Ivy returned to consciousness pain-free but confused as she was no longer in a hotel suite but on an islet surrounded by tranquil waters. A small laugh informed her she wasn't alone and she turned to see Naruto, clad in a white battle suit, smiling at her. He gently cupped her cheek, feeling her with a familiar warmth. He pulled away, filling her with a small amount of disappointment.
"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. She understood, he wasn't supposed to touch her like that anymore and she wasn't supposed to want him to.
"I'll forgive you this time," Ivy said, attempting to diffuse the situation. They had bigger issues and were no longer in the hotel room she'd lost consciousness in. She had to forcefully prevent her brain from trying to reason out where she was and how she got there as nothing made sense and wouldn't until Naruto explained.
"You're in a section of my mindscape," he said and followed up with, "you emote very loudly, have since I've known you."
"What the hell does that mean?" Ivy asked and Naruto chuckled.
"A joke for empaths, I suppose."
"We don't have time for jokes, Naruto. You're in danger," she cautioned.
"Oh, I'm dying as we speak," he said calmly. His tone angered the ecoterrorist who felt he wasn't being serious. "The situation is serious but with my chakra out of control there isn't much I can do." Ivy took note of the word chakra, a concept she knew of vaguely. She didn't see how it could be the source of his powers. "Don't worry I have my top man on it and he's never let me down," Naruto said, interrupting her thoughts once more.
"I think I liked it better when you hid being an empath, at least I got to speak my thoughts," Ivy huffed.
"Either time is of the essence or it isn't, you can't have it both ways. Besides, now that you know someone is working on it, maybe you can fill me in on what I'm infected with, how you knew about it and how you're alive."
"Some kind of biological weapon that only targets men. It was created by this Amazonian supremacist, who I met on Themyscira where I floated to on a makeshift raft of seaweed and subsequently recovered." Ivy explained with haste.
"Well, it appears I have an easy, short term solution to my problem. So, what can you tell me about this Amazonian? She a friend of yours?" Naruto asked as if his life weren't slipping away.
"She could have been."
"Nice outfit," Kara jested as an all black clad Naruto sat in front of her. He rolled his eyes but said nothing in return, allowing Kara a moment to readjust to the dense forest that surrounded them.
"Mindscape?"
"Mindscape."
"Where's Kurama?" If she were in his mindscape she wanted to see her sweet pea.
"Saving my life, probably."
"And… you're Yami?" she asked, recalling him explaining his integration during his last acid trip. Two sides, one light, one dark but not really.
"Is that really what you took from that? No, I'm not Yami. I'm not bad. Ugh."
"Stop complaining," Kara demanded, "you were high as a kite when you "explained" it to me," she defended. "Why are we here instead of with Kurama?"
"Security measure. My chakra is out of control and had Kurama, the Old Man, and I not set this up you'd be seeing a random collection of my memories. The contingency kicked in and Kurama's in control for the duration." Kara nodded and leaned back against the nearest tree.
"So…" Kara said and then trailed off. Naruto scoffed but she knew he got her message. She enjoyed not always having to say the difficult thing. Empathic boyfriends ruled. His reply never came. The ground began to shake violently, trees cracked at their base and toppled. Kara felt an incredible force attempting to expel her and then a flash. The Kryptonian sucked in air and blinked rapidly as she realized she was back in the hotel, though a thick cloud of smoke billowed throughout. Kara heard a faint groan from Ivy and then a chuckle from another voice she didn't recognize.
"Hahaha, how 'bout that, Kurama? Sexy technique saves the day!" the female voice said. Kara discretely blew the smoke away and was greeted with the very naked form of a red haired, whisker cheeked woman.
"What the fuck!" Kara shouted.
"N...Naruto?" came from across the room.
"Sup?" She… he said.
"Why are you a woman?" Kara asked.
"Because being a man was killing me so until we figure that out I had to switch it up."
"You can change your gender at will?" Kara continued her inquisition.
