The Fall of the Bloody Valkyrie (1)

Summary: Everyone's life has become much more complicated than it was yesterday.

In retrospect, this was probably the moment when he fell in love with her.

It was their second year of partnership. They were on a lookout, set up in an abandoned building on the other side of their targets. The hero and the vigilante remained in a room together for more than twelve hours. Yes, they were bored. More specifically, he was bored.

"So ... why do you like horror movies?" Luphinus asked, after a solid twenty minutes of tense silence. Even when the subject came out of his mouth, he could tell that it was weak. Still, not as if he had a better one to speak.

The Valkyrie lowered the binoculars and turned to look at him. "... Uh, why do you ask?"

"No reason, just talking. Chatting and watching time go by due to boredom."

There was another pause. "... It's kind of a stupid reason."

"You say that to the man who non-ironically loves all Captain Command's films." Even though maybe half of them were of any type.

The watchman was quiet for another moment. "Later ..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "After I ran away from home." And boy, she said she didn't want to get her attention. "I was scared for a long time. Scared of the cops, scared that I would be forced to come back, scared that I would be robbed or murdered if I didn't choose the right place to sleep at night. I was basically a big ball of anxiety and fear disguised as a high school student. " She then gave a humorless laugh. "So I found the horror movies. I didn't like them at first, but they gave me something I couldn't get anywhere else, catharsis and something like relief, I think? It probably sounds crazy, but it attracted me."

He was a good enough liar to have something pulled on the spot. "Horror movies hold your attention, keeping the ebb and flow of tension. In the meantime, you were basically tense all the time, without relief." Yoshio added, remembering his Cinema Studies classes.

Valkyrie nodded, turning to look through her binoculars. There was another long silence, and Luphinus seemed more awkward than ever, because what the hell do you say about something like that? I'm sorry to hear that it looked cheap and devoid of any real substance. So did that mean he had to say something meaningful? A demonstration of confidence and support ...

"I am asexual." It appeared instead.

The watchman winked at him. "Okay, I'm not sure where that came from, but ..."

"It's just ... uh ..." It was a really horrible idea. "... You revealed something super personal about you and I think I wanted to support it or something, but I'm sorry." He grunted, suddenly very uncomfortable. Even though he discovered that aspect of himself after a while, he had never really told anyone about it. After a while, he was kind of afraid to reveal and open up.

Valkyrie put her hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him out of his turbulent thoughts. "Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to tell me. It means a lot." She smiled, looking him in the eye. "Now ... really? All four? Until the last one with the ridiculous plot with the moon princess and the bright green guy?"

Luphinus blinked, having a slight case of whipping with the change of subject. "It's Nuclear Man and there's nothing wrong with a little bit of camping." He informed, giving a cheeky smile.

~ XxX ~

Yes ... looking back, that was probably it.

Only if the moment when he realized he was in love with her was so peaceful. Or generally less stressful.

When Yoshio actually started reading his letter, he almost died of suffocation from his cereal.

Having slept enough and feeling much more human than a zombie, Kakinomoto Yoshio prepared his breakfast and opened the Blood Valkyrie letter. He put the mixtape aside before sitting down to read it.

Dear Yoshio, the letter started, which immediately confused you, because how did she know your given name? So he kept reading and there was something else that overcame that concern ...

... That is, Valkyrie confessing that she was in love with him. In a moment of shock, his breakfast suddenly went down the wrong tube and Yoshio had to drink his whole glass of milk to keep from choking. Well, at least physically choking.

He-She-That is-aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHH

He followed his train of thought for a few moments later. It was then that a news alert on TV caught his attention.

[Moving on to a new story this morning, a cargo ship on fire last night. Witness reports describe the Bloody Valkyrie being on board and the sounds of gunshots just before the explosion. Could Most Wanted Watchman Number One have been caught in the explosion? Details are yet to come-]

Luphinus was outside the door before you could say 'terminal speed'.

~ XxX ~

Last night…

Yuliya Vetochkina was woken by a knock on her window. Years in her right profession made her a light sleeper by default, so she pulled the knife out from under the pillow out of sheer instinct. Then she noticed the bird at her window and felt a little silly.

She was about to go back to sleep when she realized that there were actually three birds at her window, one of which had a piece of paper stuck between its beak. "How strange, Mura-san is not usually the one to contact us first." Yuliya said lightly as she headed towards the window, she opened the window and the crow deposited the note in her hand. It took a second for her to read the message. Another five seconds for her to fully understand its meaning.

Less than ten minutes later, the ex-Russian spy was outside the door with a Yuuko asleep on one shoulder and dragging a suitcase with her free hand.

~ XxX ~

Yoshio landed in one of Hamura's many alleys with a sigh. He knew it was better not to think that she would just be in a convenient hospital. Even with a false name. But the nurses kept patient information even when they were professional heroes, so no, they couldn't tell him if a young woman with rust red hair in her twenties had stopped for treatment, possibly injured by an explosion, in the night. last. Not without a warrant.

Still, it was worth a try.

