KINO CLOSES THE DISTANCE throwing jabs, crosses, and body hooks. She repeats this process a couple times — moves in — throws a few punches — dances away.
Kiyo merely blocks the blows, but doesn't counter.
"What's wrong? Scared a girl's gonna kick your ass."
"Baiting me into attacking you, so you can hit me with a roundhouse kick won't work. I know you too well sis."
"I'm not your fucking sister!" Kino throws a combo of punches followed by a back kick.
This time Kiyo counters her back kick with a hammer fist, smashing his first into Kino's ankle forcing a retreat.
"Done already? That's not like you, sister dear."
"That was just the warm up." Remarks Kino, shaking off the pain from her ankle.
""The real fight starts now."" They say in unison. "Tch. You're fucking annoying you know that right?"
"Yeah, well I am your brother," smirks Kiyo, "we're supposed to be annoying."
Kino closes in throws a right — Kiyo blocks — steps in and uses his forearm to smash Kino across her jaw, knocking her back some.
Kiyo rushes her, throwing a punch. Kino ducks as the punch sails over head. She takes a half-step backwards then launches two hard kicks that left Kiyo doubled over in pain.
Kiyo quickly straightens up and drives his head directly into Kino's chin. She swayed backwards but remained upright. Kino shakes it off and moves slowly this time — circling — thinking to herself.
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐼 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠? 𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑎 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑟, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑, ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙, 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛; 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒? 𝑇𝑎𝑒𝑘𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜? 𝐵𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑛𝑔? 𝐾𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒? 𝑀𝑢𝑎𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑖? 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠, 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚.
Kino retreats back a bit, drops her guard, and begins rocking back and forth. Keeping her right leg in place she moves her left leg back. She then brings her left forward and shifts her right leg back.
As Kino continues rocking, her arms start swaying. When her left leg goes back, she brings her right arm up and vice versa.
"Capoeira, how interesting. Haven't seen this fighting style in person before. Should be fun."
Kiyo moves in, attempting a turning kick. Kino squats on her left leg, while simultaneously extending her right leg, drops her right hand for support, and then brings her left leg around launching a roundhouse kick catching Kiyo in the side.
Kino continues her assault switching between kicks, hand strikes, and head butts. Kiyo blocks and counterattacks when he can.
"How long have they been going at it?"
"Hey Rien. I'd say it's been about ten minutes." Replied Lilly.
"Kino's been using some unorthodox fighting techniques. Glad she didn't use them on us when we were training with her." Said Dawn.
"Why not ask her to teach… shit. Sorry Lilly, forget I said anything."
"It's fine, Rien. I've come to terms with it."
"I recently lost my sister, so I know how it feels to lose someone you care about."
"What happened?"
"Killed on the job."
"Maybe Kino can teach you some of her techniques. You should ask her Lilly." Suggests Dawn.
"You want me to ask my rival to teach me her fighting techniques."
"Yep. I want you to get stronger. To be able to protect yourself, protect others and to protect the next one you care about."
"You were too good for me. For this life. I miss you so much."
"I miss you too. But I'll always live on in here." Dawn places her hand over Lilly's heart.
"Damn…you're a…persistent…bastard"
"Ha…so are…you…sis."
Both siblings are breathing heavily, sporting bloody noses, split lips, bumps and bruises.
"As much as I enjoy watching you two beat the shit out of each other, it needs to stop."
"Stay out of this Rien/Rebecca. This is between me and my sister."
"I'm not your fucking sister!"
"Actually you are his sister. And if you let me, I'll restore your memories like I did for you brother."
"How?"
"Like this." Rien/Rebecca steps right up to Kino and kisses her, fully on the lips, possibly with tongue.
Kino pushes her away and catches Rien/Rebecca with a right hook.
"How'd you know I like it rough?" Smirks Rien/Rebecca, massaging her jaw.
"Did it work? Do you remember me, Kino?"
"Yeah, I remember. You're my god damn stalker, and I should kick your teeth in for sexual assault."
"Huh. I wonder why it didn't work."
"So why did it work for me, but not her?"
"Hmm, maybe because when we first met I left a mark on your subconscious. But that's just a guess. I could be wrong."
"A mark on my subconscious?"
"One of my subclasses is apothecary. I make different concoctions to mess with someone's brain chemistry. When we first met, and I touched your hand, the concoction at that time was to alter your state of mind by making you more susceptible to anger over the slightest thing.
Then you'd go berserk with rage and go on a killing spree. But it was a failure, you managed to control it."
"Why would you do that to me?"
"I did it on a whim."
"Seriously!? You do realize if you had succeeded I could have killed the Crown Prince! My friends! Innocent bystanders!
Rien/Rebecca just shrugs. "Killing him would've been a bonus. My employer would have been thrilled."
"Who do you work for?"
"I'll never tell." Replied Rien/Rebecca in a sing-songy voice.
Kino who'd been silently watching their exchange loses it, grabs Rien/Rebecca by her shirt collar and manages to punch her in the face a few times before Rien/Rebecca breaks her grip, and moves out of her reach.
"Listen up ass-hats cause I'm not gonna repeat myself. First: I am not your sister — second if don't leave me alone I will not be held reliable for my actions when I beat your asses so bad you'll need plastic surgery to look semi-normal again. Get it — got it — good; now piss off."
"Well Rien/Rebecca, any more bright ideas?"
"I don't think kissing her again will work. Hmm I wonder what else I could try."
While Rien/Rebecca was lost in thought Kino had moved in — attempting to kick her in the head, only for Rien/Rebecca to catch Kino's kick mid air.
"I told you I was gonna beat your ass if you didn't leave me alone."
