And here's the second half. Glad to get it to you before Christmas. Enjoy

xxxxxxxxxxx

Dr. Tofu poked is head out the door just as Akane left the office. He looked
curiously at the door to his clinic as it swung shut. "'I'll hold you to
that'. What was that supposed to mean?"

"Is she gone?" a tiny, feminine voice asked.

Tofu turned to see the diminutive Kasumi standing on his desk once again. It
was odd how her presence didn't have the same effect on him when she was in
her miniature state. Oh, he still bore a heady feeling when he was in the
same room with her, but he was coherent and could think quite well, though
sometimes it required a bit of concentration. It was actually very nice to
have conversations with her that didn't involve dancing with Betty-chan or
trying to devour some inedible substance and perceiving it as a normal
reaction to talking with her. Of course there was the drawback that she was
a mere centimeter or so tall at the time, depending on her mood since she
seemed to be able to control her actual height.

"Is she gone?" Kasumi repeated.

"Yes, she's gone," he finally answered.

Now free to do as she pleased, Kasumi flexed her wings and took off,
flitting about the office. "Good. It'll be nice to fly around without
worrying about Akane seeing me. I wouldn't want to frighten her. It would be
difficult to explain what's happened to me. It's far better she never finds
out about this. I don't think anyone but you would understand."

Tofu watched her fly past, still marveling at her quickness and agility. It
was like watching a hummingbird, considering the speed which she darted
through the air. It was less distracting now that she had finally sewn some
outfits for that size. Although for some reason she had a developed an
affinity for daring garments that fit her snugly in many of the more
sensitive areas of her body. Had she worn any of them at normal size, Tofu
wagered he wouldn't have been the only one to become incoherent around her.
She explained it as a way to keep people from connecting Kasumi Tendou with
the Wasp, since even if someone was able to see through her disguise, there
was no way they would believe a girl as conservative as Kasumi would dare
wear such risqu� clothing. Tofu was uncertain if that was the whole story.
Kasumi seemed to revel in being able to wear such garments and act less
reserved than in her normal housekeeping role. Some of the things she said
made even him blush.

The change in behavior seemed to hover around her idea of them becoming
super heroes together. Since acquiring her powers, she had become intent on
tracking down and taking on other super villains. Tofu's thought processes
went along different lines. He was perfectly happy being a doctor and was
content to leave confrontations with insanely powerful homicidal people to
others more suited to the role. He had even less desire to walk around at a
height of forty feet and go around kicking people that, frankly, could hurt
him back an awful lot. Unlike Kasumi, he had been rendered unconscious
during the fight, the first time such had happened in his life, and there
was no urgent need to repeat the experience. But no matter how persuasive
his arguments were, Kasumi would not be swayed. To make matters worse, her
enthusiasm was infectious. Between her obvious delight at the chance of
becoming a super hero, combined with Tofu's desire to protect her, he had
reluctantly agreed to become one as well. However, it was under the
condition that it was only part-time since he did have a business to run.
Thus, with his course decided, 'Giant Man' had been born.

Making outfits had been both easy and difficult. Easy for him, difficult for
Kasumi. Since Hank Pym had planned on experimenting with the size-changing
upon himself first, he acquired a uniform composed of unstable molecules, a
new innovation from an American scientist named Richards. These unstable
molecules somehow enabled the outfit to change in accordance with the
wearer's form, a sort of variation on the ultimate elastic. It was so
effective that even when Tofu grew, the outfit would change in size instead
of tearing. He didn't understand how it worked, only that it did and saved
him the problem of buying material large enough to cover his giant frame.

That solved his clothing problem, but not Kasumi's. Since there was only one
outfit made up of unstable molecules, another couldn't be purchased. They
were so incredibly expensive that even if Tofu sold his practice he still
wouldn't have enough money. Henry hadn't bought his; Richards had apparently
given him the uniform out of friendship. That that left Kasumi to seek out
an alternative. Her answer was to sew up a number of outfits when she was at
Wasp size. She had to put them on when she was small, and wasn't able to
grow with them on since the material would rip, treating everyone to a real
eyeful of her.

A small trickle of blood dripped from his nose as he remembered the last
time Kasumi grew without suitable garments on. He shook the memory from his
head. There were more important matters to be concerned about. During the
course of the last few weeks, Kasumi had sewn many outfits for herself,
spending most of her free time doing so. The one she was currently wearing
was creamy white. Offsetting the material were blue boots and blue edging
around the neck where a 'W' formed part of the border that led down to the
tops of her bosom. The amount of cleavage shown (small, in reality, but not
so insignificant when one realized it was proportional to the rest of her)
was far more revealing than anything Kasumi had ever worn before. One arm
and leg had been left completely bare between the outfit and her glove and
boot. Certainly it saved material, but with how high both were cut, it left
little doubt that despite her duties around the home, Kasumi had managed to
stay in very good shape. The mask she wore covered the upper half of her
face, allowing her brown hair to flow freely behind her as she darted
through the air.

As for Tofu's own outfit, he was happy that it covered everything but his
mouth and eyes. With Kasumi lending a hand, the outfit was now dyed red save
for his boots, gloves, and shorts, which were black. The hood had been
redesigned to go over his face as a mask, something far more necessary for
him than Kasumi with his larger features. The outfit might have been plain
compared to Kasumi's, but Tofu preferred things that way. He was a man of
simple tastes, after all.

The other item Tofu had been working on was something Henry had left in his
notes, a variation of the Pym Particles using compressed gas rather than the
machine. It was cheaper to make, and with the chemicals Henry had sent that
Tofu managed to salvage, simple to mix. There were two problems, though. One
was the gas only worked to shrink an object. The second was that without the
gas that reversed the shrinkage, one would remain trapped at that diminutive
height, potentially forever. On the beneficial side, once mixed together the
gas could shrink other items too, such as clothing and whatever might be
held within the hands.

Given the limited supply and the risks involved with the gas, the machine
was clearly the better option, but since it was smashed far beyond any hope
of repair, this was now the only other alternative if Tofu sought to become
smaller. The reason for that was that it would allow him to go anywhere that
Kasumi could. There would be times when he would be unable to grow and use
his increased strength or endurance, and the gas could be the only way for
him to travel out of sight or escape from a foe. Likewise, if Kasumi
encountered any dangers and became incapacitated in some small, out of the
way place, it would allow him to come to her side and be a help rather than
a too-large hindrance.

"Doctor Tofu, did you hear that?!"

The excitement in Kasumi's voice was unmistakable. So lost in thought was
Tofu though, that he had failed to hear what she was referring to. "I didn't
catch that?"

Kasumi pointed to the television that had been left on. "They're saying that
there are a couple of super villains assaulting the airport. Let's go out
there and stop them."

Inwardly, Tofu cringed. He didn't think he was ready for this --he doubted
he ever would-- but Kasumi was so delighted that he couldn't bring himself
to argue with her. "Sure, but how do we get there? It's too far to fly, and
it would take a long time for me to walk even at my full height." He only
hoped the distance would dissuade her from traveling out there and allow the
authorities handle matters.

Unperturbed, Kasumi said, "Put some clothes on over your outfit, and we'll
take a cab. I'll hide in your pocket until we get there."

