Ichi slowly drifted towards full consciousness. Her eyes opened and she slightly adjusted the wings below her. She felt good. Relaxed. Content.
Happy.
She also felt a tiny bit of soreness in her abdomen. But it wasn’t annoying – quite the opposite in fact. She rubbed her cheek, wriggled her hips, and sighed with pure pleasure. She hasn’t slept this well for hundreds of years, or maybe even millennia at this point. Life was good.
Ichi looked down on her belly and... noticed the absence of the little human. A spike of stress ran through her spine like lightning. She inspected the ground around her and after making sure he wasn’t there, slowly lifted herself to look below her too, and with relief, found a complete lack of beige pancakes.
When she glanced at his workshop, she remembered that he asked her to discard the water from the pot to get a container for the explosive powder, which meant that he no longer had anything to bathe in. He must have gone to look for a place to clean himself then – after all, he absolutely would want to do it, after their... night of fun. And what a night that was. She blushed a little, her heart fluttering as the memory got more vivid.
The memory of his confession. The memory of how this tiny, fragile creature saw right through her and... loved her for it. For whom she was. And she loved him back.
The word ‘love’ resonated within her mind, causing her to giggle like a young girl. She closed her eyes and began purring, rubbing her cheek into her shoulders as if pretending to cuddle with him.
“Should I seek help or go straight to digging the grave?” came a mocking and all too familiar voice.
Ichi froze and opened her eyes, finding Ni at tent’s entrance. She was grinning like an idiot and silently laughing. Ichi blinked, not understanding what she meant.
“You’re spasming on the ground, so I thought I could end yer suffering,” Ni snickered.
Ichi gave her sister an annoyed and very displeased look. “Dear Ni... Fuck off,” she responded dryly.
This got an actually audible laugh out of her sister. “Sure, I was planning to do that anyways...” Ni looked around the tent. “By the way, where’s yer lil loveboy sis?”
“None of your business.”
“Really now?” Ni cocked her head. “You think he suddenly got ‘crush-proof’? I just wanna know if I should be careful around the camp.”
Ichi took a deep, shaky breath. “He went to bathe himself, so be careful...” she replied grumpily. “But I swear sister, if you keep ruining my moment, I’m gonna kick your ass so hard you’re gonna regret that the Kaiju didn’t kill you.”
Ni blinked and recoiled slightly, unsure how to react. Her grin faltered and then completely disappeared. “Uhmmm... S-sure...” she muttered and quickly backed away.
Ichi lied on the bedroll for a few dozen seconds, trying to process what had just happened. Did she... really just hiss and threaten her sister?
Yes. You did. No need to thank me.
Oh no... Not you...
She sighed and shook her head, then sat up and stretched her arms, trying to push and repress her... unwanted part.
“... goddess?” came a quiet, muffled whimper.
Her protective instincts instantly kicked in and she looked around, trying to locate the human. But despite how close his voice sounded, she just couldn’t...
Was she sitting on him after all?! She quickly raised herself and swiped both the bedroll and her underside with her hand but found nothing there.
“Goddess please... let me out...” he whimpered again.
“Don’t...” She froze when it finally dawned on her. The voice was coming out of her abdomen. The slight soreness was not the aftermath of him... it WAS him...
The memories of yesterday’s night flooded her mind and caused her face to turn red. So insanely red that she felt like a rock thrown into a bonfire. She curled a bit into herself and hid her eyes in her palms.
I... Oh God, what have I... Did I really...
Aye. You did.
B-but...
No need to thank me.
THANK YOU?! What... Why did you make me do it?!
I didn’t make you do anything. You let me do it. You WANTED it. Just admit it, you will feel better.
I... No, I didn’t want... I have to let him out.
Why?
What do you mean WHY?! I can’t keep him... in there.
Of course you can. There is nothing he can do to get out. No one will ever know if you do.
But I love him!
As do I. I am a part of you, remember?
What if he gets hurt?
