Open Arms [Tags: Chris Bradford]

Mizune finally was able to move into the Foot Tower. It was much easier then walking. She could've easily had been spotted by the Turtles or worse, Mikko. Ever since that incident at the compound, the kunoichi never had she wanted more then anything then to feel Mikko's blood on her hands. Bradford had been in the hospital for awhile now and they weren't even letting her see him. No doubt they want him to 'suffer'. She was not amused by their sense of black humor. Now she is taking out all of her frustrations on the bag that hung on the ceiling. She had been in the gym for hours now. She wanted to get her mind off that woman, Kitsune, but it was difficult when her face kept appearing each time she throws a punch. Too bad it wasn't her real face.

Who knows how long had she been in there. It soon became crowded with Foot soldiers. All of them were either practice their katas or lifting weights. Junko wasn't paying attention. No doubt they were making fun of her behind her back. The way Shredder looked at Kitsune....it crushed her. She pretended like there was nothing wrong, but this was eating away at her. Junko pretended that there was nothing wrong and tried her best to mask her jealousy.

She wasn't fooling anyone. Junko didn't paid attention to a trio of Foot soldiers walked into the gym, towel wrapped around their necks. They were with Bradford earlier at the con, although Junko didn't know that.  The boys exchanged wicked grins. They witnessed the drama between her and Bradford before. Since Kitsune arrived Junko had been demoted from teacher's pet to a lowly Foot soldier. They can't wait to rub it in her face. Walking around like she was better then them, who the hell did she think she was? It was time to teach her a lesson.

The Foot soldier grabbed the string which held the bag,"Hey, Junk. Seen Bradford lately?" He hoped it intimidated her enough, but it didn't. She ignored them. She still continued practicing, pretending that the thug wasn't there. The thug would not be ignored and continued,"Rumor has it that he's not doing so hot. His age is finally catching up to him. He thinks he is such a hot shot, strutting around like he is better then everyone else. Kind of like you, eh, Junk? He grinned sarcastically at Junko. Then he leaned forward and got in her face,"What is really going on between you and Bradford? There's been a lot of rumors going around that you got the hots for the master. Yet here you are playing footsie with Bradford. Interesting...I guess hairy men are your type, eh, Junk?"

Junko's muscles tense. This was just like back at the orphanage. The other girls would intimidate her just like this. The best thing she could do is ignore him, but a part of her wants to destroy him.

"So you want to fuck two guys, huh? You are greedy, Mizune. And you've got bad taste. You should be having fun with us. We missed our chance at the con. Maybe you can help us?" Junko's fist was barely a few inches from the bag. She lifted her head, locking eyes with the Foot soldier. There was an evil grin plastered on his face. Her senses started heightening. She can take on all three of these wimps no problem.

Standing calm and firm she faced the Foot soldier,"You're not my type. Thanks for the offer."

Before she can continue her katas, the Foot soldier grabbed her fist,"That wasn't an offer." Junko started to panic as he begin to squeeze her fist,"Whats the matter, Junk? I thought kunoichis loved to have fun. Unless you prefer Bradford or Saki? Well, I've got news for you sweetheart, Saki is not here to save you, this time." His two friends lunged at her, but she managed to swerve away from them. Their bodies hit the floor.

Chris had been feeling miserable lately. His wound hadn't yet healed up. His injury was a reminder of his own mistakes during the tower invasion just a few days ago. Not only that but his plan for Irma had also been thwarted by her bitchy, know-it-all and 'prudish' nature. What a drag. The ninja master had been out of action for quite some time and he had to personally decline major motion picture deals due to his near-fatal injury. He had to seek out Shredder. He just had to.

Approaching the Master's quarters, Bradford knocked. He awaited to be addressed by the man personally before entering his domain. Shredder's top student, next to Karai, pushed the doors open while clutching his arm in its sling with shame. Shredder simply glared at his student in such a cold and disappointed demeanor it sent shivers up the action star's spine. But he had to swallow that fear. Bradford shook his head, lowering his eyes to the throne floor as he dropped to a kneeling position.

Shredder knew what to do. He knew what Bradford wanted, and in his knowledge of the mutagen's unusual properties he removed a vial from his sash and glanced down at Bradford. Shredder held the tube for just a moment longer, as if dangling Chris' fate before his very eyes and taunting him with it. He tossed the vial down at Bradford who caught it in one hand with impeccable reflexes. Chris looked up at the Master with an agreeing nod, picked himself up and marched out of the throne room.

