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Be a Dragon: Experimentation (ch.5)
🕑 Added 2020-03-18 14:55:38 +0000 UTC"I can't believe Psimon is dead," Garfield muttered underneath his breath, placing an ice pack to his face to combat the swelling near his eye. Kori looked over at her green friend, feeling some pity for him. He was far more durable in his animalistic forms, but he was not blessed with Tamaranean physique. He could go to Raven to heal the black eye, but he refused to, his heart full of compassion to not let his friend suffer the pain he felt for even a moment for relief.
"Better start believing fast, because big brain got pancaked," Victor Stone said, looking at the vast screen that was used for briefings and video games. "Gizmo is in the burnward right now, and it doesn't look good for him. His legs are covered in third degree burns, but his back is the worst. His jetpack fused to his skin -- he's lucky the jet fuel didn't explode from the heat."
"Will he ever recover?" Kori asked, wondering what she wished for. Kori didn't wish death upon him, but it could not be denied that Gizmo hurt and killed a great many people. And she knew that if he did recover, it would only be a matter of time until they engaged in battle once again. And the people of Jump City shall suffer for it.
"Outside of some serious exotic mojo? Doesn't look like it, but that all depends on if what's left of the Fearsome Five manages to break him out. Robin, WG, lil Kid Flash, and Terra are keeping an eye on where he's being held. I'm betting that they'll be busy before long." Victor answered her question and Kori could only hope that they're friends proved victorious.
"What about the guy that did it to them?" Garfield asked, frowning at the large television. On its screen were videos from phones, from Victor's eye, and a lone security camera. All of them displayed images of the fearsome beast that had slain Psimon.
"We don't know who it is," Victor said, and immediately her mind jumped to the man with pink hair. Her blood hummed in her veins at the thought of him -- Kori could only compare it to the anticipation of battle or passionate lovemaking with her exemplary lover Dick Grayson. "None of the videos catch the start of the fight-"
"It's totally that guy with the pink hair!" Garfield exclaimed, echoing her thoughts.
"Dude, what is with you about this guy?" Victor returned, rolling his eye as he rounded on his friend. "He didn't do anything to set you off like this." Kori held a similar belief, nodding at her green friend.
Garfield scowled, then winced because his face was still sore, “He’s just...I don’t know, I don’t like him. You can’t either -- he looked like he’s spent his entire life wiping his butt with hundreds!” Garfield pointed out, making Kori blink before she realized it was another colorful turn of phrase that Earthlings enjoyed.
“You should not judge others based on appearance,” Kori rebuked lightly. She wasn’t a founding member of the Titans, but she was one of the senior members, which meant she held the responsibilities of an elder Tameraninan. “We cannot judge someone on how they dress.”
Garfield sighed in frustration, "I'm not-!" He started to defend himself, but swiftly realized that he was. "I can't explain it. He really just rubs me the wrong way...and I just want to punch him in his face," he admitted, making Kori and Victor share a knowing glance. The last time he displayed such aggression was when he discovered his Beast Form, the culmination of all of the predatory instincts of Earthling animals.
"Look, I'll look into the guy and there is some evidence that it is him," Victor said, his body intuned with the systems of Titan Tower so the screens obeyed his will. "We found torn fabrics and shoes that likely came from the dragon guy, and they match what he was wearing. But-" Victor was quick to continue when Garfield jumped up.
"We don't know the story," he continued. "All we know is that the Fearsome Five came out in full force, and people were dying and getting hurt. Evidence points to the guy trying to save people. He told us that he was a big fan -- he could have opened up to us about his circumstances, but he didn't because you couldn't check yourself BB." Victor chastised, something that Garfield appeared to wish to argue, but instead held himself back.
"The death of Psimon and injury of Gizmo could have been accidents," Kori spoke up. "If death was what he wished, then he had many opportunities to kill more than just Psimon."
"For all we know, Psimon was a mistake-" Victor continued, bringing the hammer down upon the point.
"I got it, I messed up," Garfield admitted, running his hands through his dark green hair. "I'm sorry." Kori smiled brightly in response -- it was not always easy for Earthlings to admit as much. In her experience, it is when they need to say it the most, they are most reluctant.