Hurt? Do you know a safer place for him? Think about it – nothing can eat him there. Or kidnap. Or wound. Your scent alone scares off everything, let alone you literally being in the way. Nothing can even step on him by accident now. Not even your idiot sisters.
... N-no... It’s... wrong... he wouldn’t... want it.
At first. But he will grow to like it. I assure you – in time, he will appreciate what you’re doing for him.
... He will get dirty because of... you know...
A small price to pay for the eternal safety of our precious boy.
“Goddess please...” came another whimper.
Ichi felt all her muscles contract involuntarily. Especially her tail, buttocks and the area bordering them...
No! Shut up! I am letting him out right now!
The skin flap covering her private parts began lifting, until it suddenly... stopped moving.
SHUT UP?! You let me out for the first time in millions of years... Millions of years of BOREDOM AND TORMENT and expect me to just SHUT UP after ONE short reprieve?!
I... You...
She paused, not knowing how to resolve her inner battle.
He deserves to be treated well... That’s why I am letting him out.
You also deserve to be treated well. You also have needs. Wants.
Yes, and he said he will... help with those... If he still loves me after what I’ve done...
Hmpf... Of course... You always have to have the last word... What did I expect...
... I can shove him in there later, you know...
... Deal.
Ichi’s muscles relaxed as the struggle resolved itself. The soreness began to very slowly move outwards. She moved her hand and put one finger inside.
“Nooo...” came a barely audible voice.
“Shhh... It’s okay... Grab.”
After a few seconds she felt tiny hands on her fingertip. She gently pulled her finger out and scooped him into her palm, then slowly lifted him up to her eye level.
He lied limply on his stomach, completely red and absolutely soaked in her fluids. His hot breath was visible even to her, every huff leaving a cloud of steam. She looked at him with concern, ashamed of what she did. It was supposed to be a beautiful night of love and connection... and she just... turned it into suffering...
It dawned on her that... maybe it wasn’t that she couldn’t afford time for love... Maybe she just didn’t deserve it...
“Thank you... goddess...” he mumbled on the edge of audibility.
“Please don’t call me that...”
“B-but you yourself...”
“Yes. I know.” She stopped him. “It was a... heat of the moment thing. Just like that...” She hesitated. “I’m very sorry. I... I just... I didn’t want to let you go... I needed you so badly...” her cheeks heated up again.
He rested his head on her palm and panted for a few more minutes, until his skin lost became beige again.
“I... I guess I can’t be mad at that...” he muttered and silently chuckled.
Ichi looked at him, genuinely confused. “W... You’re not... mad?”
“I am a bit... But I am exhausted and... flattered. You know... It’s a fun place, just not... in that dosage... But being wanted by a woman this badly...” He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. “Means I am doing something right. Right?”
She felt a paralyzing embarrassment creep through her entire body. It even forced a quiet squeak out of her.
He’s so perfect...
I know. He knows what’s up.
That’s not what I meant!
Really?
She cut off her possessive side by formulating a question. “Little one... Is there any way I can... make it up to you?”
He paused for a second and then shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position. He leaned back and rested his back on her fingers like on a chair.
“Well... I would like two things...”
“Anything.” She leaned closer.
“I would kill for a bath right now... preferably a cold one.”
“Of course. And the second thing?”
He looked her in the eyes. “I would... Could you call me by my name at least sometimes? I don’t think any of you ever called me anything other than nicknames. I don’t mind it but... Hearing ‘little one’, or ‘bastard’, or ‘midget’, or ‘pet’...”
“That last one was...”
“Heat of the moment.” He raised his hands and rested his head against her finger again. “I know. Truth be told, I liked it. But it would just be nice to hear my own name, you know...”
She exhaled and got rid of her panicked expression. “Of course. I’m sorry... Smithy.”
He blinked and slowly turned his head towards her, his face showing utter confusion. A wave of dread flooded her mind. Has she remembered his name... wrong? Has she failed even at that?
“Smith’s my surname. We don’t really call everyone by surnames day-to-day.”
“Ehmm... S-surname you say...” she stuttered, desperately scanning her memories for his actual name.
