Chapter Three: Getting To Know You
Mmmmm . Kanna Nobutoshi has one SEXY voice. Maxi's English voice isn't that bad, but Kanna . oooh, baby. Sorry, just been playin' too much SoulCalibur2 lately . and my brother took a look at Maxi and said "I'll bet he's on Bill Clinton's don't-ask-don't-tell list. Whatever, he's weird, huh? Oh, yada yada, I don't own anything except bipolar disorder and a whole lotta anime DVDs.
"Maxi ." the young man murmured.
"Maxi!" Xianghua exclaimed. She leapt forward and hugged him, obviously forgetting that he had no memory of her.
"Oh, how cute!" Ilya gushed.
"What the .?" he demanded. "You again?"
The young man stood up. "Maxi . I'm so glad to see you're alive! I thought you'd been killed!"
"Look, I don't . know either of you."
"But . it's me, Kilik! We traveled together for months, you, me and Xianghua! How could you have forgotten?"
"I would have remembered you if I'd ever met you." Maxi gently but firmly removed Xianghua from himself and turned to the old woman. "Where's our room, again?"
Ilya was watching with an intense curiosity. "Wow, now there're two of them!" she said with a strange sort of amusement in her voice, as though she were rather pleased to be witnessing it.
"You certainly sound interested," Maxi mumbled, giving her a frown, to which she replied with a grin. "This is getting strange."
"Are you sure . you don't remember us .?" Xianghua said slowly and sadly.
"Of course I don't! I've said it before!" His patience was wearing thin.
"Look, your name is Maxi. You're from Shuri, in the Ryukyu Kingdom. You went after Astaroth because he killed your crew and your sworn brother ." Kilik began, but a fierce gaze from Maxi stopped him mid-sentence.
"I don't know how you know all of that, but . I don't know you! I'd just like to be left alone. And yes, that includes you!" he added purely as an afterthought, looking at Ilya. He then stormed out of the room, leaving the Russian girl with Kilik and Xianghua.
"Men are such babies," Ilya huffed, pursing her lips ever so slightly in irritation.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Xianghua inquired.
Ilya turned to face her. "Oh, me?" she asked, cheerful tone reappearing. "I'm Ilya Strucov. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"How do you know Maxi?" Kilik asked.
"We met just two days ago. I've been tagging along with him on the way to Marseille. He's a bit grouchy, isn't he?"
"My, my, it seems we're having a few problems, no?" the old French woman said. "Anyway, my name is Annabelle. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you very much, Annabelle!" Ilya said happily as she left. "I'm sure Maxi's thankful, too!" She turned back to Kilik and Xianghua. "Well, guess I'll be on my way, then!" She gave a wave as she turned and left, following Maxi.
She found him in the room they were to share, laying on one of the beds and facing the wall. "Look, I'll leave you alone as soon as we get to Marseille and I get any information about Soul Edge," Ilya announced. "I'll stop following you. I'll hire a guide or something."
"I didn't . mean to be so rude."
"It doesn't bother me. I live with a jerk, you know." Ilya set her things down on the other bed and grabbed a pair of baggy pants and a long- sleeved shirt from her bag. "I'm going to take a bath. It's been a while since I've been able to just soak in the tub."
He rolled over and looked at her. "You realize that I don't believe for a minute you only want to find Soul Edge to say you did, don't you?"
Ilya gave him a scornful glare but then sighed and shook her head, smiling. "You got me. That's not the reason."
"I haven't known you very long, but I knew someone who used to act just the way you do, so I know when people like you are hiding something."
"If you know that, then you'll know I have no intention of telling you the real reason!" she added merrily.
"It's for revenge, isn't it?"
She shook her head. "No, not that. Nothing's as simple as it seems, you realize. Remember, the world isn't black or white - just gray."
He gave her a faint smile. "You really are like Kyam, you know?"
"Who's he?"
"He was . my brother, essentially. We weren't just friends, we were like brothers. He was killed by this huge golem called Astaroth."
