Three Square Meals

With the muted flare of silenced retro thrusters, the sleek black shuttle touched down in the centre of the glowing orange landing pad. Amatsu Mikaboshi powered down the engines, then flipped a switch on the black console in front of him, which opened the airlock door. He rose from the Pilot's Chair, and stalked from the tiny infiltration vessel without a backward glance. Movement to his right drew his attention, as a huge set of reinforced doors dropped down into position, concealing the entrance to the hangar bay. His hidden fortress, Yomi-no-kuni, was built into a remote mountain range, obscured from detection by the cunning use of technology.

It had taken a couple of days to pilot the freighter he'd hijacked back to his home system, where he'd promptly abandoned the 'Scamander' at the local starport. Flying from there to his citadel in Shinatobe's shuttle had taken a few additional hours, but he had no intention of landing the cumbersome stolen freighter in his base of operations. He had already taken a risk using the Scamander to fly back to this planet, but in his battered condition, he had rather limited options.

Now that he was safely back in his stronghold, he felt a surge of relief; yet another long forgotten emotion he was experiencing again, courtesy of John Blake. Thoughts of the man that Mikaboshi was fast coming to think of as his nemesis, filled him with a blinding rage, and he struggled to bring himself under control as he strode across the dimly lit hangar. What made the events that had transpired all the more galling, was that he'd had John Blake at his mercy, and could have ended it all with a single gunshot. By indulging himself, and taking his time, he'd ended up losing so much...

A door opened before him, and Servant Kagawa, his major-domo stepped through, walking with the small quick steps he favoured. "Welcome home, Idaina-sha," Kagawa greeted him with an obsequious bow.

Mikaboshi normally enjoyed the man's servile disposition, viewing it as treating him with the respect he deserved. Today however, it irritated him immensely, and he had to strongly rein in his fury before he throttled the man. He breezed past him instead and snapped, "What news of Shinatobe? Did she escape? Has she made contact?"

Kagawa shook his head, his head bowing low as he fell into step beside Mikaboshi, and replied, "No, Idaina-sha. We have received no word from her since the incident on the Amaterasu."

The mention of his flagship caused Mikaboshi to grind his teeth in anger, difficult though that was, with his jaw broken in three places. He'd successfully escaped the stricken battlecruiser in Shinatobe's shuttle, then activated stealth mode as he'd put some distance between himself and the compromised ship. Until he'd repaired his mangled body, he had no intention of confronting John Blake, or the boarding party that had slaughtered his soldiers with such contemptuous ease.

When John Blake disembarked the Amaterasu in his evil-looking gunship, Mikaboshi's plan had been to return to his ship and regroup with the survivors. Moments later however, the Invictus had dropped out of hyper-warp, and hanging there in the blackness of space, he'd been forced to watch helplessly as the white-hulled cruiser had engaged the Amaterasu. He still struggled to find words to describe the level of destructive power that ship had brought to bear on his battlecruiser. He'd been shocked and appalled as his flagship that he'd meticulously upgraded and maintained over decades, was utterly obliterated in less than a minute.

Still, when he had his revenge, and John Blake had been slain, he could always seize the Invictus for himself. He wasn't going to take any chances this time however. John Blake had threatened to come looking for him, so Mikaboshi planned to oppose him with such overwhelming force, the result of the impending battle would be a foregone conclusion. That thought brought a smile to his twisted lips, and he walked back to his quarters with an added spring to his step.

Not bothering to look at the man walking by his side, Mikaboshi strode down the bleak stone corridor, and announced imperiously, "Order the immediate recall of all my agents, with no exceptions."

Kagawa gasped in shock, and forgetting his place, he blurted out, "But that would mean abandoning dozens of contracts! The loss of face will be catastrophic!"

Mikaboshi paused as he reached his destination, and pushed the button to open the heavy black door. Turning to glare at Kagawa with his mangled face, he said in a low voice, "Question my orders again, Servant Kagawa, and you will end up begging me to end your torment."

"Hai, Idaina-sha, I meant no disrespect," Kagawa replied, bowing impressively low. "I will order the recall at once."