“Yes. It signifies which family you come from, but nothing more.” He narrowed his eyes. “You... do know my name... right?”
She vigorously nodded. “Of course I do. How could I not?” she lied, trying to buy a few more seconds.
And those seconds came and went, with her still scrambling through her memories, mentally yelling at herself in frustration. He giggled. His amusement rose and rose until he was uncontrollably laughing, not being able to even sit straight anymore. After a dozen seconds, a coughing fit interrupted his laughter. He calmed down a little and looked at her again. “You can say that you don’t remember.”
“But I do!” she snapped anxiously, causing him to recoil away.
“Uhmmm... Sure. You know what, make me that cold bath and you’ll tell me after I wash myself.”
Ichi sighed and slowly nodded. She knew that he knew. He just gave her a last chance to recall it. Astonishing that it didn’t hurt his feelings, but she wouldn’t dare to complain. After slowly putting him on the ground, she stood up and went to get an empty pot. Ichi glanced at her sisters’ tents and saw Kendall’s tail sticking out under the wall. Ni was missing though, but it wasn’t anything unusual, even despite how irresponsible walking away right now was... which made it even more typical.
Ichi shamelessly stole a pot from Ni’s tent that she herself gave her yesterday and returned with it to the workshop tent. She sat down, cleaned it up and poured a bit of water into it, then set it down on the floor. She pinched the human between her fingers and lifted him up so he could see the inside.
“Enough water?”
“Yes love. Thank you,” he responded.
Ichi blushed again at the word. He said it so casually... as if it was an undisputed law of reality that she was his... love.
She lowered him into the pot, then scooped up a bit of ash and presented it to him. “Take as much as you need.”
He looked at the ash on her fingers, visibly confused. “Why would I... Ohhh... It’s for bathing. I was wondering why the hell did you give me ash of all things.”
“You... what? You don’t bathe with ash normally?” She raised an eyebrow. “How are you scrubbing yourself from grease and filth then?”
“Soap and shampoos. I have a bottle of it...” He looked around the pot, apparently having lost the sense of direction. “... somewhere near the table. Small, white with a blue tip.”
Ichi discarded the ash back onto the plate and looked for the item he described. She pushed a few things aside and quickly located it. Tiny enough to give her trouble pinching it at first but managed it after a few attempts. She handed it over to the human who was floating in the water with an expression of bliss and relief.
“Thanks,” he said, pouring white liquid out of it onto his hair.
“Are you sure you don’t want warm water to bathe in?”
“Love... I think I’m gonna cry if I touch anything even remotely warm today.”
So that was it then. He continued to bathe himself as she watched. After about a minute, she decided to lie on her stomach to have an easier time looking at him from up-close. Not because she wanted to ogle at him that badly... Well, that too, but mostly because she hoped against hope that she would notice something that would make her recall his name.
It’s not Smithy. It was ‘something’ Smith – that much she could recall. In... Indy? No, he was an Industrial Eng... Engineer, which was what he did for a living. Like a Captain was not a name, but a function.
It’s Pet.
Announced her possessive side.
Unlawfully taken from NovelPhoenix, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
No, it’s not. It’s just a stupid, degrading thing I’ve called him a few times...
No, you don’t understand. His name IS Pet. Or something like it.
Impossible.
You will see.
The human rubbed his entire body with the foaming liquid for the second time and washed it away. She felt the familiar smell of flowers he carried yesterday and grew a bit jealous that she couldn’t bathe in something smelling this nice.
She handed him a piece of fabric.
“Sooo... What’s my name then, love?” he asked, drying himself.
“I... I do not remember. I am so sorry...” she finally admitted.
He chuckled quietly. “Confessing your love to someone you don’t even know the name of... heh, nice plot for a story I guess.” He stretched, which caused his arms to produce audible cracks. “It’s Peter. I am Peter. Nice to meet you, Ichi.”
Ichi slowly blinked, her possessive side letting out triumphant roars in her mind.
“So almost pet...” she mumbled and instantly covered her mouth in embarrassment, realising that she had said it out loud.
