A Fox's Maid (44 page)

Kevin spun on his heel and ran down another hallway. The sounds of booted feet hitting pavement echoed behind them.

“
After them!”

“
Don’t let them escape!”

He gritted his teeth, his leg muscles working overtime. He couldn’t see them, but he could certainly hear the patrol as they closed the distance.

“
Stop right this instant or we’ll open fire!”

“
Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!”

Kevin turned his head and promptly wished he hadn’t. The two guards they’d run into were gaining on them, rifles aimed at him and Lilian.

“
Don’t worry… Kevin…” Lilian mumbled, her voice slurred. “I won’t… let them hurt you…”

Before he could question the twin-tailed kitsune, Lilian’s tails shot out. The first one smacked against the left guard’s face, hard. That guard was sent flying backwards, his body flipping through the air like a ragdoll before slamming against the ground head first.

The second guard was even more unlucky. He got hit in the balls.

“
SQQUUUEEEEEEE!”

Kevin winced as the man squealed like a gutted pig, the sound piercing his eardrums with its shrillness. He could only imagine what Lilian must be going through. Foxes had more acute hearing than humans.

They continued to run, though Kevin had no idea where he was going, and Lilian was having trouble remembering which turns she had taken. A glance out of his peripheral vision revealed that she was slipping in and out of consciousness. Her head bobbed and lolled, then snapped back up. Her eyes lost and regained focus, struggling against their desire to close.

She must have a concussion.

Kevin felt determination surge through his body, giving him strength and a renewed sense of purpose. Every time he’d been in trouble, Lilian had been the one to save him. Now she needed his help, and he would be damned if he didn’t help her.

“
Freeze, you two!”

“
Who let the prisoner escape?!”

“
Stop them!”

Several more guards found them, but Kevin didn’t allow that to slow him down. With adrenaline surging through his veins, he lifted Lilian into his arms and carried her.

He threw himself around a corner and increased his pace. Booted feet echoed loudly behind him. As he ran past a glass case with a large canister inside, Kevin lashed out with a powerful kick, shattering it. He then spun around and hooked his left foot into the top valve, pulling it down before jumping backwards, narrowly avoiding a burst of gunfire.

Several bullets perforated the canister, and fumes soon filled the hall. Kevin’s leg muscles bunched as he launched the canister at the guards and took off again, ignoring the coughing that echoed behind him.

“
W-what the hell is this stuff?!”

“
Fuck! It’s that… it’s that new fire extinguishing agent!”

“
I can’t… can’t breathe…”

“
Lilian?” Kevin asked.

“
We’re… I think we’re almost there,” Lilian slurred. Kevin nodded and tried to focus on reaching the exit. After several more turns, they finally found it, though the exit was being guarded by a person carrying what looked like an AK-47 assault rifle.

“
Hold it, you two! Don’t make me—gyaaaaa!!!”

The spandex-clad soldier jerked and twitched, his body lighting up like a Christmas tree as Kevin shot him in the neck with the stun gun. Steam and smoke wafted from his convulsing body, which soon jerked backwards and went into a series of muscle spasms. The guard twitched several times, and then went still.

“
Um. Wow. This thing packs quite the punch.”

“
Trust me… I am… well aware… of that…”

Kevin looked down at Lilian. He’d started to grow tired and needed to set her down again, though he still shouldered most of her weight.

“
Are you gonna be okay, Lilian?”

“
I’ll be fine…” Lilian mumbled against his neck. “That shock really hurt… but my Celestial powers will ensure that I heal soon enough. I just need some rest.”

“
You can rest all you want once we get out of here.”

“
Mmm.”

They made their way upstairs, finding no one in the anime store except for the unconscious guard lying slumped against the wall.

Kevin raised an eyebrow at the redhead, who turned her head and looked away.

“
What? I had to take him out or he would’ve alerted his friends.”

Kevin only shook his head.

Together, the two made it outside—

“
All right, that’s as far as you go!”

—
And found themselves surrounded.

Kevin swiveled his head left and right. Men and women carrying all forms of weaponry blocked their path, along with a number of military vehicles, hummers and tanks, forming a semi-circle in the parking lot.

Standing in front of the group was a woman. Short blond hair hung about her head in a bob, and from the way she filled out her… black spandex, the woman clearly took good care of her body, though he couldn’t determine her age.

“
I hope you two realize how much trouble you’ve given me,” she stated. “I had to stop playing
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
just to come out here and get you!”

Kevin and Lilian were nonplussed.

“
Um, what?”

“
Now stop wasting my time and give up. If you don’t, then I’ll have no choice but to shoot you both.”

Kevin tried to think of a way out of this mess, but couldn’t. There was nothing he could do. Their situation was hopeless.

And yet…

“
Kevin…” Lilian moaned, causing him to look down. The redhead looked so weak, so frail. Her body was slumped against his, and only his arm around her waist kept her from falling to the ground. “Let me go. It’s me they’re after, not you…”

“
No.”

“
Kevin…”

“
No.” Kevin shook his head. “I can’t… I won’t let you give yourself up for me. I refuse.”

