Justin laughed. “Your mate said the same thing when we fought.” Several wind bullets bounced off his armor, ricocheting as if his outfit was made from reflective materials. “You two really are quite the pair! She really is good for you. It’s a shame my orders are to kill you both.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kevin declared. “You’ve already lost.”
Justin seemed amused. “What makes you say that?”
“Take a look at where you are.”
“Hm?”
Looking around, Justin only needed a moment to realize what Kevin meant. They were currently in the center of the store, surrounded by massive shelves filled with clothes. However, those shelves were currently filled with holes, which had damaged their structure to the point where they’d begun to crumble. All of them were going to fall on top of Justin.
“I see. You lured me here, then used my armor’s ability to reflect youki against me, hoping it would cause these to collapse on me. Very clever. However…” Justin raised his right arm, lightning gathering within, crackling as a brilliant yellow glow emitted from the barrel, “… that’s not going to work when I can just destroy everything around me.”
“Who said that’s what I was aiming for?” Kevin asked.
“What?”
Justin didn’t have time to contemplate Kevin’s words. Lightning lanced from his arm, demolishing one of the large shelving units, sending fragments through the air. It didn’t end there, however, as the condensed lightning pierced objects instead of simply destroying them. The yellow lance of energy went straight through the shelf and struck the ceiling, puncturing it like it was made of paper.
The lightning also struck a water pipe.
Justin’s eyes widened as water cascaded from the burst pipe, drenching him. The barrel of his gun crackled and hissed as the water splashed on and even inside of it. Arcs of pale yellow coruscated across his armor, which gained several large cracks that ran across it. His body jerked, twitched, and spasmed as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his mouth issued a silent scream.
Standing several yards away, Kevin closed his eyes and maintained a stoic facade. The lightning died away as the flow of water from the busted pipe suddenly stopped. Justin stood still for several seconds, his muscles locked up, arm still raised above his head. Then he fell backwards, striking the floor with a harsh thud.
“Sorry, Justin,” Kevin said softly, “but I have no intention of letting you hurt the people I love.”
Kevin turned around and began to walk away.
A loud clatter drew his attention back.
Justin had risen to his feet. His breathing was ragged, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked ready to collapse…
… but he still stood up.
“Back down, Justin,” Kevin warned. “This battle is already over. Don’t make me hurt you any more than I have to.”
“I’m not done yet,” Justin proclaimed.
“Yes, you are. There’s nothing more that you can do. Your armor is destroyed and your muscles are dealing with the aftereffects of being shocked by lightning. You can’t fight anymore.”
Justin’s smile caused a shiver to run down Kevin’s spine. It was dark, foreboding. Inhuman.
“Did you forget, Kevin? I’m not a regular human.” Justin flicked several latches on his armor, which came undone and clattered to the floor, revealing the black unitard he wore underneath. “I was born in a test tube and injected with the genes of an inu to strengthen my body. I was run through numerous tests that would’ve killed a normal human and trained since the moment I could speak to be a killing machine. I’m not fragile like an ordinary human.”
Before Kevin could speak, Justin rushed at him faster than humanly possible. Kevin raised his guns and tried to fire at his former friend, but Justin kicked the weapons out of his hands. That same foot then came back in and launched forward in a kick aimed at his head, which Kevin avoided by leaning backwards.
Latching onto Justin’s outstretched leg before he could retract it, Kevin used it to keep from falling, then lashed out with his own kick, which Justin caught with his hand.
“You should know, Kevin, that in a battle such as this, the strongest person will always be victorious.”
Kevin grunted as Justin squeezed his calf. He could actually feel the teen’s fingers digging into his skin. Gritting his teeth, Kevin bent his other leg, then leapt into the air, twisting his body and striking Justin’s head from the other side.
That was the plan anyway.
Tilting his head, Justin avoided Kevin’s kick. He then let go of Kevin’s leg and, while Kevin was still airborne, slammed both palms into his chest.
It felt like being hit by a freight train. Kevin could swear his ribs snapped as he was launched backwards. His back hit the ground with a harsh crack, the tiled floor denting underneath him. He didn’t stop there, and the world soon tumbled around him.
Lips peeling back in a feral snarl, Kevin flipped himself over, landing on his feet and skidding across the floor, coming to a slow stop.
Blood pooled from his lips, letting him know that he had internal bleeding. His strained breathing told him that he’d suffered damage to his rib cage, though none of his ribs felt broken. He placed a hand to his mouth and coughed several times, then wiped the blood onto the floor. Standing exactly where he had been was Justin, staring down at Kevin in amusement.
“You’re pretty durable,” he commented. “Your ribs should have snapped from that attack. I’m impressed you’re still conscious.”
