Slayers! Yoyutchi
by Leaf-Chan (leaf_chan@excite.com)
Disclaimer: There *is* a lemon scene in this chapter. It's short, but it's
definitely there. So don't read further until you can legally do so. Oh, and
once again, don't sue me. The phone is your friend.
"I'm a little teapot, short and stout... screw this. DIE!"
Episode IX: Between the Between
[-----]
"The Between...?" Kiseki wondered in that obligatory-curious voice pending a
length explanation.
Ilyuum nodded in time with Ceipheed. "We are in a place that is beyond that
which is beyond. A place where both realms, the world which you know and the
world that we call the Outer, join in a fashion that defies physical detail
and experience."
"It also has a really nice bathroom," Kiseki added helpfully.
"... well, yes." Ceipheed managed to look upwards at all of them for a brief
moment before taking over the speech. "And now that you are here, we shall
explain why you are here. Luna, please explain."
Luna nodded, and snapped her fingers, making sure Nevv was wide-awake for
this part. The Dicleary filtered over the girl quickly, then somehow goosed
her on the butt. With a yelp, Nevv sat straight up, glaring at the smiling
Luna.
"While back. Somethin's comin' this way. My boss and her boss made a bet.
Gotta see who's strongest, y'know? So after we fulfilled all the conditions,
we came back. S'all."
Lina blinked. "*What*?! That doesn't explain a damn thing!" she retorted,
before remembering that this *was* Luna here... eep.
"... I'll explain it," Nevv said resignedly, shifting her formerly-skimpy
outfit into her usual billowy mages' robes and corset. "I was pretty much
misleading you the whole time, unlike Luna, who just went for the confusing
approach... so I figure I owe you a bit of an explanation."
"Please continue, Nevv Swanson," Emmy agreed quietly.
She sighed, and began. "Nine years ago was when the Other decided to try and
force his way into this realm. The Other... is a powerful deity that rules
the inverse side of the world. I can't really describe how it is... you're
either there, or you're here in the Between or back in the real world."
"Oh, so there *is* a big bad villain behind all this," Lina said
triumphantly. "I was beginning to think I'd never be able to destroy
anything!"
"Well, Lina, that's the problem here. The Outer world doesn't work like ours
in the fact that we can't use magic there. The forces that we summon and
call upon don't exist in the Outer."
Lina gaped. "Whhaaaaaat? ... but... but that's..." she sputtered.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'bad'," Nevv added, although her
usual wryness was muted. "At any rate... as the Other was trying to come
through, something came first."
"His *butt*?" Kiseki pitched in.
Pause. That one had just come out of left field.
"... no." Nevv adjusted her corset, and the familiar bounce returned for a
brief moment. "Ilyuum."
"That is I," Ilyuum agreed. "We meet with you here now in a physical form,
but I assure you, this is not even close to our true appearance."
"So what's this got to do with us?" Kiseki asked.
"There was a propisition that Ilyuum and Ceipheed made nine years ago,
before my boss had to lay low to avoid being detected," Nevv continued.
"Basically, both forces sent out their Knights to perform certain tasks--and
I'm sure you know what they are by now."
"Blowing up my hometown?!" Kiseki wailed.
"Making me wander around the countryside without knowing what the hell was
going on?" Lina said.
"Erasing... my complete identity...?" Emmanem whispered.
"NO!" Nevv yelled irritably. "It was to see who could beat each other,
basically... I had the three of you on my team, and..." She slapped one hand
against her forehead. "... and Luna creamed our asses like red-headed
stepchilds. Oh, this *sucks*..."
Luna grinned.
"My Knight has my spirit," Ceipheed said sagely. "She has worked for me for
all of her life... in fact, she has devoted her life to be under my service.
While you are young and spirited, Nevv Swanson, you chose the service of a
fledgling deity... and as such, you paid the consequences of inexperience."
Nevv's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, yeah, don't remind me."
"So, now what? Luna won this proposition, so whadda we get?" Lina said,
hoping it would be some sort of rare spell or a lifetime's supply of
chocolate.
"You have the task of venturing into the Outer and destroying the Other,"
Ilyuum said.
"Whaaaat?! And just why do we have to do this?" Lina demanded. At least a
*meat* bun of some sort...
Ceipheed looked at her with a grave expression set on his wrinkled face.
"The Other wishes to conquer this world," he began.
"So does everyone else! What makes him so special!"
"If he were to breach the Between and step into our world--the Inner,"
Ilyuum began, "we would not be able to stop him."
Lina groaned. Of *course* there had to be one of those types... "So how are
we supposed to stop him? Nevv just said we can't use magic in the Outer."
"That is correct," Ceipheed agreed. "But you have a few resources at your
disposal."
He gestured to Kiseki. "First of all, this young girl's power does not draw
from any of the gods or beings in the Inner," he said. "Apparently, she is
the practitioner of a strange form of magic she dubs 'Saikyouism'... we do
not know how it is generated, or what it entails. Nevertheless, this power,
being of something completely other-worldly, can be of use to you in the
Outer."
"But..." Nevv protested. "But... she's a *wuss*."
"Any help is better than none, Nevv Swanson. You should know this from your
learning." Ilyuum looked up reproachfully at her. "Perhaps this was the
reason you lost to Luna Inverse."
Luna grinned again.
"Arrrgh."
Ceipheed continued. "Second... we have one of the Other's men standing--or
rather, crouching--before us. I believe you refer to him as... Emmanem,
although his true name..."
"Jukaara," Emmanem said quietly, brushing blue hair back to reveal glinting
eyes that, for a moment, bore pure, unbridled malice. "My name is Jukaara."
"... when'd you get your memory back?" Kiseki muttered.
The man gazed down at the ground sullenly. "It was when I become the monster
that our race is known for transforming into when emotionally upset and
physically injured," he whispered. "The flood of memories struck me with a
resounding wave of thought, and I..."
"I understand," Kiseki said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Well,
actually, I might not, but... I can sympathize, right?"
"... I suppose so," Emmanem conceded. "Please. Call me Emmanem. I do not
wish to be associated with a name that has only caused pain."
Biting back a remark, Nevv placed her hands akimbo and turned towards her
boss. "That may be all and good, but you really don't expect us to defeat
the Other with a half-assed mage and a random berserker, do you?" she said.
"Luna will be your leader," Ceipheed said firmly, not acknowledging the
question of someone who was obviously not worthy to be a decision-maker.
"Follow her guidance, and you shall succeed."
"I'm sure we will." It was impossible to tell if Nevv was being sarcastic or
not.
Ilyuum smiled at them, and nodded. "Nevv Swanson... I thank you graciously
for all that you have done for me. I will continue to support you, until the
Other is vanquished, and afterwards as well. May the Light be everpresent in
your soul."
