loooooooool! tartufo, I've missed you! And you came back with an awesome request!

Let's see... maybe Dogs? (The thing is... it's been recommended to me, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it looks pretty bad@$%...)

All I can think of besides Gen. Olivier Armstrong from FMA: Brotherhood is:
Princess Mononoke, but I'm sure you already saw that...
I'll also second Noir

Sorry! I fail...

Everybody is so deliciouussssss... Or their recs are, anyway!

Thanks to moski for pointing out which chapter I should look up for my eyecandy! *salutes*

And hobbitelf518, it's good to be back! Yeah, Dogs does count!

peridot
Teppuu

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best shonen manga couples :

shinichi X ran
natsu X erza
ippo X kumi
naruto X gaara

Gunslinger Girl was one of the things that I reluctantly cut out as not really fitting As children, it's hard to call them 'beauties'.
You should still read it because it's a really good series (and there's nothing squicky about it), but I kind of don't think it fits what you're looking for here exactly.

These are the only 2 that I could think of that weren't already listed.
Atori Shou
Mondlicht
Unfortunately, they do contain ecchi moments

Orihira Maya from Bloody Monday
Although she is sometimes shown wearing very revealing clothing.

Oh yes, moski is right, Shin Angyo Onshi has several kinds of badass beauties, though the general I mentioned is closest in characteristic to Olivier and Integra. She made her first appearance at the end of volume 6 and start of volume 7. Her story is continued in the whole manga, and she also appears at the final battle. Others include: the leading female (whose lover died even before the manga starts, and not linked to anyone else since); one super sexy and strong "angyo onshi" - the hot chick type.

Thank you so much, Fuuma_lady! Now I know where to start! Rrrrowr...

Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost In the Shell fits the bill! In one chapter she does return from seeing another man, but they don't expand on the relationship and he's never seen again after (she doesn't really seem interested in him anyway in my opinion). Oh, and there's a (rather famous) lesbian sex scene, but it's brief and taken out of most English language editions anyway.

Of course! Kusanagi, yet another one of my early crushes! I only ever saw the movies, but dayum...

WHERE IS THE LESBIAN SEX SCENE, if I may ask.

Highway-STAR, as always, thank you very much.

Well, this isn't an action manga, but the protagonist of Kisshou Tennyo is an 'ass-kicker' in her own weird way - and is one of the few manga characters who ever made me go "she's sooo coool!"

cheeky angel maybe?

C.A.T.

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