His major-domo scurried away, and Mikaboshi entered the darkened room, illuminated only by red lighting built into the floor. It cast a ghoulish crimson light over the dozens of cybernetic limbs hanging on the walls, giving the room the appearance of a horrifying slaughterhouse. He stopped in front of one of the left arms, carefully removing it from the rack with his right hand.

John Blake had ripped his old arm away at the shoulder, but by luck, the torso mount itself was undamaged. He activated the command to detach the remnants of his dismembered limb from his body, and the ravaged shoulder joint detached with a soft click, before falling to the floor with a metallic clang. Aligning his new arm into the correct position took only a moment, and he locked it into place, then smoothed over the synthi-skin to conceal the joint.

His limb restored, Mikaboshi turned now towards the opposite wall, where a score of disembodied heads were neatly arranged in rows, staring back at him with cold, dead eyes. He strolled over to the first of those, lifting it from the shelf and checking the state of the connections. It had been many years since he'd had to make such significant repairs to his body, and it was one more thing he intended to make John Blake pay for, along with the loss of both the Amaterasu, and his beloved Shinatobe...

***

"There's a good girl," Alyssa purred, planting a loving kiss on the big bulge in Sakura's slender neck.

The ravishing blonde Matriarch was lying on her back with the latest addition to their crew lying on top of her, their firm breasts squashed together. John knelt in front of Sakura with his cock buried down her throat, and he was stroking back and forth at a gentle pace that he knew she was comfortable with. They'd let the Asian girl sleep for several hours, lying peacefully between them as she absorbed the rich, heavy meal in her belly. Her stomach was flat and toned again now though, her growing body having voraciously consumed his load, and she needed feeding again to maintain the Change.

"Swallow now, sexy, it makes the muscles in your throat massage his cock," Alyssa said encouragingly, watching with lustful eyes as John thrust in and out of Sakura's mouth.

Sakura was watching John carefully, doing her best to learn from the blonde girl's expert advice, and she smiled around the girth spreading her mouth wide as she saw his breathing quicken. Her lips reached his groin, the full length of his shaft encased in the tight embrace of her throat, and she paused for a moment, swallowing again to heighten the sensation for him. It still astonished her that she could take John like that, but there was no discomfort in having his burgeoning length impaling her; on the contrary, she found it tremendously satisfying. She made eye contact with him, and took control over their coupling, maintaining a smooth, sensual rhythm as she bobbed up and down.

Now that they'd made love, the nature of their relationship had shifted up a gear, greatly intensifying the connection between them. It still felt like a dream to her, how this incredible man had swept into her life, rescuing her from the horrific mental prison of her own cybernetic body - the psychotic Shinatobe persona enforced upon her by the Master Assassin Mikaboshi. Not surprisingly, her feelings towards John were overwhelming in their intensity, but their nature had subtly shifted, changing from earnest gratitude to lustful desire, and to something much more permanent.

Her mind had wandered for a moment, but she'd been subconsciously following Alyssa's instructions, moving in fluid strokes accompanied by wet "shlocking" sounds as he pistoned in and out of her throat. All that stimulation soon had the desired effect, and John cried out in ecstasy as he came, running his fingers through her hair and gently holding her in place. This was another of those moments which made Sakura feel so submissive, but so empowered at the same time, and she whimpered with delight as she brought him to orgasm.

His huge cock began to throb in her throat, and she swallowed to help milk his length. She couldn't taste his cum like this, as he was shooting his sperm directly into her stomach, but being carefully held in place while he packed her belly full of spunk was an indescribable feeling. Sakura felt a soft pair of female lips sucking on her nipples, while nimble, clever fingers began to stroke her clit in time to the throbbing pulses of John's cock. She squealed as she joined him in orgasm, unable to maintain the eye contact any longer as her eyes rolled back in bliss. By the time she regained her senses, John was nearly done, and her abdomen was stuffed full of his heavy load, resting as it was on Alyssa's toned body.

"Mmm, you did such a good job," Alyssa said approvingly, as those slender hands cupped and stroked the enormous tanned tummy pinning her to the bed.

John nodded, smiling down at Sakura as he said, "She's right, you were such a good girl. That felt incredible!"

