There was always a target-it never failed. It seemed to the Wolvpanther that she never got a break, never got a moment of peace to herself before she was sent off on another job... of course, she wouldn't have it any other way. Akira Dominus lived for the thrill of the hunt, the thrill of stalking her prey and taking them out. She had been trained from a very young age to do just that-orphaned in youth, the Wolvpanther had been forced to face the harsh realities of the world entirely too soon... after all, how was a child supposed to survive unless they stole food for themselves? There was no one to take care of her, and no one to tell her that what she was doing wasn't the right way. She was clever and adept-Akira ran into no problems until a large Rottweiler noticed the small fingers that had clasped around his wallet. She could still remember the aggressive look; the way that he approached her as she snuck stealthily down the alley. At age seven, Akira was faced with a situation that would have been the end of most youngsters. However, as her back pressed against the fence that split the alley, as her heart thundered violently in her chest... she felt a change overcome her. The fear that she was feeling infuriated the young girl, and she felt her fingers flex as her claws came out. The Rottweiler, who thought it would be easy to corner and kill a young child, never saw the first flash of black in the darkness. He had no chance to escape the evisceration and death that awaited him. It was because of this that Akira was noticed by a secretive and elite group of assassins-always keeping their eye open for young talent that could be trained early, Akira was a prize to them. They took her under their wing, and she was brought up in the ways of blood and blade, of secrecy and death. She was raised to be a lethal and deadly weapon, adept to fight in any situation, and deadly in any circumstance that she was faced with. Akira shook her head, pulling herself from the past-she knew how the story ended. At thirteen, she had left the headquarters of the Elite for her first mission. At sixteen, after hundreds of successful hits, she had left the organization altogether to make it on her own. However, when they called, she still answered. This hit was a call that they had delivered, and she knew that whatever their interest was it, it was more than simply death... that was why she had been instructed to capture the hybrid Tempest alive. She gave an impatient sigh as that word rang through her head again: Alive... that meant she was going to have to deal with hand to hand combat, neutralizing the target without causing fatal or even debilitating injury. Her hands slid down her curvy frame for a moment to rest at the kukris on her hips-she didn't want to play nice! However, knowing that she had to keep her target alive and mostly unharmed? She let her hands move back up with an inaudible groan, as violet hues snapped forward once again to focus on the clearing ahead of her. She wasn't sure what the hybrid was doing, but he had set up camp there. Akira knew from her information that he was actually quite akin to herself. He had been left as an orphan at a young age and trained in physical combat and weaponry-she could only assume that his skills were what had caught the attention of the Elite. The fact that he had caught their attention at all as a Live Capture Target was enough to pique her interest. That, and the fact that she saw him in the clearing with a sword in his hand and a gun strapped to his hip, going through training drills...? That was enough to catch her attention even more. Suddenly, the Wolvpanther found herself more interested in this mission, and less frustrated by the fact that it was a live capture. She made no noise from her concealment, but she could tell just by his near rigid stance as he practiced that he could almost sense that something wasn't right-she wouldn't have had it any other way. When one went through rigorous training that taught them skills for self survival, if they were being stalked... they damn well needed to be able to sense it. She let her hands trail down to her kukris once more-after all, just because she couldn't slit his throat with them didn't mean that she couldn't use them to subdue him. Giving a feral grin, she felt her entire body nearly quivering in excitement; there was something about a challenging mission that always made her blood sing and hear heart soar. She wanted nothing more than to test her skills, to see if she could ambush him, overpower him. He towered over her by nearly a foot, though that gap was closed by the four inch heels that she wore. She was simply waiting for the opportune moment to strike when Tempest's voice rang out through the clearing. "Who s there?" Akira could tell by his stance that he could sense her presence... and she could also tell that there was a tiny part of him that was going to feel extremely foolish if no one answered. Though she was tempted to let the latter happen, she instead half crawled from her position so that she was behind him, crouched and ready to spring. Her hands came to her blades, and in one movement she unsheathed them, sprang forward, and had the sharpened kukris along either side of his throat. Her body was pressed flush against his own, and her voice came out in a low, nearly purred whisper. "Do you really want to know?" Her cocky and condescending tone, however, was cut short. She felt the slightest prod at her exposed ribcage-she couldn't believe it! Somehow, in the lightening quick motion of her attack, he had made himself aware of what direction she was coming from. Though her blades had been placed perfectly, there was a sword pressing ever-so-lightly against her ribcage. "Well... shit..." Akira couldn't help but to mutter the words aloud. This was a first for her-she'd honestly never been caught in her initial strike. What in the hell was going on? In a quick motion, she let herself fall back. As she did so, Akira immediately went into her fighting stance; legs apart for balance, kukris up and at the ready. Though it irritated her, she craned her neck slightly so that, as Tempest turned around, she could look him straight in the eyes. "How did you know where I was coming from?" Perhaps it wasn't the wisest thing to enjoy conversation with a target, but she couldn't really help herself. She was intrigued by this hybrid, and she wanted to know what made him so special that the Elite would want him brought back alive... perhaps she was a bit territorial? No... she wasn't sure what it was, but she refused to allow her curiosities to go unanswered. Because of that, she stood, staring at him with purple hues that absolutely demanded an answer. Tempest didn't seem keen on delivering, however-perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she had made herself known with a blade to his throat? Or perhaps it was the fact that those blades were still out, and ready to strike if need be. Whatever it was, he kept his mouth shut in a tight line that caused Akira to grow rather annoyed. Looking him over, she saw that in other circumstances, she would have found him to be quite attractive. Tall, well muscled, dark fur accented with lighter patches... and though she knew that he was a mixture of feline, dragon, fox and wolf, the canine aspects were the most dominate of his features. One crimson brow arched, and Akira tilted her head to the side so that strands of her hair fell, obscuring her visage. "What, too good to answer me? Or just ashamed that you let a woman sneak up on you at all?" If asking questions wasn't going to work, perhaps taunting him would? She saw the slight twitch to the corner of his mouth, and it brought a grin to her crimson lips. "That's it, isn't it? Did I hurt your feelings, nearly