He slowly turned to her with a shocked expression. “You’re so perfect...” he muttered.
***
Finishing his work was a trivial matter. Just filling the containers with gunpowder, adding a remote ignition kit with a charged battery, and gluing the seal. More a menial job than anything, but it was easy...
Or at least it would have been easy, were it not for a titanic dragon lying behind him and apparently completely unable to stop herself from constantly nudging him with the tip of her snout. The occasional soft nudges she gave him at the start were cute and amusing... for the first fifteen minutes. Not for over two hours. Still, he didn’t really want to ask her to stop enjoying herself... And even if he complained, his voice would have most likely drowned in her constant, heavy purrs.
Peter sighed after one of her nudges almost made him spill out the contents from one of the containers. He took a deep breath, very grateful for the small mercy of the powder needing an ignition and not just shocks like some other variants. Still, the thought of Ichi breathing out a spark by accident and everything going to shit instantly was ever present at the back of his head.
Peter sealed off the last bomb and safely put the detonator without a battery inside a small bag, then inserted the battery into a separate pocket to ensure nothing could go wrong. He turned around to face the titanic, almost orange reptilian eyes hyper fixated on his tiny form. Her feet were flashing in the distance as she happily kicked them, probably without even realising. Seeing his eyes again caused her to stop purring in anticipation though.
“I’m done. Now we just need a slab of meat to hide everything in,” he announced.
Ichi blinked after a few seconds before almost forcing herself to glance away at the pile of crude bombs. “Oh yeah... you were doing that,” she commented, her gaze snapping back to him.
“I...” He paused, trying to fight off his astonishment. “Ichi... Love, can you get a hold of yourself? I really need you focused for a few more hours, okay?”
Ichi took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “Right... sorry, I got kind of... distracted.”
“I need a nice piece of meat now. Could you find me one?”
“Meat...” She blinked. “Shit, I was planning to get you one today, but... forgot... I will go hunt something now...”
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed him and stood up. The light-golden palm surrounding him without a warning put him in a bit of a shock for a few seconds. Ichi left the tent, pressing him firmly against her chest and went towards the edge of the rock shelf. Or at least she tried.
“Oh finally, I was getting bored,” Ni said, standing up.
Ichi looked at her sister nervously. He felt her grip on him strengthening.
“Hello Ni...” He looked down. “Hello Kendall.”
“Hi...” Kendall waved at him weakly, not standing up from the leather.
“I guess you leaving the tent means you were looking for this...” Ni smugly shoved a sizeable carcass towards them.
It was still fresh and – judging by the state of Ni’s hands – she had just returned with it. But no matter how long he stared at it, he couldn’t determine what it was, or what it even resembled – it was mauled into oblivion.
“Oh excellent. Just what I needed.” He smiled. “We don’t have to leave anymore, Ichi.”
She slowly looked at him, acting as if his words were reaching her brain with considerable delay. “I... guess.”
“You know Ni...” He turned his head towards her. “... I really didn’t expect this. You’ve saved us a lot of time. Probably an entire day of time now that I think of it.”
Ni smirked. “Yeah... You know, seeing my big sis having a meltdown made me realise that I probably had to be the ‘responsible one’ for a change...” she sighed and shook her head. “Shit sucks. I don’t fucking like it one bit. So stop breaking her brain before...”
Ni stopped when Ichi let out a slight growl, her eyes hyper fixated on her sister for a change.
“Shit, that’s what it’s like getting growled at?” Ni scoffed a little playfully.
Ichi kept glancing at her sisters with visible unease, her muscles tensing ever so slightly with each passing second.
“Uhmmm... Love? We need to cut out nice and tender pieces from...”
“L-love?” Kendall asked, visibly intrigued.
Peter looked at the two sisters, trying to put together something at least marginally coherent. “... Yes.” He nodded. “I want to say that... I like all of you three. I really do. You are all good people and good friends. But Ichi...” He looked up at her. “... Ichi is the one I... I deeply love your sister, and I hope that... you will accept it.”
