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In the fall, Bo had made it out to a little 'back to school' party thrown by a good friend of his named Abbey. Abbey was a good girl -- blond hair, square glasses, sharp wit. She played volleyball for DCU and had met Bo when he started swimming for Sovereign Heights. Like everyone Bo met, she was an instant friend. He even comforted her when she broke up with her high school boyfriend halfway through the year. Of course, being Bo, that meant showing up at her house at all hours of the night for a movie, a cuddle, or adult friend time. Abbey understood Bo, always had, and so the two obviously never started a relationship. It wasn't long before Abbey was dating a boy much nicer than the one who had dumped her, and her relationship with Bo receded back to a friendship based on mutual love of sports.

That friendship had lasted through the years -- lasted long enough to earn him an invite to her party three years later. Abbey always threw a good party, and at this one, Bo made many new friends (he always did). The most memorable was a sweet freshman girl named Hypatia. Her name had grabbed his attention. As someone named 'Bodhi,' he could certainly sympathize with the uniqueness of it. That conversation led to a discussion of vintage photography, antiques -- and friendship.

Even when things got busy, Bo always made time for a monthly dinner with Hypatia -- mostly because she was great about reminding him too.

That evening, Bo was dressed casually in a v-neck gray t-shirt and cargo khaki shorts. His flip-flops slapped noisily against the concrete, a smattering of knotted hemp bracelets on one wrist. He looked like he had just stepped off the beach, which made sense... because he had. None the less, he was only just 20 minutes late to meet Hypatia outside of the antique shop where she worked.

Walking up to the door, he peeked through the window, stopped Hypatia, and knocked.

There was certainly something electric about Bo Hanley in the summertime. The truth was that, as Senshi of Summer, he experienced a boost in power during the season where he reigned, just as he would feel at his lowest when Fall came around. So long as the sun was burning hotly overhead, Bo was a happy man. Of course, he hadn't really made use of the power boost, per se -- beyond one incredible surfing session in full fuku -- but he could still feel it rattling in his bones, a second skin beneath his civilian appearance.

"I could never forget about you," he said, all smiles and charm. The difference between Bo and most boys in college was that Bo meant the smarmy, cheesy things that he said. At least, he always thought he did. "While you were hard at work, I was napping on the beach. I took some amazing photos, still have to develop them though." He held up his camera and gave it a good shake. It wasn't his trusty polaroid -- it was some fancy old thing instead.

Jutting out an elbow as an offer to Hypatia, Bo began strolling down the street at an easy peace. "All right, Ms. College Freshman-turning-Sophomore -- how did you fare in your first year at DCU?"

(I assume she is a rising sophomore since it is summertime now, yes? If I am wrong, let me know!)

For a moment, Bo lifted his camera out of Hypatia's reach, grinning as she bobbed for it. "A friend at the photo studio sold it to me," he said, finally letting her get a look. "I'm still getting a handle on it. Much better than Instagram, if I do say so myself." Photography was a passion for Bo, and he had many cameras -- and many more that he had lost over the years. Oh well. He would love this one for as long as he was able to keep track of it.

Hypatia had an ease about her that always made Bo enjoy their time together. He tended to avoid people who stressed him out like the plague. "You always look perfect," he said, the exact compliment he had likely given to five other females that day. Bo was all about the positivity.

Summer seems to agree with you.

A grin even wider than the one that was already on his face broke out. The summer was like a drug to him. He was stronger, faster, happier. It meant that he would peak and crash with the start of fall, sure, but Bo was happy to live in the moment, always was. "I am a summer child," he said, craning his head back as if the sun was still high in the sky. "It the best time of the year." Bo's classes hadn't been going so well. He was forgetful at best and preferred following the beat of his own drum... which often meant following it away from class. With the help of a sports tutor, he was able to keep the minimum GPA required to swim for the school, but at 22 years old, he still didn't have his Associate's Degree.

Of course, he just ignored it.

"I saw Abbey the other day. She was with Greg shopping at a home goods store. Pretty sure two people we know are planning to move in together," he said, leaning down toward Hypatia with a smile.