Before any praise could be placed on Garfield's shoulders, the door to the living area opened. Raven did not step inside, dressed in her uniform for heroing -- her cloak and hood hiding much of her body, and her good hiding much of her face.
"Rae-" Garfield started, standing up but Raven continued over him, her voice not raising at all.
"I'm heading out," she informed them, making Kori remember that it was her day of no responsibilities. "Unless you need anything?"
"Yeah, actually," Victor spoke up, retrieving a piece of white stone that had injured Gizmo so horribly. "The lizard guy breathed this at the grocery store against the Fearsome Five. I've analyzed it, but I'm coming up with nothing-"
"You wouldn't," Raven interrupted, flying over with unusual urgency to see outside of battle. "This is magic," she noted, her voice betraying her interest as she took the sample from Victor. "Powerful magic -- for it to condense like this and remain...there aren't many things that can do that."
Kori smiled brightly at the news. One did not date the son of the greatest earthling detective without learning a thing or two about the art of investigation. "That will make it easier to narrow down, yes?"
Rachel glanced at her but her eyes were drawn to the stone like a magnet. "That's one way to look at it, I suppose. Send me the video. I'll look it over and see what I can find...but, whatever made this is extremely powerful."
Garfield perked up, "how powerful?" He asked and, for a moment, Kori thought that Rachel would not answer. It tore at her heart to see a divide between friends, but Kori knew matters of the heart were not so easily resolved.
"Magic fades," Rachel answered. "It's only tangible when channeled, focused, or when there is great amounts of it in a single location. The fact that it's leaving solid evidence behind is impressive. How much of it is there?" She asked, pointedly looking at Victor. Garfield slumped, his heart ache plain for all to see, and as a empathy, it was impossible for Rachel to miss.
"About two hundred pounds of the stuff," Victor answered grimply, a rare expression of shock appearing on Rachel's face.
"...I'll let you know what I find," Rachel decided, taking the sample with her. Garfield watched her go, once she reached the door, he gathered the courage to speak.
"Maybe I could help-" Garfield started to say.
"I'm good," Rachel answered shortly before she sunk into the floor without a trace. Garfield slumped, letting out a sigh that betrayed his defeat.
Kori looked at him with great sorrow in her heart, "Rachel needs time and space. I know you will befriend each other again!" She said, attempting to will the rift between them close.
Garfield simply sighed, an uncharacteristic thing for him, she noticed.
"Maybe."
…
The first thing that Hinata felt when she woke up was shame and disappointment. Her eyes felt dry from her crying, her head was full of fog and it felt like a tailed beast was sitting on her chest -- for the first time in a long time, she had cried herself to sleep. Hinata thought she had left those days behind her when she was a child.
Slowly, Hinata opened her eyes, feeling emotionally exhausted, and took in her surroundings. None of it had been a dream, unfortunately. She was still in this far away place, far from home, and the questions that she would never find the answers to weighed her down like an anchor. Hinata knew she was supposed to be better than this -- any of the others would have adapted perfectly fine without breaking down, and she was so close to managing it.
Only for Nero to whisper in her ear that it was okay to let go of the emotions she was trying so hard to push away to focus on the task at hand. Hinata hadn’t been able to stop herself, the tears flowed until the riverbed dried up. A small sigh escaped her as she shifted, then she became incredibly aware that she wasn’t lying down in a soft bed, but leaning against something.
Judging by the heat radiating off it, that something was a someone.
“You’re up?” Nero asked, making whatever fog of sleep that clouded her mind vanish without a trace. She jerked back, realizing that she had been leaning against his shoulder. And that he was wearing nothing but a towel, revealing powerful muscles. Heat rushed to her face, her eyes darting up to his amber gaze that was filled with concern for her.
Words lodged themselves in her throat, but none made it passed her lips as she gaped, feeling embarrassment and humiliation mixed into a familiar and potent combo. “I am,” she forced out, tearing her gaze away. Hinata looked down at herself before she pushed her arms out, hunching over to hide her unsightly large breast that strained at the confining shirt she was forced to wear.