A soft sigh escaped Tofu's lips. He chose clothing that was cheap and worn,
since he might have to grow and ruin them. It appeared the first 'official'
case for the new superhero team of the Wasp and Giant Man was about to get
underway. The only bright side would be the adventure would serve to keep
him out of his mother's sight for a while. Compared to her constant harping
about marrying and raising a family, fighting super-villains would almost
seem relaxing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The squad car Daredevil had stowed away on pulled up a short distance from
the newly shattered remains of Kobayakawa's car. He leapt off the roof of
the vehicle and landed as easily as a cat before the car slowed down, and
ran into the terminal. For just a brief moment, his radar sense caught the
edge of someone with what seemed to be a bow and quiver full of arrows run
into the building ahead of him. Whether friend or foe to the villains
inside, he was uncertain, but he entered the structure with a more cautious
step, mindful of any ambushes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Five more shots were aimed right on target. The bullets impacted in the
exact spots they were aimed at. Each of the metal projectiles imparted a
tremendous amount of force.  Combined, they were enough to crack an engine
block in half.

Power Man looked casually down at his chest where the bullets had hit.
"Geez, you guys don't know when to give up." He hefted a set of
interconnected seats over his head and threw them at the security personnel
as though he was in kindergarten playing a vicious version of musical
chairs. The width of the makeshift missile allowed Power Man to strike all
five of the officers at the same time. The force with which he threw it
guaranteed their medical plans would be activated.

With the last of the distractions dealt with, Power Man turned to watch the
yellow blur that was his partner finish off the last of the latest wave of
attackers. "How many did you get?"

Whizzer pulled to a stop directly in front of the big man. "Total, or just
in this latest batch?"

"Total."

"Thirty-five."

"Shoot! I've only got twenty-seven. No, wait. Twenty-eight. I almost forgot
the one who tried hitting me with a tire chain. Where do you suppose he
found a tire chain in the middle of an airport?"

"Near a tire?" Whizzer shrugged. "This is getting a bit hectic. I hope those
people we're waiting for show up soon. I'm getting tired of running around
and beating up these annoying pests. They're almost as bad as the Chinese
army. Not really dangerous, save in large numbers."

"I still say we don't need any help. I think the four of us are more than
enough to deal with any threats to the boss or his plan. Besides, we only
need a couple more days."

Whizzer shook his head. "No way. Four people aren't enough to call us the
Lethal Legion."

"But you're the only one who calls us that."

"Right now, but when we become famous and masters of the world, it'll strike
fear into the hearts of everyone."

"I'd rather be respected than feared."

"Fear is better. At least that's what the boss always says, and you can't
deny he's gone a long ruling through fear instead of respect."

"Good point. I guess you might be right. Maybe calling ourselves the Lethal
Legion is a good idea. You're definitely better at this super villain stuff
than I am."

Whizzer gave an affectionate punch to his comrade's shoulder. "Just follow
my lead. I'll make an ultra-tough, yet stylish, super villain out of you
yet."

"That would be a change over most of the guys I usually fight. Actually, it
would be a change from everyone I've fought," a voice called out.

Power Man turned just in time to have a well-aimed billy club ricochet off
his face. Even as the cylinder bounced off the floor and returned to the
thrower's hand, the huge man's sole reaction to the blow was to rub his jaw.
"Congratulations. That's the hardest hit I've taken all day."

Underneath his mask, Daredevil scowled. Not only was his opponent still
standing and refusing to show the slightest effect from bring struck in the
face with a full-forced throw, but the huge man's heartbeat hardly moved up
a notch from its already low rate. It appeared he was finally going to have
his skills taken to the limit. Now confronted with the actuality of his long
standing desire, he was no longer certain that was necessarily a good thing.

"Ohhh, you're a super hero, aren't you?" Whizzer asked, barely able to
contain his excitement. "What's your name?"

"Daredevil." Even Mousse was surprised at the heart rate of the person
speaking to him. It was like a hummingbird's, only faster. It was a miracle
it didn't explode on the spot from the way it should have been overtaxed.

Unable to contain his joy, Whizzer began vibrating uncontrollably. "This is
great! I was hoping we could fight one of you super heroes. China doesn't
have any to speak of. It's kind of boring, really. But when I heard I was
coming to Japan I got excited, especially with the deluge of heroes that
have been coming around recently. I've been reading about them in Newsweek.
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the Whizzer."

Daredevil cringed. "The Whizzer? It sounds like you have the ability to go
to the restroom really fast." Suddenly 'Stilt Man' didn't seem like such a
stupid name.

Power Man turned on his friend. "I told you that outfit was a dumb color and
the name was stupid, but you wouldn't listen."

"I know, I know. It never occurred to me people would associate my name with
that. I'll change my costume and name at the first opportunity when we get
back. I had several costumes made up and a list of other names to go with
them since I had such a hard time deciding." Whizzer returned his attention
to their opponent and pointed at the large man. "My friend over there is
Power Man."

"That's not my real name. It's Lime," Power Man explained.

"Oh, that's much better," Daredevil said. Okay, maybe they didn't come
across as the brightest of opponents, but at least they didn't have
completely moronic powers. Of course, that could be actually bad, all things
considered.

Whizzer turned to his comrade. "Take him on one at a time or together?"

"Why not together?"

"Good point. We wouldn't be decent bad guys if we fought fairly."

Whizzer was just about to rush forward when a movement from out of the
corner of his eye caught his attention. It was very quick, and one with
lesser reflexes would not have had time to react, but such rules didn't
apply to the speedster. Impossibly fast he ran, preventing the shaft from
hitting him at a closer range, but the distance still wasn't enough as the
force of the explosion from the blast arrow ripped into the floor of the
terminal right where he had been standing a moment before. Between the
shrapnel and the force from the blast, the Whizzer found himself knocked off
his feet and sent crashing to the ground.

"That didn't feel good at all," the speedster moaned as he tried to regain
his footing and failed on his first attempt.

Hawkeye rushed out into the open with another arrow notched in her bow. She
had maneuvered behind her opponents while they had wasted time with the
newcomer, Daredevil, if she had heard correctly. Apparently he was on her
side. It was hard to tell lately. One thing Whizzer had been on target about
was the sudden proliferation of super heroes. Hawkeye had already met two.
It would be good to talk with another one. She felt a bit alone in the world
with her newfound occupation, and the idea of having a partner appealed to
her in some way. Of course she would have to prove her worth and help
Daredevil in taking out these two buffoons before she could 'talk shop'.
Given how bright the bad guys in question seemed, she and Daredevil should
be deep in conversation in under ten minutes.

Power Man hurled a sizable potted plant at Hawkeye before she could get a
second shot at the fallen Whizzer. She was able to leap out of the way of
the large projectile as it continued hurtling through the air until it hit
an ATM machine, cracking it open like a bulky pi�ata that spewed money out
of its innards instead of candy.

Seeing the move bought Whizzer enough time to get back to his feet, Power
Man cracked his knuckles and turned to face the man who had dared to assault
him with the throwing stick. "Two-on-two just means it'll take longer."

"But not long," Daredevil leapt into the air and sent a volley of chains
shooting out from the sleeves of his robe. Rather than hurling them directly
towards his large opponent, the blind adventurer whirled them around twice
before spinning the weighted chains at Power Man. The metal encircled his
upper body several times, pinning his arms to his side.

It took only the slightest bit of exertion on the villain's part to expand
the muscles of his chest, snapping the chains as though they were nothing
more than string. He held one of the shattered links in his hand. "Is that
the best you can do?"

A large metal bat appeared from the robes and into Daredevil's hands. He
swung with all his might, delivering a solid blow over the top of Power
Man's head.

The large man shook his head again. "Pretty good swing there. I felt that
too. You should try out for the major leagues."

Daredevil's radar sense informed him that the impression of Power Man's head
that had been left in the length of metal meant it would be a good idea to
abandon the weapon. He tossed it aside and made a mental note to replace it
later, since he only had two left in his robe. "Fine, we can do it the
old-fashioned way." He fell into a fighting stance.

"Good." Power Man took a swing at Daredevil's head. The red-garbed
adventurer easily got out of the way easily.

