Chapter 59 - New Monks On The Block (Part I)

Once Vash, Kanna, and Ai had entered through the wide bronze gates of the Hidden Dragon Monastery, they were immediately greeted by a pair of [Level ???] [Dragon Monks]: both Human males with shaved heads, dressed in pure black gi.

"Visitors, please state your business!"

As the three promptly unboarded from the cart, Kanna froze with the realization that Akira hadn't caught up with them; thus, in her mind, rendering the group's ability to function akin to that of a chicken miraculously continuing to live with its head decapitated, only to then blindly stumble into a wall.

Nervous, she turned to consult the others:

"What are we supposed to say?"

"I don't fucking know!" Ai snapped. "Akira usually handles the talking stuff."

Kanna shot her a glare. "Not helping."

She turned to Vash. "What about you? Got any plans that hopefully don't involve sexual favors?"

Vash tossed her hair. "Well, actually…"

Kanna's stomach sank in dread.

A lot was riding on them being able to make it in with the monks--if "petty revenge" could indeed be considered "a lot," within this context. Kanna had major doubts that Vash, who'd been shown to be loving his new body perhaps a bit too much, was capable of handling serious delegations.

'I swear, if he takes them behind the cart to give them blowjobs I'm quitting this party.'

Fortunately, Vash was not quite so far gone as a Squell player--not just yet, anyway--that he couldn't still think and act non-sexually, when the situation absolutely demanded it.

"Good evening," she said, beaming as she shook both their hands. "My friends and I are seeking to join as acolytes."

The monks briefly exchanged glances.

"Really?" one replied, with a doubtful glare.

Vash nodded, unwavering in her cheerfulness."Yes."

"You're so high-leveled already--"

"We wish to attain knowledge of the Enlightenment skill branch, unique to the Hidden Dragon Monks." Pausing, she gave a curtsied nod. "So that we may be better equipped in our battles against the darkness that plagues these lands."

Kanna and Ai looked across at each other.

"What the heck is she talking about?" Kanna whispered.

"I don't effin' know!" Ai returned.

It sounded like gibberish to both of them!

However, the monks smiled--pleased, it would seem, by her response.

"A noble cause indeed," was the reply one gave, as they extended their hands in a sign of welcome. "Follow us, then, to see Elder Loose Fingers about the enrollment process. I'm certain he'll be glad to accept you among our ranks."

Kanna and Ai both lunged at Vash, clinging onto her arms with admiring looks. 

"How did you do that?" Kanna asked.

Vash gave a small gesture (all in the head!). "I did a bit of research on the monastery before we left Mithil, thinking I should prepare for this like a job interview. Apparently, the Hidden Dragon Monks are all taught a sacred skill branch that channels light energy into a player's attacks and magic."

"Ah!" exclaimed Ai. "You're still a smarty-pants after all!"

Kanna smiled, brushing away tears.

'That's right, Ai-chan.'

'I guess Vash is still Vash, after all.'

Vash was chuckling, simply delighted to receive all this positive attention. 

"Not bad, eh? For a knock-off Akira."

…

Meanwhile, Kiki and Akira were walking the rest of the way to the monastery on foot, dragging in their steps, constantly averting each other's gazes.

It wasn't at all the grand reunion Kiki had envisioned.

"It's only been, like, four days," she said.

Akira scratched her head nervously, feeling Kiki's hot gaze drilling holes into him. "S-sorry, I really have no excuse."

"Damn right you don't!" she spat, causing Akira to jump back. "You...bastard…! I made so many changes in my life because of you, thinking there was something--"she laughed--"special between us." She shook her head. "This body has my brain all fried. I should've known you was just a fasttalker."

"Kiki, wait. I wanted to tell you--"

"You couldn't remember my name. You couldn't even remember my fucking name."

"Kiki, I--"

Growling, she turned and stomped away.

Cursing under her breath, Akira chased after, into one of the surrounding wheat fields.

"Kiki! Come on! It's getting dark!"

Akira could see her up ahead, but couldn't [Scurry] on such difficult terrain--forcing her to have to wade through at a similar crawling pace as her, slowly and painstakingly shouldering through the tickly, scratchy whiskery tongues.

With a laugh, Kiki peered back over her shoulder. "All those girls you travel with...they're your other 'conquests,' aren't they?"

"It isn't like that!" Akira said, wincing as a spike of wheat slapped her across the face. "They're more like...business associates. I've done things for them, and now they owe me out of respect."

Incredulous, Kiki stopped to gawk at her. "Uh-huh, there's plen-ty of 'business' going on between youse I'm sure!"

Akira briefly looked away, suppressing a smile. 

"Sure, we do stuff like that," she said, turning to her again. "We're all eternally young. Hot. And there's no rules saying we can't. It's perfectly acceptable in this world."

"Thatdoesn'tmeanIhavetoacceptit!" Kiki blurted in reply, flailing her arms.

Akira shrugged. "We're more like a family..."

"Afamilythatsleepswitheachother!"

"Relax. It's really no big deal."

Kiki faced her, arms crossed with an unreadable face.

What she was feeling, now...was complicated.