"That's too bad." There wasn't really much emotion in her voice.
"I somehow doubt your sincerity."
She grinned. "I'm just sort of desensitized to that sort of thing now. Besides, all that's on my mind is a nice, warm bath."
As Ilya soaked in the tub, her thoughts wandered toward her family. Sure, she'd never gotten along with her sisters Miska and Anya, but she'd loved them nonetheless. And then there was Zhenya, her sister-in-law . Anatoli had loved her more than anything. And Chechnya, poor Chechnya, killed when he wasn't even a year old. Anatoli was beyond heartbroken when his wife and child had died; Ilya thought he'd just waste away from grief. But he still had her, and he had said that was enough to keep him going.
Of course . she'd left home without his permission, and she was now worried about him. The poor idiot didn't have anything to do but try to get her to behave. Now that she was gone, he didn't have anything left .
"Oh, well," Ilya said cheerfully. "If he's so bored and depressed, he can come and find me!" Then she thought about what she'd just said. He probably would, the jerk.
Suddenly the door flew open, revealing none other than Kilik. The two stared at each other for what seemed like five minutes before Kilik's face turned red and he slowly shut the door, murmuring, " .sorry ." under his breath. When he was gone, Ilya turned a shade of scarlet almost as dark as her hair. Suddenly taking a bath wasn't so relaxing anymore.
"What happened?" Maxi asked as she came back, fairly red in the face.
"That guy saw me naked!" she growled. "I hate men!"
"He probably didn't mean to ."
"I don't care! Girls don't care if guys meant to or not, we just care that they did!"
Maxi let out a chuckle. "Look, just let it go. You can't change the past. That's one thing I've learned the hard way."
Ilya rolled her eyes. "Fancy hearing you say that, Mr. Revenge-is-my- only-goal-in-life!"
"You're not much of a lady, so why does it bother you?"
Ilya gasped and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You take that back! I'm a perfect lady!"
He laughed again. "Alright, alright ." Maxi then stood up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna take a bath as well."
"Make sure that guy doesn't walk in on you," said Ilya bitterly.
When Maxi was finished, he walked back into the room, wearing nothing but a towel. (Hmmm . the possibilities are endless ..) Ilya was already asleep, so he just changed back into a pair of pants and followed suit.
The next morning, Kilik had a question for Ilya. "Um . er . where did you get that scar on your chest?"
Ilya gave him a look of confusion. "Scar .? What ." But then she remembered. "Oh, oh, that! It's a long story. Nothing you should concern yourself with." She thought for a moment, and then added, "Pervert."
Kilik blushed and looked at the floor. "Yeah . I'm sorry about that, it was an accident. I'm really, really sorry."
Maxi came up behind Ilya and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "She forgives you, don't you, kiddo?"
"I thought I told you, I'm not a kid!" she growled, slapping his hand away. "You're such a jerk."
"And you're a brat."
"C'mon, why don't you let me see your scar?" he teased.
She scowled and stomped on his foot. "You're soooo gross!" she wailed, covering her chest with her arms. "I'm not into older men."
"Well, you're perfectly safe, since I don't like little girls."
Annabelle laughed. "How adorable you two are! Anyway, I've prepared breakfast for you. Come, sit down." The four travelers obeyed, and they ate a quick meal of pastries and fruit.
"Leaving so soon?" Xianghua asked Ilya as the Russian girl packed made ready her backpack a bit later. Ilya turned to face her, grinning. Xianghua had followed her to the room she had shared with Maxi, and though Ilya wasn't looking for trouble, she'd be more than happy to help the Chinese girl stir some up.
"I'm just getting ready in case Maxi decides we're leaving." Xianghua visibly flinched. "I'm really only tagging along, though - I couldn't find my way out the front door without help."
Xianghua let down her guard and smiled a little. "Has Maxi mentioned his first quest for Soul Edge?"
"Huh? There was a first one?"
"Never mind ."
