Avenging
Book 2: Chapter 1
Gratuitous Fanservice Beach Episode
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tsommer
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As always I do not own the rights to the numerous characters or series within.
I was reluctant to dub this 'Book 2' since this part is mostly standalone and no overall Act arcs are within it, but does pick things up where Epilogue 1 left off. And hey, every long running anime series with at least one woman always has a beach episode. Who am I to stand in the path of tradition? So it's time for fanservice, fanservice, fanservice.
Also in this chapter we have the return of:
Tony Stark and Bethany Cabe.
The Mendous.
And the man who singlehandedly nearly defeated the Avengers and Defenders (separately) Gypsy Moth. Or as close as a man who controls cloth can take them down.
And introducing the mystery and menace of… the Night Phantom.
So here we go….
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kodachi Kunou wondered how it all went wrong. Much in her life had gone right of late. Kang had been squashed, Ariyoshi laid low, Biko blown to smithereens (an underutilized word. She would start using it more often), Kerberos disbanded. So many foes fallen in a relatively short amount of time. The Avengers had accomplished much in resolving things or simply having events go their way. It was a refreshing change of pace from the quagmires they frequently found themselves in. And she didn't mean the supervillain of the same name who could throw some kind of extradimensional sticky sludge ,but the more classic definition of them.
Her personal life had taken an upswing as well. With Stane-Daitokuji out of business, her share of a variety of markets had increased accordingly. She was in the running for government contracts again, especially military ones. Profits were up. Her inventions and innovations breaking new ground. Her brilliance was being increasingly acknowledged.
She even took time off to improve her heart condition… sort of. She'd finally tracked down the renowned, and mysterious, Dr. Blackjack. It had cost her an ungodly amount of money to open a hospital in a third world country, but in exchange he removed the shrapnel in her heart without killing her. Well, technically she *had* died on the operating table briefly, but he brought her back. That was the most important part about dying: not remaining in that state. She still needed to use a pacemaker since there was damage to her heart, but a subcutaneous one rather than that unseemly largely external one. The only way anyone would know it existed was if they ran their hand over that spot of her chest. And there was only one man she would allow the privilege of doing that.
Ohhohohoho.
With so much going right in her life, she decided to try and make one more very important thing go her way: getting Captain Japan interested in her personally. The ground for a relationship was fertile for a black rose and her other half. Together they could blossom in love. She just had to make him realize the obvious.
Kodachi had some degree of success the two times she attempted to bring them closer together. She had been both held hostage and shot on those occasions, but sometimes the course of true love was fraught with the peril of ransoms and excessive blood loss. There had to have been a love song somewhere that covered those issues. Probably in country music.
But for her next attempt, Kodachi was opting for less peril. Thus she came up with a new plan. Since it was now possible, thanks to the operation, she would display her nubile body for her Captain via swimsuit. Since he had the good sense to not go for furry, melon-baring sluts in bikinis, she thought he would be more susceptible toward very attractive women with normal proportions. Of course no one could just show up in a swimsuit without a reason (trashy were-women not withstanding), which meant she needed an excuse. A beach was the most reasonable course, and with any luck she could maneuver her Captain into doing the same thing.
Naturally straightforward asking was out of the question: there was too much chance he would decline the invitation. And his presence was the entire basis for going on the jaunt. He would learn what Kodachi was like on a personal level, be enamored, and then the blooming could take place. Hmm, since she was a black rose, what color would he be? Possibly red and white, like his costume? So a black, red, and white floral union. Perhaps those would be the motif at the eventual wedding?
But those considerations were for much further down the line. Starting down the path was what was required now. It would be best to utilize the tried and true method of asking him for protection since it had worked on the previous occasions. And in a fit of irony, she had needed protection in both cases. Claiming Captain Japan's presence was necessary a third time should not present an issue.
Since Kunou Enterprises had holdings in the Caribbean, that would prove an ideal location. They had some wonderful white sand beaches there. She'd claim some sort of villain was threatening one of her plants, and she'd need a bodyguard, since Iron Rose was busy (preparing for romance, that was). When they arrived she'd have a prearrangement with the head of the plant to have him declare the matter taken care of by the local authorities. With that issue laid to rest, they could enjoy the beach. She'd have to buy him swimwear since if she told him to pack some, he might get suspicious. She wondered if he liked wearing thongs….
At first everything had gone as planned. Her Captain agreed to be her bodyguard and fly out to the island on her personal jet. The day arrived and she waited patiently at her aircraft for him to appear. And nothing went right from that moment on.
"It's wonderful to have you two along," she said to Ryouga and Jarella, which she absolutely did not mean. But in business one learned to hand out false platitudes convincingly. It wasn't that she disliked the pair, they were perfectly fine human beings, just that she didn't want them existing in this place and time in the universe.
"It's an honor to be welcomed on this journey," Jarella said. "While I've been overseas on photo shoots before, this is the first time I've had the opportunity to do so for recreational purposes."
Ryouga said, "Last time I was at the beach was when that alien sand creature decided to take over the planet by absorbing all the sand on it. Turned out water could stop it since it was made of sand and lost cohesion of its consciousness when it got wet. I guess the planet it came from didn't have any. It wasn't as tough as the alien hill that wanted to do the same thing."
"Yes, it's unfortunate when particulate matter takes it upon itself to conquer our world." Kodachi said dryly.
"All in a day's work for a superhero," the final member of the party stated. "You two deserve a little time to yourselves. So I figured if me and Kunou had to go out to an island, why not invite you two along so you can have a good time?"
Kodachi turned and barely concealed her anger. "You never did explain exactly why Captain Japan accepted my invitation only to have you take his place."
Bucky shrugged. "He doesn't like beaches. Sunburns real easily."
"I remember him mentioning that." Which he never had, but Ryouga was running cover for her since he knew exactly why Ranma hadn't wanted to go near cold water and inadvertently swap heroic roles. Ryouga would have to be careful himself since he didn't care to turn into a piglet, although Jarella didn't mind. She had never even treated him as a cute pet, but instead talked to him like he was normal. Which made anyone seeing her talk to a small black piglet in extensive conversation think she was crazy. It was fortunate he had an alien girlfriend with a flexible mind.
And it had been nice of Ranma to invite the pair of them along. When Ranma wasn't rubbing you wrong or beating on his chest and kept the ego at a minimum, he was a pretty decent guy. Pretty much all of the old resentment Ryouga had toward him was gone by now. Well, having a real girlfriend had a lot to do with his now near constant blissful state. He was so delighted it actually took a bit of effort to get angry and Hulk out when he needed to. Although Ranma offering to hit him in the face to prod him helped Ryouga over that hurdle on more than one occasion.
The co-pilot emerged from the cockpit and looked at Kodachi. "Ma'am, there's a call from the island. It's the manager of the plant. He says it's an emergency."
She had him transfer the communication to the cabin. Kodachi picked up the phone and inquired as to the nature of the call. The others watched her listen intently and become distressed, barely adding a word. She ended the conversation with a, "We'll be landing within the hour." And hung up. Tension hung in the air
"What is it?" Bucky asked.
