Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Cyke]

Meagan smiles, then steps up and kisses him on the cheek, backing down and winking at Etrina, "One last time, a kiss for good luck." Stepping back, "This isn't goodbye, it's til we see each other again." With that, she walks away, pausing to wave to them as she enters the main building, her new home for the next several months.

...Zaofan can't help but smirk and blush with the gesture. "You're right, of course. Til next time."

"Erosa Strive, that what robo monk say. Even if sister not, Erosa gonna train til she ripped like bear!" Erosa let out a animal growl. "......then erosa eat til she fat like hippo!"

"Hah! That's what I like to hear!" Zaofan says to cheer on the Id. "Best of both worlds."

"Gao?" Erosa leaned in and bite the corner off the rice bar. ".......eeehhh.......Last visit to cookman for awhile and erosa gets pre-packaged bar. Cooman lucky he so cute who Erosa would eat him instead." For added effect Erosa pounced up on him and have him another, far wetter, lick on the cheek. "Cookman go train....make Erosa legendary feast."

Smiling yet fairly disgusted, Zaofan wipes his cheek with his sleeve. "I will, I will! You got it!"

Taking a deep breath of reassurance but also a touch of sorrow, he smiles back at Erosa. "If you take care of Etrina, and I'll take care of your tummy."

"Our....separate ways.....yeah...." Etrina paused, suddenly unsure of her herself. "I'm not sure....I guess I need to set some affairs to rest at home. Maybe I'll go explore the world, meet with some of the other great mage families. I'm honestly not sure..." There was another pause.

"...Hehe.....I honestly can't believe.....we've only been together, all of us.....for such a short time. Now we're all going our separate ways for for 6 months.......What do you plan to do during that time Zaofan?"

Six months. It seems like such a long time. How does one even plan for six months? Zaofan's vagabond nature meant that he didn't have much in the way of long term foresight or planning -- that he'd go wherever life takes him. And yet, he charted his course, he formed plans, and he made promises.

"Well, Master Balon's offered to take me in for a bit, to do some training. I figure, he's seen Battersea and the best fighters in the world over and over again. Plus he knows the Dragon Style. But I hope he's tough on me -- surely he saw how Battersea trained."

"I also made a map of places that Battersea ruined or destroyed. I'm going to see if I can help those villagers and farmers to rebuild. Some of them have been in poverty for years --! If I can help kickstart their crops or help them build houses and equipment, then I will. And, hey, I'm sure those places are infested with the next generation of Battersea-wannabes. If I really want to end Battersea's reign, I have to make sure that everyone he's hurt can live better than before."

"Bye Meagan! I hope to see you well the next time we meet!" Etrina waves her hand to see Meagan off, before turning back to Zaofan with a smile. ".......Hooo....One last time huh? You get kissed regularly?"

"Oh. Well. I. Uh. It's not. Well. Um. You see. It's like. Actually. No. But really it's. Ah. No. I. Don't. I. Think. No?"

Zaofan's cheeks turn just as ruby red as his optic blasts, with his hand to the back of his neck.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

After three months of training and mating on Earth, Sarada's pod glided safely through space en route to Vocado, her home. Even though it had been months since she had been home, it felt like she was going there for the first time. No more could she be regarded as weak and feeble by her peers and those older than her. She was a Saiyan Elite. She measured her power level after the tournament; it registered at 550. When she saw the result, she nearly broke down into tears.

Almost.

Not that it would have mattered, since no one but Maiz was paying attention, but she still had her pride and dignity to worry about. Regardless, all of her hard work had finally paid off. She could go home with her head held high, armed with a sufficient power level and the knowledge that the specter of the Meat Market and enslavement there was no more. Thanks to King Mato, she could live her life as she was meant to. As a warrior, doing... stuff.

Huh.

Conquest was a thing of the past – or would be very soon – so what did the warriors in the Saiyan Army do exactly? Well, she supposed there was only one way to find out, but she feared there were going to be a lot of bored, restless Saiyans walking around aimlessly.

Eh. She was sure Mato had a plan for that.

Sarada had been meditating through much of the flight. Her thoughts mostly centered around what she was going to say when she landed and started to interact with people. Her first thought was to show off her new found power, but it still wasn't that impressive, even though she was stronger than a good majority of the population. Still it was well below the people who actually mattered, the Super Elites.

