Chapter 33 - Moving Forward Part 10

-Peter's Hideout-

"Well Shit".

Yuri Watanabe remained where she was when Peter first entered the room. She remained sitting in Peter's favorite chair, her hands held close to her lap as her eyes followed Peter's movements like a hawk. 

Peter, for his part, decided it would be best to think this through before anything rash could be done. It's not every day you see the woman you saved from the brink of death sitting across from you in her hospital gown. 

In her hospital gown…

'Oh shit', Peter came to the sudden realization that he had a cop in his secret base as a neon blue glow outlined her form showing her ID from the NYPD Database. He already knew that but his technopathy chose to display it regardless as if to remind him of the gravity of his present situation. 

A cop who survived a recent massacre was sitting there in his hideout. A person whose face was currently plastered all over the news with the eyes of the city probably on her, not to mention half of the NYPD too. Cops have a habit of seeking out personal justice for their own kind.

Peter quickly accessed the meta-verse through techno to get a read on the activity of the cops in the city. Neon blue holograms filled his mind's eye as Tencho went to work. Simulated 3D maps highlighting locations and audio data streamed into his thoughts. `

 Luckily it looked like a majority of them were patrolling Hells Kitchen, the few that were scattered around the city were nowhere near here. There were a few reports going around police chatter but nothing concrete, not enough to be sure of her current location. Relief washed over Peter after he came to the conclusion that his current base of operation was safe. 

"What did you do to me?" Yuri's voice disrupted his thoughts and drew his attention to her. His presence seemed to hold her attention. When he glanced at her, even through his bandages she noticed it, her eyes twitching slightly as she hesitantly looked for a moment before looking back at him. 

Peter looked at her cautiously, dismissing the neon blue light to the back of his mind, keeping it active with techno so he could be warned if any cops drew close to his place. It was better to be safe than sorry.

The teen let his bandages dissipate into invisible black particles. He didn't need his secret identity in her presence, the sin shard ensured her complete loyalty. He was sure that she wouldn't be harming or betraying him even if she tried, it wasn't that she couldn't or that she wouldn't, it was simply that she was incapable of it as long as she was a shard holder. 

Tearing it out would kill her. 

"I told you back then" Peter replied, he leaned back to take a sit. His bandages flowed down to create a makeshift chair. "I saved you for a price. How did you find me anyway, how'd you find this place." 

Yuri didn't reply right away, she took in what he said with a stoic expression. Peter felt rather uncomfortable under her intent gaze but his fool's mask hid it well. He opted to sit down and portray an image of comfortability as he held her gaze calmly. 

"You did something to me when you saved me. I can feel it, feel you." Yuri stated. Her arms shifted softly for the first time, never looking away from Peter. "It's your scent. I remembered it from that night, I followed it here."

"My scent huh, I didn't consider that as a side effect when I saved you. It's probably unique to your shard, weird. You must have some idea of what I did to you. " Pete asked, mentally debating whether to be impressed or weirded out that she found his hideout and him by his scnt alone. 

Yuri took a moment to breathe before bringing her left hand to her mouth, she bit on her fingers until she bled. When she drew her hand back blood began to flow out of the finger she bit, coiling around her fingers.

"I do, I knew the moment I woke up. It's like I've known it my whole life, what to do, how to do it." She said softly, watching the blood as it flowed through her fingers with fascination. 

"That's great, saves us some time. To put it bluntly, you're a branch of sin, my branch of sin. You're my first human shard holder, the shard I gave you healed your injuries and gave you those abilities you know how to use." Peter explained, as he brought his pointer to his mouth and bit into his skin. Blood flowed through it, solidifying and crystallizing into a sharp crimson-bladed claw. "You are stronger, faster, heal faster and you can use your blood to do some pretty cool stuff. You're kinda like me only specialized with your own unique abilities." 

"I'm the first?" Yuri asked watching his bladed finger curiously, the blood from her finger flowed up to her pointer as she attempted to replicate his actions. His expression seemed to brighten up a bit for some reason. 