"You're fast." The huge man took another swing. Again his opponent ducked.
"Go ahead, don't fight back," Power Man taunted as he lashed out with a
third fist that failed to connect. He wasn't concerned. He had sparred with
Mint, or rather Whizzer, on a number of occasions, and this Daredevil was
nowhere near as fast as the speedster. Like his friend, the smaller man
would eventually tire and slow down, and then all it would take was one, two
blows at the most, and the fight would be history. It was just a question of
stamina now, and Power Man's was as impressive as his prodigious strength.
All he needed was time.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Across the terminal, Hawkeye sprang back up and notched an arrow, pointing
it at where the Whizzer had been lying a handful of seconds before.

There was no one there.

A blow connected with the back of her head. The cry of, "Surprise!" came hot
on its heels.

Training coming to the fore, Hawkeye rolled with the blow and came up firing
in the direction of the voice. The quick recovery seemed to surprise the
speedster, and he barely shifted his head to the side fast enough to avoid
the metal studded arrow from hitting him right in the skull. He ran
backwards to gain some distance from his opponent. "Hey, that was nasty. If
it had hit, it would have left a big lump on my head."

"That was the idea!" Hawkeye cursed as she shot another stun arrow at her
opponent, but he darted out of its way as well. He did the same to another
blast arrow, which sailed past and blew up yet more of the terminal, though
this time the explosion was too far out of range to affect him.

"I thought you were going to be dangerous, but the only danger I'm facing is
falling asleep from boredom." Whizzer yawned for effect.

Hawkeye grinned. Now that she had some grasp of his tactics, she came up
with a plan. She fired again, this time the arrow going high over his head.
A net opened up the moment it passed over the villain.

Or at least where he had been. Unfortunately, it was with this arrow's
release that Whizzer changed tactics and instead of dodging, advanced
forward with blinding speed and struck his opponent squarely in the jaw.
Though his strength was average, the velocity of the blow served to increase
the damage it inflicted and sent Hawkeye sprawling painfully to the ground.

"Damn!" she muttered through a sore jaw. She had barely seen him move. This
was almost worse than the time she had been hypnotized into believing her
arrows were snakes.

As she returned to her feet, bow and arrow at the ready, the blur hit again,
knocking her flat. The salty tang of blood assailed her tongue. A third
time, and she couldn't even return to her feet as he kicked her in the gut
at super speed. Her opponent made certain to move back a good fifteen meters
after administering the blow. Hawkeye tried returning to her feet, but fell
over once. She was going to need several seconds to recover.

Confident he had the upper hand, Whizzer said, "You only have trick arrows,
don't you? No super powers at all."

"Sorry to disappoint you." The speedster seemed to have an affinity to talk
excessively. Hawkeye used this to her advantage as she regained her bearing
while still pretending to be so disoriented she couldn't stand up. Another
plan came to her. She hoped she could get him to wait another handful of
seconds so she could enact it. As long as the idiot kept toying with her,
she had a chance.

Whizzer gave a sad shake of his head. "A pity. You're just a trained weapons
user. Not a real super hero at all. I feel like I'm wasting my time."

Gnashing her teeth at the insult, Hawkeye let her hand slip to the quiver on
her back and pretended to fumble with the arrows. Just a few more seconds.

Whizzer tensed as Hawkeye finally drew an arrow, but even he was taken aback
as the archer proceeded to fire it into a wall off to the side, halfway
between the speedster and his opponent. "Absolutely pathetic. I hit you four
times, and it was only four times since I didn't use my repeated punching
ability, and you still fold up like a house of cards." He made a
disappointed sound as Hawkeye slowly regained a vertical base and drew
another arrow, pointing it at the opposite wall.

The bumbling move made Whizzer sigh once again. "I'm going to do you a favor
and break that bow and dump all your arrows in a river. This line of work is
too dangerous for a normal person like you. I think I'll keep the mask,
though. I'll make a trophy out of it since you are technically the first
super hero I've beaten, even if you aren't all that super."

"You know what you're problem is? You talk way too much." Hawkeye spat in
his direction.

"And now you won't talk at all!" Whizzer began to run forward even as
Hawkeye finally fired the notched arrow into the opposite wall. The
speedster would be aiming for his opponent's jaw this time, intent on
reducing it to powder with repeated blows for daring to imply that he
pontificated too much.

He was so intent on beating Hawkeye to a pulp that he failed to see the wire
tied to each arrow, one that was now taut thanks to the second shot, and at
ankle level. He felt it though as he unwittingly ran into it, tripping over
the wire and rolling across the ground at an inhumanly high speed. His
momentum was too great for him to stop as he smashed into a service desk
next to one of the departure areas. Now it was his turn to be stunned.

Once her opponent encountered his makeshift break pad, Hawkeye immediately
drew another stun arrow. This time she would not miss.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Power Man threw his twentieth blow, this time almost touching the red garbed
adventurer's mask. He was getting close now, and this Daredevil was starting
to show signs of fatigue, not to mention fear. The idiot hadn't even tried
to throw a punch the entire time.

Feeling unusually generous, Power Man said, "Look, you aren't even bothering
to fight back, not that you could harm me. Why not just run for it? I'll let
you go. Unlike Mint, I mean Whizzer, I don't really care about fighting you
super types. I just want to finish my job and go home." He threw a
half-hearted punch in Daredevil's direction, hoping it would persuade the
nuisance to go away.

"A generous offer, but I think not." It was the opening Daredevil was
waiting for. With a flick of the wrist his billy club appeared in his hand.
He jammed it upward with all the force he could muster, aiming at one
critical spot on Power Man's arm. It was practically an all-or-nothing blow,
since the blind man would be off-balance if the attack failed.

Daredevil's aim was true as the end of the club hit at just the precise spot
at the shoulder, causing Power Man to cry out in pain and grab his now limp
arm. It was just as he thought. The man's skin was supernaturally tough, but
not enough to make him immune to pain. A powerful blow, one strong enough to
shatter a normal man's arm, delivered to the center of a cluster of nerves
located at the joint in the elbow was enough to at least temporarily
neutralize one of the big man's limbs. Satisfied that Power Man was not
invincible, the blind man went for his next attack.

"I'll kill you for that!" Power Man raged as he brought his good arm up.
However, Daredevil stepped back, throwing some sort of white powder into the
larger man's face. The move was unexpected enough that Power Man couldn't
close his eyes in time. Instantly, his eyes teared up, blinding him. All he
could do was roar in even greater agony and flail about.

Blinded, Power Man missed the smile that blossomed on Daredevil's features
at another gamble that had worked. As obscenely strong as the appropriately
named Power Man was, his eyes were not so tough that they could ignore the
effects of salt thrown into them. However, sensing the effect this newfound,
albeit temporary, handicap had on his opponent; the now racing heartbeat,
the awkward walking and colliding into objects that were in 'plain sight',
and the anguish both physical and mental of losing one of the primary
senses, made Daredevil feel a slight bit of remorse. Blindness was not
something he wished on anyone, no matter how well he had managed to adjust
to his own condition. That Daredevil possessed little choice in the matter
did little to ease his conscience concerning his actions.

Power Man threw an awkward blow in Daredevil's general direction, one that
had no hope whatsoever of striking its intended target. The blind one took
advantage of his opponent's clumsy blow by grabbing him under the arm and
placing a leg in front of the large man's own. One quick toss later Power
Man was flat on his stomach, temporarily winded by the unexpected attack.
Daredevil brought out a pair of titanium handcuffs, hoping that with Power
Man's hands brought behind him, he would lack the leverage necessary to
summon his full strength and shatter the restraints.

