Here is chapter 3, this is definitely farther that I thought this story would go. I really hope this isn't turning into a poorly written mess, chapter 1 is still my favorite and probably best written chapter of the story.
Reviews from Jack797 and MrRedSnake, damn I feel lucky. Those guys are some of my favorite writers and I get compliments from both of them? Talk about a win! Thanks guys.
Disclaimer: I do not own South Park.
Intro done, now on with the story…
Kenny is standing by his locker, uncharacteristically deep in thought.
He had taken notice of Wendy's list yesterday and was well aware that she had narrowed down her list of suspects for Mysterion's identity to a small handful of people.
Just about all those she crossed off were pretty obvious, with a few slight surprises. Clyde was interesting, but with him dating her best friend Bebe he wouldn't be surprised if that had something to do with his omission from her list.
The real surprise was the exception of Stan. He didn't know how she came to exclude him from the list of suspects, but that was probably for the best.
Whatever her reasons crossing him off her list were, it meant that she was closing in on his identity. He wasn't that surprised though, Wendy had always been a very smart and aware person. Very rarely would something be able to elude her observation skills when she set her mind to it. It was something that he had come to hold her in high regard for.
The distracted boy is so deep in thought that he doesn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps. But he does notice when the person those footsteps belong to snaps their fingers in front of his eyes.
"Hello! Earth to Kenny. Are you there?"
Kenny turns to the person and flashes a hidden grin.
["Well, if it isn't my second favorite red-head. Whats up Kyle?"]
"Ha ha very funny. So Kenny, have you seen this morning's school paper?" He asks with a mildly stern look on his face.
["No. Why?"] He asked before the ginger boy shoved one of the papers into his hands.
"Take a look." He said. Curious as to what his friend was going on about, he looked down at the first page.
["Mysterion: The Dark Savior. Last night town hero Mysterion saved school reporter Wendy Testaburger from being assaulted by several sixth graders on her way home. Nice! Sounds like Mysterion saved the day again."] The boy said casually.
"Yeah, well what about the part where it mentions that the sixth graders came at him with switchblades. Are you okay dude?" Kyle asks in a concerned tone while moving to check his wounds.
["Hey, I just got a few scrapes, no biggie."] Kenny brushed his injuries off.
"You got stabbed!" He said in a hushed yell. Although his friendship with Kyle wasn't as close as the bromance the boy shared with Stan, Kenny would easily classify him as his closest friend of the trio. And with him being the only person who knew his secret identity, he was also very concerned at times about his well being.
It was unnecessary, sure, but nonetheless still greatly appreciated.
["I'm telling you Kyle, I'm fine. Nothing a little needle and thread couldn't fix."]. He reiterated.
Before the ginger boy could continue, the walking sac of biggoted fat that was Eric Cartman walked up to them wearing his stupid "Who is the Coon?" T-shirt that rides up his fat belly.
"Have you guys seen this!" He angrily asks as holds up a copy of the article.
["Kyle just showed me, why are you so angry?"] I ask, probably rhetorically. I can already tell where this is going.
"It's fucking bullcrap! The Coon is getting completely ignored, while Mysterion is on the front fucking page. This is what's wrong with the media these days." He rants. Classic Cartman, it's only been 10 seconds and already I've had enough of him.
"You do know that Wendy was attacked last night, right. That story is her personal account, and she is on the school news team. Is it really so surprising that it ended up making the paper?" Kyle points out. I don't really know why he even bothers. Trying to reason with Cartman is a one way trip to a massive headache. I'm debating whether or not to even speak up.
"Yes," Cartman says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Wendy probably made it up to sell papers and make the Coon look bad. Its so typical of that fucking bitch. Well I won't stand for it. This is an injustice, and like the Coon, I will stand for no injustices."
And there's my decision made for me. I can tolerate Cartman when he's just being his regular whiny self, or if it's directed at me, no problem. But when he directs it towards other people that don't deserve it, then I feel the need to step in. Maybe it's my alter ego's shining through to defend the innocent from the fatass' wrath, but it makes no difference either way.
["Wendy isn't the type of person who would do that, that's more your area of expertise. Also, the school's papers are free."] I say.
"That's true." Kyle agrees "and besides, no one needs to try to make you look bad, you do a great job of that yourself on a daily basis."
"Shut up Kyle you stupid Jew. You know what, screw you guys, I'm going home!" He says before walking off.
"It's the middle of school!" Kyle yells.
"No, screw you guys, home." He says.
"You're gonna get in trouble." Kyle yells.
"Ay, screw you, nah." He calls out before disappearing out of earshot.
"(Sigh) Look, Kenny, if you think you're alright, then fine. But you may want to be more careful around Wendy now, both as Mysterion and Kenny, if you don't want her to figure out who you are." Kyle said in a calm, deliberate tone.
With his ever optimistic personality, Kenny couldn't help but grin at that.
["Aww Kyle, are you worried about not being the only one who knows? Look it alright, you'll still be my go-to genius.] He said sarcastically.