"And because I was out of punching range, you tried kicking me instead."
Kino responds by jumping up, kicking at Rien/Rebecca with her other leg which Rien/Rebecca also grabs, forcing Kino into a handstand.
Kino pushes off the ground, twisting her body as she does, breaking free.
She hits the ground with a thud, rolls away, tries to stand only to be kicked in her ribs by Rien/Rebecca hard enough to crack a few of them.
Rien/Rebecca goes for a follow up attack, but Kino sweeps the leg, knocking her to the ground. Kino manages to mount her and begins raining down punches.
With her guard up, Rien/Rebecca weathers the blows, waiting for an opening. That opening comes when Kino gets winded because of her cracked ribs.
Rien/Rebecca grabs Kino by the shirt — bucks her hips — launching Kino forward. Rien/Rebecca rolls her over, and breaks free.
Kino kicks at Rien/Rebecca — missing her. Rien/Rebecca goes to attack, but back peddles when the tip of a blade passes within a hair's breadth of her neck. She stares at Kiyo in disbelief, rubbing at her neck.
"Too bad. Had this been Onyx instead of Snow, those few extra inches would've ended you."
"Typical male, always wanting a few more inches, or is it centimeters? This world has some strange units of measurement."
"Got hit those double digits." Kiyo retorts, sheathing Snow. "Let's call it a day shall we" He holds out a hand to Kino — who begrudgingly accepts it. She winces from the pain as she's pulled to her feet.
"Yeah let's go, I'm hungry." Said Dawn.
"But you just ate." Replied Lilly.
"As exhilarating as that was to do out in the open with a high probability of being caught, I want actual food to eat."
"Technically you don't need to eat."
"I also don't need sex, but that didn't stop me from having it with you, repeatedly."
"Doesn't that make you a necrophiliac?" Asked Kiyo.
"A what?"
"It's someone who has sex with a dead body."
"Ewww! People do that?" Dawn is disgusted by this bit of information.
"This is a dreamworld, so I don't think it counts."
"I think it falls along the line of fantasizing about having sex with someone."
"You're all mental you know that right?" Quips Kino.
"Why don't we all head back to my place, grab some food, and figure out what to do next."
Everyone agrees with Kiyo's idea. Even Kino reluctantly agrees. Hiding the fact that she's starting to believe what they say is true. That this world is in fact a dreamworld.
****
"Is the tea not to your liking?" Morpheus asked.
"Huh?" Lilith looks at her hand. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠? She shakes off the thought and sets her cup down.
"Now then, Lilith, will you stop interfering with our work?"
"Sorry I can not do as you ask. Because it was my precious little sister that asked for my help and not even a God, Dreamweaver, or whomever else is involved with this I will stop me."
"Very well. This is the price you must pay for defying a God." Morpheus snaps his fingers and Lilith is back in the corridor amongst her art, or what's left of it.
"How many iterations is that now?"
"Six hundred. My Lord."
"N-No, no, no, no it's not her. It's not her. It's not her. Beelzebub, tell me that's not Abaddon! Tell me I didn't kill my little sister!" Tears well in her eyes. Beelzebub doesn't respond, then the dam breaks as Lilith screams a gut-wrenching, high-pitched shrill.
Beelzebub loosens his grip guiding Lilith to the ground, her body trembling, tears stream down her cheeks, she continues muttering "it's not her, it's not her, it's not her."
"How many iterations is that now?"
"One thousand and six. My Lord."
Lilith lashes out at the speaker, beating them to death with her own hands, until a pair of dark red arms with white markings wrap around her, pulling her off the body, restraining her.
"Iterations?"
"Five thousand twenty-four."
"How long will she last?"
"I'd wager not much longer, My Lord."
****
(Kiyo's place)
"This is a pretty nice place you have here."
"Thank you Dawn."
"It's alright I guess," said Lilly, "but Kino's place is also pretty great."
"Where have you been staying Kino?" Asked Kiyo.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I live in a condominium near the school."
"Let me guess, it's close enough that you can run to school and back."
"It is."
"No matter what world we're in, you still love to run."
"And travel," Kino suddenly blurts out, "wait, why did I tell you that?"
"Can we eat now?" Asked Dawn.
"Show me to the kitchen then. I'll whip us up something good."
"Boiling water doesn't count, Lilly."
"Take me to the kitchen then, and I'll make you eat those words, Kiyo."
"She's telling the truth," Kino said, "Lilly is a pretty decent cook."
"Follow me then."
"So to recap our current predicament: no one knows what happened to Lilith, who is Abby's older sister, and also a succubus.
Dawn is here because Lilith used Lilly's memories to create her, as Lilly's request of payment.
Rien/Rebecca is here as a favor to Lilith because you owed her a debt for tracking down your sister's killer.
Kino still thinks this is the real world and we don't know how to make her believe otherwise.
Am I forgetting anything?" Kiyo asked the group.
Rien/Rebecca raises a hand, states "Point of inquiry: can you stop referring to me as Rien/Rebecca? Just call me Rien."
"Fine whatever. I'll even overlook the fact that you wanted me to call you Rebecca in the first place. Anything else?"
"There's something you guys are overlooking."
"What's that Dawn?"
"How did Snow materialize in Kiyo's hand?"
They all look at Kiyo, as he places Snow on the table. "While watching Rien and my sis… I mean Kino fighting I wanted a way to help her. Then Snow was in my hands."
"Kiyo, we're home." His mother's voice rings out. "Oh, you have friends over."
"Friends or girlfriends?" Jokes his father standing beside Yukino.
"M-Mom. D-Dad. H-How are you alive?" Kino stares at the spitting images of her dead parents. Then she collapses.