With the hospitals banned, Luphinus ran through Hamura in search of the guard's tracks. No data. So, here was Luphinus, trying to figure out what his next move will be. Okay, okay, Valkyrie was investigating some kind of illegal trade when the entire cargo ship caught fire. If she were hurt, she would be hiding with a trusted ally.

Perfect! He just had to find some of her contacts and send a message to her. Except ... he had no idea about the identities or locations of any of the Valkyrie allies. In addition to yourself, of course. Whatever the little things that she let slip about herself and her life, she never revealed so much about who helped her.

Yoshio sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sloppy in the investigation department, but he knew that sniffing Valkyrie was something he couldn't do alone. If he wanted to find her, he would have to follow her example and ask for help from people he trusted. Except ... the people he knew who could help him find Valkyrie without trying to arrest her immediately were very short.

And a very strict hero was at the top of the list. Yoshio pulled out his cell phone, seriously considering the fact that he was about to do so. Do it for her, he told himself, and slapped his leg to try to keep him from shaking so much. It didn't really work.

Makron's phone rang for a while. Yoshio was sure he was about to go to voicemail, thank goodness, I can just leave a message, when the older hero answered the phone.

"Eh? Who's that?" A husky, familiar voice answered on the other end of the line. Last chance to give up.

"It's me, sir." Luphinus sighed, preparing for anything.

"Ah, Yoshio ... you know it's been a long time since you last called."

Luphinus felt the sweat fall down his face. "Yes, sir, it's just ... well, being a professional hero keeps me very busy ..."

The old, retired hero buzzed in thought. "And still not so busy that I can't run through Hamura like it's my own jungle gym. What's up with you this morning?"

"Like you-"

"For someone who's been number one for a few years, you still forget that people notice when you do things. Speaking of which, that little girl from a few months ago-" Shit, I was sure Alicia managed to bury this. "-It's generally considered rude not to tell people closest to you that you have children."

"Mr-"

"I mean, seriously, if I had known, I would have immediately said that patrol is not an activity for a young man, not without some lessons in stealth before. I bet you got a scolding from Miss Most Wanted when you came home. Which, by the way in that, if she is the mother of the baby- "

"Sir, please!" Luphinus raised his voice, completely ashamed. "I called you because it was serious!"

So it finally caught the eye of the old hero. "... What about him?"

"No, no, no, and about him, I lost his trail on the Chinese border with Nepal, it's actually about Bloody Valkyrie. See, I saw the report about her being caught in that explosion, w-well, I know that you are retired, but please ... keep an eye on anything. "

There was silence. Silence and his teacher rarely meant that something good was going to happen. "You're right." Yoshio stopped, surprised. "I'm retired. But don't worry, I'll keep an eye on your girlfriend for you."

"Thank you sir." He replied, honest and full of relief. Suddenly, he remembered her letter in his apartment. An idea formed in the back of his mind.

Makron was silent for a while, and Yoshio really had to look to make sure the man didn't hang up on him again. "It must mean a lot to you, if you're willing to call me, of all people."

"... Yes she is." They hung up shortly after.

Valkyrie ... when I find you, I will answer your feelings honestly.

Because I think I'm in love with you too.

~ XxX ~

Momoko did not wake up suddenly and abruptly. In a moment she was dragging herself to the closest part of the coast that she could see, trying to get there before the pain became too strong for her to even move. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing, really wonderful invented by evolution. Then she suddenly realized that she was looking inside her own eyelids, with absolutely no sense of connection between before and after.

The weather seemed strange, in fact, everything seemed strange. There were long periods when she wasn't even sure if she was conscious or not. Eventually, her senses began to return to her, as if her brain was beginning to reconnect with the rest of her body.

When Momoko opened her eyes, she tried to assess the situation, all her training and everything. But her brain seemed very confused, and her thoughts were very much like water, unable to hold anything for any length of time. All she could really register was the pale walls in front of her. Then she closed her eyes. After an indefinite period of time later, she woke up again with the same clear walls.

This time, however, the door opened and Momoko's violet eyes lazily averted. A woman with light red hair and a blue uniform came into the room, holding a clipboard. She greeted Momoko in Russian, apparently happy that she was awake. Momoko wanted to say something in response, but she was still working to get through the fog of awakening. Then the little redhead stopped talking and said:

"Konichiwa, Kaguya-san." The little redhead said in a Japanese half broken and half strange, but still audible enough to understand. Momoko belatedly realized that the woman might think she did not speak Russian, due to her lack of response, the fog was starting to clear, but it was definitely still there.

"Privyet, tovarich." Momoko greeted. The nurse smiled, almost ... how embarrassed?

"Ah, do you speak Russian?" The redhead asked with a smile of joy. Momoko nodded, well, maybe 'shaking' her head was more accurate. "Well, then, I'm glad you don't have to suffer because of my terrible Japanese." She was doing something then, something with the little machines ... flashing. And everything went black again.

~ XxX ~

Reykjavik read Vetochkina's message again. He already knew perfectly well what he was saying, but he still went over it, if only because of his own feelings.

