Karin's Dinner Date; Magical Aka's Fatal Fight

Karin’s shoes slapped against the pavement; her feet were screaming. One leg pushed past the other; her breath was ragged. Her arms swung back and forth in time; her chest was hurting.

Anyone who ran for exercise is likely to have experienced a runner’s high at least once in their life. Where the pain of the body screaming at you to stop is all at once overwhelmed by the pleasure one feels at pushing themselves past the limit. Karin had experienced it several times in her life. When things seemed bleak and she wasn’t sure what to do, running helped her feel free.

Karin did not feel free. She did not experience the euphoria of a runner’s high. All she could feel was the pain inflicted upon herself in her vain efforts to achieve this feeling. But that was fine too. After all, didn’t she deserve this pain? She was just running from her problems, just like she always did.

Karin’s vision blurred; her legs continued to run. Her sight was replaced by darkness; her feet knew where to step. Her view came upon a dark flame that rested inside her; her body’s heat was sucked right out of her.

Karin’s hands shot out to grip the wall of the overpass. Her upper body jerked to a stop as her lower half swung up a few feet, not getting the message to stop until the rest of her had.

Karin leaned over the wall, her head right over the edge. She felt like she was about to lose her non-existent lunch. A few seconds passed; the feeling did as well.

Karin’s body slumped down against the wall, her body refusing to move. The only thing left able to run were her thoughts.

‘Where am I even going to sleep tonight?’ Karin thought, though she wished she hadn’t.

It’s not like she could go back to her old place. Despite still having a few days left for the rent she paid that month, the landlord had already changed the lock once she moved to her new home.

All her belongings had already been moved up into her friend’s starship base at the far reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. She hadn’t even noticed she’d been soaring high in the sky the entire time she was with her friends until she ran away.

It was obvious to her on her meteoric descent that the starship was the one that previously belonged to the Dark Lord. It seemed like something her friends should have mentioned to her, but maybe they didn’t want to tell her that they were living in the place that he once dwelled.

He’s dead now. Why shouldn’t they put his tools of mass destruction to good use, just to satisfy her feelings? It provided them with a large home with many amenities, quick travel to whatever location they needed, and a safe place to retreat to from those who might try and attack them.

Far more than she could ever provide.

Karin sighed, temporarily escaping her downward spiral, and coming back to the thought of where she would sleep tonight.

She could stay at her father’s place, it wasn’t like he’d turn her away. Though, the concrete floor seemed like a more welcoming abode. She’d run away from home several times in the past, making alleyways her bedrooms and cardboard her bed and pillows.

Karin let out a light chuckle, thinking about how lucky she’d been in not getting abducted as a child. Some water dropped down her open mouth. She wondered if it was the sweat from her intense run. She wiped the sweat from her face, content to find her arms still worked, though concerned when she felt some water hit the back of her hand.

Her neck craned up to the sky, searching for sunshine, only to see it be covered by a storm of clouds rolling in.

***

Karin opened her phone to check the weather. She had to fiddle with it a bit, since she rarely used it for anything besides calls and texts, but she eventually found what she was looking for.

She looked through the forecast and sighed, her alleyway sleepover plans sizzling out like a campfire.

Putting her phone into her pocket, she stared at the awning above her. She wondered how long she could stand under here without being asked to leave. Maybe she could think up some story that’d allow her to stay here even if they did.

*splishsplash* *splishsplash*

Her head turned to see a rough kind of man in sunglasses that partially hid a scar over his left eye. He was in a pure white suit with a black umbrella, tilting it slightly forward, as if inviting her to join.

“Do I know you?” Karin asked.

“Unlikely,” he replied, tilting the umbrella back for now. “I’m someone who tends to keep a low profile.”

“With that get-up?” Karin asked again, gesturing to his clothes.

“It may draw eyes, but it helps deter others from speaking with me,” he said.

She couldn’t really argue with that. She could imagine rumors spreading about him, but wanting to find out what his actual deal was seemed unlikely.

“So if you don’t like to talk, and you don’t want others' attention, why are you speaking to me right now?” Karin asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

“You seemed like you were waiting for somebody to help,” he said.

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’re sitting outside a restaurant, one that you clearly haven’t been into, and aren’t planning to, given your get-up, all with a look of utter defeat plastered on your face.”

Karin could only respond with tensed muscles and a slight glare at how accurately he’d picked apart her situation. She stormed off into the rain past his umbrella, willing to be soaked over a hundred times if she could get away from him.

“Now, now, I just want to help,” he yelled out. “I’ll even cook your dinner!”

Karin’s stomach growled at the offer.

“What’re you having?!” she shouted back over the rain.

“Prime rib!”

Her stomach growled even further, like a dog begging for a treat its owner waved maliciously in front of it. Karin’s experience eating steak consisted of a yearly birthday visit to a steakhouse with her father, which had ended when she finally moved out. She had gone five years without it, and thought she would never want for it again.

