It was mid-morning, and Yuuto was making his way to the vehicle garage owned by the ICEP. He had got back from his morning run to find a note from Raia by his front door, asking him to meet up with her at the garage as soon as he could. He could only presume that it was about setting up plans for their day today, but he wasn't sure why the mummy didn't just call him on the phone to discuss the matter. Regardless, he had arrived now, and he had entered the passcode on the keypad to get in through the side door of the building.
Once inside, he made his way through the first floor of the garage, which resembled something more akin to a multi-story parking area, filled with a number of government issued vehicle, many of which were similar to Ms Smith's black Sedan. There were also a number of SUV's and armoured trucks as well which MON made extensive use of. As he made his way further in, he pulled out the note from Raia from his back pocket and opened it up to read again.
Morning Medjay.
Could you meet me on the first floor of the garage when you get chance? I want to discuss plans for our date, and I don't want the others ease dropping on us. I'm sure you'll enjoy what I have in mind.
Raia xxx
''Strange, what does she want to talk about so badly that she can't say it over the phone?'' The blonde thought to himself as he put the note away, now focused on finding the whereabouts of his mummy squad mate, though his search was short lived as he heard her talking further up the garage.
''C'mon Baby, tell me what's wrong with you.''
He could recognise the undead's voice, but who was she talking to? He was under the impression that it would only be the two of them. Was there someone else with her? Did she find herself a boyfriend that she didn't want anyone else to find out about yet? As he got closer, he crouched down and peaked around the corner of a nearby van to conceal his position. He wasn't entirely prepared for what he saw.
Raia was laying on the ground underneath her bike, wearing a grey tank top, blue denim shorts, and a pair of black boots. She was busy checking over the vehicle, seemingly worried that it wasn't working as well as it could be. What had surprised him though was the fact her face, arms, and legs, weren't covered in wrappings like they usually were, her tanned skin gleaming with sweat as she worked on the bike. He then noticed a strip of wrapping that was still attached around her waist, and found it trailed off towards the wall of the garage and found a huge ball of linen bandage sitting in an empty space between him and the mummy. This was a strange sight for the human, but he knew that Raia had exceptional control over her wrappings. Maybe she had unwound them so they wouldn't get covered in oil and sweat perhaps, that was the only reason he could come up with.
''Damn, I didn't know she had that much control over her wrappings.'' Yuuto thought to himself as he marvelled at the sight in front of him.
Raia stopped suddenly and pulled something out of the engine as she started muttering to herself again. ''Damn, looks like I might need to replace your sparkplugs again.'' She complained as she looked over the offending object. She then sat herself up and rested her chest on the seat of the vehicle, rubbing her free hand over the outer casing of it. ''Don't worry Baby, Mama will get you fixed up all nice and new.'' She continued as she nuzzled her cheek against the seat.
The human could admit to seeing stranger and more terrifying sights, such as Doppel's supposed true form, though seeing someone talk to and cuddle up to a motorbike was up there as far as strange things were concerned. Eventually, Yuuto couldn't keep quiet any longer as he stood himself up and turned the corner, ready to announce his arrival.
''Do you always make a habit of talking to your bike while no one's around?'' The blonde teased with a cheesy grin on his face.
''AAAAHHHH!''
Raia jumped to her feet and spun around to face him, though as she did so, the large ball of wrappings started rolling towards the blonde operative at high speed. Unable to react in time, Yuuto was sent tumbling to the ground as the ball rolled over him with some force. The ball eventually hit the opposite wall, though thankfully it didn't hit any vehicles along the way. The mummy soon opened her eyes once her panic had passed, only to see her squad captain lying flat on his ass with a dizzy look on his face. Raia soon rushed to his side and knelt down next to him to see if he was hurt.
''Medjay, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!'' She exclaimed with worry.
It took a moment, but the human eventually raised his head and looked her in the eye. ''…Yeah… I'm just… peachy…'' Yuuto replied in a strained tone, trying his best to reassure his squad mate.
Raia grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him up so he was sitting up straight. Yuuto started rubbing the back of his head until he felt something bump against his back. He jerked his head to the side to find the large ball of wrappings pressed against his back.
''Relax Medjay, it's just my wrappings.'' The mummy said to him in an attempt to calm him down.