"Yep, the first human branch of sin, I got Garfield but it's a cat" Peter confirmed, he dismissed his claw as the blood lost its crystal form turning back into a fluid that flowed back into his fingers as his skin healed back. 

Yuri mirrored his actions. 

"That's good…" Yuri whispered to herself which Peter's enhanced senses picked up. he decided not to comment on that for obvious reasons.

"what exactly do you want with me? why did save you me?" she asked.

Yuri had the habit of jumping right to the point, she did that the moment she addressed Peter for the first time. Peter couldn't tell if it was a personality trait or a trait caused by her shard, in any case, it helped him by making things easier for the both of them but when it came to her question the teen didn't know how to broach that subject.

Peter wasn't sure whether to tell her the truth or just tell her something else. It almost felt like this was some interrogation of some kind, she was a cop after all. 

"Straight to the point huh? To be honest I didn't plan on saving you, it was unplanned, I was gonna let you die but you... I just couldn't do that, not with you. You just reminded me of someone too much for me to let you die." Peter admitted. 

Ultimately he decided that telling her a half-truth would be better than a white lie. There was no need for one either way given the nature of the shard. They'd be stuck with each other for a long time anyway. 

Yuroi seemed to understand something too as she chose to silently let him continue.

"As for what I want with you, for now, an ally I suppose. You're a cop so you could help me out when I need it. You don't have to but if you could do that then consider us even. I want to ask you to join my organization but I won't force you to. If you want you can walk away right now and never deal with me again, I won't stop you. It's your choice." Peter stated as he fixed his relaxed posture, sitting a little straighter. It was best to make a good impression on possible new requites. 

Yuri didn't answer right away, she took her time to observe him in that weird way of hers. Her eyes were glowing now.

"Your organization, what does it do?" She asked him.

"Nothing yet, I'm the only member at the moment. It's sole purpose is to save my family. You may not believe me but they were captured by some international shadow origination in the line of duty. I wanna save them and my organization can help me do that, but I have a feeling that it could be more than that, we might just change the world. An old yellow wizard lady told me something she shouldn't have and now I'm a little paranoid." Peter answered. 

"I'll join you," she stated instantly, without a hint of hesitation. "your organization I mean. I'd like to join it. I wanna help you and pay you back for saving me."

"That was fast. I thought I'd have to do a little more convincing. If you really don't want to you don't have to, you might regret this later anyway, it's not like it'll kill you to walk away. " Peter joked, although the chard granted them loyalty it didn't take their free will from the shard holders, they were free to choose whatever paths they wanted to take - their only restriction was betraying him and hurting him enough to kill him. 

Yuri didn't laugh at his joke, her stare morphed into a soft glare. Peter just smiled at her as he chuckled at his own morbid joke. 

"I said I'll help, I want to, but only up to a point. There are lines I won't cross but I will help you as much as I can. You saved my life thrice already, it's the least I could do for you to repay you." She stated seriously. 

"Well if that's what you want to then thanks I guess. Oh yeah, I never got your name." Peter said as he stood up and took a few steps towards her, Yuri followed his lead, moving to meet him in the middle. 

"Yuri, Yuriko Watanabe." She introduced herself. 

Peter held out his hand.

"Since you'll be joining my organization and all, I guess introductions are in order. I'm your boss, My name is Peter, Peter Parker, you can call me Bloodborne or Noir. Welcome to Babylon Miss Yuriko Watanabe." 

Yuri's eyes light up like a light bulb. Her breathing grew low and rigid as the radish-orange glow swallowed her brown iris leaving only the light of its glow. She reached out to grasp his hand in a firm but soft handshake. Her expression was the picture of calmness. 

"By the way you kinda stink," Peter stated as he brought his hand up to his nose.

Yuri's eyes twitched as she gripped his hand tighter, she was surprisingly stronger than he thought.

-Chapter End-