The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Oh! Hello there!”

Lana glanced up from her menu to smile at the lovely young dark-haired girl standing before her. “Yes, hello,” she said, taking a moment to look her over. “We’ve met before, haven’t we? Forgive me... Your name escapes me, but I do remember your face. You’re one of James’ friends, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied with a smile. “Diane Porter,” she said, extending a hand to take Lana’s, shaking it briskly. “It’s nice to officially meet you. I’m surprised you remembered me, though. We only met in passing briefly.”

“Well, as I said, I never forget a face,” Lana replied with a smirk, “Especially the face of such a beautiful young woman as yourself.”

Diane blushed heatedly, glancing away briefly. “Ah, um... so, er, what brings you all the way out here?” she asked, changing the subject. “Jimmy said that you rarely leave the apartment.”

Lana shrugged. “True, but this would be one of those rare times. James and Devon are off together having ‘private time’,” she said with a knowing smirk, “so I decided I might as well go out on the town as well. And Devon always gushed about this Paley’s Place as if it were the best place to eat in the entire world, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

“Well, you certainly picked the perfect place for dinner,” Diane replied with a nod. “The food here is simply to die for! But, um... are you eating alone?”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she answered easily. “It gives me a chance to fully appreciate the ambiance and atmosphere of this place. But, I must point out that you also seem to be without your usual entourage tonight. I take it YOU are also dining alone tonight?”

“Y-yeah,” Diane admitted, avoiding her gaze. “I come here alone once or twice a month... just a little break from the usual craziness of my comrades. I truly love my team, I do... but every so often its nice just to get a bit of a break to... clear my head.”

“Ah. I understand fully,” Lana replied knowingly. “Still, it is a shame to dine in such a nice establishment such as this alone. And since the both of us are here...” she said gesturing at the table. “Unless of course, you’d rather NOT share a meal with me—”

“OH! Oh, no, no, I’d love to!” Diane said quickly, taking a seat across from the silver-haired woman. “Thank you for the invitation.”

“Of course! And it will give us both a chance to learn more about each other. For instance, all I know about you is that you and your friends are out fighting criminals. But I know next to nothing about the REAL Diane Porter, the lovely young woman sitting next to me.” She paused, taking a drink of wine. “Except that she seems rather nervous in my presence, and blushes whenever she’s complimented.” Which of course, caused the dark haired girl’s face to redden. “Yes! Just like that! Really, my dear, there’s no reason to be so nervous around me. I promise you, I don’t bite,” she stated, shining silver eyes half-lidded. “Unless you want me to, that is.”

The waiter arrived then, forestalling Diane’s reply, as they both ordered their food, accompanied by a bottle of wine, white for Lana, and red for Diane. “Well,” she began once they were alone once more, “I suppose it’s really only fair to share. And, well... to be perfectly honest, I guess the reason why I’m so nervous around you is that you remind me of my biggest role model growing up. I mean, you look just like her... um, well, except that your skin is a bit more... ah, um... pale...”

“Pale?” Lana asked eyebrow raised as she sipped her wine. “Ah. I get it. You refer to the Lightbearer... ah, ‘Silver Girl’, as you call her. I take it you’re something of a fan?”

“O-M-G-yes!” Diane blurted out, nearly gushing. “You have no idea! She’s just so cool! And she’s done so much, saved so many people...” she faltered, blushing heatedly as she noticed Lana’s amused expression. “Sorry... got a little carried away,” she apologized, taking a deep drink from her own glass. “I actually met her once back when I was six years old. My parents and I were traveling through Midas City on the way home after a business trip and decided to stop by a local diner for lunch. It was just bad luck—though, really, I look at it as GOOD luck—that a trio of robbers suddenly burst in while we were eating.”

“Thieves robbing a diner in the middle of broad daylight? Hmm... must not have been the brightest bunch of criminals,” Lana commented, grinning.

“Well, I don’t think they were actually there to rob the place. I think they were actually on the run, trying to find a place to hide. At any rate, as my parents and I were the only ones there eating at the time, the thieve went to our table and grabbed me by the arm, yelling out at everyone to ‘be cool’ and not to try anything or, the little girl would get it.” She smirked. “I guess looking back on it now, I should have been scared, but at the time, I was just too excited about what was happening to be scared. My dad stood up, no doubt to challenge the guy holding me, only he got laid out by a punch to the chin instead. But just then... the doors burst open, and in stepped Silver Girl, and her partner, Aureus. Just as calm and composed as you please, they stepped forward, telling mom and me to just relax, and that everything would be just fine.”

Lana nodded, nibbling lightly at her Escargot a la Bordelaise, listening to Diane talk. She smiled a secretive smile. The young dark-haired girl was quite attractive when she wasn’t self-conscious, and she certainly admired her enthusiasm as she spoke on a topic so close to her heart. She was almost tempted to use a little magic, to boost the girl’s confidence a bit more and keep the ball rolling... but no, she decided with an inward sigh, she didn’t want to scare her off. In truth, this was the first meaningful connection she’d made on her own since arriving in this city, and she was looking forward to seeing where it lead.

“So the other two thugs, they point their guns at the heroes and tell them to back off, to turn right around and walk out, or they’ll end up being carried out,” Diane continued, waving her hands around enthusiastically. “And, of course, Silver Girl and Aureus glance at each other for a second, as if halfway considering it, before shaking their heads. So the guys start shooting... but, well, the golden skinned girl moved up in front, and the bullets just bounced off her. And when they lowered their guns to reload, Silver Girl moved in, taking one of them out with a punch to the face and the other with a roundhouse kick! The last guy, the one holding me, he tried to use ME as a shield, putting the gun to my head, warning them to back off or else.”

She sighed softly, taking a deep pull from her wine glass. “Again, I was too young to realize how much danger I was really in. But it was just as well. Silver Girl put her hands up and backed away as if she was complying with the guy. And just when he relaxed and lowered the gun slightly—ZAP!—all the sparks she’d conjured and spread around the room without the guy noticing, came flying in—BZZZT!—and turned that guy into a mindless drooling lump!”

“I see. A very exciting end to a trying experience,” Lana commented, reaching out to refill Diane’s glass. “I’m quite thankful that everything turned out well in the end. And I take it that this was when you became a fan?”

