Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land

Chapter Interlude - Kazuma

Kazuma groaned as the hot shower rushed down him. They had the option of going back to the capital, and of course of going back to the slums where their rented room was. In truth they did need to go back but not for the obvious reasons of returning to that dank and musty room they'd rented with the money from Aqua's mid range booze. They needed to return in order to use the gateway that idiot had created.

Other than that there was no reason to head back, and so their reward had been a house on Alnus Hill. Free of use for as long as they wanted, and when they were to return they were going to be leaving with four decent sized bars of gold. Sure, it wasn't the currency from their world, but hey it would allow them to exchange out for it, and besides taking back something that could be used for money in their world was fine with him.

Right now though the hot water coming from the shower was nice. It was too bad that there wasn't a bath for them to enjoy, but he didn't mind taking a normal shower. The sound of the door opening got his attention and he looked over to see someone standing there.

"Oh, I didn't realize that you were in here," Megumin said as she stood at the doorway, "Umm, I'll just wait."

There was a moment of silence, and he knew that she was still watching, "Outside or in," he replied after a moment, "Either way, please close the door, I like having the room nice and steamy."

The door closed and he heard some rustling, "Both Aqua and Darkness are not in right now," she said as he saw her moving, "And honestly, I don't think that we're going to get another chance."

She moved toward the shower, and he felt the plastic curtain move before she stepped into the spray of hot water, "Oh, this is nice," she remarked as the it hit her back, "Why don't we have this back in our world?"

He didn't answer her, but instead gave her a kiss that she returned. The two of them stood in the hot water, kissing, feeling, touching, and doing the things that led up to what lovers were supposed to do. Of course since they'd finally made that move to admit that they wanted to be together it seemed that the universe was determined to ensure that they were constantly brought up to the moment of enjoying one another, and then promptly dumped some impossible situation onto them.

It was one of the reasons they had decided to not try anything while they were in the small rented room. It would be a recipe for disaster, and neither of them really wanted to deal with explaining why they were trying to be intimate with a space that was barely big enough for all four of them. Besides, Kazuma knew that Darkness would never stop teasing him or her about it, and Aqua would be worse.

"Just couldn't wait, could you, Kazutrash," he could hear her saying in his head, "Just had to corrupt our poor arch wizard."

He felt Megumin press closer against him, and he felt her hands around his neck. She broke the kiss for just a moment and he was able to look into her eyes as she looked back into his. His little explosive addicted psycho was honestly the one person he wanted to be with. Sure, she could be completely insane at times, and her addiction to improving the power of her explosion spell was completely insane. Still, she was someone that had a real connection with.

"I don't know how long they're going to be gone," she said, "so let's make the most of it."

With that she kissed him again, lightly, pulled back, and turned around. He saw the supple way her back was sculpted. The muscles that had become defined from her years of living in absolute poverty and being forced to hunt for food for her sisters and parents. Her hips were a little narrow, and she was obviously meant to be more petite than someone like Darkness. None of that mattered to him. She was beautiful in her own way. He kissed her neck, working down to her shoulders, and his hands moved around her waist. One moved up, finding the small treasure that awaited on her chest.

The other moved further down, looking for a similar treasure that awaited him. She let out a small gasp as he found the prize that they both wanted explored. There had been so many lost chances, and so many times that things had simply happened that neither of them could really contain their excitement at the possibility of actually getting to do the one thing they wanted for so long.

Kazuma let his finger move, slightly dipping into the promise land, and he heard her gasp turn into a slight moan. It was going to happen, it was finally going to happen for them both. All of the waiting, all of the time spent wishing and wanting, and now it was going to finally happen. He felt her bend forward, and he was so ready.

"Do it," she said, her voice husky, "I want to, and we both know that the moment it happens what we'll be."

The laws of the Crimson Demon Clan weren't complex. Sure, there were marriages, but all too often if a couple simply made love, and did so out of love, then they were considered married. For those that happened to be less economically inclined it was how they ended up being married. He prepared, nervously swallowed, and began to move forward. As he did the door swung open.

"Kazuma!" Aqua shouted as she marched into the bathroom, "GET OUT OF THE SHOWER! THE GODDESS OF THE AXIS ORDER DEMANDS HER TIME IN THE HOT WATER!"

"AQUA GET OUT!" both he and Megumin shouted, "GET OUT!"