getting the drop on you like that?" Her chin jerked up and she let her grin grow all the wider, "I know that I certainly wouldn't have allowed anyone within five feet of me without their guts ending up on the floor." That seemed to push him over the edge-Tempest finally seemed unable to hold in a response. "And I bet it just killed you that I got the drop on you, didn't it? Who in the hell are you and why are you trying to kill me?" Akira immediately fell into a small tsking sound. "You shouldn't give yourself so much credit. If I were trying to kill you, you would be down already. And as to who I am?" She shook her hair out of her face, "You really don't need to know that-I'm sure that you'll be given all the details that you need to be given once I get you back to headquarters." It was the hybrid's turn to laugh. "What makes you think that you can take me anywhere?" "What makes you think that you're going to be able to stop me?" Akira's voice was just as haughty as Tempest's in that moment. It was quite obvious that both individuals had complete faith in their skills, and the fight that was all but guaranteed to ensue was going to be one worth watching. For a moment, the two simply stood staring at one another... and then, slowly, they began to slowly circle around, like two predators who had caught scent of a wounded animal. The only difference was, the wounded animal was the tension between them. It was like a well choreographed dance-when one took a step, the other was a mirror. They worked around one another until they had swapped places completely, and Akira couldn't help but to let a laugh bubble up from her throat. "What's so funny?" Tempest seemed completely alert and aware of everything that was going on. Akira, however, was more focused on the two weapons that he kept on his person-sword, gun. She knew that he had other training, but she wasn't going to let herself worry about it. The best thing that she could do was get to him as quickly as she could and neutralize him in whatever manner was most appropriate. Perhaps coming at him from behind and letting her arm slip around his throat would be the best... but doing that would leave her open to an attack from his weapons. It was obvious that she was going to have to disarm him before she could do anything. She wasn't too worried about it, but a small part of her whispered that doing so might pose more of a problem that she was thinking. Akira seriously hoped that she hadn't underestimated her target. She would be so annoyed if the Elite had sent her on a mission that was going to bring her back more scuffed than she'd been when she left. Her irritation showed through as her laughter tapered off into a small sigh. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering if I was a little misinformed about the situation. Don't worry though; I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible." She gave him a wink and sprang forward before he had a chance to react. Ducking and rolling at the last minute, she managed to avoid the swing of his sword that was aimed directly in her path. She came away from him with a grin, holding the .45 caliber semi-automatic that had been holstered at his hips only moments prior. "You see, it's just not fair to bring a gun to a knife fight. So... you won't be needing this, now will you?" With a simply twist of her wrist, after checking to make sure that the safety was on, Akira tossed the gun behind her and into the bushes. Just that motion seemed to incense Tempest, and a low growl escaped his throat, "You little..." "Ah, ah, ah-watch your language now. Do you really want to take advantage of a woman with unfair weaponry? Or... are you too afraid to simply take me on, blade against blade?" Her eyes narrowed-if he was too cowardly to give her a fair fight, she was going to feel horrible when she disappointed the Elite by causing him more damage than was required to detain him. "You really think you can take me on?" His voice was overconfident-Akira liked them that way. After all... the more confident a person was, the easier it was to slip past that confidence and find their weakness... being haughty often made you underestimate the power of your opponent. Akira was used to being underestimated-she knew that she didn't look like a vicious killer. She'd even been referred to as 'cute'. She hated that. That was, of course, beside the point. She'd also used it to her advantage in certain situations. This situation, however, she wanted nothing more than to show the man before her that it was completely unwise to underestimate someone just because they didn't look like they could take you on. After all, she was a perfect example of the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover...' --- Tempest knew that there had been someone watching him since he had stepped out of his tent that morning. At first, he had dismissed it as simple paranoia-after all, being trained by army base after army base made him aware when even the smallest creature had an eye on him. However, when the feeling didn't fade as the morning wore on, he had convinced himself that the feeling was more than simple paranoia. In fact, he was very aware that there was someone watching him. Damn him, however, if whoever it was managed to be well adept enough that he couldn't pinpoint their exact location. The hybrid found himself annoyed to the point that he simply decided to run through weapon drills-he brought Shardwind out and began to work through his sword practice. Though it alleviated some of his stress, he could still feel those eyes on him as though they were burning a hole between his shoulder blades. He heard nothing but the soft cadence of his own breathing and the whoosh of his sword through the air as he took swing after swing at an invisible enemy. He wasn't pleased with his inability to find whoever was that was watching him, and finally it spilled from his lips in an annoyed bark that was a near command. "Who's there?" His own words seemed to put his senses on high alert. He didn't have a chance to do anything-his next movements were a simply reaction to his own instincts; his sword came up, pressing backwards and hitting flesh as he felt two blades lifted up and around his throat. He only had a moment to register that the form pressing flush against his frame had breasts and large hips before she spoke. "Do you really want to know?" She was cocky-he could tell it just from how she spoke. However, that cocky attitude seemed to last for only a moment; it seemed as though she had realized that she hadn't been as sneaky as she had thought. Such was well iterated as her voice spilled out in annoyance, "Well... shit." Tempest felt the body that had been pressing to him suddenly fly back in such a quick motion that he wouldn't have been able to penetrate her with his sword had he wanted to. The hybrid spun quickly, and his eyes were met with a sight that honestly shocked him. She was so... small. Whoever she was, he could see the obviously feline features of her body, though he knew that she was mixed with something else. Two black blades were held up in the air, and her stance spoke of the fact that she was obviously an expert at whatever she was doing. Tempest found himself shocked... how had someone that small managed to get the drop on him? He watched her nearly fidget for a moment before that same sultry voice rang out again. "How did you know where I was coming from?" She was really going to ask him a question and expect him to answer after she'd just tried to kill him? What in the hell was wrong with this woman? He could tell just by her stance and the way that she looked at him that she was obviously trained, and trained expertly, in whatever she did... so he couldn't understand why she would be foolish enough