“D-don’t underestimate me.” Kevin grimaced and stood up. That last attack really had hurt. “I’ve been training with Kiara and many other yōkai for over a year now. I’ve taken more beatings than I care to count, and if you think something like this is going to put me down, then you clearly don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
“Hm, yes, I suppose you’re right.” Justin slid his feet across the ground, assuming what Kevin recognized as a classic muay thai stance. “But it doesn’t matter how many beatings you’ve taken or how strong your body is. I’ve been genetically modified to be stronger than humans. You’re no match for me.”
Kevin forced his body to relax. Even though it hurt, he took several deep breaths, centering himself and loosening his muscles. Then he took a stance, hands held at his waist, knees only slightly bent, his posture almost but not quite lazy.
His eyes were sharp as he gazed at Justin. “Say that after you’ve defeated me.”
A frown crossed Justin’s face. “All right. Fine.”
He rushed at Kevin, closing the distance in the time it took to blink, then attacked, throwing a swift rabbit punch to Kevin’s throat, which had been left wide open.
Purposefully left wide open.
Having seen the attack coming long before it happened, Kevin responded accordingly. He brushed the punch aside with his left hand, while at the same time moving to the right and spinning around until he was back to back with Justin. With his right hand, he grabbed onto the outstretched arm before it could be pulled back, grunted, then tossed Justin over his shoulder. His former friend yelped as he went sailing through the air, landing on the ground in a heap of twisted limbs.
“How did you do that?” Justin asked, frowning as he climbed to his feet.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Kevin said, smiling a big, fake smile.
Justin snorted. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose. I’ll find out how you did that one way or another.”
“Well, come on then.”
Kevin let Justin come to him. He didn’t attack, and instead allowed himself to be attacked.
Justin’s left shoulder twitched. He would punch Kevin in the torso, but that was only a feint to attack the opening he’d presented on his right side. Kevin ignored the punch and swatted away the fist that would’ve struck his kidney. Justin only had a moment to gawk before Kevin trapped his head in a clinch and smashed a knee into his nose.
&nb
sp; His head snapping back, blood spurted from his nose, which Kevin could tell was broken from how crooked it was. His opponent stumbled away. Blinking back tears, Justin snapped his nose back into place and frowned at him.
“Why don’t you just surrender?” Kevin suggested. “This battle is over. You’re not going to beat me. Give up and stop trying to kill my mate and her sister.”
Justin shook his head, as if disappointed to hear Kevin even say that. “You still don’t understand. I can’t stop. I was born for this. Slaying yōkai is my entire purpose. It’s all I can do.”
“That’s not true at all!” Kevin felt frustration well inside of him like a torrential flood. “What about all those times you spent with me and everyone else at school? You never killed any yōkai back then, right?”
Justin came in with several swift attacks, a combination of punches and kicks. They were much more cautious than before, however, and he never fully committed to any of them, meaning that Kevin couldn’t counterattack. Instead he was forced to dodge each attack as it came at him.
“Even back then I was still fulfilling my purpose,” Justin said as they continued to fight. “I was observing the yōkai under Daven’s rule, and consequently, I was observing you since your something of a special existence. I might not have killed during that time, but I still did my job.”
Several fists blurred toward several openings in Kevin’s guard. Justin’s punches were coming in faster, but because he already knew where the teen would attack, Kevin was able to redirect them. On the last deflection, he took a single step back, then leapt forward and launched a reverse heel kick. Justin crossed his arms and blocked the attack, which echoed through the store with a dull thud.
“That only proves my point!” Kevin snapped. “If killing yōkai is your only purpose, then it means that the entire time you spent with us in school was you not fulfilling your purpose!”
Kevin backpedaled when Justin launched a string of quick kicks at his shin and thighs, alternating between his left and right legs.
“But I was still following my orders! I still did everything that Commander Paine told me to do!”
Justin threw another punch that was easily knocked aside. Undeterred, he lashed out with a kick, but Kevin ducked and swept Justin’s feet out from under him. As he hit the ground, landing on his back, Kevin pinned Justin’s hands to his side, drew his fist back, and decked Justin in the face. Blood was drawn. Justin’s brain rattled inside of his skull. The boy’s eyes actually crossed from the hit. Still straddling his friend, Kevin grabbed the other boy by his unitard and pulled him up until they were face to face.
“But you also befriended us! Or was that a lie?! Were you ordered to befriend us too?!”
“Of course it wasn’t! I’ve always thought of you and the others as friends!”
Kevin glared at Justin, his teeth bared like a wild beast. “Then maybe you should think about that before deciding to become our enemy. You don’t have to do what someone says just because you were created by them.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Justin muttered bitterly. “You’ve lived a normal life up until last year. You’ve never had to deal with the things I’ve had to. You weren’t indoctrinated since you were born to follow orders and do what you’re told.”
Kevin tightened his hold on Justin’s clothing.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but don’t you think it’s a little self-deprecating for you to say that you have no other choice but to follow orders? You’re not some machine whose programming demands it follow the orders of its master. You’re a human being, and whether you were born in a test tube or from a mother’s womb, nothing is going to change that. It is your prerogative as a human to make the choices you want. That’s what it means to have free will.”