''Yeah, the ones that just ran me over…'' The blonde replied in a deadpan tone.
Raia giggled to herself for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. ''I'm really sorry about that. I was just startled.'' She said, pressing her cheek against his.
Yuuto smirked to himself before her patted the girl on the back to reassure her. ''Hey, it's alright. Accidents happen, so don't worry about it.'' He replied in a soothing tone.
The mummy loosened her grip on him so she could look him in the eye as she gave him a disapproving look. ''You know, you can be a little too forgiving sometimes.''
The human merely quirked an eyebrow at her with a smirk still present on his face. ''Maybe, but to be fair, I was the one who snuck up on you.''
''Well, I was the one who asked you to come here, so I should've known it was you.'' Raia replied, breaking eye contact with him as her cheeks went red with embarrassment.
''Look, quit worrying about it will you? I'm not mad at you.''
The mummy looked back at him to see a warm smile on his face, his blue eyes lock with her deep green eyes. She couldn't help be smile back at him, and she eventually got off of him, standing to her feet. ''Alright, you win. Can you stand?''
Yuuto nodded at her before standing up himself, stretching his muscles as he did so. He then looked over at his squad mate's bike again, noticing it's sleek design, as well as its red and gold outer shell. ''Does she have a name?''
Raia looked back at her bike, smirking to herself as she did so. ''You've probably already heard it, but her name's Baby.'' She said as she walked over to the vehicle, before lifting her leg over to straddle the seat. ''She's a Yamaha Fazer 25, 249cc engine that tops out at 131kph, and I love her to bits.'' She continued as she leant forwards and caressed the top of the fuel tank just in front of her seat. ''I've had her since I first came to Japan, and I couldn't bear to part with her either.''
Her squad captain chuckled to himself as he watched the undead practically cuddle with her 'Baby'. ''Have you always been this much of a vehicle nut? Cause last time I checked, cars and bikes weren't a thing in ancient Egypt.'' The blonde joked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
The mummy quickly smirked back at him. ''Short version, the guy I stayed with before I moved to Japan was a vehicle nut too, and I guess his love and passion for them kind of rubbed off on me.'' She replied as she sat herself up straight on her bike. ''And before you ask, no. There wasn't anything romantic between us, he was like a father to me.'' She continued, reminiscing about her time shortly after her resurrection.
''Even though you're four-thousand years his senior?'' Yuuto teased, which quickly earned him a whip on his arm from Raia's ball of wrappings.
''That's enough lip from you.'' She answered while giving him a sadistic smile. ''Or maybe you want to be punished that badly.''
Yuuto's eyes suddenly shot wide open at the mummy's comment, and he quickly started flailing his hand apologetically at her as he felt a cold chill run down his spine. ''Hey, I was only joking.'' He replied in a panicked tone, causing his squad mate to giggle at him, happy to have gotten such a reaction from him.
''Good.'' Raia stated as she now gave him a warm smile again. ''You know what they say about asking a woman her age.''
''Right…'' He answered back as he calmed himself down. ''Anyway, what do you have planned for our date today?''
''Tonight actually. Need to fix Baby up first, not to mention that I need to get ready myself.''
''Oh, are we going somewhere fancy then?''
''Not especially. There's this new night club I wanted us to check out, I hear it's pretty popular with liminals already, and it's in Shibuya of all places too.'' The mummy replied as she giggled to herself, remembering her first encounter with her squad captain fondly.
Yuuto thought back to the night he met both Raia and Kestria, and of the car chase they were involved with, smiling to himself as he recalled how easily they stopped the criminals, thanks to her driving skills and her abilities. He brought himself back to reality as he locked eyes with his mummy squad mate. ''What's the name of the place?'' He asked out of curiosity.
''You'll find out later.'' Raia answered as she gave him a seductive look, before using her wrappings to whip his butt lightly, causing the human to flinch. ''Now, run along Medjay. Baby need my full attention right now.'' She continued as she got off the seat of her bike and laid herself underneath it again. ''I'll catch you later.''
The blonde smirked at her once more before he turned around to make his way out the garage, waving a hand at her as he left. ''Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.''
As the human made his leave, Raia sighed to herself as she began working on her bike once again. ''That boy really has no idea how lucky he has it sometimes. It's not every day he has a princess trying to win him over…'' She muttered to herself as her cheeks went red.