Never mind that. She couldn't doubt creep into her mind and ruin her confidence. She had worked her ass off to achieve this power, and she wasn't going to let anyone – not even herself – belittle what she had done for herself.

LANDING PROCEDURE INITIATED. BRACE FOR IMPACT

She took a calming breath to ease her nerves. There was no need to be nervous. Everyone would be probably be surprised that she was alive, likely scoff that she decided to come crawling back after being gone for a few months, and try to minimize her newfound power. If they did, she would shrug them off and keep moving. She had no time or patience for haters and detractors.

Her pod slammed into a landing zone – a highly cushioned area that helped displace the immense kinetic energy the pod would have upon impact. It ensured a gentle landing and kept the occupant safe. The hatch opened, expelling a cloud of super-heated steam that would have flash-fried a weaker person. To her, it was like stepping into a sauna.

She stood and stretched her body. Sitting for five days straight had its drawbacks, as she had learned when she arrived on Earth. Her ki senses spread out, touching everyone living thing for several miles. So many power levels jumped out. Many were higher than hers, but even more were beneath her.

She smiled. It felt so good to be strong.

“What the...” uttered the man who was operating the pod docks at the time. “You aren't a registered flight.”

The man was weaker than she was. Normally, she would have sneered and brushed him off, but she didn't. “Yeah, I'm not,” was all she said in response. She then submitted to a scan to make sure she was carrying any hostile weapons – she wasn't – then took off once given the nod.

The first place she went was to the CTC to meet with the officials there. She was a Saiyan Elite, and damn it, she was going to get her Elite armor. When she arrived, she was met by the director of the CTC, Okra. A pale woman with a short mane of black hair and an athletic figure regarded her through narrowed eyes. “Well, well. Look who decided to show up. A few months after slavery ends, conveniently,” she stated derisively.

Sarada sneered at the much older woman. “Yep. I spent a few months training off-world, since those clowns you call instructors have no idea what they're doing.”

“The hell did you say?!” shouted one of said instructors, a hulking man with a bald head and goatee.

She just smirked.

Okra tsked and tapped her scouter. “Well, you seem even cockier than usual... Sadara, was it?”

“Sarada.”

“Ah, right. The runaway.” As she waited for the scouter to finish its measurement, she added, “I lost two men because of that stunt, so don't expect to... wait, what?”

Her smirk increased.

“What's it say, Okra?” the man asked with bated anticipation.

“It can't be!” She showed him the reading.

“WHAT! That... that's impossible!” The man checked his own scouter to make certain. It read the same thing. “No way. You... you were only at 50 just a couple months ago.”

“Yep,” she answered, popping the p, much to his annoyance. “Now, then, do you two want to keep wasting my time, or can I go and get my Elite armor?”

“You got some nerve, you brat!” the man snarled. She would have been afraid of his massive frame, if he wasn't only at 520. If he attacked, she would kick his ass and he knew it.

“Enough, Panap. Follow me, Sarada.” With a resigned sigh, Okra led the young Saiyan into the CTC's main building, through the halls, and finally to the door where they kept the armors. The one she chose looked almost exactly like the one Sarada was currently wearing, except it was shinier and much lighter. It was also more durable, able to withstand four times as much as her current armor. “Here. You earned it.”

She smiled and took the armor. “Thanks.”

Once she was changed, Sarada left and took to the air. She headed for the suburbs, specifically a posh apartment building several blocks from where her own apartment was. She could feel Avoca, her best friend, resting calmly in the one of the units. A brief spike of her energy to attract her attention shattered that calmness, replacing it with frantic panic. She chuckled.

In an instant, Avoca was in front of her, an angry scowl scrunching her features. “You bitch. You have some nerve just waltzing back here like you didn't disappear for three months.”

Sarada chuckled and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist. “I missed you, too.”

Avoca muttered something, but returned the hug with as much enthusiasm as Sarada. “Everyone said you were dead. Obviously, that's not the case, but damn, where did you go?”

“Earth,” she replied simply.