Sakura's heart lifted with joy to hear them both praise her, the feelings of happiness wrapping her in a warm emotional blanket that nearly compensated for John easing his cock out of her throat. She felt strangely bereft now that she was no longer wrapped around him, but having a belly swollen with his cum was fine compensation.

He helped her lift her rotund weight off the beautiful blonde beneath her, and Sakura lay back on the bed with a deep sigh of satisfaction. John and Alyssa flanked her immediately afterwards, and they both began to caress the taut skin of her engorged stomach, which felt absolutely wonderful. The serene moment was abruptly interrupted by a loud rumble from John's stomach, voicing its displeasure at having to wait for dinner. Sakura smiled at him, and he looked a bit embarrassed, which she found quite adorable.

"We better get some dinner inside you," Alyssa said to him, her tone caring and full of love.

It still seemed a little strange to Sakura that Alyssa would so willingly share the man that she was obviously head-over-heels in love with. It wasn't just Sakura that the blonde was being so selfless with, as there were five other stunningly attractive girls in this group all of whom were fully intimate with John. They were all so beautiful, it was more than a little intimidating being around them; but at the same time, they'd all been nothing but friendly and welcoming with her.

Sakura had liked Calara immediately, the warm, friendly girl putting her at ease straight away. There was a hidden harder edge to the gorgeous Latina though, and it had been a shock to see her ruthlessly dispatch that Kintark battleship. By contrast, Irillith had seemed scary at first, a little aloof and with a slightly sarcastic edge to some of her observations, but she'd been very helpful and supportive with her up on the Bridge during the battle. Sakura found that beneath that elegant, poised and occasionally sharp exterior, the Maliri girl was gentle and caring too.

She hadn't made her mind up about Rachel and Dana yet, with the brunette quiet and reserved, and the redhead brash and exuberant. It was astonishing to think that Dana had developed all the gear that John's crew had at their disposal, including all the enhancements to their remarkable ship, the Invictus. While Rachel, as the ship's Doctor, had been directly responsible for removing all the cybernetic implants from Sakura's body, saving her from that living nightmare. Both girls had been friendly though, in their own unique ways, and she was looking forward to getting to know them better.

Then there was Jade, the exotic, green-skinned alien girl. The Nymph seemed to be eager to put their past behind her, and had been nothing but open and welcoming. Still, every time Sakura looked into those enchanting emerald eyes, she saw the face of that ferocious tiger, the huge beast sprawled on the floor where she'd been felled by Shinatobe. She knew that Jade had been killed in that fight, then somehow miraculously restored to life by John's phenomenal powers, and she hoped she could somehow make amends with the gentle Nymph.

That just left the blonde goddess that was currently cuddled up with her in bed. Alyssa was breathtakingly beautiful, but there was much more to her than that, and Sakura had found her to be incredibly compassionate, supportive, and caring. Despite all that, it was difficult to forget that the psychic blonde had beaten Shinatobe unconscious using just her mind. Sakura had been on the receiving end of those telekinetic backhanders too, and she had no intention of ever making the mistake of upsetting John's Matriarch. Still, she had to admit that staring into those enchanting blue eyes while Alyssa licked her to some blindingly intense climaxes, had done wonders to help her get over her fears.

"Hey Sakura, what do you want to do?" Alyssa asked again, nudging Sakura with a playful push. "Do you want to come and help us make dinner, or rest here?"

Sakura blushed, realising she'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she'd accidentally tuned Alyssa out. It was something her parents used to complain about when she had her head in one of her books, and wouldn't hear her mother calling her for supper. Thoughts of her parents brought that rising tide of grief with it again, and she desperately fled from that horrible tsunami of loss, tinged as it was with sharp feelings of guilt.

"I'm sorry, I was miles away," she apologised to the blonde girl. Seeking any form of distraction, she added, "I'd love to come with you, if that's okay?"

Alyssa nodded eagerly, and replied, "Sure! We'd love to have you come with us, right John?"

He smiled at Sakura, which made her heart skip a beat, and replied, "Definitely. Do you know how to cook, Sakura?"

She shook her head, and replied, "My mother was wonderful at cooking, and I always told her I'd let her teach me someday. I kept putting it off, because studying for law school was too important..."

