Author's Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to Burst Angel. Whoever named all those girls after the Little Women (aside from Sei) is awesome, however.
Author's Note: Writing Amy is like letting your little mental id, who has a high vindictive streak, out of hibernation. And then watching the havoc they wreck with glee.
"Avenging Angel" chapter five
"The Impact"
Jo carefully opened her eyes in the darkness. She inhaled softly to catch a hint of what she should expect. Her sharp instincts picked up a trace of Meg's perfume, along with the stale aftermath of her nicotine nightcap. Jo kept her breath shallow as she carefully leaned up to gaze at the dim figure of the woman in her bed.
Meg had finally fallen asleep, and her hard expression had faded. She looked much younger, and still quite vulnerable, when asleep and Jo's mind swam with myriad thoughts as she gazed down at her partner's face. Meg…. What was she dreaming about? What thoughts went through her head? Jo reached a hand down and her fingers gently traced Meg's cheek. Softly this time….
…And Meg's eyes opened. For a moment she looked as if she were still in the middle of her dream, then she moved her face and brushed Jo's hand aside. Jo's brows raised slightly.
"Meg… it's just me," she said. Meg sat up and turned away from her.
"I know! I know…. It' s just…" She ran her hands through her hair, still turned away. Jo regarded her.
"Meg…"
"I'm going to take a shower. Alone," Meg said. She swept off the bed and walked into the bathroom. Jo stared as her old coat was dropped on the floor along the way. The symbolism was blaringly obvious and Jo sighed. She leaned back against the bed, stretching her bare legs out in front of her. Her red eyes watched the closed bathroom door, the cascade of water drumming in her sharp ears.
This hurt way too much; and this kind of pain she wasn't used to. It wasn't easy to turn off. Jo pressed a fist against her chest and pushed hard; harder. Anything to ease the pressure.
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Breakfast was a trial. Jo, in her own way, was trying to placate Meg to consent to let her near her. But Meg rebuffed her every advance. It was only the first day, but it was starting to piss Jo off.
"Could you pass the salt?" Meg asked tartly.
"Here…" Jo handed her the shaker and Meg flinched, doing everything to NOT touch her fingers.
"Would you just hand it to me?" Meg snatched it from her abruptly. Jo looked at her open palm and looked back at Meg. The redhead stuffed her mouth to avoid retort. Okaaaaay.
Jo ate sparingly and looked at Meg when she pushed back from the table.
"Where are you going?" Jo asked.
"To the range. Unless you think you're the only one good enough for a gun around here," Meg growled. Jo blinked.
"I didn't say that, Meg."
"What are you…"
"Okay, ladies, hold it. I could hear you halfway down the hall," Leo said. Meg sniffed.
"Who asked you to come in here, anyway?" she asked. Leo raised an eyebrow.
"We all need breakfast too, Meg. Hey, coffee. Hey, GOOD coffee," Leo made a break for the side bar and poured himself a mug. Jo regarded her yawning but smiling father figure and then to her old partner.
"Did you have a good night?" she inquired quietly.
Leo flushed but his wide grin betrayed him. "Well! That is…"
Meg sighed. Of COURSE Leo would have gotten some. It would be just like fate to reward him and leave her heart to dry.
"I need to shoot something. Bye…"
Jo watched Meg leave, the look on her face ponderous. "She never went to practice on her own before…."
Leo sat across from Jo with a heaping plate. His eyes were serious. "There's a lot of things Meg can do now she couldn't before."
Jo took a moment to think this over. "Like smoking."
"Jo…" Leo cut a sausage in half and speared half into his mouth. "Didn't you stay in the same room last night?"
"It didn't go like it once would have…" Jo murmured.
Leo took a noisy slurp of coffee. "She make you sleep on the floor, huh?"
Jo sighed. "Yeah… what about you? Didn't you sleep on the floor?"
"Heheh!" Leo grinned salaciously and tapped his fingers on the table. "Well, Sei…"
Jo cut him off. "I figured as much. Don't give me the details."
"Those belong to Sei and me alone," Leo agreed. He continued to scarf his food. "Now about your problem…"
"I wasn't aware I had a problem."
"Right…" Leo chewed a forkful of eggs and swallowed. "Jo, when a girl makes you sleep away from her, there's a problem. You should be more sensitive to Meg. Remember the final battle? We basically abandoned her at the end. Think of how she feels. Hell, Jo, she barely forgave ME and I was there too."
Jo's mouth parted slightly. "She's still mad about that?" In her mind's way of thinking, she had been protecting Meg by knocking her out; it was the only way she could think of to keep her out of trouble, and considering Meg would have followed her anywhere, it was an act she had to commit to.