“Earth? That place Maiz keeps taking her kids to?” When Sarada nodded, she nodded once in return. “I see. She did say that place was more relaxing than here. Guess that's how you got so strong.”

“Mmhmm.” She figured that she would have to mildly resist the urge to mate with Avoca before just giving up and succumbing to the latent carnal urges she had been feeling for her friend for the last few years. She figured she would have already been dragging her into her apartment and ripping their clothes off. The feeling was there, but she didn't exactly want to act on it. She supposed that all the sex she had been having with Jack had her feeling content in that regard?

That was the only explanation. “So, what's been happening?”

“People are finally getting used to not having the slaves around.” She turned and led Sarada back to her apartment, where they sat on her sofa and shared a bottle of wine. “The Market's basically a ghost town now. Everyone worth a damn has long since cleared out. The only ones left are the pieces of **** that belong there to begin with.

“Besides that, most of us are waiting for something to do. Mato talked to the Galaxy Police about striking some kind of mercenary deal with them, but they're weren't having it. Bunch of soft pricks. Anyway, we're mostly just laying waste to space pirates and smuggling rings now.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It's pretty fun. We still get to blow **** up, killer fuckers, save people.” Her head tilted to the side. “I dunno. It feels kinda... fulfilling to be doing something good for once. Plus, it's pretty damn funny when the people we save realize they're being saved by Saiyans.”

“Yeah.” She knew the feeling. She felt the same way when she reflected on when she helped Eva and the others save the world from 'Fife', and then helped save Eva from the parasite. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. “I felt the same when I saved Earth from an evil ancient Namekian.” She breathed on her fingernails and shined them on her armor. “No big deal or anything, though.”

Avoca rolled her eyes. “Oh, they chose your sorry ass to help save them? Those Earthers must be more hopeless than I thought.”

“Uh huh. For your information, I was specifically chosen by the guardian of that world. Oh, and you weren't even considered, so...yeah.”

"Whatever," she grunted tersely just before draining her glass of its light red contents. "So... you're this much stronger, huh?"

"Not bad, huh." Sarada set her gaze on the older Saiyan and saw her giving her that look.

"Then, I don't have to hold back as much." She grabbed the young Saiyan's hand and all but dragged her to her bedroom.

"Couldn't stop thinking about me, couldn't you?" she asked with a haughty chuckle.

"Shut up."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Heh, hell yeah. I learned training methods I could only dream of, learned from teachers you'd only hear about in legends, from Super Saiyan to Super Namek," said Tasure, grinning excitedly. "For example, I learned a method of suppressing ki that, used correctly, allows one to reap increased gains. Of course, used incorrectly, it can actually break your ability to use ki, possibly permanently... and it's hard to un-do quickly, so if ya run into something you can't handle while using this technique, hmhm, well, I hope you're either flexible enough to kiss your ass goodbye or damned good at hide and seek."

"Anyway... I'll gladly train anyone that wants it. Already have Sarada on board for a few months, at least," she said. A grin spread across her face. "Heh, that girl wants to surpass me, and, if I'm being honest... she may very well do that. And she'll definitely pass where I was ten years ago pretty soon, at this rate."

She appraised the Oni for a moment. "Hm, you wouldn't happen to be interested in a bit of training? You have an... impressive amount of power bubbling just beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed, but you don't carry yourself like you know how to fight. At all."

That was a very odd situation to be in. Most people beyong a certain threshold of power knew how to fight, and yet this Oni gave off the impression of only having the barest knowledge of self-defense. Better than nothing, but far from the expert martial artist one would expect from someone at or above her level.

Ishtar listened as Tasure explained all that she had learned from the Saiyans- and apparently Namekians- of legend.

One of the benefits of the Afterlife, really. There was a wellspring of information in those that had come before, and were one able to obtain such information ... well, they would be like Tasure. The issues came, of course, in returning to life with an intact mind ... or at all.

The ability to suppress one's energy to the point where it actually lessened you in totality however, was a thing the Oni herself was familiar with. After all, Ishtar had done much the same when she forced the Sij- that Destructive Spirit that would ultimately compel her to serve as the opposite to Creation itself- below the surface in order to perhaps find a way around such an eventuality. Though it seemed as if, through training, this suppression allowed one to boost their strength. And ... one could only wonder if such a thing would be enough to contain ... even control, what would soon be fully awake.