That wave of guilt and grief crashed down on her now, and she felt like she was drowning under a sea of regret. If only she'd been a better daughter, and spent more time with her mother... what use was all that studying, now that she'd abandoned law school? If only she'd taken the hover-bus to university instead of convincing her parents that she was responsible enough to have her own bike. If only she hadn't been so damned naive and trusting, she'd never have been kidnapped, and wouldn't have put her parents through decades of grief. If only...

Tears were streaming down her face, making John's chest damp where she was leaning into him. She'd started sobbing at some point, and John had wrapped her in his arms as she poured out her grief.

"It's okay, let it all out," he told her, his baritone voice safe and soothing as he rubbed her back.

Alyssa was gently stroking Sakura's hair, and her tone was soft and caring as she said, "You poor girl, you've had to deal with so much."

Sakura cried her heart out, mourning her parents, and the life that had been taken from her. Her world contracted until it solely consisted of her sobbing, her grief, her sense of guilt, and all those regrets. When her tears finally dried up, she just felt a dull ache in her chest, rather than the sharp pang of loss. Taking a big breath, she pulled away from John to brush her arm across her eyes, and she flushed when she saw his tear-soaked chest.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, feeling self-conscious.

He shook his head, and replied, "Don't be. You've been through a lot, and it'll take time to come to terms with your loss. We're all here for you, so let any of us know if you need to talk, alright?"

She felt a bit better already, and she smiled at them both bravely.

Alyssa returned the smile, then said, "Why don't we all get a shower?" She nodded towards John's damp chest, and grinned as she added, "You made a good start on him, but I don't think he's completely clean yet."

Sakura laughed at her joke, the laughter feeling strange and awkward after all her weeping. John joined in too, and then he and Alyssa offered her a hand as they got out of bed. She'd forgotten about the heavy weight around her midriff, and the sight of her rounded belly brought a faint smile to her lips. Taking their offered hands, she let them help her out of bed, and she wobbled a bit at first before finding her balance. They all walked into the bathroom together, then through to the huge shower, and John held the cubicle door open for the girls to enter first.

The warm water felt amazing, and her two lovers stroked her tummy as she soaked under the soothing jets of water. She let out a happy sigh at the blissful sensation of their touch, then felt ashamed that she could feel so good after being overcome with grief only a few minutes earlier. It almost felt like she was forgetting about her parents, and she worried that John and Alyssa might think she was callous.

Alyssa had been watching her expressions, and reading her rapidly changing emotions, so she smiled reassuringly as she said, "You're responding to the physical changes to your body. It's alright that it feels good, and it doesn't in any way reflect on the love you felt for your parents, or how much you miss them."

John nodded, and said, "No one's going to judge you, Sakura. You can come to terms with your loss in your own way, and we're just here to support you."

She looked at each of them in turn, touched by their kind words, and she pulled them both into a hug as she said, "Thank you so much. For everything..."

John and Alyssa shared a glance, and he replied, "We can both empathise with what you're going through. Take as much time as you need, there's no rush."

Nodding her head, Sakura replied earnestly, "I'm so glad I made the choice to join you. I've never felt like I belonged somewhere quite so much before." She flushed then, nervous that they might not feel the same way.

She needn't have worried though, as Alyssa wrapped her in her arms, and said, "You're a perfect fit for our group. I'm in charge of recruitment, and I take my job very seriously!"

John laughed, and said, "Yeah, my XO has a real eye for talent."

Sakura got the impression she was missing something, so they explained the joke while they soaped each other down. When they were done and had dried off, they returned to the bedroom, where a zealous and industrious cleaning robot had changed the bed, and was exiting the room with a hamper full of sheets on its back. They went into the huge walk-in wardrobe next, and Alyssa handed her another of John's shirts with a friendly wink.

Sakura carefully put on the neatly pressed shirt, which was much too large for her, sized as it was for his brawny frame. However, with her enormously rounded tummy, the cotton brushed lightly over her taut skin, feeling soft and comforting. Even though it was freshly cleaned, she was sure she could sense his distinctive smell on it, and she inhaled deeply with a wistful smile on her face.

*It's like being constantly wrapped in his arms, isn't it?* Alyssa thought to her, while giving her a knowing smile.