"So, I take it you like him, eh?" Ilya gave her a mischievous smile. "I heard you talking to him in Lyon."
The girl blushed. "You . you did? Well, uh . Kilik and I went with him to search for Soul Edge four years ago, and we thought he'd been killed, but . I'm . we're so happy he's alive, even if he doesn't remember us." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Ilya?" a voice asked from the hallway. It was Maxi. "Ilya, are you ready to head out?"
She smiled at him, but felt bad for Xianghua all the same. "Yeah, I guess. Can't we wait just a bit?"
"Alright, but remember, there's a time limit on this thing." He left for the main room, presumably to talk to Annabelle.
Ilya turned back to Xianghua. "There, I bought you some time. Go talk to him again."
Xianghua brightened. "Thanks . thank you so much!" She gave Ilya a tight hug and skipped off to talk to him.
Ilya hated being touched. She had tolerated the hug, but made no effort to return it. When the Chinese girl left, she shrugged away her revulsion and took out a whetstone to sharpen Russkaya Pravda's blade, however unnecessary it was (the blade of the knife never really needed sharpening; the last time someone had taken a whetstone to it was before her time, approximately twenty-three years ago). It always calmed her down to have something to do. She didn't know why she was so on-edge, so frustrated, but she thought it would pacify her nerves.
When Maxi entered the room half an hour later, Ilya was singing quietly to herself in Russian. Her voice was clear and melodious, the most beautiful he'd ever heard. He gave a short rap on the door to announce his arrival, and she stopped and gave him a partially startled look. "Um, hi," he said with uncharacteristic coyness. "That . that was a nice song you were singing."
Ilya turned her attention back to her knife. "Oh, thanks. It's an old folk song from Kolmyr."
"The mountains you're from?"
"Uh-huh."
"If you don't mind my asking, what's it about?"
"Two lovers who're torn apart by war. The girl travels a long way to find the man, who's a soldier. In the end she ends up dead, but his tears bring her back to life."
"That was a beautiful song. Can . can I hear it again?"
Ilya took a deep breath and started over. As she sang the final few notes, she closed her eyes and smiled. "Ah, I love that story." Then, realizing she was getting sappy in front of someone, she shook her head as if to clear it of such thoughts. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"Let's get out of here. Just the two of us."
"What?!"
"No, no, nothing like that - it's just that I'm getting sick of those two trying to convince me that I know them."
"Why don't you be a man and face your feelings? Maybe you do know them. Besides, you should give that chick a chance. She seems nice."
Maxi frowned. "What feelings?"
"Never mind. Anyway, why are you so enthused about taking me along now?"
He paused, considering the question carefully. "Hmmm . I suppose because you keep me company, and you don't pester me much."
" 'Much'?"
"Well, you're a total brat, but you're not that bad." Maxi laughed as an irate Ilya hurled a shoe at him. "Ah, come on, take a joke."
"You're mean."
"Whatever. Are you ready to go?"
"Sure, sure . but I'll have to thank Annabelle on my way out and give her some cash-money for letting us crash here."
"You don't have to worry about that; I offered to pay her for allowing us to stay, but she said it was her pleasure. I also thanked her kindly."
Maxi and Ilya grabbed their things and headed out the door and into the forest that ran along the Rhone. They hadn't gone fifty feet before Maxi was hit in the neck by several small darts.
Yeah, that's sorta a cliffhanger, but it should get some of y'all to read the next chapter, right? Hope you like it so far. Oh, and if you're thinking that because of the song Ilya sings that I'm going to have her die and Maxi's tears bring her back, NO WAY. I really don't like having the outcomes of stories be so obviously spelled out in early chapters. Besides, that would be totally stupid. And in case you're wondering, cash-money is what I call cash. No reason, really, just because I heard one of my brothers call it that and it stuck. Heh.
Next: Maxi's wounded, and things are gonna get a tad risqué. I'm not joking . I'm thinking of making this a lemon. Hee hee . steamy.