So when Tasure offered, Ishtar found herself nodding slowly- as she had with Sarada's offer.

"I am but a faint echo of what I was." The Oni admitted then, carefully. "Yet I was never a warrior. As I was, it had ever been enough to simply ignore lesser ... weaker ... things. Though now, in light of all that has happened in the past six days ... a bit of combat training might prove useful." Ishtar continued softly, before offering Tasure a slight bow of her head.

"I have already accepted the offerings of Sarada, and yet the insights of another would prove useful. So if you would have me learn from you, I would accept such a thing."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

OT: ****, I forgot. Edited!

IC: "Oc...ean?" Sasheem questioned. Sounds simple enough...though he had no idea where five hundred miles from the coast of Capital City. "You take?" He asked of Jinzi.

“I’ll take you to the general location. It will be up to you to swim down three.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"That works fine by me. I'll probably be at the transport ship from the raid. I've got some, er....."

Held paused for a moment, resisting the urge to smile maniacally as best as he could. He had finished cataloging the treasure the Raiders had graciously donated earlier, all that remained was to prepare it for transport when he headed over to Capsule Corps.

"Well, let's just call it a small errand or two to look into."

“Understood. Back in a bit.”

[Cyke]

Merrily on his quest soon after leaving the Lookout, Zaofan finds himself walking down a winding path with trees and countryside with nothing more but his cape, three capsules, his staff bojack, and a map rolled up and tied to his belt. Seeing as he's older than most of the new friends he's made thanks to Mr. Pantaloon and Miss Evangeline, Zaofan finds it pleasantly surprising that he's learned so much more in the past week than he ever had in the 15 years since he started traveling.

But seeing so many impressive fighters gathered together to literally save the world isn't just a point of pride for the vagabond chef and food tourist, but also a reckoning. Exploration is a fine way to live, hopping from place to place, meeting new people and encountering new adventures almost every day. But is it a form of contribution? Zaofan is no stranger to rummaging and taking on odd jobs to fund his next trip, but does it make an impact? Of the fighters he met just this past week, the majority of them seemed to want to do just that. Whether it's to fight for family honor, or to save their planet, or to preserve their disciplines, they fight with cause. Zaofan fights for personal betterment, but surely there are ways to do that while adding to the world. For a carefree man with a zest for life, perhaps it's dawned upon him that maybe being careless can also be selfish. Or at least, undisciplined. If anything, not extraordinary. Is Zaofan living his best life, or is it merely an illusion if there's no mindfulness to his place in the world? Are his travels a form of treating himself, or a perpetual case of self-indulgence?

Not that he had the finest examples of discipline in his life. His first master, Ryu Shingen of the Hokuto Shinken, ran an assassins guild disguised as a school. Not the ideal lifestyle for an impressionable young man. His second master, Yakimesh Toh Magoh of the "Neo" Crane School, was a dishonest bully and phony, which became even more evident when he watched Ochazuke in action. And Master Eskramoto of the Turtle School, while kind, seems elusive -- Zaofan's decision to take a leave of absence from the Turtle School could be from lack of travel, or skepticism after being burned twice. Still, he's also seen good masters, like Miss Evangeline and Chef Brutus, and also the students of good masters, like his new friends.

That's what part of the reason he's in this area. Following the directions given by Master Samson Balon of the Turtle School and keeper of the history of the Dragon School, Zaofan seeks to find a master who can teach him proper focus and discipline, to help him hone his own ill-defined purpose, to strengthen his abilities and become one of the finest fighters in the world.

And Balon would be a key master to find. Not just wise and powerful, but with his untold knowledge, as well as his experience and observations from serving at the World Martial Arts Tournament -- against his will, no doubt -- he would be a valuable teacher, or so Zaofan hopes. Of course, there's proof -- his daughter Marron hid a powerful ki that paralyzed and incapacitated Zaofan in a single blow, and Samson personally dove into battle against Fife at the 11th hour, helping to save Zaofan and the others from certain doom.

