Act V
Chapter 1
Bedroom Maneuvers
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Here's a great reference guide for many character and objects in the Marvel Universe.
www marvunapp com /Appendix /index. htm
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Downtown Tokyo was not known for Biblical disasters, mostly because it wasn't exactly Bible country and wasn't referenced in any of the texts, much the same way Antarctica got skipped over. It did get plenty of earthquakes and had quite a few volcanoes, which more than made up for it in the eyes of the people living there. While the traffic could legitimately be called a living nightmare, that was the price a megapolis paid for being one, and not really up there with the Hand of God type stuff that got mentioned in religious texts.
But today wasn't like that. Downtown Tokyo was full out Biblical Plague country. Specifically locusts. A swarm of the insects filled the air so thickly that if one was to open their mouths, they would end up with a good bit of protein. Once they bit down and said protein stopped moving.
It caught everyone off guard. While most swarms of what was basically grasshoppers tended to be highly destructive when the conditions were right, there were usually signs of what was about to happen and often steps could be taken to help curb, if not derail, the impending epidemic of voracious insects for whom famine was a surname. But this time there was no forewarning because an individual had artificially created this epidemic. He was easy to identify as he was the one who wore an armored green costume reminiscent of an insect, with a faux shell-like exterior, a cowl with antenna, faceted eyes on its sides, and insectile wings which extended from the back and enabled him to fly.
It was probably a better motif than if he had gone with boils or lice when deciding to hand out a plague.
As was the wont of men who went to such great lengths to create calamity, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Now world, feel the might of the clone of the greatest entomologist that ever lived, Jean Henri Fabre, as I summon a horde of locusts upon the land courtesy of… the Locust!"
Whatever disaster he was planning to unleash from a bunch of insects, whose primary terror was eating crops, in the middle of a city that had none, would never be discovered as an enchanted hammer hit the ground, causing a torrential downpour to instantly appear. The ensuing maelstrom downed the insects from the skies, and to the ground, where they became less of an issue. The sole creature to remain airborne was the human dressed in an insect outfit.
Locust tried seeing through the downpour to locate the one who would dare rain on his parade of vengeful triumph. A literal rain in this case. He spotted the individual he expected almost immediately, along with several of her comrades, for Japan held only one six foot tall Norse goddess capable of making storms appear out of nowhere. Along with Thor, her teammates Tigra, Hawkeye, and Daredevil, stood ready to oppose him.
"You dare interfere with the righteous vengeance of the clone of the world's greatest entomologist? You will pay dearly!" Locust pulled out a thick six inch rod and aimed it at some of the fallen insects. A beam of coruscating light shot out from the end, bathing some in a persimmon glow. Not that it had to be that shade, but because he had designed it as such since he felt it was a better, and far too underappreciated color, when compared to that of normal orange.
The ray also had the side effect of making a trio of the locusts each grow to the size of a small car.
Locust laughed at the impending terror the now enlarged creatures would have on his foes. "Now prepare to—"
A trio of explosive arrows impacted with the insects, blowing them to bits. Tigra was close enough she ended up covered in bug guts all over her furry body.
The were-woman gagged. "Had mouth open. Grasshoppers taste terrible." She spat out bug chunks.
Locust became more enraged. He had put a lot of time into making that weapon. Giant bugs were supposed to give his foes a harder time. "Oh yeah, well I have a whole swarm of locusts to make bigger. Let's see if I run out of insects before you run out of arrows!"
As he went to use the rod again, it was smacked out of his hand by a billy club. A moment later a pair of arrows sliced through the middle of the wings on one side of his armor. Now aerodynamically unstable, he began flying around uncontrollably.
"I'm going to be sick!" he wailed as he spun wildly in ever descending circles.
Thor gauged his flight pattern and held out her arm straight, hammer extended. A moment later Locust careened into the weapon, stomach first. There was a loud crunching sound as the velocity of the impact shattered the armor, and the core which powered it. Thor's arm hadn't moved an inch as Locust lay on top of the hammer, almost as though he had been impaled upon it.
