Author's Note: This is once again an Inda inspired chapter. She wanted more of the girls, so I came up with the idea for this during the first post, but never got far enough to put it anywhere. Now, I can put it here. Enjoy!
Girl's Night Out
"Hurry up, Mia! We're going to miss the show." Sienna called to her older friend. Once the two women had put down some ground rules and gotten to know one another, you'd think they'd been inseparable since childhood! Which was bad news for the guys, because if they got out of line, they were in twice the trouble!
"I'm coming, just a minute." The ginger-haired woman called back from far away up the stairs.
Meanwhile, as she struggled to hear the other lady of the house, Sienna was likewise trying to drown out a much closer voice. "I still don't like you going alone, Princess. Surely at least I could. . ."
"No, Tatsumi! We're doing this to get away from you guys for a while! The Warlords made it clear that whatever-it-was is nowhere to be seen. The guys really socked it to her! It. Whatever. So I'll be perfectly fine going out like a normal person to do normal things without body guards, or Knights, or anything. Besides, Kayura will be coming with us, and Mia and I have both been learning basic self defense, remember? The worst we have to worry about is normal people, and neither of us are exactly helpless in that arena." The young Athena chided the taller man, who looked quite unconvinced and rather dejected. He finally slunk away muttering under his breath.
"Self defense, ha! That's what she has me for! This isn't a good idea at all."
"Now, remember what we taught you. . ." Shiryu started in where Tatsumi left off.
"Of course. How couldn't I? You've been drilling it into me twenty four seven for days! Ever since Mia and I mentioned we wanted to get away for a bit!" She retorted, rolling her eyes.
"We're just. . ."
"Worried, Ryo? I never would have guessed! When exactly aren't you worried? We'll be fine." Miaassuredwhen she finally appeared at the top of the stairs. "What?" She asked innocently into the sudden silence once she'd joined Sienna at the bottom of the stairs. She conveniently forgot that she was hardly looking usual in a skintight yellow dress that went to mid thigh with a diagonal stripe of pink triangles, matching her earrings, starting from her left shoulder and going down to her side. Her toed, slightly heeled shoes matched the shade of pink, and her hair was loosely pulled back by a yellow ribbon. In a word, she was stunning, and a few of the boys were noticing this for the first time.
The princess, also, had abandoned her normal gown in preference of something slightly less conspicuous. She wore a white shirt that gathered at the side over a lacy white skirt with lavender flowers embroidered on it. Her shoes sported the same four-petaled flowers in white on a pale violet background.
"We're off!" Sienna grinned mischievously at the blank expressions on several of the boys' faces - including if not especially her Knights - as she pulled Mia out the door with a final wave.
"WAIT!" The voices hit the slamming door as an engine could be heard beyond it.
"You can quote me as saying this is a very bad idea." Kento muttered into his handswhile rubbing his eyes.
"Well, considering your good ideas, I'm sure we can rest at ease." Rowen joked.
"How's that?" Cye cocked an eyebrow. He was also in the process of nervously biting his bottom lip, so he looked rather comical himself.
"Simple, if he thinks they're good, then his ideas of good and bad are reversed, so his bad is our good." Rowen explained, dodging the larger boy's flailing fists. The Knights still hadn't learned how to read their friends, and were thus quite confused by Sage and Cye laughing on the side line doing nothing.
"Let them play, their not really trying to hurt each other. Kento is actually really defensive of those he cares about. He'd die before he let any real harm come to any of us." Ryo explained softly to the tense, puzzled spectators.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'd never really hurt Rowen. Unless he really deserved it." Kento smiled mid-lunge, turning towards the periphery of the mock-fight, and nearly falling flat on his face for it.
"Yeah, as long as I don't mess with his lunch I'll live." Rowen shot back as he slipped out of the room, a quickly righted Hardrock hot on his heals, leaving the Knight onlookers in shocked silence until they, too, burst out laughing. But it didn't quite drown out the noise of a door closing.
"Ryo's in one of those moods again, isn't he?" Cye asked Sage in as quiet and conversational a tone as the brown-haired boy could manage. That bit of comic relief had proved a needed respite, but now he once again fell into busying himself about the kitchen to work off the tension. He'd made breakfast as usual, but no one had eaten much.
"Yeah, he is. Just let him go. We're all a little on edge, I mean, the house is packed. Big as it is, it wasn't built to accommodate twelve people and a tiger. It's why the Warlords and Yuli are staying home, as in away from here. And why even though she came to visit, Kayura stayed in the car while the girls got ready. It was nice of Anubis to take Kiki back to his own dimension to explain everything to the other Knights, though. Plus, one less person around the house." Sage affirmed softly as he slipped into the other room with a cup of tea and sat down to read the newspaper. He was almost chatty, a sure sign that he wasn't himself, when Shiryu soon joined him.