to think that he was going to give any information about himself away just because she asked. However, his silence seemed to irritate her, because her voice rang out again, "What, too good to answer me? Or ashamed that you let a woman sneak up on you at all?" He wanted to tell her that she hadn't snuck up on him, since he'd obviously caught her mid motion… but he simply stood, rigid and waiting for her to attack again. Tempest had been trained from base to base-he was, all in all, a rather friendly and kind natured person. However, he couldn't allow that to show through to the woman in front of him, regardless as to whether she was beautiful, or sounding rather annoyed by his lack of speech. The truth was that she was here to harm him in some way, and he wasn't going to let that to happen. Her accusations of his chauvinism at her being a female, however, were growing irritating. She seemed to detect that irritation, because her voice taunted out again as her crimson lips curled into a grin. "That's it, isn't it? Did I hurt your feelings, nearly getting the drop on you like that?" Tempest watched as her cocky attitude seemed to spill even further-her painted lips spread even wider in a grin, "I know that I certainly wouldn't have allowed anyone within five feet of me without their guts ending up on the floor." That statement alone told him what he had already suspected-she was highly trained. He was guessing that she was an assassin, just from her stance and the way that she carried herself. She seemed like the kind of person who could drop someone without so much as blinking an eye. He finally found himself answering her, as though he couldn't help it. Her taunting nature seemed to scream for a response, and he had one to give to her. It wasn't only that, however... he wanted more than to snip at her- Tempest wanted to know what it was that she was doing, and why she was coming after him. "And I bet it just killed you that I got the drop on you, didn't it? Who in the hell are you and why are you trying to kill me?" He had a feeling, however, that she had no intention of playing nice and answering him. Just as he had refused to give her any information, he knew that she would have been trained in much the same manner to reveal nothing to him. And his thoughts were confirmed as she once more spoke. She started tsking at him as though he'd just said something stupid. "You shouldn't give yourself so much credit. If I were trying to kill you, you would be down already. And as to who I am?" She shook her hair out of her face, "You really don't need to know that-I'm sure that you'll be given all the details that you need to be given once I get you back to headquarters." So, she was an assassin... but she wasn't there to kill him? Tempest let his brows knit together for a moment. What in the world was going on... and more than that, why in the world did she think that she could take him anywhere while he was alive? A laugh spilled from his throat at the very thought. "What makes you think that you can take me anywhere?" After all, he had been trained to make sure that a situation just like this never transpired. She, however, seemed just as confident that such events could take place, because with a laugh of her own, she responded. "What makes you think that you're going to be able to stop me?" Slowly, they began to circle one another-he couldn't help but to look her over again... tight leather clothes, well armed... lithe and busty. If the woman hadn't been out to abduct him for some strange organization, he had a feeling that he would have been more than just a little attracted to her. As it was, he wasn't about to let any type of emotions stop him from doing what was necessary to take care of himself. He didn't want to kill her, or hurt her for that matter... but he certainly wasn't going to let her whisk him away to God only knew where. His thoughts were interrupted as she let a small laugh spill from her throat. "What's so funny?" Tempest honestly couldn't understand this woman. She literally seemed to emit confidence-it overwhelmed him. Even though he could tell that she was cold and distant, professional and haughty... she was charming. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering if I was a little misinformed about the situation. Don't worry though; I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible." She gave a wink, to which he wanted to reply that he would do the same. However, he seemed so busy looking her over and analyzing her attractive qualities, that he couldn't react in time as she rolled towards him. Out of instinct, his sword came up to meet with the blades still in her hands... but before metal met metal, she had tucked herself into a perfect roll. He felt the leather of his belt ripping and something being pulled from his frame, and when he looked up, the assassin was behind him with his gun in her hands. The grin on her face was all the more taunting as she spoke. "You see, it's just not fair to bring a gun to a knife fight. So... you won't be needing this, now will you?" Before he could stop her, she had flicked the gun away from him, so that it landed in the bushes behind them. "You little..." How could she think that he would use the gun? Though it would have been the smart thing to do, he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation-there was a part of him that was far more noble and fair that that... and that part told him that blade to blade, skill against skill was going to be more than enough to take care of this situation. "Ah, ah, ah-watch your language now. Do you really want to take advantage of a woman with unfair weaponry? Or... are you too afraid to simply take me on, blade against blade?" She reiterated aloud what he had been thinking, but his annoyance had already peaked. "You really think you can take me on?" He knew that his voice poured with confidence... but he also knew that he wasn't going to allow himself to be captured alive. She'd have to take him dead if she wanted him anywhere that wasn't this clearing. Since she had already made it clear that doing so wasn't part of the plan, she'd put herself at a disadvantage. There was a part of him that was anticipating this fight... he couldn't place his finger on why, however. He had no intention of hurting her, but putting her in her place would be more than just a little fun. It wasn't only that, however... Tempest was haunted by the nagging feeling that something wonderful was going to happen. Something that would change his outlook on everything. --- It had been while she was on Rev, the sentient tank, with Kraig and the crew... that Akira had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon a few things. Due to circumstances that had caused her entire body to go through changes that she had never thought to experience in her entire life, the Wolvpanther had been forced to get... scientific. Of course, an assassin and science? It never really worked all that well together. She could still remember the exact moment clearly-it had been the goo that had caused the changes to begin with. It was because of that goo that Akira decided that the easiest way to reverse the process was to alter the goo itself. Surprisingly, she'd been able to find someone willing to work on the project for her. And unsurprisingly, things had gone a little more than a little wrong. That, of course, wasn't important. She was hoping that it wouldn't even be necessary to unveil that little surprise to her opponent. Akira was confident in her skill and ability to take down any target. It just... irked her somewhat that she had been so misinformed about exactly how skilled this particular target was going to be. She wasn't worried though-it was perhaps a personality flaw, but the Wolvpanther was overtly