Kodachi started biting a nail. "The plant has been attacked."
"Again?"
"What do you mean again?" she asked in confusion, then shook her head. "Oh, of course. Again. It appears you'll be put to work right away."
Bucky was nonchalant. "It's what I'm here for."
"Do you need my help?" Ryouga offered.
That was met with a, "Naw," and dismissive wave of the hand combo. "You and Jarella take it easy. There's nothing I can't handle on my own. Stomping on supervillains is practically a hobby of mine."
"We'll stay close by in case you need help." And the way Ryouga said it made it clear he thought it was only a matter of time before Bucky would need it.
That made her roll her eyes. Clearly it was time to do something solo if people doubted her abilities as the most capable Avenger. She was pretty much the glue that held the team together. If they had an official leader, she'd be a shoo in for it. Why, she could probably herd cats if she put her mind to it. This attack on the plant from whatever power that was behind it would be resolved with as many fists to the face as it took, or her name wasn't Ranma Saotome.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The plane landed within the hour. Kodachi was met by representatives of her plant while another vehicle took Ryouga and Jarella to their accommodations at her villa. She and Bucky were given a brief overview of the situation as they were driven to the plant. Basically an intruder had broken in during the night and destroyed a number of the machines before escaping without being sighted.
Upon arriving at the plant they were ushered into the main manufacturing area, which was a high ceiling warehouse with plenty of space. They were shown the large hole made in the concrete wall and a number of destroyed machines. The entry point showed no signs of explosives or fire. It was as if someone had plowed through the wall as though it were made of paper mache, then crushed the machines like a destructive child angry with its toys. Luckily the damage was insufficient to shut the plant down, just slow production on a number of things until the machines could either be fixed or replaced.
Kodachi and Bucky made their way to the hole. Bucky bent down and examined a few chunks of the destroyed edifice, then looked around the warehouse at the destruction.
"What do you make of it?" Kodachi asked.
Bucky dusted off her hands. "We're dealing with a superhuman for sure. Large man-sized hole. You can tell by the way the debris is scattered they've got super strength, enough they went through it in one try instead of a bunch of shots to knock it down. It's not Hulk level strength, but more than Tigra. I don't think they're familiar with the place or how things work."
Kodachi's brows show up in surprise. "Why is that?"
Bucky waved her arm in the direction of the crumpled machinery. "Path of destruction. They destroyed what was in front of them instead of specific stuff. If I came through that wall and wanted to cause problems, I'd have done exactly what they did since I have no idea what any of this stuff does either."
"That's an interesting insight." And made it likely it wasn't an inside job. Anyone in the company that wanted to cripple it would have known how to inflict twice the damage to the plant with half the effort by destroying key and vital machines. None of the important machinery was a secret. That made her feel a bit of relief.
"Any superheroes or villains on the island?" Bucky asked the plant manager.
"We're free of both. A few months ago we had a man trying to call himself, 'The Pig Burglar,' who went around stealing pigs for about a week before he got caught. He had no abilities or even a costume. He was just a common thief that wanted some additional notoriety. Although…."
When he didn't speak further, Kodachi prodded him. "What?'
"It's almost certainly nothing. Some of the workers said it might be the work of the 'Night Phantom'. But he's not a supervillain."
"He sounds like one. Who is he?" Kodachi asked.
"A local legend. It's been around for a good two hundred years or so. You know how it is. Earlier cultures made up mythical creatures like gnomes, Chupacabra, or zombies to explain when things went bad and they didn't understand why. The Night Phantom is kind of like an all-purpose boogeyman. Animals go missing? Night Phantom must have grabbed them. Crops go bad? Night Phantom must have cursed them. Children misbehaving? Tell them the Night Phantom will grab them in the middle of the night if they don't stop. That sort of thing. But it was never a real person, just a myth."
"It does sound rather unlikely," Kodachi agreed, then noticed Bucky being exceptionally pensive. She was about to ask her partner what was going on when the sounds of someone using a bullhorn penetrated the building.
"What's that?"
The plant manager groaned. "That would be the local protesters."
"What on earth are they protesting?"
"Us."
Kodachi went outside, befuddled, while Bucky followed her. At the gates to the grounds of the plant were a small number of people with signs protesting her business. Most of them seemed to be locals. The one with the bullhorn appeared to be the leader of the group, or at least the loudest. He was of paler complexion and in a wheelchair.
"I don't understand this at all." Kodachi confessed. "We're doing work with hydroelectricity and desalination technology. There's nothing to protest since it's all clean, renewable energy. Are they part of an oil conglomerate or Big Salt?" People didn't realize salt megacorporations held as much sway as they did, otherwise they would regard their saltshakers more warily.
The manager shifted uncomfortably. "Well that's true now, but when your father was in charge we grew pineapples here."
"We'll have no further dealings with that odious fruit." Munitions, pineapple, and Tatewaki were the three things that motivated her late father. The first she kept, the latter two had been dealt with in one way or another. She had ordered this plant over to new technology rather than selling it. The pineapple trees had been cut down and sold for firewood.
The manager continued. "When we were dealing in pineapples your father was determined to create hardier strains that could be grown in any climate. He wanted pineapple trees in Antarctica."
"You need not worry. Insanity does not run in the family. That was only Father."
"Yes," the manager said. "Anyway, we did a good bit of genetic engineering here. Including experiments with radioactive isotopes. There might have been… a spill or two."
"Oh dear god," Kodachi bemoaned.
The manager withered a little. "We cleaned up the mess of course. But it sort of irradiated a few areas where nothing grows anymore. Only on land we owned, luckily. And not much seeped into the ground water. At least all the water they tested was clean. So there was no basis for lawsuits. And there's no fallout or anything. But when some people hear, 'radioactive spillage' they stop listening to anything else. We allow inspectors to come in whenever they want to make sure we're still on the up and up. And since we hire so many locals and bring in outside money, the government is happy. It's down to just a handful of protesters led by Travis Hoyt that stir up trouble."
"Who's that?"
"The guy in the wheelchair." And he pointed to him. "He's an American novelist who has a home nearby."
"Oh, it's that Travis Hoyt. I've read his books. He's quite good."
Bucky, who had been standing nearby, suddenly pointed at the man and shouted, "It's him!"
Kodachi said, "Yes, we already pointed him out. There's no one else in a wheelchair out there so there should be no confusion."
"No. I mean he's the guy that caused all the damage."
Now the heiress looked at her shield-wielding compatriot in disbelief. There was even a slight jaw drop. "Have you gone as blind as Daredevil? The man is physically handicapped."
"He's faking it."
Kodachi sighed. Clearly the girl had already suffered sunstroke. And she hadn't been out in the sun for more than twenty minutes. "It's quite an elaborate plot, then. He lost the use of his legs years ago in a car crash in the U.S. He's been in that chair since. It seems a bit much to wait until now to go after the plant."
