Chapter Thirty Six

Kind of mature, nothing graphic, but definitely theme wise. Sorry, I'm in a dark place right now. ^^'

Tony backed up slowly as Kento cracked his knuckles, "you know you should be an Avenger with how strong you are."

Kento grinned, "you're such a slug, Stark."

"Daddy, no," Junko cried as Seito held her back.

Kento threw a punch and Tony dodged and grabbed a vase to hit him with but it only shattered. Kento starred at him with a raised brow, "really, Stark?"

Tony started backing up against a wall as the mansion door slammed open with a strong gust of wind. He saw Hoshi smiling as she walked in but there was something completely wrong. The lights in the house went out almost instantly the second her foot crossed the threshold, and Kento pulled Stark back as she walked in. She was covered in blood and her eyes were completely black. She smiled, "Kongo, it's nice to see you are alive and well."

Tony asked, "you're already back, Hoshi?"

"That's not Hoshi, Stark," Kento growled. "That's Talpa."

"I do appreciate everything you did to keep her well, Lord Stark," she said as she walked closer. She cold see Seito and Junko watching them from the balcony. "No need to be afraid, I am not here to harm you."

Kento summoned his armor in a flash and charged her but she sighed and flipped him over into a mahogany desk. She placed a foot on his chest, "can't we be civil, Kongo?"

Kento yelled at Tony, "get them out of here Stark."

Tony started to head towards the kids but she vanished and appeared on the stairs between him and the kids on the balcony. She smiled, "do I scare you?"

He glared as broke a slat from the railing on the stairs, "not really? I kind of feel like Loki already did the evil psychopath thing..."

She sighed as he charged her and she kicked him down the stairs and he crashed into Kento. She looked at the kids, "I promise I won't hurt you...just yet. I just want to talk to your father and perhaps Lord Stark if he decides he's going stop being foolishly brave."

Kento helped Tony up as she walked down the stairs while he stammered, "how..."

"...it's arbitrary details," she said as she shrugged. She watched Seito and Junko disappear behind a pillar. "I came to bargain with you, Kongo."

"I think we've had this conversation before," he said.

"And you betrayed me," she smirked as she rubbed her stomach. "That sword hurt by the way."

Tony noticed that the blood was Hoshi's finally, "is she..."

Talpa looked at the gaping hole in her chest, "yes, but you knew she was going to die anyways. So it is of little consequence."

Kento glarred at him, "she told you?"

"You knew?"

Kento nodded quietly, "I couldn't watch her fall apart."

"So you abandoned her," Tony asked angrily.

"You took care of her quite well," Kento replied quietly.

"Yes, well, enough of that," Talpa smiled as she bowed. "I would like to offer you a spot as a general, Kongo-san."

"And what if I say no," he said.

Talpa summoned a sword, and knocked Tony down with a sweep of the leg. She placed the blade to his throat, "I'll start with him, then the other two."

"And the others?"

"I assume they see it my way already," she said. "You help me and perhaps you and your friends will live to see me conquer your planet like I originally intended to do so many years ago."

Tony shook his head, "don't..."

Kento crossed his arms, "fine, but you so much as touch either of my children and our deal is off."

She let the sword vanish, "I'm glad you see things my way, Kongo-san. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to clean up. I always enjoyed having female hosts."

Kento helped Tony up as she walked up stairs, "don't be a hero, Stark. Talpa is a fruitcake. You think Loki was cracked, Talpa will blow up the Earth and still be on it while he does it."

Tony tried to push his agitation away but he had grown quite fond of the small woman. She was brilliant, twisted, gorgeous, and brave to a fault. He loved holding her close and then arguing with her over something intellectually. She challenged him, perhaps a lot like Rowen had at MIT, and not to be a better person like most people did but stand firm with his opinion and goals. The sex was also really good. The more he thought about how strong Hoshi was being all on her own, the less he liked her husbands. Rowen had been overly protective, to a extreme fault that ended in his own death, and Kento had stepped away when it really counted.

Tony asked angrily, "and you let her deal with that on her own?"

"She had you, didn't she?"

Tony shook his head and pinched his brow, "I am not her husband."

Kento smirked, "no, but the way she gave herself up to you, you might as well have been."

Now was not the time for this, but Tony wasn't going to back off, "you know that bullet scar in the small of her back, she liked when you licked it..."

Kento instantly hit him.

"Daddy, no," Junko cried as she ran down the stairs as Kento picked him up to hit him again.

Junko put herself between Tony and her dad as Seito pried him off, "Dad, Mom didn't sacrifice herself so that you could make a fool of yourself."

Kento almost growled and Junko cried, "stop being that way, we need you right now!"

"You need to get the kids to Clint," he hissed as Tony rubbed his jaw, Kento cursing himself for holding back. He should have broke it. "You make sure they stay hidden."

"Don't you need Seito to summon the Inferno?"

"If there is something I'm sure Hoshi never wanted, is she doesn't want him to partake in any of this. No matter what," he said glaring at his son who seemed to back off in fear of the look. "And I agree, my son...is not a fighter."

