World's Finest

By Andrew J. Talon

DISCLAIMER: None of the animes or comics or anything in them mentioned in this story are my property. They are the property of their respective creators. I only claim ownership of the story itself. I am not writing this for profit.

A/N: And now we're up to chapter 2. Hope you don't mind the crossovers I've added, but this fic was originally written for "The Bet", and therefore crossovers of this nature are not out of the ordinary.

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Night had fallen over the island nation of Japan, cities blossoming millions of points of light as the sun set. And many a thug and yakuza could not help but feel nervous when this occurred. During the day, they had Superman to contend with. During the night... They were no safer.

Kodachi Kuno did not care about safety. No, she cared about one thing, and one thing only-Revenge.

The Black Rose of Furinken could barely suppress a cackle as she crept to the edge of the roof. Down below in the street, a familiar black vehicle had been parked. She easily recognized the sleek, powerful form. It belonged to that accursed Bat-lady, a common peasant in a fancy costume. She had interfered in Kodachi's schemes for the last time!

'Such insolence shall not go unpunished, oh ho ho ho!' She thought, her array of poisonous flowers at the ready. All she needed was the whore to appear and vengeance would be-!

"Ahem."

Kodachi blinked and turned around. A fist filled her vision, as pain filled her head and she knew no more.

Batwoman sighed, tying the mad gymnast up and hanging her over the side of the building, anchored securely to an air conditioning unit. The annoying brat had been trying to attack her ever since she'd broken up what seemed like an all-out assault in the Nerima district of Tokyo.

The fact that these incidents, perpetuated by a group of super-powered martial artists collectively referred to as "The Nerima Wrecking Crew", were regarded as an everyday thing had been absolutely disgusting in the vigilante's eyes. These children were dangerous, why was she the only one to see it?

She shook her head, using her palmtop computer to open the Car's cockpit. She leapt down and landed in the driver's seat easily, securing the vehicle's hatch and driving off. She had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"Computer, access Fudachi Correctional Facility's security grid," she ordered. A hologram appeared of said facility, and her lensed eyes narrowed.

"Run standard search," she spoke again, and the computers went to work, analyzing the system, looking for weaknesses or vulnerable points.

"No weaknesses found," the computer responded in a robotic tone, and Batwoman cursed.

"Run full-spectrum scan," she ordered again. A few minutes passed.

"No weaknesses found," the computer said again. Batwoman growled.

She'd examined the security set up for the prison herself of course, several times. The bugs she'd placed into it had actually improved the facility's overall preparedness. And after every break-out of Seta Noriyasu she'd personally added a few of her own modifications and systems to the security network, hacking into their databases and making them seem like standard upgrades from the state.

'And he still keeps getting out,' she mused angrily. 'How?'

An alert sounded on her console, and she checked it. 'Youkai disturbance' was what the computer stated, indicating a high school not too far from her current location. She gunned the engine and accelerated, a frown underneath her mask.

"Magical girl signatures?"

"None," the computer replied. Batwoman smirked. Hopefully she'd get there first and take care of the beast before the Sailor Scouts showed up. Again, she found herself in utter disbelief at how people could tolerate a bunch of teenagers with super powers causing so much reckless destruction. Every time they went into battle, that is. Batwoman acknowledged that she herself couldn't always be perfect in that regard, but a bunch of girls throwing around elemental attacks was infinitely more dangerous than she at her worst...

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Ramba sipped his tea, now dressed in a simple white tunic and black silk pants, at the small table Suu had set up in her room. I sat across from him, Suu hungrily downing a plate of cookies she'd brought down. On my other side, Shinobu sat, a bit nervously I could tell.

Me? Sure, I'd met urban legends before (The Sailor Scouts were a... Notable encounter, heh), but Ramba... The Flash... Was world famous.

"Well, it was entirely by accident that I got into this gig," he was saying, "an experiment gone wrong. Looks like Suu's picked up my bad habit in that regard."

Suu pouted adorably.

"Awwww, Big Brother! Suu has fun with experiments! And besides, Suu never messes with Speed Force!"

"Sp-Speed Force?" Shinobu asked nervously. Ramba nodded with a kind smile.

"Yes. According to the majority of modern scientists, there are four forces in the universe. Gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. However, there are in fact many more than just those. One is what we call the Speed Force."