"Seriously Kenny, Wendy is really smart and determined, and it seems like she is hot on your trail." He said with a stern expression on his face.
["Oh that she is. I saw her suspect list the other day, and it's just me and a handful of other people left."] He said nonchalantly. Kyle was about to respond to this rather concerning new information when the bell rang.
["Oh, there's the bell. See you later Kyle, I've got history class."] The boy said before walking off.
"Kenny, remember what I said." Kyle yells back to him. But if he heard him, he didn't show it as he continued walking until he disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
Several days later, it's Friday night, a few hours after the sun had set. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, casting its bright rays down on the sleepy town.
Having told her parents that she was out at Bebe's for a sleepover, Wendy was out looking for the elusive boy that she was determined to find. WIth her she brought her backpack with a few miscellaneous items, her notepad, spare pencils, camera equipment and the like, as well as pepper spray after the other day's incident.
She had been doing this every night since she last saw Mysterion, and like with the first time, she wasn't having much luck. She knew that trying to track him was bound to be a waste of time, so if she couldn't track him, then she would have to trap him.
Her plan was simple: find someone committing a crime, then wait until Mysterion showed up to stop them and jump him when he was finished.
That is, it WOULD have been simple, if she could actually find someone committing a crime.
As she made her way through the town she became more and more frustrated at the complete lack of wrongdoings. Perhaps the threat of Mysterion was keeping criminals off the streets.
An hour later and she still hadn't found anything, and she was getting very frustrated. It felt like she had walked through the whole town twice already.
'I can't believe I'm saying this, but why can't anyone be committing a crime tonight?' She thought.
She was just about to turn back and head to Bebe's, her friend probably wouldn't mind the sudden drop in anyway
Just as she did though, the sound of breaking glass caught her attention. Rushing quickly but quietly and sticking to the shadows, she took cover behind a car and looked to see a man in a hoodie breaking into a car in front of Tweek Bros. Coffee Shop.
Perfect.
She crouched so that she would remain hidden while also keeping an eye on the man, and began the waiting game. Something that she was all too familiar with at this point.
Luckily it hadn't been more than a few minutes before she saw movement on the roofs.
She watched with fascination as the dark clad hero positioned himself above the man and jumped down, landing gracefully on the man's shoulders and sending him into the already broken window.
"AUGH! What the- YOU!" The man screamed as he stared down the young vigilante.
"Lose your keys?" He said sarcastically, yet in the same even gravely tone as always.
The man pulled several fragments of glass from his face before growling at the boy.
"Grrr I don't care what they say about you, you're a kid and I'll kick your ass if you don't get lost right now little hero." The man said threateningly.
In response, Mysterion lowered himself into a fighting stance and simply said.
"Bring it bitch."
The man charged at him with his fist raised only for Mysterion to weave around him and grab his ankle, pulling it with him past the man and sending him tripping face first onto the pavement. The man turned himself over and used his other foot to kick the vigilante hard, knocking him away and giving him the chance to get back up.
Mysterion regained himself and went on the attack, sliding forward and kicking the man in the shin before sweeping his leg when he grasped his other one in pain, sending him back onto the ground. He jumped on the man and began punching him in the face, but the man grabbed the hero's cape and threw him off while not releasing his grip.
The man quickly got back up and used the cape to wrap it around the vigilante's neck and choke him with his superior strength. Mysterion tried in vain to loosen the stranglehold around his neck, but it was no use. He felt the edges of his vision begin to darken as the lack of air began to take its toll. His attempts seemed to be of no use against the physically superior foe.
Well, that's just great. Another night that would end in his death. It had happened a bit less than usual recently, even during the few times he had gone up against someone with a gun. Compared to those, this was a rather embarrassing way to go, choked to death with his own freaking costume.
The man decided to add to it by swinging him into the back of the car, hitting the hero's head against the bumper. He was just about to accept his fate when he noticed something across the street.
Hiding behind a car, but still with her head peeking out, was the instantly recognizable face of Wendy. Her violet orbs conveyed nothing but fear and worry for him. Even with his current situation, he couldn't help but find them beautiful. She really did have the most beautiful eyes. And after all the time she had spent trying to find him, and all the fun he had with this cat and mouse game he was playing with her, she was about to see him die.
No. Whether or not she would have forgotten it, he wouldn't. He would remember the look in her eyes as she watched Mysterion die. And that was something he wouldn't stand for.
With the fire in his eyes reigniting, he drew upon his remaining strength and pushed himself back up, supporting the man's weight on his back, and then rolled forward, sending his attacker's head into the ground while he somersaulted off him. Stumbling back into the wall to brace himself, he untangled the cape from around his neck and gulped in some much needed air. The man meanwhile picked himself back up and rubbed his sore head before turning to the recovering hero and trying to punch him. Mysterion waited until the last second to duck out of the way, causing the man to punch the wall and cradle his hand in pain, before punching the man in the balls. As he dropped to his knees in pain, the cloaked hero took the opportunity to jump on his back and lock him in a chokehold. The man thrashed around wildly, trying to get the boy's grip off, but his hold had a surprising amount of strength behind it. Try as he did, he just couldn't get him to let go.