“You were out for about an hour, or so,” Nero informed, earning a slow nod from Hinata. “I packaged up the fish and rice, so if you’re hungry I can just pop it in the microwave to heat it up,” he offered, and Hinata could only marvel that he wasn’t embarrassed by her sleeping on him. Which led her thoughts to how she had buried her face into his chest and sobbed for what felt like hours.
“Thank you-”
“You don’t have to thank me for anything. We’re in this together, right?” Nero interjected, his tone light. With a few words, a knot of tension melted from Hinata. That was more reassuring than words could ever say. She wasn’t completely alone in this.
Hinata managed to bring herself to look him in the eyes, though her attention drifted to the mole underneath one of them. “We are. T…” She caught herself, earning a lopsided grin from Nero. He had a nice smile, Hinata decided.
“Good,” he said before he gestured to a small rectangular device in his hands. “I was doing a little research while you were out,” he informed before he made a flicking gesture from the screen of the rectangle to the large screen on the wall. The screen changed, a blown-up image of what was on the rectangle. Some kind of signal exchange, perhaps?
A picture drew her attention -- of a team of men and women fighting in brightly colored tight clothing, some wearing capes, against a foe that almost looked human. It was shaped like a man, but that was where the similarities ended. Its eyes glowed an ominous red, its face almost gravel-like in appearance while its posture was at ease while the others desperately fought.
“That guy there is Darksied, the god of tyranny, apparently. The ones fighting him are the Justice League,” Nero explained, giving her a lot more questions because those two sentences were loaded with them. The god of tyranny? The Justice League? “The one in blue is Superman. He’s actually an alien who’s planet blew up because his species mined its core too much, and they all decided to stay on the planet, for some reason. The green one is a Green Lantern, they’re pretty much space police. That ring of his can make anything that he can imagine so long as it’s not fatal.”
Hinata blinked slowly, processing that. It...would seem that she was very, very, very far from home. “...aliens?” She questioned softly, looking at the others. A man dressed in black and gray with a batlike cowl. A man dressed in forest green with a bow. A green man that almost looked human. A woman with wings. Another woman that fought with a sword and shield, her face in a fierce war cry. There were so many others.
And Nero explained it all to her. It all sounded so incredibly outlandish -- space aliens, magic, freak accidents granting superpowers, gods, and demons… the only parts of it that sounded remotely familiar were the ancient clans of assassins intent on destroying most of humanity to preserve the earth from industrialization. It took some time, and even then they were forced to gloss over some topics since there was just so much to cover.
“The Teen Titans protect this city,” Hinata started, thinking that they were akin to shinobi defending their village, though from what she saw of it while she was out, this place was far too grand to be called a village. “And the Fearsome Five are intent on destroying them? For what cause?”
“It’s more of the Fearsome Five want free rein to do whatever they want in Jump city, and the Teen Titans keep stopping them. So, after some time, the first step in any plan became to kill the Titans first then do whatever. And it’s a good thing that they’re stopped -- all of them are bad news with a body count,” Nero said, his gaze landing on the one called Psimon.
He had thirty confirmed murders, with over a hundred attributed to him but remained unconfirmed.
From what she understood, the Fearsome Five were similar to rouge ninjas that gained a taste for power and sought to lord it over the few that they could. Unfortunately, it was a simple fact of life and part of her duties as a ninja of Kohona to eliminate any such shinobi when she came across them.
Still, Nero looked troubled. “You did the right thing, no matter how you feel right now,” Hinata told him, echoing what Kurenai-sensei told her when she took her first life. A group of bandits that they had stumbled across on a mission that was preying on traveling merchants. Her team voted to take them out even though there wasn’t a mission to do it yet. “They would have killed a great many people if they weren’t stopped. You saved lives in the end.”
It didn’t look like Nero fully believed her. She hadn’t believed Kurenai-sensei either for some time, but Hinata knew that he would understand with time.
“Maybe,” Nero hedged with a small shake of his head. “But there’s no point in dwelling on it now, I guess. I’ll just have to be on guard in case any of them try anything in the future.” A good attitude to have that reminded her of Naruto-kun. She envied and admired it.
