“This is nice,” Bunni said as her massage therapist continued to run her hands down her body while Micah’s therapist began jerking him off.
This can’t be a normal couples’ massage, he thought, a smirk taking shape on his face. Micah soon found himself on the verge of orgasm, the woman clearly an expert with her hand. Squeezing and twisting every time she came up, Micah finished with a grunt, the woman continuing to move her hand over his shaft as he writhed in orgasm. She used a warm towel to clean him up, and left Micah on the bed, the other massage therapist joining her as they exited the room.
“We’re not done yet,” Bunni practically purred.
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Couples’ massages can be nice,” she said as she began lightly touching herself. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Of course.”
“Good, I thought you might. She really had you going there. Mine almost had me going, but I told her not to. I figured I’d save it for you.”
“Good choice,” Micah said as he joined Bunni on her massage table. He parted her legs and buried his face into her sex, Bunni moaning as Micah lightly ran his tongue against her clit. She placed her hands on the back of his head and pushed him in even further, Micah letting her take control, Bunni eventually thrusting her hips forward as he continued, the two going at it like this for a few minutes.
He kept at it until he felt an erection again. He sat up, wiped his mouth, and began rubbing the tip of his penis against her. Bunni took charge yet again, her hand going to his cock and slipping him inside of her, everything wet but tight.
A flash at the door caught Micah’s attention.
Fwwit!
A stinging sensation cut across his shoulder, Micah thrown backward as an arc of blood sprayed onto Bunni’s chest and stomach. Micah hit the ground; Bunni rolled off the massage bed and leapt into action, going for her weapon.
Her assailant was too fast.
Nunchucks came forward and cracked the Plains Dweller across the head, another one hitting her in the shoulder, Bunni going down.
It all made sense now; Micah recognized their attacker as Kami, the kitsune in full ninja regalia, her weapon spinning at her sides. He placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled out the throwing star she’d tossed at him, Micah wincing as he dropped it to the ground.
Kami stepped toward Micah and Bunni came alive again, trying to take her legs out from beneath the kitsune. This resulted in Kami turning to kick the Plains Dweller several times while she was down. Kami then proceeded to beat her with the nunchucks, the sound of the weapon slapping against Bunni’s nude body enraging Micah.
Without a weapon, he was forced to rely on something that he had been training on yet had failed to accomplish. Everything was at stake now, and as Kami raised her nunchuck to hit Bunni again, she was shot backward into one of the room dividers.
He had done it. Micah had used industria to attack her.
With a flick of his wrist, the kitsune slammed into the ceiling. She was driven into the ground again, Micah completely taking control of her. He imagined a thousand-pound weight on her back, and as much as Kami tried to free herself, to push away from the floor, she was unable to do so.
Eventually, Bunni stirred, Micah with a Y-shaped vein bulging on the side of his head now as he continued to focus the weight on Kami. An idea came to him and he released his hold on her for just a moment, Kami finally able to press herself up. Micah used industria to slam her down again, this time focusing on her head, knocking the kitsune out cold.
“M-Micah?” Bunni asked as he came to her side.
“You’re… you’re okay,” he told her. “I took care of her for now.”
“Your shoulder…”
“It will heal,” he said, barely even noticing it at this point or the blood that had already dripped to the floor.
It pained him to look at the Plains Dweller, her face covered in welts as Bunni gritted her teeth. “Just give me a moment; make sure she stays down.”
Micah returned his focus to the kitsune, who was still out, shallow breaths indicating that she was still alive.
“How are we going to get her back to the monastery?” he asked.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Either way… Kami is our prisoner now.”
Chapter Seven
Micah felt incredibly thankful for the fact that Kami hadn’t killed the two massage therapists. She had put them to sleep somehow, likely through some kind of poison, but they still had pulses, and they were still breathing, giving Bunni and him the perfect time to slip away. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but Micah and Bunni had used blankets in the room and towels to bind Kami’s hands, her arms also tied around her body tightly. They gagged her mouth with one of the cloths and used a strip of fabric to blindfold her.