Thanks to speed and endurance greatly enhanced through training since meeting Mr. Pantaloon, Zaofan ends up making it to Master Balon's meeting location much faster than even Zaofan himself anticipated. And so, sure that it's the place, he yells out:

"MASTER SAMSON BALON! IT IS I, ZAOFAN, REPORTING FOR TRAINING!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

After a day of being probed by Jack's manhood at his secret hideaway that only they knew about -- which meant that yesterday was certainly not going to be the last time he saw her -- Sarada prepared to leave and find Ishtar. But, not before she rubbed her tail all over his neck as a marker to all females that may have had their eyes on him. He was hers, and if anyone tried to mate with him, she was going to find out, find them, and kill them.

With one final passionate kiss, she departed.

It didn't take Sarada very long to find Ishtar, and when she did, she wasted little time in tackling her to the ground and dragging her to the nearest bed. Minutes turned to hours spent by the Saiyan girl showing the Oni woman pleasure and ecstasy that she may not have felt in some time.

When it finally came to a natural conclusion, Sarada was left wet and breathless. "So," she spoke, voice quivering slightly, "did that blow your mind or do I need to keep going?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

It didn't take Sarada very long to find Ishtar, and when she did, she wasted little time in tackling her to the ground and dragging her to the nearest bed. Minutes turned to hours spent by the Saiyan girl showing the Oni woman pleasure and ecstasy that she may not have felt in some time.

When it finally came to a natural conclusion, Sarada was left wet and breathless. "So," she spoke, voice quivering slightly, "did that blow your mind or do I need to keep going?"

It had not been hard to find Ishtar.

Fresh off the heels of learning that a return to Ilargi was a soon to be inevitably; and after a conversation with Asha'rah that had left the Oni more conflicted ... Ishtar had not traveled far. So when Sarada had found her, and dragged her off to make good on the promise made, and reinforced, the Oni simply went along.

And what happened then, was perhaps more than what Ishtar would have ever expected. The slow minutes of ecstasy offered by Sarada became hours, and when it was done the Oni had found herself subject to feelings she had not experienced almost longer than she could remember. And true to Sarada's word, the Oni was as sore as the day she had been revived by Asha'rah. Yet it was not an unpleasant ache ... So when it was- for the moment- at its end, Ishtar found herself content as she cradled Sarada, enjoying the feel of the Saiyan's skin against her own; Ishtar found herself forgetting the things that had caused her grief earlier in the day.

Instead, she wanted nothing more for this to continue between them in the days to come, and even more than that ... The more the two women lay tangled together in a lover's embrace, it was almost as if Ishtar could feel the way Sarada felt. And the more she focused on this, the more the Oni would swear that to be the case.

That means ...

The realization forming then, that she knew what this was, the golden-eyed Oni tested it by pulling the Saiyan into a tender kiss, and feeling it as the pleasure of it passed between them; Ishtar knew for sure. So when it was that Sarada finally managed to ask- breathless- if she enjoyed it, the Oni nodded weakly.

"It was ... More than I could have imagined, and I would enjoy if this was not the ... singular instance." Pausing then a moment, to catch her breath as much as order her thoughs, the golden-eyed Oni, then asked softly.

"Sarada ... I think something has happened that I was not expecting. It ... I need you to tell me ... what you feel. Or rather ... who you feel."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Samson Balon and Marron Balon Time Skip Training:

With Ochazuke and Zaofan, the trio slowly began unlocking the secrets of the dragon statue. Balon teaches them standard dragonforms and styles first, then he teaches them Dragon’s Breathe. This technique imbues ki and flame together, and is spat from ones hands or mouth. The ki-flame combo is far hotter than a normal fire can be. He also shows them Dragon’s Endurance, how to make one immune to flames so the Breathe does not burn them, not any other fire.

Finally, Marron shows them Kiss of the Dragon. The finest strike of ki to the back of a human’s neck (at a very specific point) can paralyze a foe for seconds to minutes. In that time they cannot breathe easily and can even die from blood buildup. If human, at least.

Samson says the statue has information regarding a few old temples he plans on investigating, but at this point, that is all he has time to reach Ochazuke and Zaofan.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It had not been hard to find Ishtar.

