Stormin' the Castle

by

Robertcop3

So, this is another fic inspired by JojoDO's "Dusk After Kumite: King of Fighters Twilight Tournament," and takes place within it. So if you haven't read it yet, go do that now. I'll wait.

…. …. …. ….

You're back? Okay, so like "Family Matters," this takes place the night before the Finals, while the ultimate brawl between good and evil is taking place in Odeonsplatz. Unlike "Family Matters," this one is multi-part. Through DM chatting with Jojo, I've learned that several of the fighters not involved in that fight are just chilling at Krauser's castle. At this point, Jojo just wants to focus finishing the fight and moving onto the Finals, which is completely understandable. But I've been getting ideas about what some of the other fighters might be doing, similar to Lazy Saturday, and he gave me his blessing to run with it.

So these are just slice of life moments going on at the castle involving those fighters who are not busy risking life and limb in Odeonsplatz. This takes place the night before the Finals, but after the events of "Family Matters." Like last time, I don't yet know how many chapters it will be, and I may not use all the fighters, but we'll see where my creative juices take me. I hope you like, and as always, feedback is welcome.

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them or the video games.

It was a recipe for disaster: a spoiled girl with too much money and free time, no life skills to speak of beyond a mastery of fencing and the piano, and a huge superiority complex got an idea to host a King of Fighters tournament. Even though there were fewer fighters in this Kumite than the last one, it was clear from the get-go that Rose Bernstein was no Chizuru Kagura. Not even close.

At least, it was clear to those in the know. To the people of Germany, Rose and her brother were beloved local celebrities who could do no wrong. To her credit, she knew how to put on a show, and give the people what they wanted. But those masses were blind to the fact that their precious hostess was trying to stack the tournament in favor of Adelheid, friendly competition be damned. Many of those actually fighting in this Kumite were seeing her true face, and if she hadn't possessed the foresight to hire a very formidable bodyguard for the week, said face would likely have been slapped more than once by now.

In addition to having a petulant cunt for a hostess, the tournament was also cursed with the usual threats to life and limb, and the safety of the world, that seemed to go hand-in-hand with King of Fighters. In an area of Munich known as Odeonsplatz, a battle was unfolding that would likely determine the fate of the universe.

But to a large number of fighters, it was just the night before the Finals. To those who weren't competing tomorrow, it was a time to relax. And unlike the last tournament, this time they had an entire castle to relax in, not just a hotel. Wolfgang Krauser, the Earl of Stroheim, had opened his ancestral home to the combatants for the week. As one would expect, it was loaded with the comforts and accouterments one would expect from a man who could easily afford them. But this just meant there were many opportunities for the fighters to relax and unwind after the stressful week, and perhaps spin some new and interesting tales…

Chapter One: The Wild Heart and The Queen Bee

To say it had been a strange week was most definitely an understatement. Especially when one considered what was playing out in one of the castle's many guest rooms.

Two women. Neither of whom went by their real names. One was in the employ of a mysterious organization whose intentions were unknown. The other was a free spirit, born into a wealthy English family, who chose to reject that lofty status under the belief that riches should be earned, and not inherited, though the way she chose to earn them was certainly very unorthodox.

Both prideful. Both operated outside of the law. But one was naturally voluptuous, with curves that most women would kill to possess. The other was one of those very women, flat in both the front and back, and for that reason was extremely jealous of anyone bigger than her. And yet despite this, and their track record at the previous Kumite, a friendship defying all odds had been forged between them.

Bonne Jenet stood barefoot in the middle of the bedroom, balancing a somewhat inebriated Malin on her shoulders, the smaller girl having a low tolerance and feeling the effects from earlier that evening, when she'd drank a tankard of malt beer in the company of her friend Kasumi Todoh.

The pirate queen was trying desperately to maintain her balance, made more difficult by the erratic swaying of the giggling spy girl, whose extremities seemed to be all over the place: hands groping Jenet's hair one moment, toes buried in the crevasse between her very ample breasts the next. At least she'd gotten Malin's shoes and socks off before they started, but this was only a small blessing.