"Everyone can change their genders at will, Kara. I've, temporarily, changed my biological sex. It's the Sexy Technique; my sole original ninjutsu," He… she said with too much pride.
"I have so many questions but that can wait. Can you put some clothes on?"
"Why?" Naruto asked smugly, "feeling a little exposed?" he finished and laughed.
"Just for the sake of simplicity, what are your pronouns?" Ivy finally spoke.
"Since this isn't meant to deceive anyone, we can go with he/ him," Naruto answered as he summoned a scroll, unfurled it and unsealed some clothes, getting dressed in full view of the two women with zero shame. The swagger departed swiftly as he slumped on the bed without warning.
"Naruto?" Kara called as she approached in concern.
"It's fine, I'm fine. Or I will be," he replied. "Even with the body change, there are still some effects that need to heal. Kurama is taking care of it, don't worry."
"Kurama? Who is Kurama?" Ivy asked.
"A sentient, mountain sized, nine-tailed fox that was sealed into me the day I was born. And the best friend a guy could have." Ivy absorbed the information without too much shock, being a supervillain she'd seen a lot but to think there was a third party in their relationship felt mildly unsettling. She wanted to ask more questions, wanted to know why his assistant knew more about him than she did but there were more pressing matters.
"Tsukuri, were you able to deliver my package?" Aresia asked.
"Of course. Our mutual friend should be watching helplessly as he dies," Tsukuri answered from a windowless van parked behind the Grand Central Hotel. It was no easy feat to sneak into the Capitol and get the allergen into the air ducts but that's what made her a professional.
"And Grundy?" the Amazonian inquired.
"He hasn't been infected," Tsukuri replied.
"Good, send him to finish Ivy and anyone else in that man's room and then come back. It's time to start my plan in earnest."
Tsukuri did as instructed and sent the undead behemoth in. When she heard the expected shouts of horror and shock, she was reassured he'd gone to the right place and could manage to get to the top floor. Alone, she had time to waste, though she felt this side mission was nothing but a waste. Aresia had some radical ideas and while Tsukuri was just a hired hand, she couldn't exactly mourn the fall of men. Good way to end the patriarchy, she thought but had no belief it would end all suffering.
She was a criminal. It'd be absurd to believe that all inequalities would be eliminated and all fights for resources would end simply because no men would be around. Though, not even that was entirely true. Aresia didn't seem to care much about gender fluidity so Tsukuri didn't press the issue. She'd promised herself she'd never work with a TERF but the money was too good.
Also, she got to work with an Amazon!
Not even ten minutes later the mercenary watched Grundy return to the van, Ivy and another red head behind him. She grabbed her sword from the passenger-side-seat and left the car, blade at the ready. "You were supposed to kill them!" she shouted at her dimwitted partner. He just shrugged. This wasn't the plan! She was outnumbered. That didn't bother her normally, you don't become elite if you can only manage a one-on-one but Ivy was a powerful meta and the other chick was a complete mystery. She even had a mask covering the bottom of her face.
It was kinda cool.
"Thanks, I think it's cool, too," she said.
Could she read minds?
"Not exactly but I've gotten so precise that the distinction is immaterial. Hey, how about you put that sword up and give us your phone."
Tsukuri was put off by how nonchalant the woman was being. Could she beat a telepath? Did being one make you a good fighter? She heard a scoff.
"It can if you train but I'm the best fighter on the planet without it. Facts. Now, you seem to be going down a bad path. We don't have to fight and if money is the problem we can make a deal."
The best? That boast was having the opposite effect if she thought it was going to make her back down. Such empty words helped Tsukuri calm down. Poison Ivy was the real threat, the other one just had a parlor trick and mind gam- "Urk!" the sword wielding mercenary exclaimed as a golden chain wrapped around her and squeezed faster than she could react.
"See, now you get nothing but a headache and need for a new phone," the woman admonished. Tsukuri felt a flick and knew only darkness.