Diane nodded. “Thank you,” she said, drinking again. “And yes. But it was so much more than that. When the police came to haul the bad guys away, I remember thinking she was just sooo cool, the way she and her partner had saved us. It was exactly two weeks after that day that my own powers as a Super manifested. And I decided then and there that I wanted to become a heroine just like her someday.” She took a moment to bite into her Wagyu Coulotte and wash it down with another cup of wine before continuing. “I followed Silver Girl’s career after that like an obsessed fangirl, watching every her TV appearance, reading and saving every newspaper clipping, and oh my gawd, I probably have terabytes of Internet footage of her.” She blushed suddenly in memory. “And, um, well... a lot of it was really steamy, too. Once I began to notice girls ‘that way’, she became my main nightly fantasy—” Blinking, she suddenly went wide-eyed, then groaned softly. “Ughh... admitting to masturbating nightly to images of my idol to said idol’s cousin... yeah, I think I may have overindulged with the wine.”

Instead of being put out or embarrassed, Lana merely giggled. “Oh, my dear, please don’t feel embarrassed,” she said after a moment. “First of all, I’m actually glad the wine loosened you up a bit. I really like seeing this side of you, so open and carefree instead of introverted and reserved.” Diane blinked gasping at a soft touch along the side of her bare calf. A quick glance down revealed Lana’s bare foot softly caressing her leg, silver painted toes slowly inching their way up her thigh. “Secondly,” she continued nonplussed as if she WEREN’T idly fondling her dinner companion underneath the table, “you have very good taste in women. Sarah is indeed a beauty, and while I haven’t personally had the pleasure,” she stated, eyes glinting mischievously, “I can’t say it was for a lack of desire. And I rather doubt that you’re the only one carrying a torch for the Lightbearer.”

Diane nodded stiffly, gasping again as Lana’s toes rose higher, deftly caressing the edge of her inner thighs now, remarkably close to her panty covered center. A part of her felt like she needed to stop this, or protest in some way... but the larger part of her in control, actually opened her legs wider, inviting her wordlessly to keep going, to push things even further. “I, um... guess by now Jimmy mentioned his time in jail? Well, about two, nearly three years ago, around that same time, Silver Girl disappeared. She just vanished off the face of the Earth. Poof! She was gone, like magic,” she said with a smirk, “which, given what I now know, makes perfect sense. But, well, at the time, when I dispatched the Gems to Midas City to bring Jimmy back to face justice, I decided not to accompany them...”

“Oh? That’s surprising,” Lana commented, pausing her diabolical footjob for just a moment. “I would have thought you’d have been first in line to make the trip.”

“Well, I also heard at that time that there was someone else calling herself ‘Silver Girl’, going around Midas City fighting crime, trying to take her place,” Diane replied with a sigh. “I don’t know... it just... seemed wrong to me. Someone using her name, even if it WAS to keep her memory alive...it just made me... grrrr...” she sighed softly. “I found out later that it was her daughter, Aurora, who had taken over for her mom, and I felt a LITTLE better about it, but still...”

“You know, my dear,” Lana said idly, withdrawing her foot, sliding it back into its shoe, “I have nothing against my cousin and her daughters. They are all lovely people, and certainly worthy of respect. And, well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a little hero worship.” She finished the last of her wine. “But Sarah’s not here. I am. And I’m really attracted to you. I think I’ve sent pretty clear signals—the only thing I’m missing is a flashing neon sign that says ‘I want to spend the night with you’.” She set aside her wine glass. “So, perhaps we could talk less about your crush, and focus a bit more on the here and now?” She smirked. “Honestly, I thought perhaps I might have to spark you myself just to get your attention back to me.”

Diane groaned softly, lowering her head. “You’re right. I’m such an idiot! Lana, I’m very very sorry. I didn’t mean to disregard you, or make you feel like you were unimportant! It’s just... I’ve always had the biggest crush on Silver Girl, and you, her cousin, with your silver eyes and silver hair... it just brought it all back, you know? But... you’re right. I need to stop living in memories of the past.”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Lana replied gently. “As I said, I completely understand. I just think perhaps we should try making a few new memories of our own...”

Just then, the waiter approached again. “Greetings, ladies. Is everything to your liking? Would you care for dessert?”

“Actually, I think I’d like the check, please,” Diane murmured softly, handing over her credit card, staring directly into Lana’s eyes. “We could continue this back at my condo... um if you still want?” she added shyly.

Lana’s smile grew. “Yes, dear,” she said, rising to her feet, taking Diane’s hand. “I do, indeed, want.”

Kathi Mathison glanced idly over at her companion, Mika Akamine, as they were lead down the long hallways, and nodded. With an effort, Mika established a mental link to the American, and their identities and appearances shifted slightly. «We’re finally here. Are you ready for this?»

«More than ready,» Kathi/Venus thought back. «Are you sure you can get us back out of here once we’re done?»

«Positive,»Mika/Veronica replied. «I was linked with the driver during the entire trip and saw exactly where they’ve taken us. I even convinced him to place a few ‘distractions’ after we were unloaded, just in case they were needed.»

Venus groaned inwardly. «I thought the whole reason for letting ourselves be brought in this way was to maintain the element of surprise. Should I be concerned that you are concerned enough to set up little surprises in case things go horribly horribly wrong?»

Roni shrugged. «You know the old saying. No plan ever truly survives the first encounter. No matter how careful we are, there’s always the chance of something unexpected happening to throw it all to shit. So, yes... I’m confident in our plan, but I want to give us an alternative just in case something happens.»

Venus nodded softly, then turned, focusing on the here and now. To relieve a bit of the stress of having Roni mentally reinforce their identities within the eyes of all those they passed, she was using her own goddess powers to cast a glamour around them, making them appear as the personas they had created. Freed from that burden, Roni was likewise scanning the area, trying to pinpoint precisely where their targets were, and how well guarded they would be.

As it turned out, however, she could have simply saved the effort. “Inside,” their chaperone grunted, opening the heavy wooden door, ushering them inside to a large grand ballroom with a pair of gold inlaid thrones sitting on a small raised dais at the far end. Roni stiffened momentarily at the sight of Oyabun-sama and Madame Aki standing on the dais beside the thrones, with a pair of attendants at their sides.