Thor allowed the villain to slide off the weapon and called off the storm. Now bereft of the villain's control, the locusts began to wander off on their own, not all that confused by their surroundings since such things were of little matter to their little minds.
The trio gathered around Thor as she was about to tear the armor off the man. Daredevil said, "Clothing, underwear, or commando?"
"Clothing," Hawkeye stated just as Thor went to work. Sure enough, as the archer predicted the man had worn skin-tight gear under the armor. Against less problematic villains as this, the group tended to make things more interesting by making wagers on what an armored foe would have underneath their outfits. Most were like Locust, while some tended to go with just briefs or a sports bra and shorts. Then there were those who seemed to like the feeling of armor against their naked flesh.
The villain regained consciousness, Thor holding him firmly by the back of the neck. Seeing his predicament, he snarled, "How dare you stand in the path of the super powered clone of the greatest entomologist who ever lived, Jean Henri Fabre!"
Daredevil sighed. "You have no super powers and you're Japanese, not French, you loon."
"William Kirby was better," Tigra said.
Locust became more enraged. "How dare you! Fabre was the most brilliant! Wait until I get out! I'm going to make a giant cyborg locust that will eat you alive!"
"Don't agitate the lunatic," Hawkeye complained as Thor began heading toward the nearest police station, continuing to hold the apoplectic villain by the back of his neck like an unruly pet. The archer surveyed the damage, which was minimal, except for way too many insects milling about. "So, despite how easily we handled the situation, how much bad press do you think we'll get this time courtesy of Ariyoshi?"
"None," Daredevil said.
"Oh?" Hawkeye asked.
"This guy had no powers. Just standard mad scientist type," Daredevil explained. "She, I mean the press, haven't been labeling those guys as 'super powered menaces', as they are wont to do with everyone else who actually has them. She isn't stupid enough to label pure brilliance as a crime, which would be like saying the Challengers of the Fantastic are super powered even though none of them have powers. Besides, if they were to start labeling smart people as a menace, she'd have a problem on her hands.
Tigra picked up the explanation. "Politicians run on campaign of 'I not just smart enough to lead, I smarter than everyone else smart enough to lead. And the smartest of all should get most power'."
"And if they start denouncing smart people as bad, then someone might apply the rule to them," Hawkeye finished.
"So this will get noted as some minor disturbance of little consequence. Our names might even not be worthy of mention, since we clearly did some good here," Daredevil said. "Now if the Owl breaks out of prison and jaywalks it will probably be thrown in with the 'super powered beings are on the verge of destroying society' bit she's been pushing, despite the fact he's a fat guy whose only ability is to glide. Slowly, I might add."
"It is tiring," Hawkeye agreed. "We're starting to get dirty looks for just existing. Never mind we've saved the world several times now. That never seems to count anymore."
"The Red Rajah incident put people on edge," Daredevil admitted, "She was too successful, affected too many people, and they didn't like it. Except for the ones that loved it. And even seeing that new Messiah of the Single Spirit cult spreading the 'incredible nature of oneness' is only reminding those that didn't like it how much they didn't like it. Half of them think those guys are still being mind-controlled and are looking for someone to blame for it."
"Was all fault of government in first place for leaving stupid mind control rock on public display for anyone to take," Tigra snapped.
"Unimportant details," Daredevil said, "Same thing is used in court. Only mention certain facts which coincidentally follow the narrative, 'my client is innocent,' and don't mention the ones which indicate guilt. Or vice-versa for the other side. Only in this case everyone is saying they aren't on a side, they're just saying what happened and letting the masses know it as a public service. Though coincidentally all the information follows the same narrative they happen to personally believe in. We don't have too many people on our side, or no side at all, for that matter. Kunou can only buy so much advertising space. I know she was talking about buying a media agency outright, but that won't work since everyone else will say they're just shilling for us. All the while they're doing the same thing for Ariyoshi."
"We supposed to be menace to society, except we the ones being menaced by society. Like person with only microphone in room saying they have no voice." Tigra shrugged. "Oh well. Is old tale, nothing new except being directed at us this time. We deal with it like we deal with Locust. Is time to go back."