Fresh off the heels of learning that a return to Ilargi was a soon to be inevitably; and after a conversation with Asha'rah that had left the Oni more conflicted ... Ishtar had not traveled far. So when Sarada had found her, and dragged her off to make good on the promise made, and reinforced, the Oni simply went along.

And what happened then, was perhaps more than what Ishtar would have ever expected. The slow minutes of ecstasy offered by Sarada became hours, and when it was done the Oni had found herself subject to feelings she had not experienced almost longer than she could remember. And true to Sarada's word, the Oni was as sore as the day she had been revived by Asha'rah. Yet it was not an unpleasant ache ... So when it was- for the moment- at its end, Ishtar found herself content as she cradled Sarada, enjoying the feel of the Saiyan's skin against her own; Ishtar found herself forgetting the things that had caused her grief earlier in the day.

Instead, she wanted nothing more for this to continue between them in the days to come, and even more than that ... The more the two women lay tangled together in a lover's embrace, it was almost as if Ishtar could feel the way Sarada felt. And the more she focused on this, the more the Oni would swear that to be the case.

That means ...

The realization forming then, that she knew what this was, the golden-eyed Oni tested it by pulling the Saiyan into a tender kiss, and feeling it as the pleasure of it passed between them; Ishtar knew for sure. So when it was that Sarada finally managed to ask- breathless- if she enjoyed it, the Oni nodded weakly.

"It was ... More than I could have imagined, and I would enjoy if this was not the ... singular instance." Pausing then a moment, to catch her breath as much as order her thoughs, the golden-eyed Oni, then asked softly.

"Sarada ... I think something has happened that I was not expecting. It ... I need you to tell me ... what you feel. Or rather ... who you feel."

Something strange had happened. At first, Sarada just assumed it was the immense elation at having mated with a woman of another race, but as she lay tangled in a lovers' heap with Ishtar, bundled snugly in the woman's arms, she found that this was not the case.

She swore she could feel Ishtar. Not physically, but... emotionally. Like, she could actually feel what she was feeling. There was no other way to describe the strange sensation.

"Oh, don't worry," she spoke reassuringly, letting her tail trail up her leg before coming to rest on her abdomen, "it won't be. I plan on making you squirm as much as I can before I go home."

For a brief moment, the slight unease and permeable confusion she felt at this strange phenomenon drifted away to the back of her mind. For the time being, she was content to just enjoy this moment and rest up. There was so much she wanted to do with Ishtar, to Ishtar, and she didn't want anything to ruin this night or any night shared between them in the future. Then, Ishtar leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips.

A wave of pleasure waved through her and... and she could feel the pleasure Ishtar was deriving from it.

What the hell is happening?

Double ecstasy wasn't something she was opposed to. If it made her orgasms more intense, she was all for it.

"Whew," she breathed out. "I... I swear I can feel you. Like, what you're feeling right now. This is... you're doing?" Whatever it was, she said that it wasn't something she was expecting, so she knew of it, but hadn't done it on purpose. There was that, at least.

[KingofPie]

“I’ll take you to the general location. It will be up to you to swim down three.”

"Coeee!" Sasheem nodded.

Hours later

The Majin said his goodbyes to Jinzi via blasting his way out of the transport as soon as Jinzi announced they had arrived.

Ignoring whatever was shouted at him as he made his descent, hitting the water with an impact. He ignored the pain and continued to dive further down, propelling his descent with ki blasts, as he tried to sense his destination.

[Ptrvc]

Sarada knew exactly how dangerous an attack like that was. She had watched Jack kill himself using it. In a simulation, of course, but that was as close to the real thing as she wanted him to get. "Yeah I promise. Last resort."

With that squared away, it was her turn. "Alright, your turn. Ask away."

Jack scratched his chin.

Jack knew what he wanted to ask, but honestly, he was kind of afraid of the answer. All this mushy stuff was not really him, or at least that is what he told himself. Which for some reason did not stop him from actually feeling all...guh.

"Look Space Girl...I really...I..." Jack took a deep breath, "I really care for you, alright? A lot," Jack sighed, it may not have been a confession worthy of timeless bardic poetry, but he had managed to get it out. "I know you like me...but you also really seem to be into Ishtar. If you feel don't feel about me the same way I do about you, I understand that...I do...but I guess I want to know..." Jack rubbed his head.