“Ah, very good,” Oyabun replied smoothly. “I see our two newest acquisitions have finally arrived. Please, step forward, so that I may have a good look at you.” Moving in tandem, ‘Kathi’ and ‘Mika’ both stepped forward. “Ohhh... lovely. Very lovely indeed.” He paused, tilting his head slightly to the side. “I must ask... was it very difficult reaching me here, Reiko-san?” Roni stiffened, and Venus blinked in stunned surprise. “After all, you are a wanted felon, and I am known to move from headquarters to headquarters at a moment’s notice, depending upon my mood. I would imagine that tracking me down would have been troublesome, to say the least.”

Oh, shit! Venus thought furiously, glancing around surreptitiously. This must be what she meant about no plan surviving the first encounter! But... how the HELL did they know about us? My glamour is still in effect... I can feel it!

Veronica, for her part, merely nodded, taking a step forward. “It was a bit tricky at that, Oyabun-sama,” she replied with a slight bow. “Luckily, I remembered your habits, and your personal tastes in women, and that sooner or later your carnal nature would get the better of you. The hardest part was actually waiting for you to show your hand.” She sighed ruefully. “Of course, I thought our entry into your compound to be perfect. Might I ask how you managed to see through our ruse?”

“It was your power, Reiko-san,” Aki spoke up then. “The simple fact of your trying to hide your appearance is what gave you away” She tapped the side of her temple lightly. “Oyabun-sama and I are no strangers to power, and we both know what a mental intrusion feels like. Frankly, you would have been more convincing if you had simply dyed and cut your hair.”

“Indeed,” Oyabun agreed, nodding. “Your infiltration was flawless, and your approach, perfect. Even with the sensation of your power hiding your true appearance from view, I might not have immediately suspected it was you, had not the truth behind the events in your hometown of River City recently revealed themselves! The trio of shinobi dispatched to abduct your daughter weeks ago reported having her in their custody, only to then vanish with no trace or contact. We were lead to believe that they were transporting the girl by sea freight, which would have taken at least a month to arrive—no doubt giving you the time you needed to enter this country undetected. However, after discovering the truth about my agents, I suspected that my old foe, Misaki Reiko, had something special in the works. And it seems that I guessed correctly.”

“Very good deductive reasoning,” Venus replied, stepping forward, next to Roni. “But then again, you always were a clever man, Sora-kun. Far too clever to think that my friend here would simply walk into compound without a plan. So trust me when I say that it will be better for everyone here if you simply surrender now without a fight.”

Oyabun smirked. “Hmph! Such impertinence! Yes, I would imagine that it would be better for you if we surrendered. Unfortunately for you, I have no desire whatsoever to capitulate!” He snapped his fingers, and three dozen black-clad shinobi dropped from the rafters, surrounding the two girls on all sides. “Perhaps it’s YOU who should surrender. If you surrender now, I will be merciful and grant you both a quick death.”

Roni and Venus glanced at each other. “Well... this is a bit more than I’m used to dealing with,” the redhead admitted. “And I’m guessing you didn’t sense the fact that we were surrounded?”

Roni shook her head. “No. This is Aki’s doing. Even now, with them this close, I’m getting almost nothing from any of them. It’s like their minds have been scrubbed clean of any kind of free thought.” She sighed heavily, sliding a hand up to the silver pendant around her neck. “Looks like we have no choice. We have to fight our way past them.” Pressing the small red jewel at its center caused the room to shake violently and the lights to flicker, as the bombs their brainwashed agent had hidden for them detonated. Moving swiftly, Venus and Roni took full advantage of the distraction, retrieving their weapons from their chaperone, drawing their swords to face their adversaries. “Now the odds are even again,” she said with a smirk.

Fu Aki merely laughed. “Ah, do you think it will be so easy, Reiko-san? I have a special surprise for you.” She snapped her fingers and a side door opened. The shinobi surrounding them shifted slightly, parting, allowing a single black-clad figure to approach. Roni’s eyes widened, and she went a bit pale as the figure drew near, dressed in the same seamless black as the others, minus the balaclava covering her face. Reaching them, the female shinobi drew her own sword, leveling it at Veronica with a blank and empty stare that completely obscured the skill of the woman holding the blade. “Enjoying the reunion, Reiko-san?” Aki taunted her. “As you can see, I have done a bit of refining on my dear Sakura-chan. Gone is the rebellious impatient child that you managed to defeat the last time your paths crossed. Now she is the perfect shinobi—a tool, a weapon with which to strike you down!” She laughed again. “Now, Sakura-chan... slay these two enemies of the clan. Kill them both!”

“Oops! Sorry! I hope I didn’t hurt your arm.”

Claire Watson shrugged, rubbing lightly on arm, fingers tracing along the plaster cast. “Nope, it’s fine. My arm’s mostly healed up now anyway—I get this blasted thing off in two more weeks.” She sighed, leaning back against the wall on Allison’s bed. “And believe me, I’m more than ready for it. Not that it hasn’t been fun spending all this free time hanging out with you, and all...”

“But you’d like to go back to going out on patrol as Paper Doll,” Allison finished, sighing as well. “Well, I can’t say that I’m glad your arm got broke, but I am glad for all the time we got to spend together. Seriously... with the semester kicking into full drive and all the time you’ve been spending out at night, we hardly get to just hang out much these days.”

“Yeah, I know,” Claire said, glancing down at her feet. “I’m sorry about that, Allie. I try to spend as much time with you as I can... it’s just that there are only so many hours in the day, yanno?”

Allison nodded. “Yeah. It’s just... grrrr! I just wish I were out there with you, yanno? I mean, so what if I don’t have any Superpowers? There are other heroes out there without powers that fight crime as well! Maybe I just need to learn kung fu fighting skills like that girl from Century or learn to use a bow and arrow like that female archer from Midas. Or, I dunno, get a suit of high tech armor or something! My point is, lots of people can fight crime even without special powers, with the right training.”