Chris went to the bathroom and began to pace back and forth in front of the numerous sinks and mirrors lining the front wall. He stopped at one of them and leaned over it, slowly lifting his gaze. The action star twisted one of the nobs to switch on the cold water and cupped his hands to splash across his face. He stared at his reflection with narrowed eyes.

. . .

Several moments passed by. Chris exited the bathroom and left in his wake a shattered mirror and a chipped porcelain sink whose remains were left shattered along the floor. Beside it all was his 'baby blue' arm sling to cradle his wound. He made his way to the gym area where he would work out and let off some steam about his most recent failures. It was obvious that something happened in that bathroom, but what? Chris shoved the gym doors open as he passed through and arrived just in time to hear a fellow Foot soldier run his mouth;


The action star-turned-criminal folded his arms over his chest. Several beads of sweat were dotting his forehead and face, unaware of the mutagen's effects. Chris removed the top of his gi and tossed it to the gym floor as he began ringing his hands around his wrists in preparation. Once the jokers were finished, their bodies sprawled out across the smooth floor, Bradford stared down at them with his lip curled up in a snarl. The Foot soldiers could only look up and then to each other in confusion.

Chris lifted one of them up by his throat which showcased his increased level of strength. The Foot soldier began fighting and clawing to be released but Chris maintained his strong grip before giving in and dropping the punk on his ass. The other two backed away in total fright at what they'd just witnessed. What the hell did they just see?! "My age doesn't hold me back! Nothing can hold me back! I'll snap your neck and use your spine as my own personal necklace, whelp!", Bradford snapped with venomous ferocity. The Foot ninja picked himself up quickly and joined his friends. Evidently, the wound had healed. Chris slowly turned his gaze to Mizune. His inner-animal kicked in and he rushed over to her, circling her, sniffing her, getting her scent. He wasn't mutated but it was obvious that something had transformed. Chris suddenly wrapped his arms around her slender waist and flicked his tongue across her lips.

Junko was about to finish these guys off when said action star walked into the room. Something didn't felt right. The way he knocked these guys flat on their backs took tremendous strength. It wasn't like he wasn't strong before. But he seemed twice as strong now. Grateful for rescue, the kunoichi was startled when she felt his tongue on her lips. Her nose wrinkled a bit, but shook it off.

"Bradford? What are you doing out of bed? Never mind, after seeing what just happened you don't look like you need rest." She eyed the wall where the bodies of the Foot soldiers slammed into. Then she touched her lips,""You seem different Maybe we can talk about this in private?" She took a quick glance and noticed that everyone had seen the little confrontation. There was look of fear in their faces. It wasn't like they had seen the action star pissed before, but this was something else. They went back to their workouts.

She made a gesture to his bedroom and followed him upstairs. Once making sure that the coast was clear so that no one can listen to their conversation, she turned to Chris,"What just happened back there?" She sized him up. He was sweating and breathing heavily. What was going on here?

"What's wrong?"

But before Chris could have his answer, Mizune had other plans. She wanted him to follow her out of the gym. It took him a brief moment to recollect himself and as he glared all around the vacant gym it was clear that all eyes were on him. They just didn't know... They didn't understand. How could they? Nothing but low-lives, pawns in Shredder's chessboard from hell. Bradford liked to think he was at least a Knight. That would probably define his position in the clan.

Mizune had already made her way around the gym and up the stairs leading to the upper part of the tower. The upper half housed many of the top soldiers in the Foot. The elite warriors acknowledged by the Master. He unlocked his door and stepped aside so she could get in. Following closely, Bradford quickly shut the door and turned to look directly into her eyes. He wasn't the same Chris Bradford. He was, just more vicious and full of energy. Same attitude, different outlook.

Her question didn't take him by surprise. He knew it was coming. Hell, every Foot soldier downstairs were probably discussing it amongst themselves right this very second. But that didn't stop Bradford from smirking in response. "What happened? What happened was I'm all healed up! No more pain, I don't even feel it now. Not ever since I...", he paused. Stopping himself, Chris propped himself up against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you so curious?"