The kitsune awoke just as they stepped out of the massage parlor, and immediately started to struggle. All it took was a quick elbow to the back of her head from Bunni for the woman to stop again.
“What will people think?” Micah asked as they dragged her through the streets, keeping as far away from the center of the road as they could. He also held her two nunchucks with one hand, surprised at how heavy they were.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s not like we can call Bobi to come pick us up in one of his mechas.”
If any of the Plains Dwellers around them noticed, no one said anything, and it wasn’t long before Micah and Bunni had turned onto the lane that led back to the monastery. Soraya had sensed something, and was already waiting for them by the time they reached the courtyard, her sword at her side. No words were exchanged as the kitsune immediately moved into action, preparing a place for them to put Kami. This included turning a few of the lanterns so they cast a cone of light around the woman.
Yuri and Liza appeared on the scene, both in their sleep clothes, Liza’s hair slightly wet.
“What happened?” Liza asked, concern flitting across her face as Micah set Kami’s nunchucks on a stone bench. “Is that… How?”
“She attacked us while we were getting massages,” Micah told her quickly, going with the shortest answer possible. The truth was, Kami had attacked while they were having sex and for a moment, he had been battling Kami while naked with an erection. It was embarrassing, to say the least. And one thing was for sure: Micah hoped never to have to fight in the nude again. It made him feel way too vulnerable.
Kami jerked forward, awake again, and trying to break free of her constraints.
“Do what you need to do,” Yuri told Soraya, who approached Kami and crouched before the kitsune. Soraya focused her breath, and ignored Kami’s struggling as she began muttering the mantra.
“Layna roa regnah cordin cordin merlexnya… Layna roa regnah cordin cordin merlexnya…”
“Kami!” Milsung burst out of the back door, the robes she was sleeping in half-tied at the front of her body. Oblivious to what Soraya was doing, Milsung ended up shoving her out of the way as she reached them. She grabbed her friend and hugged her, a look of confusion coming across Kami’s face.
Soraya was just getting back to her feet when Kami pushed Milsung aside and reached for Soraya’s sword, yanking it out of her scabbard. She spun to her right, the tip of her blade connecting with Milsung’s neck.
It was that fast, that visceral.
Milsung’s head hit the ground, and rolled toward Yuri and Liza. Blood followed as her body fell to the side.
“Mil…” Yuri bent forward, as if she had just received a gut punch.
Kami paused for a moment, blinking rapidly as she came to understand what had happened. She brought Soraya’s weapon to the ready again only to be tackled by Yuri, who scrambled on top of the kitsune. They struggled over the sword; Kami managed to flip Yuri over so she could pin her to the ground.
Whoosh!
Kami shot off Yuri’s body, the leader of the Royal Star Ninjas relying on her power over industria to toss her upward. This had the effect of forcing Kami to drop the
sword, which Yuri quickly grabbed. As Kami fell back to the ground, her arms flailing, Yuri drove the sword through her body, a trail of blood bursting out of her back. Yuri brought her down and then savagely pulled up on the blade, Yuri giving Kami a wound that she would not be able to heal from.
And as soon as it had started, it was over.
Micah looked at Liza, who had her arms crossed over her chest, a tear falling down her cheek. Bruised and still a little battered, Bunni had her glaive drawn now and was prepared to engage, while Soraya was still on the ground, clearly aware that she had just come inches away from losing her life. Kami could have just as easily decapitated her…
Yuri dropped to her knees; Soraya came to her immediately, where she gingerly took her sword from the bewildered woman. While Micah didn’t think that Yuri was going to do something like turn the blade on herself, the dark look on her face, and her hair hanging over her head told him otherwise.
Once he got movement of his legs again, Micah rushed toward Yuri, and pulled her into his arms, her head pressing against his chest as she turned away from what was left of Milsung.