As Bo continued his story about Abbey and Greg -- how they were laughing, the hideous lamp he was pretty sure they would buy -- another creature watched the pair. It was a decent-sized youma, some sort of hybrid between a snake and a crocodile: all fangs, armored tail, and two massive forearms. It lurked in the shadows, trailing quietly behind the pair.

Just three feet away, it let out a loud, audible snarl.

Bo was halfway through a fresh peal of laughter when he heard the same growl that had Hypatia shrinking in her steps. "Could've been the wind," he said, the smile dipping from his lips. When her fingers pressed deeper into his flesh, he responded by covering her hand with his own. He nodded wordlessly, frozen in place as the youma slipped one gnarled paw -- massive, muscled, clawed -- into the fading sunlight.

This was not a situation that Bo was entirely unfamiliar with. Another super senshi would already be in henshin an kicking a**, no doubt, but Bo was not your average senshi. He hated fighting and was more likely to run away than save a life. Still, this was Hypatia.

"Let's just back away very... very... slowly..." he whispered, foot scooting back an inch.

The Crocosnake Youma hissed and lurched forward, thumping across the ground with its two forearms, tail whipping behind it. "RUN!" he shouted, gripping Hypatia's arm firmly and sprinting around a corner. The youma was in fast pursuit, overturning a park bench with a growl. This was not the bottom of the barrel sort of youma. This one definitely packed a punch.

Worse still -- it was fast.

Bo and Hypatia snaked through streets and darted through as many alleys as Bo could remember patrolling, but in no time, the monster was snapping at their heels. With a flail of arms, Bo forcibly shoved Hypatia forward and spun, taking the hit from the youma full force in his very human chest. He landed with a wet squick. Blood pooled from his yellow hair, his vision blurred. Princess Chronos had warned him how important it was to keep his identity secret, but he saw no other choice.

Squirming to keep the thing from biting him, Bo grabbed a hold of his henshin pen and murmured the incantation to go from regular boy to super boy. There was a flash of light as his pure aura clashed with the youma's. It only retreated far enough away to allow him to get up, which he quickly did -- springing up from the ground like a frog and landing on his feet in a decidedly different kind of outfit.



"Sorry, Hyp," he said quickly. "I'm really no good at this fighting business."

As if to prove it, Neso failed to notice the youma rear back and lunge for him again -- once more falling to the pavement with the monster on top of him, once more struggling not to be bitten.

Very impressive.

Mentally, Neso was praying that Virgo or Flora would appear miraculously around the corner to save his a**. He could assist decently, on occasion, but he was no youma-destroyer. He preferred to run and live. Right in that moment, he was unable to do it as there was a Crocosnake Monster going for his jugular. "Off, off!" he shouted, punching and kicking -- a tangle of 6'5" of arms and legs.

It had almost completely escaped the super senshi's notice that Hypatia had done anything at all. "Hypatia, get out of here!" he shouted, sparing one glance to see where she was. But he didn't see Hypatia. Instead, he saw a gorgeous girl in delicate pink and cream.

"Hy...pat---" The surprise was cut off in his throat as the monster headbutted him with its massive snout.

Despite the painful buzzing in his head, Neso felt invigorated by the sight of a potential-senshi-Hypatia behind him. With a grunt, he planted both feet on the chest of the youma and kicked it several feet away from him. "You didn't tell me you were a senshi!" he said, rolling back to his feet and racing toward her. "I hope you're a good one because I don't hold my own so well."

About ten feet away, the youma struggled to untangle its awkward body for another strike.

New? Hypatia was a new senshi? There was a part of him that was hoping for her to be a seasoned veteran more than prepared to save his a**. Instead, she was a newbie. It should have been a disappointment, but Neso was simply overjoyed to know that his friend was part of their little intergalactic brotherhood. She even knew how to use her power!

Just as soon as she cast it, Neso was hopping up to her side. "Aw, welcome to the fam, Titania!" he said, moving to wrap his arms around her. He thought he got the name right, if the whisper from the cat had properly registered in his brain.But just as he went to hug her... she was gone! "Titania? Titania?" Confusion and a touch of panic bled into his voice.

Behind him, the youma snarled. Oh. Right. Danger.