She knew that her captain was already seeing someone, but the mummy never said anything about giving up on him just because he had a girlfriend. It might've been selfish of her, but with no other romantic options on the horizon, she had to pull out all the stops to get him to fall for her, especially when his face and personality reminded her of someone she loved dearly in her previous life. Maybe, just maybe after all this time, her trusted guardian would finally come back to her.
Later that day, Yuuto and Raia had made their way to Shibuya via train, and soon after night had fallen, they found themselves standing in a massive queue outside the night club the mummy had mentioned earlier. Yuuto was wearing a white t-shirt underneath a brown leather jacket, a pair of navy blue tight denim jeans, and a pair of black smart-looking trainers. Raia on the other hand went for something more casual and provocative, wearing a black short sleeved crop top, light blue denim shorts fastened with a brown leather belt, and a pair of tan short heeled wedge shoes. She had also unravelled her wrappings so that her cleavage and her naval were exposed, purely to try to entice her squad captain.
The club itself was five-stories tall and was situated on the corner of the street they were on, and there was a large green and pink neon sign that read 'Wild Life' with a furry claw-tipped hand holding a beer bottle just above the entryway of the building.
Yuuto looked to his date and gave her a questioning look. ''So, this is the place?''
''It sure is.'' Raia answered as she smirked at him. ''I heard about this place from some of our co-workers. Apparently, this chain started off in some small mountain town called Okayado in Yamagata prefecture.''
''Okayado? You mean the place where they built that massive ski resort not too long ago?''
''Yeah, I also heard that the ski resort and night club, as well as the Sports Club Kobold there are owned by the same guy. I bet he must be loaded.''
The blonde smirked to himself upon hearing that. ''Sounds like someone Polt would get on with.''
''If they're not already related.'' Raia replied, giving her captain a teasing look.
As they were talking, they soon made it to the front of the line, where they were greeted by a tall and muscular grey-skinned woman with short jet-black hair and crimson pupil-less eyes, wearing a white dress shirt and black suit jacket with the sleeves rolled up, black suit trousers, and a pair of black boots. What made the woman stand out more was the fact that she had six arms in total, all of which had black tribal tattoos on her exposed forearms. The woman looked down at the pair and gave them a friendly smile as they reached the entrance.
''Evening. I just need to see your ID's quickly.'' She requested, almost sounding apologetic as she did so.
''No worries.'' Yuuto answered as he pulled his MON ID card out, while Raia did the same.
The bouncer took their ID cards and checked them over quickly. Her eyes went wide as she double checked the mummy's card, not quite believing what she saw. After a moment, the woman shook herself from her stupor and handed back their cards.
''Sorry about that.'' She apologised before focusing her attention on Raia. ''It's not every day I meet someone with… such experience under their belt.'' She continued, trying her best not to offend the mummy. ''I'm kind of surprised it isn't written in Hieroglyphics.''
Raia giggled for a moment at the bouncer's comment. ''It's quite alright, just a perk of being undead I guess.''
The woman then stepped to the side to allow them entrance. ''Anyway, welcome to Wild Life, and have a good night.''
With that, Yuuto and Raia made their way inside after paying the entry fee, and soon found themselves on the ground floor of the establishment. It was a wide-open area with the ceiling high enough to encompass the first floor as well, probably to accommodate for the larger liminal species. To their right was the bar which ran half the length of the room, and at the very back was where the DJ had set up their equipment, busting out the latest club tracks as a horde of people danced to their hearts content under the constant flashing lights overhead.
''Wow, this place is packed.'' Yuuto commented was he scanned the room, impressed by what he saw.
''I told you it was popular.'' Raia replied as she wrapped an arm around his. ''Wouldn't be surprised if we ran into someone we know.''
''Hey! Yuuto!''
The pair turned to face where the shouting was coming from, and found Polt quickly making her way towards them, waving her arm at them as her tail wagged frantically. She was wearing a short-sleeved light green cold-shoulder top, tight fitting black shorts, and a pair of white sandals. Following behind her was a kobold man whose brown fur was slightly darker than Polt's, and he was wearing a black dress shirt that barely contained his broad chest and well-toned muscles, as well as a pair of dark grey jeans, and black leather shoes.