confident in her skills. She wasn't going to let any situation frighten her or make her doubt her abilities for even a moment. "You ready?" That almost arrogant confidence showed through in her voice as she gave Tempest a half warning. The hybrid cocked his head to the side, and she saw it as his lips twitched into a small grin... as though he were feeling it to. Perhaps he truly was her paramour? It seemed as though he had the same love for the fight-the same excitement in knowing that something amazing was about to happen. Akira couldn't help herself... she gave a nearly savage grin and gestured with her kukris. "Or are you chicken?" The taunt seemed to launch the fight. Tempest moved in a blur of motion that would have caught Akira off guard, had she not been trained for exactly such situations. She barely had time to bring her kukris up to block the blow of his sword-the sound of metal scraping against metal sent her blood singing. Her teeth were bared in a near snarl, and she let her lithe muscles spring her back so that her boot clad heels dug into the ground. She didn't want to admit it, but she was once again faced with the fact that he was pretty damn good. Of course, just that thought excited her all the more. Akira darted forward again before Tempest had truly had time to recover from the last blow. She managed to slip behind him, slicing through the air with her kukri so that she heard the sound of her meticulously sharpened blades slice through the fur on Tempest's back. The sensation seemed to alert the hybrid as to exactly what he was dealing with, because she could almost see the change rippling through him. He turned in a quick motion, once more parrying her blow with his blade. Akira let out a savage growl. However, the assassin did not vocalize her anger because of his sudden movement. She vocalized it because the restrictions of bringing her target unharmed were thrown into her face-as she blocked the blow with one kukri, she could have easily eviscerated him with the other. What might have caused other individuals relief seemed to be causing the Wolvpanther more trouble than she would have ever imagined. Though Akira had been trained for such scenarios before, she found herself at the disadvantage. After all, she had always let her agility and speed of dispatching her prey even the playing field when the person in question was obviously larger and stronger than herself. She couldn't even whittle this one down to size a slice at a time! The Wolvpanther didn't want to admit it, but it had been so long since she had been forced to deal with a 'no harm' target that... she was out of practice. Her brows furrowed, and she threw herself back from Tempest once again, fingers gripping the familiar hilts of her kukris as she thought... How was she going to do this? What she needed was some time to think... and sadly, as she watched Tempest close the gap that she had made between them in a blur of motion, she realized that she wasn't going to get a reprieve. Disgusted with herself, and making a vow to train more for this situation, she threw herself at the hybrid once again. Akira turned her hand so that her fist (closed tight around the hilt of the kukri) instead made contact with Tempest's jaw. She heard as he inhaled sharply, as though he hadn't expected such a move... and then Akira saw as his head turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. She almost winced. Somehow, Akira had the feeling that punching him to partially vent her anger wasn't going to be such a good idea. The sound of his sword whizzing through the air seemed to be proof of that very fact-as she pulled to the left to dodge the sheen of the blade, she felt all of the air go out of her body as his arm connected with her torso. Never, in all of her life, had Akira been clothslined. Her purple hues widened in shock and anger, and she could only manage to throw herself backward and then roll away from him completely as she tried to catch her breath. Tempest was grinning at her, as though that blow had evened the score between them. His tone was taunting, though she could tell that his good natured demeanor was still shining through... it was as though he thought this was all some big tease, as though he didn't take her seriously. The Wolvpanther hated that. "Not so confident now, are you?" She wanted to punch him square in the jaw again... but she was a very fast learner. Obviously, doing so the first time hadn't been such a good idea. Perhaps if she could get behind him and get her arms around his throat? She could take him down by blocking his airway long enough to cause him to lose consciousness. Once that happened, it would be all too easy for her to tie him up and be done with it. The thought flashed quickly through her head as she pushed herself to her feet and holstered her kukris. "What are you talking about? I'm just getting warmed up." Her voice still held the same confidence, though she wasn't feeling it as much on the inside. Being unable to kill... having to just restrain... she didn't like it. She didn't like it one little bit. Akira tried to simply execute her plan as quick as possible. She darted to the left, and then threw herself to the side as his arms came up to wrap around and restrain her. Doing so sent her careening to the ground, and she caught herself in a perfect roll. As she sprang to her feet, she was in the exact position that she wanted-perfectly behind him. Akira felt the muscles in her legs tense, nearly coil up like a spring; her tail flickered back and forth for a split second, and then she leapt forward, springing upward so that her body pressed flush against his back, and one arm moved to lock directly around his neck. Her right arm came up, bracing and steadying the left so that he wouldn't be able to simply pull himself out of her grip. She gave a small growl, laughing in his ear as she did so. "You missed that one, didn't you kitten?" The saying is not "Overconfidence killed the cat"... but in this situation, Akira was honestly beginning to wonder if it should have been. She heard Tempest give a strangled gasp-she could almost feel his body shudder in response. She knew that she only had to hold on for a short period of time before he went down... and it seemed as though he knew that as well-what she didn't expect was for him to instantly go to his knees. "What, are you trying to make it easier on m-" Akira, however, didn't get to finish her sentence. Before she had a chance to react, to decide if she wanted to let go of him, Tempest had thrown himself to the ground, slamming Akira between the ground and his body, with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs yet again. He lifted himself up and then fell back again-it was dizzying... and she actually had to fight to keep her grip against his neck. Through the dizzy, spinning sensation... Akira could feel one other thing burning throughout her entire body. She was utterly and completely... well and truly... Annoyed. This wasn't turning out how she had wanted it to at all. As he lifted himself up to slam her against the ground again, she used gravity and her arms around his neck as leverage. Her grip changed to his shoulder, and her boot clad feet moved upward. Her thighs bunched and she kicked him in the back hard enough to send him flying away from her. As she did so, she let her hands fall away from his frame, so that they both hit the ground with two loud thuds, nearly synchronized. She had a moment to lie back against the ground, taking one deep breath after another to alleviate the dizzying feeling that had her head spinning. However, Akira didn't take long to rest; she was up on her feet again before Tempest had clambered to his own... but only by a few seconds. Akira, frustrated, realized something... and