Kara changed into her hero outfit and hit the skies. She trusted Naruto but wasn't enthused about him spending time alone with Ivy. They were off to a lab to start on a cure, she understood it would be critical and two minds could speed things up. She also knew how much Ivy's death hurt Naruto. She'd hate for him to make a mistake she couldn't forgive. But those concerns had to take a backseat to the task at hand.
The allergen had spread throughout the Capitol and would increase its area of effect. She needed to start talking to first responders so they understood what was going on and could relay the information to the necessary authorities. Then, she'd help as much as she could. That's what heroes did.
A part of her didn't want to be a hero right now. She wanted to be an angry girlfriend. She wanted to smash the face of the woman that almost killed her man. She wanted to be free to act as Naruto had with Mongul. No, she wouldn't kill the wayward Amazon, Ivy having explained the source of the allergen. But she'd beat her within an inch of it.
Mongul. Kara unconsciously tightened her fist at the thought of the former tyrant. That he'd planned to abduct her, that he might have been successful. That he caused a fight between Naruto and her. No, it was more a fight within herself that left Naruto as a convenient target. He'd killed for her and she'd never had been the wiser had he not told her. And there was another out there plotting against her in the shadows.
Kara needed someone to punch.
Supergirl had people to assist. As usual, Supergirl won. She breathed deeply and released slowly. Once she felt the tension subside she took off in earnest, ready to be the hero she knew she was.
"Will your assistant be alright without you?" Ivy asked. They were at a Lexcorps lab within DC and were making excellent progress on the counteragent, now faced with a lull and excluding the sounds of the activated machinery, an uncomfortable silence. He'd gotten increasingly quiet as they made their way to the facilities and began to work. It made no sense to her, Naruto wasn't quiet and yet he seemed to be sinking in on himself.
"Kara isn't my assistant and she'll be perfectly fine," Naruto answered but didn't look up from his phone. That annoyed Ivy.
"Well, what is she then?"
"Professionally, she handles my PR." He sounded almost bored with the topic.
"And no professionally?"
"We're in a relationship." Ivy met the response with a period of silence before something clicked for her.
"Kara was the girl you were with before me."
"Yep," Naruto answered but still kept his attention on his phone.
"You said things hadn't ended well between you so how does she end up working for you? How did you get back together?" While knowing she had no right to ask she couldn't curb her curiosity.
"It's not a particularly long story but it is uninteresting. What are your plans now that you're back?" Ivy was tempted to meet his dismissal with one of her own. She didn't understand why he was being like this. She, instead, chose to answer the question.
"Get back to Harley and then figure some things out. Like who attacked me and where I can find them."
"Don't bother, most of them have been taken care of and the League is looking for the rest. You'll only get yourself in unnecessary trouble."
"Did you take care of them?" she asked, mildly unsure. She knew what she'd been told but it was still difficult to reconcile with the man she knew. Her Naruto wasn't violent in the least, a bleeding heart if she'd ever met one.
"That's an odd question," he said but added nothing else. It was another dodge.
"I had a lot of time to think on that island. About what I wanted, the things I've done. I mostly thought about Harley… and you. How we ended, how I ended things, it was cowardly. I should have told you how you couldn't just love Pamela Isley, you needed to love Poison Ivy, too."
"That's just you. They are both you," Naruto responded with a hint of irritation.
"No, you're wrong. Separate identities with real differences. It wasn't easy to realize the man I loved only loved the weaker version of me, the woman that was stepped on and ignored. And to find out you have abilities all your own but still couldn't accept mine-"
"Stop," Naruto cutoff. "I always accepted you. I made no distinction between who you were in the classroom, when you'd ensnare oil tankers or when we were alone. That was always just different facets of Pam to me. I find this superhero/supervillain shit infantile but I never felt that way about your activism nor did I ever treat you like I did."
