The room was mostly empty. Literally. The only things there were the wooden floorboards. No windows. The only light came from a flickering LED light on the ceiling. The wheezing sound too, and Jet noticed the source within moments. A thin, wiry man with a denim jacket and jeans lay propped against the wall. His grey hair was matted with blood, and a deep slice in his side was plainly visible.

The breath of this man came loudly, and as Jet studied his pointed face and amber eyes, he recognised the man. The one he'd been looking for.

"Phoenix?" he asked, kneeling by his side. "Ruby, keep watch on the door." he ordered, and to his amazement, she complied without question, taking point. Jet turned his attention back to the man, who'd sat up a little straighter, clutching his wound.

"I knew you'd… come eventually… kid." he said in-between wheezes. "Been… holding… out, for as long… as I… could."

"Does that mean-" Jet queried, staring into his acquaintance's eyes for conformation, but he interrupted with a large and loud coughing fit.

"Yes." he said, after it died down. "Touch me… and take it."

Jet immediately touched his skin from a rip in his jeans, and felt the man's semblance being copied. He closed his eyes as he felt, smelt, heard, and tasted the power. That exquisite feeling could only mean one thing. It was genuine.

"What happened to you and your men?" he asked, eyes still closed.

"Snipers." came the reply, followed by another cough. "There was this girl. Came in and decimated us. Got… blades for hands… a stinger… damn freak."

"I see." Jet replied, and stood, eyes still closed. Something new was being added to his senses. It was if he could feel his surroundings, even though his eyes were closed.

"Burn this place. Make… sure… none of it…" Phoenix gasped, and gave a final death rattle, before he was silent. Jet didn't have to open his eyes to know he was dead. He turned and walked in a direction he thought was where Ruby was. After a couple of paces, he reached out and felt her near him. He thrust outwards and grasped her shoulder, hearing a gasp and feeling her gaze.

"Is it over?" she asked.

"Yes." Jet shortly answered. "It was Flux."

"Flux?" she sounded confused. "Jet, why do you have your eyes closed?"

"It's his semblance. I'm just testing it. Let's get out of here. We'll talk more when we're out." Jet replied quickly, already sensing the stairs and leading the way downstairs.

"No argument here." he heard his love right behind him.

Dennis was having one of few peaceful days nowadays. With Jet and Ruby gone, he'd sat down and began his usual routine of cleaning the kitchen. He may not have looked it, but Dennis was a man who cared about hygiene, especially whilst eating.

His stupor was interrupted with a loud crash from the living room area, and he turned around to see Jet and Ruby rolling into the sofa with a yell of pain from Jet. Did he just-

"I told you that was glass!" Ruby shouted. Seems like they'd been arguing about something.

"Sorry if I can't see or change my course while flying that fast!" Jet yelled back, perching himself on the sofa and rubbing his head. Ruby sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked with a concerned voice. It was then that Dennis noticed the smashed window that Jet had just come plummeting through. Luckily, glass was cheap here, but still…

He cleared his throat, and both turned.

"Yer alright?" he asked, walking over to them and retrieving a dustpan and brush from nearby.

"Let's just say, if I broke through it that easily, how the heck are you still alive?" Jet reprimanded, and Dennis cursed inwardly as he swept up the glass. Jet had recommended he get tougher windows.

"Lil' bit different when some idiot flies through 'em." he countered.

"Touché." was Jet's only reply.

As Dennis continued to sweep up glass shards, he overheard the ensuing conversation between Jet and Ruby.

"So what happened to them?" Ruby asked.

A pause. Then-

"They were murdered. The two in the first room were killed by two people with purple tinged skin and glowing yellow eyes. Phoenix's men guarding him in the room we didn't enter were shot by sniper rifles. Phoenix himself was killed by Flux after being cut to shreds by those purple skinned people."

"Does that mean-"

"Yes. Either Flux was there for a random act of bloodshed, or she's enacted a counter to my initial plan of stopping her."

"Well, I guess we need to hurry. Why were your eyes closed when we went out?"

"I went for Phoenix's semblance, one he'd agreed to give me. Now, I can sense my surroundings. I can close my eyes like this and know what's around me. I can still 'see' you like this."

Dennis turned, having thought of an idea as he emptied the now full dustpan into the dustbin. He crept slowly behind Jet, putting a finger to his lips and looking meaningfully at Ruby. She nodded, and kept talking to Jet as he raised a fist, waving her hand for him.

"What am I doing then?" she asked.

"Two things." Jet replied. "Waving your hand, and distracting me for-"

Dennis swung his fist, aiming for the back of Jet's head. He ducked, and Dennis followed through, both punching Ruby in the chest, knocking her off her perch on the chair, and overbalancing himself before falling over. Both hit the wooden floorboards with a heavy thump.

"…that." Jet finished. He got up and stretched, before walking over Ruby and to the door leading to the bedrooms. "I'm going in the shower. Oh, and by the way," he turned, now with his eyes open, "I have a 360 degree vision with this ability. Later."

He left, closing the door.

"That's amazing." Ruby said in awe, massaging her stomach where Dennis hit her.

"Lucky bastard." Dennis mumbled embarrassedly.

Jet walked into the warm water of the shower, smiling to himself as he recollected what had just happened. He had sensed Ruby's hand as it waved for him, and felt the nagging presence of Dennis right before he struck. Although the timing of Jet's duck was pure luck, he wouldn't admit it to those two. Cheeky things.

He heard through the curtain someone opening the door, and hissed involuntarily. He closed his eyes, attempting to sense who it was, but the steam of the shower blocked it, causing nothing but a heavy fog when Jet reached out with his senses. He heard it close again, before a little voice he knew all so well came through the fog.