As he felt himself start to weaken, the man tried desperately to get the young vigilante off. He slammed his back against the wall and threw his head back, managing to hit the boy in the nose with a resounding crunch. But even then, his grip didn't waver. In fact, it somehow seemed to get stronger. The man's struggle gradually grew weaker, and weaker. Yet Mysterion held strong until he felt the last bits of strength fade from the man and he fell unconscious. After a couple seconds he relaxed his grip and slowly drew his hands back.
Wendy was in awe. She had seen Mysterion go from near death to victorious in a matter of seconds, and it still blew her away. She was terrified for his safety when it looked as if he was about to die, and she was just about to rush in to help when he caught her gaze. She had seen as the fire in them was rekindled and he came out on top once again.
She then says as he disappeared into the nearby alleyway and she instantly rushed after him, she was determined not to lose him. She followed him to the alleyway just in time to see him crawling into the roof from the drain pipe.
She knew that while she could get up the same way, she wasn't as fast as him and could't afford to lose him so she leapt from a dumpster onto the fire escape, then crawled up to a higher level before leaping to the roof. But, she landed awkwardly on the edge and felt herself fall backwards into the alley.
Until a gloved hand caught hers. She looked up to see Mysterion pull her back up and safely onto the roof.
He saved her, again. As she looked at him she felt that sense of security and comfort rise up again.
"You should be more careful." He said, though his gravelly voice sounded slightly nasally. "When you're trying to land a jump like that, have both feet hit the corner at the same time, landing on the balls of your feet so that you have more control, and so that if you do slip a bit you can catch yourself with the arch of your foot. Then absorb the landing down through your waist and with your knees, using your arms to maintain your balance."
Wendy was surprised at the brief lesson, but held on to every word. She was actually very grateful as instead of telling her not to do something like that, he understood that she was still capable, if a little inexperienced, and so gave her pointers so that she could do better next time.
She flashed him a grateful smile, which he ever so slightly reciprocated. She then took note of his nose which was beginning to turn purple and was a bit crooked.
"Oh, your nose is broken. I have a first aid kit in my backpack, here, let me fix it." She offered.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." He tried to say, but she wasn't having any of it.
"Look, you saved me twice now, the least I can do is fix your nose for you, and I won't take no for an answer." She said with a finality that squashed any objections he may have tried to make again, so he relented as she got the first aid kit from her bag.
"I normally keep this for if I come across a bird fallen out of a tree or an injured animal, but it will still do." She said. Typical Wendy Testaburger, the ever helpful activist extraordinaire.
She takes out a small cold pack and tells him to hold still while she quickly and carefully pops his nose back into place, causing surprisingly little pain, before gently applying the pack to his nose.
As her fingers delicately work on his broken nose, she takes the opportunity to look at his gorgeous blue eyes again. Taking note of the way they almost seem to glow under the darkness of his hood. But she could also see something more behind them. Wendy had always felt herself fairly good at reading people, she had learned how to do so in order to better read how her friends or others were feeling at a particular time. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and if that held true, then this boy's soul was damaged. She could see the pain hidden in his eyes. He hid it very well, but it was still there. Who was this boy hiding under the mask?
Mysterion noticed her staring and abruptly turned away. Checking his nose he felt it was sufficient enough until he got home and made his leave. But Wendy caught him by the shoulder.
His hand snapped up to catch her wrist, holding it gently, and the two locked eyes momentarily, blue meeting violet. She didn't even flinch, too entranced to even do so.
"Mysterion, please, I want to talk to you. I know that you have a duty to the town, and you like to keep to yourself, but I have spent weeks trying to get the chance to meet and with you, and I won't stop until I do. Please, can you meet here again, tomorrow night?" She asks with wide, hopeful eyes.
Try as he might, he found that he just couldn't resist those eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he sighs and silently nods before jumping away.
Wendy stands there for a long while, staring where she last saw the vigilante. The injury to his nose meant that he would be forced to cover it up, which could help give him away, but tomorrow is the weekend so she will have to wait until Monday to see.
As she thought about his wonderful blue eyes, something which had quickly become one of her favorite thoughts, as well as the prospect of tomorrow's long awaited meeting, her mouth slowly spread into a soft smile as her hand subconsciously traced her wrist where his hand had been.
"Until tomorrow Mysterion."
Thank you to all who read and enjoyed the story. I hope it was satisfying for something that was originally meant to be a one-shot.
Another brief fight scene, hopefully it was satisfactory for any who enjoy that sort of thing. I'm content with it, but I'm still more proud of the one I did in the first chapter.
Remember that reviews are greatly appreciated, and I look forward to all of them.
Thank you all, and with that I will see you next time Titans…