Bucky's response was to pout. "I'll figure out a way to prove it." And she stormed off.
Kodachi ignored the girl. She was already proving herself useless. At least she wasn't deranged enough to attack someone in a wheelchair. Her Captain wouldn't have been so irrational. With Bucky delusional, Kodachi supposed it was up to her to stop this 'Night Phantom' from destroying her plant. She had her credit card version of Iron Rose armor with her. When he attacked the plant again, she'd don it and resolve the situation. She'd just have Iron Rose explain her important matter had been taken care of and she returned in time to deal with the matter that Bucky was unable to.
Everything about this attempt at seduction had become a nightmare. At least it couldn't get any worse.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
When Kodachi returned to her villa she saw Ryouga and Jarella had already unpacked and left the house. Her staff had set up her bedroom, so she went there to take a shower and decide what to do until the villain showed up.
It dawned on her that just because Captain Japan wasn't present there was no reason she couldn't celebrate her body by showing it off on the beach. She wanted to do it publicly so men could drink in her lithe form and women could stare in envy. Despite using power armor she was still in excellent shape as a result of her heroic deeds.
She chose something infinitely tasteful, a one piece that accentuated her body. She would never wear something as tacky as Tigra, to be certain. One could show off beauty and elegance at the same time, something trollops never understood.
She switched to her swimsuit and wore an outer garment to go with it. She knew how to drive, so she took her father's sports car out for a spin to the nearest public beach. It was truly a beautiful day with sun shining and a hot, but not too hot, temperature. With the top down the wind blew her long obsidian locks backward like a long mane. She was sorry she hadn't come to the island sooner. As busy as she was, everyone needed a vacation now and then. The Caribbean was an ideal location for such.
She parked and went to the beach, shedding her outfit and showing off her body for the first time in a very long while. The water was nearly as clear it was blue, depending on where you looked. So much different from Japan. She walked through ankle deep water which was pleasantly warm. She was overjoyed to see some men openly admire her, but her sunglasses hid her eyes, so she pretended not to notice their attention while basking in it. As always, she was a black rose amongst a field of red which everyone took note of. It was good to be her, lack of boyfriend aside.
She walked several hundred meters before coming across a rather large gathering of people. Others were setting up a stage at a nearby hotel for a performance of some kind, she wagered. She joined the crowd.
As she looked on, a familiar voice said, "Miss Kunou, is that you?"
She turned and sure enough, the face matched the voice. "Tony Stark. What a small world. What brings you here?" She noted he was as handsome as ever, though no match for Captain Japan. She was mildly surprised to recognize the rather top-heavy redhead at his side. That bodyguard at the party Hydra had crashed, one who Kodachi admitted had proven surprisingly good at it despite her beauty. Stark wouldn't do his playboy reputation any good by spending all of his time with the same woman. And really, he could do much better than some Bucky knockoff. What was it about men lusting after women whom gravity would extract a toll from in no time at all?
Stark continued, "The yacht is undergoing repairs, so Beth and I are beachcombing. I haven't seen you since that little soiree with the guns. It's really weird that so many bizarre things happened to so many people from that party, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Shinobi Shaw and Biko were dead. Sunset Bain was presumed dead but turned up alive. Kodachi was Iron Rose, though Stark knew nothing of that. "Iron Rose ran into some of those updated Mandroids you sold to the Japanese government. She said they were very… quaint."
"Upgrades are never up to snuff compared to newer things. I managed to get the rights to Stane's Raider armor tech, though. I'll probably market that once I've improved it. It was developed under Janice Cord, so it has some sentimental attachment to me. Was all that talk about Biko being dirty real?"
"Very much so." He had no idea of how 'dirty' she was. The world wouldn't know officially either since her death ended the investigation into her personal depravity.
Stark turned a bit grim. "Her uncle Edwin was blamed for Janice's murder, but I knew Edwin. He's an opportunist who'd sell his own mother for money, but not the kind to get his hands personally dirty that way. Given Stane's ruthlessness and how she swooped right in and bought the company before anyone knew what was happening, and that it was a habit with her and dead industrialists, well let's just say it was quite the string of coincidences."
It took Kodachi a moment to realize why Stark was fixated on this: he and Cord had been romantically linked around the time she murdered. If Biko had orchestrated it, which was likely, then he probably gained some grim satisfaction from the bitch's death.
Bethany made a point of slipping her hand into his and squeezing it, snapping Tony out of his reverie. "So what brings you out here? Still growing pineapples?"
"No." She sent a chill through the air with how icy the response was. She told him what they were developing, then mentioned the plant being attacked.
"Supervillains on this island? Can't seem to escape them. There are plenty of super types in the U.S., though I heard the government might be entering the fray with their own super powered team. Sadly, they didn't ask for anything from me. I bet I could make an Iron Rose type armor if I tried."
"Many have tried. Everyone that goes up against it ends up in the recycling bin."
Bethany spoke before Tony could make a retort, "Now, now. We're having a good time. No whipping it out and comparing them. Okay, maybe not the best phrasing," she conceded with a glance to Kodachi's crotch.
"How about chest bumping?" Stark suggested. "But since you're my bodyguard, you'd have to fill in for me."
"Remember, I am your bodyguard. That means there's no one to protect you from me thumping you in the head with the butt of my pistol," she teased.
"I hope your bodyguard isn't in charge of you the way mine is with me," Stark said to Kodachi.
"We see eye to eye on everything." Again, he had no idea.
"So you're thinking of entering the swimsuit competition?" He indicated the stage and equipment that was being set up.
Kodachi looked more closely at it. Why indeed it was. Apparently some suntan lotion company was sponsoring it. There was a first prize that was a paltry sum for one of her wealth. One of the pictures hanging in the villa's hallway bathroom was worth more than that. "That would be gauche."
"I'm trying to get Beth to enter, but she's more concerned with guarding my body than showing off hers."
She was showing off plenty as far as Kodachi was concerned. She'd beat her in some silly swimsuit competition. While physical attributes were a necessity in such contests, victory was only gained through other intangibles, such as elegance and grace.
"My goodness, what familiar faces."
The trio turned in surprise at the newcomers, who had also been at the aforementioned party. The Mendous, Shutaro and his younger, highly annoying sister, Ryouko, had appeared. Kodachi would have assumed their appearance was planned save they were just as surprised at the trio they met.
"I wonder if Hydra is setting us up?" Stark joked as he made an exaggerated effort to scan the horizon for terrorists.
"What brings you two here?" Kodachi asked.
Shutaro said, "What do you call a dilettante dilettanting?"
A waste of oxygen, Kodachi refrained from saying. Since she was in openly polite company.
"Indulging in the evils of capitalism?" Stark contended.
"On that note, I had some scion of a rather wealthy family extolling the virtues of socialism and deriding capitalism to me, while being adorned in over ten thousand dollars worth of clothing and jewelry," Mendou said.
"What happened?"