Kendall cocked her head and began anxiously fiddling with her own fingers. After a few seconds she stopped... And smiled. But Ni...
“Pffff Hahahaha!” She laughed, slapping her knee. “Ohhh, you really have done it midget! Wooed the poor gal.” Ni glanced up at her sister, “So I guess yer gonna hog him all for yourself now, eh? Yer precious lil loveboy,” she mocked. “Just what will happen with our rotation now that...”
Ichi let out a monstrous hiss so loud and vicious that in normal circumstances Peter would have had a heart attack on the spot. But right now, it only paralyzed him and made him rethink his life choices.
Ni recoiled and took a step back, raising her hands in a defensive posture. “Fine fine, gee, hog him all you want, it’s not like I’m gonna steal him or anything...” she said quickly, losing her usual cocky attitude.
“Good...” Ichi spat out, breathing heavily.
He finally managed – or rather dared – to move his head and noticed that Ichi’s wings were outstretched, as if trying to make her look bigger.
“I-Ichi...” he muttered shakily.
Her head instantly snapped to him, her eyes losing all viciousness. “Yes lit... Peter? Are you hurt? Hungry? Cold? Scared?”
“Uhmmm... I just wanted to... ask you to relax. You’re snapping at your own sisters for no reason.”
Ichi stared at him for a good fifteen seconds, before taking a deep, shaky breath and exhaling right at him. “I... Yes. Sorry...” She glanced at Ni. “Thank you for the meat.”
“... You’re welcome.” Ni replied without a shred of conviction.
Ichi sat down and began looking over the carcass, still firmly holding him with one hand, which was slowing down her progress considerably. “You said you wanted... tender meat, right?”
“Yes. Meat that will not take much chewing. I could just put everything in the carcass itself, but then most of the bombs will get crushed on the way in.”
Ichi nodded, beginning to carve out the creature’s tenderloin. Ni approached carefully, kneeled on the other side of the carcass, and quietly helped with extracting other pieces. It took a few minutes, but their reward was long, appetizing meat pieces.
“Ni, could you bring me stuff I left in the tent?” he asked.
“Sure.” Ni retrieved the bag of bombs and laid it next to them. Kendall managed to collect herself enough to walk up to them and observe their work.
“Love... I need to stand on the ground right now,” he said, patting Ichi’s chest.
Ichi’s fingers got much stiffer all of a sudden. She inhaled and reluctantly set him down next to the bag.
“Now girls. I need you to make small, but deep openings. A lot of openings.”
And so, they did. Ni and Ichi were piercing the meat with their claws and deepening the holes, while Kendall watched. He was handing them the individual bombs and giving occasional advice on the placement of holes when meat began looking overfilled. Still, everything worked out passably well – in the end, the meat looked very much like it was cured with too much pickling salt.
“Everything is re...” Peter promise, remembering about the promise again. “Attention, I am gonna record a thing now.” He pulled out his phone.
“Wha...”
“Uhhh, so this is... ‘Killing a Kaiju part two’,” he cut Ni off. “Here is the delivery system...” He walked up to the meat piece and pushed the edge of the cut, revealing the hidden explosive. “It’s filled with those things.” He loudly cleared his throat “And here is the crew.” The camera turned to Ichi. “Ichi, logistics and oversight.”
She smiled nervously, as displeased as the last time.
“Ni, the brawn.” he said, turning to the biggest dragon.
Ni blinked and awkwardly flexed her muscles, giving him a toothy grin to complete the nightmare picture that was her blood-soaked body.
“Kendall, the... uhhh... emotional support?”
Kendall smiled shyly and waved at the camera.
“And me, the engineer.” Peter turned the camera towards himself. “If this is the last thing you find on this phone, it means that we all fucking died.” He ended the recording and put the phone in his pocket.
“This is horrible,” Ichi commented sourly. “Why is your kind doing this? Why would anyone want to... record themselves?”
“Speak for yourself, I like it,” Ni responded. “Everyone’s gonna know we’ve killed the monster.”
“Or died trying,” he added.
“Not happening, midget.”