“
Kevin, you don’t really have much of a choice…”

“
There’s always a choice. It’s just that sometimes the right choice happen to also be the hardest choice to make.” Kevin ignored his fear, pushing it aside in order to smile at the beautiful girl in his arms. “I’m not the kind of person who would leave someone I… someone that… well, someone who’s important to me while she’s in danger, especially when she’s in danger because of me. I won’t leave you.”

“
You won’t?”

“
No.”

“
Then you’ll… you’ll stay with me?”

Kevin instantly knew they were no longer talking about their current predicament. “If you’ll have me.”

“
And you’ll let me stay with you?”

“
For as long as you want.”

Lilian smiled. Despite how tired she felt, how much her body ached, and the danger they were in, she smiled at him. It was the most beautiful thing Kevin had ever seen.

“
Hey! Are you kids listening to me? I said get down on your knees, put your hands in the air, and give up peacefully! I want to play my eroge, damn it!”

Kevin and Lilian looked at the woman. She appeared annoyed, probably because they’d been ignoring her. Even in the dark, they could see the angry red vein throbbing on her forehead. It was luminescent.

“
Um, ma’am. You didn’t say that,” one of her people said.

The woman blinked. “I didn’t?”

“
No, ma’am. You just told them to give up or you’d have us open fire.”

“
Oh. Well, I’m saying it now. Hey! Brats! Get down on your knees, stick your hands in the air, and give up!”

Kevin took a deep breath, gathered his courage…

…
and then began shouting.

“
Shut up, lady! Just who the hell do you think I am?! I’m going to tell you something right now, so you’d better dig the wax out of your ears and listen up! I’m not an intimidating or impressive guy. I don’t have any combat training or superpowers. But even so—” Kevin clenched his left hand into a fist “—even so, I’m not the kind of guy who would just hand over the woman he loves to a bunch of Power Ranger villain rejects like you!”

The blond gaped. The people around her gaped. Everyone was pretty much gaping by this point.

Except Lilian, who simply deadpanned.

“
You totally stole those lines from an anime,” she accused.

Kevin looked away, mostly to hide his blush. “T-that’s not really important right now, is it?”

Lilian’s weak giggle was like music to his ears.

“
No, I guess not.” She used what little strength she had left to lean up and kiss him on the cheek. “It was actually kind of cool.”

“
I agree.”

She appeared before them without warning, her body flickering into existence like an evanescent breeze. Her dark kimono clung to her curvaceous frame, and her raven locks of hair gleamed yellow under the lamp posts.

With her back to the company of infantry and military vehicles, Kotohime faced Kevin and Lilian wearing an odd smile. She seemed… satisfied? Yes. Satisfied. Her curled lips were

dazzling, and her dark eyes held a gleam of the utmost satisfaction.

“
I am most pleased to see that you have decided to finally stop hesitating and make a choice, Kevin-sama.”

“
Eh?” Kevin stared at her with a stupid look on his face.

“
For that, you have my gratitude, respect and acceptance. However―” her eyes suddenly narrowed “―I do not want you think this means I will be going easy on you. There is much that you must learn if you are to stand by Lilian-sama’s side.”

“
Wha-what?”

Kevin stared at the woman in confusion. Lilian was blushing. The spandex wearing soldiers? Well…

“
Hey! Who the hell are you?!” The blond shouted at Kotohime. She did not look the least bit pleased at being ignored… again.

Kotohime turned to the woman, her eyes wide in mild surprise. Kevin knew almost instantly that it was fake.

This woman… she really is dangerous.

“
Oh, dear. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. How rude of me.” The bodyguard bowed low. “My name is Katsura Kotohime.”

Her ears shifted as she straightened, transforming into triangular fox ears covered in midnight fur. Four fluffy black tails with white tips shot out from underneath her kimono as well. Her smile was pleasant and her disposition amiable, and yet, all of the soldiers quaked in their boots as she stared at them.

Her left hand came to rest on the hilt of her katana.

“
And I shall be your opponent tonight.”

No one saw Kotohime move. One second she was standing before them, and the next she was gone. While the others looked around, Kevin gawked at the place she had been, wondering if she had used some kind of instantaneous movement technique. Did this woman know the Flash Step or something?

“
W-where did that woman go?!”

“
Sh-she just vanished!”

“
What kind of monster is she?!”

“
Calm down, men!” the blond woman barked. “She’s probably just using an illusion to try and scare us.”

“
I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” a voice said from behind the group of soldiers.

Everyone turned to look at Kotohime, now standing in front of one of the Hummers, her katana slowly sliding into its sheathe with a sibilant hissing of steel. No one had seen her even take it out.

Click.

The sound of Kotohime’s katana being fully sheathed was like a prelude. The Hummer immediately behind her suddenly split apart like a ripe fruit that had been sliced by a cleaver, the two halves falling away and clattering to the pavement.

For one second, there was silence. No one blinked. No one breathed. They could only stare at the scene before them, their minds’ refusing to believe what their eyes had just seen.

“
That… that was really cool,” Kevin mumbled.

Lilian grinned. “I know, right?”