“Yeah... training,” Claire mumbled, running her free hand along her cast again. “Hey, you know that guy I told you about from before, Jimmy? The one who took out Chopper and his crew without even breaking a sweat? He gave me a card with an address and a phone number of this couple that he said would be willing to train me to fight the way he did. I was actually planning on looking them up once I got this stupid cast off.” She paused, considering. “You know... if things work out, and they’re cool with it, maybe I could ask if they’d consider taking you on as a student as well.”

Allison’s eyes lit up. “Really? You do that?”

“Of course! You’re my BFF, Allie... of course, it’s really up to them whether or not they’ll do it. Heck, at this point, I don’t even know if they’ll take ME yet. Still, if they trained him and his sister, then these guys HAVE to be legit. I mean... you should have seen the way this guy moved! He’s pretty tall, and kind of bulky, but he moves like someone half his size. I looked it up online afterward—that move he used to take down Chopper? It was Krav Maga.”

“Isn’t that like that special forces fighting style the Israeli military use?”

Claire shrugged. “Maybe Jimmy’s friends are ex-military or something. He did kind of make the assertion that they were pretty ‘hardcore’... he said if they accepted me as a student that I’d learn a lot from them, assuming I survived the training.”

Allison frowned slightly. “Heh. Yanno... maybe I’ll just sit back a while and see how well you do before I volunteer to be put through the wringer with you.” Claire rolled her eyes, and both girls chuckled. “Now come on. We have an hour or so to kill before dinner. I wanna see how far we can get in Overwatch before mom calls us down!”

Claire grinned, grabbing her remote. “Sounds good to me... but for Pete’s sake, can you PLEASE pick someone besides Mei? Everyone hates her and you always get singled out, and I end up spending all of my time healing you!”

“Sorry, Claire. Mei is my bei! Besides, you could pick someone besides Mercy for a change and, I dunno, actually fight.”

“Someone besides Mercy, hmm... okay!” Tapping her control a few times, she picked and grinned. “Bastion it is! Let’s play!”

Roni stared at her opponent, remembering all too well the last time they’d crossed swords. Murase Sakura was easily her equal in skill and technique, having gone through the same training as she, but with a younger, stronger body. The first time they’d fought, she’d used Sakura’s own inexperience and personality against her. The second time, Murase’s mind had been so pinned down under mental domination that she’d been little more than a wind-up toy, fighting with skill but no adaptability or innovation. The woman standing across from her now, however, was just as dominated, but with a laser-like focus to her that left no room for doubt.

Really, I’m lucky Oyabun is content to have me face Sakura one on one instead of having everyone attack in a swarm. I’m pretty sure between the two of us, Venus and I could handle the drones, but with Sakura, all it would take would be a momentary distraction for her to land a killing blow. And unfortunately, I’ve already used up the ‘distractions’ I brought with us. She frowned, taking a slight step back as Sakura took a single step towards her. I don’t think I can defeat her in a straight up fight... not without killing her. My only choice is to try and get through to her somehow...

For her part, Venus stood idly by, watching her partner and lover facing off with an adversary that was serious enough to give her pause. Her own hand-to-hand skills were nothing to be ashamed of, but watching the two female ninja exchanging sword strikes, she recognized her own limitations. “Aki-chan, you have to stop this!” she said, focusing her attention on the leaders instead. “What you’re doing here is wrong! And what you did to that girl,” she said, gesturing to Sakura, “your own great-granddaughter—it is utterly barbaric!”

“Silence, gaijin!” Aki replied with a sneer. “You know NOTHING about this. And do not presume to be familiar with me again, else I shall remove that treacherous tongue from your head!”

Venus scowled, sheathing her sword for the moment. “But we ARE familiar with each other, Aki. And with you as well, Sora-kun.” She smiled sadly. “You both know the truth of my words. You can feel them... just as deeply as I can feel the bond between us.”

Aki scowled, peering sharply at her. She was loath to admit it, but there was something... familiar about the blonde haired slut before her. Something... old. Ancient. Primal. “Who... who are you?” she asked, curious.

“Someone from your past,” Venus replied with a sigh, closing her eyes. “I know I’ve changed a lot in the past century or two,” she said as her form began to shift slightly, her pale skin darkening, her long golden curls straightening and darkening as well. “Perhaps you would remember me as I was back then,” she said, opening her jade green, slightly slanted eyes. Both Oyabun and Aki let out a gasp of shock, taking a step back.

“Megami-sama?!?” Oyabun breathed softly, shaking his head in denial. “No. No! This cannot be! This is... it is some kind of trick! A deception! You... you merely pulled that image from our minds!” he yelled, completely flustered. “Trying to confuse—”

“SORA-KUN!” Venus/Megumi said sharply. causing him to fall silent. “Sora... always the doubting Thomas,” she said ruefully. “Even after everything I showed you and little Aki, everything I taught you, even after sharing my essence with you both, you still doubt my words? I told you back then that I was a goddess... that I was immortal, and that one day I would see you both again.”

“But... but that was... you died,” Aki said softly, shaking her head. “We were at your funeral. I still pray at your shrine once a month. How can you be standing here now?” Her eyes narrowed. “And why would you be here with that accursed Misaki Reiko?”

“A better question is what were you both thinking?” she retorted, crossing her arms. “That girl, Veronica, is who she is because of what you made her! Both sides of her... and yes, as she has stated multiple times, she is both Veronica Mitchell and Misaki Reiko, their minds melded together the night you forced one to slay the other!” She sighed, glancing away in disgust. “Kidnapping and brainwashing young innocent girls, turning them into weapons, into killers? This isn’t what the clan I helped you create was about. It was to PROTECT the innocent, not abuse them!”

“Times change!” Oyabun shouted, still shaken but indignant. “The world you wished to create was a fool’s dream, a fantasy! It was all well and good when we were just a small clan, rallying against a corrupt government. But as our numbers grew, and we began to gain power, other rival clans began to covet our power. We needed to be strong to protect ourselves,” he replied with a sigh. “If that meant a few of our people had to suffer for the benefit of the rest, so be it. We were only using the gifts YOU yourself gave us!”

“Yes... I know,” Venus replied softly, shaking her head. “I thought the two of you would be able to handle the responsibility. I thought your character strong enough to resist the temptation and allure of power. But I was wrong.” She laughed ruefully. Not that I can talk. Who am I to judge them harshly? On this turn of the Wheel I myself was corrupted by my dark desires and lust for revenge...