"Second verse, same as the first!" The school-girl shouted with a hiccup. "I am the mon-arch of the seeeea! I am the ruler of the Queen's Nay-veeeeeee! Come on, Bonnie, you're not joining in!"

Jenet tightened her grip around the other girl's shins and attempted to navigate the mess on the floor and make her way back towards the bed. "M-Malin, I swear to God, you better not puke while you're up there!"

"Uuuuh, wouldja get off on that?" There was a pause, another hiccup, and then: "Ah, I bet you would, wouldn't ya?" This was followed by an explosive fit of giggling. "We'll be a new dynamic duo! Cap'n Mosquito Bites an'er first mate, Puke Jugs!"

Now the taller woman couldn't help but laugh. "Technically, I'm more qualified to be a captain than you. I'm the one who actually owns a ship."

"An' wha'ja call it? Queen Anne's Revenge… With Sex? Cuz, like, tha's how she gets her revenge. She fucks ya till you die."

"No, I told you, it's just… the Revenge."

"With sex?" Malin retorted with a laugh.

"Never mind," Jenet sighed and continued her struggle through the obstacle course. With great effort, she finally reached the foot of the room's queen-sized bed, and all but fell onto it. Malin toppled from her shoulders, landing on her back on the mattress, and Jenet lay next to her, listening to her continue to laugh. When the laughter passed, Malin hiccuped again, and then her friend heard her say: "Yeah, I guess I do need a break. C-can you stop the room?"

Jenet sat up on the mattress, glanced over at the other blonde. Malin's cheeks were a little red, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She had removed her brown bandanna as well, and her long, bright golden hair was splayed all around her head. Jenet recalled the night after round one, the first time she'd actually seen Malin's hair unfettered, which was also when she'd helped the girl alleviate her pent-up frustrations. She smiled at the memory.

Another hiccup from the drunk girl brought Jenet back to the present. "You okay?" She asked with a slight smirk. "You gonna need me to hold your hair in a minute?"

"I'll hold your hair!" Malin muttered, and then giggled some more. "Nah, seriously, I'm fine. I jus'… gotta get rid of these damn hiccups."

Like Malin's clothes, Bonne Jenet's famous purple dress was lacking pockets. Her partner in crime compensated for this with a black hip satchel, something Jenet did not have, but she still possessed a way of storing things on her person. She smiled as she reached into her dress, plunging her hand into the depths of her cleavage. A moment later, it emerged holding a bottle of water, which she offered to Malin.

The other girl sat up and accepted it eagerly. "Ooh, tiddy water. My fave!" She opened the cap and then drank deep, not even caring that it was lukewarm. She swigged half of it before pausing to take a breath, and then capped it again. "Thanks, Bonnie," she said, sounding a bit more sober. "I needed that!"

"How much did you have, anyway?" Jenet asked. "Out of curiosity."

Malin waved a hand. "Just an ale. But… I've always been something of a lightweight."

The pirate queen gave her a warm smile. "Well, you know I still think you're awesome."

The other girl smiled back. She too found herself remembering the night of their failed heist, but for much different reasons. She had come to this Kumite seeking an easy way to make money off of it, and had originally enlisted Jenet's help because the blonde corsair had come to her with a similar proposition in Milan, Italy one year ago.

Malin still remembered how that ended in disaster, and so her motives for asking Jenet's help in stealing entry cards was twofold: she could rub it in Jenet's face when her plan actually worked, and also, she felt it would be a great way to take both the pirate queen and what Malin had dubbed "her kind" down a peg.

Of course, things did not go as planned. They'd both underestimated the threat level of one Kula Diamond, and Malin herself had also underestimated the tenacity of one Mai Shiranui. Mai had already beaten Malin in Round One, but that was largely through a Hail Mary play. Their rematch was a bit more one-sided, and for Malin to yet again go down in flames at the hands of a fighter with endowments she could only dream of possessing brought all the old insecurities back to the surface.

Malin had never felt comfortable in her own skin, as she did not possess the "porn star body" that several of the women of King of Fighters were blessed with. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jenet had called her on this, perhaps rightfully so, and even after Malin spent most of the heist venting her insecurities on the older woman, after she'd been so cruel, Jenet was still a good friend to her after the plan ended badly, and they were recovering in their hotel.