Kazuma watched as Aqua huffed, slammed the door, and left. Honestly, he felt better that she was gone. Unfortunately he knew that the chance they had was gone as well. He felt Megumin lean against him. It wasn't a seductive movement, but rather it was just one of comfort. He put his arms around her and hugged her as they stood in the water, "I was really hoping that she would be gone for longer."

He nodded, "Same here," he admitted, "I really had hoped that she would take the hint and maybe help with something else.

He couldn't help but let a small laugh escape, "It seems like every single time it's something, isn't it?"

She nodded, and he felt her hand move, "I don't care," she said as she leaned forward, "She can poke fun at us, she can call us names, but I don't care. I've waited too long for this."

He felt her touch him, "I know that you have too," she said before she leaned forward, "We can have an actual ceremony back home, and we can invite everyone to it. But I want to do this, and I want us to be what we should be."

He nodded, "I do too."

It was the first time for both of them. It was the first time that he'd experienced anything like this in his life. Before he'd died on his earth he'd attempted to connect to some of the girls that he'd thought that he liked. When those same girls decided to go after the guys that made his life a living hell he'd decided to distance himself from everyone. It was the reason he stopped going to school. It was the reason he decided to dedicate himself to video games, and then on the one time that he went out he ended up dying in a vain attempt to save someone.

The connections that he had made with his party were different, and the one he had with Megumin were stronger than he had believed they would be. He felt her push back on him, and he felt as he entered her. He'd joked about her being jailbait when they first met, and still things began to grow between them. It hadn't been intentional, and it was organic. He honestly didn't want a harem anymore. He just wanted her.

There was a moment that she stopped, and he felt something there inside of her. He couldn't tell what it was, but years of having access to the internet told him exactly what it was. This was the last wall between her being a virgin. She pulled forward, and pulled back a little. He was wondering if she was losing her nerve, and he wasn't going to push her if she wasn't ready.

For a moment there was a slight hesitation, and then that hesitation ended. She thrust her hips back, and he couldn't help but thrust forward. The moment their hips connected he felt it. He felt the true connection between them. He felt the moment that they were different from what they had been. They were lovers, they were together, and by the laws of the Crimson Demon Clan they were officially married.

"G…go slow."

He listened, and the movements were slower. They were gentle, and he felt her taking the time to get used to what they were doing. He put his hands on her hips, and he looked at the palms of her hands that were laying flat against the shower. Their tempo began to speed up slightly, and any thought about what could be said the moment they exited the shower didn't matter. It didn't matter because he was good with how their life was going to be.

"K…Kazuma!" she exclaimed, her voice full of lust, and he was right behind her, "Don't stop!"

The two of them moved frantically, and both of them lost to the desires that they had. Neither of them had expected this. Neither of them had understood exactly how this would change things between them. For Kazuma it made him understand exactly what it was going to be. This was going to be the person that he would end up spending the rest of his life with. This was the person that he wanted to stay with.

Even if he had the chance to return to his earth, to his Japan, he was certain that he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't because he knew that he would only go if she could go with him. Even then he was certain that he'd simply say goodbye to that old life. He felt himself tense, a familiar, and yet wholly unfamiliar, feeling covered him. He felt her tense at the same time, and the both of them connected hard. For a moment he felt the build up, and then he felt the release.

There was an awkward chuckle from Megumin, and then he couldn't help but laugh. The two of them stayed there for a few moments. Their passion felt, shared, and then he couldn't help himself. He leaned forward, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her up. He kissed the back of her head, and then the two of them stood there under the hot water.

"Are you two done yet?!" came the voice of the most annoying goddess in the multiverse, "Because I really want a shower, and really, I'm ashamed that Kazutrash has ruined our archwizard!"

He breathed out, "I swear, she's such a brat."

She laughed with him, "She is, but then I guess that's okay," she replied as she leaned against him, "I mean, if it wasn't for her then you would have never shown up in our world, right?"

He smiled, "Right," he replied, "If it wasn't for her then I would have never came to your world."

She nodded, "Then it's fine. She can be a brat, and I can deal with it. Although I'm going to remind her that she's more of a child than I am, especially now."

He laughed at her declaration, "I'm sure that will go over great."

She giggled, "Maybe, but it could be fun, you know."

