A/N: Well, here's Chapter 14. As always I appreciate reviews and constructive criticism.
Chapter 14
It hadn't been the best few days for Kinji Kotetsu. The loss of his home and his brother, as well as leaving the organization he had dedicated the majority of his adult life to, add on the stress of playing his part in the current scheme and you had one former soul reaper with extremely tattered nerves. If one were to exert pressure on one of Kinji's psychological weak points while he was in that battered state, he would crumble like a house made of matchsticks.
Sui-Feng had done far more than simply exert pressure. She had lobbed a firebomb at Kinji's state of mind and the explosion was spectacular. Like the match stick house had been soaked in gasoline. The grass bed Kinji had laid out for himself ignited with blue fire where his feet kicked off for his flash step. Sui-Feng watched it all with a smile on her face. After taking a second to stamp out the blue fire and pick up the dropped camera, she chased after Kinji. After all her hard work she wouldn't settle for anything less than front row seats.
The morning was a little chill and damp, but the sunlight provided a comfortable warmth on the faces of the arrancars in their high-class beds. Kinji had provided the best of accommodations for his "guests". But what should have been a gentle waking moment was spoiled by a loud shout and a burst of murderous reiatsu. All five arrancars leaped out of their beds, their hands instinctively reaching for their zanpakuto. Upon finding themselves berift of their weapons they released their pesquisa to locate the source of the hostile reiatsu. They found it, approaching fast from the direction of Kotetsu manor, and chasing a reiatsu of similar level. They all watched with open mouths as their self-proclaimed rescuer chased a red-haired man wearing a Captain's haori around the grounds with what appeared to a be a large chunk of support beam and screaming like a madman.
"It was an accident!" Renji shouted behind him. He was running full out to keep ahead of the enraged Kotetsu heir. The tree trunk Kinji was trying to hit him with was eight feet long and must have weighed several hundred pounds.
"You're about to have another one!" Kinji screamed back.
"Great. We lost the war, got stuffed into jars, and the guy who rescued us is nuts. Anyone else think we're cursed?" Apache asked.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Sun-Sun said. "Maybe he has a good reason for chasing another man with a giant block of wood." The sarcasm was practically dripping from her words.
"Well, it seems like a good reason to him." came a feminine voice from behind the five guests of the Kotetsu clan. Sui-Feng was sitting in the chair Kinji had occupied the night before. All five of the humanoid hollows spun around the moment the first syllable left her mouth. She could see the thoughts of all of them pass over their faces. They considered attack, escape, and taking her hostage be fore they realized she hadn't attacked them. With their hands and reiatsu restrained there wasn't much they could do if she had. Sui-Feng gleefully observed Renji's confused and terrified face until he looked in her direction. She waved at him, Rangiku's camera in hand. Understanding dawned just before Kinji tried to crush him. He dodged to the side just in time and took off running again.
"Look man, I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" Renji shouted to the man trying to bludgeon him to death. Kinji slowed down then stopped. Renji did the same because it appeared that his apology had diffused the enraged man. Renji moved closer slowly. His instincts told him that there was still roiling anger underneath the penitent face. Kinji extended his hand in a gesture of conciliation. The other man's hand inched toward Kinji's at a snail's pace. The audience waited expectantly to see what would happen. Sui-Feng had Rangiku's camera trained on the two men. Moments seemed to crawl by as Renji moved his hand closer to Kinji's while simultaneously preparing to dodge a punch or sword cut.
Renji gripped Kinji's hand and shook it hesitantly at first then more openly. A smile turned up the corners of Kinji'ss mouth and Renji relaxed. Half a second later Kinji's grip tightened and Renji was caught fast. He saw the small smile sour into an expression of extreme dislike. Kinji's kick took Renji between the legs with tremendous speed and force. He left Renji on the ground curled up and cupping his genitals. "Apology accepted." Kinji whispered into Renji's ear as the red-haired soul reaper tried not to vomit from the pain.
"I'm going to have that picture framed and mounted on my office wall." Sui-Feng practically purred.
"So what did the guy with the red hair do?" Mila-Rose asked Sui-Feng. The spymaster felt like dancing but she restrained herself.
"He let someone photograph him with his hands on butts of two women he had no business touching." That made everyone else do a doubletake. The expressions on their faces ranged from disdainful to approving. Dordonii turned to his fellow arrancars.