Behind her, the fight between Roni and Sakura was heating up. Style and technique had given way to speed and brute strength, with each girl lashing out in a barrage of strikes and clashes, showing the area with sparks from the multiple repeated contacts. After their last parry, both girls withdrew, Roni panting slightly, her body coated in a light sweat. Both girls bore minor cuts and scratches, but Roni already knew her brainwashed opponent would continue fighting long past the point of exhaustion if so commanded.

“Dammit! Sakura! Listen to me! I know you’re in there!” she said again, raising her blade as the ninja attacked once again. “I know you hate me, that you want revenge against me for our last two fights... but this isn’t the way to get it! Urrrgghhh!” she shouted, thrusting back, ducking, then lashing out with a spinning slash, causing Sakura to draw back briefly. “When we first fought, I admit it... I was outclassed. You were stronger than me. I only won by using that forbidden technique. But at least when we fought, you were yourself.” She grunted, parrying an overhead strike, then twisted, locking their guards, to keep her from pulling back just yet. “Come on, Sakura,” she pleaded, “fight this! I served the clan as loyally as any shinobi in my day... until they took away the one thing I cherished more than life itself. Don’t let them do the same to you!” With a grunt, Sakura planted her foot and shoved back, pulling apart and raising her katana once more.

Roni gasped, stumbling back a bit, cursing silently as her sword clattered to the floor, finding herself out of position to parry the brainwashed girl’s follow up. “Sakura,” Roni panted, staring up at her as she raised her blade for a strike at Roni’s unguarded neck. “Don’t let them reduce you to being nothing more than a mindless tool! Kill me if you must... but do it as yourself, not some puppet on a string!” Seemingly oblivious to her words, Sakura swung for her neck... only to pause just at the instant the steel met skin. Roni locked eyes with her, and for a moment, she saw a flicker of life behind those eyes.

“I... am... not... a... tool...” she managed to grunt out, fighting back against the programming in her head.

“No, you’re not,” Roni agreed, clenching her fist, sending a pulse of psychic energy directly into Sakura’s mind, her psychic blade cutting through layer after layer after layer of programming, will dampening commands, mantras of obedience, all drilled so tightly into the girl’s mind that Roni was shocked she’d managed even this moment of rebellion... until at last, she cut through, unsealing Sakura’s true mind.

The young assassin gasped, staggering back, eyes fluttering briefly, sword cluttering to the ground as her world basically spun on its axis. Everyone froze for a moment, not sure what was going to happen, as Sakura shuddered briefly, then stood up straight, opening her eyes. “Veronica Albinn,” she said loudly, kneeling down to retrieve her sword, “do not doubt that I shall take your life.” Pointing it at Roni for a long moment, she suddenly smirked and slid it seamlessly back into its sheath. “But not today.” Turning to face Aki and Oyabun, she gestured to the sheath at her side. “And know this: I am no one’s tool! I will kill Veronica Albinn of my own volition, and NOT for your sakes! You attempted to destroy me, to take away everything I was inside? Fine! Consider me dead. I hereby renounce the Aizukotetsu-kai and the ninkyo dantai in general!”

Oyabun bristled in outrage as Aki took a step forward. “Fool! You dare? You would turn your back on your blood, your family?”

“My family turned its back on me, first,” Sakura snarled back. Leaning down, she picked her Veronica’s sword and tossed it to her. “Feel free to come after me if you wish. I may not have mind powers like the traitor, but I think I’ve proved I’m her equal in skill. Anyone that comes after me will be destroyed!”

Oyabun growled, shaking his head. “Enough! I tire of this. Shinobi! Move in and slaughter them all!” Snapping to attention, the cloaked figures surged forward, even as Roni, Venus, and Sakura brought their weapons to bear. The sortie that followed was intense but relatively brief. Three dozen opponent divided between the two of them would have been difficult, but with Sakura at their side, the three of them together were able to make short work of them without taking any casualties. Tired, battered and bruised, they turned to face Oyabun and Aki in triumph.

“Give it up, Oyabun-sama,” Roni growled. “It’s over. We’ve taken the best you had to throw at us and we’re still standing!”

“The ‘best’?” the elder Yakuza replied, chuckling darkly. “Hardly. You forget, Reiko-san, that I have many resources at my disposal.” He snapped his fingers, and the wooden slats on the adjoining walls opened up, as thirty more black-clad men entered from each side, each carrying an Uzi. “I know well the limits of your skills,” he said calmly, as his men took their positions, cocking their guns. “You are very skilled and amazingly fast, easily agile enough to dodge a bullet or two. But speed and skill won’t matter now! In this limited space, there no way for you to dodge this many bullets coming at you at once! Your lives end here and now!”

As the assassins opened fire, however, a loud crash sounded from above the ceiling, and a blur of white and blue swept in, intercepting the barrage of hot lead. Veronica glanced up, gasping in disbelief as a very familiar figure gave her a wry grin. “No need to fear,” he said in an overly dramatic voice, “the hero Epitome is here!”

“Aaaahhhh... its good to be home,” Tina Anderson replied with a soft sigh, making her way over to the bedroom, eager to get out of her costume. “I don’t know about you, Jan, but right about now, I could really use a hot bath.”

Her partner, Janika Lang, shook her head, taking a moment to kick off her black combat boots, letting out a sigh of pleasure. “Sounds good. But I’m starving. If I don’t ‘consume mass quantities’ soon, I think my stomach might just cave in.”

Tina chuckled, stripping down to her underwear, walking across the hall to the bathroom. “I think you’ll survive, sweetie. But seriously, aren’t you freezing? It’s been more than an hour now, and I’m still cold!”

“Yeah,” Jan replied with a shrug, shedding her own costume as well. “I guess Snow Bunny certainly lived up to her name. Despite that ditzy personality, she was packing some real power. We’re both really lucky we didn’t end up a pair of popsicles.”

“Huh... lucky indeed,” Tina mumbled, rolling her eyes. Janika glanced over at her partner, inquisitively. “Oh, come on, Jan,” she said after a moment, “you know the main reason she got the drop on us was that you were distracted by her ‘obvious assets’.”