"I informed her demagoguery backed by a distinct lack of self-awareness and hypocrisy could wear down anyone's defenses over time." Mendou mused. "I mean, I don't mind being lectured by someone who doesn't have much and is eager to reduce me to their level of poverty. I understand the concept of petty envy intellectually and were I in similar circumstances, I might do the same thing. But I find being lectured by someone like that insulting."
"What do you think about petty arrogance?" Kodachi quipped.
"Engage in it all the time. Natural as breathing. If I were popcorn and it draw butter, I would be positively drenched in it."
"And delicious enough to eat," Ryouko added, making the others wince inwardly. They were brother and sister, and far too close for comfort.
Mendou then said, "You look delightful, Ms. Cabe." And bowed.
"For an overinflated sex doll," Ryouko mumbled deliberately loud enough to be heard.
Kodachi saw Bethany's jaw set. Stark looked over to her, then gave the faintest hit of a nod. She smiled pleasantly at Mendou. "I must say you look as handsome now as at the party. You really were the talk of it amongst all of the women."
A fury lit in Ryouko's eyes.
Bethany continued. "And the way you single-handedly dealt with so many of those Hydra agents made me swoon."
"I took out just as many," Ryouko bit out.
"Did you? I hadn't noticed."
Ryouko went to grab Shutaro's hand but he deftly darted away. "Little Sister, we've had this discussion before. No powers except in life and death situations."
That made Kodachi recall when the Mendous revealed their mutual mutant abilities at the party. Highly destructive bolts from their hands that differed slightly between them. Apparently they had to be in physical contact with one another to activate them. While shared powers sometimes occurred between mutants, it was usually twins. But there were always exceptions.
Ryouko pouted, "What she said was very insulting."
"Prove your abilities as a Mendou, then," Shutaro suggested, he looked over and noticed the stage. "Ah, there's a swimsuit competition. Why not enter it and see who wins?"
"Why not just say I won, then?" Ryouko proclaimed. "There is no competition on this beach compared to my great beauty." And she posed sexily.
"Maybe if the judges are pedophiles," Bethany mumbled deliberately loud enough to be heard.
Ryouko reached for her brother who again smoothly evaded it. She was now livid with anger.
On her part, Kodachi felt anger herself at the 'no competition' part. Ryouko truly was a little girl compared to her great beauty. And while crude, the sexdoll remark was not far from the truth when it came to Stark's bodyguard. It was time to put these women in their place. "I shall enter the competition myself."
Ryouko's wild, spontaneous laughter made Kodachi really want to don the Iron Rose armor and spank the droll little girl. But she'd have to settle for humiliating her on the stage. The little tart was laughing so hard she could actually see her eyes tears up.
"I'm in," Bethany said. "It's not for several hours. Why don't we enter now and come back later?"
"Capital idea." The game was afoot, and outcome not in doubt as far as Kodachi was concerned.
Xxxxx
As Ryouko completed her entry form, it occurred to her that simply winning the swimsuit competition, which was a foregone conclusion, was not sufficient to punish these two impudent hags from trying to demean her in the eyes of her brother. Since blasting the skin off them was expressly forbidden, she had to come up with something more humiliating. Yes, something that would embarrass them so much they would never want to wear a swimsuit again, perhaps never go out in public again. She could make Kunou a recluse, like that American, Howard Hughes. The Cabe woman would be so demeaned even Stark would never want her around. But what could she do?
And then it came to her. It was truly inspirational. She'd heard he was recently released from prison back in Japan, and he'd be perfect for what she wanted. She had to dial up her people to connect to him fast. Then she'd hire that teleporter from the Alice Academy she'd heard about to get him to the island in time. It would cost an obscene amount of money, but the Mendous had an obscene amount of wealth. And if you didn't use money to make you happy, what was the point in having it?
Xxxxxxxxxx
Ryouga and Jarella walked along the beach, holding hands and staying well away from the water due to Ryouga's curse. He looked over at the love of his life and she gave him a dynamic smile, which he returned. There was no thought to it: the grin came to him automatically.
How glorious his life had become. He had never understood how you could find yourself smiling so much of the time for no reason. He hadn't been a smiler in his life. No, it had always been anger toward everything wrong with it, which was much. It wasn't all over Jarella of course. His time with the Avengers had given him friends and a purpose in life to the point at which he really didn't mind becoming the Hulk. But that had just been 'improvement'. Once Jarella entered it, he became cast adrift on eternal bliss. This was a level of happy he had no idea existed, and the only thing that terrified him now was it ending.
Walking hand-in-hand with a girlfriend on the beach was something he had always imagined. The reality exceeded his imagination. Even if some guys did check her out. But she was a model, and her beauty was going to attract male attention as well as her emerald skin tone. He accepted it, though didn't care for it.
Jarella stared at the Atlantic, momentarily entranced at the sight. "I doubt I'll ever get used to seeing such large bodies of water on this world. I heard there was one on the far side of K'ai, but no one I knew had ever seen it."
"Do you miss your world?" Ryouga asked.
Jarella nodded. "Sometimes, though not often. I think less often of it now that I know it is in no danger of being under Visis' thumb. Although I am uncertain how much better a fate being under that… creature's rule is."
For a moment Ryouga thought he'd see a rare fit of temper from his girlfriend. Jarella was easily the most level-headed person he knew, but every now and then something would try even her patience. But the anticipated fit passed when she calmed down and returned to her normal demeanor. He supposed that control was from her upbringing in being a queen.
"If my royal advisors… former advisors feel her rule is just, then I accept their judgement. Perhaps one who wields in iron fist can still rule wisely. There were some occasions when I was called upon to employ force during my rule."
That surprised Ryouga. While Jarella said she knew how to fight, he'd never seen her do it. This was a side he'd been unaware of. "What happened?"
"Twice we were set upon by other tribes, though none as dangerous as Visis. Once when an usurper tried to foment rebellion. I put the blade to him myself."
That shocked him. And she talked about killing someone with a sword so matter of factly. Then again, she was raised a queen on an alien world and there were times when it was clear there were cultural differences between where she came from and here. She had learned enough about Earth in general that there was nothing in her lifestyle that was incompatible with his. Like cannibalism or some such. But there were surprises like this upon occasion.
It was time to lighten things up. "Well, if you ever need an iron fist to rule anything, I volunteer my considerable muscles to enforce your will." He flexed for her benefit.
She laughed, a deep rich thing. "I don't have any interest in ruling anything, though if I wanted to do so with the modeling world, I would undoubtably need it. Models can be quite treacherous and reluctant to obey orders."
The two laughed hard. There was a time, before having an actual girlfriend, when Ryouga thought being with a woman was all making out, or constantly going on dates, or doing something *important* all the time with your girlfriend. But he was beginning to understand that while those made up part of it, much of real relationships was just casual talk and enjoying one another's company without doing anything specific. That was all it took when you were in love.