Nevv didn't say a word.
"And may the wisdom of the dragons bring you much joy and understanding,"
Ceipheed nodded.
"Wait!" Lina protested. "You didn't answer her question! How *are* we going
to defeat--"
The two deities vanished.
"C'mon," Luna said, getting up off of the wall of dark she'd been leaning
on. "Let's go. Gotta plan."
Without waiting for an affirmative or a negative, all five of them vanished
from the Between.
Time passed.
More time passed. An errant tongue of blackness flitted by.
"You owe me fifty gold, Ilyuum."
"I *knew* I should not have made such an obvious sucker bet."
[-----]
Outside the now-desecrated fields of Scriimtu was a comfortable, cozy little
establishment known as the "Rising Sun Tavern". This was where the party
known as the Otherkillers were making their residence currently. Around the
now-messy dinner table were four youths whose sole mission was, currently,
to protect the world from devastation--wait a minute, damn Mazoku...
Luna managed to set down a tray of fried chicken only to have half of it
devoured almost instantaneously by her sister and Kiseki. Leaning against
the wall, she began to look each and every one of them over. Slowly. Coolly.
In that "I know something you don't, nah ni nah ni naaaaah niiiii" fashion.
"Whur che lookr' a'?" Lina managed.
The older Inverse's smile turned into a grin. "C'mon. Let's talk."
Lina managed to somehow stick a tongue that was not laden with bits of food
particles out at her. "R'm eatin'," she mumbled.
"Waitin'."
The meal continued in silence, as if Luna's contribution to the conversation
had managed to cut in directly where the electrical outlet was. A few
minutes and hors d'ouevres later, Nevv simply stood up, dabbed her mouth
with a napkin, and flounced upstairs without so much as a word.
Emmanem looked up from his plate of veal and butter garlic, worried. "Excuse
me, ladies..." he said, wiping his hands clean. "I have some matters to
speak--"
"Emmy, hang on," Kiseki interjected, smiling. "Lemme try. I think what Nevv
needs right now is a... girl's touch, if you know what I mean."
"I understand, Kiseki Rendahl... please, try not to upset her. This is a
very trying time for all of us."
The girl nodded. "I'll have her smilin' a chou yoyutchi in no time!" she
promised, and bounded upstairs.
"... I worry about her," Emmy confessed, looking back at the Inverses.
"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Lina muttered through a mouthful of
food again--a dialect which, for the sake of the author's ease, shall not be
duplicated another time. "She is a complete *weird* ass. And I still have
the taste of that damn sticker on my lips."
"I was referring to Nevv Swanson," the man whispered.
"... oh."
An hour later, Lina finished her light meal and looked up. "Um... I think I
have to go to sleep... I feel *reeeally* tired," she said hastily, striding
up the stairs.
"Nope. Gotta talk now." Luna reached over and both disappeared in a flash of
azure light.
Sighing, Emmanem slumped down in his seat as the waitresses began to clean
up the table.
[-----]
"Nevv?"
"Go away."
Kiseki gently knocked on the door again. "Nevv, c'mon, let me in. It's me,
Kiseki."
"I *know*. Why do you think I'm not letting you in?"
"Nevv, look, let me in, or I'll blow this door off."
There was a faint sound of someone dry-heaving. "Okay, that just about
ruined my dinner, which is now coming back up... thanks."
"Can I come in, then?"
"All *right*! Geez."
Nevv was sitting down at the foot of her bed, changed into a voluminous
white robe that trailed down to her knees. Kiseki came in, and closed the
door behind her gently, then sat down next to her, placing one hand on her
shoulder. Yes, her shoulder. You greedy pervs.
"Tell me what's wrong, Nevv," Kiseki crooned gently.
Nevv groaned. "You bimbo, if you don't know what's wrong by now, you are
officially the stupidest person I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."
"Hey, you don't have to be so rude!" Kiseki said with a hmph. "Geez, I'm
trying to *help* you here."
"Look..." Nevv glanced around. "You can't. I failed, and that's that."
"Oh, *come* on!" Kiseki scoffed. "I know that you aren't a master of
Saikyouism like I am--"
"Thank Ilyuum."
"--but the very first lesson in life is simple," Kiseki continued. "And that
lesson is: FAILURE! It is a part of everything! It's you. It's me. It's
everything! If you do things, you will fail! And horribly! And you should
get used to it! So, Nevv..."
"You--are--*not*--making--me--feel--better," Nevv said through gritted
teeth.
Kiseki blinked. "I was just reciting the philosophy of the Saikyou school
of magic..." she said mournfully.
"I know. Maybe that's why you nev--oh, screw this." Nevv collapsed onto her
bed, closing her eyes. Kiseki's gaze traced invariably down to the curve of
the woman's chest... up, and down, and up, and down, and--GAH.
Instead, she chose to lean down next to her. "Nevv... c'mon, we need you in
our group. Don't leave us! We won't be able to beat the Other without the
Knight of Ilyuum."
"We can't beat the Other anyways," Nevv muttered. "How can we do that when
we have no magic on our side?"
"Well... there's the power of Saikyouism..."
Nevv reached over to smack her. Kiseki managed to duck.
"Anyways, Nevv. I have one last thing here that might convince you."
"Oh?" Nevv smirked. "What would that be?"
Kiseki began unbuttoning the top buttons to her armor. "Let me show you."
[-----]
Lina and Luna appeared outside the tavern in a flicker-flacker of lights.
"--and I think I need to take a shower," Lina finished belatedly, before
noticing that she was in the middle of the night again. "Crap."
Luna leaned against the wall, her smile almost-there, but not there-there.
She paused for a moment--dramatic effect--and spoke. "'m givin' it to ya,"
she said.
"Huh? Giving what? Gold? Food?"
"My place," Luna said, her voice suddenly rich and flowing, a tone usually
reserved for important circumstances, like when the world was about to be
destroyed, or when time/space was at a halt. "Sis, I know that we haven't
been able to talk much. But there's some things I really have to get done
now before anything else happens to us."
"Um... this... isn't about the..." Lina said queasily.
Luna grinned. "Nope," she said, falling back into her old way of speaking
for a moment before getting a hold of herself. "Look. Number one, it didn't
matter all that much to me... I wasn't gonna kill you or anything. And
number two..."
"Yeah?" Lina could feel the sweat beading on her brow, despite the cool air
wafting around in a gentle breeze.
"... I'm proud of you, sis," Luna said slowly. "Probably don't show it too
much... in fact, we don't even see each other that often. But you're a great
sorceroress, Lina."
/She... she pronounced it,/ Lina thought. /Sorceroress. No one's been able
to say that before about me./ "Um... thanks, Luna," she squeaked awkwardly.