Micah took one look at her decapitated body and clenched his eyes shut.
He had witnessed plenty of gruesome things over the course of the battles he had taken part in, death and dismemberment now a recurring theme of his life. But everything had been so peaceful over the last few days, and the shock of going from tranquility to the sudden loss of two lives, blood splattered across the courtyard, Milsung’s head resting somewhere near the grass line, her mouth agape, was a lot to take in.
Micah’s grandmother came out and Liza went to her immediately, ushering the woman back inside.
“I can see what happened,” his grandmother protested. “I’m not one to be sheltered!”
“It’s just not…” Liza excelled audibly. “Trust me, you don’t want to see this. Milsung is dead.”
“Milsung?” his grandmother asked, her tone of voice changing. “But I hardly knew her…”
“Please, let’s get inside. You want something to drink? I can make you something.”
“Don’t patronize me!”
“What the fuck happened?” Choro asked as he reached the door that led outside. It became clear to him what had taken place, his hands going over his mouth as he took in Kami and Milsung’s forms. “How?” he asked, echoing what Liza had said just moments ago.
“Come on,” Liza told Micah’s grandmother as she guided her back into their home. She also placed her hand on Choro’s shoulder. “You too. Inside.”
“We will get this cleaned up.” This voice took Micah off guard. As he turned to the right, he found Youseg standing there, the man floating with his arms crossed behind his back, a troubled look on his bearded face. “Such tragedy.”
“How come you didn’t know about this?” Yuri asked Youseg.
“Why would I know about something like this?” the older monk asked her.
“Your prophecy. You must have known something like this would happen—how can we even trust you?” Yuri cried. She turned back to the residence and stormed inside, Micah thinking she was going to cool off for a moment. She returned moments later with her blade drawn, the tip of her weapon pointed at Youseg.
“He’s not the enemy,” Bunni said as she stepped in front of her.
“Out of my way.”
“Lower your weapon, take a few deep breaths. We will figure this out,” Bunni told Yuri.
“I said out of my way. That’s an order!”
Bunni hesitated, and in her moment of hesitation Soraya stepped up as well, her hand on the hilt of her weapon. “This isn’t his fault,” Soraya said, gritting her teeth. “You need to calm yourself.”
“Do I need to remind you that this is an order? Out of my way!” Yuri lifted her blade and charged forward. Bunni blocked her strike, while Soraya went low, taking Yuri’s legs out from beneath her. They scrambled on top of her, and got her weapon away from her, Yuri crying out, Micah once again shocked to the point that it was hard to move. He’d never seen Yuri this way, with so much emotion. He could only imagine how terrible she felt at that moment. It was the ultimate tragedy. He also felt utterly useless, like he could have prevented it somehow.
Eventually, Yuri came to her senses, and Bunni and Soraya helped her up, both offering her support, yet keeping her away from her weapon for the time being.
“I haven’t seen everything,” Youseg finally said, answering her question. “As I’ve said. Certain small details…” He swallowed hard. “Certain details, I should say, are unclear to me. We have reached the end of what I saw back then anyway. The rest of this is up to you and your team, as you know. My attendants will take care of their bodies, and we will have a proper funeral tomorrow. Please try to calm yourself.” Youseg looked to Bunni. “Perhaps one of the herbal teas would help her relax.”
“I don’t want an herbal tea,” Yuri said, her lip curling. “I want my sister.”
Micah didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know how to comfort Yuri, and he didn’t know what to say to make things better. Soraya had collected her weapon, the kitsune standing near enough to her that she would be supportive, but also far enough away that if Yuri tried to do something, she would be able to stop her. Liza continued to care for Micah’s grandmother, and Bunni had just about the guiltiest look on her face that Micah had ever seen. He could tell that she was blaming herself for some of this, even though it wasn’t her fault. It was really no one’s fault, at least no one still alive.