"But you can't just reject that part of it. I'm a villain, Naruto! Maybe you disagree but it's true. Most of my friends are villains or antiheroes. You didn't have to wear a cape but it was a crucial part of my life, the part I felt most alive, most myself. And you just dismissed it."
"It is objectively silly."
"Maybe but it was real all the same. And to find out not only were you unwilling to fully accept me but you didn't even let me accept you. Why? I just need to understand."
"What do you want to know, Pam? What? That I come from a different dimension, transported here the day I was born. Same day my birth parents died, the same day Kurama was sealed in me. You wanna know how old I was when I first took a life? Ten. Some Hive agents came to kill Slade and his family. They got his two sons, Rose lost an eye and Mr. Wintergreen almost bled out in front of me. Fourteen man fire squad and I killed them all. I was in the middle of a war six months later.
I can heal almost anything if the person isn't dead. Can regrow limbs and regenerate organs. I can manifest forests with but a thought and can sense the entirety of collective human suffering under certain conditions. All that I can do and the one unthinkable thing, the one outcome I couldn't stand was for you to look at me in disappointment and ask why I didn't do more. Or worse yet, not ask and just leave. But you left anyway so the joke was on me."
Ivy was honest enough to acknowledge Naruto's words, impressively placing his other revelations to the side. She was absolutist about her mission and likely would have responded negatively to his insistence on creating or improving systems instead of taking unilateral action. It was one thing when he had no abilities but with them, she wouldn't have been so accepting, initially.
"I can't deny your fear was fair but even if I would have reacted poorly, I still had the right to my reaction."
"Kurama agreed, said as much shortly after our break up," Naruto voiced. She didn't really know what to do with that so continued.
"Were you ever going to tell me?"
"Y-yes." He answered before the ding. Each grabbed a slide and went to their respective microscopes, each confirming what they saw. They had a counteragent. Naruto got on the phone and ordered his labs to get to work, simultaneously sending the formula to the respective parties. Ivy retrieved Tsukuri's unlocked phone, courtesy of Naruto, and dialed the last contact.
Despite the tension Ivy released a short laugh. His smile signaled he knew why. It was weird hearing his thoughts in such a feminine voice, weirder still she'd stopped noticing until now. The moment of levity passed when she heard the voice on the other end.
"Hello, Tsukuri. Is it done?"
"Hello, Aresia." Ivy said. It took several moments for a response to come and when it did it was only one word.
"Ivy."
Aresia was not a natural born Amazon. After fleeing a war torn country her ship was attacked by pirates. As she floated at sea, the most defining facts of her life were the violence and corruption of men. She wouldn't truly comprehend that until later. Queen Hippolyta welcomed her, raised her, even imbued her with the strength of her people. She taught her about man's corruption. How they wielded power with no concern for the consequences, how they were little more than beasts that would consume the world.
Queen Hippolyta was content to remain on her island, governing and protecting the Amazons. A true sisterhood. Aresia couldn't blame the Queen but for an outsider, she couldn't leave the rest of the world to the devices of men. Not every girl would be as lucky as her and she couldn't be comfortable with her own security. She wanted to give every woman a chance to know the freedom she was blessed with.
A plan was slow to come together, contacts hard to make but as she was njearing the fateful day she discovered a lost soul on a bed of seaweed, barely clinging to life. Without hesitation she whisked the green skinned woman off to the healers. They spent hours tending to her, one confessed that had it been even an hour later they doubt they would have been able to do anything. The stranger did not return to consciousness for a week.
As she was the one to find her, Queen Hippolyta assigned Aresia to care for the newcomer. The unnatural Amazon was not put off by the task as she felt a certain kinship with the woman. The two initially spoke very briefly. Terse exchanges would grow into the sharing of pleasantries. The stronger the woman got, Ivy, the deeper their rapport was established. Aresia relished the real conversations they had.