"I think."
"So, it's because of this that I entrust you with the responsibility to
venture into the Outer and defeat the Other," Luna finished.
"Oh, thanks, Luna--HEY!!!" Lina glanced sharply at her. "You're kidding,
right?!"
"Nope," Luna grinned, reverting to her usual clipped words that passed for
conversations. "Got things to do. Hafta deal with Mazoku. Be seein' ya."
"Waitwaitwaitaminute!" The younger Inverse scrambled towards Luna, clutching
for her arm. "I don't know anything about this 'Outer' and 'Other' business!
*You're* the Knight of Ceipheed, and you won the proposition! ... and does
Ceipheed even know about this?!"
"S'cool," Luna tossed off casually. "Ceiphey gives me the goals. I do 'em my
way."
"... I see," Lina said quietly. "So you're dumping all this onto me?"
The older Inverse paused in turning away, and glanced backwards for a
moment. "Not really," she said. "Think of it as doin' somethin' important.
Y'know?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah." Luna grinned. "That is a secret."
"ARRRRGHHHH!!!"
By the time Lina flung the spell, Luna was already not there anymore.
[-----]
He had to think. Now that they were committed to this goal, they were going
to have to work together--a miracle, given the members of the motley crew
that Ceipheed and Ilyuum had decided on. Emmy was positive that, as one of
the Others, he'd be able to score a few solid hits on the Other; but as for
Lina, she could only use her sword, and as skilled (or unskilled--he'd never
really seen her in action aside from big-assed magic blasts) as she was, the
blade would do little against a being that was essentially solid metal... or
whatever the Other was. He had precious little experience and memories of
that place.
Kiseki... he knew how much use she'd be. Moving right along...
Nevv. He was worried sick about her. She appeared to be extremely
downhearted at dinner, and then there had been that silent retreat to her
room... something was up. He'd wanted to talk to her, but here Kiseki just
barged her way in, carrying something bulging underneath her hands. Emmanem
had paid the things little mind; the fact that she had just gone and done it
made him upset.
Still. Manners had to be kept. They were in this together, after all. If
Kiseki managed to cheer Nevv up as she claimed she would, then all's for the
better.
Lina strolled in, looking almost as dejected as he was.
"Good evening, Lina Inverse," he said. "Are you planning to sleep?"
The young girl sighed. "Look... I can't," she said. "I got a lot of things
to think over."
"I understand." Emmanem gestured to the seat next to him. "Perhaps you can
join me. We seem to be in an oddly-similar situation."
"How's that?"
Emmanem would've replied, but he was cut off by a loud moan of "mmmm!" from
upstairs.
For the next few days, both Lina and Emmy's jaws had to be treated with
ointment. Contact with the pavement seemed to cause minor bruises and some
scratches.
[-----]
"Mmm..." Kiseki moaned, slurping the juices up into her oh-so-eager mouth.
Pursing her lips, she flicked her tongue out and began lapping rhythmically
at the soft inside of it.
Mimicking the movements, Nevv also began to hesitantly lap the thing in
front of her: slowly at first, then with increasing frequency and confidence
as she felt the taste spread down her tongue, a tangy, sour bite that was
somehow both pleasurable and disgusting at the same time. She was *imbibing*
the juices of... of...
/I can't do this,/ she thought. /But... it tastes so *good*.../
Kiseki turned her head to look at Nevv. "Don't... stop," she whispered,
her expression smiling even as her mouth was obscured by the thing.
"I won't," Nevv replied, and continued to suck, more eagerly now. She was
really starting to get into this... and despite what anyone else said, this
really *was* a lot of fun!
Long moments passed, moments that were only filled with the sounds of
fluid-slurping and lip-smacking. Finally...
"Ooohhh, YES! YES!"
Kiseki threw her head back, as she felt a wave of pure sweetness and joy
rush through her in an ineffably-powerful surge of physical sensation.
Simultaneously, Nevv ceased the sucking for a brief moment before she felt
the same feeling rip through her as well, causing her entire body to tremble
in the throes of a powerful shudder.
Nevv grinned. "That was better than I thought."
"See?" Kiseki admonished. "I *told* you that they were good. You didn't
believe me!"
"Well, yeah, excuse me," Nevv muttered. "I thought that sucking lemons was
kind of... well, *weird*."
Kiseki shook her head no vigorously. "Oh, no, no... lemon-sucking is great
to relieve stress. Plus, there's that final zip of taste that just gets to
you... right?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"You know that Hibiki-sensei (may he live forever) taught me that as the
third lesson?" Kiseki went on, tucking the extra lemons back in the
compartment in her chestplate and rebuttoning it. "He always said that life
was like a student of Saikyouism with a lemon in his hand: it sucks! And
then he would tell me to give him more money..."
"Yes, this is very fascinating, Kiseki, but I really do need to get to sleep
sometime this century," Nevv said, her usual wryness back. "So if you
please... leave my room? The others might end up thinking we're having sex
or something."
Kiseki giggled. "Okay, Nevv... nice to see you feeling better." With that,
she closed the door gently behind herself and walked down.
[-----]
"HOW COULD YOU HAVE SEX WITH HER?!" Lina screamed.
"I didn't!" Kiseki cried out, glancing at the irate faces before her. Geez,
it was just sucking lemons...!
"We heard the two of you moaning in ecstasy from down here," Emmanem said
grimly, his usual look of calmness now tight with anger. "Explain yourself,
Kiseki Rendahl."
The Saikyou mage sighed. "We were sucking lemons. I was trying to cheer her
up, and it worked! You know that lemons are sour, right, so that's why she
was moaning, and--"
"Oh, that's *so* believeable," Lina scoffed.
Emmanem merely sighed. "If you wish to favor yourself with Nevv Swanson,
Kiseki, this is hardly a way to go about doing so."
"I am *not*--oh, you're impossible! It's not like I'm a thespian or
anything, right?" Kiseki beamed. "When have I given any indication towards
that?"
Dead silence.
"Okay, so don't answer me! Fine!" Harrumphing once more, Kiseki turned to go
back upstairs. "Geez, the never of some people..."
Sighing, Lina sat back down on her couch and stretched herself out with a
wide yawn.
"I do believe that this poses a slight problem..." Emmanem said, already
pondering for a way to win his way back into Nevv's heart.
"You have no idea." Lina grabbed a pillow and shoved it underneath her neck
to prop herself up. "Luna just dumped the whole shbang on me."
"... what do you mean?" Emmy inquired carefully. This could be bad. Very
bad.
"It *means* that she's ditched us, and now I'm the one who's gonna give the
commands," Lina groaned. Normally, she would've relished the chance at
leadership--it was only right that the heretic genius herself take lead of a
ragtag group such as this one! Then again... it'd been kinda weird to have
the whole thing shoved onto you by Luna, of all people.