"I, for one, am impressed by the depth of his loyalty to his familia."
"Loyalty is good, but he's still batshit crazy." Cirucci said.
"Well, Aizen was sane and only gave a damn about himself. This guy is like the exact opposite, but he's still a soul reaper. We can't trust him." The amazonian arrancar said.
"Actually, he resigned from the Gotei 13." the Captain of Division 2 corrected. "The Kotetsu clan laid claim to Hueco Mundo under the laws of the Soul Society. So, technically speaking, he's your new neighbor. Trust him or not, you're going to have to find a way to live with him." Sui-Feng hid the camera away in the folds of her uniform and stood up from her chair. None of the hollows moved. Not even so much as a twitch. The most aggressive and impulsive of the group, Apache, shot her a dirty look but knew she couldn't fend off a Captain with those damnable restraints on her. The Captain of the 2nd Division, Commander of the Onmitsukido, reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small silver key. She spun the slender piece of metal between her fingers with a fluid grace that would put a stage magician to shame. But her teases lasted only a brief moment. She approached Sun-Sun first and removed the shackles. As the heavy metal bindings hit the floor the tension in the room ratcheted up several notches. "The Kotetsu clan, as one of the Four Great Noble Houses, is capable of constructing a powerful barrier that cannot be brought down without secrets known only to the Royal Family. A barrier that is impossible to sense reiatsu through, and one that makes unauthorized dimensional travel impossible." As she spoke she unlocked the shackles on the powerful fighters one by one. "It took an entire day to set it up, and now that it is there's no reason for us to restrain your reiatsu."
No reason? The arrancars wondered in near unison. Mila-Rose stepped closer to Sui-Feng before she asked her next question. She was easily a head taller than the Captain and outweighed her by quite a bit. But if these disadvantages intimidated Sui-Feng it didn't show. "Maybe you should explain things from the beginning. What kind of situation are we in?" The master assassin considered that for a moment then turned to walk away. "Hey! Don't just walk-"
"It's not my job to explain this. You want answers? Go talk to psycho boy over there." They all turned to look at the silver-haired noble who was dragging an unconscious Renji toward them by his hair. More than one of the arrancars considered making a run for it. But, on the surface, Kinji appeared to have regained some semblance of sanity, which at least made staying to listen to him a reasonable choice. Kinji dropped Renji at the edge of the impromptu building and approached his prospective recruits.
"Sorry about the rude wake-up. I just had to deal with something before I could focus on something else." He kicked the already brutalized Captain once more to emphasize his aggravation. Then he noticed that they were all free of restraints. "Looks like Sui-Feng got the party started without me. Did she at least tell you about the barrier?" Despite his friendly attitude the body language and expressions in the room remained hostile. "Relax. I have no intention of holding any of you prisoner. But before I just let you go running off I have a responsibility to inform you of the situation you find yourselves in." He motioned with his hand to the small bedside stands that had been placed next to each bed. "I've made copies of the official battle reports from the Winter War for each of you. You can read them whenever it's convenient. But there are more pressing matters to talk about."
"Out with it already!" Apache groused. Kinji gave her a smile and rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.
"I guess I'm kind of dancing around the point. If you leave here you'll be able to return to Hueco Mundo, but before long my clan will be taking possession of Las Noches and establishing a base of operations there. As far as Soul Society is concerned, we own the place. The reason I gathered you here is to make you an offer." The expression on his face altered suddenly, a grave attention replacing the easy smile. "Join my family. Help me bring Las Noches under control. In exchange, you won't have to worry about the Gotei 13."
"Bullshit!" Cirruci interrupted loudly. "You soul reapers have always been our enemies. We've been trying to kill each other for millenia. Why should we believe this load of garbage?"
"I'm not a soul reaper." Kinji corrected. "And why do you think it's garbage? If I formally add you to my clan then the Gotei 13 are forbidden by law to attack you."
"Dumbass. That's not what she was talking about." Apache added with her head resting in her hand. She'd chosen to sit back onto a bed when Kinji began speaking.
"What she meant was that it would be impossible for someone as weak as you to conquer Hueco Mundo." Kinji rocked back like he'd been slapped.