-
"I was starting to think you'd never get out of there." Kayura sighed once the car was rolling.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, it's just I haven't been able to get out in so long, I wanted to look good." Mia apologized, glancing as she drove at the azure haired Empress beside her.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's nice to have so many people so devoted to you, but sometimes, you just want to get away. I'm really looking forward to this." Sienna agreed, almost giddy.
"Luckily my guys know I can take care of myself, so they're not so bad, but sometimes, I get the same way." The young Ancient smiled as she turned a sympathetic look towards the princess in the back seat.
"Lucky indeed." Both Mia and Sienna shot back in unison before all three burst into laughter.
-
Little did the merry threesome know, a dark figure followed close behind, flitting from shadow to shadow, watching and waiting.
-
"I'm exhausted." Kayura sighed as she collapsed onto a bench three hours later. "Who knew mortal shopping had gotten this hectic."
"The mall is a tiring place, but at least we came on a weekday. And, while there are more students here in the summer, it's not anywhere near as crowded as it could be today. You should see it during the holidays." Mia explained, cheerfully people-watchingwhile sipping a soda. Sienna raised an eyebrow.
"You're kidding me. It gets worse than this? Wow. I've never been to a mall, either, but I haven't seen so many people in one building since the Galaxian Wars!" The young princess exclaimed, starring with newly-opened wide eyes at the crowd.
"Well, come on you two, we still have a movie to catch." Mia smiled upon depositing her now empty cup in the trash. She took each of the women with her by the arm and off they went again, into the crush of people, heading down towards the theater.
-
All the while, the figure watched them, smiling a secret smile. It now had a companion on each side, but the three managed to slide through the people like a drop of water through a lake. Swiftly, easily, unnoticed.
-
After the movie, it was getting dark, and most of the mall rats had scurried home for the night. The girls approached Mia's trusty Jeep, chattering away about their favorite lines, the only people in the parking lot, though many other cars remained. That's how a shadow slipped behind them and took Sienna unawares.
"Well, well, Princess, aren't you a cute one. You ladies here all by yourselves, that's hardly wise. Why don't we walk you home. Our fee is minimal - considering we're saving your lives here from all the creeps out there, it shouldn't be too hard to part with all the money you have left and we'll even carry you're packages." A black-haired punk with a torn t-shirt and faded jeans catcalled as he took a firm hold of the purple-haired goddess' shoulder.
"Here's a better idea. Release her now and you might be able to walk away from this." A growl made the three would-be-assailants jump and turn to face ice-blue eyes burning with fury. Flanking the enraged, but street-clothed Swan was a fully armored, none too pleased Warlord of Corruption andWildfire in his subarmor. Beside this latest would-be defender, White Blaze barred his teeth menacingly.
"Hey, look, guys, we're not trying to start anything, we're. . ."
"Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Believe me, they're the least of your worries." The Empress spat at the cowering leader as he tried to inch behind her. Her eyes never left Cale'swhile she delivered a solid kick to the hapless hooligan's backside that sent him into his companions. They landed in a heap a full car length away. Mia gave a frown, placing her hands on her hips.
"Did you really have to hit him that hard, Kayura? I mean, he was scared enough."
"Yes, but now hetruly knowsnot to mess with women." Sienna defended the older monarch, ignoring her bewildered knight.
"Well, so much for saving the day. Looks like you girls really can take care of yourselves." Ryo stated in wonder as he powered down to civies.
"Indeed, but still, it was better not to take that chance." Cale nodded, hiding a smile as best he could. He wasn't sure if he was irritated or amused, but the scampering of little feet, especially when they were the retreating footsteps of low-lifes, always put him in a good mood somehow.
"Better safe than sorry, especially with the people you care about. You just can't be too careful with important people in big cities." The blond boy agreed solemnly.
"Yes, you can never be sure, can you little dove?" A hoarse whisper brushed their ears like the buzz of a hornetwhile a shadow darkened on Sienna's shoulder.The cloth on hershoulder where thecreep had grabbed her had remained rumpled, as if the hand that held ithad never let go. In a way, it hadn't; a fact made tooclearas anall too familiar form wrapped itself around the startled Princess and together with herdisappeared into the night.The enemyhad been so faint a presence, not even Cale had noticed it until it was too late, andAthena was gone.
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Muhahahaha, complete fluff to the bitter end, then another twisted cliff hanger! Because I am that evil!