Heather
grinned and raised a clenched hand to her face. “Yep! I heard
that you were learning to fight and thought this would be a great way
to repay you and your, um, family?” When Kevin nodded, Heather
continued. “Right, as a way to repay you guys for everything
you’ve done for me, I’ve decided to help you get stronger
by offering you a different sparring partner.”
“This
will also have the added benefit of allowing you to see another
fighting style,” Kiara added. “I know I told you I
wouldn’t teach you any formalized martial arts, because
learning a style of combat like Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jiu Jitsu and
Muay Thai makes you easy to predict, but I do believe it would be a
good idea for you to see other styles. By seeing other fighting
styles, you’ll not only be able to create your own unique
techniques, but you’ll also get better at recognizing what
style someone is using and how best to counter it.”
While
Kevin listened to everything Kiara said with rapt attention, Lilian
stood beside him, not really listening to the woman, but offering her
support all the same.
“Right.
I want you and Heather to start sparring now. Your girlfriend and I
will watch over on the sidelines.”
“Got
it.”
Kevin
turned to Lilian and gave her a quick peck on the lips— “for
luck,” he told her.
Lilian
was less than satisfied.
“That
was not a good luck kiss,” the redhead said seconds before she
pounced on him.
Kevin
didn’t think he would ever get used to the intensity behind
Lilian’s kisses. They were always filled with so much passion…
and a lot of tongue action. Kevin tried to keep up with her, but he
was so surprised that he could do little except hang on while Lilian
ravished the inside of his mouth.
She
pulled back after having thoroughly plundered the depths of his mouth
with her tongue, a thin string of saliva connecting them. It was
broken when Lilian licked his lips, her expression containing a
satisfaction that reminded him of Natsumo Uzukami after she pulled a
successful prank.
“Now
that
is
a good luck kiss.”
“Um…
right…”
Lilian
strolled over to the sideline, an exaggerated sway in her hips, and
stood exactly two meters away from Kiara, who she still didn’t
like. Heather snickered as she moved in front of a dazed and blushing
Kevin.
“You
ready, kiddo?”
Kevin
smacked his cheeks. The action stung, but it also served its purpose;
getting rid of his blush and sharpening his focus.
“I’m
ready.”
Both
of them prepared for the sparring match. The difference between the
two was immediately apparent. Kevin clearly had no set style, which
anyone with combat experience would have been able to tell just by
looking at him. His arms, while placed in a basic guard position,
were loose and held further away from his face and body than most
experienced combatants.
In
stark contrast, Heather had taken an open, short stance; the lateral
distance between her hind and lead foot was wide, but the general
distance between them was not-quite shoulder-length. She also looked
a lot more comfortable than Kevin, who had only been sparring for a
few weeks.
Kiara
held up a hand.
“On
three. One. Two. Three. Begin!”
Heather
shot forward more quickly than anything Kevin had seen outside of
youki-enhanced speed. Fortunately, Kevin was the king of speed and
actually saw her coming. When Heather got within range, she swung out
with a swift jab, testing his defenses. Kevin stumbled backwards,
avoiding the blow by the skin of his teeth. The fist came so close
that it grazed his nose. Kevin swore he lost a few epidermal layers.
Two
steps forward brought Heather into Kevin’s guard. Already
tucked into her left side, the fist that she had prepared shot out,
striking fast and hard. Heather’s torso rotated with the
attack, allowing her to put more power behind her punch. Kevin moved
to the left, avoiding the attack, but tumbled and fell over in the
process. Oddly enough, when he fell, the young man continued rolling
backwards until he kipped back to his feet.
Heather
raised an eyebrow.
He
turned his fall into a roll. Sure, he nearly fell on his ass, but he
managed to get up quickly. If I had charged in to capitalize on my
advantage, he would have been able to attack me before I could do
anything about it. Clever.
Deciding
to test the waters some more, Heather moved in. Four steps took her
right into Kevin’s range. She waited for a moment, but when he
didn’t attack, she threw another jab.