Janika blushed slightly. “T... that’s not true!” she protested weakly. “True, she was really hot in that skintight blue bikini of hers...” she said, pausing for a moment in memory. “But that had nothing to do with it. I was just caught off guard.” She walked over to her partner, coming up behind her, squeezing her gently. “C’mon, love... don’t be mad, okay? Even if I do sometimes LOOK at other girls, you know it’s you that I always go home with.”

Tina nodded, sighing softly as she melted against Jan’s sexy nearly naked form. “I’m not mad, Jan,” she admitted after a moment. “It’s more that I feel... frustrated. And not at you, but at myself.” She sighed again, pulling away to turn and face her lover. “The last few times just kind of shook me up, yanno? My water powers were next to useless against Snow Bunny... heck, they just gave her more stuff to freeze, and more ammunition to use against us! And I was certainly no help last week against that little cat burglar, Manx...”

Janika groaned inwardly as well. Their recent encounter with the infamous thief had been a disaster. They’d trailed her into the warehouse, thinking to get the drop on her, only to find the tables quickly reversed. Manx’ catlike agility and speed easily trumped anything they could throw at her, and her hand-to-hand fighting skills soon had them on the ropes. In the end, it was almost overkill when she’d used one of her hypnotic orbs to steal away their will and turn them into her obedient thralls.

“You know, the Manx thing wasn’t your fault,” Jan pointed out. “Neither of us could do anything about her agility. Once we lost the element of surprise, she had total advantage.” She shrugged. “And really, it could have been much worse. We’re just lucky that other heroine Pinnacle showed up when she did and took down Manx and freed us from her control.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tina groaned softly, “but the one that saved us was a newb, a rookie heroine that had only been on the streets a few weeks! It’s... just really embarrassing.”

Janika nodded, saying nothing for a long moment. Then, she walked over to the bathtub and turned on the water. “You know, Tina,” she began, testing the waters both figuratively and literally, “I think maybe we should talk again about my suggestion of us finding a mentor...”

Tina wrinkled her nose. “A mentor? You mean an older, experienced hero to guide and teach us? Jan, do you really want to do the whole ‘sidekick’ thing with a stranger?”

“I’m not talking about being a sidekick,” she said neutrally. “It’s just... well, you said it yourself. We’re okay at what we do... but we could be better. You have way more experience using your water powers than I do. I can really barely control my sun blasts as it is, and practicing shooting empty soda cans behind the apartment at night just isn’t cutting it.” She drew back from the bathtub, adding in some of the vanilla bath salts they both liked. “And I’m not saying we put out a want ad or grab the first costume wearing guy we find off the street... but we should at least consider the idea, yanno?”

Tina nodded wearily, walking over to her partner. “You’re right,” she conceded. “I don’t want to admit it, but we do need the help. Truthfully, I’d actually considered finding a mentor back in Midas City back before we moved here, but, well... it just didn’t work out. The woman I wanted to train with disappeared, just up and vanished. Not sure if she just decided to retire, or if it was something... else. But she never contacted me back... and I guess it kind of turned me off to the whole ‘mentoring’ thing.”

“Well, this time it’ll be different,” Janika replied, leaning forward to kiss her gently. “In the meantime, let’s get you in this tub. You’re still really cold,” she husked, sliding out of her panties and bra, tossing them aside, revealing her full glory, “but I think I know how to warm you back up again.” Giggling, Tina did the same, and both girls slid into the bathtub together...

“Wilcox?!?” Roni yelled out in shock. “What the hell are YOU doing here?!?”

“Currently shielding you and your friends from a hail of bullets,” he replied blithely, arms outstretched as the rail of hot lead continued. “So tell me, Mrs. Albinn... what part of ‘Do NOT leave the country’ did you not understand?”

Roni scowled back. “If you’re here in the first place, then you know why I had to come.” She clutched her katana, readying her grip as several of the Yakuza, holding knives and hand axes, began to advance. “My earlier question still stands—what are YOU doing here? Aren’t you afraid of causing an international incident or something?”

With a flourish, Epitome spun, lashing out with a series of quick kicks and punches, disarming the attackers, while Venus and Sakura launched a counter-attack, disabling several of the gunners in close combat. “I’ll have you know that, unlike you, I was actually invited into this country. I’m officially a part of the Japanese consulate. When your old friend Patricia Grimalde voiced her concerns about you making back alive from this suicidal mission, I called in a few favors to get put on this month’s rotation.”

Veronica blinked in surprise. Patty-cake was actually worried about me? Damn... nosy little bitch sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong, she thought ruefully. When we get back Stateside again, I’m going to have to take her out... and this time I’ll even pay for the drinks. Or at least, the first round.

Across the room, Oyabun watched with an ever-increasing sense of dread and disbelief. “Oyabun-sama!” Noguchi exclaimed. “We must depart! You and Madam Aki must get to safety!”

“Are you suggesting that we run away, tail between our legs, like a whipped dog?” Oyabun growled.

“Oh, put aside your pride for once, you fool!” Aki snapped, causing the elder Yakuza leader to turn. “We lost the advantage when Sakura-chan decided to abandon our side, but the arrival of this new intruder means that defeat is not only a possibility but most likely a certainty! We must withdraw while we can!”

Glancing back at the scene before him, Oyabun conceded the point. “Very well. Let us go. We need only clear the underground tunnel to make our escape. Noguchi, you will stay and defend the entrance. Let no one pass!” The saiko-komon bowed, nodding, and withdrew a wakizashi, assuming a fighting stance.

Veronica, however, saw them departing. “Oh no you don’t!” she growled, ducking underneath a barrage of shuriken, surging forward to attack, slashing both of her attackers. “I’m going after Oyabun!” she yelled out, glancing behind her. “Are you guys all right?”

“We’ve got this!” Venus replied, smirking as she nimbly dodged a trio of sword strikes, countering with a barrage of attacks of her own, forcing her adversaries on the defensive. “Go! We’ll follow once we’re done here!” Nodding, Roni charged the dais, heading straight for the entrance and the solitary man guarding it...

How did it come to this?

