okay," he nodded and squeezed her to him gently.
"I do want to ask, though," she murmured softly to him.
"Hmm?" he gazed at her.
"If…I do become pregnant…how would you react?" she asked.
"Ah…I don't know," he admitted.
"I think he would panic," Kamikaze said and moved to let Tacki rest her foot on his knee. "He looks the type."
"I can agree," King chuckled. Rendor and Tatsumaki looked at each other with small grins on their faces.
"What?" Saitama looked at them both to get the laughter to start up again.
"Well, we won't know for two months. If Lady Mitsumi misses her menstrual cycle for this month, then I'll have a good idea if it happened," Kamiko chuckled. "We can only wait and see."
"What's that?" Saitama asked Mitsumi. She whispered to him and his eyes opened. "Oh. That's normal?!"
"It is…" Mitsumi smiled softly. "I haven't had one for two years…"
"From…oh. Well, we'll see how it goes," Saitama nodded and kissed her forehead. Kamiko now realized that certain adjustments to the bathroom would be needed, and she whispered to Genos to start up and intricate shopping list.
"Ah. I see why. Very well," Genos nodded. "We shall get the items."
"I can get them now that I'm human and won't cause a fuss," Kamiko smiled. "It would be odd for a guy to get them unless on a list with specific instructions. Just leave it to me."
"Oh! Very well," Genos nodded again.
"The items have been delivered. And, eh…Zenchu…you can be very disturbing," Inichi scolded him.
"Just don't let him slap me," Zenchu muttered from where he stood far off.
"We'll see," Inichi chuckled. "Shall we return home and see to Tacki?"
"Yes. Please," Tacki nodded. The group now banded together to be gathered up and swiftly taken back home.