"Where is Luna?" he continued slowly.
Lina flung the pillow at his head. "Geez, I just said she left!" she yelled.
"Weren't you listening?!"
"My... mind was distracted," Emmy confessed. "Forgive me, Lina Inverse."
"Yeah, yeah."
"... what shall we do, then?"
"I dunno. I'll sleep on it. G'night."
Emmanem flinched visibly, and sighed. "Good night, Lina Inverse," he said,
and headed upstairs to his room.
On the couch, Lina remained wide awake, huddled into a pseudo-fetal
position. She'd be awake for the next few hours, when Nevv came down to get
a drink.
[-----]
Aliza O'Clure didn't care much for today. Today, actually, had been a bad
day for them all... the Faction had discovered another piddly group of
resistance members, and as per procedure, she was forced to take them to the
Other to be sentenced.
Of course, she knew perfectly well what the sentence was going to be; still,
the sheer intimidation factor of being judged by the Other Himself was what
set an example, causing other resistance members to quake in their
collectively-inexpensive shoes at the horror of their friends' demise.
She didn't like doing it, not at all. But there was a line that had to be
drawn, and she couldn't have the entire race rebelling against the Other. He
wouldn't like that.
Flipping the page, Aliza began filling out the second page of the report for
the records. It was tedious work, but a record of each and every bust that
the Committee made helped fuel the system and keep the reign going. After
all, a *proper* reign of terror had to have... well, a healthy (or
unhealthy, as the case may be) dose of terror.
Terror would be the look in their eyes as they saw her open her hand and
summon energy forth--an act that should have been impossible, given the way
the Other decreed...
"... that's... that's *impossible*!" one of them had screamed. "How are you
doing this?!"
"My power is that of the Other," she had said. "He surrounds me and
strengthens me. Goodbye."
And then the Null Flare had burst to life in the midst of the group,
consuming almost all of them in a singular swirl of dark power.
It was more than an unfair advantage; it was a breach of rules in the entire
Outer world. But the Other never did play by rules...
There was a thought. Not her own, since those didn't exist anymore, outside
of what she'd been taught--but that of her Master.
/Remember what I told you nine years ago?/
Aliza blinked. /Of course not,/ she replied in a mental tone that was
completely devoid of any sarcasm or wit. /That was nine years ago. We update
memories each year and delete obsolete ones./
/Yes. I realize this. It is of little consequence... for they are coming./
/... who is 'they'?/
The Other reflected briefly on the disadvantages of having a loyal servant
who was automatically brainwashed every year. /'They' are the ones who would
come to my realm, the Outer, and challenge me in the name of the fool,
Ilyuum./ He rumbled slightly, and Aliza felt the tremors run through her own
body as if it was herself that was shivering. Technically, it *was* her now,
but...
/I see. Am I to destroy them?/ The thought, like all others, provoked only
one feeling within her: the lack of one.
/Yes. Yes, that would be most appreciated, my loyal servant./
Aliza stood up. "How many of them are there in number?" she said into the
air.
/There are five./
"Shall I gather support, then?"
/Yes. I do not want you to fail me. Muster up as many troops as you need. I
give you full jurisdiction, Aliza... my Knight./
The Knight of Other--if such a term could be used, since not even she
thought that highly of herself--nodded. "It will be done," she said, and
turned towards the barracks of the building to proceed with her orders.
[-----]
"She left, hm?"
Lina nodded. "Yeah... and now I'm supposed to go through with all this."
"Well..." Nevv began coyly. "You *can* always turn the responsibility over
to me."
"And have you screw up again? Hah!" Lina proclaimed confidently, sitting up
momentarily on the couch. "Look, Nevv, I can do this. I just need your
support, all right?"
"I'll give you my support, Lina," said Nevv, "because I'm obviously not
competent enough to be leader, right?"
"Well, duh. Then again, you *did* give sis a pretty good fight."
"... I suppose so." Nevv sighed, and took another sip of water from her
glass. "I'd rather talk about this tomorrow, if you don't--"
"Nevv." The interruption was quiet, but solid.
"What?"
Lina smiled. "Good night," she said.
"... good night," Nevv replied after a pause. Taking cup of water in hand,
she wandered back upstairs, her footfalls making a fading series of thumps
on the wooden surface of the staircase.
A few minutes later, still curled up on the couch, Lina Inverse fell asleep.
[-----]
/You went through with it./
/Yep./
/How was her reaction?/
/Typical. But I know she can handle it./
/You place much confidence in her, my Knight./
/Yep./
/What if she was to fail?/
There was a faint curling of muscle that denoted a slight, sly smile on the
part of the confident one. /Nah. She won't./
/... I am not one to doubt your service, my Knight, but even so... you place
the fate of our world upon one who is unfamiliar with the workings of gods./
/Took down Shabby. 'member?/
If gods could sigh, even in a noncorporeal form, he would have done so now.
/Yes, I do. Forgive my doubts, Luna./
/Hey, s'cool. Gods all have their lil' problems./
/What do you plan to do now, then?/
Another faint curling of muscle. /Gotta talk ta Xelloss./
/I see. Fare you well, my Knight./
/Word up./
[-----]
In the morning, Lina would have realized something. Unfortunately, she was
fast asleep, so her mind was busily running through an array of pretty
bananas, flowers, and roast turkeys.
It was when Kiseki, Nevv, and Emmanem came down that she was rudely awakened
by a sound smack to the shoulder on the part of the great Saikyouism mage
herself, Kiseki 'Umi' Rendahl.
"So!" Lina said, dusting her hands clear of the Fireball. "Are we ready to
go?"
"Might as well." "We are ready, Lina Inverse." "... ow."
"All right!" Lina said, thrusting one fist into the air and pointing at the
sky. "Let's do it!"
Cue silence reserved for comical interlude.
"You nit," Nevv said abruptly. "Only Luna and I know the incantation to get
into the Outer. You may want to, oh, I don't know, *ask* me to do it before
posing up another storm?"
Lina paused, then lowered her arm and wheeled around. "Okay, Nevv," she said
amiably. "Please recite the spell to get us into the Outer."
"Hold on." Nevv slowly gestured towards the space in front of her, summoning
forth a brief rush of air that--
--sent her spinning up into the air through the roof in a gout of dirt--
Landing back on the ground, Nevv glanced up to see Lina's grinning face.
"G'wan, keep reciting," said Dora-Mata.
Grumbling, Nevv started over, summoning forth a brief rush of air that
quickly spun out and resolved into a vacuum of energy that simply reached
out and grabbed the four of them, spiralling them into another world
entirely.