And then he heard a movement come from somewhere behind him. His radar sense
made out a figure, slightly smaller and lighter than him, racing up in what
would have been anyone else's blind spot. The person, a woman if his radar
sense was accurate, was quick and inhumanly silent; he could barely detect
her footsteps even with his heightened hearing. But no one could sneak up on
the 'man without fear'; not even an ant. Forewarned, Daredevil had time to
judge the way she approached and mentally prepared a counter-attack.

He half turned and flung his hand behind him. A large number of chains with
weighted objects shot out, arcing to where this mystery woman would be,
taking her out long before she reached him. Much to Daredevil's own
surprise, she either sensed the attack or her reflexes were better than his.
She nimbly leapt aside without breaking stride, allowing the chains to go
harmlessly past.

And then she was upon him, attacking without hesitation. Daredevil could
hear the sound of something small cutting through the air as she brought her
arm forward, the smell of well-oiled metal reached his nostrils. She had
pulled a weapon, small and sharp, possibly a sai, from the way it cut the
air and did little to affect her 'profile' as defined by his radar sense.
Daredevil parried the blow at the last second. A clang rang loud in his
ears, and the muscles of his arm protested slightly over the impact they
suffered. The woman was strong, not with Power Man's level, but judging by
the force of the blow, possibly as strong as Daredevil himself.

Just as quick she ducked under his counterstrike. His senses reached out and
told him more of her physical attributes even as he simultaneously
formulated his next attack. Lighter and a couple of centimeters smaller.
Heartbeat, though excited, not so fast as to indicate panic. Style very
controlled and professional. Someone used to fighting then, and in superior
physical condition, but nothing to indicate superhuman abilities. She wore
little clothing, and it was skintight, judging by both the image produced in
his radar sense and the fact he could not hear her outfit rustling as she
moved. Long hair though, he could hear it move with every motion of her
head. The scent of her skin was fresh, not so much perfumed from soaps and
oils but closer to the smell a younger person produced. Somewhere within
five years of his age, possibly older, but highly trained and possessing no
compunction against killing, since the blade thrust was a fatal one for his
head. Still, she would fall short of his own skills. Aside from his own
superior physical abilities and Stick's mentoring, no one was as highly
motivated as he was at fighting and winning. He had failed to protect
someone once. Never again, no matter the cost.

Having taken the measure of his opponent, Daredevil feinted an attack to the
head with his club and followed up with a kick to her mid-section. She
blocked the first, then much to his surprise, bent backwards to evade the
second rather than leaping out of the way. It was a near thing, he could
feel the tips of his toes scrape against her uncovered stomach, but her
flexibility allowed her to dodge the kick and left her in a position to
counter attack while he was very vulnerable.

Counting on her trying to skewer him again, he put everything into
deflecting a blade thrust from her right. However, she surprised him once
more by lashing out with a punch to his chest with her free hand, then
followed it up with a kick to the back of his knee, bringing him low. He
tried to bring his billy club back around, but had it unceremoniously kicked
out of his hand.

Her opponent temporarily disarmed, the woman tried to skewer him again with
her sai. But even she was surprised by the speed he employed to produced
another billy club to block the blow.

"Damn Hidden Weapons Technique," she hissed, her voice a higher pitch than
Daredevil would have imagined. It also said something about her that she
recognized the style. Not many would, it was not common knowledge and few
mastered it. And, unless he was mistaken, there was just the faintest hint
of an accent underlying her Japanese. It was in the inflection of 'Hidden'.
No one else could have detected it, he barely had even with his superhuman
hearing, but it was there. A Chinese accent, or so he thought. It was hard
to tell, and unimportant at the moment.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he finally connected with a kick
to the woman's side. She let out a tight gasp of air, but he could feel her
roll with the blow, taking little damage from it. Recovering quickly, she
threw the sai directly at his head. It was an unusual move in that it wasn't
really a throwing weapon. He batted it out of the air, and then found
himself confronted with a spinning leap kick the woman had decided to
deliver while the blade was in mid-air. By the gods, she was fast and
skilled. Even he would have had difficulty matching that feat. So instead,
he moved back, allowing her toe to strike the floor instead of the leg she
had been aiming at.

At the last second he understood his mistake. Concentrating so much on stayi
ng alive, he had forgotten there were two opponents, and not realized that
the other one had recovered. Despite being off-balance, he shifted forward,
and the fist that was aimed at his head only stuck a glancing blow off the
base of his neck and shoulder. Against a man with normal strength, it would
have only hurt somewhat. From Power Man, it was like someone driving a two
by four into it. Daredevil fell unconscious immediately.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hawkeye aimed her next arrow at the Whizzer's stomach. She could not wait
for this fight to be over. That costume of his was just tasteless and making
her eyes sore.

She released the bowstring. There was a twang and the snap of the bow itself
as the arrow was released. A smile blossomed on Hawkeye's face. There was no
feeling in the world quite as satisfying as the slight jerk that a bow
produced when an arrow was fired from it. She had tried to explain it to
other people, but only fellow archers who allowed themselves to be fully
immersed in the art understood. It was the result of becoming one with a
weapon, a conjoining of sorts. Perhaps it was some sort of psychological
substitute for not being able to become one with a man, but it still served
to thrill and excite her even after she had fired tens of thousands of
arrows in her lifetime.

And this arrow was no different. It sped through the air, true to its
target. It was just about to strike when it encountered another object mere
centimeters before its intended target. Almost in slow motion, Hawkeye saw
the shaft cut neatly in half by a curved katana, both halves harmlessly
tossed aside.

A scowl creased her features as she looked at the man who dared prevent her
from achieving victory against the annoying speedster. He wore a garish
outfit, reminiscent of someone out of a Dumas novel. Frilly ornamentation
outlined his ridiculously outdated eighteenth-century European garb, and the
color scheme was only slightly less painful than the Whizzer's, a sedate
purple with red spread throughout, mostly in the leggings and vest. He even
had one of those ridiculous plumed hats with what appeared to be half a
peacock's butt stuck in it. A bit of black hair rolled out from underneath
the hat to come almost to his shoulders, and he wore a large a purple
bandanna to cover his head and the upper half of his face. Two eye holes
were cut out, allowing him to see.

"What are you, the Musketeer?" Hawkeye asked.

The man bowed. "No. I possess no musket. Such a weapon is unseemly and
inelegant. I find only the naked steel of the sword is suitable to a warrior
of my caliber."

"Musketeers didn't use katanas either," Hawkeye pointed out.

"I tell you I'm not a musketeer. Regrettably, my weapon was only
manufactured in the katana version. It's what we were going to market
first."

"Musketeer's weren't really known for marketing things."

A sheen of sweat would have formed on the warrior's brow, save for the fact
that the bandanna that also served as his mask soaked it up. "Ah, forget I
said anything about marketing. It has nothing to do with my secret identity,
which you need not concern yourself about. And I am not a musketeer."

"Then who are you?"

"I thought you would never ask."

Suddenly, Hawkeye wished she hadn't since she sensed a speech coming up.
There was something about the man that hinted at the ability to pontificate
about anything. far worse than even Whizzer could manage. She attempted a
preventive measure by firing a grapple arrow at him, but again he slashed
the attack out of mid-air.

"You did not let me finish my introduction."

"No need. I'll just call you 'Dead Meat' and leave it at that." She fired
another stun arrow, which he sliced that one in two as casually as swatting
an annoying insect.

"You did not wish to feel outclassed by learning my identity," He continued.
"I do not blame you. There are none that can rival one such as myself." He
almost missed the next arrow shot at him. "Once I was a wealthy scion of a
noble family, the idol of all who glanced at my handsome visage. I had it
all, looks, a sophisticated nature, intelligence--"

"A mouth that never stopped moving."