It was a combination of a whole bunch of different things at once that she couldn't wrap her head around. Chief among them, a sense of betrayal. Of having been used.

She decided to test a hunch, by asking:

"Maximilian...how old were you when you died, and ended up here?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Eighteen. Why?"

Kiki gave an exasperated gasp. "R-r-really? Ow, I thought you'd be much older..."

"Got a thing for older men, huh?"

"No! Of course not!" she barked. "It's b-b-because...I was thinking you were just a dirty old pervert, who likes to just touch random girls and break their hearts!"

She turned away from Akira, fuming mad.

"That way, I could easily just forget about you! But, instead....I have to...grr..."

"GWAH!"

"Kikiiiii! Stop running away, damn it!"

"I'll be fine! Not that you care..."

"Of course I care! I wouldn't be chasing you if I didn't care!"

"Just k-k-keep going about your 'business' at the monastery, Akira! Because I know it doesn't involve stupid, crazy, depressing, boring old Kiki!"

There were distant noises of crows cawing and beating their wings, as Akira glanced up and saw a small flock of them soaring past, across a sky turning purple as it further succumbed to the hungering claws of night. Then, lowered her gaze again, to glimpse Kiki's retreating form through gaps in the grain--wholly nonchalant about the dangers the approaching hour of day would surely pose, what with there being violent, sun-fearing shapeshifters about. 

Soon after, the crows had all gone quiet. The winds of change, which had once given Kiki wings, had long since subsided. All as the scenic field of golden wheat…

Became a maze of moonlit needles.

'She's really gotten tougher. More stubborn, too." Akira observed, with a surge of pride.

He was still pursuing her, now underneath a crescent moon. Their pace slowing to a crawl by the time they'd reached a large clearing, showing all the signs of having been harvested recently, where Kiki finally stopped to catch her breath.

"I don't...get it..." she panted, stooped with her hands on her knees. "Why'd you...come all this...way?"

Akira calmly strode toward her.

"I wanted to tell you I'm impressed."

"Huh...? By what?" She asked, moving over to a bale of hay nearby to sit on it.

"By how much you've improved, in such a short time," Akira replied, coming up beside them, wrapping an arm around their neck. "You've exceeded all my expectations."

Kiki snorted—immune to his charming lies.

"Yeah, right. There'a no way you expectes anything from cowardly screw-up like me..."

"On the contrary—"Akira dropped down to Kiki's knees, holding their hand. "I remember when I first saw you, bravely fighting off those Rakshasa with the torch. And I thought 'this girl's got guts.'"

She smirked. "Guts that would've been spilled all over the ground, if it weren't for you."

Akira laughed, patting Kiki's thigh. But though it was meant to be a quick, relaxed gesture, she froze when her hands felt firm muscle—where none was before—stopping to squeeze and massage it, with a feeling of awe.

"A...kira," Kiki mumbled.

It snapped Akira out of her daze, their smoldering gazes meeting. 

"You're wearing your hair up," Akira noted: pulled back tightly, into a spiky bun, instead of carelessly left to spill over her face. Showing off her charming grey eyes, giving her an overall more energetic, pretty appearance.

"You're becoming...stronger. More beautiful." Akira said. "I see so much potential in you, and you're just beginning to realize it."

Kiki was speechless, with yearning.

'A nothing girl like me...

'Has potential?'

Just hearing these words, she wanted to give it all up again—to lose herself completely, by Akira Maximilian's touch. Even if she still wasn't sure how she would handle having to share his love with other girls.

'Though, I guess...it's okay...

'As long as he'll always have some love to spare, even for me. <3'

Her lips started to drift toward Akira's at a glacial pace, as it was clear a kiss was about to happen. However, that's when Kiki abruptly glanced up, at the night sky twinkling with stars, as suddenly her demurity faded; with there now being a disgruntled way about her, when she then shouted up at the sky through her cupped hands:

"You jerks can all come out now!"

Which was then met by—

Silence. Not a tutter in response.

Just the peaceful stirring of the moonlit needles in the wind.

Akira looked around, confused. 'Who's she talking to?' If there was something to be concerned about wnearby, then Akira's ears surely would have picked up on it.

Or at least, so she thought.

Because that's when, suddenly, she felt something hooked and sharp pierce the side of her neck.

"Ow, fuck!"

Her attacker: a cackling crow, swooped past before she could catch it.

She watched it soar up high against the moon then descend again, to alight upon the twisted arm of a scarecrow at the center of the cleared field--marking its landing with a boastful caw.

Within seconds, its noise was returned by the caw of another. 

And within seconds of that, a whole cacophony ensued: of birdlike chattering and squawks and bizarre shrieks accompanied by an unrelenting tempest of wing beats as a whole swarm descended like a cloud unto the clearing--with numbers so great they almost succeeded in blotting out the moon.

"Way to ruin a romantic moment!" Kiki said, barely audible through the unceasing ruckus, as she adopted a fighting stance with each fist glowing in radiant auras.

Gradually, the assaulting crows revealed their true forms:

A whole flock of regular bir--

Rakshasa!