With Titania gone, the youma fixed itself back on Neso, lunging for his ankle. It caught his ribboned sandal in its teeth and pulled, yanking it clear of his leg and shredding the ribbons to tatters. Well, if Titania could use her power, so could he. Screeching to a stop, Neso called out: "Summer Heat Strike, Power Up!" It had been a long time since Neso had used his attack in summer. It was his season, and that fact alone made him far more powerfully than he usually was.

As his hand raised above his head, waves of heat appeared immediately. The heat was so thick that beads of sweat began to roll down Neso's skin. The youma stopped in its tracks inching back from the boy and gnashing its teeth. Neso's had grew brighter and brighter, almost blinding, as he curled his fingers into a fist. An uncharacteristic look of determination burned across his features. All of the summer energy was using his body as a conduit, and it made him radiate power.

With a roar, Neso leaped up into the air, pulled back his fist, and threw himself toward the youma. It didn't have time to react. His fist collided with it, peeling right through it as the creature exploded into dust. When Neso's fist hit the pavement, it cracked the cement and left black burn marks on the ground. The tremor of impact sent him to his knees, breathing hard.

"Whoa," he said, panting. "It's been... that's the first time... I haven't used my powers during summer this whole... season." Neso shook his head, not standing up. He had just unleashed more power than he probably had in his entire time as a senshi. It had him humming with electricity.

Energy vibrated in Neso's fingertips. He felt like a balloon filled too full. His attack channeled the energy of summer, and he had spent the entire season never using it. He hadn't been a super senshi during his season in this lifetime. He had forgotten what it felt like to feel the power of summer coursing through him. The one punch had not felt like enough. He was supercharged, threatening to spill over. His face was flushed, the smile normally plastered on his lips replaced by a open, panting mouth.

When Hypatia placed a hand on him, Neso had nearly jumped. The place where her hand rested felt like it was on fire. His hand was limp beneath hers, palms sweaty. Too much, too much heat and swell and sunshine -- he felt like he might explode. Blue eyes glanced upward, meeting the soft golden orange of Titania's. It was like a sunset behind flickering lashes. Something about her struck him in that instant, blurred by the heady aroma of the glory of summer encased in the body of a single man.

Neso gripped her hand suddenly. He got to his feet in one fluid motion, pulling her to his chest with one hand and wrapping his arm around her waist with the other. Picking her up off the ground, Neso staggered forward with her pressed to him, stopping long enough to pin her to the wall behind them. His eyes glimmered, almost as a man possessed, and he closed his mouth over hers, dropping her hand on his shoulder and tangling his into the soft brown hair at the nape of her neck.

There was a hunger in his action, a need. Neso was hardly aware of it, almost. All he could feel was this energy, a passionate pulse, and he had detected a way to release it. When Neso finally pulled back from the energy of his summer channeling, he was hardly aware of how long he spent kissing Titania against the alley wall. It was hardly unusual for him to kiss his female friends, common even, but he had never done something like that with Hypatia -- and even then, usually not with this degree of fervor. Neso tended to be playful, not strictly passionate.

His lips slowly eased back from Titania's, blue eyes wide with surprise. "Whoa," he said, still holding her in his arms.

The surge of summer was ebbing in his veins, slowly leaking back out until he was his average, radiant self. Titania was light in his arms. His eyes searched her face, his own expression frozen in a mask of simple joy. He held her there for a moment, pressed against the wall, and then spun her in a circle, placing her back down on the ground with a bounce.

"So you're a senshi!" he said, bright and bubbly. It was as if nothing had happened between them just a moment before. This was Neso's safety hatch. He wasn't sure how to process what had happened so he just didn't, plain and simple. It was more much exciting to focus on Titania's new discovery than his own confusing one. "You went invisible. It was crazy! How does it feel to be a protector of the innocent? We can run really fast too."

Light bounced in his eyes. Neso loved meeting new senshi, and Hypatia being a senshi meant that they had yet another thing in common. She still had so much to learn, not that Neso would be the best to teach her. Perhaps he could introduce her to someone more useful? For now, he was just ready to be a one-man welcome wagon to senshidom.