''Hey Polt. Can't say I expected to see you here.'' The blonde replied before the kobold woman in question wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her cheek against his.
''It's so good to see you.'' She responded as before she separated herself from the human. ''As for why I'm here, me and my business associate here are taking a well-earned night off from work.'' She continued as she gestured towards the kobold man standing to her side. ''This is Korbin, and he's the owner of the Wild Life franchise.''
''Hi there, it's nice to meet a friend of Polt's.'' Korbin said in a jovial tone as he extended a padded hand towards the MON operative. ''I hope you enjoy your night here at our latest branch.'' He added with a prideful grin.
Yuuto smiled back at him as he took the kobold's hand. ''Hey, I'm Yuuto Kazama, and my friend here is Raia.'' He said while glancing towards the mummy who was still wrapped around his arm.
''It's a pleasure, and may I say this club is one of the better ones I've been to so far.'' Raia said as she gave the club's owner a polite smile.
''Well, it's always good to hear someone enjoying themselves.'' Korbin replied as he rubbed the back of his head, his tail swaying from side to side and his ears perked up.
''This might come as a surprise to you, Korbin, but Yuuto and Raia here are members of MON's recently established Bravo Squad.'' Polt spoke up as she patted Yuuto on the back.
''You don't say.'' He answered in genuine surprise before focusing his attentions towards the human and mummy pair. ''Well, I guess I have you two to thank for dealing with our most recent problem with the local goblins. Might've put a stinker on this place had they still been hijacking customer's cars and all.''
''It's no problem, just doing our jobs.'' Yuuto replied modestly as he rubbed the back of his head.
''Yeah, we're just glad we could help out.'' Raia added as she waved at hand at his dismissively.
''Oh nonsense! You guys have done a great service for Shibuya!'' The owner exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the back of their heads as he escorted them towards the bar, much to the surprise of the MON operatives. ''Allow me to offer you two an employee discount while you're here tonight! Hell, first drinks are on me!''
''Err, thank Korbin.'' The blonde replied in an embarrassed tone.
Raia wasn't pleased that her alone time with Yuuto had been intruded by a pair of overly excitable kobolds, but she could hardly turn down free drinks and discounts, so she decided to endure for now, even as a look of annoyance graced her face.
Some time had passed after they got their drinks, and they'd spent a good portion of it listening to the owner waffle on about his future plans for Wild Life, and many of his other business ventures. Thankfully with Polt's help, the human and mummy pair were finally able to excuse themselves and said their goodbyes to the two kobolds. Raia wasted no time as she grabbed her captain by the hand and escorted him towards the dance floor.
''As nice as Korbin is, he sure loves to drone on about his business ventures…'' The mummy said unenthusiastically before she let out a sigh of relief.
''To be fair, his efforts are making a positive impact on human-liminal relations.'' Her date replied in defence of the kobold.
''Well, I didn't come here tonight to talk business.'' She replied as she turned to face him once they reached their destination, giving him a seductive look. ''I came here to have fun with you.''
As she said that, the DJ had started up a new track, and the mummy stepped back from her date, ready to show him just what she was capable of. As the music started playing, she started to move in sync with the beat, her arms and legs moving gracefully to the rhythm. Yuuto was impressed with the way she moved, and he soon started swaying to the music himself. As the song continued, Raia extended several straps of bandages from her arms and back, the wrappings swaying alongside her like cobras under the hypnotic tunes of a snake charmer. People on the dance floor started taking notice of the mummy's spectacle, all entranced by her rhythmic movements. Throughout the song, the mummy kept her gaze fixated on her captain, determined to win his affections as she continued to dance seductively for him and him alone. The human continued to watch her with a sense of awe as the track started to draw to a close, Raia finishing her performance by holding her head high, extending her arms to the side alongside her wrappings. As the song finished, the crowd around them applauded the spectacle with whoops and cheers from all sides. The mummy took several deep breaths as she eyed up the blonde operative, lowering her arms and retracting her wrappings before straightening herself out, giving him a confident and sexy smile as she did so.
''Damn, that was pretty impressive Raia.'' Yuuto commented as he smiled back at her.
Without uttering a word, she shot a strap of wrapping at the human, wrapping it around his waist before pulling him towards her, much to his surprise. He was soon right in front of her and she pressed herself against the blonde's chest, snaking her arms around his waist as she gave him the 'bedroom' eyes.