The blond woman’s eyes bugged out as she realized how much danger they were in. “Holy―Fire! Open fire!”

The infantry, goaded into action by the blonde’s shouting, raised their weapons and prepared to fire on the four-tailed kitsune.

They never got the chance.

Kotohime gripped her katana and took a stance. Legs spread wide, feet planted firmly on the ground, the femme fatale brought the katana down to her side.

“
Ikken Hissatsu
.”

Kotohime’s sword became an indistinct blur, moving so fast that Kevin could only see the glint of polished steel reflected by the lamps’ yellow light. Loud sonic booms shattered the air. Soldiers were sent flying, some hitting the ground, their bodies unmoving. Others crashed into vehicles, leaving dents in their wake. Lampposts were bent as humans crashed into them with unimaginable force, the bulbs shattering as they struck the ground.

“
What the… what’s going on?”

“
That’s one of Kotohime’s special blade techniques,” Lilian answered Kevin’s question, “She uses reinforcement to increase the speed and strength of her swings and thrusting motions in order to generate shockwaves.”

“
I hadn’t realized such a thing was possible.” He paused, as if realizing something. “But, with everything else I’ve seen so far, I suppose I really should have.”

When Kotohime finished, every soldier lay unconscious, and the military vehicles had been perforated with numerous holes, as if a drill had punched through them. Kotohime stood in the center of this devastation with what could almost be deemed rapture. Nodding several times to herself, she turned about and strolled over to the teens calmly, placidly, as if she hadn’t just destroyed an entire infantry company and several military vehicles with a single attack.

Kevin felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead.

Note to self: never get on this woman’s bad side.

“
Well,” she said, her pleasant demeanor greatly disturbing Kevin, “shall we head home now?”

Kevin couldn’t find his voice to respond, so Lilian took the liberty of speaking for the both of them. “That sounds like a fantastic idea.”

Kotohime clapped her hands together. “Excellent. However, before that…” She stuck two fingers into her mouth and whistled. Three figures walked out from behind a building and over to their decimated part of the parking lot. Kevin and Lilian recognized them immediately.

“
Lindsay! Christine! Eric!” Kevin and Lilian said at the same time, their faces wearing identical expressions of shock.

“
H-hey, Kevin. What’s up?” Lindsay gave them an unsure wave, keeping her distance from the katana-wielding femme. Kevin couldn’t blame her.

“
Tit Maiden!” Eric charged the epically proportioned fox-girl. “I am so pleased to see you’re unharmed! Now you can let me stick my face between those―FFUUUGYYAAA!”

Everyone stared in shock as Eric crumpled to the ground, clutching his balls. They warily eyed the foot which had struck the young pervert, and then followed the appendage to the person it was attached to.

“
What?” Kevin couldn’t quite hide his blush. “He wanted to grope Lilian.”

Lilian smiled at her mate. “Thank you, Kevin.”

The redness on Kevin’s cheeks spread across his face. He couldn’t help it. That smile was just too cute.

“
Ah, um, you’re welcome.”

“
I found these three following Lilian-sama,” Kotohime began, gesturing to the sheepish trio, though Christine seemed more upset than anything. Eric just groaned. “It appears that Lindsay saw you transforming into your hybrid state.” The elder kitsune gave her charge a reproachful glance. “You really must be more cautious, Lilian-sama.”

“
I couldn’t help it,” Lilian mumbled, her cheeks red. “I was angry. They took Kevin from me.”

Kevin tightened his arm around the redhead’s waist, causing her to glance at him. The world around them vanished as they stared into each other’s eyes, those windows through which all emotions became visible. Within each other’s gaze, they found everything they needed. It was—

“
Oh, for fuck’s sake! Stop making googly eyes at each other!”

Lilian scowled, her ire turning on Christine.

“
How about you just keep that tsun-tsun trap of yours shut?! You’re ruining the moment!”

“
There’s nothing to ruin! The only thing I see is a whorish little fox who thinks stripping someone with her eyes is romantic!”

“
I was not stripping Kevin with my eyes! You’re just jealous!”

“
J-J-Jea―shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Why would I be jealous of you, boob head?”

Kevin sighed and firmly planted a hand into his face. Why did this crap always happen when he was around?

“
Don’t hate me just because I have bigger boobs than you, teensy tits!”

“
Shut up, thunderjugs!”

“
Ant bites!”

“
Udder woman!”

“
Bitty bumps!”

While Kevin watched the two yōkai argue, Lindsay saddled up to him.

“
Rough night, huh?”

“
Yeah…” Kevin turned away from the arguing supernatural creatures to look at his longtime friend with curiosity. “So, how did you and Eric get involved in all this?”

“
Franken jugs!”

“
Cherry bombs!”

“
It’s a really long story,” the tomboy sighed.

Kevin eyed Lindsay before slowly nodding in understanding. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“
Mumbo Jumbos!”

“
Mini lumps!”

“
Are they going to stop anytime soon?” she asked, eying Christine and Lilian warily.

“
God, I hope so.”

“
Ufufufu…”

“
Oh, for all that is good and holy! Would you stop laughing like that?!”