Her
eyebrow rose some more when Kevin’s head tilted―no, his
entire body was tilting. And his arms were flailing about like a
pinwheel. What the hell? Surprise became shock when one of those
flailing arms latched onto her wrists, and Kevin, still falling, used
the momentum from his fall to pull her down to the floor.
Or
he would have, had Heather not acted quickly by jabbing him in the
arm with her knuckles, then kicking him in the face when he continued
to fall. The young man hit the floor hard and rolled across the mat,
but he didn’t stay down long. Heather was impressed when he
jumped back onto his feet, a small bruise visible underneath his
right eye to show he’d been kicked.
“You’re
pretty durable,” Heather complimented. “Most people would
have been down and out after getting kicked like that.”
Kevin
winced as he raised a hand to his newly formed bruise. “Yeah,
well, I’ve been getting beaten up a lot lately. I guess you
could say I’ve built up a tolerance to pain.”
Heather
shook her head. “It’s more than that. If it was just a
matter of being durable and able to withstand pain, you would still
have a large bruise. I put a lot of strength into that kick, and my
legs are stronger than most, yet all you have to show for it is a
tiny little mark. That means you’ve got tough skin.”
“I’m
not sure if that’s a good thing or not,” Kevin muttered
before the battle started up again.
***
Kevin
and Heather renewed their spar seconds later, with the blond woman
proving herself to be a more than capable fighter.
Kiara
watched for a moment before her dark eyes shifted to Lilian. “I’ve
gotta admit, your mate’s really something. You must be proud of
him.”
Lilian’s
eyes, which burned with admiration as she watched Kevin spar,
flickered to Kiara. She looked away a second later to hide the smile
on her face. “I’ve always been proud of my mate.”
“Hn.”
They
watched in silence for a while longer. Kevin fell backwards after
avoiding a powerful punch that would have cleaned his clock. Yet,
even as he fell, he grabbed ahold of Heather’s extended
forearm. His fall turned into a roll and, with a slight heave, he
took Heather down with him. The former secret agent, her eyes wide in
surprise, was flipped head over heels.
That
would have ended with a point going to Kevin, except Heather twisted
her body around in midair so that, instead of hitting the mat back
first, she hit it feet first.
“What
the―?”
In
a reversal of roles, Kevin was tossed into the air by Heather, who
used her apparently hulkish strength to lift his body from her
awkward bridge-like position and throw him across the room. He landed
on the mat back first, the air leaving his lungs in a loud
whoosh!
“I
have to wonder, though,” Kiara continued while musing out loud.
“Kevin’s been training with me for over a month and a
half now, working his butt off day in and day out to get stronger.”
She glanced at Lilian, her eyes sharp and almost accusing. “Why
aren’t you doing the same?”
Lilian’s
lips thinned. “What makes you think I don’t train? I
practice my enchantments everyday.” Sure, it was on the
unsuspecting students and teachers at school, but this woman didn’t
need to know that.
“I’m
not talking about enchantments and illusions, girl.” The way
Kiara scoffed, as if she thought the idea of practicing enchantments
and calling it training was too stupid for mere words to express,
made Lilian grit her teeth. “I’m talking about real
training. Combat training. I remember how you used the enhancement
technique when we fought. It was pathetic. Rather than training what
you’re already good at, you should be training what you’re
weak at. It’s the only way you’ll ever improve.”
Lilian
turned her head, no longer wishing to look at this woman. What did
she know? Kitsune were all about their illusions and enchantments.
When those weren’t enough, they had their specialized
techniques. It was how they were. They didn’t need to become
physically powerful, not when their illusions, enchantments, and
elemental techniques were enough to fend off attacks by other yōkai.
“I
can get along just fine without the need to get all sweaty and gross.
The only time I want to work up any kind of sweat is when Kevin
finally snaps and pounds his meat stick into my honey pot.”
“LILIAN!
DON’T SAY SUCH EMBARRASSING THINGS!”
“Whoops.
Sorry, Beloved!”
“You
shouldn’t take your eyes off your opponent, kiddo!”
“Gya!
My nose! You just broke my nose!”
“Oh,
don’t be such a baby. Your nose is fine.”
“It’s
bleeding!”