She rested her chin on the crook of his neck as she whispered seductively into his ear. ''I can show you so much more, Medjay.''
His look of surprise was soon replaced with a dour expression on his face, unimpressed by her attempts to seduce him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back as he looked her in the eye, his squad mate giving him a despondent look.
''Raia, I…''
''HEY! BEESH!''
The pair were interrupted by a bellowing yell of their zombie co-worker, surprised by her sudden appearance. They both turned to face where it came from to find Zombina quickly making her way towards them, waving her arm frantically at them with her signature grin plastered on her face. She was wearing a red tank top under a grey denim jacket, blue denim shorts, and a pair of brown boots.
''What is she doing here?! Doesn't she know we're on a date?!'' Raia complained mentally to herself as she gave the zombie a disapproving look.
''Zee?!'' Yuuto exclaimed in surprise, distracted from his conversation with his squad mate.
Zombina rushed over to them before wrapping her arms around the human and pulling him into a tight hug, much to Raia's annoyance. ''Didn't expect to see you guys here! Is this place rockin' or what?!'' She exclaimed as she loosened her grip and locked eyes with him.
''Yeah, I'm just surprised you're here by yourself.''
''So, this is your Beeshii, huh?'' A new voice spoke from right behind Yuuto and Raia.
The human and mummy pair jumped back in surprise at the new arrival. They turned around to see a woman with pale-purple skin and deep indigo hair with a very long braid going down her back which was tied with a red ribbon on the end. Her eyes were a deep crimson which seemed to pierce into their souls as she gave them a smirk full of sharp fangs. The girl was wearing what looked like Chinese burial clothes, which consisted of a white sleeveless top, as well as a black skirt, black loose sleeves, black corset, black thigh-high stockings and black oriental hat with a red puff ball on top, all of which had gold patterns, as well as a pair of black flat shoes.
''Ni hao!'' The girl exclaimed as she waved a hand at the group.
''Is she a friend of yours?'' Yuuto asked as he looked back at the zombie still clinging to him.
''Oh, yeah!'' She replied as she broke the hug with him and wrapped an arm around the back of the girl's neck. ''This troublemaker here is Shiishii, she's a Jiang Shi.''
''Hey, I'm Yuuto.'' He said to the jiang shi as he waved a hand at her, giving her a polite smile.
Raia merely stared daggers at her, though Shiishii paid her no notice as she was focused on the blonde in front of her.
The jiang shi suddenly moved away from Zombina and stood herself right in front of Yuuto, looking into his eyes with morbid curiosity. ''Zombina, you weren't kidding when you said he was a total pretty boy.'' Shiishii said to the zombie with her eyes still locked with the human's gaze.
''Damn right he is!'' Zombina exclaimed with a sense of pride.
''Sorry, but do you two mind?'' The mummy finally spoke up in an irritated tone, the scowl on her face evident by this point. ''Medjay and I are trying to have a date here.''
''What's the problem, Wraps? Just wanted to say hi is all.'' Zombina replied, making light of the situation as she gave the mummy a massive grin.
''Looks like she's trying to get ghost marriage with Beeshii here.'' Shiishii commented, which caused the blonde to blush bright red.
''Fat chance! The guy already has a girlfriend! I bet she juMMMFFFPPPHHH!'' The zombie was quickly silenced as Raia covered her mouth with her wrappings.
''Zombina, a word please?'' The mummy said in a grim tone before dragging the red head off to the women's restroom, Zombina struggling to shout through the bandages the whole way.
''Girls, hold up a sec!'' Yuuto exclaimed as he tried to stop them, but Shiishii grabbed a hold of his arm and stopped him where he was as she stepped in front of him.
''Best for a guy not to get involved in cat fights.'' She said to him with a grin on her face. ''I'm sure they'll be fine.''
''If you say so.'' He replied with a hint of concern as he rubbed the back of his head. ''Sorry about them, they're not normally like this with each other.''
''It's alright, I've seen worse.'' The jiang shi replied before giving the human a playful smile. ''Now Beeshii, I have to know. Are you a Seme or an Uke?''
Yuuto raised an eyebrow at the girl, giving her a questioning look. ''Don't tell me, you're a Fujoshi too?''