Hawkeye shot a cable arrow into a building and headed out. Just as Tigra was about to leave, Daredevil walked up to her. "So, what plans do you have today?"
"Tigra have to have ticks removed," she said quickly
That brought Daredevil up short. "You have ticks?"
"Have fur. Get same problems anyone have with fur. Ever been deloused?"
Daredevil paled. "No.
"Be happy."
"I will be," he assured her. "So tomorrow?"
"Daredevil have monitor duty, then Tigra have it day after." And she bounded off before he could say anything else.
Daredevil felt a little bit disheartened. On the other hand, if she knew he had monitor duty it meant she was paying some attention to him. So maybe it wasn't all bad. For a moment he considered going to Stick for advice, then decided romantic recommendations delivered by a three foot old prune of a human, even if sound, was going to be unappealing.
Besides, if he put his mind to it, he could land a girl. He was a great guy, and not an egomaniac like Captain Japan. And if Tigra couldn't see it, well there was… Wasp maybe. She was clearly not dating Giant Man any longer, if they ever were. And maybe Iron Rose. It didn't matter what she looked like, since looks were irrelevant to a blind man. Though she was a corporate sock puppet of Kunou's, which was a major turn off. Bucky was off the list since she reminded him way too much of Cap, and if they were related, as he suspected, he was not having the guy as a potential in-law if the best case scenario happened. And Thor was, well, overwhelming.
In any case there had to be some potential amongst his teammates. He'd review them more closely if the Tigra thing didn't work out.
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Tigra waited until she was well out of Daredevil's enhanced senses before releasing a sigh. Somewhere deep down inside she had anticipated this happening. She had always paid closer attention to her one time friend, while keeping her distance at the same time. Once she would have contended she was incapable of having feelings for Mousse, that he was an afterthought of a dead past at best, but upon joining the team and being around him, while he wasn't who he had been, his presence brought back old feelings she swore no longer existed. Well, Captain Japan had started her down this path, and she had decided to travel down it so the emotions were not unwanted, but it was interesting that what she thought was gone wasn't. How did the saying go? Memories are where you laid them. Drag the waters and the depths will give up their dead. Words of truth, as she was discovering.
Her closer attention was how she had read the signs that he was developing an interest in her. That was not a good thing. Not that he was a terrible person, on the contrary she was proud of the man he had grown into, but she did not view him in those sorts of terms. If there was any human being she would have eternally platonic relations with, it was him. She believed the newest term was 'friend zoned', though the concept had existed long before that.
So she was going to have to find the most humane way to deflect his interest. She had made certain to have nothing but the shallowest of interactions with him, much the same way she dealt with Iron Rose or Thor, so his interest was only casual, and the attentions more easily deflected. What she needed was to redirect them to someone who was worthy. While she liked him enough to want him to have a happy life with someone, she was self-centered enough to not let it be her.
Fortunately, there was someone she had in mind. It was a good thing she had taken the time to learn everything about the girl. Well, that training had been ingrained in her so that it was more instinct than thought. Still, her reconnoscience was about to pay off. All that was left was to come up with how to broach the subject in a manner which would make the girl receptive to the idea.
The plan came quickly. Another remnant of her training, manipulating people. Oh well, skills weren't inherently good or bad, it was what use you put them to. And she thought the pair would thank her in time, assuming they became a pair. It was far from certain. The best sales pitch in the world wouldn't work on someone who wasn't in the market for the product, and she couldn't be certain the girl was, though Tigra remained hopeful.
All that was left was the timing. Maybe in a day or two.
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Lunchtime found a troubled Akane in her classroom. Not troubled about school; her grades were exemplary, she had close friends, all her teachers liked her, no figures from her alter-ego's past traipsing about on divans and magically seducing everyone with a Y chromosome. No, it was the disastrous course poor Dr. Tofu seemed to be on. Looking back, it had really began a few months ago when he had started behaving erratically, sometimes closing up early, seemingly frustrated, though at what Akane had no idea. It was around the same time his mother had shown up, but after her initial, well, meddling was what it was, in trying to get him to date someone totally inappropriate for him, Mrs. Ono had minimal contact with him. At least in a meaningful way. She was content to let him live his life with minimal interference.