she didn't like it one little bit. But, the Wolvpanther was forced to consider it. She hadn't really wanted to use her newfound abilities... but Akira was (though she would never admit it to herself) running out of options. It was obvious that, with her handicap of being unable to seriously injure or debilitate him, Tempest was just a little bit too difficult to take out without doing something to even the score. The corner of her mouth quirked up into a grin, and she picked herself up from the ground. "All right... I guess it's time to take the gloves off, so to speak. Humph..." She let one strong puff of breath blow crimson strands of hair out of her face, feeling as the corner of her mouth pulled from a small grin to a smile. "I guess you got it out of me fair and square-I was trying to play nice... but..." Tempest rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know, little girl, I think you're all talk. What kind of an assassin are you if you can't even take down one little, measly target." Akira grinned, rotating her neck so that she heard it give a slight pop... her eyes actually slipped shut for a moment, and she released the energy that she had practiced to control-she felt it pouring and pulsing through her body... When she opened her eyes, Tempest had drawn closer, but she shook her head back and forth slowly. "Nuh huh... don't taunt the assassin... I think you'll find that the more you push, the more you aren't going to like what you find. Or," Her head tilted once more to the side as a wicked idea formulated in her mind... "I take that back. You're going to like it very much... too much, if I do say so myself. Before this day is over, Tempest..." Her hands crossed over her chest, and it was nearly unnoticeable, but the muscles in her arms gave a small bulge as though they were preparing for something... "You'll be begging me to take you back to headquarters." Tempest rolled his eyes, actually going so far as to laugh at what she had just said... "Honestly, that's the best thing you've said all day. You've yet to live up to your attitude. What makes you think that you can do this?" Akira, swaying back and forth as though preparing to lunge, answered him in a sing-song voice. "I've got a little secret..." And as the last syllable spilled from her lips, she moved into action that was nearly a blur. She knew that the best way to trigger the changes that were going on inside of her was through energy-through the pulsing of her heart, the racing of her blood in her veins... the need for something more. Fighting him was suddenly more than a tactic; it was a race, a near sport. She wanted nothing more than to try to exhaust herself with her movements, because she knew that doing so would only give her more energy in this instance. Being able to focus more on her movements, and less on trying to take him down without damaging him, Akira found her concentration and abilities suddenly flourishing and returning in full. In a darted movement, she raced behind him, letting her boot clad foot sweep out so that she kicked against the back of his leg-he gave a half stumble, turning to grab her with his arms... but he was a second too late. She was already dancing out of his reach, a grin spreading across her features and her voice still humming the same taunting tune under her breath. Tempest looked as though he couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or amused by her new tactics. All that the hybrid could do was spill out a question. "What are you doing?" Akira couldn't help the laugh that spilled from her throat at the tone of pure exasperation that seemed to spill from Tempest's throat. She couldn't help but to feel that, even with all of his training, he hadn't been forced to deal with someone who was so continually unpredictable. As it was, just that little thrill of seeing him losing his cool somewhat was enough to send her blood rushing faster, enough to cause her heart rate to speed up. She felt the very first of the changes coming on, though it wasn't noticeable to anyone but her... Just the smallest sound-the creaking of the leather that encased her body, as though something was pushing against it every-so-slightly. Akira took a moment to undo the sheaths at her thighs, tossing them far away from her and towards the bushes. She didn't want them to rip, after all... it would be a pain in the ass to have to get them custom made yet again. Just that motion seemed to confuse the hybrid even more. "I don't get you at all..." His voice was a mutter, and Akira tilted her head and let her lower, crimson painted lip pooch out in response. "Come on now, you're going to offend me. I thought you wanted to play." She darted forward again, running straight at him. He braced himself, legs apart, arms up and ready. At the last moment, Akira let herself fall, sliding on the ground and managing to slip easily between his legs. As she did so, she gave a sharp yank to his tail before rolling away and getting to her feet once again as she spun around. Now that she was feeling playful, the entire thing seemed too easy. Akira's body was pulsing with energy, so that she honestly wondered how she wasn't flying apart-each cell of her body felt as though it was humming... and again, she heard the tell-tale sound of leather creaking-when she looked down, she noticed her full breasts slightly bulging over her top, as though they were suddenly too large for the shirt. Her shorts were tighter on her plump ass... in another quick motion, she yanked both boots from her feet-she didn't want those ripping around her, after all. Giving a small grin, she tossed the thigh length leather at Tempest, who batted them away... and gave her a look as though she had gone completely mental. The changes in her body obviously weren't noticed by him yet... but oh, he would notice them. He would notice them soon enough. Akira paced around, feeling the earth now against her bare feet-there was something intoxicating about what was happening... her tongue quickly darted out to wet her lipsticked mouth... and she gave a small little moan of anticipation. "I can't wait for you to see... it's going to be such a surprise." "What is?" Tempest was sounding less annoyed and more curious now... and if Akira wasn't mistaken, a little intrigued and... just slightly wary. That was good-she didn't want him to think that she was someone that you could take lightly-someone that you could just laugh at and easily defeat. There was so much more to the Wolvpanther than that... and the man standing in front of her with a curious expression on his visage was about to see that first hand. She began to sway back and forth again, letting her hips swiveled so that her tail fanned behind her. Tempest didn't seem inclined to rush her-it had been obvious from the beginning that-while he was anxious to test her skills-he didn't actually want to do her any harm. It seemed as though while she wasn't on the aggressive, he wasn't going to be either. He didn't realize, but he was giving her an advantage that he would regret later.... but she wasn't about to clue him in on that. Instead, she let herself stretch slightly, rolling her shoulders so that she heard threads as they began to pop in her clothing. Her purple hues drifted for a moment, and she saw the expanse of fur showing from between the seams of her shirt, as though it were desperately holding on for its life. Akira knew that the process was slow, but something about it was annoying her slightly. She took one step forward, letting her hips sway... so that she stood closer to Tempest now-though she could tell that he instantly put himself on guard, nothing else about his stance had changed... The fact that nothing about him had changed at all was the perfect proof that something about Akira was