Shiishii nodded at him as her grin widened. ''Yep, and I think you and Loveraboi would make a great couple too!'' She replied as she pressed her hands to her now reddened cheeks. ''But the problem is that I don't know who to make the Seme and who to make the Uke…'' The jiang shi continued as a puzzled look now crossed her face.
The blonde let out a defeated shy to himself, realising that the girl was trying to ship him and Kimihito for whatever reason. ''Damn it Zee, you'd better get back here quick…''
Raia and Zombina were finally inside the women's restroom, and thankfully for the mummy, it was only the two of them in there. The mummy finally removed her wrappings from the red-head's mouth as she gave her an irritated look.
''The fuck's your problem, Wraps?!'' Zombina exclaimed at the mummy, her temper flared by the woman's behaviour.
''My problem?!'' Raia shouted back as she soon lost her temper with the zombie. ''I'm not the one who's barging in on someone else's date!''
''Well, excuse me, Princess, for saying hi to my best friend! I didn't even know you guys would be here tonight!'' The zombie shouted in self-defence. ''And besides, why're you trying to hit him up anyway?! You know he has Headless already!''
''Yeah, and that hasn't stopped you from smothering him whenever you get the chance! He's already turned you down once last time I checked!'' Raia yelled back as she was now staring daggers at her.
Zombina's face went red at her accusation, but she could hardly deny it. She still had strong feelings for Yuuto, but she knew that he had already moved on, not that they had any form of romantic relationship to begin with.
''I just like teasing him, alright?! It's totally obvious that you're trying to steal him away from Headless!''
''Like you'd understand how I feel…'' Raia replied as she broke eye contact with the red head.
''I know you like him, but he isn't yours!'' The zombie yelled as she banged a fist against the wall.
''He was mine to begin with!'' The mummy shouted back as tears started rolling down her cheeks.
The rage-filled look on Zombina's face was soon replaced with one of confusion, now quite understanding what her fellow undead co-worker was on about. ''The fuck are you talking about? You've only known him for a few weeks at best.''
Raia started to calm down too as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. ''You've heard of reincarnation, haven't you?''
Zombina merely nodded in response.
''Someone I cared for died trying to protect me back when I was alive, and the thing is, Medjay looks, sounds, and even acts like the man that I loved so long ago. There's no way my Medjay didn't come back as my captain, it has to be him…'' The mummy said as tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.
''So, what if Beesh is your old lover reborn? It's still his decision at the end of the day, not yours.'' Zombina responded with a serious look on her face.
''I know, but… but if he can remember…''
''Have you even told him?''
Raia's eyes widened at the zombie's question as she locked eyes with her again. ''Do you think he'd believe me if I told him all that?'' She asked her with a hint of scepticism.
Zombina snickered to herself for a moment before letting out a gut-wrenching laugh, much to the bemusement of the mummy. ''Are you kidding me?! We live in a world full of fantasy creatures! If we're able to exist, and if what Headless says about the afterlife is true, then I doubt reincarnation is that far of a stretch!'' She exclaimed before laughing to herself once more, wrapping her arms around her own waist to keep her stitches from coming apart.
Raia was sent through a loop. Not moments ago, she was having a shouting match with the zombie. Now though, it felt like all the tension between the had been defused. After a moment, Zombina finally calmed down and locked eyes with the mummy again.
''I would worry about it, Raia. Beesh is a pretty understanding guy, has to be to put up with us all the time.'' She said as she approached the mummy and wrapped an arm around the back of her neck. ''But you'll never find out how he'll react until you tell him, right?''
Raia stared at her for a moment, still bemused by the zombie's change in attitude, but eventually she broke eye contact and smirked to herself, now confident that telling Yuuto what she just told Zombina was the right thing to do. ''Yeah, I think I've kept enough secrets from him. He deserves to know.''
With that, the pair walked out of the restroom, finally making up after their little tirade. Once out, they started looking for both Yuuto and Shiishii, though they were currently nowhere to be seen.
''Where the hell did those two run off to?'' Zombina questioned as she scanned the crowd for them. ''They're not exactly hard to find.''
As they were looking for them, Raia finally spotted the pair seated by the bar, Yuuto with a beer, and Shiishii with a glass of red wine. ''They're at the bar.'' She replied as she made her way towards them.