Not good at this ****...

"What am I to you, Sarada?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Jack scratched his chin.

Jack knew what he wanted to ask, but honestly, he was kind of afraid of the answer. All this mushy stuff was not really him, or at least that is what he told himself. Which for some reason did not stop him from actually feeling all...guh.

"Look Space Girl...I really...I..." Jack took a deep breath, "I really care for you, alright? A lot," Jack sighed, it may not have been a confession worthy of timeless bardic poetry, but he had managed to get it out. "I know you like me...but you also really seem to be into Ishtar. If you feel don't feel about me the same way I do about you, I understand that...I do...but I guess I want to know..." Jack rubbed his head.

Not good at this ****...

"What am I to you, Sarada?"

Despite how ridiculous this 'confession' was, Sarada found herself short on words. It was a foolish, mushy thing to say, but it also made her feel a little warm inside, for some reason. It was clear that he felt something for her -- it was evident that Earthers had different criteria for mates than Saiyans did.

She started to answer, but that devolved into a simple sigh.

She knew the answer: that he was her friend. Yet, she felt that wasn't what he was hoping to hear.

Since when did she care about what anyone hoped to hear?

"You're my friend," she answered finally, after several moments of hesitation. "Where I come from, that's about as close as two people can get without being life-mates."

That was enough of an answer, but it also didn't feel like it was good enough. She scratched the back of her head. This mushy **** made no sense, which was why she only focused on the sex. "Look. I... grrr... care about you, too." She scowled and looked away. "I mean, if someone fucks with you, obviously I'm going to do something about it. But, like I said the first time we fought and Meagan thought it was a dating ritual, I'm not ready for all that... romance **** or whatever you Earthers call it."

She shrugged. "At this stage in my life, I'm only really concerned with sex. If you wanna be life-mates, come see me in about... thirty years or so, then we'll fight it out. Until then, only sex for me."

There. That was an honest and satisfying -- to her -- answer.

"So... is there a bed around here?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Something strange had happened. At first, Sarada just assumed it was the immense elation at having mated with a woman of another race, but as she lay tangled in a lovers' heap with Ishtar, bundled snugly in the woman's arms, she found that this was not the case.

She swore she could feel Ishtar. Not physically, but... emotionally. Like, she could actually feel what she was feeling. There was no other way to describe the strange sensation.

"Oh, don't worry," she spoke reassuringly, letting her tail trail up her leg before coming to rest on her abdomen, "it won't be. I plan on making you squirm as much as I can before I go home."

For a brief moment, the slight unease and permeable confusion she felt at this strange phenomenon drifted away to the back of her mind. For the time being, she was content to just enjoy this moment and rest up. There was so much she wanted to do with Ishtar, to Ishtar, and she didn't want anything to ruin this night or any night shared between them in the future. Then, Ishtar leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips.

A wave of pleasure waved through her and... and she could feel the pleasure Ishtar was deriving from it.

What the hell is happening?

Double ecstasy wasn't something she was opposed to. If it made her orgasms more intense, she was all for it.

"Whew," she breathed out. "I... I swear I can feel you. Like, what you're feeling right now. This is... you're doing?" Whatever it was, she said that it wasn't something she was expecting, so she knew of it, but hadn't done it on purpose. There was that, at least.

Sarada confirmed it with a few short sentences. A bond Ishtar had only experienced once before had been formed between the two.

The Oni was silent for a moment then, working her utmost to compress the whirlwind of thoughts and conflicting emotions- happiness, and the lingering pleasure of their lovemaking along with the worry of what this now meant- into manageable words.

"Sarada ... yes. I ... It is a ... thing that has only happened once before ..." Ishtar started, slowly. "And a thing I have not shared since Sekhmet, and I ..."

The Oni gave Sarada a small squeeze then, before sighing softly.

"It seems that there was sufficient ... I mean to say that there was ... You, and the ..." Ishtar paused a moment to steady herself, once more. Such a thing happening now, especially now, when Sarada had offered to make her squirm with pleasure was ...

Will she not wish for such a thing, now that this has happened ... and when she learns what it means ?