[-----]
Comments can be sent to: leaf_chan@excite.com
by Leaf-Chan (leaf_chan@excite.com)
Disclaimer: There *is* a lemon scene in this chapter. It's short, but it's
definitely there. So don't read further until you can legally do so. Oh, and
once again, don't sue me. The phone is your friend.
"I'm a little teapot, short and stout... screw this. DIE!"
Episode IX: Between the Between
[-----]
"The Between...?" Kiseki wondered in that obligatory-curious voice pending a
length explanation.
Ilyuum nodded in time with Ceipheed. "We are in a place that is beyond that
which is beyond. A place where both realms, the world which you know and the
world that we call the Outer, join in a fashion that defies physical detail
and experience."
"It also has a really nice bathroom," Kiseki added helpfully.
"... well, yes." Ceipheed managed to look upwards at all of them for a brief
moment before taking over the speech. "And now that you are here, we shall
explain why you are here. Luna, please explain."
Luna nodded, and snapped her fingers, making sure Nevv was wide-awake for
this part. The Dicleary filtered over the girl quickly, then somehow goosed
her on the butt. With a yelp, Nevv sat straight up, glaring at the smiling
Luna.
"While back. Somethin's comin' this way. My boss and her boss made a bet.
Gotta see who's strongest, y'know? So after we fulfilled all the conditions,
we came back. S'all."
Lina blinked. "*What*?! That doesn't explain a damn thing!" she retorted,
before remembering that this *was* Luna here... eep.
"... I'll explain it," Nevv said resignedly, shifting her formerly-skimpy
outfit into her usual billowy mages' robes and corset. "I was pretty much
misleading you the whole time, unlike Luna, who just went for the confusing
approach... so I figure I owe you a bit of an explanation."
"Please continue, Nevv Swanson," Emmy agreed quietly.
She sighed, and began. "Nine years ago was when the Other decided to try and
force his way into this realm. The Other... is a powerful deity that rules
the inverse side of the world. I can't really describe how it is... you're
either there, or you're here in the Between or back in the real world."
"Oh, so there *is* a big bad villain behind all this," Lina said
triumphantly. "I was beginning to think I'd never be able to destroy
anything!"
"Well, Lina, that's the problem here. The Outer world doesn't work like ours
in the fact that we can't use magic there. The forces that we summon and
call upon don't exist in the Outer."
Lina gaped. "Whhaaaaaat? ... but... but that's..." she sputtered.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'bad'," Nevv added, although her
usual wryness was muted. "At any rate... as the Other was trying to come
through, something came first."
"His *butt*?" Kiseki pitched in.
Pause. That one had just come out of left field.
"... no." Nevv adjusted her corset, and the familiar bounce returned for a
brief moment. "Ilyuum."
"That is I," Ilyuum agreed. "We meet with you here now in a physical form,
but I assure you, this is not even close to our true appearance."
"So what's this got to do with us?" Kiseki asked.
"There was a propisition that Ilyuum and Ceipheed made nine years ago,
before my boss had to lay low to avoid being detected," Nevv continued.
"Basically, both forces sent out their Knights to perform certain tasks--and
I'm sure you know what they are by now."
"Blowing up my hometown?!" Kiseki wailed.
"Making me wander around the countryside without knowing what the hell was
going on?" Lina said.
"Erasing... my complete identity...?" Emmanem whispered.
"NO!" Nevv yelled irritably. "It was to see who could beat each other,
basically... I had the three of you on my team, and..." She slapped one hand
against her forehead. "... and Luna creamed our asses like red-headed
stepchilds. Oh, this *sucks*..."
Luna grinned.
"My Knight has my spirit," Ceipheed said sagely. "She has worked for me for
all of her life... in fact, she has devoted her life to be under my service.
While you are young and spirited, Nevv Swanson, you chose the service of a
fledgling deity... and as such, you paid the consequences of inexperience."
Nevv's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, yeah, don't remind me."
"So, now what? Luna won this proposition, so whadda we get?" Lina said,
hoping it would be some sort of rare spell or a lifetime's supply of
chocolate.
"You have the task of venturing into the Outer and destroying the Other,"
Ilyuum said.
"Whaaaat?! And just why do we have to do this?" Lina demanded. At least a
*meat* bun of some sort...
Ceipheed looked at her with a grave expression set on his wrinkled face.
"The Other wishes to conquer this world," he began.
"So does everyone else! What makes him so special!"
"If he were to breach the Between and step into our world--the Inner,"
Ilyuum began, "we would not be able to stop him."
Lina groaned. Of *course* there had to be one of those types... "So how are
we supposed to stop him? Nevv just said we can't use magic in the Outer."
"That is correct," Ceipheed agreed. "But you have a few resources at your
disposal."
He gestured to Kiseki. "First of all, this young girl's power does not draw
from any of the gods or beings in the Inner," he said. "Apparently, she is
the practitioner of a strange form of magic she dubs 'Saikyouism'... we do
not know how it is generated, or what it entails. Nevertheless, this power,
being of something completely other-worldly, can be of use to you in the
Outer."
"But..." Nevv protested. "But... she's a *wuss*."
"Any help is better than none, Nevv Swanson. You should know this from your
learning." Ilyuum looked up reproachfully at her. "Perhaps this was the
reason you lost to Luna Inverse."
Luna grinned again.
"Arrrgh."
Ceipheed continued. "Second... we have one of the Other's men standing--or
rather, crouching--before us. I believe you refer to him as... Emmanem,
although his true name..."
"Jukaara," Emmanem said quietly, brushing blue hair back to reveal glinting
eyes that, for a moment, bore pure, unbridled malice. "My name is Jukaara."
"... when'd you get your memory back?" Kiseki muttered.
The man gazed down at the ground sullenly. "It was when I become the monster
that our race is known for transforming into when emotionally upset and
physically injured," he whispered. "The flood of memories struck me with a
resounding wave of thought, and I..."
"I understand," Kiseki said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Well,
actually, I might not, but... I can sympathize, right?"
"... I suppose so," Emmanem conceded. "Please. Call me Emmanem. I do not
wish to be associated with a name that has only caused pain."
Biting back a remark, Nevv placed her hands akimbo and turned towards her
boss. "That may be all and good, but you really don't expect us to defeat
the Other with a half-assed mage and a random berserker, do you?" she said.
"Luna will be your leader," Ceipheed said firmly, not acknowledging the
question of someone who was obviously not worthy to be a decision-maker.
"Follow her guidance, and you shall succeed."
"I'm sure we will." It was impossible to tell if Nevv was being sarcastic or
not.
Ilyuum smiled at them, and nodded. "Nevv Swanson... I thank you graciously
for all that you have done for me. I will continue to support you, until the
Other is vanquished, and afterwards as well. May the Light be everpresent in
your soul."