"So that's really what you all think of me?" Kinji asked. He got the confirmation he needed just by looking at the faces of his audience. He'd been hoping they would be more amenable to reason so he wouldn't have to resort to brute force. But, despite their human looks, it seemed they still had more than a bit of hollow in them. They simply refused to follow someone who they viewed as weaker than them. "I'll have to fix that then." Kinji flash stepped to a smaller hut on the other side of the compound. He returned an instant later with the case containing their zanpakutos. He dumped them out unceremoniously onto the ground in front of his potential allies. "If you need proof of my strength then I'll just have to show you first hand. Who wants to fight me first?"
"Kid, if you think you'll be fighting one-on-one in Hueco Mundo you're an idiot. You'll be mobbed by Menos Grande and ordinary hollows from the first moment you get there." Mila-Rose said after she picked up her sword.
"Then all of you can take me on at once." Kinji said without a hint of humor in his expression.
"It seems someone isn't expecting much of a fight from us." Sun-Sun muttered while slipping her sai-like zanpakuto back into her sleeve.
"I have to agree with her, Jovenzuelo. This is a fooli-" Dordonii had just finished slipping his zanpakuto into the sash around his waist when he found Kinji's hand on the back of his head and the point of a sword scraping the skin on the back of his neck. He didn't dare move.
"I don't know how strong you were when you fought in the war, but two years of captivity has weakened you. Right now, I have no doubt I could crush the lot of you. But you don't have to take my word for it." He shoved the arrancar in his grip away from him. "But let's not do this here. There's an underground arena a short walk away." he pointedly turned his back to the group of hollows and proceeded to walk out of the temporary dwelling. None of them followed.
Kinji sighed in disappointment. They still weren't taking them seriously. He was just about to turn around and attack them where they stood when Sui-Feng stepped out from behind a tree. "Not exactly leader of the day material. Maybe you just weren't cut out to be Captain." she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Kinji felt a twinge in his heart at the insult.
"Like you can talk. It's been over a year and you can't even threaten someone into being your Lieutenant." Kinji knew it was a mistake the moment the words left his mouth. Sui-Feng rocked back a little, then leaned forward with an aggressive smile on her face.
"Maybe you just turned me down because you don't know what I'm capable of." she taunted. Anticipation was added to the mix of emotion swirling through Kinji's chest. That look on her face was so intriguing to him. He decided that if he couldn't demonstrate his power against the arrancars then Sui-Feng would be a perfect alternative. It was strange though, he was certain he should be feeling fear. There was none, just the anticipation of leveraging his strength, skill, and ingenuity against someone who might be stronger than him.
"Maybe I'm just not afraid of a Captain who had to have a ryoka clean up after her." And just like that, the Commander of the Onmitsukido attacked. Her flash step was breathtakingly fast. Kinji certainly couldn't match her speed or skill in that arena. But the kick she leveled at his neck was stopped cold by his arm. Even though she was faster, his arm had a far shorter distance to move than her leg. Spiritual energy flooded the area as the two of them clashed.
The arrancars appeared the instant they noticed the sudden change. As they observed the next flurry of attacks from the smaller combatant. Energy flew out from the pair in small bursts as they fought with their bare fists. The difference in style was ridiculously obvious. Sui-Feng's attacks were so fast that following the individual movements was a fools errand. In contrast, Kinji's defensive movements and counter attacks were much slower but carried greater force. He relied on simple economy of movement to keep up with the faster strikes. "You fight like an old man!" Sui-Feng laughed derisively.
"And you fight like a girl!" Kinji fired back. His arms were beginning to feel bruised from the sheer number of blows he was forced to block. Fighting Sui-Feng was like trying to fend off debris from a tornado. The hits were fast, powerful, and seemed to come at nigh impossible angles. But his body was sturdy and he was just fast enough to take the hits with non-vital areas. But each time he tried a punch Sui-Feng would thread a kick through the opening the punch left in his guard. Three times she had managed to land a blow to his chest or stomach. Each one of them hurt, but none injured him enough to hinder his movements. Punches and kicks came in faster every time she scored a solid hit. But Kinji had an ace up his sleeve. He was beginning to recognize a pattern to her attacks. She used a flurry of hand strikes to shift his guard into a suitable position then followed up with half a dozen kicks on either his right or left side. Her attacks were well suited to fighting someone like him who relied on strong stances and powerful strikes.