Akane had no idea what it could be. She had tried asking, but he never opened up to her, sadly. And she was so trustworthy, too. While he had slowly been growing worse, it had really gotten bad a little while ago. He was bleeding patients at an alarming rate. Where once it took weeks to schedule an appointment for a patient, now just about anyone would walk in and there was a good chance he could see them immediately. And there weren't many of those either.
Lately, Akane had been dropping hints that he might want to try to be more like he used to be when it came to doctoring, but he discarded the statements, almost brusquely. It was almost as if he didn't care anymore. Or cared about something more.
The one bright side was Kasumi not dropping in any longer. She hadn't been by for weeks, so the primary impediment to Akane and Tofu's future happiness was gone. Although in thinking about it, Tofu had seemingly been less interested in her for a while as well. He used to become deliriously joyful at her mere presence (which was unhealthy, to be certain), but at some point he started remaining coherent despite her breathing the same air as him, then eventually became perfectly normal. Or at least as normal as he was any more. No doubt Kasumi's new job gave her less time to laze about the doctor's office for no real reason. All the better to leave a clear path for Akane, as far as she was concerned. Although she still hadn't figured out how to navigate it. But an opportunity would present itself. That was the way true love always worked.
Yuka and Sayuri, who had been sitting next to Akane during lunch, exchanged sly, knowing looks. Yuka spoke first, "So, Akane, how have things been at your job? Dr. Tofu doing okay?"
That snapped Akane out of her reverie and she blushed. "Oh, fine." What an odd coincidence that they brought up the doctor when she had been thinking about him. Well, she wasn't about to admit to either of her friends that she viewed her boss as anything other than her employer. "So, how did you guys do on the math test? I hate those pop quizzes."
Sayuri gave a sad shake of her head. She was about to say more when Mio, one of their classmates, walked over to the desks they were sitting at while they ate.
Mio smiled. "Would you like to join our new club? The Organization of the Single Spirit can help you find yourself in a world where everyone is adrift. Only through unity can every possibility be achieved."
Yuka and Sayuri politely shook their heads while Akane stared both oddly and intently. She knew who the girl sounded like, and felt a surge of anger swell within her. "You sound like that Red Rajah nutcase."
Mio gasped. "The Messiah of the Single Spirit was nothing of the kind. She showed us the path to true enlightenment. Just because our leader was unjustly taken from us does not mean her path cannot be followed."
That made Akane's mouth drop. "You can't be serious. Everyone was a drooling idiot under her 'guidance'."
The look of sadness Mio gave her made Akane's mind boggle. "I see you failed to grasp the true peace she offered." And she walked off.
Akane was about to say more to her when Yuka stopped her. "Look, I'm with you. That state we were in terrified me. I couldn't think for myself." She glanced at Sayuri, who nodded in agreement. "But some of the students, well let's just say you know how some people listen to someone who gives directions and they automatically follow them without question? There are a lot more of them than you think."
"It's become the biggest club in school overnight," Sayuri confirmed.
"But no one could think for themselves," Akane protested."
"But everyone was thinking happy thoughts. Some people don't have an issue with being puppets if the puppet master's really nice and looking out for them. Say what you will, in her own twisted way that Red Rajah meant what she was selling."
"She wasn't just the president, she was also a client." Yuka saw the reference went over her friends' heads. Some people had no appreciation of pop culture, even if it was dated. "I get where they're coming from. At the time it was like being on a drug composed of pure bliss. I'd never been so… happy with no distracting thoughts. It was only after I came down from the high that I realized what the price of the happiness addiction would be. I guess some people don't mind paying it in the hopes they can get the high again."
"I don't get it," Akane said. She overheard Mio ask Gosunkugi if he'd join. He said he preferred his idiocy without the drool. That made Akane smile. Ever since he returned from his trip abroad he'd become more confident, to the point of being snarky. He certainly wasn't the withdrawn depressed person he'd been before. Good for him. Maybe he'd gotten a girlfriend.