“Hopefully.” He shrugged. “Anyways, we are ready. Move out.”
***
They all looked at Ni dragging the bait to the entrance of the Kaiju’s burrow before sprinting back towards them with a fearful expression, expecting to be chased. Peter looked at her as she squatted behind the tree, keeping the camera on point.
“Now we wait.” Ichi whispered patting her sister on the shoulder.
“Well... You don’t have to,” he responded.
All three dragons looked at him with confusion.
“Set me up on a tree... and get out of here. There is no point in you being here.”
“Are you... INSANE?” Ni hissed.
He felt Ichi’s grip tightening around him.
“Listen to me – you three being here does nothing but increase the chances of getting spotted. And if the plan fails for whatever reason, the kaiju wouldn’t bother going after something as small as me.”
“If you think I’m gonna back down from a fight with this stupid-ass overgrown lizard, then...” Ni clenched her fists, trying to lower her voice. “I’m not gonna run, midget. Not even if you’re right.”
“Neither do I,” Ichi added firmly.
“You being here only maximizes the causalities in case of failure. All I need to do is wait and click the button,” Peter insisted.
“And all I need to do is to kick yer tiny ass for even suggesting that we leave you alone with that... thing.” Ni waved at the clearing.
“For crying out loud, stop! You’re making so much noise I could probably hear you two from back in the camp,” Ichi hissed.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s quite obvious I can’t make any of you leave... But it was worth a shot.”
“You silly thing. I... We won’t let you risk your life for us. We are doing this together,” Ichi whispered and gently nuzzled him with her snout.
Peter smiled and made himself a bit more comfortable, to a point glad they didn’t listen. He had a bad feeling that this kaiju was special in more ways than what was obviously visible...
No matter. He focused on recording the fiasco instead. They waited... for quite some time, each sister tense in their own way. All constantly scanning their surroundings for any possible sign of movement, any indication that the kaiju might be closing in. Ni was the most on edge, her eyes constantly darting around, not staying on any one spot for any longer than a couple of seconds. Meanwhile, Kendall got more than a bit twitchy, as if readying herself to leap backwards at any moment.
Something rustled in the distance. Something massive was closing in on their position. All three sisters snapped in the sound’s direction. Ni let out a low growl, trying to locate the source of the sounds while Ichi’s hands completely enclosed Peter in a protective sphere. Kendall though... she was on the verge of tears. They really should have just left her at camp...
“Stop. Fucking. Growling,” he hissed at Ni.
Ni almost jumped at his words. She glanced at him with annoyed, yet extremely stressed-out eyes, but before she could respond, Ichi silenced her with a single glare. Ni clenched her jaw a bit tighter. All sound ceased.
Just in time. A black shape of titanic proportions appeared on the edge of the clearing. The creature trampled the few still intact bushes into nothing, swaying its body in a lizard-like fashion as it went. It beelined straight for the meat to everyone’s visible relief – as vouched, it had gotten used to receiving offerings for the past few days and didn’t even question it anymore.
Excellent footage, even if Ichi’s movements were making it somewhat shaky. They watched as the thing began ripping out and swallowing huge chunks of meat just like Peter hoped. A nervous smile crept onto his face – the only thing that could ruin their plan was an error on their part.
He glanced at the two other sisters and saw Ni baring her teeth at the kaiju, her eyes betraying a deep, personal hatred. Kendall on the other hand was just... there. Frozen in place and looking at the creature through her fingers.
A loud rumble prompted him to look at the kaiju once again. He adjusted the camera that began swaying from the target. The beast decided that eating and lying on the ground was far more comfortable. A few seconds later it swallowed the last bit, finishing its very special meal.
He hit the detonator and... nothing happened. Dread almost paralyzed him, when repeating the action several times brought similar results. Inspecting the detonator revealed that the battery was attached the opposite way. He quickly swapped the polarity and hit the button again.
A deafening explosion shook the creature from the inside, pushing torrents of greenish blood out through its eyes, maw, and all other orifices. For a split second, it looked like it was about to shrug off and stand up… but the moment has passed, the remnants of muscles gave way, and it collapsed to the ground, lifelessly. Remarkably, its exterior remained virtually unharmed, vindicating their chosen approach.