Mmmmm . Kanna Nobutoshi has one SEXY voice. Maxi's English voice isn't that bad, but Kanna . oooh, baby. Sorry, just been playin' too much SoulCalibur2 lately . and my brother took a look at Maxi and said "I'll bet he's on Bill Clinton's don't-ask-don't-tell list. Whatever, he's weird, huh? Oh, yada yada, I don't own anything except bipolar disorder and a whole lotta anime DVDs.
"Maxi ." the young man murmured.
"Maxi!" Xianghua exclaimed. She leapt forward and hugged him, obviously forgetting that he had no memory of her.
"Oh, how cute!" Ilya gushed.
"What the .?" he demanded. "You again?"
The young man stood up. "Maxi . I'm so glad to see you're alive! I thought you'd been killed!"
"Look, I don't . know either of you."
"But . it's me, Kilik! We traveled together for months, you, me and Xianghua! How could you have forgotten?"
"I would have remembered you if I'd ever met you." Maxi gently but firmly removed Xianghua from himself and turned to the old woman. "Where's our room, again?"
Ilya was watching with an intense curiosity. "Wow, now there're two of them!" she said with a strange sort of amusement in her voice, as though she were rather pleased to be witnessing it.
"You certainly sound interested," Maxi mumbled, giving her a frown, to which she replied with a grin. "This is getting strange."
"Are you sure . you don't remember us .?" Xianghua said slowly and sadly.
"Of course I don't! I've said it before!" His patience was wearing thin.
"Look, your name is Maxi. You're from Shuri, in the Ryukyu Kingdom. You went after Astaroth because he killed your crew and your sworn brother ." Kilik began, but a fierce gaze from Maxi stopped him mid-sentence.
"I don't know how you know all of that, but . I don't know you! I'd just like to be left alone. And yes, that includes you!" he added purely as an afterthought, looking at Ilya. He then stormed out of the room, leaving the Russian girl with Kilik and Xianghua.
"Men are such babies," Ilya huffed, pursing her lips ever so slightly in irritation.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Xianghua inquired.
Ilya turned to face her. "Oh, me?" she asked, cheerful tone reappearing. "I'm Ilya Strucov. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"How do you know Maxi?" Kilik asked.
"We met just two days ago. I've been tagging along with him on the way to Marseille. He's a bit grouchy, isn't he?"
"My, my, it seems we're having a few problems, no?" the old French woman said. "Anyway, my name is Annabelle. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you very much, Annabelle!" Ilya said happily as she left. "I'm sure Maxi's thankful, too!" She turned back to Kilik and Xianghua. "Well, guess I'll be on my way, then!" She gave a wave as she turned and left, following Maxi.
She found him in the room they were to share, laying on one of the beds and facing the wall. "Look, I'll leave you alone as soon as we get to Marseille and I get any information about Soul Edge," Ilya announced. "I'll stop following you. I'll hire a guide or something."
"I didn't . mean to be so rude."
"It doesn't bother me. I live with a jerk, you know." Ilya set her things down on the other bed and grabbed a pair of baggy pants and a long- sleeved shirt from her bag. "I'm going to take a bath. It's been a while since I've been able to just soak in the tub."
He rolled over and looked at her. "You realize that I don't believe for a minute you only want to find Soul Edge to say you did, don't you?"
Ilya gave him a scornful glare but then sighed and shook her head, smiling. "You got me. That's not the reason."
"I haven't known you very long, but I knew someone who used to act just the way you do, so I know when people like you are hiding something."
"If you know that, then you'll know I have no intention of telling you the real reason!" she added merrily.
"It's for revenge, isn't it?"
She shook her head. "No, not that. Nothing's as simple as it seems, you realize. Remember, the world isn't black or white - just gray."
He gave her a faint smile. "You really are like Kyam, you know?"
"Who's he?"
"He was . my brother, essentially. We weren't just friends, we were like brothers. He was killed by this huge golem called Astaroth."