She'd listened as Malin poured out her anger and frustration, born out of self-loathing. The small blonde still remembered the surprise at feeling Jenet's lips on her own, and the warmth on her voluptuous companion's face when she'd said: "come here." And so Malin had obeyed.

Her face had grown beet-red when Jenet removed her towel and dropped it on the floor, but after that, when the pirate captain dropped her own towel, then wrapped her arms around Malin and held her close, she realized that Jenet's actions were not born of pity. And afterwards, when Jenet called her beautiful, Malin just knew somehow that the other woman was telling the truth, even after Malin's confession about changing the tournament brackets. She'd opened up a new world for the small blonde, and Malin would always be grateful for that. So she was sad to know that their time here was drawing to a close.

Jenet picked up on this, saw the waiver in her friend's smile. "What's wrong, Malin?" She asked.

"Nothing," Malin said with a sigh. "It's just… it's been such a great week. I've… really liked spending time with you."

"And I've liked spending it with you."

Malin took another sip of water, recapped the bottle. "I… never thought I'd be saying this, Bonnie, but… I'm really gonna miss you when this is over."

Jenet smiled warmly, reached over and gave her friend's hand a squeeze. "I'm gonna miss you too, Malin. But… you know it's not goodbye. We'll be sure to keep in touch. And… we'll definitely see each other again."

"Next King of Fighters?" Malin asked with a cocky grin.

"Well, we'll have to hook up sooner than that, if we can, but you know I'll be at the next tournament."

"Likewise."

Jenet took the water bottle, and after taking a sip, passed it back to Malin. "Though I gotta be honest, I may just watch that one. My track record so far is making me think there has to be an easier way to get rich. I just can't seem to ever get past Round One of these Kumites."

Malin blushed a little. "Well, this time, that was my fault. I'm sorry, by the way."

She was then slapped on the shoulder by the taller blonde. "Stop apologizing. I told you, I was never gonna win this thing. Remember, you swapped my opponent with Athena's. And who did she fight in the first round?"

Realization suddenly filled Malin's large amber eyes. "Oh… right."

"Yeah. The New Mr. Karate. So either way, I was fucked."

Malin sipped the water and turned her gaze towards the ceiling in thought. "Well, maybe next time, we can team up?"

Jenet cocked one bright blonde eyebrow. "That's an idea. If they start doing teams again. But who would we get for our third person?"

Malin was still gazing upwards, her lips pursed. "How about one of your old Garou teammates?"

Jenet shook her head. "Nah. Whatever we might have had, I think it's broken beyond repair." She sounded almost remorseful as she spoke, her blue eyes taking on a rare look of sadness. "And after what happened in Round Two, I'm done with Tizoc… or Dinosaur King. Whatever. Maybe if he gets his shit together, I might consider it, but for now… I'm just done."

Now Malin reached over, took the other woman's hand in hers. "Hey… you okay?"

The pirate queen gave a warm smile. "I am, Malin. I really am. That's the great thing about life. Even if you lose friends, you can always make new ones. Like we did."

Malin leaned forward and hugged her, and then the two women resumed their business discussion. "So, I think we burned our bridges with Hinako and Hotaru. Unless… you think Hotaru would forgive me, if I apologized? I'm good at fake apologies."

Jenet scowled just a little. "Well, I think she'd forgive you, but she still wouldn't want to be teammates."

"Hm. That's too bad. She's got some skills."

"Well… you think maybe you could convince Athena?"

Malin laughed. "Honestly… no. She and I have a business relationship, and she manages to act civil around me, but… I don't think she likes me. Just puts up with me because I run her fan club, and its website. And after all the shit that happened this week, it'll probably be a while before she'll even speak to me again."

Now Jenet looked thoughtful. "Well, as far as her career is concerned, you sound like you have your fingers in a few pies. Any chance you'd be willing to blackmail her into joining us?"

Even though the pirate queen laughed a little, she stopped when she saw the smaller blonde was not amused. "No," Malin said flatly. "I like your thinking, Bonnie. But I'll never do that to her. Athena will always be off limits."

Jenet's smile faded quickly. "Okay, Malin. I respect that."