Nevv didn't say a word.
"And may the wisdom of the dragons bring you much joy and understanding,"
Ceipheed nodded.
"Wait!" Lina protested. "You didn't answer her question! How *are* we going
to defeat--"
The two deities vanished.
"C'mon," Luna said, getting up off of the wall of dark she'd been leaning
on. "Let's go. Gotta plan."
Without waiting for an affirmative or a negative, all five of them vanished
from the Between.
Time passed.
More time passed. An errant tongue of blackness flitted by.
"You owe me fifty gold, Ilyuum."
"I *knew* I should not have made such an obvious sucker bet."
[-----]
Outside the now-desecrated fields of Scriimtu was a comfortable, cozy little
establishment known as the "Rising Sun Tavern". This was where the party
known as the Otherkillers were making their residence currently. Around the
now-messy dinner table were four youths whose sole mission was, currently,
to protect the world from devastation--wait a minute, damn Mazoku...
Luna managed to set down a tray of fried chicken only to have half of it
devoured almost instantaneously by her sister and Kiseki. Leaning against
the wall, she began to look each and every one of them over. Slowly. Coolly.
In that "I know something you don't, nah ni nah ni naaaaah niiiii" fashion.
"Whur che lookr' a'?" Lina managed.
The older Inverse's smile turned into a grin. "C'mon. Let's talk."
Lina managed to somehow stick a tongue that was not laden with bits of food
particles out at her. "R'm eatin'," she mumbled.
"Waitin'."
The meal continued in silence, as if Luna's contribution to the conversation
had managed to cut in directly where the electrical outlet was. A few
minutes and hors d'ouevres later, Nevv simply stood up, dabbed her mouth
with a napkin, and flounced upstairs without so much as a word.
Emmanem looked up from his plate of veal and butter garlic, worried. "Excuse
me, ladies..." he said, wiping his hands clean. "I have some matters to
speak--"
"Emmy, hang on," Kiseki interjected, smiling. "Lemme try. I think what Nevv
needs right now is a... girl's touch, if you know what I mean."
"I understand, Kiseki Rendahl... please, try not to upset her. This is a
very trying time for all of us."
The girl nodded. "I'll have her smilin' a chou yoyutchi in no time!" she
promised, and bounded upstairs.
"... I worry about her," Emmy confessed, looking back at the Inverses.
"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Lina muttered through a mouthful of
food again--a dialect which, for the sake of the author's ease, shall not be
duplicated another time. "She is a complete *weird* ass. And I still have
the taste of that damn sticker on my lips."
"I was referring to Nevv Swanson," the man whispered.
"... oh."
An hour later, Lina finished her light meal and looked up. "Um... I think I
have to go to sleep... I feel *reeeally* tired," she said hastily, striding
up the stairs.
"Nope. Gotta talk now." Luna reached over and both disappeared in a flash of
azure light.
Sighing, Emmanem slumped down in his seat as the waitresses began to clean
up the table.
[-----]
"Nevv?"
"Go away."
Kiseki gently knocked on the door again. "Nevv, c'mon, let me in. It's me,
Kiseki."
"I *know*. Why do you think I'm not letting you in?"
"Nevv, look, let me in, or I'll blow this door off."
There was a faint sound of someone dry-heaving. "Okay, that just about
ruined my dinner, which is now coming back up... thanks."
"Can I come in, then?"
"All *right*! Geez."
Nevv was sitting down at the foot of her bed, changed into a voluminous
white robe that trailed down to her knees. Kiseki came in, and closed the
door behind her gently, then sat down next to her, placing one hand on her
shoulder. Yes, her shoulder. You greedy pervs.
"Tell me what's wrong, Nevv," Kiseki crooned gently.
Nevv groaned. "You bimbo, if you don't know what's wrong by now, you are
officially the stupidest person I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."
"Hey, you don't have to be so rude!" Kiseki said with a hmph. "Geez, I'm
trying to *help* you here."
"Look..." Nevv glanced around. "You can't. I failed, and that's that."
"Oh, *come* on!" Kiseki scoffed. "I know that you aren't a master of
Saikyouism like I am--"
"Thank Ilyuum."
"--but the very first lesson in life is simple," Kiseki continued. "And that
lesson is: FAILURE! It is a part of everything! It's you. It's me. It's
everything! If you do things, you will fail! And horribly! And you should
get used to it! So, Nevv..."
"You--are--*not*--making--me--feel--better," Nevv said through gritted
teeth.
Kiseki blinked. "I was just reciting the philosophy of the Saikyou school
of magic..." she said mournfully.
"I know. Maybe that's why you nev--oh, screw this." Nevv collapsed onto her
bed, closing her eyes. Kiseki's gaze traced invariably down to the curve of
the woman's chest... up, and down, and up, and down, and--GAH.
Instead, she chose to lean down next to her. "Nevv... c'mon, we need you in
our group. Don't leave us! We won't be able to beat the Other without the
Knight of Ilyuum."
"We can't beat the Other anyways," Nevv muttered. "How can we do that when
we have no magic on our side?"
"Well... there's the power of Saikyouism..."
Nevv reached over to smack her. Kiseki managed to duck.
"Anyways, Nevv. I have one last thing here that might convince you."
"Oh?" Nevv smirked. "What would that be?"
Kiseki began unbuttoning the top buttons to her armor. "Let me show you."
[-----]
Lina and Luna appeared outside the tavern in a flicker-flacker of lights.
"--and I think I need to take a shower," Lina finished belatedly, before
noticing that she was in the middle of the night again. "Crap."
Luna leaned against the wall, her smile almost-there, but not there-there.
She paused for a moment--dramatic effect--and spoke. "'m givin' it to ya,"
she said.
"Huh? Giving what? Gold? Food?"
"My place," Luna said, her voice suddenly rich and flowing, a tone usually
reserved for important circumstances, like when the world was about to be
destroyed, or when time/space was at a halt. "Sis, I know that we haven't
been able to talk much. But there's some things I really have to get done
now before anything else happens to us."
"Um... this... isn't about the..." Lina said queasily.
Luna grinned. "Nope," she said, falling back into her old way of speaking
for a moment before getting a hold of herself. "Look. Number one, it didn't
matter all that much to me... I wasn't gonna kill you or anything. And
number two..."
"Yeah?" Lina could feel the sweat beading on her brow, despite the cool air
wafting around in a gentle breeze.
"... I'm proud of you, sis," Luna said slowly. "Probably don't show it too
much... in fact, we don't even see each other that often. But you're a great
sorceroress, Lina."
/She... she pronounced it,/ Lina thought. /Sorceroress. No one's been able
to say that before about me./ "Um... thanks, Luna," she squeaked awkwardly.