He shook his head at her suggestion. There was no denying that Aqua was a brat. She was entitled, felt that she needed to be constantly praised for everything she did, and tended act like a little kid. She was as far from what he believed a goddess should act as a person could get. Then again one of the video games he used to play dealt with greek gods before, and she did kinda act like some of those.

Maybe that was how she fit in, but if that was the case who had the bright idea of putting her over everyone that died in Japan? He shook his head, "Yeah, it could be fun," he agreed after a moment, "But try not to let it get too bad. Despite everything we still have to live with her, and you know how much of a pain in the but she can be."

He heard her laugh, felt her hug, and looked down into the eyes of the girl he'd fallen in love with. Yeah, they were two years apart in age, but that wasn't a big deal. Besides, she was an adult. The other part of all of this was the fact that the moment they got back she needed to let her mom know that they were together. He didn't mind that he would likely be supporting her family. They were good people, but her dad had the same business sense as Wiz. That meant that the harder he worked the poorer he was going to get.

"So," he said as they stepped out of the shower and began to towel off, "Do you want to invite your family to Axel?"

She seemed to stop for a moment, "W…what do you mean?"

He looked at her, "I mean do you want them to live close to us?" he asked as he looked at her, "I don't mind going to the Crimson Demon Village, but I thought that you might want them closer."

She looked at him for a moment like he had sprouted another head, and then she sniffed before she hugged him, "I didn't think that you'd want them to live too close," she said after a moment, "I mean mom kept trying to lock us in a room together so that we'd end up doing what we did."

He laughed a little, "I know," he replied as he held her, "I was there for most of it, remember?"

She nodded, "I wouldn't mind them moving closer to us, but dad doesn't have really good business sense," she said as she held onto him, "It's likely that he's going to lose more money than make it."

He nodded, "I know, he pretty much is the same as Wiz when it comes down to it," he replied, "But that's not a bad thing. I don't mind making sure that they have their expenses paid, and your dad can try and make some charms for the locals. Maybe he'll make a little profit on it, maybe not, but I'm sure that we can find a place close by."

She nodded at that, "Okay," she replied, "Of course we've got to get back there first."

He looked around and nodded, "Oh, I know," he said as he gestured around them, "Thanks to Aqua we're here for another couple of months at least. But, when we go back it should be just like we left it."

She nodded, "Do think that everyone is still looking for us?"

He shrugged, "I'm sure that Wiz and Vanir both are," he answered, "I know that neither of them would want us to go missing. And I'm sure that Chris at least has kept searching for us. Maybe mostly for Darkness, but I'm sure that she's kept looking."

She nodded, "At least a few people are, and that's important."

"It is," he replied as they finished toweling off, and then opened the door to see Aqua standing there, "Although I'm not sure that anyone has really missed Aqua."

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she stomped her foot, "I'm beloved in Axel! And My followers need me there!"

He glowered at her, "And who was the one that reincarnated the guy that made this stupid gateway?" he asked as he looked at her, "Also, who was the one to go rushing forward through it anyway?"

She looked at him, "I'm not an idiot!" she shouted, "I'm not! I'm smart, and I know stuff, and I'm cute too!"

He rolled his eyes, "Aqua, I'm sure that someone finds you cute. I'm sure that there's someone out there that things that you are absolutely adorable, but I ain't one of them."

She glared at him, "Fine!" she shouted as she stomped past him, "Well I'm using the shower, and I'm going to be in there for a long time too!"

Megumin shook her head, "Okay, but don't get all pruney."

She looked at her, and her eyes widened, "Why would you say that?" she asked before she looked at Kazuma, "Why would she say that? What does she mean? Are you two making fun of me?"

He sighed, "Aqua, no one is making fun of anymore than what you bring onto yourself," he said as they walked past her, "So take your shower, have fun, and we'll be hanging out in the den when you're done."

They walked together and made it to the room they were sharing. Megumin moved toward her wizardly robes, which still looked something like a short dress on her. He watched as she got dressed and he of course grabbed his own adventurer's clothes. Part of him wished that he would have had his tracksuit before coming here. Of course there was the possibility that there were tracksuits on the other side of the gate itself.

That was one thing that he was thinking about. The leader of this place talked about the possibility of him going to the other side and using his thief skills. She'd said that he'd be rewarded, and honestly it was another world. Unlike the craptastic one that they came through it seemed to let them come and go as they pleased. The ability to see another world, and not be stuck there for six months, was certainly enticing.