"Your uncouth language betrays the low born status you suffer from. It is
called verbosity, and it is suitable when one as wise as myself begets the
opportunity to impart knowledge to knaves such as yourself." A fifth arrow
struck the ground. "Since you seem intent upon futilely attacking me, I
shall give you the short version of who I am so that this fight might end
more quickly. I do have someone to meet, after all. Now then, I was
dissatisfied with the life of the idle rich, I became a wandering
adventurer. A warrior of sorts, a handsome, dashing young warrior who is the
idol of women and the envy of all. I hide my identity from jealous fools who
would do me harm because they are inferior to me, men such as yourself.
Bearing that in mind, know now that you will meet your doom at the
rapier-like wit of the Swordsman." He struck a pose.

"That name's not quite as lame as I thought it would be."

"Of course not. I picked it out myself."

"Too bad I can't say the same for the rest of you, especially that outfit.
You should have gone with a more home based image, like a samurai or
something."

"The costume shop was all out of samurai outfits, so I stole this one. I can
make anything look good, given my handsome features."

Hawkeye could not help herself and snorted in laughter.

The laughter was more than the Swordsman could take. He stepped forward, his
intent unmistakable.

Hawkeye fired another arrow. This time she nearly hit the oaf due to the
closer proximity and the lack of time her opponent had to react to the
projectile. Finally she had hope. She took a half step forward before she
realized something was wrong. It took a moment to figure out what it was:
Whizzer was no longer lying an a half-formed heap next to the wall.

A gust of air tickled the back of her neck. She turned as fast as she could,
ignoring the Swordsman for a moment. It was as she feared; Whizzer stood
behind her with his arms crossed casually as though he had been there the
entire time.

"Crap!" She had the time to say as his fist came at her before she could
bring her bow to bear. For some odd reason, she found it easy to focus on
the fist. Odd because usually he was little more than a blur when he moved.
She saw it hitting her in the stomach...

...And it felt like she had been hit with a dozen sledgehammers. She was
unable to breathe, unable to do anything other than instantly black out from
the pain, almost wishing for death as agony dragged her down to a darkness
that sought to claim her.

"How'd you like my 'Hundred in One Blows'?" the Whizzer bragged to his
fallen opponent. It was a move he disliked, since he had to stand still to
deliver it, but it had power behind it, or more specifically a lot of little
power behind it since it was him hitting one hundred and one times in the
blink of an eye. Employing it was an intense act of concentration, and his
arm usually felt tired after using it more than three times within an hour,
but even on an off day it could still hurt even the massive Power Man.

Whizzer was admiring his handiwork when he found a sword thrust under his
chin.

"I required no assistance in dispatching my foe, knave," the Swordsman said
in a voice that held more pomposity than menace.

"It was personal. He made me run into that wall and it hurt like heck. My
back is still aching." Whizzer grabbed at it and winced slightly for the
man's benefit. "Hey, did you say your name is the Swordsman?"

"Indeed. The veritable 'Blue Thunder' of Japan." The warrior momentarily
forgot he was with a possible opponent and bowed. "I see my reputation has
spread beyond this island. Soon, the whole world shall know of my stature
and skill. Hahahaha!" he laughed to the heavens, which responded with a
lightning bolt striking in the distance.

The effect delighted the Whizzer, as well as learning the name of his ally.
"Great! You're one of the guys we're looking for. I'm called Whizzer."

"Truly an odious super-power. Still, it could have been worse. You could
have been named, 'The Crapper'."

"That's it! I'm ditching the name now. Call me Mint until we get back and I
change my name and costume," he grumbled. "Anyway, now that you're here.
Allow me to welcome you to the Lethal Legion."

"That is the name of the group I'll be leading?"

"Leading?"

"Of course, for one of my intellect and birth, it is only fitting that I
lead."

"Actually, I think the boss is the one in charge. He's the one who actually
has the brains and power to take over the world. He's also the one who hired
you as added muscle and paying your fee and all."

"Oh yes. I sometimes forget that in severing my ties to the past to keep
from being killed, either through mysterious other powers or boredom, I now
need to lower myself by occasionally accepting contributions in return for
lending my talents to those deserving of them. Now, as to my payment, once
we're ruling the world, I am to be given Kyoto, correct?"

"That's what the boss said. He's always held the opinion from the beginning
that once he takes over, he'll need strong people who are easy to manipulate
to delegate leadership roles to. He seemed to think you, me, and Power Man
shuld fit the bill in those regards."

The Swordsman held his sword up high above his head. "He could have chosen
no more suitable warrior to enlist in his cause."

Having finally met the Swordsman, Whizzer found himself inclined to agree,
even if he was nothing more than a weapon wielder and not a true super
villain in Whizzer's estimation. "Now all we have to do is wait for the
other recruit and we can get out of here."

As though in response to the speedster's statement, the deep baritone voice
of Power Man carried over to where he stood. The words spoken were something
along the lines of, "Those really are titties?"

"Yes, they are, and you may not touch them! Try it and you'll lose an eye."

Both Whizzer and Swordsman turned to see the squabbling pair heading their
way. Power Man was walking slightly behind a very attractive woman. She wore
a skintight body suit, boots, and curious long gloves that went halfway up
to her elbow. Her mane of long black hair was partially kept under wraps by
a bandanna. All of her attire was the same blood red color. A pair of sais
stuck out of a sash tied at her waist, and the hilt of a katana poked out of
a scabbard strapped to her back.

Whizzer was at her side within a blink of the eye. "Aren't you the girl
Power Man and I were approaching earlier?"

"Yes, you idiots. I can't believe you tried to come into contact with me
when you were obviously being watched. Were you trying to get me caught
too?"

"Actually we just wanted to check out your breasts." Power Man started to
bring his hand forward to paw at them again. In retaliation, the woman the
woman lashed out with her foot between his legs. Power Man's eyes crossed
slightly. "I think I felt that too. Owww." He backed off much more eagerly
this time.

Swordsman was at the woman's side in an instant. Taking his foppish hat from
his head, he gave a deep formal bow. As he rose back up, he pulled a bouquet
of flowers from the hat and handed them to the woman. "Alas, never in all my
years have I met so lovely and lethal a maiden. Already my eyes swim in your
allure and bask in your appearance. My life has been naught but a void
bereft of love until this moment. Allow me to humbly introduce myself. I am
but a wandering warrior called the Swordsman, and I shall ever be at your
service from this point onward. Might I ask your name, oh dark maiden of
danger?"

"I am Elektra of the Hand. I am their chief assassin and the member assigned
the task of rendering aid to this self-proclaimed future emperor of the
world." She looked at the bouquet in disgust, then handed it to Whizzer.

He stared in awe at bouquet and told Power Man, "Look, she must like me a
lot. She's given me flowers and already gotten to first base."

Swordsman ignored the woman's gesture; he already had his eyes settled on
his prey and her adoration of him was inevitable. "I see. Since we will be
future comrades in arms, and relying on one another in life and death
situations, it would be best if we got to know each other better. Therefore,
at the first available opportunity I shall allow you to date me."

"And I shall allow you to bleed all over me if you try," Elektra said with a
tongue as sharp as her sais.

"Then it is a date." Swordsman bowed again, causing the assassin to roll her
eyes.

She turned to the other members of this inane 'Lethal Legion' she was
supposed to be temporarily aligning herself with at the behest of her
masters. The trio appeared stupid, but powerful and skilled. She would be
able to thrive among the fools, especially since they seemed overly enamored
with her. From what little information she had gleaned from her masters,
their boss was far more brilliant. There was the realistic potential for him
to possibly emerge victorious in his attempt at laying claim to, if not the
whole world, at least a significant portion of it. If he did, in return for
their cooperation the Hand would be given free reign to spread their
influence through the entirety of Asia without fear of reprisals from the
authorities. And if he failed, the ten million dollars he had deposited in
their bank accounts for hiring her services would still allow the
organization to come out ahead.