And he liked that just fine.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Travis Hoyt sat on his wheelchair looking out from the deck on the back of his home. It stuck out the side of the hill near the top, part of it on stilts. That gave him an unrestricted view of the beautiful countryside. Dusk was in its dying stages, leading on to true night. He stared off in the distance, discontent on his face.
Then a buxom redhead superhero dropped down from the roof and practically on his lap.
Travis gave a cry of surprise and his arms flailed for a moment before he regained his composure. "What are you doing here?"
"Just came to talk, Mr. Halt."
"It's Hoyt! And you're trespassing! Did Kunou send you to intimidate me? It won't work. I won't rest until her little factory is nothing but stone and the forest has reclaimed what was stolen from it."
Bucky smirked. "Pineapples aren't that big a deal, Mr. Hack."
"Hoyt! It's Hoyt, you whippersnapper!"
Now she was confused. "My name isn't Whippersnapper. It's Bucky."
"Whippersnapper is not a proper name. It's another form of 'punk' which is what you are!" he snarled. "And this isn't about pineapples, though it would be perfectly fine if they could grow in those areas he devastated. But nothing can. That's the problem with this island. It used to be beautiful when I first came here, but now everything's being destroyed in the name of 'progress'. Factories like Kunou's are destroying forests. Amusement parks. Parking lots. They're even building a new mall. They don't even build malls in America anymore but they're building them here!"
"Darn industrialization," Bucky agreed. "It's not like the good old days when our ancestors lived in caves and grass huts, let me tell you."
Now his voice dropped until it was almost inaudible. "Don't mock me, girl. I won't me mocked."
"But mocking's what I do. It was a toss-up between Bucky and Mockingbird. I actually flipped a coin and it came Bucky side up, Mr. Yoit."
"I'm calling the police." He spun his chair around to go inside.
Bucky responded by grabbing the back of it and forcibly spinning it around, tilting it upward and for just a moment, lifting it high enough it went up about an inch off the ground. As Hoyt started to protest in shock she swatted him in the back of the head, then pushed it forward as fast as she could.
Hoyt's eyes widened as Bucky used her strength to smash the wheelchair through the thin wooden railing and he went over the edge of his deck along with his chair.
Bucky watched her handiwork as man and wheelchair plunged about seventy feet, Hoyt shouting until both hit at the same time, Hoyt meeting the ground below with a thud. He lay there, flat on his stomach, motionless.
"All right, Night Phantom, get up!" Bucky shouted.
Hoyt didn't move.
"The jig's up. I'm not some sucker. I know you're the Night Phantom. Go ahead and get up."
Nothing changed.
Under her breath, Bucky muttered, "Oh hell."
And then it happened. Hoyt's arms moved. They braced themselves on the ground and he propped himself up. Then his legs moved under him, and we got to a vertical base. He gave a silent, baleful glare toward the girl. She noted his face now seem torn open, but underneath there were bandages rather than blood and tissue.
The pair started at one another, the Hoyt walked into the foliage and disappeared from sight.
Bucky felt both a mix of satisfaction and relief. Of course she knew Hoyt had to be the Night Phantom, he was the only possible suspect in a scenario like this. The wheelchair angle had given her a bit of a fit, then she figured out the solution. The hole in the wall had been too large for a guy in a wheelchair to plow through it, even with super strength. He had to have been standing or been several feet taller than Hoyt. That meant Hoyt's legs worked. So she confronted him and grabbed at the wheelchair. In lifting it up it was obvious Hoyt weighed far more than he looked. And when she slapped him in the back of the head it was like swatting something made out of cement, a material skulls were not made of. With that kind of durability, she figured he could withstand a seventy-foot drop, and with his wheelchair smashed he'd have to get up and walk, which would prove he was the Night Phantom.
In hindsight, that might not have been the best way to prove Hoyt's secret identity.
Ah well, everything had turned out all right, like it always did. Now she'd put down Night Phantom and show everyone she had what it took to take care of the bad guys.
Since seventy-foot falls would damage her, she descends at a much slower, safer pace down the hillside. By the time she reached the spot where Night Phantom had landed, he was well into the brush. She hurried to catch up to him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryouko was waiting patiently in her room. All the preparations had been made, including the exchange of money. Now she awaited the arrival of the independent contractor. She tapped her foot impatiently as the time to the contest was drawing closer.
She was mentally deciding what outfit to wear when a white disc of light appeared in the center of the room on the floor. Two beings rose up from it, as though a lift was under the disc. Once on floor level, the disc disappeared.
One was an attractive blonde girl, Caucasian, and around Ryouko's age. She was dressed in a frilly white dress and could have blended in anywhere.
The other was a young man in his twenties, and Japanese. He wore normal street clothes. She recognized him as the man she hired. Teshigawara Suguru, better known as the supervillain Gypsy Moth. Oh yes, his ability to control cloth was just what she needed.
The blonde said to Ryouko, "You ordered one person from Japan, right?"
"Number 225." Ryouko used the number given to her to acknowledge she was the customer of the professional teleporter, Illyana Rasputin. She rather liked the fast food feel of ordering people to her side to do her bidding.
"Enjoy." Another glowing disc appeared below her and she descended until she was out of sight, the disc disappearing.
Ryouko greeted the man then asked, "So you have the ability to control cloth, correct?"
"Of course. With it I took on the Avengers themselves and nearly defeated them." He smirked. "They probably thought they could keep me in prison forever. But I outsmarted them. I talked the authorities into letting me go through garbage dumps and landfills. I then used my abilities to collect all of the cloth that had been discarded at them and rewove them into usable garments. After I made a fifty thousand garments which I donated to the poor, they let me out for good behavior."
She clapped her hands together. "Thank you for giving me your life story as an answer to a simple yes or no question. You have no idea how much I delight in my limited time on earth expiring while listening to such a compelling backstory."
"My price just doubled."
"I'll triple it if you stop wasting my time with the verbal equivalent of white noise dribbling from your orifice and listen to my instructions on what I want you to do."
And so he listened to Ryouko's plan, then nodded in approval.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With the sun dipping below the horizon, tracking Night Phantom was difficult. It wasn't as though Bucky was a professional tracker to begin with. There did seem to be a path through this part of the vegetation, but it might have been made by deer for all she knew. What she couldn't do was let this guy slip through her fingers after exposing him. It would be humiliating.
As she walked down the path she neared a hillside and spotted an opening. A cave. As she drew near she noticed a large piece of unattached vegetation that could be used to camouflage the opening next to it. She figured if it was placed right, it would make the opening nearly undetectable. Clearly Night Phantom had moved it and was inside. So why hadn't he covered it back up? She'd have gone right past in this poor lighting.
The answer was simple: he wanted her to find it.
Now that she knew it was a trap, she'd go in anyway. Because she'd be able to get out of it now that she knew it existed. She wasn't afraid of a super strong writer.
Slowly she made her way through the cave. After a few meters, she knew it should be pitch black, but there was a weird luminescence emanating from the walls, enough to spot any traps. She continued a very short distance when the light ahead intensified and a wider opening appeared.