Leo gave her a level look. "You'd always treated her fairly, and you hit her. What's worse, you vanished. She didn't know if you were even still alive."
Jo blinked tired red eyes. "She would have cared if I was alive?"
"Hell yeah she cared. I did too. Dammit, girl, I thought we were tighter than that," Leo frowned.
Jo sighed. "We were…"
Leo ate for a few quiet moments. "Well, never mind about that. We're puttin' you in Jango today."
The last request made Jo's smile come easier. "That sounds good, Leo."
"And then figure out your girl problem."
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Sliding back into Jango was like sliding into a favorite outfit. Jo slid into the console's seat and fitted her fingers around the joysticks. Jo looked down at the iron components and flexed her fingers.
"Jango…" she murmured. She flexed the mech's limbs, making Jango rotate and bend, complying to her wishes. One giant metal hand un-holstered the weapon at the robot's side, tailored to fit the size of the mech.
"How's he feel, Jo?" Leo yelled far away from the ground. Jo grinned. Her left arm and shoulder pulsated. She hadn't felt like this in a long time!
"Just great!" Jo called back. She had the mech fire a few rounds at the large targets painted along one long metal wall of the hangar. Loud vaulted silence echoed to a blood thirsty screaming inside her head. The usual maniacal grin that accompanied her fighting rage flashed across her lips. And Jo let fly her inner fury with Jango's movements.
Leo watched from across the hangar, a self-satisfied smile on his lips. Soft tapping let him know of Sei's arrival and he turned with a soft look. "How are you?" he asked.
Sei smiled and tapped the end of the cane on the metal floor.
"I'm getting there. My physical therapist advices me to watch out with any extraneous activities behind closed doors."
Leo in turns blushed and laughed loudly. "Nothing's damaged, I take it?" He slid an arm around Sei's bared lower back. The Chinese woman hesitated, then leaned against his stolid frame.
"Believe it or not, I took it easy. Although my therapist doesn't…"
Sei's thoughtful eyes took in Jango smashing it up at the opposite end of the hangar. "I couldn't give her that…"
"What, dear?"
Sei laughed. "Dear's fine; just don't make it 'baby.' "
"That'll work. But what couldn't you give her?"
"Peace of mind. She was still so far away…" Sei mused. Leo raised an eyebrow.
"It may be awhile yet. She and Meg are at straights."
Sei sighed. "That was to be expected. We left everything up to you three…" Leo clasped her waist.
"It's alright, Sei."
Sei's eyes followed Jo as she climbed out of Jango and walked off. "I wish I could tell her that…"
The taciturn warrior sauntered off calmly; a complete one-eighty to the tumultuous thoughts that threatened to undermine her battle high.
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Now this was more interesting.
Jo paused in the doorway of the base's gym, watching Meg square off against a man two heads taller and seventy pounds heavier. Meg herself was wearing a tight sweat suit and looked way too cute to be going up against the behemoth. Jo smiled, noting the way her curves looked. She herself was no stranger to the place, having gone through martial tests placed by Sei once their physical therapist deemed her ready. Jo clearly remembered dropping all her opponents to the green mats easily and waited to see what Meg would do in comparison.
Would the mats see a victory for the red-haired woman as well?
"Hyah!" the man screamed a battle cry and charged at Meg. The voluptuous woman held her hands up in a ready stance…. Jo blinked and Meg's palm was imbedded into the agent's square jaw. The man twitched, stunned, then Meg slammed her boot up into his crotch.
Jo smiled as the man squealed and dropped like a sack of monkeys. Meg dropped her stance and swiped a wrist across her brow.
"Whew, that felt pretty good! How you doin', Ju Wei?" Meg asked. The aforementioned Ju Wei groaned and held one hand up. Meg reached to help him stand and Jo walked on in.
"That was pretty good. You've gotten better at hand to hand, Meg," Jo offered. And she clearly was impressed. Meg had been known before for using her big mouth to get her out of a scrape, and kicking once the enemy was down.
But Meg sniffed at the comment, and regarded the other woman with cool eyes. Ouch.
"You saw that, huh?"
"I was just passing by."
"Well, you can un-pass by…"
"Sei says I need more practice."
"Huh?"
"Sei says I need to fight. So, fight me."
Meg gave a shaky laugh. "You can't be serious. Why?"
"I want to see what you can do."
"You just saw it. I'm going…" Meg waved a hand to brush the situation aside… and Jo caught her wrist with one hand. Her grip was unwavering. Meg looked at that hand, and into Jo's red eyes.