Matsuo Sora walked along behind Fu Aki, down the long winding tunnel, holding the lantern lighting their path. Reaching the first gate, he sighed inwardly, watching as the old witch worked the intricate set of locks guarding their egress. At his heavy sigh, she glanced back at him. “A sad state of affairs, is it not? Us, being forced to flee this way?” She sighed deeply, shaking her head. “The last time was during the Great War when we had to escape the bombings. Still, we survived that time. We shall survive this one.”

”Will we?” Sora asked her plainly, causing her to turn. “We’ve been served a grave defeat in the middle of our own compound. Even if we escape to rejoin our brothers, I will never survive the loss of face. Once they learn that our entire force of elite ninja and enforcers were defeated by a mere group of four individuals, I will lose the respect and fear of everyone!”

“Hmph. So what? If need be we can start over again. We can rebuild,” Aki turned back to the locks. ”After all, we still live. And where there is life, there is hope.”

“‘While there is life, there is still hope’?” Oyabun scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Using the words of our ‘revered’ goddess Megumi-sama? Have you already forgotten that she has sided with our enemies, the ones who seek our demise? She has made her stance abundantly clear.”

Very true, Fu Aki thought dimly, working her ancient fingers over the complex ridges and knots composing the locks to the massive door. And yet, I cannot help but feel that WE turned away from her, first. All these years, all I have thought of is increasing our power, our wealth, and extending our control outward amongst all the clans, and the entire country. And yet... now, reunited with my goddess again, knowing her disapproval... I cannot help but feel shame. She chuckled softly, ruefully. Hah. Shame. I thought I’d lost the capacity for that emotion long ago...

“It’s open,” she said aloud, stepping through with Oyabun following close behind her. “One more door, and then we will be outside the compound.”

“For all the good that does us,” Oyabun murmured. “However, once we make it out, we can still yet prevail. There are explosive charges embedded beneath the compound. Once we are free, I will detonate them and take out the compound. And take out that wretched girl and her friends with it—”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Oyabun and Aki whirled around to find Veronica Albinn coming down the tunnel towards them, sword in hand. Her blue dress was torn, shredded, and soaked in blood, and her feet were bare—she’d long since lost her high heels. Yet she moved with a quiet confidence and sureness in her steps. Her face was shadowed by the dim light, but her eyes spoke volumes. “I’m here to finish this fight,” she announced, “here and now, once and for all.”

“Fight?” Oyabun replied with a sigh. “You mean slaughter. You’ve come merely to take our lives, to cut us down like wheat before the scythe. A helpless old man and his elderly companion... hardly a worthy opponent for so mighty a warrior—”

Clang!

“A weapon for you, Sora-kun,” Roni replied with a smirk. “Sorry, but I couldn’t find a giant KEY for you to uses, so you’ll have to make due with a ‘regular’ blade.”

“Hmph. Cute.” Oyabun glanced down at his feet to find a katana. His katana. “I see you managed to make it past Yamato-san,” he commented drily, bending down to retrieve the blade. “I suppose it is only fitting that he met his fate before his Master.”

Roni smirked. “You could say that. In the end, he surrendered to me without a fight.” Oyabun’s expression darkened. “Does that surprise you? He was hardly a challenge, with his weak four-fingered grip... oh, but you would know all about that, wouldn’t you? Since you were the one that demanded that he offer his pinky in yubitsume as way of apology.” She grinned, raising her blade to him. “Add in the fact that you pretty much chose to belittle and humiliate him at every turn for your own twisted amusement. But the real kicker was what you did to his daughter.” She shook her head. “Yes, great and ‘wise’ Oyabun... it seems that one of your decisions has come back to bite you in the ass yet again.”

Scowling, Sora brandished his blade. “Yes. It seems I have made several bad decisions in my life. Starting with the decision to spare YOUR life all those many years ago. I knew from the moment I first saw you that you would one day grow up to become a powerful menace.” He sighed. “I was nieve to believe that I could control you... and turn you into a weapon of my own design. I should have had you slaughtered the day you were brought before me!”

Roni winced slightly in remembrance. “Yes, you probably should have,” she replied. “Both of us, actually—Veronica AND Reiko. Two exceptional young women, with so much promise and potential. And you took them both from their families, took away any chance for a happy life... and eventually took their lives as well.” She growled, decades of repressed anger welling up in her again. “And now you DARE try it again with my DAUGHTER? To subject her to the same horrors that WE endured? Fuck that! I swore never to kill again. I was content to stay in America, to put my past behind me and not seek revenge... but once you threatened my daughter, all bets were off! Now I’ve come here to take your head and end your life, old man!”

“Hmph... such impertinence,” Oyabun replied blithely, before suddenly surging forward. Veronica blinked in surprise to suddenly find her opponent behind her, a stinging burning pain on her left side. Whirling around, she brought up her blade only to wince, blood beginning to flow from the shallow gash she’d received in passing. Oyabun merely laughed at her expression. “Little fool. Did you think me some helpless old fossil?” he asked, charging forward again. This time, Roni saw it coming and lifted her own sword to parry, only to cry out again as the single sword strike she’d expected became three, once again cutting a narrow gash in her unguarded flank. Grunting, she stumbled back, stunned by the sudden attack, and unsure of how to counter.

Oyabun chuckled again, making a flourish of wiping the blood from his sword. “You are truly a gifted and skilled fighter, Reiko-san... pardon me, Veronica-san,” he amended. “But do not forget. The same wise and revered teachers who taught you your skills were in turn taught by me back in their youth. And I have forgotten none of my skills.” He brandished his blade once again. “You speak to me of loss... the loss of your youth, of your life, of the promise of a ‘better life’? You know NOTHING of loss! What you have done in the past as well as this assault here today has cost me much more than you can imagine! My standing within the Yakuza has been forever tarnished. I have lost face with my competitors across the seas as well as my brothers among the Yakuza for failing to deal with you! Even if I bring back your battered and bloodied corpse to them today, it will be nothing more than a hollow victory.” His expression darkened. “Therefore, I shall take my victory from you,” he said, surging forward once again, somehow cutting past her block to slice a painful gash across her forearm, “one slice at a time!”

With a grunt, Roni stumbled back once more, panting. Damn... he’s fast. Too fast. And whatever attack that is... I can’t stop it. Hell, I can’t even SEE it! And I’ve been able to block Parker even when he’s using his speed! I can’t stop him! I can’t—

No. Stop. Breathe.