She leapt through the opening before Night Phantom could spring his ambush. Only it proved unnecessary. He was standing there, waiting patiently for her. His overconfidence would be his undoing. Which she was not saying since some jerks said that about her. And she always proved them wrong. Still she wasn't jinxing herself by saying it out loud.
The cave was not very large and appeared to dead end. The most notable feature that dominated it was a pool of placid water in the center. The water had an eerie blue glow which mirrored that of the walls, but brighter She could see clearly.
As to Night Phantom, he had gone all in with the supervillain look. He was wearing a purple outfit with blue between the top of the boots and the waist, and blue between the top of the gloves and the shoulders. He had gone full Invisible Man look with bandages totally encompassing his face. He had a pair of large goggles over his eyes. He also looked pretty strong. His everyday wear had been baggy for a reason: to hide this physique.
He was radiating the need to talk. so Bucky gave him the opportunity. "You're pretty spry for a guy supposedly confined to a wheelchair. Cyborg?"
"It was the pool." He waved his hand at it. "I found this grotto a while ago. I found it peaceful and conducive to thinking. Then one day I came by and it was glowing. I knew it had to be from Kunou's radioactive waste. I was enraged that he had despoiled not just the land, but my personal sanctuary no one knew about. In my white-hot anger, I inadvertently tipped my wheelchair over and fell into the water.
"Instantly I felt the water somehow permeate my being in a way I had never experienced before. It was tingling, but everywhere, even in my bones. I rose up from the water without thinking and stood up. Somehow it had healed my legs. I was overjoyed until the effect began to wear off. I went back into the pool and repeated the process until I could permanently walk. But it didn't end there. I became stronger and more durable as well. The more often I bathed, the more powerful I grew. However there were side effects."
He pulled a bit of the bandages aside. What was underneath made even the hardened hero want to retch. "Dude, that's not a face: it's roadkill that's been sitting out in the sun for a couple of days."
"A small price to pay for the vengeance I will extract against Kunou and her ilk. I will destroy all industry on this island and allow it to return to the paradise it once was."
Bucky subtly maneuvered herself into position. "Do the people living here get a say in the matter?"
"They'll agree with me. If not then they aren't true islanders and are unworthy of living in this paradise."
Ah. A crusader type. It was remarkable how they always needed to go around and destroy things in the name of goodness/justice/their beloved pet jaguar Svetlana. And this one was an environmentalist with despotic tendencies. She'd was sure she hadn't encountered one of those yet: it was an uncommon combination. But his pontification enabled her to get close enough to take the lunatic down.
Except Night Phantom proved he had not been so inattentive during his monologue. The moment she drew near enough he was the one that lashed out. It was a roundhouse he aimed at her head which she evaded. The was no real form to it. He wasn't trained, not surprising for a writer confined to a wheelchair for several years. He was wide open for a kick to the stomach and punch to the face combination. Both connected, but did little damage as he tried to strike her again. This time she used her shield to block. She felt the full might behind that punch, and she upgraded his strength level. It was near Iron Rose. She was going to have to be careful.
Bucky struck two more times. His retaliatory first struck a wall, making a decent hole in it. She hated the relatively confined nature of the cave. She liked room to maneuver and this wasn't the battleground for it. Still she did the best she could.
Three shots in rapid succession staggered him. She was about to go for a third, but he lashed out with a backhand, a mere glancing blow, but when backed with that level of strength it was enough to hurt. Yeah, she did not want to face one of those head on.
He hurled himself like a spear and she evaded. He impacted with another wall that cracked. She swore for just a moment she felt the cave shift. Memories of Bitterfrost went through her. If things went south there was no teleport ring to save her bacon. She loathed fighting underground.
Perhaps it was that reason she sacrificed defense for offense and went for a heavy attack. Superior training won out and the blows rained through his pitiful defense. This time he was staggered, but again he slipped a decent shot in which drove her backward. It took a few seconds to reorient herself, but for some reason he didn't press the attack. Then she saw why.
Night Phantom pried up a rounded chunk of the floor. It hadn't been a true boulder until he broke it off from the adjoining rock, but now it was. About a ton plus by Bucky's estimation. She got a closer look as he hurled it at her.
Sadly, her shield was designed to handle force, not mass. She ducked very low to evade the missile. She heard it hit the pool, and this time there was shift in the room. She looked up to see if the ceiling was buckling.
A telling mistake. Night Phantom had followed up immediately and leapt upon her, grabbing the edges of the shield. He used his vastly superior strength to force it, and thus her, downward so she was on her back on the floor. Bucky found herself pinned to the rock with the shield pressing downward backed by his incredible power. This wasn't good. If he pressed down hard enough the shield would go through her head and legs, and she preferred both being attached to her body. She tried pressing upward to prevent it, but he was much stronger. Her only chance was to try and kick his legs out from under him and make him lose his footing. If he lost his balance for even a second she could leverage him off and get enough distance to collect herself.
The edge of the shield just started pressing into her throat when she thought she could kick out a leg. Subconsciously she was aware of the sound of rock cracking, a rather large one. A moment later the pressure stopped and Night Phantom shouted, "Nooo!" Then he was gone.
Bucky caught her breath through her now sore throat and saw what had happened. Apparently the hurled bolder had cracked the bottom of the pool of water, and there must have been an opening beneath it. Water was dropping out the bottom so fast there was a tiny whirlpool.
Night Phantom, terrified at losing the source of his power, jumped into the pool, right into the center of the funnel. Then with a cry he disappeared too. Several seconds later the last of the water drained out, leaving it empty. Bucky drew near enough to look down the hole and shouted. The sound of an echo went into the distance. Yeah, that was a deep one all right. And she wasn't getting any closer in case that hole felt like expanding while she stood near it.
It was time to go back and alert the authorities to what had happened. They could search for Night Phantom all they wanted; her job was over. As she left the cave, she noted this was the first time a villain had met his end by the equivalent of being flushed down a toilet.
And she had proven to the world she could handle herself. Truly she was the greatest Avenger.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryouga and Jarella decided to walk off their delicious meal from the seaside café. Jarella was not one of those women obsessed with weight and watched every calorie she consumed. On the contrary, she loved the wide variety of culinary delights Earth had to offer and indulged in them when she could. Evidently there wasn't the widest array of plant and animal life that was edible on K'ai. Eating different things at different places had become something of a hobby with the pair. He wondered if that 'foodies' term applied to them.
As they walked along the beach they saw a large set up and crowd gathering in front of a stage. The pair approached and saw it was a swimsuit competition.
Ryouga decided this was a great opportunity for flattery. "I bet if you entered it you'd win."
Jarella laughed. "I'm a professional model. Usually we're banned from beauty competitions. Also I am on vacation and have no interest in working at this time."
"Oh, right." Now he felt down from making the stupid suggestion.
As the pair walked around one of the men running the event recognized Jarella and came up to her. Ryouga had learned to accept this behavior. When you were famous, many gathered around you, starstruck.