"That's too bad." There wasn't really much emotion in her voice.
"I somehow doubt your sincerity."
She grinned. "I'm just sort of desensitized to that sort of thing now. Besides, all that's on my mind is a nice, warm bath."
As Ilya soaked in the tub, her thoughts wandered toward her family. Sure, she'd never gotten along with her sisters Miska and Anya, but she'd loved them nonetheless. And then there was Zhenya, her sister-in-law . Anatoli had loved her more than anything. And Chechnya, poor Chechnya, killed when he wasn't even a year old. Anatoli was beyond heartbroken when his wife and child had died; Ilya thought he'd just waste away from grief. But he still had her, and he had said that was enough to keep him going.
Of course . she'd left home without his permission, and she was now worried about him. The poor idiot didn't have anything to do but try to get her to behave. Now that she was gone, he didn't have anything left .
"Oh, well," Ilya said cheerfully. "If he's so bored and depressed, he can come and find me!" Then she thought about what she'd just said. He probably would, the jerk.
Suddenly the door flew open, revealing none other than Kilik. The two stared at each other for what seemed like five minutes before Kilik's face turned red and he slowly shut the door, murmuring, " .sorry ." under his breath. When he was gone, Ilya turned a shade of scarlet almost as dark as her hair. Suddenly taking a bath wasn't so relaxing anymore.
"What happened?" Maxi asked as she came back, fairly red in the face.
"That guy saw me naked!" she growled. "I hate men!"
"He probably didn't mean to ."
"I don't care! Girls don't care if guys meant to or not, we just care that they did!"
Maxi let out a chuckle. "Look, just let it go. You can't change the past. That's one thing I've learned the hard way."
Ilya rolled her eyes. "Fancy hearing you say that, Mr. Revenge-is-my- only-goal-in-life!"
"You're not much of a lady, so why does it bother you?"
Ilya gasped and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You take that back! I'm a perfect lady!"
He laughed again. "Alright, alright ." Maxi then stood up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna take a bath as well."
"Make sure that guy doesn't walk in on you," said Ilya bitterly.
When Maxi was finished, he walked back into the room, wearing nothing but a towel. (Hmmm . the possibilities are endless ..) Ilya was already asleep, so he just changed back into a pair of pants and followed suit.
The next morning, Kilik had a question for Ilya. "Um . er . where did you get that scar on your chest?"
Ilya gave him a look of confusion. "Scar .? What ." But then she remembered. "Oh, oh, that! It's a long story. Nothing you should concern yourself with." She thought for a moment, and then added, "Pervert."
Kilik blushed and looked at the floor. "Yeah . I'm sorry about that, it was an accident. I'm really, really sorry."
Maxi came up behind Ilya and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "She forgives you, don't you, kiddo?"
"I thought I told you, I'm not a kid!" she growled, slapping his hand away. "You're such a jerk."
"And you're a brat."
"C'mon, why don't you let me see your scar?" he teased.
She scowled and stomped on his foot. "You're soooo gross!" she wailed, covering her chest with her arms. "I'm not into older men."
"Well, you're perfectly safe, since I don't like little girls."
Annabelle laughed. "How adorable you two are! Anyway, I've prepared breakfast for you. Come, sit down." The four travelers obeyed, and they ate a quick meal of pastries and fruit.
"Leaving so soon?" Xianghua asked Ilya as the Russian girl packed made ready her backpack a bit later. Ilya turned to face her, grinning. Xianghua had followed her to the room she had shared with Maxi, and though Ilya wasn't looking for trouble, she'd be more than happy to help the Chinese girl stir some up.
"I'm just getting ready in case Maxi decides we're leaving." Xianghua visibly flinched. "I'm really only tagging along, though - I couldn't find my way out the front door without help."
Xianghua let down her guard and smiled a little. "Has Maxi mentioned his first quest for Soul Edge?"
"Huh? There was a first one?"
"Never mind ."