There was something different about those eyes. They were the same color, but the emotion behind them was different. Almost intense, energetic even. The kunoichi shook her head, pretending that she wasn't just seeing things,""Well, for starters, you sniffed me. Then you were acting like a dog in heat. I've seen your legendary kisses on screen before. Was that supposed to be one of them?" She raised a curious eyebrow at Chris,"Unless that was a French kiss?" Hopefully that is all that it was. For a brief second it looked like he was licking her lips.

Still, she was grateful. Rubbing her arm thoughtfully she said, in a softer voice,"Doesn't mean I didn't appreciate the rescue. I could've taken out those guys myself. They were going to..." She paused, the word 'rape' almost leaving her lips. Then turned away. This was the first time Bradford would see her without the Foot uniform. She, too, was wearing a gi. Her hair was not tied up in the usual geisha style. Less makeup, too. For a brief second she almost like your average Japanese woman that could blend into the background. It was unusual for Junko to be without her 'clown' makeup. She felt like herself, for once. That wasn't the reason why she turned away from him. She never had been this shy before. That 'kiss' took her aback.

She changed the subject, "Did you manage to break any hearts today? After all that is your specialty."

Mizune brought up his notorious love scenes from many of his movies, low grade and otherwise. It was some of his cheesiest work to date but a lot of his fans often praised him for the 'realism' he brought to them when acting the scenes out. Chris was critically slammed by high-profile critics but his fanbase was strong and fierce. Obviously, Mizune wasn't much of a fan. She had certain knowledge of it but did that alone make her one of his fans? Probably not.

Chris simply smirked as he listened to her speak on the topic. Yes, he was skilled in the art of 'action movie love-making', much to the chagrin of others. This included those same fat, pudgy-faced critics Whipple and Shebert. Her concern was touching. Chris didn't need her getting too nosy though. "No, that was... That was nothing. Just a stupid little lick across the lips. Didn't mean anything.", he argued. Mizune was acting odd about the whole ordeal. Isn't this what she wanted?

"Hey," the action star-turned-ninja lifted his hand to pause her for a moment. "Don't worry about it. I may be a creep but I don't force a woman to do what I want. If a man has to do that, he's not really a man... That's the humility!", he grinned. Chris pretty much implied that he never had to force a woman to make love to him because it often happened naturally. It would simply blossom from their ever-adoring love for him.

Mizune seemed to drift away for a moment as Chris was speaking but she pulled another surprise on him and was shot back to reality. Her question was to change the topic as quick as possible. Moving over to take a seat next to her, Chris shrugged. What was he supposed to say to that? "No, not today. Just seemed to housebreak a lovesick puppy is all...", Chris teased with a smirk.

"You really are a bad boy, aren't you?" She laughed,"Poor girl. I feel bad for her, but I assume you had a reason for using her. You are almost as good as I am." That last one was meant to be a friendly quip. Sitting next to him, she trailed a finger along his arm,"Sadly, my tricks are not working on Saki. I guess I underestimated him." She frowned deeply,"Its that Kitsune's fault. How do I get rid of her?" Already a devious plan to get rid of the immortal witch begin to froth in her mind.

Without realizing it, Junko's fingernails were digging into Chris' skin,"Sumimasen!" She stood up and gazed at him with an apologetic look. Since Kitsune arrived, her jealousy had slowly started to eat away at her. Junko never thought of having a darker side, but now he had seen it. Right now, her feelings were conflicted. Did she really loved Saki? At all? A part of her wanted to care for him, but the other half just wants to sit by his side and rule the Foot with him. Yet there was only one problem...she had no power and is nothing more then a lowly Foot soldier to him.

She lowered her head, trying to avoid his gaze. The moment she met Chris Bradford, he treated her like a peace of meat, and had to chase her, like a kid chasing after the girl he likes on a playground. The kunoichi would always retaliate his conceited attitude with her usual sarcastic wit. The two had proven that they can set aside their differences and worked together. He wasn't as bad as she thought he would be. That there was more to Chris Bradford then just being the tough guy.

Was he as lonely as her?

"When that bullet hit you, I thought that you'd..." She began but paused, trying to find the right words.