"Big Brother discovered it," Suu said proudly. "It force of pure kinetic force, the vibrations and movements of matter, anything with mass."

"Usually, the Speed Force is an extra-dimensional one," Ramba said. "In theoretical physics terms, there are layers of dimensions in our universe where kinetic energy and mass are different things. The Speed Force is found in such a dimension. Now, in our dimension it usually only expresses itself in say, black holes, where the usual laws of physics don't really apply anyway."

"But," Suu cut in, "Big Brother tapped into Speed Force physically! His body infused with link of energy of Speed Force!"

"When it happened, I almost tore myself apart," Ramba said with a sigh. He gestured to the costume he'd worn before now lying on a tree branch. "My parents managed to develop a suit that, for lack of a better term, slowed me down by suppressing my link to the Speed Force by a significant amount."

Ramba shrugged with a smile.

"Even after all these years, I can't be out of it for longer than an hour at most."

I nodded with an encouraging smile.

"It can be rough, learning how to live with your gifts," I said. Ramba nodded back.

"Exactly... For you, I imagine it's difficult to interact normally with people. That strength of yours..."

Shinobu shifted a bit more closely to me, laying a small hand on my forearm.

"Sempai has never hurt anyone by accident," she said, calmly but firmly even as she blushed. I couldn't help but blush a little myself.

"No... On the other hand, this place doesn't exactly help," I noted. Ramba nodded solemnly.

"Yes... There is a great deal of unusual energy in the Hinata Sou. Suu's been keeping us all updated back at home."

"You mean, you all know about, uh..." I trailed off, as Suu smiled.

"Don't worry Keitaro! Only Suu's family know. We keep secrets. Suu not want to lose Keitaro," she said earnestly. I smile back as she returns to devouring her cookies and bananas.

"Thanks... It... That means a lot," I replied. Ramba stretched slightly, and stood up.

"Well, I just wanted to meet you for myself," he said with a smile. "Suu and Amalla have said good things about you, and I wanted to know why they had such an interest in you."

I felt a bit nervous at how he emphasized 'interest', that smiling face revealing nothing to me. His heartbeat was already very, very fast so that was no help. But still, this man was a fellow... 'Super', as some had begun calling us. He understood what I went through. And I trusted Suu after all... Why shouldn't I trust someone she also trusted?

"Anyway, take care Keitaro, Suu, Shinobu-chan," Ramba imparted with a grin. "I'll be around for a while, checking out the sights in case you need me."

"Need you? Why?" I asked, curious. At his puzzled look I quickly added, "Not that I mean that as an insult, but... You seemed to imply something's up."

"Maybe," he replied seriously. "Suu can probably fill you in better than I can... Until we meet again then." He bowed, and blurred, zooming to his suit. An instant later he'd pulled it back on, and though my enhanced senses weren't really geared towards ki, or life force, I could tell he became more... Stable, once the suit was on. A smile and jaunty wave to us, and he vanished at super speed out the door.

"Ramba great, isn't he?" Suu gushed happily. I nodded, standing up. Shinobu gave me a questioning look, to which I smiled.

"He is... It's time for my patrol." Both girls nodded in understanding. Suu got up and darted into the trees.

"Suu will get data for you! When you come back, Suu will explain!" The blonde girl called back. I nodded as Shinobu stood up as well, stretching.

"You... You will be careful, right Sempai?" She asked. Shinobu always asked this, but I understood why. I gave her a smile and nodded.

"I promise," I vowed, before heading out the door at normal speed. It was dark outside already, meaning most of the residents would be going to sleep. I made my way to the roof, hovering slightly above the ground to mask the noise of my foot steps. I had just made it to the open roof, half-moon and stars above me, when my super hearing picked up a familiar rustle of cloth, and the rattle of a sword.

"Motoko-san," I said, turning to face her. The samurai girl was staring at me, long black hair waving in the warm night breeze. Her expression was blank, but my hearing could tell her heartbeat was higher than normal.

"Urashima... We need to talk," she spoke simply, quietly. I frowned. While Motoko and I had become much closer over my time at the Hinata Sou, she was still very much an enigma... And still blasted me through the walls if I did something wrong.

"Okay," I said with a nod. She took a deep breath.

"I... Must apologize," Motoko said, bowing at the waist. I blinked.