And if Hikaru Gosunkugi could get a girlfriend, it was long past time Akane got a romantic interest for herself. But how to get Dr. Tofu to realize the perfect girl for him was right under his nose…?
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Ukyou flipped the closed sign in her restaurant's window. At last she could relax. It had been a busy day with no interruptions heroic or otherwise. Just cooking and serving the customers their food. While she loved being an Avenger, she still loved okonomiyaki, if not the martial art side of it. There were times when she thought she might be content just living a normal live as a small time business owner. Her family had done that forever, according to her father. She pictured her primitive ancestors having a small nook in a cave flipping okonomiyaki for the rest of the tribe and laughed at the idea.
She cleaned the grill and dining area efficiently and quickly. It looked like she could get to bed at a reasonable time tonight, for a change. Then it was off to school to repeat everything again. On one hand it would be nice to have a day completely off, though since she didn't have anyone to share it with, what would she even do? Besides sleep in. It was a depressing thought.
Her step wasn't quite as light any longer as she entered her bedroom to ditch her clothing and hit the shower. Before she had a chance to undo her the front of her outfit a throaty, "Nihao," greeted her.
Ukyou recoiled in shock as Tigra, in her usual battle bikini regalia, lay on her bed in a sexy pose. A moment later her aggressive nature asserted itself at someone she had middling feelings for, at best, intruding on her personal space. "What the hell are you doing in my home, you alley cat?"
A coy smile met her in response. "Hmm. Odd reaction for normal person suddenly finding Avenger in her bed. Well, maybe man might have very different reaction, but from girl, very curious. But not unusual if it was teammate who unexpectedly find in bed. Especially when using nickname."
Ukyou grimaced. Damn! She had reacted instead of thinking, and now look where it got her. She blew it big time.
Then her thoughts slowed down enough to process everything. What was Tigra doing here in the first place? What were the odds she had wanted okonomiyaki and wandered up here by accident? Ryouga, maybe, but Tigra?
Now she railed at the heavens above. Someone else had figured out who she was. It was getting to the point she might as well have walked around town with a flashing sign saying, "Meet Hawkeye, Bowslinger and Chef," around her neck. "So how did you find out?"
Tigra got out of bed and pointed to her nose. "Sense of smell much better than Daredevil. Knew was girl five minutes after first meeting. Never cared so not say anything to anyone. But now need to ask some personal questions that are very important. So am here now."
Times like this Ukyou was sorry she didn't have an amnesia arrow. And while an explosive arrow to the head would make people forget things, it tended to take away everything else, like bone and brain tissue. "What do you want to know?"
"What is it you like about Cap? Be honest."
That… was not what Ukyou had expected. On the other hand she didn't get to gush about him with anyone either, so now she was about to. "He's only the best-looking guy I've ever met. I mean he's so big and strong, and he's a great guy. I mean he's perfect. Who wouldn't go for that?"
Tigra didn't seem to pay close attention to the answer. Instead she fingered through a few order forms that had been left on the nightstand near the bed. "And what think of Daredevil?"
Again Ukyou found herself taken aback. "Oh, well, he's definitely a nice guy. He used to be a bit standoffish but he's lightened up a lot. He always has your back and is level-headed." Then Ukyou remembered a detail which made her blush slightly. "He's cute, too. I saw him without his mask during our first case with the Mandarin."
Tigra nodded. "Tigra think Cap a bit naïve and very goody two shoes, but not about everything like first thought. Definitely move too, too slow and sex drive could use boosting. Sometimes too full of self, though is very good so a bit justified."
Ukyou snorted. "I'm sorry. I thought you were interested in him from the way you're hanging on him all the time. I've seen more subtle lap dances."
That made Tigra unleash a toothy smile, one which made Ukyou uneasy. People didn't like having that many sharp teeth directed at them. Unless they were a dentist for sharks.
Tigra said, "Oh, definitely am. He great guy who terrible at lying and never is not real self. What see is what get, and it very nice. And ass too, too cute in tight outfit."