Reykjavik,

With what happened last night, the family and I are traveling abroad. We are not sure when we will return. But I will establish secure lines of communication over time.

Yuuko already misses you.

Greetings,

Yuliya Vetochkina.

He knew that the family had connections with Bloody Valkyrie. In addition to just the watchman helping to rescue Yuuko. Maybe they would help her, maybe shelter her, Reykjavik didn't really want to know. There was something called "reasonable doubt" and he would rather have that card to play if the time came. But that was not important, which was that Valkyrie had made very powerful enemies, and the kind that would not be satisfied with just his head. If the watchman were really dead, it would be a season of hunting for the allies.

With that in mind, it was natural for the Kaguyas to flee as soon as they heard about the explosion. For now, Russia was much safer for them. Although he missed the young woman, the animal hero would be busy here, ensuring that it would be safe for Yuuko and her family to return.

It was almost strange, thinking about how he had become attached to the Kaguya family since the MICAH incident. Even though he was increasingly busy with his job at Gran Rey, he still found time to try to share a cup of tea with them from time to time.

As he started to gather enough information about the Orito Family, Reykjavik was surprised by a knock on the door. Without the Kaguyas, he honestly couldn't think of anyone to go through a social visit and had his rent up to date.

This surprise did not subside when the hero looked to see who was there. "I'm here! In need of help. Your help" Hero Number One greeted, standing in Reykjavik's doorway.

"Luphinus." Said the animal hero, hiding all the signs of surprise on his face. "Not that you are undesirable, but what are you doing here?"

It was very hilarious to watch a man almost two meters tall try to lean over and whisper to him. "It's about Valkyrie, can I get in?"

Checking to make sure the hero had not been followed, Reykjavik locked the door as soon as the hero entered.

Luphinus pulled out an envelope, with 'Read Me' written in red ink. "I found this in my apartment the night of the explosion. I ... didn't open it until the next morning. But I believe it may contain a hidden message from Valkyrie."

The animal hero bowed his head. Valkyrie had a close working relationship with Luphinus. It was worth a look, if nothing else. Luphinus placed the letter in his offered paw.

Reykjavik looked at the letter and then at Luphinus. Then back to the letter. "Well, it looks like a lot of people owe Alicia-san money." Reykjavik couldn't help thinking.

Just by scanning the letter quickly, his brain of genius failed to detect any irregularities, patterns or any indication of code. But Bloody Valkyrie has always been cunning ... so this is, well ...

"I'll see what I can do."

Luphinus smiled.

~ XxX ~

The last time Momoko came back to consciousness, things were much clearer. Both her head and her back hurt like a bitch, and she was on the right side of the hunger to be even more irritated. However, before she could really do anything about it, a familiar head of dark, white hair stood up and looked at her.

"Mommy!" Yuuko shouted, running to the edge of the bed. "You finally woke up!"

"Yuuko !?" Momoko screamed weakly, even when the nine-year-old girl practically gave her a hug. Her mother clenched her teeth to keep from expressing any pain.

"Veto-san enrolled me in an international school! I speak Russian almost all the time, made friends and learned a lot about the history of Eurasia and ..."

"Alright little one, give your mom a little space." Vetochkina was suddenly beside her, an indulgent smile on her face alongside some new lines of concern. Momoko took the opportunity to look around and observe her surroundings, especially the clipboard at the foot of her bed

"Was it really necessary to take me to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?" Asked Momoko. Although she wanted to see Russia someday, taking her for treatment seemed a little extreme in this case, right?

Yuliya shrugged. "Cheaper than St. Petersburg. And closer than Moscow."

They were about to discuss the matter further when someone knocked on the door.

"I am… Doctor Sakharovna. Do you speak Russian, Miss Kaguya?" He asked in an affected Japanese.

Momoko nodded, even though she was rewarded with another pang of pain. "Yes, but my head is still a little confused, so I may need you to take it slow or repeat some things."

The doctor nodded back in understanding. "No problem. And don't be afraid to let me know when you're feeling bad. The first thing you should know is that you were in and out of consciousness last week ..." He continued, describing Momoko's various injuries when she entered the emergency room. Momoko was honestly surprised that she was still able to move, she was almost sure that she hit her head, more specifically her neck, against something hard when she was hit by the impact wave of the explosion. "... Honestly, all injuries are expected when a car explodes."

"I'm sorry ... car bomb?" Momoko blinked. As far as she could remember, she was on a boat when a container exploded.

"Don't worry, some fuzzy memories are to be expected after injuries like these." Sakharovna informed him with a reassuring smile. "From the police report, you and your family were walking through the city center when some sort of accident caused a car to explode. What a bad luck, especially since you are here on vacation."

"In fact, quite bad luck." Momoko nodded slowly.

"However, it is not all bad news, I have good news for you." The Russian doctor's face lit up in a radiant smile. "Congratulations, you are pregnant!"

Momoko blinked with open eyes. "What?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You are pregnant!" The doctor repeated, going a little more slowly this time.

Cum.

-XxX-

Do you really hate me now :)?