There was one last question that she had, however. “Do you think that they will have a way for us to go home?” She asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. Hinata wanted to know what happened after she had died.
Nero paused, likely trying to think of a way to let her down gently- “It’s a possibility,” he said instead, making the flame of hope grow. “They have the tech that can go to alternate realities, but I’m unsure if we could get to your world since it's not an alternate version of this universe. But, I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
A smile graced Hinata’s face at the blatant optimism. She didn’t ask if they should go to the heroes and ask, simply because such valuable technology would be a closely guarded secret. From what she understood, it was only common knowledge that it existed because the information had been leaked. There was little to no chance that they would be able to use it.
Even still, Hinata was glad for the knowledge that even if it was a long shot, the possibility remained that she could one day see her home again.
“You said that you found a new power during the fight?” She questioned, and Nero seemed surprised with the change in topic. He gave a small nod but seemed to welcome the change in topic. It seemed that he missed his home as much as she did.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Apparently I have a third form -- hold up, let me find a video of it. It’ll be easier than explaining,” he said, pulling up a video of...a humanoid lizard creature that had very little in common with dragons in her people’s mythology. Bipedal, long thick arms, reddish-black scaled, twisted horns that were black as pitch and a long tail jutting out of its waist. Each hand and foot was tipped with a razor-sharp claw that looked like they could inflict terrible damage with its- Nero’s powerful arms and legs.
That form made Nero look evil, was Hinata’s first thought, glancing over at Nero who looked at his other form with a fascination that couldn’t be faked. After everything, Hinata felt her doubts about the pink-haired man she found herself with lessen. It really did seem that he was as lost as she was when it came to what happened to them, even if he was handling it far better than she was.
The video played, showing Nero fire white flames. Some disappeared entirely, but where the flames were at their densest, they remained when he cut them off by closing his maw filled with sharp teeth. Hinata watched in some fascination as the flames could be stretched for a short time, then hardened to the point that the small and large men couldn’t escape from them.
“I don’t know what it is, but…” Nero started, cupping his hands in front of him much as he had with the black flame from before. Only this time, as soon as the small white flame appeared, Hinata was hit with an intense heat that should be impossible for such a small flame to produce. It wasn’t unbearable, and it seemed that Nero couldn’t even notice it, but it felt like she was standing on the wrong end of a Great Fireball Jutsu. “When I cut it off, this gets left behind.”
The heat faded to nothing as the flame grew still before it fell from the air and into Nero’s palms. He held it out for her to inspect. Cautiously, she took the smoothed flame from his hand, running a thumb over it. It...didn’t feel like it was made of stone, but it almost looked like marble. Yet, it was detaillees, paper-thin, and strong since she couldn’t break it when she started putting some force on it. What’s more, it was cool to the touch, any trace of heat gone.
“Any ideas? Because I’m lost,” Nero admitted shamelessly, and Hinata wished that she could help him. Unfortunately, she was just as lost as he was when it came to the powers that he was granted. But...maybe…
“Can you shape the flames into something else?” She questioned, thinking of it as molding chakra. If you channeled it, shaped it in certain ways with the use of hand signs, the chakra became a technique. It could create water, fire, air, earth, and lightning. Nero lit up, apparently pleased with the idea and he went about trying without any warning.
The heat hit her like a fist, forcing her to lean back as Nero focused on his palms. He started with the flame before he began to round out the edges. It was about the size of a ryo coin, though not as thick when he let it fall to his palm. Holding it up between two fingers, Nero frowned in thought before he got up, one hand dipping into the couch without explanation but Hinata wasn't in any position to listen.
His towel parted just enough to catch a glimpse of his hairless inner thigh and his...private area. Blood rushed to her face as Nero flashed her on accident --barely for more than a split second, but that was long enough to seat the image into her brain. It wasn't like she hadn't seen groins before -- an unfortunate part of the Bayakugan was that she could see through clothing as well as people's bodies to view their chakra network, so she saw more than her fair share. All were by accident, but there was something very different about catching glimpse of a man's groin on accident when he was standing at face level a few feet away from her.