''Hey! Wait for me!''
Back at the bar, Yuuto had gotten himself into a deep discussion with the jiang shi, trying to find out more about her. ''You practice Tai Chi every morning?'' He asked the girl with a quizzical look.
''Yep, got to keep Rigor Mortis at bay, otherwise my joints get stiff.'' Shiishii replied before taking a sip of her wine.
''Yeah, otherwise she'll be hopping around everywhere looking like she's about to pounce on someone!'' Zombina exclaimed, causing the jiang shi to spurt out her drink, which unfortunately sprayed all over the blonde operative.
''Curse you Zombina! You're no better!'' Shiishii exclaimed in annoyance.
Yuuto was busy wiping wine off himself as the two undead women bickered with each other. As he was doing so, a strap of linen bandage wiped his forehead of the beverage. He looked to his side to see Raia with a solemn look on her face.
''You alright Raia?'' He asked, his voice laced with concern.
''Medjay…'' The mummy said, trying to find the right words to say to him. ''Can we talk, alone?''
Yuuto smiled at her as he got out of his seat. ''Sure.'' He replied as he extended a hand to her.
Raia smiled back at him and took his hand before she started guiding him towards the stairs to the upper floors. ''Thanks. I doubt there'll be many people on the roof top, so let's talk there.''
Both Zombina and Shiishii stopped their bickering as they noticed the pair leaving to head upstairs. ''Where're they off to? Did I say something?'' The jiang shi asked, worried she might've offended them.
''You did nothing wrong, they just need to talk about some stuff.'' The zombie replied as she sat on the stool Yuuto was sitting in moments before, soon turning back to face her undead friend. ''Anyway, what do you think of Beesh. ''She asked, flashing her signature grin.
Shiishii smirked back at her as her face took on a mischievous look. ''He's definitely a Seme.''
''I fucking told you so!'' Zombina exclaimed triumphantly.
Yuuto and Raia soon found themselves on the roof top of the establishment, the area having its own bar with many tables and chairs scattered around in the space, half the area covered by a canopy and the other half left open to the elements with railings going along the edges of the roof top. There weren't many people up here despite the good weather, the night sky filled with brightly shining stars. Raia continued to lead Yuuto until they reached the railings at the edge of the roof, being as far as they could be from prying eyes. The mummy let go of his hand and rested her arms on the railings, looking up to the sky with a sense of awe.
''The sky here is really beautiful, don't you think?'' Raia muttered out loud, trying to ease the tension between them.
''It is, though I doubt that's why you brought me up here.'' The blonde replied as he placed his hands on the railings and leant against it before turning his head to face his mummy squad mate. ''It wouldn't happen to be about why you're acting so weird tonight, would it?''
Raia looked him in the eye as a smirk appeared on her lips. ''Nothing gets past you, does it?''
''Can you just tell me why you're making such a big deal out of this date? You know I have Lala already.'' The human responded in a serious tone, wanting to get to the bottom of the situation.
She let out a defeated sigh as she composed herself for what she wanted to say to her squad captain, ready to confide in him. ''Tell me Medjay, do you believe in reincarnation?''
Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her over the seemingly random question. ''Well, considering everything that's happened since liminals were first introduced to humanity, and everything I've learned from Lala, I guess it isn't outside the realm of possibility.''
''Okay, what if I told you there was a strong possibility that you were the reincarnation of someone I had strong feelings for when I was alive?'' Raia asked in all seriousness.
The human's eyes shot wide open, not quite believing what the mummy was saying. ''Wait, me? Seriously?'' He replied in disbelief.
She nodded her head in response. ''I know it's hard to believe, but I'm certain that you are his reincarnation.''
''Okay, I need to ask. How close were you two?''
''We were practically lovers.'' The mummy said as her cheeks went red.
Yuuto's cheeks also went red as she mentioned that little fact. Now it made sense why she was always clingy around him, but he didn't understand why she didn't say anything sooner.