"Let go of me, Jo."
"No." Jo hooded her stare.
"NOW, Jo."
"Not unless you make me," Jo allowed herself to smirk. Meg glared and instinctively punched with her other hand but the genocide angel saw it coming. Jo jumped back and lifted her hands in sparring mode.
"That's more like it, Meg." The sheer confidence was definitely a turn-on. Meg lifted her own hands and spread her legs. Her round breasts pushed up against the zipper of her tight sweat top.
Jo's eyes blinked, noting that. Suddenly, all the longing of the past few months gushed through her body in waves of liquid arousal. Those long, lean legs, the curve of hip and ass… Not to mention her rather large chest assets.
Ju Wei noted the spark, whether from anger and/or arousal, between the two women, and crawled out of the gym while the gettin' was good.
"You better be ready, Jo," Meg growled. Jo smirked, a light firing in her red eyes.
"Come on, then."
"Hyah..!" Meg punched and Jo easily dodged. She evaded the next few blows. When she gently pushed Meg back a step, a similar fire glowed in her blue eyes. But her foot wound up in Jo's midsection all the same.
Jo woofed and jumped back. Impressive. "You've definitely gotten better, Meg."
"You're just noticing? I can more than take care of myself now," Meg retorted. She flipped her red hair over her shoulders and waited. Jo vaulted over her head in a back flip and caught Meg's wrists when she whipped around to meet her. Meg grunted and hissed in frustration as the two jockeyed for dominance. Meg swept her foot at Jo's legs, knocking her off balance. Jo almost went backwards, but then shifted her weight.
This put her directly on top of Meg, the both of them going down hard on the mats. Meg groaned, temporarily stunned. Jo fell between Meg's legs, and held her stance over Meg's bent knees before she could think to throw her off.
Were the circumstances different, Meg would be mewing for some action right then and there. But disappearances create rifts and Meg's brows lowered, her reddened face furious as she panted, trying to throw Jo off. Jo gaped down at her face, lust pounding through her core. A bead of slow sweat dripped off the white-haired girl's face. Meg HAD gotten stronger. It was taking quite a bit of effort to keep her position.
Not to say it wasn't pleasurable trying to keep a squirming Meg down. Jo's eyes scanned Meg's bare neck and heaving bosom. Before she could stop to think, Jo ground herself low, rubbing herself hard between Meg's spread legs. Meg gasped, her face twisted in a scowl torn from physical lust and her wounded feelings.
When Jo's face began to dip toward her partially covered cleavage, Meg tore a hand free. Jo didn't have time to think about that as her fist suddenly connected to the side of her head with a loud smack. Bright lights filled Jo's vision as she reeled back, Meg pushing her the rest of the way. Jo fell on her side and scrambled to her knees, blinking hard and trying to see. Damn!
"Meg!" she called. Two more resounding smacks against the side of her face. Jo raised up and swung back; missed. Her vision began to come back in waves, Meg seethed in front of her, her face twisted in an angry mask.
"I've gotten stronger, Jo… I'm not that little girl anymore!"
"Who said you were?" Jo held a stance, blinking one eye rapidly. Meg hauled back and smacked her again; again, without much resistance from Jo.
Good. Let her get it out.
"I wanted to find you, but you could have found ME! You always did!" Meg yelled. Tears slid down her cheeks. Jo blinked. She raised a hand toward her face and Meg whapped it aside. Jo deflected the next few wild punches and spun behind Meg. Her arms held her captive at waist and collar bone.
Meg flailed wildly, trying to disengage herself. Her backside pushed involuntarily back against Jo's slight frame. Jo used her full strength and held on tightly. Her head dipped low, her lips finding a bare line of flesh where neck met shoulder.
Meg froze. Jo rubbed her cheek against her shoulder, her white bangs ruffling up.
"I'm here, Meg…"
Then Meg fought back even harder.
"Let… go of me!" she hissed. Meg broke loose momentarily and Jo slammed her back up against her. Now they were front to front and their breasts rubbed against each others' through the fabric of their clothing. Meg's nipples stiffened despite herself. She got an arm free and hit Jo again. Jo held her wrist with one arm and tugged Meg's face to her, her arm crooked 'round her neck.
A hard kiss escaped and Meg froze, tasting Jo. Her arms scraped up her sides, her fingers clawing the fabric of her tank top. Jo let her scrape and feel, and a loud woof DID escape when Meg shoved her onto the mats. Meg stood over her, her chest heaving. Her face was as red as her hair and she seemed to be reigning in herself.