"Huh, it's almost perfect," Nero said, breaking Hinata from her thoughts as he shoved the white round coin and an actual coin with a man's face on it. Hinata blinked, realizing that he was right. On the surface of the white coin was the man's face that was on the other, but some details were off but those seemed to be because of wear on the real coin’s part. It was nearly a perfect fake except for the fact that it was white.
"When you used this in your other form, what were you trying to do?" Hinata asked, looking at his mole beneath one of his eyes, a blush still coloring her cheeks. Nero furrowed his brow in thought.
"I wasn't trying to make anything, so maybe the flame is the base form of it? Or...hmm...dragons breath fire, so maybe I was acting on a subconscious desire? But everything starts off as fire, though," Nero muttered with an air of excitement.
"Perhaps you should try making something else? Something more complicated, or organic?" It was important to test the limits of his ability, especially when it could have such broad abilities. It was small now, but if his speed and mass of the things he could create with the white flame increased, then it was potentially a very powerful ability. Especially coupled with the black flame that seemed able to destroy whatever Nero wished.
"Right, that's a good idea," Nero complimented, making her flush with embarrassment, but it was a pleasant feeling rather than the typical humiliation she usually suffered. Distracted, he walked away from the black leather couch they were resting on. Hinata followed behind him, not knowing what else to do before Nero walked downstairs, revealing an open area filled with...things. based on the wheels, they were a transportation device, perhaps self-propelled? She had heard of such things before but never seen one. And Hinata was guessing that the ones back home didn't look so shiny and sleek.
He grabbed a key from a row of them and looked it over before pressing a button. In response, one of the cars made a sharp noise that echoed through the area. Hinata tensed, a hand dipping to her leg where her kunai holder should be, but wasn’t. If only there was room in this too tight outfit where she could hide that pair of scissors. Then Nero formed a copy of the key, including what he pressed to make that noise.
Once he was done, he pressed down on the button -- Hinata braced herself for the noise, but this time it didn’t come. “What are you trying to do…?” Hinata asked, not wanting to break his concentration.
“Hm? Oh, sorry, I’m trying to see if I can make a remote, but...I either can’t, or I don’t know enough about how these things work to make a working copy,” Nero explained. “But, here, feel this,” Nero said, passing her the original and copy. Instantly, she noticed the difference. The buttons on the copy were soft, like the rubber on the original. Though, it still looked about the same.
That had implications. If he was right, and he was only limited on what he understood...then his ability was extremely powerful. That was without taking into consideration the black flame’s ability to destroy what it wished.
Nero seemed distracted as he suddenly made his way up the stairs in a rush, leaving Hinata trailing behind him. “Nero?” She tried to get his attention, but he seemed lost in his own world as he ripped open the refrigerator before he pulled out...the lunch that he had taken the time to prepare, but she hadn’t touched. Hinata felt guilty looking at it since she had thrown away the flatbread cheese wrap as well, fearful that it could be drugged.
“Can you eat rice and fish cold?” He asked himself more than her. Before she could answer him, he shrugged and took a bite of each, making a face that said he was pleasantly surprised with the taste. “Not bad,” he complimented himself as he grabbed a plate from the cupboard. Hinata was left watching him, lost and confused, before the heat returned.
This time, when he was done, there was a copy of rice on the plate. “Did that feel like it used more chakra-” Hinata started to ask, but he didn’t use chakra. He used...magic, for a lack of a better word. Actually, according to Nero, magic did exist in this world.
“No, not enough for me to notice at any rate,” Nero said, picking up a grain of rice to inspect. Now, the white rice was identical to the original. He rolled it in his fingers for a moment before he popped it into his mouth. Hinata watched him cautiously, wary of him suddenly-
Nero’s hands went to his throat, a strangled gasp as his eyes bugged out and Hinata’s heart leaped out of her chest even as she sprung into action. She tore his hands from his throat, going to stick her hand down his throat to make him puke up the rice grain, but her hand paused when he tried to push her hands away, an alarmed look clashing against a slight smile on his lips.