She left him no time or space for a true counter attack. But this strategy was based on the premise that all of his attacks were powerful and slow. It was a faulty assumption and Kinji was going to make her pay for it. He built up energy in his right hand slowly, carefully. Then, the moment she shifted from punches to kicks he used his ace in the hole, Sabeji Migite. His right hand shot forward at a speed surpassing Sui-Feng's own. Blue fire laced his fingers which were laid flat to make the blow non-lethal. Sui-Feng still nearly managed to bring up her leg to deflect the punch and blue fire incinerated part of the cloth on her right leg. It also set fire to the yellow sash she used to keep her haori bound tightly around her waist. That was just collateral damage. His strike drove the breath from her lungs and bruised her stomach.
"She's gonna feel that one!" Apache said excitedly. The arrancars had been growing more excited the longer they watched. Even Sun-Sun, who preferred to act indifferent to her surroundings, was leaning forward with excitement and anticipation. She remembered how easily the woman had crushed Ggio Vega, and she wanted to see if the silver-haired noble could fight on par with her.
"Don't counter her out just yet." Sun-Sun said slyly. "She was the one who fought Barragan after all. Since she's here I assume she managed to win." The two Privaron Espada looked much more closely at the petite Captain. They had lost their rank as Espada, but that only meant the knew the strength of those in Aizen's premier force better than anyone else. They had thought Barragan to be invincible. But here stood someone who had fought him and come out on top.
Sui-Feng's moment of weakness was just that, a very brief moment. She tore the sash and haori away and used it to smother the flames on her leg. Kinji took the opportunity to speak a spell that he kept inert and bound it around his arm beneath his sleeve. No sense in letting a perfectly good advantage go to waste. "That was an assassination technique." Sui-Feng stated with appreciating in her tone.
"I didn't really fit in the Onmitsukido. But that doesn't mean they didn't give me some ideas." Kinji said with respect.
"Didn't fit?"
"Being in the Onmitsukido means you have to accept a certain kind of team ethic. I was never able to commit to a team or partnership, and at the same time be willing to let those I committed myself to die to achieve my objectives. The professionalism that you take so much pride in is anathema to who I am." Kinji put a hand on his sword. Thanks to you, I can now understand why.
Flattery is nice, but I'd like a chance to dance with Suzumebachi.
I'll see what I can do.
"Maybe you weren't the right choice. Omaeda was a lazy, incompetent fat-ass. But, I could count on him to put the mission first." She tossed the scorched clothing into a pile against one of the bamboo constructed huts. He could see a pale leg peaking out from the hole in her shihakusho. The muscle there was obvious, but also supple in a very enticing way. Keep your head out of her pants for a few minutes longer, please? The voice of his zanpakuto cut off the amorous train of thought that had nearly drawn his attention away from the fight.
"That's enough hakuda practice. I think we both know you've got me beat." Kinji drew his sword. "But I bet my zanpakuto can trump yours."
"Oh, really. I'll take that bet." she drew her blade, holding it upside down and in a guard position. This time Kinji took the opportunity to strike first. He deliberately slashed to her right side which made her block with her sword.
Kitsunebi took the opportunity to force her world into synchronization with Suzumebachi's. With Kage Shitsukoi their worlds had been close even without their physical forms being in contact. She wasn't entirely sure why, but with every other zanpakuto it required a clash of blades for the two swords to have a true conversation. They could shout at each other across the metaphysical distance but Kitsunebi needed much more than that. The in-between world was a world covered in flowers and presided over by a golden harvest moon. Kitsunebi wasn't happy with the lack of trees. But she didn't have time to care because Suzumebachi made a flashy entrance. An orb of golden light blurred into the gently lit world and nearly blinded the fox-woman. When the light dimmed a little more there was another woman, more accurately described as a 14 year old girl in black and gold silks, with two golden gauntlets sheathing her arms. Her two pigtails gave her an air of innocence but the twin stingers covering her middle fingers made it obvious that she was deadly.
"Greetings. There's something I need to show you."
"He's not very good with a sword." Cirruci said with a grimace. She had been hoping for more from her prospective boss. So far, she hadn't seen it.
"I'm not sure he's actually trying to win. Look at how he attacks. It's almost like he just wants to hit her sword." Dordonii speculated.
"This is just sad. Are you actually going to try fighting me?" Sui-Feng asked. You can fight for real now. My conversation didn't take very long. Kitsunebi said softly.
Took you long enough. It's embarrassing being this bad.