Peter shakily ended the recording and blinked several times, trying to remember the next part of the plan for that eventuality. “Qu-quickly! Rip it apart before regenerates!” he yelled, his voice cracking.
Ni sprinted towards the Kaiju lying in the pool of its own blood. With visible effort, she rolled the carcass onto its side and pushed her fingers into the exposed ‘belly button’, which surprisingly was actually there. She braced herself and pulled... with absolutely nothing to show for it.
Her titanic muscles tensed, bulging out of her frame as she strained herself, yet the obsidian skin refused to budge. Her efforts pulled the thing forward, instead of breaking its skin.
“I fucking can’t!” Ni screamed in frustration.
Ichi jogged towards her sister, set him on the ground, and joined the effort. It still did nothing. Ridiculous. What kind of material was that?!
A backup plan formed in his mind.
“I know! Someone breathe fire into its maw! Turn its insides to ashes!” he yelled, frantically gesturing at the thing’s head.
Ichi looked at him and leaped towards the Kaiju’s head, spread its jaws open and braced herself. A stream of fire poured out of her mouth, invading the creature’s throat. A putrid smell of burning flesh and fizzling acid filled the air. The torrent lasted for around ten seconds before Ichi stopped, just to begin violently coughing as she crawled away from the kaiju. “I’m... spent...” she forced out between coughs.
Ni instantly took her place, just that her flames were blueish. She lasted less than six seconds at the very most though. Still, the carcass looked much... flatter after their efforts. A sizeable part of it must have turned to ash.
“Ken, would you do the honours?” he asked loudly, nearly sure it wouldn’t be getting up anymore.
Kendall still hid at the edge of the clearing – anxious, but not unresponsive like before. “Y-you want me t-to... burn it a-as well?”
“Well, do you want to make sure it’s dead?”
She thought about it for a few seconds and walked up. Then - visibly distressed by the carcass’ proximity – repeated the process. Surprisingly, her fire lasted a lot longer than Ichi’s, despite having the same tint as hers. The kaiju’s belly puffed up like a balloon before it popped.
They all stood up over the carcass. Ni kicked it, revealing it was nothing but a bag of fine powder, some of the ash spilling out of its ‘belly button’.
“Dead,” Peter commented.
A few moments of anxious silence followed and then…
“We... WE DID IT! WE FUCKIN DID IT, THE THING’S DEAD!” Ni roared, triumphantly spreading out her wings.
She made a lap around the clearing, screaming and roaring, before erupting into a clumsy dance, and very jumpy determined to enjoy their triumph with every iota of her being. She grabbed Kendall’s arms and forced her to jump as well, which her little sister did after a few seconds of confusion.
Two jumping titans proved too much for him though, and he quickly found himself getting joggled on the ground, unable to stand up. Ichi noticed his debacle and gently scooped him up. “You did it, you glorious bastard.” she said, raising him above her head.
“WE did it, love.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short. It’s all thanks to you.” She nuzzled him and turned to face her sisters.
Still trying and failing to dance, still unbothered in the slightest – their expressions pure joy, relief and above all – triumph.
“Yeah... I’m happy that it’s over.” He nodded. “Armoured from the outside...”
“But not from the inside.” She finished, gracing him with a kiss. “You have no idea how glad I am...”
A familiar feeling of titanic lips enveloping his head caught him off-guard but wasn’t unwelcome in the slightest. She ended the kiss and smiled.
“Yeah... you know, that reminds me... I have a question, Ichi,” he said, wiping his face.
She raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“Do you happen to live on this island?”
Her expression instantly turned into one of shame and anxiety. “... Maybe.”
He gave her an amused look. “I assume the island has such a unique ecosystem, because you yourself cultivated it to be just that – a place where you can live. But the thing invaded it and forced you out of your home, so you went to look for help in getting rid of it. And got me on this titan’s quest. Correct so far?” he cocked his head.