“Wait, wait! I was just messing with you a little, I’m perfectly fine!” He exclaimed, looking sheepish.
Hinata’s lips thinned, “that wasn’t very nice of you Nero-san.” She commented lightly, her heart racing in her chest. At the very least, Nero had the decency to look properly chastised.
“I’m sorry, sometimes I think I’m funny. My bad,” Nero said, offering her a rueful smile. Hinata flushed as she looked away, tearing her gaze away from his eyes and mole. Now she felt bad for making him feel bad when he was just trying to make a joke. “But, well, it tastes like white rice, so I’m going to do a little experiment. I want you to mix these plates up, and not tell me which is which. I’m going to try them to see if I can tell the difference.”
Hinata gave a slow nod, thinking that was one way to test it. Nero turned around, and Hinata couldn’t help but spare a thought at how...trusting he was. If she wanted to poison him, then he just gave her a golden opportunity. He was so open that she couldn’t even maintain the idea that this was all somehow a test of trust for her.
She took a chopstick and used it to stir up the white rice, which appeared to be perfectly cooked before she switched the plates a few times. “You can turn around, Nero-san,” she informed. Nero did, his gaze landing on the plate of the normal rice. She passed him the chopstick, only for him to fumble with them. Did he not know…?
“Sorry,” Nero apologized in advance before he opened a drawer to fetch a spoon. Hinata blinked, watching him use it to scoop up some rice to eat it. It was...odd, in a way, to see someone use a spoon for something that wasn’t a liquid. On rice, especially. “Hey, that’s pretty good,” he said, chewing thoughtfully. Once he swallowed, he did the same with the other plate, and now Hinata watched him like a hawk.
He chewed his food for a moment, nodding as he swallowed, “they taste the exact same.” He informed, Hinata’s mind racing with possibilities. It would require testing, but if his ability could be made to use food...how many times had she wished she had one more soldier or blood pill? Or that she had a nice side dish instead of field rations?
Nero was completely ignorant of what his ability could do, how people would covet it. If all it took was him learning how something worked, then, theoretically, he could create anything. Food, weapons, minerals, seals...if...if she was back home, then Lady Tsunade would do whatever it took to make sure he was allied with Kohona. Possibly even having him assassinated if he refused to keep him out of rival ninja villages hands.
This land might have heroes, but Hinata couldn’t imagine them doing anything different if it meant keeping Nero out of enemy hands.
He...needed someone to protect him. Perhaps that’s why she was here? To protect Nero from those that would wish to use him against his wishes?
All Hinata could think was, if that was the case, then whoever brought her here chose poorly. But...she would do her best.
“Here, you try,” Nero offered the plates to her. She used the fact that he just tried it to soothe any fears that she had that it might be poisonous.
“Thank you for the meal,” she spoke softly, bracing herself mentally as she took a small bite-
Hinata’s eyes widened a fraction -- how could white rice be so...flavorful? It was like each grain of rice was an explosion of flavor on her taste buds, the texture was beyond perfection and it was perfectly cooked in terms of softness. She almost didn’t want to swallow it was so mind-bogglingly delicious. She only did so when she saw the smile on Nero’s face and was too embarrassed to speak with food in her mouth. “It’s...very good,” she explained, not sure how to explain that he had ruined white rice for her after that single bite.
“Thanks,” Nero answered simply, giving Hinata that he was unaware just how phenomenal his cooking was. Eagerly, Hinata dug into the second dish even though it was the one that he created with the white flame. Despite herself, a small moan escaped her and took a large bite of the flame-made rice. Heat rushed to her face, but for the first time in her life, Hinata couldn’t bring herself to care. The food was just too good.
Nero let out a small laugh, “I’m taking it has your stamp of approval?” He asked, making her blush deepen and she answered by taking another bite. “Well, let me heat up the fish for you since I’m guessing that’s the first thing you’ve eaten today?” He got another mute nod as she internally railed against the manners that were instilled into her since birth.
Part of her just wanted to open her mouth and start dumping rice in it by the handful. Maybe she was wrong about the poison because Hinata had no idea how you could get rice to taste so good. Nero put the fish in a pan to warm it up for her, and she could only imagine how good this must have tasted fresh.