"Time to go," Whizzer announced.

"Ewww. That's disgusting, you pervert! I don't wanna to see you go to the
bathroom all over the place. Find a restroom or something."

A quartet of heads turned to the source of the remark.

Whizzer shouted, "All right! Another super... hey, he doesn't have a
costume."

Ranma cracked his knuckles. "You got that right. I'm no super hero. I'm just
a normal guy called Ranma Saotome that's going to kick all of your butts."

Whizzer shook his head sadly. "Someone take care of this loser with
delusions of grandeur. We don't have time to waste. We need to fly back to
China. The final stage of the plan is almost ready to begin, and the boss
wants us back as additional muscle in case something unexpected happens."
Whizzer knew he was going to get yelled at for this delay. He just knew it.

"He's mine." Power Man moved forward, intent on twisting Ranma into a swan.
He had been practicing origami, and thought he was pretty good at it, but
wanted the additional practice to hone his skills. He lunged at the youth,
but found his hands managed to clutch nothing but air.

Ranma somersaulted over the big man, easily dodging the lunge. While
spinning directly overhead, he unleashed a punch that connected with the top
of the cranium of his more powerful opponent. Power Man clutched his head
from the pain. Even Daredevil hadn't struck that hard.

As Ranma came out of his aerial roll, he landed on his feet and before
Elektra, who had anticipated his trajectory and already held her sais in
hand. She stabbed at him three times, constantly missing by only the
slightest of margins. After the third slash, a foot met her jaw, knocking
her off her feet and loosing her hold on one of her weapons.

Not even waiting for her to land, Ranma went to the air again to deliver a
leap kick to the idiot in the musketeer costume. This was all too easy, he
thought to himself. It was exactly like he had told his father; he didn't
need some stupid costume and shield to defeat super villains. He was Ranma
Saotome, not Captain Japan. He was a master of the School of Anything Goes
martial arts and would prove it by defeating this pack of losers and
shipping them off to the police.

He lined the heel of his foot up with the forehead of the Swordsman. Ranma
anticipated this one being the easiest of the lot. People that used weapons
tended to rely upon them too much, and it was only a sword. Even as the
villain lined the point of the blade in Ranma's direction, he was already
figuring out how to evade the stab thrust and attack on the follow-through.

And just as quickly all thoughts were driven from Ranma's mind when a yellow
bolt of energy leaped forth from the hilt of the blade. Caught completely
off-guard by the nature of the attack, Ranma was struck fully in the chest.
Pain erupted from his body as the power from the blast diverted his course
in mid-air and drove him backward.

Ranma had fallen no more than halfway back to the ground when he felt
someone grab his ankle. The next thing he knew there was a yellow blur, and
then he found himself hurled through the air so quickly that everything
became a shifting field of various colors, far too fast for his eye to
follow. The disturbing flight only stopped when the grip on his ankle
released and his unexpected flight ended with his collision head-first into
a wall.

Equilibrium helplessly destabilized, Ranma tried to get both his wind back
and return to his feet. He accomplished neither as a red boot struck him
fully in the chest, jaw, and back. The only thing that stopped the beating
was a booming voice which declared, "My turn."

Air replaced concrete as Ranma felt himself hoisted up, suspended like a
small child in the hands of a giant. He recognized Power Man's mask as the
big man brought him face-to-face. The only details Ranma could make out
around the man's mask were the piercing gaze from around the eyeholes and
the cut out portion of the mouth, which was curled into a sneer. Neither
seemed to bode well for the youth.

Ranma fought back with the only skill still left to him. "You're still
slow."

A fist met the top of his head, one with five times he force he mustered
when doing the same thing to the large man.. "And you're unconscious." He
tossed Ranma's limp body aside.

"We're out of here," Whizzer declared as he headed towards an exit that
would take them to one of the airstrips.

"No plane will take us out of here. The airport has been sealed thanks to
your cover being blown," Elektra pointed out.

"We have a private plane, and I can be very persuasive." Power Man slammed
his hand into his fist. All present could almost feel the room shake.

"I suppose you can be," Elektra admitted. Stupid, but very strong. She would
have to be careful among this nest of vipers. Of course, it did not hurt
that she was the most poisonous of them all.

The quartet departed the terminal and headed to one of the planes that
awaited them. No one that remained tried to get in their way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Red warning lights flashed in her helmet as the Iron Rose's sensors spotted
a familiar hammer wielding goddess flying in the same direction she was.
Using her jets, the armored warrior maneuvered closer to Thor. The blonde
gave a warded salute as the two flew through the air. The Iron Rose returned
the gesture, remembering the somewhat tempestuous meeting they had when
confronting that bestial Hulk so many weeks ago.

"What brings you here?" the Iron Rose asked, using her loudspeakers.

"I did see upon the television scenes of carnage delivered by those who
would seek to do others harm. I took it upon mineself to alleviate the fears
of the masses and defeat these perpetrators of injustice and give them unto
the authorities. And thy presence?"

"Same reason. Shall we team up?"

"The Goddess of Thunder requires no assistance, even from one such as
thyself, armored warrior." Thor scoffed. "But I will not force thee to
leave, as thy conscience has deemed that thou should be here to render what
aid thou might. Simply stay out of mine way and all shall be well."

"Oh, I'm certain it will," the Iron Rose replied coldly. Who did this
pompous gaijin think she was in ordering someone as high born and powerful
as Kodachi Kunou around as though she was some mere school crossing guard?
Well, the Iron Rose would show this cocky goddess what true power was when
they confronted the villains that had assaulted the airport. She would
defeat them so quickly that Thor would turn as green as the Hulk in envy.

The duo flew above the airport, witnessing the scene of chaos. Dozens of
police vehicles were spread out in the front of the main terminal. From
above it seemed they were primarily divided into two groups. Some trying to
control the increasingly growing crowd of press and curious onlookers, while
the rest steeled themselves for the assault on the building.

Both Thor and the Iron Rose landed among the group preparing to enter the
terminal. The goddess's touchdown was as gentle as a feather, while the boot
jets of the armored warrior kicked up a cloud of dust that momentarily
obscured her from view. Once the dust settled, the pair addressed the crowd.

"What transpires here?" Thor inquired of the woman who appeared to be in
charge.

Kaori shot the goddess in irritated glare. "Great, more of you guys. Well,
it doesn't appear the first couple of you vigilantes did much good. We had a
report from the tower that an unauthorized plane took off on its own.
Someone said they thought they saw the bad guys who were tearing up the
place board it, and they brought friends. Just be happy they weren't your
buddies, or I'd be hauling you off right now."

"First couple of us?" Thor asked.

"Yes. They were dressed like clowns, like you, I mean. They went in before
you. Some archer and that Dirtdevil guy."

Thor's brows narrowed at the implications, and she leveled a scowl at the
officer, leaving no doubt as to her opinion of them. "I have no such allies,
and I assure thee they were not mine companions. I have no peers here on
Midgard."

"You got that right." Ryo said, staring at her chest. Since his brother had
said all that needed to be said, Kyo simply drooled in agreement.

Kaori seethed at the twins' attitude, but turned her anger to the goddess
before her. "What about that one?" She pointed at Thor's flying companion.

"This one is called the Iron Rose, bodyguard to the head of Kunou
Industries," Iron Rose answered as her instruments began to monitor the
situation. She thought she had managed to get a lock on the transponder
signal coming from the plane that had illegally taken off from the airport.
She couldn't follow it; her boot jets weren't built for long distance and
the armor was too heavy for her to fly that fast. But the information might
be useful later.

"Our meeting is by coincidence, I assure you." Thor said. "So, might there
be more base villains still within the confines of yon building?"