She'd found a kindred spirit. Ivy was at war with man's world, too. She was attuned to nature and sought balance, was strident in ending the pollution that had gone unchecked. She was brilliant and worldly and so many other things her sisters weren't. When she divulged her plan she just knew Ivy would be on board.
Except, she wasn't. Oh, she hid it well but Aresia could see the trepidation. Things hadn't been the same. She couldn't rid herself of the feeling that Ivy was playing along, staying close for her own reasons. She had Tsukuri do some background research on her new "friend". Aresia wasn't surprised to learn she had a well known relationship with some man. But the pictures of them did twist her insides. But she wanted to believe Ivy saw the overall merit. Aresia could admit that not every man was guilty just that so many were, so many had the potential to abuse any power they were given that it was inefficient to only go after the guilty. Even as the duo set out in secret, Aresia hoped her contingency plan wouldn't be necessary.
Ivy snuck away as soon as she could. Aresia knew where she was going. Where once there had been admiration and fondness, now there was only malice. She wanted Ivy to suffer; to watch the man that was more important than her alleged mission die right in front of her and then for her to join him. Aresia was building a new world and sellouts that couldn't sacrifice one male were useless to her. Ivy, she reasoned, brought it on herself. Doubly so for being a traitor to her kind.
The phone call seeking to talk her down only made her angrier, more resolute to see her dead. Her need to harm Ivy eclipsed all other concerns. Even in her current situation where she was combating yet another traitor. Her Princess. So soft, so unwilling to apply Queen Hippolyta's teachings that she set out to learn about man's world. And actually subjugated herself to the authority of a man. One arrogantly calling himself Superman!
Aresia's allergen saw to him, the Batman and the rest of the Justice League. Star Sapphire was holding Hawkgirl at bay while Aresia focused, poorly, on Diana. The Amazonian knew she was lucky Diana must have had conflicting opinions about striking a sister as Aresia could feel her own sloppiness. The call from Ivy, the assurances that her plan would fail as a cure had been created. Her request Aresia return to Themyscira like some broken animal.
It should have made her furious. It should have given her drive. Instead she felt unsteady. No, not unsteady. Unpicked, deselected. Rage was difficult to maintain and there was a reason she'd assigned Ivy's demise to another. Now that it bled out of her, now that she knew she'd fail regardless this felt pointless. Even the pain of Ivy's betrayal dulled from the sharp dagger it once was. Her dream of liberating all women died thanks to another. Someone she wanted-
A stiff right cross brought her out of musings. Her body struck the ground and she groaned in discomfort. She was mounted a half a moment later, the Princess preparing to rain down blows. Aresia didn't care. She didn't even attempt to defend as the fist barreled toward her.
"Diana, STOP!" a familiar voice yelled. It was her Queen. Diana redirected her fist to the pavement and Aresia felt the force that was intended for her. She turned her head away from the blow and watched as her sole remaining team member was subdued by Hawkgirl. Diana forced her to her feet, retraining her with her lasso, not that Aresia attempted to escape.
The two members of Themysciran royalty spoke about something. Aresia only half paid attention. Apparently, her Queen wanted to take her back to Themyscira but Diana rejected it, and argued that she had to face the justice of man's world; as if there were any. Aresia didn't argue, however. She was done. She tried to save them but they didn't want it, didn't deserve it. At some point she was placed in metal restraints and ushered off in some armored vehicle. She may have been able to escape but felt so hollow as to not have the will to try.
"Something wrong?" Naruto asked as he pulled his hair back into a ponytail. Something wasn't wrong but Ivy recognized the sport bike he was expecting her to ride. She'd seen it before, outside the corporate offices of a fracking operation. One that contaminated the surrounding lands. After destroying several of their rigs she sat her sights on the main office. She remembered it'd been too easy to infiltrate. She'd expected an ambush but it never came. As she exited the building she saw that distinctive black and silver motorcycle speed off.