"I think."
"So, it's because of this that I entrust you with the responsibility to
venture into the Outer and defeat the Other," Luna finished.
"Oh, thanks, Luna--HEY!!!" Lina glanced sharply at her. "You're kidding,
right?!"
"Nope," Luna grinned, reverting to her usual clipped words that passed for
conversations. "Got things to do. Hafta deal with Mazoku. Be seein' ya."
"Waitwaitwaitaminute!" The younger Inverse scrambled towards Luna, clutching
for her arm. "I don't know anything about this 'Outer' and 'Other' business!
*You're* the Knight of Ceipheed, and you won the proposition! ... and does
Ceipheed even know about this?!"
"S'cool," Luna tossed off casually. "Ceiphey gives me the goals. I do 'em my
way."
"... I see," Lina said quietly. "So you're dumping all this onto me?"
The older Inverse paused in turning away, and glanced backwards for a
moment. "Not really," she said. "Think of it as doin' somethin' important.
Y'know?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah." Luna grinned. "That is a secret."
"ARRRRGHHHH!!!"
By the time Lina flung the spell, Luna was already not there anymore.
[-----]
He had to think. Now that they were committed to this goal, they were going
to have to work together--a miracle, given the members of the motley crew
that Ceipheed and Ilyuum had decided on. Emmy was positive that, as one of
the Others, he'd be able to score a few solid hits on the Other; but as for
Lina, she could only use her sword, and as skilled (or unskilled--he'd never
really seen her in action aside from big-assed magic blasts) as she was, the
blade would do little against a being that was essentially solid metal... or
whatever the Other was. He had precious little experience and memories of
that place.
Kiseki... he knew how much use she'd be. Moving right along...
Nevv. He was worried sick about her. She appeared to be extremely
downhearted at dinner, and then there had been that silent retreat to her
room... something was up. He'd wanted to talk to her, but here Kiseki just
barged her way in, carrying something bulging underneath her hands. Emmanem
had paid the things little mind; the fact that she had just gone and done it
made him upset.
Still. Manners had to be kept. They were in this together, after all. If
Kiseki managed to cheer Nevv up as she claimed she would, then all's for the
better.
Lina strolled in, looking almost as dejected as he was.
"Good evening, Lina Inverse," he said. "Are you planning to sleep?"
The young girl sighed. "Look... I can't," she said. "I got a lot of things
to think over."
"I understand." Emmanem gestured to the seat next to him. "Perhaps you can
join me. We seem to be in an oddly-similar situation."
"How's that?"
Emmanem would've replied, but he was cut off by a loud moan of "mmmm!" from
upstairs.
For the next few days, both Lina and Emmy's jaws had to be treated with
ointment. Contact with the pavement seemed to cause minor bruises and some
scratches.
[-----]
"Mmm..." Kiseki moaned, slurping the juices up into her oh-so-eager mouth.
Pursing her lips, she flicked her tongue out and began lapping rhythmically
at the soft inside of it.
Mimicking the movements, Nevv also began to hesitantly lap the thing in
front of her: slowly at first, then with increasing frequency and confidence
as she felt the taste spread down her tongue, a tangy, sour bite that was
somehow both pleasurable and disgusting at the same time. She was *imbibing*
the juices of... of...
/I can't do this,/ she thought. /But... it tastes so *good*.../
Kiseki turned her head to look at Nevv. "Don't... stop," she whispered,
her expression smiling even as her mouth was obscured by the thing.
"I won't," Nevv replied, and continued to suck, more eagerly now. She was
really starting to get into this... and despite what anyone else said, this
really *was* a lot of fun!
Long moments passed, moments that were only filled with the sounds of
fluid-slurping and lip-smacking. Finally...
"Ooohhh, YES! YES!"
Kiseki threw her head back, as she felt a wave of pure sweetness and joy
rush through her in an ineffably-powerful surge of physical sensation.
Simultaneously, Nevv ceased the sucking for a brief moment before she felt
the same feeling rip through her as well, causing her entire body to tremble
in the throes of a powerful shudder.
Nevv grinned. "That was better than I thought."
"See?" Kiseki admonished. "I *told* you that they were good. You didn't
believe me!"
"Well, yeah, excuse me," Nevv muttered. "I thought that sucking lemons was
kind of... well, *weird*."
Kiseki shook her head no vigorously. "Oh, no, no... lemon-sucking is great
to relieve stress. Plus, there's that final zip of taste that just gets to
you... right?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"You know that Hibiki-sensei (may he live forever) taught me that as the
third lesson?" Kiseki went on, tucking the extra lemons back in the
compartment in her chestplate and rebuttoning it. "He always said that life
was like a student of Saikyouism with a lemon in his hand: it sucks! And
then he would tell me to give him more money..."
"Yes, this is very fascinating, Kiseki, but I really do need to get to sleep
sometime this century," Nevv said, her usual wryness back. "So if you
please... leave my room? The others might end up thinking we're having sex
or something."
Kiseki giggled. "Okay, Nevv... nice to see you feeling better." With that,
she closed the door gently behind herself and walked down.
[-----]
"HOW COULD YOU HAVE SEX WITH HER?!" Lina screamed.
"I didn't!" Kiseki cried out, glancing at the irate faces before her. Geez,
it was just sucking lemons...!
"We heard the two of you moaning in ecstasy from down here," Emmanem said
grimly, his usual look of calmness now tight with anger. "Explain yourself,
Kiseki Rendahl."
The Saikyou mage sighed. "We were sucking lemons. I was trying to cheer her
up, and it worked! You know that lemons are sour, right, so that's why she
was moaning, and--"
"Oh, that's *so* believeable," Lina scoffed.
Emmanem merely sighed. "If you wish to favor yourself with Nevv Swanson,
Kiseki, this is hardly a way to go about doing so."
"I am *not*--oh, you're impossible! It's not like I'm a thespian or
anything, right?" Kiseki beamed. "When have I given any indication towards
that?"
Dead silence.
"Okay, so don't answer me! Fine!" Harrumphing once more, Kiseki turned to go
back upstairs. "Geez, the never of some people..."
Sighing, Lina sat back down on her couch and stretched herself out with a
wide yawn.
"I do believe that this poses a slight problem..." Emmanem said, already
pondering for a way to win his way back into Nevv's heart.
"You have no idea." Lina grabbed a pillow and shoved it underneath her neck
to prop herself up. "Luna just dumped the whole shbang on me."
"... what do you mean?" Emmy inquired carefully. This could be bad. Very
bad.
"It *means* that she's ditched us, and now I'm the one who's gonna give the
commands," Lina groaned. Normally, she would've relished the chance at
leadership--it was only right that the heretic genius herself take lead of a
ragtag group such as this one! Then again... it'd been kinda weird to have
the whole thing shoved onto you by Luna, of all people.