"Okay… Jo, we need to…"
This wouldn't do. Jo grabbed one of Meg's legs and yanked her down. Meg half fell, on her and on the mats. As Meg wriggled, Jo climbed on top, straddling her waist with her knees.
"Jo! Hnn!" Meg gasped. Jo leaned low, rubbing her core against Meg's pubic bone. Her aloof face was pink and a serious gazed fired from her red eyes. Before Meg could frame a line of thought (or exercise a thought into words for that matter), Jo leaned down and captured her mouth again. Meg fought back, heating up the friction between them. For a warrior bred like Jo…. It was more a turn-on than any come-hither look or sweet word could do.
"Hnnn…. Jo!" Meg hissed, pounding on Jo's back with one hand. Jo held her other wrist flat on the floor as her free hand quickly snaked down to her hoodie top….a quick yank and the zipper was pulled down and open, exposing Meg's breasts to the fluorescent lighting and Jo's stare.
Meg panted, silent, her breasts quivering. Jo leaned down and buried her face between the orbs, bit the edge, and sucked to a large nipple. The tip hardened immediately and Jo lapped at it, watching Meg's face.
Her eyes were now closed and she was breathing hard. Her hand swept down Jo's back, touching bare expanses of flesh between her tank top and panties; her groping fingers swept up into Jo's hair.
Jo pressed her throbbing warmth to Meg's knee, straddling one leg so she could get to what she wanted. Meg finally stopped fighting when Jo's hand crept beneath the drawstring of her sweatpants and stroked her folds. She laid her head back on the green mat with a loud gasp.
Jo kissed to her other breast as she parted throbbing folds carefully with two fingers and stroked inside. It had been so long… but Meg parted easily, her insides slick. Meg's hips bucked to meet her and Jo began a sure rhythm that Meg writhed to. Jo looked up from the nipple between her lips, watching Meg's gasping lips. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was open.
Jo leaned up, her palm cupping Meg's snatch while her fingers pressed inside. She pressed an open mouth kiss to Meg's gaping lips; trailed and dipped her tongue into the wet cave. Meg pushed up under her, their bodies moving together in tandem. Jo's bare feet pressed against the mats as she rocked on top of Meg; her slippers had long since been kicked off.
Meg arched suddenly, panting harder. Jo bit the skin at the base of her neck, knowing from experience that she was close. Meg reached down Jo's body to her busy hand and pushed against it, sliding Jo's fingers in all the way. Bright lights filled her vision as she arched her hips high off the mat, bringing her clenching center almost up to Jo's nose. Jo looked down, mentally salivating at the sight of the soft, pink folds. She drew her wet fingers in… and out…
The hood of her clitoris was flushed pink and Jo wanted to wrap her lips around the protruding nubbin and suck down until Meg came again and again… A high cry keened far off through the ringing in Jo's ears. Meg was close and she didn't want to move her lest her orgasm be pushed off….
She knew from experience what a bitch not arriving to an almost reached orgasm was.
Jo purred and held Meg's backside up into the air with her free hand and pumped into her with the other. Meg came a few minutes later, her hips violently slaking Jo's wrist to an aching dullness. Jo laid her down, her eyes soft as satisfaction of a different kind danced jubilantly through her ego… and Meg sat up and pushed Jo onto her back.
Again, Jo fell down hard, the breath all but knocked out of her, as Meg climbed on top. She pushed Jo's head back, bit her neck, shoved her tank top up to reveal small breasts and kissed there too. She bit a gentle trail down the muscled stomach to black panties which she peeled back. Jo leaned up on her elbows and when Meg looked up, she could count surprise on her face in maybe the fifth time in her life.
"Meg…" Jo said huskily. Meg, high on the moment, bent her head. Her long hair fell against Jo's thighs, draping over her torso. The sight was sexy enough and Jo's blood boiled as she waited for the first touches. She hissed when her mouth settled against her folds and went to work. The only sounds filling the gym were small strangled moans from Jo as she battled her desire. She was so pent up, it was a quick ride. Her grasping hands fell onto Meg's head, urging her on.
Jo stared straight up at the lights above them, choking on a strangled cry. Meg bit her hip possessively after her labored breathing settled to a calmer rhythm. Meg wiped her mouth and swept a hand through her hair, suddenly self-conscious. She was still angry at Jo… wasn't she? But she had started that little fight, and then….
Jo leaned up on her elbows, half naked, and sweaty. The look in her red eyes was sensuous and Meg's heart skipped a beat. Love wouldn't leave her, hidden away though it was.