Raia took a deep breath before she started speaking again, recalling the memories of her time with the man she loved so long ago. ''Back when I was the princess of Egypt, my parents had me under protection at all times for fear I would be targeted by the enemies of our empire. The man that they chose to guard over me was a skilled warrior, but he was a kind-hearted soul too. After a while, we started to have feelings for one another, and soon after that we started to get intimate when no one was looking.'' A sad smile crossed her lips as she continued to talk, but soon her face turned downcast again as she recalled the unfortunate events which would eventually lead to her un-life. ''One day though, I was attacked by an assassin in my own quarters, but my Medjay was there to protect me. He fought so valiantly, but the assassin eventually overpowered him and killed him like it was nothing.'' Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she replayed the memory in her mind. ''I rushed to his side as he was dying. He told me to run, but I refused to leave his side. He died in my arms, Medjay, and I was murdered in cold blood soon after.'' She then locked eyes with her captain again as a sad smile appeared on her face again. ''I look at you, and all I see is him staring back at me. I'm so convinced that he came back as you, it had to be fate that we met again after all these centuries. That's why I'm so determined to be with you.''
The blonde broke eye contact with her, a solemn look crossing his face after what he heard from his squad mate. ''Okay, maybe I am the reincarnation of this Medjay of yours, but I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you to hear, but I can't be with you.''
Raia felt her heart break at those words, and she turned away from him, resting her head in her arms as she let her sorrow wash over her. ''I had a feeling you'd say that. Can't say I'm surprised.'' She said as tears continued to flow from her eyes.
To her surprise, Yuuto got in close and wrapped an arm around her back, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. ''But, if you need a friend who'll look out for you, then I'll be here for you. I want to do that much for you at least.'' He replied as he looked down at her and gave her a warm smile.
The mummy looked back up at him, surprised by his actions, though she shouldn't be considering who it was she was talking to. She soon smiled back at him before she leant into him resting her head against his shoulder as she nuzzled up against him just under his chin. ''You really are the sweetest guy sometimes, even if you aren't my Medjay.'' She said before she lifted her head to lock eyes with him again. ''Though, I hope you wouldn't mind if I still call you Medjay after all this.''
''Sure, I don't mind. Though, I think it's fair if I give you one too.'' He responded, giving her a cheeky grin.
''What did you have in mind?'' She asked as she smirked at him.
The human pondered for a moment before giving his answer. ''I was thinking Cleo. Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything better.'' He said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.
Raia giggled to herself before she separated herself from him. ''You're lucky I like you so much, otherwise I'd have to punish you.''
''Oh, lucky me…'' He said sarcastically to himself.
Before he realised it, Raia had wrapped one of her bandages around his wrist and pulled him towards her until they were holding hands again. ''Lucky you indeed. Anyway, let's go enjoy ourselves, the night is still young.'' She said with a warm smile as she started leading him back down stairs.
''Yeah, better check on Zee and Shiishii though. No telling what trouble they've gotten into while we've been gone.'' He replied as he sighed to himself.
''Well, worst comes to worst, I'll make sure that they get the punishment they deserve.'' She responded as a sinister grin crossed her lips.
''That's what I'm afraid of…''
This may not have been the outcome the mummy was hoping for, but at least for the foreseeable future, she still had her precious Medjay by her side.
A/N: And that's another date finished! First off, I want to thank Natron77, the author of Monster Yurisume, for letting me reference Wild Life and a few other things from their story. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, do it! You'll be missing out on one hell of a story otherwise, though you'll have a lot of catching up to do.
Also, I've just realised it, but I've been writing this story for eleven months now. I wrote and posted my first chapter on here back on the 10th April 2017, and I can't believe it's gotten the attention it has in such a short time. So, with the anniversary coming up, I was thinking of doing a Q&A special with my OC's (Yuuto, Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, Raia, and Vee mainly, as well as a few other mainstay characters in the story). So, if you're interested, feel free to PM me your questions about them or the story for them (and possibly me, the author as well) to answer. Think it'll be a fun thing to do for the anniversary, though I'll only do it if you guys are interested.
Finally, I know, but this chapter has been a bit of a downer chapter this time round, but I felt it'd give Raia a legitimate reason to be interested in Yuuto in the first place outside of him being attractive and talented (as well as the dreaded Main Character Syndrome). Hopefully, this'll help flesh out our mummy a bit more, outside of just being a sadist. After this, it'll be the date with the original MON girls, so look forward to that.
As always, follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far, and feel free to drop a review or any suggestions if you feel it's needed.
Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next time on MON -Squad Bravo!
