The silence that followed the lightning strike was heavy, broken only by the continued sizzle of raindrops cooking off my overheated skin. I sat there for a long time, my knees pinned on either side of the Stray's torso, my rear on her face, my chest heaving against the tattered remains of the synthetic silk top.

  "Voltana..." Yuna's voice was a ragged whisper.

  I glanced back at my friend. She was still holding the gimbal, though her arm was shaking heavily. The lens was still aimed squarely at me - the violet circuits on my skin reflecting off the glass, the blood running down my side, and the scandalous way I was currently anchored to the Stray's face.

  "I'm okay," I croaked, though my voice sounded like it had been scraped over heavy gravel.

  A set of headlights cut through the misty alley, blinding us for a second. A heavy containment van screeched to a halt, the tires kicking up a spray of water that splashed over me. I could barely make out the HeroHub Association sign on the side of it before two men stepped out, both wearing tactical vests and carrying shock batons and suppression cuffs.

  These weren't heroes - not really. They were the cleanup crew - low-level HeroHub staff who dealt with the aftermath of the fights, getting the defeated villains to where they couldn't hurt anyone.

  The lead officer, a guy with a thick neck and a permanent smirk, stopped in his tracks. he looked at the unconscious Stray, then he looked at me. His gaze traveled slowly from my boots, up my legs, and settled on the shredded, glowing bandeau that was just barely doing its job.

  "Holy ... look at this, Frank," he called back to his partner, his eyes dark with a mix of surprise and blatant lust. "Newbie here really knows how to keep a suspect down."

  Frank, a younger guy with a messy mop of hair, whistled low. "Damn, newbie. That's quite a take-down. You can take me into custody like that any night of the week. Hell, I'd even pay for the privilege."

  I could feel a surge of emotions within me - Kenji's hot, protective anger at such vile objectification of a beautiful waifu, but also Kurumi's defensive, jagged anger at their gazes, and I felt my skin start to hum.

  "Just get her out of here," I snapped, finally standing and nearly stumbling as the adrenaline bottomed out. I had to clutch the front of my top with one hand to keep it from slipping entirely.

  "Whatever you say, newbie," the lead officer chuckled. "Frank, grab the cat. I'll keep an eye on our newbie here in case she needs ... more assistance."

  I ignored them, limping over to Yuna. I reached down, helping her up. She was pale, clutching her ribs with one hand, but she didn't let go of the camera until the officers had loaded the Stray into the back of the van and pulled away with a final, lingering wave.

  The moment the taillights disappeared, the 'Hero' mask cracked. I slumped against the wall, the cold rain finally starting to chill me as the indigo glow died out completely, leaving us shrouded in darkness. My breath came in gasps, finally coming to terms with what I had just been through - what I had just done.

  The fight the previous day against the two guys who attacked me when I was delivering pizzas had been over in a heartbeat. This was different. This was ... an actual duel of Supers. We'd traded blows, giving and taking pain in equal measures. And my friend had been hurt.

  "We have to go," I whispered, wrapping my arms around my chest as I started to shake. "I can't ... I don't want to be out here anymore."

  Yuna held my hand as we walked back to the moped - each step triggering a flash of vulnerability within me. Every shadow felt like an eye; every distant window felt like a camera. Every hint of motion was the Stray about to pounce, ready to finish me off and then hurt Yuna again. I left my hoodie in the alley, not bothering to pick up the scraps out of my outfit - I couldn't repair it.

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  When we reached the moped, Yuna climbed on the front, her movements stiff. "Get on, Kurumi. Hold on to me, but be gentle, please."

  I climbed behind her, my bare stomach and chest pressing into the back of her raincoat. i wrapped my arms around her waist, trying to avoid her hurt ribs, burying my face into the crook of her neck. The physical contact was a shock to my system. I could feel the warmth of her body, the soft scent of her shampoo under the rain. For the first time, this body didn't feel like a suit or character I was piloting. It felt like me.

  As Yuna pulled the moped out onto the street and began our journey toward home, I could feel a heat building low in my gut. I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally screaming at my own brain. She's your only friend in this world, Kenji. Stop it. Stop it!

  The ride back was silent, neither of us wanting to talk as the wind whistled past us, cutting through the neon-drenched streets of Bay City. By the time we reached the apartment and Yuna locked the door behind us, my shaking had turned into a full on chatter - my body almost uncontrollable.

  "Sit," Yuna commanded as she guided me to her couch, though her tone was soft.

  Once I sat, she disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a first-aid kit and a basin of warm water. She knelt between my legs, her expression uncharacteristically serious.

  "The stream is off, Kurumi," she said quietly. "It's just us. You can relax."

  She took a soft cloth and began to dab at the blood on my shoulder. I flinched at the sting, my breath hitching. Yuna's fingers were gentle, trailing over the circuit patterns on my skin as she cleaned the claw marks. As she worked, I watched the circuits slowly fade - my skin returning to its familiar cream coloring.

  "You almost died, Yuna," I said, my voice trembling as I looked down at her. "She lunged for you - to hurt you. If I hadn't ..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice my thoughts - my fears.

  "But you did," Yuna interrupted, her hand lingering on my ribs as she wiped away a smear of grime. She looked up at me, her golden eyes shimmering with a mix of adrenaline and something that looked dangerously like adoration. "You were incredible, Kurumi. I've seen a lot of heroes, but I've never seen anyone move like that to protect someone. You didn't even think about yourself."

  Her hands move up, her thumb grazing the edge of what remained of my silk top. I felt a jolt of static - but not the kind that hurts. My heart hammered against my ribs and I could feel my nipples hardening with her proximity.

  "I'm uncomfortable with it," I managed to say, trying to pull back. "You being in danger. I can't do this if it means you're going to get hurt."

  Yuna didn't pull away. Instead, she crawled into my lap, straddling me as I leaned back on the couch, her face inches from mine. "Then we make sure I don't, okay? I'll build a drone rig. Something autonomous, a way to follow you everywhere, to be with you on your adventures. I won't be in the line of fire anymore, but I'm not leaving you, Kurumi. We're a team, aren't we?"

  I sat there, frozen, as she pressed her body against me. Her body was a blazing fire, warming me, and I could feel my own body continuing to react to her proximity. Fighting down those inappropriate urges, I slowly nodded my head. "A team." A team, I thought to myself. That's what we are. Good teammates. And friends.

  Seemingly satisfied, Yuna continued patching up my side, gently applying bandages to my various injuries. When she finally stood, climbing from my lap to put away her first-aid kit, I felt a strange, hollow sense of loss.

  "What about you?," I finally managed to ask. "How are your ribs?"

  She gave me a brave smile, "I think they're bruised, nothing worse. I'll be okay." I frowned, not entirely pleased with her answer, but at least happy she wasn't injured worse than that. "Let's get some sleep," Yuna said as she gave me a playful, yet lingering pat on the cheek. "We can catch up on the stream tomorrow, okay? I have a feeling life is about to get a lot more complicated."

  I crawled into bed a few minutes later, having taken another tentacle rape t-shirt into the bathroom and changed, discarding the remains of my costume. As I slid into bed alongside the once-again-nude Yuna, the sheets felt strange against my sensitized skin, the adrenaline from the evening's events still leaving me cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the dark ceiling, the phantom sensation of Yuna's fingers still burning on my side, her warm touch as she took care of me.

  I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes and trying to find a way to sleep. I had to protect my friend. I had to grow stronger. But how?

  The answer was staring back at me from within my mind, though I didn't want to accept it. More eyes. More attention. More power.