Seito quipped, "hey..."

Tony rolled his eyes as he hugged Junko to him, she was weeping uncontrollably and he realized her father was far too angry to console her. Even Seito seemed to be fed up with his dad, and Tony agreed, "fine, but you promise to stay alive. I don't need to two more funerals."

"Do my best, Stark."

Kento watched the man go upstairs with his children. Junko cried uncontrollably and Seito just glared back at him. Jun had always been the emotional one. Sei was more like Rowen, closed off and detached. He watched Tony go with them to pack and he composed himself before he walked up the stairs himself and headed towards where Talpa was. He knocked and he heard her sing, "come in..."

He walked in the bedroom, she had laid out several outfits on the bed. Her hair was wet and she wore a bathrobe loosely. He gulped, it was his wife's body but he had to remind himself that it wasn't his wife that stood before him. Although, he had spent many of the past nights wanting to hold her close and hear her voice since he had been gone. She smiled at him, "you don't think I know Stark is taking your children away?"

He crossed his arms and shed his armor, "they need to be far away from you."

"Oh, aren't you sweet," she smirked. "You still think I'm dangerous."

"You are."

She giggled as she turned around, her dark eyes boring into him, "it's been a long time since I've had a human body to play with. Do you want to test it out with me?"

Kento felt his stomach roll, "no, thank you."

She laughed, Talpa knew it would repulse him, "well, you are going to miss out. What have you decided on?"

"I'll work with you."

"Wonderful!"

She smirked and dropped the robe and he felt his face grow hot. Every curve and scar he knew all to well from long nights with her. He looked away, "you aren't my wife."

She walked up to him and touched his chest, "you were once a part of me...how is this any different?"

He turned around, "because you're Talpa."

"Fine," she said as she slid on the shirt that she had laid out. It was a black button up shirt that fell down to her upper thighs. She pulled on a tie and black slacks, "what do you think, does this sell Emperor?"

He looked back at her and she smirked as she held her hair pinned up, "hardly."

"Oh, well, can't make a kitten look like a tiger," she laughed as she heard the front door open again. "Well, General, will you help me greet my other guests?"

He crossed his muscular arms, "I said I would help you, I didn't say I would represent you."

She walked past him as she put a pin in her hair, "you are far too uptight. I have a gift for you all before we charge into battle tonight. It should be a real treat."

Kento saw Tony taking the kids to the east wing, where the garage stairs were. He snarled, "we've had enough of your gifts."

"Yes, well, perhaps its more for me then," she said quite. "I always wanted to see my Kayura-chan happy."

Kento was about to say something but noticed the group waiting at the bottom of the broken stairs. He gulped as he saw the Captain and realized whatever Talpa was planning involved the blonde man. He crossed his arms as Ryo said, "glad you didn't do anything stupid."

"That's yet to happen," Sage said.

Talpa laughed, "now, how in the world are you planning to defeat me when you can't even get along among yourselves?"

"Where are they," Kayura hissed at Kento.

"Tony is taking them to a mutual friend," he said.

"He means that brat who used to tag along with you all," she yawned. "What does he go by now? Clint?"

Kento growled and Kayura said, "we're here. You leave them out of this."

"I will, you have done what I asked you to do and boy am I underwhelmed by Tenku," she said smirking at Kento then turned back to them as she stood in front of them. "I want you a peace offering."

"Peace offering," Dais asked. "You're peace offerings are double edge swords."

"You have every right not to trust me," she said patting his shoulder. "In fact, it would be unwise to trust me in any sort real way but I dare say you have grown on me, ronin warriors. That is why you will allow me a great honor as a gesture of good will to our temporary truce but I don't expect it to last long once Raijin is gone but that will come later."

"What great honor," asked Sekh with a hiss.

Talpa moved towards Kay and Leah held a sword between them, "move any closer and I don't care who's body you're in, you'll end up as a talking head again."

Talpa pushed away the sword with one finger, "yes, well, for Tsurara's dog you sure have gumption to be here."

Kayura held up a hand and she could see Steve tense up next to her, she was glad he had her back. "By convention I do have to offer up recognition of your gesture."

"Splendid," she said clapping her hands together. "So you'll do me the great honor of marrying you to your soul mate."

There was quiet in the room and Kay turned scarlet as she glance back at Steve, "now, you don't have to go that far..."

Steve could feel his cheeks redden as well and Talpa laughed, "if I really wanted to be twisted, I would marry you to Sekh but your Kanchou seems to be the one who's stolen my precious Kayura-chan's heart."

Kayura's eyes turned dark as if she was going to jump her again and Raleigh interjected, "that'll be fine, Talpa. Can we have a moment?"

"Sure, I will meet you in the garden in a half an hour," she said as she walked up stairs. "A marriage and death all in the same day, don't you think that's entertaining Kongo."

Kento just caught Kayura's scowling eyes, and realized she was silently accusing of him of Hoshi's demise. He walked after Talpa, it was easier to be in the presence of the demon who killed his wife than be in judgement by the ones who held him responsible for it.