“So, I was thinking that, maybe, we should do some shopping while we still have some time today,” Nero began as he went about making tea. Hinata’s eyes drifted over the muscles that made his back, then dipping down to where the towel that hung off his waist clung to him. Annnnd now she remembered that she saw his groin for a moment. Hinata was so embarrassed that she almost couldn’t follow along with what he was saying. “You probably need some clothes that, ah...fit.”
...Hinata would swear that steam was about to erupt from her ears, her face grew so hot when he pointed out that the shirt she wore didn’t fit. The buttons were straining to keep her obscene breasts in check and...it...was cold...for how long…? Now she was regretting that there wasn’t any poison in the rice…
“...yes please...I-I promise I will repay you, Nero-san,” Hinata said with a bow but Nero waved her off with what was becoming well-practiced ease.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, giving her a smile as he glanced over his shoulder, showing off the mole. “The money, well...I guess it’s mine, but it’s hardly like I earned it, so I don’t mind spending it.”
That piqued her interest, recalling what he had said about how he was akin to a tenant in this place. “May I ask what you did for Kitten to let you stay here?” From his story, he arrived somewhere around ten hours or so before her. That was a rather quick time to establish oneself.
Nero looked faintly embarrassed as he set a steaming cup of tea in front of her, “it was sexual favors?” Hinata was lucky that she hadn’t taken a sip because she knew she would have spat it out. Instead, the ever-present blush on her cheeks grew darker as the mental image of Nero naked...and having sex appeared in her mind. His powerful muscles, the heat that seemed to radiate from his body…
Hinata was embarrassed by the topic of sex, but she was hardly ignorant. And judging that this Kitten allowed Nero to stay in this place, which she was coming to understand was very expensive, giving him free rein over everything within...Hinata imagined that Nero must be very good at the act of lovemaking.
“It was a one-off thing, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she’s so rich that none of this actually meant anything to her, but, yeah. But, if we’re going to stay here, it’s probably going to happen again,” Nero said with some ease, shrugging his shoulders before he deposited the fish onto her plate. It seemed that it didn’t go unnoticed by him that, especially, he was selling his body...as a whore...for their benefit.
Guilt wormed at her heart, and not even the mind-bogglingly delicious cooked fish could keep it at bay-
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s hardly like she has to take me to bed kicking and screaming, or anything, but, yeah, that’s a thing. She’s off being an intern for some company or something, so she won’t be back for a couple of weeks. But, just as likely, she could change her mind about us staying here, so it’s best if we set up a plan B.” Nero said, taking a sip of his tea while she did the...how...could jasmine tea...be so...perfect?
Cold rice, warm fish and hot tea -- she was the heiress of the Hyuga clan, and this was easily the best meal she had ever eaten. It seemed that Nero wasn’t just talented in bed.
“I agree,” Hinata agreed with a nod, savoring the taste of what was a rapidly dwindling meal.
“Sweet. Your hoodie is in the dyer, so it should be about done by now. After you finish that, we’ll head downtown and hit the stores.”
…
The pieces didn’t fit, I decided as I turned the sports car on with a press of a button, the engine roaring to life as Hinata tensed next to me. From my two abilities -- the black and white flame, my abilities to cook, the magic card that I had and my dragon form. Not to mention Hinata’s presence. There was something else at play here, but I didn’t know what.
I pulled out of the garage, going far slower this time because of the rain, my mind wandering as Hinata took in the interior of the car. Should I have told her about everything earlier? After she woke up when I was explaining the DC universe in broad strokes? It felt like if there was a time to tell her, then that was it. Just rip off the bandage and hit the major points -- she was a fictional character, I knew her story and what was meant to be her future, and this was a fictional universe as well.
Yet, I couldn’t do it. Hinata tried to put on a brave face, but it was clear that she was shaken. Dumping all of that on her...or...maybe I was making excuses. I suppose it doesn’t really matter now, because I missed my chance. Now it was too late.