"Possibly. We were just about to go in-"

"Thou need not worry. The Goddess of Thunder shall take care of matters.
Merely keep the throngs back and out of harm's way while I deal with
things." Thor turned on her heel and headed to the terminal, determination
in every step. The Iron Rose followed in her wake, paying close attention to
her helmet's sensors and keeping a lookout for trouble.

"Wait! That's a restricted zone!"

"Restricted to others. Thor treads where others fear to follow."

Kaori's fury doubled. She knew from the beginning it was a futile warning
that was too late to prevent the goddess from barging in anyway, which made
her seethe all the more. She was rapidly coming to hate super beings of any
kind. Things were a lot more peaceful and safer without them running around.
Something should be done about them, both the good and the bad ones since
there was so little difference between them. They had no respect for the law
or authorities, acting like a bunch of American cowboys and causing untold
havoc and damage. All of them needed to be put out of commission so the
police could do their job once again.

She wondered if she should contact her 'Uncle' Peter in America about the
problem. During one of his visits, her father's old friend had once
mentioned the difficulties with heroes in the United States and what
measures he felt should be taken to control them. From what she had gleaned,
his attitude concerning them was very similar to her own. He was an
influential man in his government. Perhaps it was a matter worth looking
into.

xxxxxxxxx

"We're here." The cab driver pulled to a stop well outside the ring of
police cars. "That'll be an extra five thousand yen, since you made me enter
a miniature demilitarized zone as fast as I could."

"Thanks." Tofu paid the man and exited the vehicle. The moment he stepped
out, the driver floored it and left. If Tofu had any sense, or the ability
to say no, he would have done the same.

"What do we do now?" he asked his front jacket pocket.

Kasumi emerged and considered the situation. "Shrink down. I'll carry you
with me, and we'll see if we can get the drop on the bad guys. No sense in
us announcing our presence beforehand, right?"

Tofu admitted it made sense. Apparently Kasumi had given some thought to
this super hero thing. Sighing, he looked for a place to take off his outer
clothing and shrink down, mindful of where he would be storing the garments
so they might be recovered later.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The contrasting symbols of ancient magic and advanced technology traveled
side-by-side as Thor and Iron Rose walked through the length of the
terminal. Everywhere they went there were signs of a tremendous struggle
that had progressed throughout a considerable portion of the building.
Shattered lights, overturned baggage carriers, support columns pulverized
into dust. Billions of yen in damage had been inflicted upon the structure,
and only unconscious law enforcement personnel were to show for it.

The duo had made it nearly three quarters of the way through the building
when the Iron Rose's infrared scan showed a heat signature. "There!" She
pointed for Thor's benefit, showing where the body of Daredevil lay limply
upon the ground. "I think that's the Dusty Demon person the officer
mentioned.

Thor thought she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She was
uncertain, but she could have sworn it was a large panda carrying a boy
about Ranma's age out of sight. But it had only been a fleeting glimpse, and
she was uncertain if she saw anything. Still, the unusual sight made it a
matter worth investigating. The goddess prepared to head off in that
direction when Iron Rose interrupted her thought process by saying, "And
there's the archer. It appears they failed to stop those super villains."

Thor turned to see what Iron Rose was referring to. Her eyes widened as they
fell upon a familiar figure. "Hawkeye!" Thoughts of panda kidnappers
forgotten, the goddess rushed over to the where the archer lay. As she drew
closer, she recognized the handsome man she had met a short while ago when
they had been forced to deal with the combined might of the Mask Gang, Ulos,
and that arrogant watered-down godling, Raiden.

Thor cradled the fallen hero in her massive arms. "What base villains have
the audacity to strike thee down, my comrade? If thou hast been mortally
wounded, I swear upon the All-Father's name that I shall avenge thee!"

Iron Rose looked on in surprise. "The two of you are close?"

The question shocked the goddess out of her reverie and made her take a step
back and realize what she had done. She dropped Hawkeye as though the archer
was a hot potato. One that hit headfirst to the ground. "I am not a pervert!
We barely know one another. I was just concerned that one so noble was
struck down by treachery of some sort."

"I see." Iron Rose nodded, glad her faceplate hid her amusement.

Despite landing on her head, the fall served to jar Hawkeye awake. It took
her a moment to dazedly revive and realize who now surrounded her. Thor she
recognized, but the armored warrior was new. As the archer shook her head
clear of the remaining haze around it, she noticed the look of concern and,
was it affection the large woman seemed to be directing to her?

It almost certainly was. It seemed when it came to romance, this was the way
Hawkeye's luck ran of late. Turning on the 'masculine charm,' she tried to
unleash her best cocky swagger, which was coming out as weak as she felt,
and said, "No need to worry there. I'm one hero who knows how to take care
of himself. I had things under control until that sword wielding jackass
showed up and distracted me. Then I got double teamed, and they still needed
a healthy dose of luck to beat me. Next time, I'll be the one mopping the
floor up with their faces and sticking that sword where the sun don't
shine."

"And with the Goddess of Thunder at thy side, victory is assured." An
involuntary smile spread across Thor's lips as she placed her hand across
Hawkeye's shoulders in a somewhat more than friendly manner. In some ways,
the self-assured, and somewhat cocky, attitude the archer demonstrated
reminded her of her old fighting partner and drinking companion, Fandral the
Dashing, of the Warriors Three. Now there was a handsome man who knew how to
party as well as seduce. His smile alone had lured dozens of ladies of
Asgard into his bed. Thor remembered being a touch on the jealous side about
the ease with which his friend scored with members of the opposite sex. But
the scion of the Realm Eternal had her own ways of seducing women, from
impressive feats of strength to her own royal lineage, many would...

Seducing women?

"I'm not a pervert," Thor said determinedly, removing her arm from Hawkeye's
shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't think you were," Hawkeye said, all the while being secretly
relieved that Thor seemed to be backing off. There was definitely something
overwhelming about the goddess. Despite her obvious womanly build and
attractive foreign features, there was some facet of her nature that felt
aggressively masculine, a powerful presence which even Hawkeye failed to
achieve. It made for some curious reactions in Ukyou's own female body to
have it respond in such a way around another woman.

Both of the heroes backed away from one another, one in confusion and the
other in caution.

Iron Rose took note of their mutual behavior. This Hawkeye person was
somewhat attractive in a bishonen way, though he was a bit slender for
Kodachi's taste. She could understand the interest the goddess seemed to
have for the archer. It reminded the Iron Rose of her own unattached state,
something that would have to change at the first opportunity she had.
However, there were other matters that had to be dealt with first.

She went over and examined the unconscious Daredevil. A woozy sigh escaped
his lips as he slowly regained consciousness.

"Where are they?" he moaned.

"Most likely already departed." Now that the Iron Rose was able to view the
crimson clad adventurer more closely, she wondered what his build was like
under his voluminous  robes. That errant thought struck her as to just how
lonely she was. "Are you all right?"

Daredevil jumped up to his feet and worked his muscles around. "My head's
ringing a bit, but it's nothing I can't deal with." He turned to go. "I need
to track those four down and bring them to justice. They're a menace to
everyone."

"How wilt thou follow? They flew off, and thou dost not appear to be the
type that can fly the skies the way the Goddess of Thunder can," Thor
informed him as she considered how she might track the villains down as
well.

"I don't know, but I have to find them." Daredevil silently raged against
what had happened. The first serious threat he had come across, and he had
been beaten handily. He had the situation under control until that woman
showed. It was only thanks to her intervention that he lost. He had to
defeat either her or that giant lump of muscle, otherwise he could never
truly regard himself as a super hero, not if he failed so quickly to a real
threat.