Chris couldn't believe his ears. "Get rid of Kitsune?! Are you insane? You can't stop her. She's, like, mega-powerful!", the action star argued as he gazed into her dark hues. Mizune was serious. Truly, deeply serious. Bradford knew she had the hots for the Master, what women didn't? But it was foolish to think she could take out one of, if not the, most powerful witches known to this world and the next. Not even Bradford was dumb enough to sass Kitsune.

She was serious-fucking-business. He chuckled. Just then, Mizune realized what she'd done to his skin and Chris simply glanced down at the small trail of blood racing down his forearm and down the back of his hand. He sniffed it, licking the juices from his own wound and let out a satisfied snarl. Pausing, Bradford looked up at Mizune. "Just a scratch. Don't worry about it. It'll heal," the gruff action star smirked. Nothing but a simple little nick. Nothing to worry about.

But it didn't take long for her emotions to come pouring out like an avalanche of restrained feelings. Bradford tilted his head and glanced up at her with hungry eyes. Hungry like the wolf. He slowly pushed himself up off the couch and advanced over to her in a sultry manner. Gently, Bradford lifted his hand and ran the back of it across the side of her face slowly and sensually before cutting in. "Dead? Funny, didn't know you cared. I think you're just wet for a date myself. No need to be ashamed. This is the Chris Bradford here, you've hit the jackpot!", he declared with a forceful hug around her waist.

Okay, so taking out Kitsune was not going to be easy. She had to come up with a plan somehow. Getting rid of an immortal witch is futile, so killing her would be impossible. Saki is very distrusting, so maybe he can loose his trust in Kitsune somehow...maybe if he catches her in a lie...would it work? And would what happen if Saki catches her in the act?

Her trail of thoughts were interrupted when he placed his hand on her face. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he gave her a bone crushing hug. Did his eyes changed just now, or was it just her imagination?

Then he got up from the couch, a look of pure hunger in his eyes. He wanted her, just like she wanted him. Reciprocating the gesture, she whispered into his ear,"And what makes you think I have anything to be ashamed of?" Placing her hands on his cheeks, she pressed her lips against his.

Really? Mizune was going with that? Bradford smirked, realizing that she wanted the same thing he did. If Saki wasn't going to give it to her, he would. He had no issue engaging in certain intercourse with another female of the clan. It was normally frowned upon but relationships had formed within the clan before. Many years ago. In fact, if not for bending the rules Shredder would have never even existed. It was love that broke him. It was pain that molded him. It was hatred that created him.

Even hate existed within a so-called 'family'. The action star returned her kiss with a rather unexpected passionate kiss of his very own. It took him all of twenty seconds to even release her lips. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed upon her as if she were his date for the evening. "Is that a challenge? I'm sure given enough time I'll come up with something to shame you with. But for right now, who the hell cares?", Chris asked rhetorically. The answer: not a damn one.


Chris found himself lying on his back with his pants, belt and boots sprawled across the foot of his bed and along the floor. His muscled arms were placed behind his head and he gave a more-than-satisfied howl at what had just transpired. Did Mizune like it? She'd done it before, right? Probably. Likely... Hopefully. His eyes were rested closed as he yawned widely and stretched, wrapping his arm around her.

One moment Chris pinned her against the bed, her clothes strewn across the floor, and the next the sounds of lustful cries and moans echoed throughout the bedroom. Wondering enforcers would shake their heads in disgust, but it wasn't as though this was the first time Chris has brought in a woman or two into his bedroom. They had no clue that inside the bedroom was Shredder's pet, erm, pupil.

Junko didn't care about what the master thought. He didn't own her. She can sleep with whomever she wanted. She choose Chris Bradford. Why? She had no clue, but something about him was attractive, until he removed the rest of his clothes. He wasn't bad to look at after all. Maybe she underestimated him on the looks department, too. At least she had him for herself, for tonight. But would happen if Shredder did find out?

Chris delivered his promise, he did shamed her with something. The sex was more then just passionate, it was nearly animalistic. The kisses made her felt as though her body were on fire. Her body is still sticky with sweat. The way his eyes looked as their bodies rocked against each other, it was as though there was an animal threatening to emerge. It definitely showed itself tonight.

She felt his arm pressed against her body. She pulled him closer to her. Shame. Shredder is missing out on this, but since he is too busy making goo goo eyes at Kitsune, what he thought wasn't important to her any more.