If nothing else it would give them the chance to see if there was any worthwhile loot over there. Sure, he had absolutely no problem doing things for the right reasons, but at the end of the day Kazuma liked making enough money so he didn't have to worry about things. Getting back to Axel meant that he had his wealth waiting on him, but having some decent money while they were here wouldn't be a bad idea.

"So, have you thought about going through the gate?" he asked as he looked toward Megumin, "I mean, we've seen them come and go, so it should be okay, right?"

She shrugged, "I don't know," she replied as she looked toward him, "The gate we came through was kind of weird, but I just chalk that up to the doofus that made it. I mean he's the same idiot that made the Mobile Base Destroyer. He also made that robot girl that you perved on a little bit."

He breathed out, "And I came to my senses about that," he replied, "Megumin, I think that you've learned that you're the only one that I really want to be with."

She rolled her eyes, "Sure, I know that, but I know that it's not going to stop you from being your normal self," she said with a smirk, "I mean, I doubt that it's going to stop you from using steal on someone to take their panties."

He nodded, "Okay, you've got me there, but can you think of something else that works so well to get someone to stop?" he asked as he looked at her, "I mean, it's usually something that most people wouldn't think would be stolen right off of their person."

She shook her head, "Kazuma, it's a pervy thing to do. One minute you're having a duel with someone, and the next minute you're waving their panties around like a lunatic," she said with an exasperated sigh, "I mean what else do you expect them to do other than get upset that you've stolen their underwear?"

He grinned and rubbed his head, "I suppose that you've got a point there," he replied, and at least he had the decency to sound embarrassed, "But in my defense my doing that has actually stopped more unneeded fights than they've caused."

She walked toward him, "The first thing you stole, when you demonstrated your new technique, was my panties. Everyone in the adventurer's guild got to see my panties, and I really didn't appreciate it," she said, "That said, you're an excellent leader, and you're a loyal friend. Those are the qualities that I love about you. I accept the pervy part because I know that's also just part of you."

He grinned at her, "Hey, I'm not that bad," he replied, "I mean sure, I did do everything that you said, but I'm not that bad, right?"

She shook her head, "If you were to try steal on any of the people here, any of them that were girls, what you would be stealing?"

He swallowed, "Something important," he replied, "I mean it would be important. Hey, I stole a potion that a couple of rich dickweeds were going to use on Darkness. I didn't steal their underwear."

She looked at him again, "They were men, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah…"

She rolled her eyes, "If they were women you'd had their panties in your hand," she said with a smile, "I know you. The second time that you used steal you'd had the potion, but the first time would be their panties. Again, that's just who you are."

He sighed as he looked at her. There was no debating about it, and that was because he knew that she wasn't wrong. She actually had him dead to rights. That was the kind of thing that he did. It wasn't like he personally intended to do pervy things, but it happened more often than not. He looked at her and gave a small grin, "Okay," he admitted, "I guess that you've got a point, but still, it'd be kind of cool to go see this other place, right?"

She leaned on her staff for a moment, "I guess that I wouldn't mind it," she replied after a moment, "So, why do you want to go?"

He looked at her and grinned, "So, the head woman over here suggested that they could use my thief skills over there," he said as he looked at her, "And I thought that while we were over there we could look for some loot that we could use over here. If nothing else it would give us a chance to have a little more fundage while we're here, and if it's worth anything at all we can take it with us back."

She nodded after a moment, "I don't see a reason not to do it," she replied, "Although I think that we all need to go. Darkness is pretty much our best defense against attackers, and we both know that while she's bratty Aqua is an accomplished healer."

He nodded, "Yeah," he agreed as he looked at her, "Aqua has issues, and a lot of them, but she is pretty accomplished when it comes to healing. It'd make sense for us to take her with us."

He thought about it for a moment, "And depending on where we're going it could be a chance to see what else we could make off with," he said as a smile crossed his face, "Plus, I know that you've been dying to use your explosion magic."

She grinned like the little explosive addicted maniac that he knew she was, "I want to use it so badly," she said, practically salivating, "I want to unleash my explosion and see how much more powerful it is here, and I guess that I'd like to see how powerful it is over there as well."

He grinned, "Then let's see what kind of quest they're willing to give us."