With an effort, Roni forced herself to calm down. I’m letting myself get emotional. Dammit... I let him do to me what I did to Sakura the first time we fought! I just need to relax and focus. I can beat him. I WILL beat him.

Taking a deep breath, Roni closed her eyes, adopting a different stance, one that Oyabun had never seen before, giving him pause. “What is this? Choosing to surrender to your fate?” he taunted, preparing to strike again.

“In a manner of speaking.... yes,” Roni replied simply, a smile creasing her lips. “I happen to know a thing or two about Fate, Oyabun-sama,” she stated, keeping her eyes closed as he surged forward again, bringing up her blade at the last moment, cleanly blocking his strike. Surprised, he took a step back before striking again, a rapid series of strikes that, once more, she blocked with seeming ease. “I know that you are not fated to win this fight,” she told him, parrying again. “And I know that I am not fated to die here tonight,” she finished, opening her eyes, lashing out with a strike of her own, slicing a massive gash through Oyabun’s chest.

“Aaarrrgghhhh,” he cried, stumbling back, sinking to his knees as his katana clattered to the ground. Hand at his chest, he struggled to hold the wound closed even as blood continued to flow freely through his fingertips. He glanced up as Roni stood above him, sword raised to the level of his neck. “Well... done...” he panted heavily through the pain, “It seems... you were correct. Fate... it seems... has indeed... sided with you...” He knelt lower, extending his head. “Now... finish it. Take my head... take my life... and claim the bloody vengeance you’ve been seeking.”

Roni grunted, clenching her sword tightly, so tightly her knuckles turned white. It would be so easy... so very easy. Just a simple twist of her wrist... and the man who had tormented her for half of her life would be gone. Dead. Dead by her own hand. Her sword wavered slightly, shaking a bit as she raised it...

“No. Veronica, don’t.” Venus Satore said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie. You don’t have to do this.” She smiled sadly, glancing down at the wizened old man kneeling on the ground before them. “Remember your vow? You told me the day you left the clan and made your way to America that you vowed you would never take another person’s life. All those people we fought outside, despite all the craziness, you managed to do so without killing a single one of them. And believe me, I know how much it cost you to come here and face this part of your past. But if you kill him now, you’ll be undoing all the good you’ve done since leaving this world behind.”

“But... but, Venus,” she said shakily, “if I don’t kill him now... it will never end. He’ll just come after us again and again and again. It won’t ever stop...”

Venus sighed softly, stepping forward. “No, lover... this ends here and now. I said I didn’t want you to kill him and break your vow. I, however, am under no such vow.” She knelt down next to Oyabun. “So, Sora... it’s come to this,” she said softly, staring him in the eye. “You’ve fallen so far from the young innocent boy I knew... who only wanted to help his friends and neighbors, to make his home safe so that everyone could flourish. A sweet innocent boy who would have never harmed a fly.” She sighed softly, placing a hand on his bleeding chest. “I gave you and Aki-chan a gift, a part of my essence, to give you the strength to endure the evils of this world... but instead of you became corrupted by it. So now... I reclaim that gift.” Glowing slightly with a pale light, she spoke in a deep voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. ”Matsuo Sora, I take back that which was freely given. And I return to you that which was taken away.”

Oyabun gasped aloud, shuddering as the goddess essence within him surged forward, leaving his body, returning back to the woman who had granted it to him. Eyes wide, he felt his energy, his strength, leave him, and his body, already ancient, seemed to age rapidly before their eyes. “M... Meg... umi... sama,” he managed before his eyes closed, and the breath left his body.

Fu Aki, wide-eyed from watching, let out a shaky breath before approaching as well, kneeling before Venus. “Goddess,” she said humbly, lowering her head. “Forgive me. It was I that lead Sora-kun astray. You tasked me to be his advisor, his partner, and help guide him... but I also let myself be corrupted.” she closed her eyes. “Long ago I attempted to use my talents to control him, to usurp his position as Master of the Aizukotetsu-kai... but he managed to turn the tables on me. Bent my will to his own. Ever since he has taken great delight in reminding me of my place. But more than that, that was when he started to distrust everyone when he began to feel that the only one he could lean on was himself.” She sighed. “We both have much to answer for... but it started with me.”

Venus nodded simply, placing a hand on her chest. “Aki-chan... forgive me for placing such a heavy burden on you. You have suffered a long time. But that time is over now.” She took a deep breath, glowing once again. “Fu Aki, I take back that which was freely given. And I return to you what was taken away.” And within a few seconds, she too was gone. Venus knelt there silently for several seconds, merely holding the lifeless body in her arms until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Um, V? Are you okay?” Roni asked gently. “I... I’m sorry you had to do that, V. I know you had a long history with them... that you loved them...”

But Venus shook her head, wiping the tears tracks from along her cheeks. “No. It wasn’t like that. Yes, I cared for both Aki-chan and Sora-kun... but loved?” She sighed, rising to her feet again. “I... was a much different person back then than I am now. I did feel true affection for them, and for their cause... and I felt them special enough to give them the gift I shared with them. But it’s only with you and Parker now... and even with Rose and Chloe, that I’ve been able to feel true love.” She smiled sadly. “That’s why I couldn’t let you break your vow. I love you too much to let you go back into that phase in your life.”

Roni nodded, managing a small smile as well. “Thank you, Venus,” she said, giving her a soft kiss. “So... what now? And Sakura and Kirby? Are they both okay?”

“Yeah. Sakura took off after the last of the Yakuza grunts went down,” she said with a shrug. “As for Epitome, he said that he’d wrap things up while we made good our escape. He’s contacting his friends with the Public Safety Division to have police sent out here.” She smirked. “Apparently Mr. Wilcox was on vacation here in Kyoto doing some sightseeing when he heard an explosion and gunshots and decided to call it in. Just in the right place at the right time.”

“Heh. You can say that again,” Roni said softly, reaching down to retrieve Oyabun’s katana. She stared at it for a long moment before sheathing it and placing it next to her own. “Come on, V. We did what we came here to do. Lucy’s going to be safe now. It’s time to head back to River City. Let’s go back home.”