"C-can I join you?" Ruby asked.

Jet's eyes snapped open. If this was a trick, he might kill something.

"Why would-" he tried to answer coolly, but he knew from the start that there was nothing wrong. Who was he kidding? He'd already explored her body, and had bathed with her before (though with bathing suits). What could possibly go wrong? "Sure you can, but I'm not wearing anything in here."

"I'm not either." Ruby replied, and she pulled open the curtains before standing on the opposite of the translucent glass door. Her pale skin was plainly visible, as was her figure, but thankfully, no details.

"Good thing this screen works." Jet muttered to himself as Ruby opened the glass door. What he saw blew his mind into orbit.

Ruby's smooth and slender body shone in the steam and light of the shower. Her skin was pale like his own, and Jet saw no mark or blemish on her. Her breasts were not overly large, but Jet was somewhat glad. He hated it when girls showed off how ginormous their breasts were (did he seriously just use the word ginormous even if it was in his thoughts?) and Ruby's were nice.

She wandered towards him, and he shifted back slightly so she could be under the water.

"And here I thought I was going to see nothing." Jet remarked as she sidled up next to him, looking slightly downward into her eyes. She blushed a little. Thank goodness for his quick mouth.

"Jeeeet." she groaned, and Jet smiled despite himself. "I thought you were better than that."

"I'm just messing with you, you adorable little thing." Jet chided, but Ruby splashed him in the face with water she'd cupped in her hands.

"I thought we'd get to wash each other." Ruby said, as Jet shook the water out of his eyes and face. "I can't do my back, and you can wash my hair again; you did such a good job last time."

"Well, I'm not one to displease." Jet said reassuringly, and was about to ask who should wash who first, when Ruby turned and waited, almost expectantly. "'Ladies first' it is." Jet muttered to himself.

He started on Ruby's back. Grabbing the soap and working it into a lather, he pressed his hands onto Ruby's back, and she leaned against the wall as he began to wash her. He worked slowly, massaging with soapy hands and following with warm water from the shower head. Ruby's skin was as smooth as he'd pictured her. Some might not call her perfect, but she was to Jet, and to Deus with them.

He knelt as he moved downwards, concentrating more on her legs. As he wrapped his hands around her left leg, he felt no errant hairs. Did that mean that Ruby shaved her legs often? As he continued, this time with her right leg, he noticed her wiggle her bum a little. Like her breasts, her 'cheeks' were small, almost leaving him to see-

Jet immediately closed his eyes and attempted to use his new semblance again. To his great relief, it worked when Ruby was closer, and he continued to work without fear now. If he saw Ruby's genitals, he might lose control over the urges that were fighting to spring to the surface.

"Jet, I know you're avoiding my bottom." Ruby said. Dammit. "I trust you. Please wash me. ALL of me."

"If you insist, though you inherit all the risks associated with that." Jet replied, moving to her bottom and hearing her gasp a little.

"I know. I also want your eyes open." Ruby added.

"Well, guess you're more comfortable with being seen by me than I am myself." Jet remarked, and opened his eyes. Ruby turned around, allowing him to see her front. Damn him if, as a man, he didn't want to ravish that cute body.

"I trust you." she repeated. She was smiling reassuringly as he began on her belly.

"You're almost too cute, you know? You're lucky I have a will of iron." Jet said, looking up at her between her exposed breasts. She returned his gaze, her silver eyes shining in the pale light.

"Just wash me, dummy." she said, and Jet didn't reply, instead focussing on his task, which was to both wash and pleasure the stunningly beautiful girl that he'd fallen in love with barely a week after first meeting her.

Soon after this, Jet finished, and Ruby took the soap from him. Jet turned around, and felt her press her hands onto his own back. He felt Ruby move up and down his back in a sweeping technique, moving around his wings, and wondered briefly if she'd done this before. After washing his back off, he felt Ruby run a finger down a scar he knew he had that diagonally went from his right shoulder to the center of his back, tracing the line.

"What happened here?" she asked as she worked on his legs.

"Did Dennis tell you about how I saved his life?" Jet asked. "That was where the Death-stalker stinger hit me."

It had been one of the most painful injuries he'd suffered, and Jet had felt serious pain before. As Ruby turned Jet around and began working on his front, he saw the machine that replaced his heart. That machine had saved his life on numerous occasions.

"Ah!" Jet suddenly exclaimed. Ruby had softly wrapped her hand around his hard on! Jet felt his red pulse instantly start to charge, the shock having set it off. Releasing it as a small wave of force, he instantly wrenched it out of Ruby's grip. She looked up worriedly. "Please don't do that. I might really lose it." he said, almost pleadingly.

"S-sorry." Ruby stuttered embarrassedly. "I just wanted to feel it. I mean, after all, you 've, well," Ruby blushed hard. "You've done things to mine."

"You know what they say, Ruby." Jet said, as Ruby stood up, still blushing, not meeting his eyes until Jet pulled her chin with a hand underneath. "Curiosity killed the cat. Besides, you'll get to do that when you and I are ready for me to fall prey to my darker desires."

"Darker desires?" Ruby asked with an unknowingly seductive smile, and Jet cursed inwardly.

"Well, I'm not-"

Without warning, the water turned an icy cold. Jet felt it burn him like fire even as Ruby screamed. He heard Dennis laughing in the kitchen.

"Asshole!" he yelled, knowing he would hear him. He took Ruby by the hand and raced out of the ice that moments ago had been warmth, shaking off his wings as he did so.