changing. She'd been eyelevel with his nose before... and that had been with her boots on. Perhaps it was because she'd looked taller before that he didn't notice right away... but the Wolvpanther was nearly staring him directly in the eyes without lifting her chin in the least. A slow grin formed on her lips, and she let herself stretch again-she could almost hear her muscles popping, her bones creaking as they expanded and grew... and just as easy as that, she was perfectly eyelevel with him. It seemed that he took notice of what had happened that time-perhaps it was because the leather of her shirt had finally given way, so that the straps at her shoulders snapped. It was only the tight leather hugging her full breasts that kept her clothed now... and Akira knew that even that would change with time. The only thing that she hated about this process was how her breath was coming in more and more shallow gasps... the leather on her upper body was squeezing and hugging her frame-stitching on the side was stronger than that on the straps... and she knew it would take another half foot, at least, before it finally gave way. She could have simply pulled it off... but she didn't want to ruin her tactic. If she couldn't simply capture the hybrid... Akira would tempt Tempest until he did whatever she said. And that, sadly, entailed letting her clothes shred off of her body. Taking as deep of a breath as she could, she started to circle him slowly. It was nearly a dance, what she was doing. Her hips swayed so that you could hear the creak of leather-large hips threatened to rip the material clean off of her lower half. There was only a slight split at the top to indicate any type of bursting, however... Her shoulders, now exposed, continued to roll slightly, so that her entire body seemed to be moving to some inner song that only she could hear. Tempest was entranced-he looked at her as though he meant to delve into her mind, to hear the music that was causing her to dance.... he looked into her hues that darkened with each moment that passed... and continued to look as the energy pulsed through her... continued to look as she had to lift his chin slightly. For ten minutes, he simply watched her sway, dance and circle him... and in those ten minutes, she had managed to reach six feet tall, because she stood above him by an inch, and his profile had clearly stated that he was five feet and eleven inches tall. Akira suddenly stopped her dancing and stepped forward. Each step now caused the leather to groan more, as though it were trying to protest what she was doing to it. She simply ignored it, each breath a gasp that sent her full breasts rising and threatening to spill from her too-tight top. She stalked forward on bare feet until she stood before him-her head tilted down slightly, and she felt satisfaction as his own had to lift upward. His voice came out breathy... and Akira realized that perhaps she'd struck gold with this ability... could it be that he had a thing for women larger than him? Own crimson brow arched and she leaned down, so that her hair tickled against his face. Her hand moved upward, fingers working beneath his chin so that she could lift it up-her breath was warm against his lips, as her own lilted into a grin, teasing to brush against his own but not allowing it to happen. "Do you still think you can take me on?" "I-" She didn't give him a chance to answer-her hands moved down and she gave a violent shove, sending him toppling backwards so that he had to catch himself on the ground with his forearms. Akira noticed, however, that he wasn't simply pushing himself back up now. Instead, he was looking up at the woman who stood tall and strong above him... Akira looked like some kind of Amazon, and she knew it. Stepping forward, she came so that one leg was along either side of his own, and then began to lean forward. Doing so seemed to be too much for the material of her shirt. With one loud ripping sound, it split down one side, still clinging to her midriff, but allowing her full breasts to spill out, so that they were exposed and full in Tempest's face. She knew, in that moment, that she could have landed a blow to his jaw, knocked him out, and simply carried him over her shoulder and back to headquarters... but she had told him that he would beg, that he would come willingly. And Akira was a woman of her word. "Did you want to say something?" Even her voice seemed to be growing more sultry as she gained slow inch by slow inch to her frame. Staring up at her, with her full breasts exposed to the air, nipples slightly perky at the breeze... it seemed that Tempest could say nothing. Akira gave a laugh and stepped away from him, turning her back so that he could see her ass stretching the limits of her leather shorts. One last sway of her hips did that material in as well-along both sides, the seams split-in tandem, the leggings ripped upward, so that the shorts clung to her now in near underwear status, only hanging onto her body by the threads of the center. She intentionally strolled over to where she had laid down her kukris-giving a small glance over her shoulder, she bent down. Her tail, growing larger along with the rest of her body, swayed back and forth for a moment... as she bent, the leather ripped further up, so that it was only the stitching of the crotch that kept the leather tight against her body... so tight that the outline of her pussy could easily been seen. She didn't have to look behind her to hear the small gasp of desire that escaped Tempest's throat. Honestly, now that she thought of it, this was turning out to be all too easy. She turned back to him-her blood was rushing at just the thrill of his reactions now. There wasn't even a need to fight anymore. This seduction was enough stimulation to keep her growing for as long as she desired... and she knew that there wasn't actually a cap on how large she could get. Instead, it was simply until she decided to practice self control and once more cage the energy... as the Wolvpanther climbed inches away from seven feet, she saw no need for that to happen any time soon. She turned with the kukris in her hands-where they had been large before, the sudden contrast was evident. They looked so much smaller as she held them-she let the blunt edge of the knife run along her ample breasts, and tilted her head as she looked at Tempest. "At a loss for words, darling?" She shook her head, tsking at him slightly, "If I'm not careful, I'm going to break you after all... just not in the way that the Elite were worried about." She happily supplied him with the name of her organization. Her confidence now wasn't simply arrogance-Akira knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was easily going to secure her target. She trailed the black blade along her breasts for a few more moments, and she watched as his eyes followed each and every movement that she made... there was honestly something satisfying about it. Taking a few steps, she sat her kukris atop the vehicle that she could only assume had brought Tempest here to begin with-some type of Humvee. She wasn't really concerned with it... instead, she started walking back towards him. He had finally managed to pick himself up from the ground, and as he stood there, tall and proud... his face only came up to her breasts. Akira's arms darted out before he could move (not that she thought he really wanted to) and took hold of either side of his face. In a quick motion, she brought his face forward so that his canine features were squished between her breasts. Letting her shoulders roll back and forth, she let the soft, warm tissue rock against his face, until his entire visage was lost between them. For a moment, she thought he was going to fight against her... instead, his strong