"I might have a way of following them," Iron Rose told the others. "I
believe I managed to get their transponder code. With the resources of my
employer at my disposal, I believe I can track them down so long as they
remain in this hemisphere."

That caught the interest of the others. Since no one had any better ideas,
the trio clustered around the armored girl and began discussing about their
next course of action.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

While the heroes' discussion was going on, another was beginning. Genma the
'Wonder Panda,' had barely been able to snatch Ranma away from the scene of
carnage before they had been spotted. For a moment he thought Thor had spied
them, but either he was wrong or she had simply not felt inclined to follow.
In either case it gave the panda a chance to communicate with his son.

He slapped Ranma in a nerve cluster in his back. The sharp bite of pain
brought Ranma back to wakefulness.

As he came around, Ranma gave a groggy, "What's going on, Pop?"

Genma held up a sign. *You got your head handed to you by those guys.*

Slowly, bits and pieces of the fight came back to Ranma. Once the pieces all
fell together, the picture they made created a tight feeling of anger that
formed in the pit of Ranma's stomach. His father was absolutely correct. He
had been defeated like a pitiful weakling. The quartet had beaten him in
under a minute, none of them breaking a sweat in the process. True, mostly
it was because that idiot musketeer's sword was able to shoot some kind of
power beam, but still Ranma should have been able to avoid it. He had gotten
cocky, and paid the appropriate price. To add to the humiliation, it had
happened after his big speech on not needing the shield and outfit to play
the hero.

His fist tightened into a ball. His fingers dug tight into his palm, turning
it white with pressure and nearly breaking the skin and drawing blood. Fine,
he had lost once. There was no way he was going to let it happen again. No
way at all. He would get revenge, no matter what the cost.

Knowing his son's pride and sensing (and silently hoping for) what was to
come, Genma signed, *Those others that were beaten up seem to be planning to
track them down and stop them too. They've been joined by those two other
people that helped you against those scary guys with the masks. If you
asked, I'm sure they would welcome some further assistance. I don't know as
they'd be willing to let someone that looks so normal to go along, though.*

"You're bring transparent, Pop, but you're also right. Give me that damn
costume. I'll play the icon of super heroism, at least long enough to kick
those four guys butts. No matter how far they ran, it ain't going to be far
enough to escape me."

*That's my boy.* Genma handed Ranma the shield and outfit, relieved to allow
Captain Japan to save the day once again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"...So you're saying this quinjet thing has the capabilities to go anywhere
in the world within a couple of hours?" Hawkeye asked.

"Indeed. It is experimental, but given the genius of my employer, I have no
doubts whatsoever that it'll work. If those we seek were on that private
jet, we should be able to track them down no matter where they hide. I'll
just have to make a few adjustments to its tracking system in order to
follow them." The Iron Rose smirked under her helmet. She was the only one
who could help them discover the villains' location. As powerful as the
hammer wielding goddess was, and as able as the two others might be, she was
the one who was in charge and calling the shots. That was as it should be,
for it was blatantly obvious she was the most brilliant, tactically sound,
and noblest person present. With her in charge, the villains would be
brought to justice in a matter of hours.

"So we should travel to thine headquarters?" Thor asked.

"That wont' be necessary. I can summon it here with my armor. The tools I
need to modify the  equipment will be onboard."

Something about her boasting caught Hawkeye's attention. "Wait a minute. I
thought you said your employer was the one who made the thing. How do you
know how to modify it?"

Under her helmet, Kodachi grimaced. Having a secret identity took some
getting used to. Still, it was a mistake that was easily rectified. "I have
no small ability in the field of electronics. Whereas I am nowhere near as
brilliant as the beautiful genius, Miss Kodachi Kunou, I have capabilities
that far surpass the average layman. Modifying the sensor systems aboard the
quinjet will be simplicity itself for one of my numerous talents.
Ohohohohoho!"

The others cringed at the laughter. Protests at her ear splitting merriment
were derailed as a new voice entered the discussion.

"Mind of I tag along? The name's Captain Japan, and I have a personal score
to settle with those jerks too."

The quartet turned to examine the newcomer. Captain Japan stood before them,
hands on his hips and shield slung on his arm in an attempt to look
intimidating and impress the four before him.

On Daredevil's part, there was something about the newcomer that rubbed him
wrong. He could practically feel the ego radiating off the hero. "I think we
have the situation well in hand, pal. The four of us can handle things, so
there's no need for you to-"

"He's coming along!" Three voices said as one.

The words had escaped Thor's mouth before she realized it, though she felt
no regrets and meant every word. This Captain fellow appeared to be a prime
specimen of manhood with an impressive physique that bulged in all the right
places and a height that allowed him to reach a level almost to her
forehead, a rarity among the Japanese. His bearing displayed a combination
of confidence and power, and she found herself being instantly attracted to
this newcomer, even if for some odd reason his outfit and shield bore an
uncanny resemblance to that Bucky harlot.

"And I'm not being perverted," she assured herself.

"You seem to be saying that a lot lately," Hawkeye commented. She too found
herself smitten by the man's obvious charms. Of course, with her luck he
might turn out to be a total jackass, but given the hunk of manhood in
question, she was certainly willing to take the chance if it meant getting
to know him better.

For her part, the Iron Rose remained silent after her proclamation. She was
taken instantly by what was obviously her intended soul mate. That he was
delivered to her like a gift from the gods was a clear sign they were
destined for one another. At last the rose of iron she had become would be
allowed to blossom in the hands of a man, as it was always meant to be. She
tittered under her armor.

Resentment rose in Daredevil. He could tell from the sounds of their voices
that all three were interested in the Captain for reasons other than
practicality. Hawkeye's interest surprised him most of all. The blind youth
made a mental note never to change clothes in the archer's presence. Still,
that he was so casually ignored in favor of what his radar sense detected as
little more than a walking side of testosterone and muscle irked him to no
end. He vowed to keep a close 'watch' on this Captain Japan. Daredevil knew
he was twice the man the egotist was, and would be eager to prove it at
every opportunity.

Hackles were raised up and down the entirety of Captain Japan's spine. He
felt uneasy at the attention suddenly directed his way and wondered if
traveling with this quartet was the best idea after all. However, he needed
their equipment and skills to track down the villains and pursue them. He
had already made an offer that was accepted and would never back out now for
fear of appearing cowardly. Still, for some odd reason he wondered if even
with all the help they could give him, if hanging around them would end up
being the greater of two evils.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Author's notes:]

It has come to my attention that some people have expressed justifiable
concern over some of the behavioral differences between some of the more
cameo type appearances of some of the other anime characters (Such as the
YAU ladies in this) and the differences they display here from their canon
counterparts. Part of it is that yes, I could simply fill such roles with
original characters, however I want to try and maintain a balance between
the super hero and the anime flavors to it. This is a fusion, so there are
differences in some of the background of the characters. Just look at the
differences in some of the primary members here, like Ranma and Ukyou. Some
of the appearances of the other characters will be instrumental to the
storyline. Koari as you can tell here, and the Goddesses from OMG! in the
next story arc. Others will be less important, a la Speed Racer in chapter 3
and the like. So bear this in mind when saying, "Character X would react
differently from what's here. Whereas you're probably right, I'm hoping what
differences they display can be overlooked for the sake of their appearance,
and I will try to keep their more canon personalities in line. Just wanted
to clear that point up.

Well, another chapter down. Originally I anticipated everything I had
outlined in my head to take only one 120K or so chapter. Boy was I wrong. It
nearly doubled in anticipated size. Looks like 'Ten Rings' will be three
minimum, to possibly four chapters, but very unlikely to stretch beyond
that. We'll see as things progress.

Special thanks to
Gary Ee
Christopher Horton
William Morse





















	     .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'