The way the girl was going back and forth frustrated Ukyou. What the hell was this all about? "Why did you say all that negative stuff first?"
The were-woman appeared to stop paying attention again, running a clawed finger along the dresser. She stopped at a framed picture and examined it. "That difference between archer and Tigra. Tigra notice flaws, but like Cap despite them. Being able to accept flaws in others is good thing. Knowing beforehand prepare self for relationship, rather than date and discover them and realize was bad idea from start."
That made Ukyou bristle. The alley cat made it sound like she was somehow a better match than Ukyou. "Hey, I noticed his flaws, too."
"Oh?" Tigra arced an excessively curious eyebrow. "What notice that Tigra overlook?"
"Umm." Crap! She couldn't think of any, mostly because what Tigra had first suggested was mostly true. She hadn't really noticed Cap's flaws until she mentioned them. Ukyou went with the first thing that came to mind. "He's wide and can't get into tight spaces." And knew it was the most stupid thing she had ever said. If she ever had a wish an amnesia arrow was going to be it.
Tigra stared at her in dumbfounded silence before laughing hard. "Guess that bad trait if looked at from certain point of view." It took her a moment to compose herself. "Tigra come here primarily because wanted to suggest might want to try and go out with Daredevil first. Think two will get along and make good pair. Wanted to point out motivation for being hot on Cap might not be best in world. Archer notice talked about Daredevil personality first, which should be what draw one person to another. At least best reason for it."
It was Ukyou's turn to cock a curious eyebrow. "Odd, it seems to me more like you're trying to eliminate some competition."
Tigra smiled her toothy grin and nodded. "Is secondary objective, but not bother coming here if only that. In case not notice, Cap not look way since not into guys, which he think you are. Hawkeye not exactly competition for Tigra."
That was far too good a point for Ukyou's taste. "Well, Daredevil doesn't know it either."
"There not exactly competition for him, but you only one who really notice him in potentially romantic way. Bit surprised he not see through guise already, but pretty sure he not like Tigra and know and just pretend not to." She shrugged. "Someday want to reveal real gender to team, yes?"
"Actually I do." She instinctively knew at some point it was going to get blown, like it almost had with the Mandrill. It would be better if she told the team before that happened and she had a lot of awkward explaining to do. Best to do it under controlled conditions on her terms. She just didn't know how to do it and have them take it well. At least some good to come of the Tigra thing was that she already knew and didn't care. That was one down.
"Then reveal to him. Can pretty much guarantee he keep secret to self, as Archer said he watch other's backs. That way worst case scenario is now two people know when decide to make big reveal."
The sneaky cat was making way too much sense. And now that Ukyou was totally calm, she thought about Daredevil and realized that, had it not been for Cap, she probably would have been into him. Actually in hanging around him and not being interested meant she had gotten to know him, and now that she was assessing him as potential dating material, he was pretty good. Loathe though she was to admit it, the feline Avenger had been on point with valuing personality over looks. Ukyou had initially been captivated by Cap's physique and presence, and only vaguely paid attention to what he was like. Oh, he was a nice guy and definitely datable material, but her own motives had not been, well, if a guy was interested in her she wanted it to be for who she was, not what she looked like.
And Tigra was right. Even if she revealed her true nature to Daredevil and he showed no interest in her, he'd keep her secret and that would make her eventual revelation that much easier.
"So, how should I go about it?" She couldn't believe she was not just taking Tigra's suggestion, but was asking for advice. At least it would be sound. She clearly was sincere about wanting them to work out, even if her motives weren't completely altruistic. And Ukyou really wanted a boyfriend. The whole hero angle wasn't an issue for them, and anyone Daredevil dated would have to be able to handle a dual identity as well. Maybe Ukyou's odds were pretty good.
"Well, can no make guarantee it work, but best chance probably this…."
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Daredevil found himself nearly dozing off on monitor duty. Everyone hated it except Wasp, since she loved being the first one to know about trouble. It was sitting around and doing next to nothing. Even if there was an emergency, all you did was assess the situation, categorize the level of the threat, and send out the appropriate response. If it was a group of gun toting cyborg mercenaries called the Warzone, bring in the troops. If it was Leaper Logan, who was if Leap Frog had his jumping ability cut in half and was too cheap to buy a costume, then you called the police to stop a guy whose idea of menacing people was hopping around like a jackrabbit with a broken leg.