arms came up, wrapping around her still narrow waist, and holding her as tightly as he could-she felt it as his face worked and rocked back and forth between her cleavage as though he were intoxicated by the feel, by the scent. Giving a low chuckle, Akira once more let her hands slip down to his shoulders and give him a sharp shove that sent him flying backwards. "Nuh-huh... I told you, Tempest... you're going to beg to come back with me... and then maybe..." She gave another stretch... and the leather of her shorts gave one final rip before splitting at the seams-it slid down along her leg, getting caught along one ankle... she stood there, her shirt still around the narrowest point of her waist, cinched tight, and kicked her shorts away from her. Standing tall, over seven feet, easily... proud... and nude, Akira looked down at him with a grin. "Don't tell me you're going to try to resist?" Tempest looked up at her like a man drowning... and Akira couldn't help it-the grin of victory spread across her features. She heard him give a loud gulp... and she knew that, though he would try to resist... this battle was already won. --- He never expected to experience anything like this in his entire life. At first, he thought that Akira had simply gone mental. She'd been swaying, singing... practically acting insane with her motions and movements. However, what was happening had soon revealed itself to him, and as it did... the hybrid found himself lost. Tempest had never thought that he had a weakness for women who were larger than him, more powerful than him... but as he watched the lithe and tiny, curvaceous woman grow until she towered over him by more than a foot... he was all too aware of the hardness in his pants, and the fact that he was already more than just a little tempted to follow her anywhere that she wanted him to go. He was lost, and he didn't know what to do. The best that he could attempt was to resist her seduction... and as she pulled him forward to nuzzle against her full breasts, he realized that resistance was more than just a little futile-no matter how much of a fight he put up, he was certainly going to give in to temptation before it was over and done with. However, Tempest had never been one to simply give up. So, as her taunting words spilled from her lips ("Don't tell me you're going to try to resist?"), he tried to harden his expression as much as possible and let his head shake back and forth slowly. "You aren't getting me without a fight. I'm not going anywhere with you." He was, however, very aware of the fact that his own voice held the slightest purr to it... and that the arousal in his pants was quite evident. He knew that he wasn't fooling her. The best he could do was to try to fool himself into believing his own words until they came true. As Akira grinned, letting her hands fall to her waist and giving a tug so that another loud riiiiip of leather sounded as she pulled the remnants of her shirt from her frame... Tempest found himself almost certain that no amount of pretending was going to do him any good. He couldn't be sure, but she looked to be at least eight feet now-it wouldn't have been so appealing, had her features not stayed perfect. Her hips were wide... perfect... a tempting Y that trailed to her sweet little vagina that was peeking through her fur. Tempest heard himself give another gulp-this was hard. The ache in his loins told him that it was hard in more ways than one, and that he would be regretting such inattentiveness before the day was over with-of course, he couldn't stop to worry about that at the moment. Akira stroked forward, easily lifting him up-it seemed that her strength was doubling by the minute... Tempest did what he could-he tried to jerk his arms free. However, what had been easy to do earlier was now a struggle-it seemed as though just knowing that she overpowered him excited Akira, and he noticed a direct correlation between her excitement and her size. Almost before his eyes, though it was unbelievable even as he was witnessing it, she seemed to leap up a few inches. He gave a low growl that sounded half frustrated and half sexual, and snapped his head from side to side. "I'm not going to bed." His voice was far more defiant than his demeanor, and Akira seemed to tsk at him again. "Are you really going to make this so difficult on yourself? I'm sure that the Elite don't want you for anything too awful-after all, they didn't ask me to simply squeeze information out of you before I killed you. They need you alive. You shouldn't be frightened... really..." She let her voice turn into a low purr, lifting him so that his feet dangled off the ground and he was face to face with her. "You're going to love it at your new home. I'll be there to keep you company-you won't ever have to be alone." She leaned forward, letting her lips trail his for just a moment before hugging him to her body. Tempest felt it again as her full breasts seemed to try to swallow him up. He gave a low moan and fought to keep his lower body from pressing against her own-however, it was quite evident that he couldn't fight against a woman that was climbing every closer to ten feet tall; when she pulled him flush against her frame, he couldn't stop her. "Oh, my... someone is certainly excited about the prospect. All that you have to do is ask, Tempest... and it can all be yours." He felt himself wanting to give in... to do something... anything at all to make this stop. Summoning his strength, he started to focus himself-he hadn't wanted to use the elemental powers that he had on her, but it seemed as though he had no choice. He hadn't wanted to harm the assassin, even though she'd been sent after him-it was only now, as his very sanity seemed to be threatened, that he realized he needed to do something or he was going to lose himself completely. In a quick burst of power and speed, he lifted his hands up and let a jolt of elemental energy surge through his sword, which was pressed against her frame in its sheath. She gave a shudder and dropped him to the ground. For a moment, Tempest though that hit had worked-the bolt of electricity seemed to give her pause... and then he realized that he had made a mistake. Her growth had been gradual before-it was something that would have been missed, had you blinked when it happened. As she stood before him, her body still trembling from the jolt that he had punched through her... he watched as she shot up two feet in a matter of seconds, so that she towered close to thirteen feet tall. As her eyes opened, he could see that they nearly crackled with the power that he had poured through her body... Tempest knew that doing so had been a grave mistake, but it was far too late to take it back now. Instead, he simply tried to scramble backwards while still on the ground, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the woman. However, she took a step towards him-one long stride. As she did so, she seemed to shoot up another foot... another step, and she shot up another. He continued to work himself backwards until his back hit the Humvee... when he had nowhere else to go; one final step from Akira brought the sixteen foot giantess towering over him. She gave a grin and let her hands fall down to grip the bars of his vehicle. "Thank you for the boost... that would have taken me another hour or two, at least. It's always nice to speed up the process." In a display of strength, she gave a violent shove. He watched as the muscles in her arms flexed-the burst of power sent the crackles of electricity that he had just pulsed through her nearly burning in her eyes... her body gave a lurch, springing up more inches, and the Humvee gave a groan and then flipped over with a loud crash, so that it knocked into his tent and left Tempest