“What’s your name?” she asked, walking back to him.

“Ryu,” he said, extending the umbrella toward her again.

“Well Ryu, I hope you can cook a good steak.”

***

“Here’s my humble abode,” Ryu said, pointing to his house. It wasn’t anything extravagant, the same size as her father’s, but she was surprised he owned a house at his age. He didn’t look too much older than her, mid 30’s at his latest.

He opened the door to let them both in and she made sure to take off her shoes at the entrance. Her clothes had mostly dried during their joint walk, so thankfully she wasn’t dripping water all over his home like a wet dog.

“I’ll go prepare dinner, the television is in the living room over there if you want to watch anything,” he said with a quick point of his finger, before heading off to the kitchen. She decided to do just that, turning on the TV as she flopped onto the couch.

She honestly wasn’t sure why Ryu was doing any of this. So her mind of course thought of the worst possible reasons: Murder, sex trafficking, etc. Even if that was the case though, she couldn’t really identify a reason not to stay with him. Her suit would automatically turn on to save her if her life was ever in any danger.

“… our latest story, the press conference of Magical Rainbow was attacked by a monster,” the newscaster on the TV said, snapping Karin’s attention, “At this time we do not know who attacked or their motive for doing so. We can only suspect that the monsters they fought in the past have now returned.”

Footage was playing of the attack, where the reporter at the scene transformed into a monster.

“Unfortunately, filming of the attack was interrupted by a blinding glare from Magical Rainbow’s shielding, so we don’t know much more than that.”

“I have to say,” the co-host started, “I find it oddly peculiar that these monsters decided to attack around the time Magical Rainbow decided to announce their return from retirement.”

Karin pulled out her phone, looking up Magical Rainbow. She could see thousands of pages already gossiping about the reason for the attack. The articles suggested things like Magical Rainbow knowing about some secret threat they kept hidden from the populace, or colluding with enemy forces in order to bring them back to relevancy.

“The only other thing we do know is Magical Aka was seen fleeing from the scene as well,” the newscaster continued, as the footage showed a blurred view of Aka’s figure running away, “what this means, we can only speculate, but it paints a rather fragile future for Magical Rainbow.”

Karin searched again for more news on her phone, making sure to add “Aka” to her search. She saw people talk about contentions within the group, and the possibility that Aka left because the team was up to something sinister.

Karin’s blood boiled at how baseless their accusations of her friends were. But her anger was quickly replaced by regret, as she realized these accusations wouldn’t have occurred if not for her reckless actions.

“Dinner’s ready,” Ryu’s voice called from the kitchen. Aka marched into the dining room, as Ryu placed a plate and glass of water at one end of the table, and proceeded to sit at the other end with his own plate.

Karin cut into the steak without a word, the red liquid pooling from the cut onto her plate. Taking a bite she was overwhelmed by the juices and flavoring. She’d heard body builders would regularly eat steak to help build muscle, being one of the most delicious ways to do so. Karin might have even given it a whirl for her diet if meat wasn’t so expensive and required so much preparation to do justice.

Her fork went down for another bite only to screech it against the plate. She’d already finished her steak, and Ryu had only gotten a third of the way into his. A bright blush, even more pink than the steak she’d eaten, was made apparent on her face.

Ryu gave a small chuckle, “Nothing wrong with that, I’m glad you liked my cooking so much. You can go back to the TV room if you’d like, no need to sit there awkwardly until I finish.”

“Thanks, I’m going to go wash my plate now before I do so,” she replied, heading into the kitchen. She wasn’t the most tidy eater, but she never was one to leave a mess. She reached into the cupboard under the sink for some soap to wash her dish and silverware. Making quick work of them, she set them to the side to try.

Breathing a deep sigh, she again wondered how she’d gotten into this situation. She heard some light footsteps behind her, and said “You finished the rest of your steak pretty quickly.”

The near silent footsteps continued, and Karin continued, “Want me to wash your dishes?”

The footsteps stopped, Karin sighed. With a quick pivot on her feet she held up her right arm, catching the assailant’s knife in her forearm. She could only see herself in reflection as she looked at Ryu’s sunglasses, but his look of shock was rather plain to see on the rest of his face.

“You know,” Karin grunted, glowing red, “this actually wasn’t the worst date I've had if you can believe it.”

With a flick of her arm, Aka sent Ryu flying into the dining room table, knocking them both into the wall.

“Shit! Sorry, I didn’t mean to fling you that hard!” she yelled out, cupping her mouth to make sure her words reached him. She honestly wasn’t sure she should apologize considering he’d tried to kill her and all, but it’s not like there was any way he could leave a scratch on her. She winced, feeling a pain in her arm where she was stabbed.

“Huh?!”

Aka held her arm up to her face, blood dripping down the edges. She saw Ryu through her arm, perfectly framed by the hole he had left in it. His crumpled frames held shards of broken glass within them, no longer fully obscuring his eyes.