“Noses
tend to do that! Now keep that guard up!”
“EEK!”
“Hya!”
Thus
the battle continued. It would be long and hard and brutal…
for Kevin, that is.
***
Kiara
sat with Heather at the dinner table, eating a meal prepared by the
blond bombshell; steak and mashed potatoes. It was a simple meal, but
that suited her just fine.
“So,
what do you think of my protege?”
Heather
paused mid-scoop, her spoon sticking into the mashed potatoes. The
hesitation didn’t last, and she soon had a mouth full of
starchy goodness. It gave her time to think up a suitable answer.
“He’s
not all that good at fighting—he kinda sucks actually, but the
potential is there. He’s got guts at least.” She paused,
thinking some more. “I’m honestly not sure how he’ll
do against yōkai though, which is what he’ll most likely
be facing if he sticks around with Lilian.”
“That
is true.” With her dinner already finished, Kiara leaned back
in her seat and placed her hands on the table, drumming her left
index finger in an off-beat rhythm. “Against a yōkai,
especially one at a higher level than, let’s say, a two-tailed
kitsune, he’ll be in deep trouble without a weapon of some
kind. I’ve been trying to find something that’ll suit
him, a weapon powerful enough to help him deal with the more powerful
yōkai he’s bound to run into, but I haven’t had much
luck so far.”
“Do
you think he’s even suited to a weapon?” asked a
skeptical Heather. “I don’t mean to be rude, but he
doesn’t really strike me as a weapon-using type.”
“That’s
because you’re thinking traditionally,” Kiara replied,
her left hand coming up to her chin. “I’m thinking of
getting him a more esoteric weapon. At first, I thought about
commissioning someone to create a set of metal gauntlets and greaves
to increase his hitting power, but his deceptive fighting style makes
using those problematic.”
“Yeah,
that weird style of his is awfully good at misleading people, though
it’s really unrefined. It will need a lot of work before he can
use it in battle.” Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Hey! What
if you gave him a weapon with a lot of versatility? Like…
like… I know! A utility belt!”
“A
utility belt?” Kiara gave Heather a flat look.
“Yeah,
a utility belt. You know, like Batman.”
“I
don’t think that would help him match the strength of a yōkai.”
Kiara rubbed her jaw in thought. “Still, maybe I could
commission some kind of strength-enhancing bodysuit…”
“Huh?”
“It’s
nothing.”
Kiara
was just about to take her plate to the sink, when her danger senses
screamed at her to move.
The
ceiling directly above them exploded in a shower of wood, stucco and
insulation. Heather and Kiara both reacted quickly, leaping away from
the dining room table. A second after they vacated their seats,
something heavy crashed into the floor—and the dining room
table.
“What
the fuck!” Kiara actually swore. “My table!” A
growl. “I don’t know who or what this thing is, but the
moment I see its face, it’s dead!”
No
one destroys my stuff and gets away with it!
The
dust blocking their view dispersed, revealing the figure that had
dropped down through the ceiling. Its bright surface glimmered within
the light, despite the amount of dust covering it. Its body, roughly
humanoid in shape, stood on two thick legs and had arms that appeared
to ripple. A red visor situated on its helmet and shaped like a T
scanned its surroundings.
“That’s
the thing that nearly did me in!” Heather exclaimed in shock.
“I thought those two sexy fox-women destroyed it!”
“I’m
guessing there was one more.” Kiara’s eyes never strayed
from that visored, bullet-shaped head.
The
thing lifted its arms and pointed them at her. Kiara’s eyes had
just enough time to widen before a hailstorm of bullets were shot
from the silver being’s fingers. She and Heather both ducked to
avoid the lethal projectiles, which ended up hitting her wall and
blasting several holes straight through it.
“My
wall!” Kiara howled. “Do you know how expensive it’ll
be to fix that?!”
Anger
washed over Kiara like gasoline being poured onto a bonfire. She
didn’t know what this thing was, robot or whatever, but she
honestly couldn’t find it in herself to care. This…
thing was destroying her condo, which cost a lot of money to build
and even more to maintain. There was no way she could let that stand.