Youseg’s attendants arrived on the scene to get the bodies, and Yuri came forward again, shoving one of the veiled Plains Dwellers away.
“Please, relax,” Youseg told her, his words measured. “We will bury them here in an honorable way.”
“Here?” Yuri asked, shaking her head. “But I’m from Neo-Hokkaido.”
“I understand that, but it won’t be easy for you to get back across the border carrying two…” Youseg considered his next words carefully. “Two deceased Royal Star Ninjas.”
“I don’t care,” Yuri said. “They cannot be buried here.”
“Kami was from Jokamatchi,” Soraya said, “but from what I remember, she rarely visited home, nor did she care much for our mother country. She was born in Neo-Hokkaido, raised like the rest of us.”
“That’s right,” Bunni added.
One of things that Micah had noticed over the last few minutes was that Yuri didn’t seem to be angry at Kami. She didn’t do anything like he would have done if he’d had a brother and someone had killed his sibling before his very eyes. She didn’t make her way over to the body and kick it, or demand that it be burned, or simply treat the body of her sister, and honor that she wanted to bestow upon it, differently than the body of her sister’s killer.
In this gesture, Micah truly understood what it meant to be a Royal Star Ninja, and the bond that they shared. He also recognized just how much of an outsider he was to them, and how remarkable it was that they seemed to like him, that two of them had actually married him. Why does it feel like I’m only now beginning to understand all of this? he thought as Yuri remained steadfast in her opinion that the bodies must be returned to her country.
Bunni stepped up again. “I agree with her; we must be buried in Neo-Hokkaido.”
“I understand your wishes here, but to get back to the country, you’re going to have to either go the way you came, or use the fake identifications I have procured for you, which will not be easy considering your country is in lockdown, and they aren’t letting people across the border. Of course, I believe I could pull enough strings to make that happen, but as soon as you crossed the border, even with your disguises, you would be in the jurisdiction of the Society of Monks.”
“Then it is best for us to go back the way we came, through the tunnel that passes to Woodsaka.”
“You aren’t wrong,” Youseg told Yuri. “But imagine doing that with a couple of bodies, how difficult that would be.”
“Choro and your grandmother can stay here,” Bunni said, “which would make it so we could move somewhat faster.”
“But…” Micah looked to the two corpses. How were they going to bring them back? The only solution he’d come up with off the top of his head would be to cut their limbs off, but that seemed gruesome, and it definitely wasn’t something he was going to pitch to the team.
“We would carry them,” Yuri said.
“I don’t know if that’s going to be something we are able to do,” Soraya said carefully.
“Of course it is. Some of your attendants will help us,” Yuri said, nodding to the three veiled monks who were huddled near Youseg. “It isn’t such a long journey from here, and the underground tunnel lets out in Woodsaka. I would be comfortable with them being buried there, in the forest. Plus, we have an AI that can help us from that point forward.”
“I suppose that would be acceptable to me,” Youseg finally told her.
“Thank you,” said Yuri, bowing her head slightly.
“In the meantime, I will have the area cleaned, and the bodies kept cold, including the head. We can have them transported in coffins, but that means you would have to leave at night.”
“We’re fine with that,” Bunni said. “It’s important to us that they be buried in their own country.”
“Very well.” Youseg gestured toward the residence. “May I suggest returning to your quarters for the time being, and let us handle what happened here. There will be a ritual in the morning to make sure the dead are well guided toward the afterlife. We have white robes, and I will have them distributed to you before breakfast.”
“Thank you,” Micah said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Soraya gesture toward Yuri, the kitsune now holding Kami’s nunchucks. Micah nodded, understanding that she was instructing him to comfort her. He approached Yuri, and slowly placed his arm around her shoulders, the leader of the Royal Star Ninjas stiff at first, but finally relaxing a little in his arms. As slowly as ever, Micah turned her toward their residence, Yuri loosening up with each step.
My Ninja Girl 4 Page 9