As it turned out the man offered Jarella a spot as a guest judge, but she politely declined for the same reason she had given Ryouga. Now he felt less bad since someone else made the same mistake. Instead they chose to remain spectators in the audience. It had grown quite large, numbering at least two hundred. Apparently Jarella had no issue watching other people work.
It wasn't long before the competition began. Women began walking across the stage one at a time, with an MC hyping the crowd as he gave a brief introduction to each one and have the crowd a chance to respond. They were enthusiastic, though more for some women than others. Ryouga noted none of them were as beautiful as his girlfriend. If anyone thought otherwise, they were blind. Not that he wanted her on stage, as he now realized he wouldn't have cared for two hundred people boisterously ogling her in front of him. When it came to the green-eyed monster of jealousy, well he could possibly turn green-skinned if he became too agitated. Best to leave sleeping Hulks lie.
Xxxxxxxxx
Backstage, Ryouko kept looking at Kodachi and Bethany, and smirked. Then she'd look away for a while, then steal a glance and do the same thing. It irritated Kodachi, so much so she had to resist the urge to body slam the girl. She wouldn't even use the armor since she wanted the satisfaction of feeling Ryouko impact the ground flesh to flesh.
Bethany noticed the glances as well. "She's up to something."
"Yes, she couldn't make it more clear if she were to put a mustache on and twirl it."
Ryouko's name was called and she disappeared from back and onto the stage. Kodachi and Bethany watched as she went into action. Kodachi sniffed disdainfully. She was trying too hard to be cute, which didn't work when one knew she was a bitchy little snob. But the crowd couldn't seem to see through it and cheered her on. Some people were too blind to the obvious.
As Ryouko left the stage Bethany was next. The crowd cheered for her as well. During her time in back the pair had talked, and now Kodachi had a respect for the woman, bordering on almost outright like. Cabe was very independent minded and had a quick wit. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising Stark was keeping this one around. His taste was better than Kodachi had given him credit for.
As the redhead took the stage, Kodachi felt irritation. They were a good bit louder for her than the other contestants. Stark was even yelling, "Take it off!" earning a vexed look from his bodyguard. Really, just because she was far too busty for her own health didn't make her some icon of femininity. Kodachi would steal the show with grace and elegance.
When she was introduced she walked across the stage. She received a loud ovation as well, much louder than many of the women, but not the most. Truly people could be most blind. She was an obvious winner. Well, much like when one had to deal with a persistent supervillain, she would attack the crowd from a variety of angles until victory was hers.
Three more women rounded out the competitors, then it was time for the second round, where half of them were eliminated. Kodachi was in there, as was Cabe, but to her annoyance so was Ryouko. Why couldn't the little tart fall off the stage and break a leg or something?
The women making it to the second round were preparing to leave the stage when suddenly their swimsuits were torn from their bodies by an invisible force, leaving every last one of them completely nude. There was only a moment of shock as the crowd went silent. Then many of the contestants squealed and began covering themselves as they ran for it. Much jiggling took place that day. Kodachi maintained her composure by not squealing, but settled for the covering up.
The garments flew into the crowd toward one man. They wrapped themselves around his body, becoming a wildly colored costume by some unknown means. He had something of an insect motif, his mask had antenna protruding from the top while insectile wings dangled from the back.
Shouting at the top of his lungs, he bellowed, "At last the greatest force on this planet has returned. I, the man who single-handedly defeated Thor and Hulk. Who almost singlehandedly almost defeated the Defenders. I will use my awesome powers to bring this world to its knees. Behold, Gypsy Moth!" He held his arms out as though everyone would genuflect in terror at his presence.
But since he was wearing a stupid bug outfit and had only ripped a bunch of swimsuits off of some women, no one regarded him as actually dangerous despite his claims. Also a lot of the guys now realized there was a bevy of naked beauties about and were desperately trying to catch as much of it as they could on their cameras, ignoring him.
On Kodachi's part, she now knew who he was and knew better than to be afraid. Blast, she could end this in seconds if she had her Iron Rose armor, but she hadn't brought it along since there wasn't exactly anywhere safe to secure it on a swimsuit. This was… problematic.
Gypsy Moth didn't like not being feared or worse, totally ignored. These people's lives were in his hands and they were shooting footage of naked women? He'd show them.
Everyone's clothing flew from their bodies, the fabric simply flowing off them. The clothing then formed a gaudy tornado as the collage of fabric swirled above the crowd's heads. Finding themselves in the same predicament as the women on stage, now they too began to panic.
Gypsy Moth cackled insanely. While he was insane, the cackle hadn't been at first. He practiced it for weeks while he was in prison, refashioning fabric into clothing as his get out of jail free card. Now it was a cackle that would strike fear into the weak and helpless.
As the crowd screamed, he shouted, "Now you've felt the full force of my abilities. They place me as higher above you as you are above chimpanzees. The highly trained kind they use in circuses. You're not quite that far below me. But still chimpanzees.
"It is time to unleash my powers upon humanity, making all subservient beneath me. Society will be reshaped as I see fit. Now be the first to be incorporated into my vision. Welcome to… Nude World!"
And then the fists of Kodachi, Bethany, and Tony Stark met his face simultaneously. Lacking any kind of superhuman durability, he was knocked unconscious. The maelstrom of clothing ceased and struck the ground. Some people had enough sense to stop panicking and started going through the clothing trying to find theirs.
The trio that had taken down the villain stood over him.
"Shall we continue pummeling him?" Kodachi asked.
"He's unconscious," Stark pointed out.
"I don't see that as an issue."
Bethany said, "As satisfying as that would be, we shouldn't give in to our base instincts. We'll tie him up with something plastic or metal. If he tries to move even a ball of lint, we'll beat him unconscious again."
"Very well," Kodachi sighed. "I, oh dear, I think he's starting to come around." She kicked him hard.
"I'm pretty sure that was just a twitch," Stark said.
"If there is anything I have learned from my bodyguard, it is that one can never be too carful when dealing with these villainous types."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Everything happened so fast Ryouga hadn't known what to do. First he had been confronted with a bunch of naked women on the stage. As he was processing that and the supervillain on site, then his clothing went flying. Even his bandanna. He couldn't remember being that naked before. And that it happened to everyone made things more confusing. Then Kunou and the other two took care of the matter. Now he was looking around for his clothing.
Jarella asked, "Just to make sure, Beloved, this is not some ritual that is part of this culture that I am unaware of, is it?"
"No." Ryouga decided he needed to reassure his girlfriend before looking for missing garments. And that was when he realized she was naked.
There was that moment of processing what the initial momentary glance informed him of. Yes, she was naked. It also took in the more minor details of the curves of her body, and those parts that had remained hidden from him before that were now on display. She might have been alien, but she was 100% human compatible. Stunning, definitely that, even more so on an erotic level that had only resided in the back of his mind, which was telling him, "Yeah, that's the stuff. Woo hoo!"