Daredevil had tried to get out of it in the early days by pointing out he was blind and couldn't actually watch monitors, but Kodachi Kunou had made a program that could describe what was happening on the screen just for him. Only Iron Rose weaseled out of duty by having Sasuke do it for her. The armored Avengers claimed it was her employer's orders since she wanted her personal bodyguard available to guard her body. When the others suggested Sasuke could take their shifts, it was explained to them that wasn't what he was paid for and he had other duties to attend that had to do with butlering.
It was times like this Daredevil was sorry he didn't have a butler of his own.
The boredom had reached a boiling point, as in watching water boil would be preferable to the boredom. He was seriously considering doing an inventory of all the items he had tucked away in his uniform when Hawkeye of all people entered the room. The hero was delighted at the break in monotony. "How's it going? Problem?"
"No. I thought you might want some company." And the archer grabbed one of the folding chairs in the room and placed it next to Daredevil.
That made him apprehensive. He sensed something was off about his teammate. There was way too much tension for this to be a purely social call. And given the archer's proclivities, which he had kept to himself all this time, made Daredevil have a nasty suspicious of why Hawkeye had decided to drop by on the night he was on duty. Daredevil decided to cut to the chase and get this over with and let the guy down gently.
Just as he opened his mouth, Hawkeye said, "I'm really a girl."
Daredevil froze, just like he would have if someone had said, "Bullseye's outside and wants to speak with you," but without wanting to run away in terror. Because insane psychopaths who are so infatuated with you they wanted you to die together had that effect on rational human beings.
At some point coherent thoughts began to collect. A girl. It was the truth. He knew that thanks to his enhanced senses. And suddenly a *lot* of his… her behaviors made a lot of sense. In hindsight, Daredevil really should have pierced the disguise earlier, but he had made a point of not paying attention to Hawkeye so 'he' didn't think Daredevil was interested in him. In doing so he had overlooked the true gender of his teammate. Well, that, the crossdressing, and Hawkeye always referring to herself as a male had something to do with it as well.
"That's… interesting. And you told me because?"
She turned to him. "I need to start letting people know, but I want to ease them into it, and you're the one I trust the most."
"Oh." That was flattering. Actually it made his ego puff up a bit. Captain Japan was what was on most of his female partners' minds, except maybe Wasp, who liked fighting more than anything. "I'm glad you're trusting me first. And you're right. I am trustworthy. Your secret is safe with me."
He felt the archer relax some. "I'm glad you're taking it so well. I know none of us talk about ourselves outside the costumes, but I think I need to explain why I did it."
"Sure." And he got to hear an… interesting origin story. Certainly unconventional, but who was he to judge considering his own? And as he listened, he knew he was looking at Ukyou, as she had trusted him with her name, in a new light. A very new one. He rather liked it.
As Ukyou finished her story, she removed her mask. "Want to check me out? You know, with your hands since you might be curious."
"Oh." He was a little taken aback. While radar vision mostly worked fine, as well as being able to read a person's pulse as a form of recognition, physical contact was a way of defining them better. He lightly touched her features, and memorized them. It was intimate, in a way. Women generally weren't big on guys running their hands all over their face, even if they knew someone was blind. "You're very good-looking." Which was a relative term for him since standards of conventional beauty were beyond his caring. But hey, women liked it when you complimented them on their looks. And judging by Ukyou's heartbeat, she had liked it a lot.
Daredevil was so moved that she trusted him like this, he felt compelled to reciprocate. "Why don't I tell you my life story? I have to warn you though, it's pretty tragic." And for only the second time in his life, he told someone everything about him. Only Stick knew as much, and he sure as hell was more eager to tell it to a girl his age rather than a gnarled figure that resembled a troll doll. He went over everything, from the destruction of his village to the present. Though he did edit his encounter with Elektra by telling Ukyou he had managed to get over the loss of Shampoo eventually and not the how and why of it.