Ichi struggled with the overwhelming urge to look away. To hide her shame. “... Yes. Exactly right... How did you... How long you knew?”
“You’re a terrible liar. I suspected everything since you’ve mentioned that ‘researcher’. I knew it for certain when an extra tent magically appeared.”
She sighed and hid her eyes behind her other hand.
“May I ask you why you even bothered with it in the first place?”
“I was just... My plan felt good, until we’ve actually kidnapped you. Then I just... felt bad. I just... It just felt selfish and didn’t...” She sighed. “Why are you smart?”
“I don’t know, but I bet it’s part of the reason why you’ve fallen for me. Just know that I would have helped you regardless.” he shrugged “But I can’t lie, I didn’t stop you, because it was amusing seeing you stumble deeper and deeper into bullshit.” He snickered.
Ichi chuckled, her anxiety vanishing, restoring her to a state of happiness. But not for long.
“Yeah... anyways, I think it’s time,” Peter announced.
“... Time for what?” she asked curiously.
“For you to fulfill your promise of course.”
“What promise?” she cocked her head.
“Oh love, have you forgotten what you’ve promised me at the very beginning of our adventure?”
She blinked and... Her expression turned into one of pure dread. “Uhmmm... I promised that I would... grant one of your wishes... right?” she attempted to lie, not believing it could work.
“No no no...” he corrected with a smug grin. “You’ve promised to return me home after everything. So...”
“You... You want to... leave? Now?” she whimpered.
“Ichi... I love you deeply. But think about it – If I stay here, my entire life will consist of either getting carried by you or staying in your nest for days on end to not get eaten or crushed by something. You would have to feed me, to bring me to the bathroom, to...” He shook his head. “I would basically become your pet.”
“You would NEVER be my pet,” Ichi affirmed strongly. “I know that I’ve called you that, but that was...”
“Heat of the moment. I know.” Peter raised his hand. “But that wouldn’t change the fact that I would live the life of a pet. That’s why I am asking you to bring me back home...”
Her face transformed into pure desperation and bottomless sorrow. Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes – she was already mourning.
“... So I can bring my stuff over here to live with you,” he finished the sentence after a short delay.
Ichi paused, opened her eyes, and focused on his face – only to instantly notice his smug, slightly mocking expression, which made her attempt a frown that got completely drowned by happiness.
“You bastard... How dare you toy with me like that...” she whispered.
“See Ichi – you're my girl now.” He patted her snout. “Which means you’ll have to deal with my bullshit from now on. I’m almost sorry.” He laughed.
She rolled her eyes and also giggled, pushing him against her snout, softly purring.
“Get a room you two,” Ni scoffed.
Ichi turned to face her sister but didn’t drop her blissful expression for even a second.
“We will Ni. You can be certain about it...” He waved at her. “But right now – Anyone care for a commemorative picture?”
“Yes!” Kendall squeaked happily.
“Then sit on top of the Kaiju. All of you.”
He placed the phone down, adjusted the angle and set up the timer for thirty seconds, then ran like crazy towards the three sisters leaning against each other. Ichi grabbed him and set him up on her nose.
“Five. Four. Three. Two. One…”
Flash.
***
Something stirred in the endless darkness. A part of consciousness returning to the source, submerging in the whole once more. Its emotions insignificant, akin to a sting of a single severed hair. But yet, it was perceptible. Because of repetition. And rage.
It was livid. Angry beyond comprehension. It spoke of purpose and difficulties, of years spent hiding in the darkness, of treachery and deceit that brought its downfall.
Yes, downfall. Uncommon, yet far from unusual. The whole focused on its memories, obliterating its individuality in the process, squeezing its mind from everything until not even a shell remained. No matter. The whole learned from it and adjusted the gestations.
Its last memory, the one it desperately pushed before dissolving into nothingness spoke of creatures that defeated it. Of three ancient foes. The last string of consciousness unraveled and gave away one, parting thought before disappearing. Not three.
There were four.
FADING LIGHT CHAPTER 1: TITAN’S QUEST - END
***