“My client told me you were sharper than you looked,” he said, black liquid leaking from his orifices, consuming him. “I’m glad he wasn’t wrong.”

“So you’re a hitman then? I thought they were supposed to have rules, like no women or children?” Aka snarked.

“For money, no amount would make me consider it. But he offered me something far beyond mere monetary possessions,” he said, his right hand forming into a lance-like appendage. “True power.”

“And just who is your client?” Aka asked.

“Now I thought you knew hitman ideology,” he said, his viscous face melting into a bizarre grin, “never reveal your client’s identity.”

He lunged forward, ready to run Aka through with his lance hand. Aka clasped her hands together, catching the blade between them, but his force pushed it past her resistance. The blade tore through her gloves and skin, inching ever closer to her face. She had to apply some torque to it. Her right hand inched forward and her left hand moved back in turn, continuing to press down as hard as she could. She felt something in his arm snap as its pointed end finally slanted off target.

She grinned widely, happy to inflict some pain, only to double over as she felt something pierce her lower abdomen. She recognized it as his other hand having transformed into a lance as well, running her right through. He pulled it out, causing her to collapse to the floor, gasping for air.

Ryu’s foot slid under Aka’s head, turning her frustrated face up to his. “I must say, I’ve never cared much for inflicting suffering on my hits before. But ever since I've obtained these powers, it’s become the thing I’ve most cared about. Seeing their hopes, their dreams, the entire culmination of their lives end in but an instant. There's no carnal pleasure that can match that feeling.”

“I’m assuming your client informed you about us, right?” Aka asked, glaring into his eyes.

“Of course, any hitman worth hiring wants to know everything they can before taking a job.”

“Then why’d you monologue so long?!”

“Wha-” Ryu screamed, Aka’s flaming foot planted firmly in his crotch.

“I get stronger the longer I fight, I thought you’d know that,” she said, kicking him through the roof of his house, “and I don’t fight fair against evil.”

She jumped into the air after him, her fist, back, and leg thrusters firing at full power as she soared high into the raining sky. Ready to punch his smug face right in. She closed in on him, winded up her fist, and swung with her all might. Though instead of the satisfying scrunch of his face against her fist, all it met with was a whiff of air and water.

She gasped in surprise, and then in pain, seeing her stomach run through by his long lance once again. His arm then morphed into a tentacle appendage. Arcing his arm, he threw her straight to the ground, like a meteor into the hillside.

The breath was all but knocked out of her, pain was the only thing she could feel at this point despite her suit’s best effort to numb it. Ryu landed in front of her collapsed body, looking to finish the job.

“How did you dodge my punch?” she asked weakly.

“You didn’t even figure that out?” Ryu asked, his face morphing, becoming that of the reporter from earlier today. The one who had crashed her friends’ press conference.

“You didn’t even consider I might have been the same guy?” he asked, giving a small chuckle. “Maybe he overestimated your intuition?”

“Who is he?” Aka screamed through her broken lungs.

“I told you, I can’t reveal that. Though there was something my client did want me to tell you. I’m honestly not sure why,” he said, looking down at her with a look of utter contempt on his face, “given your imminent demise. But he felt he should know it’s your fault.”

“What?!” Aka gasped, feeling her insides crying out in pain.

“Your friends, why do you think they waited seven years before returning to the spotlight? Don’t you think this seemed like something they’d been planning for a long time?”

Aka's head turned to the floor, not sure what to say.

“It’s because they had to fight you, the monster inside you. And what’s more, they needed seven days to do it.”

“No,” Aka whispered, vague and fuzzy memories flashing in her mind.

“Seven days, seven years, I think even you’re sharp enough to figure out the rest on your own, aren’t you?”

“No!” Aka repeated, grabbing her head.

“I’ll admit, I might have had more trouble with your little group if he hadn’t provided me with all your weaknesses. Rose’s Rainbow Mode would have wiped me out in a second flat if I hadn’t planned that contingency. But you, you’re weak, you’re pathetic. I can finish you off without any cheap tricks.”

Aka could only scream in response, her hands no longer listening to her pleas to prop her up, as if they felt her brain would escape her very skull if she moved them.

“However,” Ryu paused, walking up to her all but lifeless body, “my client did have a special request on how I finish you. Something that would truly hurt you.”

Ryu picked Aka up by her neck with one hand, holding her far above the ground. Turning his arm into a lance once again, he then applied spin to it, turning it into a drill.

He pressed it into her back, the hand screeching against her suit as it tore through the metal covering. After breaking through that layer, it twisted and tore the cloth beneath it, revealing her the dead, dark skin beneath it.

Aka thought she couldn’t even whimper at this point, but as the drill dug into her dead flesh, she screamed and flailed with what little might she had left. The darkness creeped into her eyes as the feeling of hate consumed her entire being.