"Where is Luna?" he continued slowly.
Lina flung the pillow at his head. "Geez, I just said she left!" she yelled.
"Weren't you listening?!"
"My... mind was distracted," Emmy confessed. "Forgive me, Lina Inverse."
"Yeah, yeah."
"... what shall we do, then?"
"I dunno. I'll sleep on it. G'night."
Emmanem flinched visibly, and sighed. "Good night, Lina Inverse," he said,
and headed upstairs to his room.
On the couch, Lina remained wide awake, huddled into a pseudo-fetal
position. She'd be awake for the next few hours, when Nevv came down to get
a drink.
[-----]
Aliza O'Clure didn't care much for today. Today, actually, had been a bad
day for them all... the Faction had discovered another piddly group of
resistance members, and as per procedure, she was forced to take them to the
Other to be sentenced.
Of course, she knew perfectly well what the sentence was going to be; still,
the sheer intimidation factor of being judged by the Other Himself was what
set an example, causing other resistance members to quake in their
collectively-inexpensive shoes at the horror of their friends' demise.
She didn't like doing it, not at all. But there was a line that had to be
drawn, and she couldn't have the entire race rebelling against the Other. He
wouldn't like that.
Flipping the page, Aliza began filling out the second page of the report for
the records. It was tedious work, but a record of each and every bust that
the Committee made helped fuel the system and keep the reign going. After
all, a *proper* reign of terror had to have... well, a healthy (or
unhealthy, as the case may be) dose of terror.
Terror would be the look in their eyes as they saw her open her hand and
summon energy forth--an act that should have been impossible, given the way
the Other decreed...
"... that's... that's *impossible*!" one of them had screamed. "How are you
doing this?!"
"My power is that of the Other," she had said. "He surrounds me and
strengthens me. Goodbye."
And then the Null Flare had burst to life in the midst of the group,
consuming almost all of them in a singular swirl of dark power.
It was more than an unfair advantage; it was a breach of rules in the entire
Outer world. But the Other never did play by rules...
There was a thought. Not her own, since those didn't exist anymore, outside
of what she'd been taught--but that of her Master.
/Remember what I told you nine years ago?/
Aliza blinked. /Of course not,/ she replied in a mental tone that was
completely devoid of any sarcasm or wit. /That was nine years ago. We update
memories each year and delete obsolete ones./
/Yes. I realize this. It is of little consequence... for they are coming./
/... who is 'they'?/
The Other reflected briefly on the disadvantages of having a loyal servant
who was automatically brainwashed every year. /'They' are the ones who would
come to my realm, the Outer, and challenge me in the name of the fool,
Ilyuum./ He rumbled slightly, and Aliza felt the tremors run through her own
body as if it was herself that was shivering. Technically, it *was* her now,
but...
/I see. Am I to destroy them?/ The thought, like all others, provoked only
one feeling within her: the lack of one.
/Yes. Yes, that would be most appreciated, my loyal servant./
Aliza stood up. "How many of them are there in number?" she said into the
air.
/There are five./
"Shall I gather support, then?"
/Yes. I do not want you to fail me. Muster up as many troops as you need. I
give you full jurisdiction, Aliza... my Knight./
The Knight of Other--if such a term could be used, since not even she
thought that highly of herself--nodded. "It will be done," she said, and
turned towards the barracks of the building to proceed with her orders.
[-----]
"She left, hm?"
Lina nodded. "Yeah... and now I'm supposed to go through with all this."
"Well..." Nevv began coyly. "You *can* always turn the responsibility over
to me."
"And have you screw up again? Hah!" Lina proclaimed confidently, sitting up
momentarily on the couch. "Look, Nevv, I can do this. I just need your
support, all right?"
"I'll give you my support, Lina," said Nevv, "because I'm obviously not
competent enough to be leader, right?"
"Well, duh. Then again, you *did* give sis a pretty good fight."
"... I suppose so." Nevv sighed, and took another sip of water from her
glass. "I'd rather talk about this tomorrow, if you don't--"
"Nevv." The interruption was quiet, but solid.
"What?"
Lina smiled. "Good night," she said.
"... good night," Nevv replied after a pause. Taking cup of water in hand,
she wandered back upstairs, her footfalls making a fading series of thumps
on the wooden surface of the staircase.
A few minutes later, still curled up on the couch, Lina Inverse fell asleep.
[-----]
/You went through with it./
/Yep./
/How was her reaction?/
/Typical. But I know she can handle it./
/You place much confidence in her, my Knight./
/Yep./
/What if she was to fail?/
There was a faint curling of muscle that denoted a slight, sly smile on the
part of the confident one. /Nah. She won't./
/... I am not one to doubt your service, my Knight, but even so... you place
the fate of our world upon one who is unfamiliar with the workings of gods./
/Took down Shabby. 'member?/
If gods could sigh, even in a noncorporeal form, he would have done so now.
/Yes, I do. Forgive my doubts, Luna./
/Hey, s'cool. Gods all have their lil' problems./
/What do you plan to do now, then?/
Another faint curling of muscle. /Gotta talk ta Xelloss./
/I see. Fare you well, my Knight./
/Word up./
[-----]
In the morning, Lina would have realized something. Unfortunately, she was
fast asleep, so her mind was busily running through an array of pretty
bananas, flowers, and roast turkeys.
It was when Kiseki, Nevv, and Emmanem came down that she was rudely awakened
by a sound smack to the shoulder on the part of the great Saikyouism mage
herself, Kiseki 'Umi' Rendahl.
"So!" Lina said, dusting her hands clear of the Fireball. "Are we ready to
go?"
"Might as well." "We are ready, Lina Inverse." "... ow."
"All right!" Lina said, thrusting one fist into the air and pointing at the
sky. "Let's do it!"
Cue silence reserved for comical interlude.
"You nit," Nevv said abruptly. "Only Luna and I know the incantation to get
into the Outer. You may want to, oh, I don't know, *ask* me to do it before
posing up another storm?"
Lina paused, then lowered her arm and wheeled around. "Okay, Nevv," she said
amiably. "Please recite the spell to get us into the Outer."
"Hold on." Nevv slowly gestured towards the space in front of her, summoning
forth a brief rush of air that--
--sent her spinning up into the air through the roof in a gout of dirt--
Landing back on the ground, Nevv glanced up to see Lina's grinning face.
"G'wan, keep reciting," said Dora-Mata.
Grumbling, Nevv started over, summoning forth a brief rush of air that
quickly spun out and resolved into a vacuum of energy that simply reached
out and grabbed the four of them, spiralling them into another world
entirely.
[-----]
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