“Are the Fearsome Five likely to be searching for you?” Hinata asked, her tone professional. It was a far cry from the gentle words she spoke to me before, or the flat out moan when she ate the food. I ended up giving her my share as well, feeding her a lie that I already ate. I considered her question, then slowly shook my head.
“No, they should be lying low after that defeat they suffered. Or trying to break the one that got captured out. They’re going to get even with me eventually, but there’s too much on their plate to deal with me now,” I said, hoping that I was telling the truth. Hinata seemed to sense my doubt, but she didn’t comment on it, thankfully. Not sure what I would have done if she asked me what the plan was if they did attack me. Again.
Though...I should look into getting that car back. There had to be an impound or something that I could pick it up at. All I had to do was flash the magic card then it would be released back to me, then I could get it towed back home. I’ll look into it while we were shopping.
“Are you sure you don’t want a pair of sunglasses?” I asked, gesturing to the ones that were currently hanging from the third button on my button-down. I glanced over at Hinata, only to blink in surprise as a pair of dark brown eyes stared back at me rather than the opaque ones with a purplish hue to them. “Huh...neat trick,” I complimented.
“It’s a simple technique,” Hinata dismissed any praise with a small shake of her head. It wasn’t so much that she couldn’t take a compliment, but rather she flat out refused to.
“Do you think you’d be able to teach me? I think it could help in the long run,” I asked, glancing at her as we slowly made our way back to the city.
Hinata hesitated for a long moment before she gave a slow nod. “It would be possible, but your chakra network is very underdeveloped. I can help you access it, but if you can’t produce enough, then…” She trailed off, not wanting to disappoint me.
“Cool. We can give it a shot once we get back if you don’t mind?” I suggested, picturing myself throwing jutsu around like candy. I already had superpowers, but there was no such thing as too many superpowers. And if anyone said differently, they were a filthy liar. Hinata smiled lightly, likely seeing through my cool facade and seeing the kid in me.
“We can, Nero-san,” Hinata agreed with a small nod.
“You know, if you want, you can just call me Nero,” I offered. It wasn’t so much getting called san bothered me, or anything, but each time I heard a suffix attached to a name, I get PTSD induced flashbacks to my early teenage years when I was a full-on weeb with a power level over nine thousand. God, I hate past me. And, one day, future me was going to look back at this moment and think ‘God, I hate past me.’
Hinata hesitated, looking faintly uncomfortable for a moment before she offered a small nod. “If you’d like…”
“I’m just saying that you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I, ah, we don’t really use suffixes here beyond the equivalents like Mr. and Mrs. That’s usually reserved if you’re trying to be respectful, but with friends, you just call them their name,” I explained, then blinked as we entered the city. “Wait, should I have been calling you Hyuga-sama or something?”
Hinata let out a quiet giggle at that, “many would say yes, but I’m glad that you haven’t...Nero. Call me Hinata.”
“Well, Hinata, let's start shopping,” I said, flashing her a grin as I pulled into a parking garage out of the rain while I slipped on my sunglasses. “Do you want to divide and conquer or stick together?” I asked and, any other time, I would have shot myself in the foot rather than go clothes shopping with a woman because I’m certain I would enjoy it more. With a girl like Hinata, though, that changed things significantly.
She considered it for a moment, then said, “We should stick together in case the Fearsome Five do appear.”
Then we hit the shops. Naturally, we shopped for her first, walking into a high-end woman’s clothing store where every price tag was at least three digits. But that was okay since, this time, I brought a fat stack of cash and I was willing to part with all of it to get everything that we needed or wanted.
However, I forgot one crucial detail.
Hinata was overly fond of baggy clothing.
Comments
Dragontaylor
Prefer Starfire seeming like the Teen Titans version, didn’t like the Titans version as much. She’s very lovable this way, innocent.
Highfist
i am enjoying this series alot, can i ask what his element is? i am assuming its a conceptual element
IdeasGuy
Yeah, I figured that it would be good to show a different perspective of what happened and reactions to it rather than waiting three or four updates before it's revealed to Nero.
Lers
I noticed that you added the Teen Titans part compared to last weeks chapter.