If she asked, would he tell her? Did she even need him to? She'd been certain he didn't support her, the real her. That bedrock fact had been the basis for their inevitable end. But that wasn't true and she didn't know what to do with that knowledge.
"As much as you were prepared for the ambush, he had a bead on you. Sniper, half a mile out. Granted, he was using a computer to help him with wind drift," he said as if it were an affront. "High velocity round, you wouldn't have time to react."
"And?"
"I gave him a choice, he chose wrong," he answered and then handed Ivy a helmet. She positioned herself on the bike, hugging him close. It was abnormal, the body she was so familiar with feeling nothing like she was used to. The two rode silently. Ivy welcomed the lack of communication. The day had been draining and revealing. Him teleporting to a garage in Gotham was just one more new bit of information.
The street lights were a blur as he expertly navigated the city. Gotham felt brighter at night, the artificial luminosity somehow having a greater impact than the sun during the day. The ride started to feel eerily similar to the drives they used to take, as if it were just the two of them. It was dangerous how wrapped up they could get, how easy it was to fall. And now it felt as if their shared history developed its own gravitational pull. But it was what was and it had ended, she saw to that.
A different kind of familiarity pulled her attention to the present, she was almost home. The home she'd share with someone else, the home of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. She started to fill with anticipation. She'd be with Harley soon and could put this day behind her. Lock her past away and focus on the future. Lock away Pamela Isley. Poison Ivy was her strength, the truest version of what she wanted to be.
"They are both you," a tiny voice said but she ignored it. She needed Naruto to only have loved Pamela Isley. She couldn't consider the alternative. Ivy's future required her eyes pointed forward.
When she arrived at her complex they both got off the bike. She removed the helmet and placed it on the back, meeting those lavender eyes like she had a thousand times before. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eye line, never making contact with her skin but the intimate gesture still caused a pulsing thrill to run up her spine. She broke eye contact and walked away, no words exchanged.
It was fortunate the access codes hadn't changed and she gained entry with no problem. Convincing Harley, irate and armed with her revolver, that it wasn't a prank took a little more doing but once she was sure the former sidekicked broke down in Ivy's arms. She let the woman sob, shedding tears herself. She was finally home.
Two Days Later
Aresia had been resigned to exist in her cell. She was alone and the isolation suited her fine, it'd been a familiar comfort as she'd endured a period of such on Themyscira. She hadn't spoken though the officers had attempted to interrogate her. She hadn't eaten much, she had little appetite. She didn't even have the pleasure of extended sleep. Instead she just felt empty for hours on end.
Then, on the second day of her incarceration, as she was being transferred to another facility, armed assailants attacked her transport. They broke her free but rendered her unconscious with some kind of gas. When she came to, she was lying in a bed, much more comfortable than the cot in the holding cell. There was a change of clothes and a bag of toiletries at the foot. She heard a knock and gave permission to enter.
The person who entered was a tall man, scarred visage but one who held himself as if he were a leader; nay, a supreme authority. He spoke to her but she couldn't hear his words. For as soon as she saw his face she was a little girl again in Kaznia. Trying to escape the bloodshed. Trying to escape him. The arrogant man didn't even realize she knew him. The stranger that just appeared and won the favor of the royal family, the man that caused the militaristic turn.
The emptiness filled, and a frigid rage broke her depression into pieces. She was on the man before he could stop her, the fool hadn't taken any safety measures. By the time anyone came into the room she'd already caved his skull in and was on her way to a lifeboat. She met resistance but nothing a proud warrior of Themyscira couldn't handle. She fought her way to a lifeboat and set off. She knew not her current location but was lucky the stars were out and the sky was clear. She'd make it to land and formulate a plan from there.
Back on the ship, a fearful assassin called his master. He hoped he would not be blamed for the man's blunder as he was ordered to follow his lead. He really hated his luck, the other two league members grabbing the long straws. Now it was on him to inform Ra's that Vandal Savage had been murdered and his lord's plans would be delayed.