with nothing to lean against. Suddenly, he was once more falling backwards, hitting the ground hard enough that the breath was knocked from his body. In a move of desperation, Tempest kicked out-his foot connected with her shin, but Akira didn't even flinch. She just let her gaze travel slowly down to where his foot was still connected to her body... and she laughed. "Tempest... are you really that foolish?" She stretched, still growing at the newfound unbelievable rate. He couldn't even tell how tall she was... twenty-five? Thirty feet? As he slowly pulled himself to his feet, he could only look up and see the perfect lines of her pussy, the curve of her ass... and the way that she glanced down at him condescendingly and with pure amusement in her eyes. "Just give in. You know you want to... besides, if you keep being disagreeable." She shook her head back and forth-he laid there for a minute, and she actually allowed him to catch his breath. In that time, she grew even more-he could almost hear her muscles stretching, bones popping. And yet, somehow, the sound of it only aroused him more. As though she had given him long enough to recover, she muttered softly, "Times up, puppy." The thirty-five foot Wolvpanther stretched her arms down and picked up him like a little doll. In one quick motion, she pulled him between her breasts-his feet dangled down against her stomach, and looking into her giant eyes as she gazed at him, he began to tremble... "There are much less pleasant places that I could carry you if you keep arguing with me." It took him a moment (In which she grew another two feet) to realize what she was talking about... in comparison to her, he was the size of a large dildo-his eyes widened as he thought about it... his entire body lost to that moisture and heat. He was nuzzled perfectly in her cleavage now, craning his neck up enough so that it actually hurt to look into her massive gaze. He tried to struggle again, kicking at her stomach and rocking back and forth between her breasts... until finally, he felt the last of his strength truly leave him. He was exhausted, beaten... but he didn't want to admit it. Tempest wanted to give himself a moment to recover-if he didn't at least give one last ditch effort to free himself and simply flee the scene (as he realized he should have done when he noticed her beginning to grow), he would never forgive himself. Catching his breath for a moment, he tried to look up at her as he stayed cuddled in her cleavage-with every moment that passed, her breasts seemed to engulf him more. He didn't even want to think of how tall she was now... over forty feet, without a doubt. Finally, his voice came out-in comparison to what was going on, it felt that it was rather small. "How did you learn to do this?" Akira gave a laugh, which rumbled in her chest and nearly vibrated his entire frame. She shook her head back and forth slowly. "You're still trying to fight me, aren't you? Honestly, Tempest, you impress me." She paused for a moment, and then answered his question, "There was an incident with some scientists. At first, I thought about being angry... but the more that I contemplated, the more I realized the... potential of my newfound abilities." Though her answer had been vague, it was more than she had really had to give him at all. However, she seemed rather aware of his intent. "Are you hoping to buy enough time to gain back some of your strength?" One massive, crimson brow arched. "What are you going to do, shoot me with energy again? Oh... please do-I've never gotten over a hundred feet before." The fifty foot giantess laughed wickedly, giggling her breasts and rocking Tempest up and down with the movement. When she finally calmed, Tempest resolved himself to causing her harm with his blade if he had to. As he went to move, he realized that there was only one problem. Snug between her ample breasts... his arms were pinned to his sides. He couldn't move to get his sword... he couldn't really move to do anything, for that matter. He was well and truly trapped-trapped in the heaven of the large breasts of a beautiful woman. Though he didn't want to, Tempest knew when it was time to admit defeat. "Fine..." HIs voice was so small that she didn't hear him at first. A loud "Hmmm?" alerted him of that. "Fine, I'll go with you. Just let me stay here..." He nuzzled into her cleavage, feeling his hips involuntary thrust so that his hardness worked against the soft tissue. She heard him this time-another chuckle sounded, and her voice once more came out in a taunting, sing-song voice. "You'll have to do better than that... what do we say when we want something?" And, of course, he realized what she wanted. The hybrid was too far gone to care though-taking as deep of a breath as he could (because her breasts were squeezing him tight) he spoke again. "Please... take me with you. I don't want to fight anymore." As though he had said the magic words, Akira's lips spread into the most beautiful (and triumphant) grin. In one quick movement, she'd pulled him further into her breasts, so that the tissue completely covered his face. "Your wish is my command." He couldn't do anything-he couldn't really struggle against it. He tried to inhale, but found his nose full of her breasts instead. There was nothing that he could do-he kicked, he tried to yell... tried to breathe again... and then felt it as unconsciousness began to eat away at his thoughts. The last thing that he heard was Akira's voice, speaking gently and reverberating through her chest. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." And then there was nothing but the blackness of the deep ocean of unconsciousness that pulled him into the darkest of depths. --- She really hoped that she hadn't hurt him-he would have nothing more than a headache when he woke up. She knew exactly how long to deprive someone of oxygen to make them pass out. She was satisfied, however. She wasn't sure how much over fifty feet she was, but she knew that she towered above him, so that the campsite looked like toys. She could have crushed the Humvee easily with her foot now... but that was counterproductive. She peeled Tempest from between her breasts and laid him gently on the ground. She had a little time before he woke up... and she needed to utilize that. After all, she had to shrink back down and make sure that he was secured before she could leave. Of course, she could have just carried him back to the Elite as she was, but that would have posed a few problems. First, she didn't want to lead everyone who could see a sixty foot Wolvpanther to the doors of a secret organization of assassins. She might be a little suspicious. Second, she had no desire to show up in front of them all bare and naked to the world. Akira wasn't modest, but she did have a few rules-showing up to the headquarters of the Elite in the buff fell under the category of things not to do. Last, and most certainly the most important... she refused to leave her kukris and boots behind. With how large she was now, she had a feeling that carrying them would have proven quite difficult. It was, of course, that which had truly made the decision for her. Looking down at Tempest as she slowed her breathing and felt the energy inside of her slowly retracting, she spoke in a soft voice... "That was certainly more fun than I thought it would be..." A low chuckle and she crossed her arms, concentrating on the beat of her heart, "I hope you're as good of a catch as they think you are... if you're not, maybe I'll just keep you as a pet." Grinning at the thought, Akira felt herself begin to shrink back down to her normal size. The only found herself hoping that Tempest had some clothing that she could wear... or it was going to be one awkward walk back to headquarters.