A thought that caused the Oni more worry than she would have expected, and something Sarada would feel ... and understand. The Oni enjoyed her company, and did not want such a thing to change.

"In the end it means I care ... enough. So now that we have mated it, the connection, this ... Bonding of Aka Manah is now with ... you. So now you will feel what I feel ... and I you ... and there will be a strength in that ... which is good. Or ... I would hope ?"

Ishtar asked then, hoping the girl might think so. Though with a sigh, and another gentle squeeze, the Oni added:

"Though If you do not wish for it ... me to ... I would understand."

[Sion Reaver]

Tasure noticed the two shooting off into the sky, in the direction of Capital city. She smirked and shook her head. "Cheh, kids."

Still, seeing those two act like in the old days--pretty much playing around--was... heartening. Especially in Toto's case. While she hadn't been too pleased to find out that Toto had Kami--Eva--mess around in his head, she understood he'd felt it necessary at the time. And seeing the results... well, Tasure felt that he was as he should have been, without the... mistakes she had made, as well as indignities inflicted upon him.

She sighed. Back then, she'd been wholly unprepared to be a mother, and her mistakes had hurt Toto greatly. Right now, she felt she was much more prepared to be a mother to him, but now... he didn't really need her, did he? Yeah, he was still a boy in some ways, but, really, one could say that was part of his charm. Karine didn't seem to mind, in any case.

As the two kids' figures faded into the horizon, Tasure set about getting whatever business she had left on the lookout finished, so she could return home. Mostly, she just offered whoever remained a chance to train with her--these kids all had potential, after all, and she was pretty good at drawing out that sort of thing, if she said so herself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totoma burst forth from the cloud he'd entered, very much enjoying the 'breeze' rushing past him. Sure, relatively speaking, that 'breeze' was something like... three times the speed of sound or whatever, but to him it felt pretty gentle. Of course, he was in a good mood to begin with.

He flipped and crossed his arms, looking at Karine, who was trailing behind. Yeah, he'd probably win this, unless he intentionally lost... though that might piss her off? Or not... maybe she'd understand...

Ah, what a weird week it'd been. Never would he have imagined that he'd grow to be over ten times stronger, help save the world, and find himself the most beautiful, desirable mate in the world. Things were really lookin' up!

Speaking of Karine, it seems she'd gotten the hang of flying pretty quickly. Not surprising, really, since she was smart and had a ton of potential, according to Aiden. His mother, too, thought highly enough of her potential to train her... although, knowing his mom, it was purely a matter of pragmatism.

She knew that Nosferatu--the women, at least--desired strong mates, and she knew that he knew this... so naturally, he'd strive to be as strong a mate as possible for Karine. There was more to the relationship than that, of course, but... hey, making himself more attractive to his woman wasn't a bad thing, ya know?

He concentrated on Karine to establish a telepathic connection.

'Hehe, ya know, you surprised me there. You're... usually a lot more reserved about that subject," he said mentally. 'Not that I mind... though... um...'

There was a mental pause.

'...about those romance novels. Did you ever, uh... like... imagine yourself as the woman and me as the dashing guy when you were reading them?' It seemed pretty likely, but the only way to know for sure was to ask... and so ask he did. It'd take a while to get to Capital City, so he needed something to do, and since he connected telepathically with Karine so easily, might as well talk.

Hell, easier than actually speaking, what with the whole 'going faster than sound' thing almost certainly fucking up the flow of that.

Karine hadn't exactly flown a lot, certainly not as much as Totoma when he did have that ability. Considering the number of years Totoma hadn't been able to access said ability means the gap wasn't as pronounced as it would have been normally though certainly there was a notable one.

The mental intrusion turned question threw her slightly off guard though she answered it in stride. 'Yes and no.' She admitted over the link. 'I had..uh..I guess fantasies of certain things but a lot of the time the character in those novels was just a a vehicle for my imagination. I liked you for you. Sure you weren't the dashing hero or anything, but you had a charm of your own. It those traits and quirks that made you endearing. Though..'

'I guess to answer your first question too is I've been trying to be less shy and this journey has helped me a lot with that. Remember when I fought that Yeti? I was unsteady and nervous but now? It's still there, but I can deal with it. I've gotten this far, and I still have ways to go.'