'Okay... I wasn't expecting THAT...'

"For what?" I asked, confused. She straightened up, but her eyes remained lowered. My frown deepened. I didn't like seeing Motoko so... Humbled. It seemed wrong to me on a fundamental level.

"My sister, on her visit, told me that I should observe you more closely," she began dully. I nodded, remembering Tsuruko's last visit vividly. She was very beautiful, no doubt, and strong (nowhere near as powerful as me, but then again I'm not exactly human), and seemed slightly bi-polar. I most remember that very knowing smile on her face she had whenever she addressed me, like she knew what I was hiding.

"My ki senses, while advanced for my age, lack a certain accuracy," Motoko continued as I listened. "I knew that a massive life force had come to the Hinata Sou when you did, but I did not put two and two together, as it is said, until much later. And only then, after... Coming to terms with some things," she said, almost uncomfortably. I mentally grimaced.

"So... You know," I said simply. She nodded.

"My sister, to my senses, is like a bonfire of energy, whereas I am a candle. But you... You are like a small sun. I could not see... I could not believe that you were that strong," Motoko went on, in that same quiet, small voice. I frowned. What, did she think I would kick her ass now, after not doing so for so long?

"I see," I said, just as quietly. Motoko descended to her knees and prostrated herself fully, making me take a step back in shock.

"I must... Submit myself, per my family's code of honor, for punishment," she said simply. I blinked.

"What?"

"Urashima, I have attacked you on numerous occasions for accidents," she spoke, in a louder and clearer voice. "For errors made without ill intent. And your recent... Activities have revealed the true depth of your character. You hide your powers and use them only to protect the innocent, and do not use them for your own gain, or on whims of self-righteousness. I am... Ashamed at the fact that you have held to my school's principles far better than I have."

I sigh, and walked over to her, stooping down.

"Motoko... Please, get up." She did so, looking away still. I rolled my eyes.

"And please, look at me?" She complied hesitantly. I bit my lower lip, thinking about my words carefully.

"Motoko... I'm not angry about what's happened to me," I said. "Well, what I mean is, I'm not angry at what you've done to me." She sighed.

"You should be," she returned. "I would."

"Yes, but... Motoko, one, you never really hurt me. Physically, that is. And, well... Despite your actions, I know that you didn't do them maliciously."

"I acted maliciously-" She began, but I interrupted.

"Yes, but you weren't abusing me for personal enjoyment or amusement or anything! Okay? You were just lashing out, and I can understand that." Motoko looked me in the eyes at last, confusion in her gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Motoko, it's hard to keep control when you have... Have this much power," I confessed. "Truth be told, I have really, REALLY wanted to just... Not move, when Naru hits me. She's played with my emotions and toyed with me and, well... She's hurt me a lot more deeply than you have. So please, understand that I don't want to punish you."

"But my honor demands it!" Motoko insisted. "I have acted-!"

"Out of fear, anger, and confusion," I interrupted. I gave her a small smile. "And those things can be fixed, changed... Forgiven." I took her hand in mine and squeeze it gently, comfortingly. She closed her eyes, frowning thoughtfully.

"Urashim-"

"Keitaro," I said. She opened her eyes quizzically.

"Call me Keitaro," I repeated. She nodded hesitantly.

"Keitaro..." Motoko repeated. She sighed.

"If I may, Ura-Keitaro... I need time to... Reflect on this."

"I understand," I replied, squeezing her hand once more and standing up. At super-speed I changed into my costume again, folding my clothes and stacking them on the porch. Motoko just stared at me in my Superman costume, blushing before looking away.

"And, if you need to talk more, it's no problem," I emphasized with a smile. She nodded.

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," I returned, and took off into the night.

'This day is just full of surprises,' I thought with a grin. My super-hearing caught something through the cacophony of the city. It was familiar, bestial... Demonic sounding. I frowned and accelerated.

"Not these guys AGAIN," I groaned, as my telescopic vision picked out the familiar form of a youkai pack in a small neighborhood of Tokyo. The demons had been making more and more appearances lately, during the night AND day. Why, I had no idea, but I hoped the answer would be found soon... And without enormous amounts of property damage...

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Thanks for reading, and please review!

And yes, this story will continue to switch between Keitaro/Superman's POV and a third-person POV.