"Come here, Meg…" Jo murmured. Meg shrugged out of her hoodie top and slid out of her sweatpants. Jo shed the rest of her garments as well. Meg pressed up against Jo's warm skin and felt her hands settle over her back.
"You better not… hmm!" Meg stared off as Jo parted her lips with her tongue. She pulled Jo close and the two rolled against each other.
Takane peered into the gym's doorway, did a double take, and made sure to lock the door behind her. "Hope it helps 'em both some," she muttered, rubbing at a reddened cheek.
Inside, Jo moved on top of Meg.
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"Uh huh. I'll meet you there. Jyaa," Sei said and hung up the phone. She straightened up papers awkwardly with one hand as a rap sounded on her office door. "Come in."
Takane opened the door at the missive and sidled inside. Her lip was still purple but the puffiness had gone down. The same couldn't be said of her eyes; it was a wonder she could see at all.
"Did you see our doctor?" Sei asked. Takane nodded, scratching at a bandage over her left cheek.
"Ah sure did. Meg whooped me good, and she may have had the upper hand, but I'm gonna need to have a sit-down with her sometime soon," Takane shook her head. "But that's now what ahm here 'bout."
"Please," Sei gestured to one of the chairs before her desk. Takane sat and crossed her legs impishly.
"Ah c'n tell yeur worried 'bout Jo, but yeu don't hafta worry for much longer."
"Why's that?" Sei wondered. She leaned her chin onto her folded hands.
Takane fiddled with the arm of her chair. "Let's just say you don't want to be going into the gym anytime soon."
"Why would… oooooooh," Sei said, smiling softly. "Well, good for them."
'And maybe now Jo will be a little less tense.'
Takane sighed and pressed a hand to her brow. "An here ah didn't wanna see it. Ya might not know it from lookin' at me, but I go fer the men. Now, they can KEEP th' lady lovin.' "
"Love is love, no matter what the form," Sei smiled patiently.
"So, did you need anything from me?" Takane asked. Sei nodded.
"I'll be heading above ground to meet one of my generals in the city. He thinks it time I see my main men in person, and personally, I think the majority of danger has passed also. I'll be taking Meg and Jo and leaving you with Amy and Leo. You're in charge if they ask," Sei said. She collected her cane and pushed to stand up.
Takane managed a grin. "Yeu c'n count on ME, Sei. Are you sure Jo's up fer it?"
"Before you came to me, I wasn't so sure. But your tidbit helped me come to a decision," Sei confided. She walked to her office door and Takane kept pace with her. Pulling her cell phone out, Sei scanned her contact list and settled on one name.
"Well, I'll see you later then," Takane said and ambled off. Sei nodded and clicked 'send' on the highlighted number.
"Kyohei? Of course this is Sei. And I have my ways of finding you, young man. Oh, and Amy says hi," Sei smiled.
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Meg twined her fingers though Jo's hair, idly running her digits into the damp strands. Jo pressed closer, her face between Meg's mountainous orbs. She yawned widely, her mouth opening against the soft globe of flesh. Meg tapped her foot against the back of Jo's bare leg.
"It's been awhile," she said quietly. Jo's red eyes slid as she began to snore. She carefully opened her eyes and yawned again.
"Those would have been my words…" she murmured quietly. Jo moved up on her elbows to look down into Meg's face. Their flushed naked limbs were entwined across the green mats and squished when peeled away with movement. Meg cupped the other girl's cheek with her palm.
"Don't you dare leave me again; I WILL find you," Meg swore. Jo blinked down at the voluptuous girl. She had always been the one doing the searching… to hear this from her partner was… more than passing strange.
"Meg..." Jo began when an object thrown on top of her discarded clothing buzzed loudly, clamoring for their attention. Jo crawled off Meg and clapped a hand over the beeper, bringing the slim square up to read. Sighing she set the pager down and turned to the other naked girl.
"Sei needs us."
Meg stretched like a cat baking and sat up.
"Just like old times, huh?"
Jo collected her clothing and watched Meg put her girls away with a twinge of regret. "Are you going to keep up?"
Meg zipped up her hoodie top and swept her long hair over one shoulder. "Just you wait, Jo. Leo has a surprise for me to use."
Jo raised an eyebrow, wondering. The two women unlocked the gym door and walked out. As they went, both couldn't help but wonder if either had been the one to lock it in the first place.
End for now
End Note: School really is a bitch. So is working full-time. And finding time for my art. I love writing, and love how this fic is going. But time is a bitchy feminine thing.
Penpaninu 3/9/11