When Justin said nothing, Kevin clicked his tongue. Then he slammed Justin’s head against the ground, knocking the boy unconscious. He let go of the now knocked out teen. Standing up, Kevin inhaled sharply as a dagger sharp pain stabbed him in the chest. Rubbing the spot where Justin’s palm strike had hit him, he grumbled a bit and stumbled away from the unconscious boy and out of the store.
“D-dang it…”
Kevin leaned against the wall outside of the store, his raspy breathing letting him know that he’d been more injured than he initially assumed. The adrenaline flowing through his body had probably kept him from feeling the pain as keenly as he should have.
“Beloved!”
“Lilian.”
Wincing, Kevin turned as Lilian bounded up to him. Iris trailed behind her sister at a more sedate pace. Kevin saw that, between the two, she was the more injured one.
“Are you okay?” Lilian asked upon reaching him.
Kevin smiled at her genuine, honest concern. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” Iris commented. “You look like someone who got the crap beaten out of him.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who looks like she got in a fight with a pair of scissors and lost.”
Iris looked down to study her figure. Cuts, scratches, and bruises marred her once perfect skin. Her clothing had torn in several places, revealing even more of her legs and her entire left breast. She was also bleeding from a wound to her torso.
“Touche,” she conceded.
“We should leave here before the rest of the army comes,” Lilian said. “It’s been almost ten minutes since our fights started, so I’m sure the army has noticed by now.”
“You’re right. They’ll definitely be on their way soon.” Grunting, Kevin pushed off the wall. He stumbled forward, but Lilian grabbed onto him, her left arm going around his back, taking some of his weight. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” asked Iris.
“To the train station,” Kevin answered. “It’s too dangerous to stay here.”
“But isn’t the train station several miles away?” Lilian pondered. “How are we going to get there before the military finds us?”
“Uh…”
Almost as if answering their prayers, a loud siren resounded through the street, seconds before a cop car came blazing down the road.
Iris, Lilian, and Kevin looked at each other before, slowly, matching grins spread across their faces.
“Are you two thinking what I’m thinking?” Iris’s eyes gleamed with a mischievous malevolence.
“I think so.” Lilian nodded several times.
“I’ll leave this to you two,” Kevin added.
As the cop car pulled up and two police officers hopped out, Lilian and Iris went to work. The police weren’t equipped to deal with kitsune like the military was. He actually wondered what the police were even doing here, but he guessed they might have just been in the area before it was cordoned off.
“By the way,” Kevin started as he drove the police car away, which the two officers had kindly offered them after they were properly enchanted, “what happened to those two people you fought?”
Iris and Lilian looked at each other.
“Nothing particular,” they said at the same time.
***
Jack and Jill found themselves in a precarious predicament. They’d woken up some time after their respective battles to find that someone had tied them up. Not only that, but they were tied to a large fountain that currently wasn’t working, and they’d been tied up together.
They were also butt naked, and in a position that would’ve been considered comprising at best and lewd at worst.
“T-this is so degrading!”
“You think this is degrading?! How do you think I feel?!”
“S-stop struggling! You’re rubbing your body all over me!”
“You’re the one who’s squirming around!”
“Shut up! I am not!”
The two struggled to break free of their bonds with all their might, yet nothing they did worked. Whoever had tied them together must have been a master of BDSM. Their bonds were not only tighter than a me
tal chastity belt, but they were bound in such a way that they couldn’t move their arms or legs so much as an inch.
“Damn those kitsune!!!” the two cried in unison.
CHAPTER 14
MEETING AN OLD FRIEND
Justin stood on top of a building overlooking the city of Columbus. He’d been there ever since waking up. Standing behind him, Jill and Jack looked at each other.
“Is the lieutenant okay?”
“Don’t know. He seems kinda out of it.”
He ignored their words and admired the morning sun as it cast a pale light upon the world. The city was bathed in a soft, luminous glow. Steel structures glistened gently with the morning’s first rays, which shone upon the world like a higher being’s tender kiss.
It was almost enough to make him believe in gods and the like.
“Um, Lieutenant, are we going to stand here all day?” Jack asked.
Justin sighed. He really wished he could stay there, at least for a while longer, but even he knew that such a thing wasn’t possible.
“Tell me, do you two agree with this war?”
The two seemed confused.
“I’m not sure I understand why you’re asking, sir,” Jack said.
“It’s not our place to question orders,” Jill added.
“Humor me.”
Jack scratched the back of his head. “To be honest, sir, I don’t really think this war has any purpose. I’ve heard from the higher ups that the yōkai are dangerous, and how their plan is to enslave all humanity, but I just can’t see it. Before they were outed, some of my friends were yōkai, even if I didn’t know it at the time.” He paused, and then, in a softer voice, added, “I don’t think I’ll ever get over the looks of hurt and betrayal they had after the Yōkai Identification Act.”
A Fox's Alliance (American Kitsune Book 10) Page 39