And then his usual mental functions kicked in. Those that would make his nose release a gusher of blood like an oil rig and then passing out. Blood was rushing upward (as well as downward, there was plenty for it to do the job of both), and that faint was about to kick in when a part of his mind, which usually kept to itself during these situations, yelled, "Stop!"
And everything else did. But it was teetering on continuing since it was just the shock of hearing a command from an unknown quarter.
That part of his mind which had been doing the hard work of thinking, as he had been collecting information on what he thought having girlfriends entailed vs. the reality of it, had been making the decisions of what they should do with the whole Jarella thing, (and had been doing the right thing if the results were any indication), continued screaming.
"It's okay to see a girl naked!"
Habit didn't think that was the way it went.
"It's okay to see a girlfriend naked!"
Now it wavered.
"It's okay to see a serious girlfriend naked when she feels the same way about you!"
Well, when rational thought put it that way, it *did* make sense, now didn't it?
And so the whole passing out part of his personality calmed down and decided not to do this again, coming to an agreement with the rest of the mind that this was very weenie-like and it needed to stop.
But now that Ryouga had overcome instinct, which really was counterproductive to his future in the big scheme of things, there were a whole lot of other feelings he now had to deal with since he was usually too unconscious for them to want to do anything. Many of those thoughts were operating on the same wavelength: hubba.
Jarella noted the war across his features, which had only taken a second or so. "Are you all right, Beloved?"
And her voice, which all parts of his mentality simply adored, calmed down. A question toward him meant she needed an answer, and by god Ryouga Hibiki was providing one. Coherence not included.
"First time seeing you naked and wow." That came out too fast and was lame and now she was going to be angry and she might storm off why was he terrible at these things?
She cocked her head quizzically, then came to a conclusion of her own. "I suspected you were reserved when it came to matters like this. Now I know. I am glad you like what you see."
She smiled broadly and posed slightly for his benefit. Open approval and a furthering of the matter extinguished every doubt, which brought relief and calmed his thought processes. Yes, this was the correct course of action. Thank god his mind was allowing him to see this and not make him pass out. Consciousness and nudity were a fun combination.
Jarella then made a point of staring at his own revealed anatomy. "I am pleased by what I see as well."
Ryouga looked down. He was confident enough in his own anatomical features that it never occurred to him there might be some inadequacy. But to have the girl he loved informing him she approved… that made his heart soar, like her approval always did. It also called attention to that part of the body, and the instincts relating to being next to a naked, stunning, woman he loved made certain things start to happen. No more split in the blood flow for one thing. Wow his soldier was trying to stand at attention for his girlfriend's sake quickly.
Ryouga covered up. He wasn't going near *that* stage in the relationship yet. But some part of him was confident if that time came, he was up for the job. And that was definitely for later. "We need clothing."
Jarella was casual about her nudity, but used her hands to cover up the areas expected of her. "It will be difficult sorting out our garments from the others."
"We could just wear the nearest things?" It appeared in their panic many people were doing just that in order to cover up. He also noted that, aside from the women on the stage and his girlfriend, most of the men and women were not the kind you wanted to see naked. Kind of like a public bath, but coed.
"Normal clothing, yes, but not ones that serve the purpose of undergarments. I know where they've been and don't want to go there."
"Oh, good point." A larger shirt was nearby. He picked that up and handed it to Jarella. It fit her like an oversized jersey, covering everything important. Now he felt remorse he couldn't see more, but relief no one else could. "Maybe I should grab some palm leaves to cover up." There was enough foliage nearby he could do the Adam and Eve Biblical thing.
"Then we will go to the hotel nearby."
Ryouga's jaw dropped.
"They always have a store which sells clothing, especially in a tourist area as this. We will purchase some for ourselves."
Oh. "Great idea." Thanks goodness she didn't want to press the issue like he first thought, but some of him was disappointed. As in booing.
Having a real girlfriend was definitely different from the what he imagined. But so much more satisfying.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"No."
"But Big Brother, they all saw me naked."
"We are not engaging in mass murder because you lost your clothing at the same time everyone else did."
Ryouko pouted. She had run screaming from the stage upon realizing what had happened, namely that buffoon she hired had not restricted his unclothing to Kunou and Cabe, as he'd been ordered. She was melting the skin off him the first opportunity she had. She continued hiding herself as best as she could until she encountered her equally naked brother. The two went a short distance away where no one could see them. Once there she relaxed since she had no issue with him seeing her in the buff.
Shutaro continued. "You should be proud since it allowed your superior form to outshine all the other lesser women."
"That is true." She had upstaged the two upstarts in every way. While it would have been more embarrassing for them to be humbled like she had originally planned, this sufficed.
"I was not the least bit ashamed in being nude," Shutaro continued. "Many women checked me out as I calmly left the scene to make certain you were all right."
"Did they?" There was a dangerous look in her eye. They were beneath her brother and had no right even fantasizing being with him. Had they done so in her presence they would have learned their place most brutally.
"Now why don't we find some clothing? Hopefully something expensive. I think I'd rather be naked than be caught wearing something dredged up from a department store." And he started walking away from the disturbance rapidly dwindling behind them.
Ryouko followed her brother. It had been an interesting day, to say the least. Though were she to cross paths with either Kunou or Cabe again, she would go out of her way to put them back in their place. Upstarts needed to know their role: beneath Ryouko Mendou.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Kodachi had laid claim to a large white tablecloth, wrapping it around herself like a Greek toga. One with many mustard and ketchup stains. Things had settled down as everyone had either laid claim to an article of clothing or ran for it. The police had since arrived to take Gypsy Moth off their hands, and statements had been taken as to his crimes. For his sake he had best remain incarcerated for a considerable amount of time. Iron Rose would be waiting to mete out some personal punishment when he was paroled, and he did not want to endure the beating that would occur.
As she pondered the events a familiar female form bounded toward her. Bucky shouted, "Are you all right? I heard a supervillain hit the place, so I rushed right over."
"It was Gypsy Moth."
Bucky went from concerned to annoyed. "Oh, so no one was in any danger."
"Only of having discreet tattoos outed." She explained what had occurred.
As she finished, Bucky began laughing so hard she nearly doubled over. Kodachi was going rapidly from annoyed to full out vexed. "Why are you laughing?"
Bucky caught her breath. "It's just that usually I'm the only one who loses her clothes. This time I was the only one that didn't." And she returned to the roaring laughter.
A tired sigh escaped Kodachi's lips. Why was it her dates never turned out the least bit the way a date should? She was beginning to think she was cursed.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[End Chapter]
And there we go. A mostly standalone chapter where we got to visit some old faces and added a new one. Nothing like a nod at the world building. We got to advance Ryouga and Jarella as a couple. And hey, every series needs some gratuitous beach fanservice. It's a time-honored tradition in anime. Up there with the 13th episode recap which was mostly stock footage of the previous 12 episodes. Actually I think they don't do those anymore, but beach episodes, still a staple. Once they get this animated, you'll have jiggliness all over the screen.