"So, I take it you like him, eh?" Ilya gave her a mischievous smile. "I heard you talking to him in Lyon."
The girl blushed. "You . you did? Well, uh . Kilik and I went with him to search for Soul Edge four years ago, and we thought he'd been killed, but . I'm . we're so happy he's alive, even if he doesn't remember us." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Ilya?" a voice asked from the hallway. It was Maxi. "Ilya, are you ready to head out?"
She smiled at him, but felt bad for Xianghua all the same. "Yeah, I guess. Can't we wait just a bit?"
"Alright, but remember, there's a time limit on this thing." He left for the main room, presumably to talk to Annabelle.
Ilya turned back to Xianghua. "There, I bought you some time. Go talk to him again."
Xianghua brightened. "Thanks . thank you so much!" She gave Ilya a tight hug and skipped off to talk to him.
Ilya hated being touched. She had tolerated the hug, but made no effort to return it. When the Chinese girl left, she shrugged away her revulsion and took out a whetstone to sharpen Russkaya Pravda's blade, however unnecessary it was (the blade of the knife never really needed sharpening; the last time someone had taken a whetstone to it was before her time, approximately twenty-three years ago). It always calmed her down to have something to do. She didn't know why she was so on-edge, so frustrated, but she thought it would pacify her nerves.
When Maxi entered the room half an hour later, Ilya was singing quietly to herself in Russian. Her voice was clear and melodious, the most beautiful he'd ever heard. He gave a short rap on the door to announce his arrival, and she stopped and gave him a partially startled look. "Um, hi," he said with uncharacteristic coyness. "That . that was a nice song you were singing."
Ilya turned her attention back to her knife. "Oh, thanks. It's an old folk song from Kolmyr."
"The mountains you're from?"
"Uh-huh."
"If you don't mind my asking, what's it about?"
"Two lovers who're torn apart by war. The girl travels a long way to find the man, who's a soldier. In the end she ends up dead, but his tears bring her back to life."
"That was a beautiful song. Can . can I hear it again?"
Ilya took a deep breath and started over. As she sang the final few notes, she closed her eyes and smiled. "Ah, I love that story." Then, realizing she was getting sappy in front of someone, she shook her head as if to clear it of such thoughts. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"Let's get out of here. Just the two of us."
"What?!"
"No, no, nothing like that - it's just that I'm getting sick of those two trying to convince me that I know them."
"Why don't you be a man and face your feelings? Maybe you do know them. Besides, you should give that chick a chance. She seems nice."
Maxi frowned. "What feelings?"
"Never mind. Anyway, why are you so enthused about taking me along now?"
He paused, considering the question carefully. "Hmmm . I suppose because you keep me company, and you don't pester me much."
" 'Much'?"
"Well, you're a total brat, but you're not that bad." Maxi laughed as an irate Ilya hurled a shoe at him. "Ah, come on, take a joke."
"You're mean."
"Whatever. Are you ready to go?"
"Sure, sure . but I'll have to thank Annabelle on my way out and give her some cash-money for letting us crash here."
"You don't have to worry about that; I offered to pay her for allowing us to stay, but she said it was her pleasure. I also thanked her kindly."
Maxi and Ilya grabbed their things and headed out the door and into the forest that ran along the Rhone. They hadn't gone fifty feet before Maxi was hit in the neck by several small darts.
Yeah, that's sorta a cliffhanger, but it should get some of y'all to read the next chapter, right? Hope you like it so far. Oh, and if you're thinking that because of the song Ilya sings that I'm going to have her die and Maxi's tears bring her back, NO WAY. I really don't like having the outcomes of stories be so obviously spelled out in early chapters. Besides, that would be totally stupid. And in case you're wondering, cash-money is what I call cash. No reason, really, just because I heard one of my brothers call it that and it stuck. Heh.
Next: Maxi's wounded, and things are gonna get a tad risqué. I'm not joking . I'm thinking of making this a lemon. Hee hee . steamy.