Silence fell over the room, the two crafty blondes once more deep in thought. Then Malin ventured: "We could always ask Sinclair."

For a beat, they looked at each other. Then they both said in unison: "Naaaaaah." After which, they exploded into a fit of laughter.

When the moment passed, Malin wiped her eyes and drank the rest of the water. "I like you, Bonnie," she told the other woman.

"I like you too, Malin," the bustier woman answered.

"Well, see…" The smaller blonde began to fidget, once more getting red in her face. "Maybe it's the beer talking, but I think that I might actually… like like you. Aside from Kasumi, no one's ever been as nice to me as you, and, well, you actually cared about me enough to… do that other thing with me."

Now Jenet couldn't help but blush a little. "Oh, Malin…" She reached over and brushed a few stray golden locks out from in front of the other girl's eyes, tucking them behind her ear. "You're a great girl. You really are. And if things were different, I might… like you in that way. But… I'm just not looking for anything serious right now. I know this sounds cliché, but… my love and my lady is the sea. I like my freedom, of being able to just haul anchor on a whim and sail the waters to wherever my heart takes me, of not knowing what's over the horizon until I get there. So I'm… willing to be your friend, but I can't really be more than that. I'm sorry."

Malin's expression dropped, then her face became a little harder. "So… was sleeping with me just another fling?"

Jenet shook her head, placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Of course not. Remember what I told you: I only let people I respect into my bed. And after the heist, you earned my respect."

"Really? You mean that?"

The older woman gave her a broad smile. "Hell, yes, I mean it. You made a plan, and you saw it through. Even when it fell apart, and I was ready to just turn tail like I always do, you were so determined to fight to the bitter end, even though you knew your chances of winning were slim to none. You stood your ground against five-to-one odds, and do you wanna know the truth? You inspired me to stay and fight with you. I don't know what Yuri is smoking, because what I saw that night… was the exact opposite of cowardly. I respect you more than most of the other women of KoF, and that includes people like Chiz, and King, and Mai."

Malin was blushing again, but her expression had softened, so Jenet went on: "So, no matter what, I'll always be your friend. But even better than that, I'm your friend with benefits. Just because we're not dating, doesn't mean we still can't fuck. If you want to."

Now the smaller blonde was smiling again. "What do you think?" She asked. The two girls laughed and then hugged again.

Jenet continued to talk as they embraced. "Chin up, Malin. Someday, you're gonna make some lucky man, or woman, very happy. Just be yourself, don't try too hard to impress people, and always remember that you are a beautiful woman. And also remember that if we're ever in the same place at the same time, my door is always open. Whether you want to just hang out and shoot the shit, or cause some trouble, or if you're feeling horny, I'm open for anything."

The two women shared a kiss after that, and when they separated, Malin looked like her old self again. "Thanks, Bonnie. I'd say that heist wasn't a total loss, because… I made a friend. I'm sure that's nothing new for you since you have plenty of friends, but… I don't."

The pirate queen flashed a sly smirk. "Oh, we aren't just friends, remember?"

Malin laughed. "Right. With benefits. I like that." They kissed again, and then she asked: "So… where were we?"

Bonne Jenet got up from the bed, unzipped the back of her dress, and let it slip to the floor, leaving her standing there in just a purple G-String and her thigh garters. "I think… we were somewhere around here," she said with a devilish grin.

Malin's own grin was just as mischievous, as she too rose from the bed and removed her shirt. "Request permission to come aboard, captain," she said.

Jenet held out her arms. "Permission granted, you sexy bitch!"

Malin laughed and then pounced on her, bringing them both back down to the bed. For the next hour, there was a lot of rolling around and… other activities both above and below the covers, as the two newfound friends made the most of the time they had left at the Kumite.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

So, if it wasn't obvious from the end of Chapter 24 of Kumite 2, Jojo has told me that Malin in the Kumite-verse is bisexual. Which I am totally behind, and it's one of the things that helped shape this chapter.

And so it begins. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, since I'm also working on other things, most of all my passion project which, appropriately enough, is Malin-centric. But there will be more coming, I promise you that.

Until next time, please feel free to review, if thou art so inclined.