"If you insist!" He jumped back and held his zanpakuto out horizonatally. "Spark, Kitsunebi!" Bright blue flames coated the blade and threw plenty of light. Everyone else moved to shield their eyes from the sudden glare. Kinji held the sword out and flicked a small lash of fire toward the arrancars. The band of fire dissolved into smaller blue tongues of flame and came to rest in the air around them. He scraped some fire from his blade and held it cupped in his hand. Sui-Feng scrutinized the blue fire in an attempt to figure out why the fire wasn't producing either heat or smoke. Kinji smiled and flung the handful of fire at her. She flash stepped out of harm's way so Kinji tried again, this time he tried to hit her with dozens of small gouts of blue flame. She zig-zagged her way through the hail of flame and called on her own powers.
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi." Her sword melded into a black and gold gauntlet and a golden stinger on her middle finger. Kinji decided to stop playing and threw a wave of fire out from his sword that covered 180 degrees. Despite that, Sui-Feng only had a few flickers of blue fire on her when she leaped over the wall. She slapped at one and found that they didn't burn either her or her clothes. It also refused to go out no matter how much she tried to smother it. Her eyes only left Kinji for a moment but when she looked back all she could see was darkness. She looked all around and saw only more of the same.
The five arrancar were similarly stranded in a sea of darkness but were taking more proactive measures. Mila-Rose charged a Cero in her hand and walked away from the flickers of fire surrounding the immediate area. As soon as she was half a dozen paces away all light vanished. She could still feel the dense orb of orange reiatsu in her hand but it was as if she had gone blind. She retraced her steps and made it back to the rest. "No good."
"Well that's great. We can't even see the fight!"
"You shouldn't shout everything, Apache. It makes you look weak."
"Shut up!" Apache took a swing at Sun-Sun who ducked it and tripped the blue haired woman."
"Settle down you two. Think for a moment about this power. He is able to choose what is and isn't seen. It's not as powerful as Lord Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, but still a very dangerous ability. For now we can just follow their movements with pesquisa." Dordonii said with a smile. He could see a path to the Espada opening up before him. He sent a pulse of his own reiatsu out around him and felt the others do the same. But the technique failed.
"Any more bright ideas, Tortellini?"
"It's Dordonii! Do I look like a bowl of pasta to you?"
"Who cares what your name is? Just shut up."Apache had turned her back on the Privaron Espada and walked over to Sun-Sun who was just at the edge of the lit area. "Can you see anything?"
"No. Even the infrared spectrum is blocked off outside the area. Inside I can see everything perfectly."
"Damn. This is so stupid. Why aren't we just leaving?"
"You mean besides the fact that we physically can't leave? We're in the middle of enemy territory. Do you want to try fighting that old man again?" Apache remembered the flames of Ryuujin Jakka well. She had felt so outclassed in that fight that she didn't even want to see the Captain Commander again.
Stalking something you couldn't see was not an easy task. Especially when you couldn't even see the terrain you were walking on. But Kinji had plenty of practice. Sui-Feng could fight in the dark as well as anyone, but she could usually rely on her ability to sense reiatsu. With both of these senses suddenly cut off, Kinji had a slight edge. But the more devastating advantage was the fire clinging to Sui-Feng's clothes. With that, Kinji would have a general idea of where she was at all times. That was why he hadn't truly activated Kitsunebi's power until he managed to tag her. Of course, if she managed to hit him the flames would vanish. He only had one chance to get it right and land the decisive blow. He was creeping around at the edge of Sui-Feng's visibility. His heart was hammering in his chest.
Breathe. Take your time. Be certain of your choices. Kinji did just that. He took 30 seconds to think about what he was about to do and steady his hands. His attack was nearly silent and very fast. Sui-Feng knew the moment Kinji inside the sphere of illumination caused by the flames. She caught the dull side of Kitsunebi's blade on her gauntlet and struck at his face with her free hand. A yellow rope of crackling energy snaked out of Kinji's sleeve and wrapped around Sui-Feng's free arm then tied itself to her torso, restraining the limb effectively. He put his back into his sword and pushed Sui-Feng to the ground. She pushed the blade aside and used both legs to lever her opponent over her. A swipe of her needle severed the low level binding spell and put her back on equal footing. Kinji made a last desperate swipe with a fire-coated sword and reignited the flames that had gone out. He beat a hasty retreat away from her and vanished back into the darkness.
Definitely could have gone better. You underestimated how flexible her fighting style is.