When he was finished, Ukyou said, "That's horrible."
Mousse nodded. "It's why I was pretty guarded early on. Lost everything but my life. But I guess adversity builds character."
"I'll say," Ukyou agreed. "I was a little nervous about revealing everything, but now I feel pretty relaxed. It's nice I can finally be open with someone."
"I know what you mean." And the two began to share mutual experiences and issues only those in their position could have. The conversation took on a life of its own flitting from topics both important and trivial. There was no real reason for it other than two people talking to one another with few reservations. For both it was refreshing since neither had to worry about saying something that would tip a person off to whichever side of their dual nature they were hiding at that moment.
Time ceased to exist as they became lost in conversation. Daredevil barely registered Sasuke's approach until he was nearly at the door.
"Incoming butler," he warned.
Ukyou looked at him oddly. "So?"
"Mask!"
Ukyou started putting it over her head just as the door opened. The diminutive man was already in the room by the time she could see out her eyeholes.
"Would you like something before I retire?" the manservant asked.
The pair looked at one another. "No, we're fine." Daredevil assured him.
Sasuke left the room. Ukyou noticed the time herself and was shocked. "I can't believe how fast it went."
"Me either." Hours had seemed like minutes and passed in delight. There were few times such had ever occurred. He didn't want them to end, and not because it made monitor duty fun.
"I actually have to call it a night since I have to go to school. Not all of us were smart enough to bypass a few grades and hit college early." She said, a sad note in her voice.
Without thinking, Mousse said, "Why don't we get together tomorrow? Assuming you can spare the time. I mean socialize, maybe talk some more?" He couldn't believe how fast his heart was racing. But he could tell hers sped up as well.
"Absolutely. I heard one of those Ninja World amusement parks that just opened up was pretty good. I haven't been to one in forever."
"Ninjas are always fun. At least when they aren't trying to kill you." Mousse clarified. "And I've never been to one at all." A lot of an amusement park was visual, and it wasn't like he had anyone to go with.
"Then it's settled. And my treat," Ukyou insisted.
That was fine with him. He had no issue with women paying for everything, not that a woman had ever paid him for anything, except maybe legal advice. "Okay, but then I treat next time."
It was only after he said it that he realized it sounded presumptuous. After all, there was no guarantee a second meeting would go as well as the first, and that a third would be wanted. But it felt natural to want to spend time with her, and judging by her eager agreement, she felt the same.
Ukyou departed, leaving Mousse to continue on monitor duty. Had any other Avenger been present, they would have seen a grin on his face so large they would have assumed someone was impersonating him and challenged him to prove his identity. All except Tigra, who would have known exactly why it was there, and been delighted at its existence.
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[End chapter]
While brief, I couldn't see justifying making it longer or padding it with other stuff. I wanted to keep things focused on one concept and move it along without distractions. And I haven't done a purely character developing chapter in a while. I also wanted to do something in decidedly non-dramatic fashion. Just two people talking and opening up and seeing what happens next. So we moved two of our cast in a direction in a way that I think works. There aren't any issues or history between them, so it can move in a manner which some people might identify with.
And yes, Locust was loosely based on the character from the ROD OVAs.
This arc will be a bit like the second one with the chapters being more standalone or multi-part in nature, though the overall plot will be moving along at the same time. Hence why there is no title to the entire arc, like 'The Animal Farm'. Just an assortment of titles and the occasional Part A and B.
I liked being able to slip in a mention Dr. Strange/Gosunkugi again. I was looking over Defending and reminding myself how much I enjoyed David Dee's stuff. I never had an issue with people liking his stuff more than mine since it's good. A pity he moved on to other things, but you have to obey the muse, and he gave me a lot of material to work with.
Actually have part of the next chapter already written. It turns out it was a lot easier to write than this one, though once I put my nose to the grindstone the last few scenes came out pretty quickly. And I borrowed an old title from an Iron Man book, which was a parody of a film itself. So tune in next time when we encounter, "The Spy Who Killed Me."