Yeah, I figured that much out myself. And stop sounding so smug. It's not like you can do any better.
Back in the day I- suddenly Kitsunebi's voice cut out.
Kit? Kitsunebi? What is it?
Nothing. Just concentrate on the fight. If you win it might impress the arrancars enough to go along with your plan.
"That was the general idea." he said aloud. Then, realizing his mistake, he flesh stepped 20 feet to his right. Sound still carried normally even with his power active. He saturated the area with his reiatsu and that allowed him to block out sight and muddle any spiritual senses. But sound was completely out of his purview. He couldn't do anything about touch, taste, or smell either. If Sui-Feng had heard him and launched a kido attack, he wouldn't have seen it coming. But he could sense that she hadn't moved from her initial position. His flames would have told him if she had. So he prepared another attack, this time it would be a hakuda strike he had learned from Yamamoto several decades ago. Ikotsu, possibly the most powerful punching technique ever developed, was a move Kinji had never been able to use with full efficacy. But the dissonant force generated by the technique could be spread over a large area to reduce it's killing power and stun the intended target. It was the second blow of his strategic one-two-punch. First was Tanabata, a technique that blocked out all light, as if the world wished to more clearly view the stars. Second was Ikotsu, a punch capable of shattering the reishi structure of a target. Or, in this case, sending a shockwave through it to cause incapacitation.
Kinji switched his sword to his left hand and built up the necessary reiatsu to use the technique. When he was ready, he made his move. He moved so quickly that his target didn't even have a chance to react. The black fabric on her back was shredded just before Kinji's hand made contact. But the expected impact never came. Kinji's mystified expression only lasted a brief moment before slender and powerful arms wrapped around his neck and arm. Two strong legs locked themselves around his waist. A well muscled but pliable torso was pressed tightly against his back. The sweet smell of honeysuckles filled the air around him.
"You hung your clothes here as a decoy. Nice move." He was sensing the position of the flames to learn her location. But the flames had only been on her clothes. So she'd shed them, used an altered kido to create a body shaped frame to hang them on, and hidden nearby to ambush him.
"You have no idea how rarely I get compliments for my work." Sui-Feng whispered into his ear. She had the point of Suzumebachi tickling the side of his neck.
"This is a slight problem. I was hoping they would take me seriously if I beat you."
"Well, that was my plan. But after what you said I'm not feeling very generous."
"Then give me a minute to say something else. When you left you clothes on that scarecrow you had to strip near-naked. If you want everyone to see you in your underwear I can drop my sword and you can have your victory. Or..." Kinji teased. He had felt it when Sui-Feng's chest constricted in sudden stress.
"Or what?" she asked, emphasizing her dominant position with a slight shift of her weapon.
"Or I lend you my robes and hit you with a binding spell. That way it looks like I won and you don't have to go through the embarrassment of being seen with... is that a cat on your-?" She used Suzumebachi to force his jaw shut.
"Not. Another. Word." Long moments passed and Kinji found himself reveling in the sensations of close personal contact. Try as he might, he wasn't able to ignore her skin on his and the smell of her shampoo. He wanted to get a little distance for the sake of decency and to stop his head from spinning a myriad of possible scenarios. But he couldn't, not with her holding him at stinger-point. Just lay back and enjoy it.
There's way too much enjoyment going on already. I don't know if you've noticed but every time we interact, something bad happens. I break Division 2, she ends up poisoning a fellow Captain every day for a month, I kick Renji in the balls, she strips herself half-naked and holds me hostage. This is not a stable, or safe, pattern of behavior.
Prude.
Oh, kiss my a-
"I'll take door number 2." Sui-Feng said reluctantly
"Oh thank God." Kinji breathed without thinking.
"No. Thank Sui-Feng. I'm not that arrogant."
"Yes, thank you for your help. And for the wonderful memories. It isn't every day I get a beautiful woman undressing herself and wrapping herself around me." It wasn't the smartest thing to say. But instead of killing him on the spot for his teasing, Sui-Feng came to a personal realization. She wasn't uncomfortable with the situation. For some reason she found she didn't mind being so close to him. In fact, there were some aspects of it that were very pleasant. She shoved those soft thoughts out of her head and released Kinji from her hold.
"Alright. Now strip."
"Not even going to buy me dinner first?" Kinji joked. The next thing he knew her fist was doing it's best to break his nose.