Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Anime ❯ Get Medieval ( Chapter 5 )

The scriptwriter stared at the wall of monitors, which displayed scenes that were being edited to form an episode; onscreen, BAAL and Balthild stood guard as Mil Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters evacuated the surviving Red Legion soldiers from the burning base. "We need a 'summer festival' scene."

"Why?" the director asked.

"Too many battle scenes will numb the audience to the drama. We need something light-hearted so the audience can relax with the cast."

"Every other anime series has a 'summer festival' scene. We need something fresh, or the audience will be bored."

The scriptwriter put his right fist in his left palm. "I know! We'll have a dream sequence set in medieval Europe! That will seem fresh after all the scenes set in 20XX!"

"Why not Japan during the Heian and Edo periods?"

"Lots of anime series are set in the Heian and Edo periods. Medieval Europe will seem exotic to the audience-- the Japanese audience," the scriptwriter noted.

The director put his hand under his chin. "Sounds good. Let's get to work."

***

BAD ANIME CHAPTER 5: GET MEDIEVAL

By Sidewinder (aim9snake@hotmail.com), 2007, last revised 2009.

***

Sugar marched beside Nadeshiko as the girl entered a clothing store.

"You don't have to follow me, Miss Sugar," Nadeshiko said.

"I am programmed to protect you. Please allow me to accompany you as your bodyguard, Mistress Nadeshiko."

Nadeshiko's head bowed in resignation. "Okay." She turned to the mannequins on display. "That looks pretty." The girl grabbed a blouse and a skirt matching those worn by a mannequin, and walked to the changing room.

Sugar knocked on the door to Nadeshiko's stall. "Mistress Nadeshiko, I have received a transmission from Command. We must evacuate to..." The silver-haired sexaroid turned around and drew her sword; her left forearm split open to reveal a rack loaded with shuriken, star-shaped throwing blades, in a hidden compartment in her forearm.

A man aimed an AK-74M at Sugar as the rack extended so the silver-haired sexaroid's fingers could reach a shuriken. "For the..." His throat was cut. "Gurgle!" The man instinctively squeezed the trigger, sending three bullets into the doorframe.

"Kyaaaa!"

Sugar lunged; Sakai Saburo cut the rifle in half, and then into the man's chest. The silver-haired sexaroid removed the shuriken from the dead man. "Mistress Nadeshiko, are you injured?"

Five seconds passed before the girl asked, "What happened?"

"An unidentified man attempted to assassinate you. We must evacuate to a safe location."

Nadeshiko cautiously opened the door. "Okay."

Sugar led her mistress to the parking lot, where her Fusion Hybrid waited. "Please wait here while I check the car for..." A bomb, hidden in the sedan chassis, exploded and blew the silver-haired sexaroid and the girl off their feet.

"Kyaaaa!" Nadeshiko flew backwards 10 meters before slamming into a wall.

Sugar sat up, turned her head, and then marched towards the unconscious girl. "Mistress Nadeshiko? Mistress...?"

*

"... Dianthus? Lady Dianthus?"

"Kyaaaa!" The girl sat up. "What...?" She looked down to see herself wearing a blue houppelande, a long gown with trailing sleeves and a high collar; she couldn't see the pink ribbon that braided her hair around her head. "How...?" Her head turned to examine the inside of the carriage, which shook as four horses pull it. "Where am I?"

"You are in a carriage on the way to Schwarzwald Castle. Are you well, Lady Dianthus?"

Nadeshiko turned to the speaker. "Miss Sugar?"

"My name is Zucchero," the Italian translation of the silver-haired sexaroid's name.

"I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize, Lady Dianthus. I am only your maidservant."

Nadeshiko noted that Sugar-turned-Zucchero referred to her by the English translation of her name. "What happened?"

"You laid your head upon my lap and fell asleep," the sexaroid answered. A red ribbon braided her silver hair around her head, and she wore a white apron over a black gown and a white kirtle.

The girl blushed. "I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize, Lady Dianthus. You were tired." Zucchero looked out the window. "We are now in the domain of the Duke of Schwarzwald."

Shadows enveloped the carriage; Nadeshiko-turned-Dianthus looked out the window to see pine trees that gave Schwarzwald, the Black Forest, its name. The girl sensed... something... and turned to see the silver-haired sexaroid stand up and buckle a scimitar to her left hip.

"Please remain in the carriage as I investigate." Zucchero opened the moving carriage door, put her hands on the roof, pulled herself onto the roof, and then closed the door. The sexaroid marched up to the coachman, who turned to her. "Be on guard. I believe I saw..." A crossbow bolt shot towards the coachman; Zucchero drew the scimitar and cut the bolt in half, saving the coachman's life. "Bandits."

Bolts hit the four knights escorting the carriage, piercing their breastplates; the knights slumped in their saddles as the horses wheeled away from the carriage. Eight Red Legion soldiers, now wearing medieval European clothing, charged out of the forest; four were armed with spears, four were armed with crossbows, and all weapons were aimed at Zucchero and the coachman. "Halt, or we'll..." The sexaroid jumped off the carriage and slashed, cutting the bandit leader's crossbow in half. "Ahhhh!" The bandit fell, cut from his left shoulder to his groin.

"Boss!" "Bitch!" The crossbowmen shot at Zucchero, who spun her scimitar to cut the incoming bolts in half. The spearmen lunged at the sexaroid as the archers frantically pulled on the bowstrings. Zucchero slashed, severing the spearheads; then she jumped over the spearmen's heads to attack the archers. "Argh!" "Get away... Ahhhh!" "Gurgle!" "God save me!" Three crossbowmen laid on the road, their blood painting it red; the fourth crossbowman dropped his weapon and ran into the forest.

The spearmen dropped their useless spears and drew the swords and daggers at their waists. "Kill the bitch!" "No, get the... Ahhhh!"

Dianthus leaned out the window. "Miss Zucchero!" Three bandits ran towards the carriage; one grabbed her hair and held a knife against her throat. "Kyaaaa!"

"Get back, or I'll..." An arrow entered the bandit's left temple and exited through the right; the man dropped his knife, fell onto the road, and breathed his last breath.

"Kyaaaa!" Dianthus recoiled from the dead man and ducked, trying to hide in the carriage.

Zucchero and the bandits turned to see a knight, a skeleton painted on his black armor and a death's-head forming the visor of his white helmet, ride a black horse out of the forest. The horse armor also had a skeleton painted on it; to Dianthus, the knight and his horse resembled animated X-rays. Two arming swords, a knight's single-handed swords, were buckled to the saddle.

The skeleton knight bore an out-of-place Mongol composite bow. The bowstring was already drawn-- with the thumb, an out-of-place technique-- the arrow pointed at one of two surviving bandits. "Drop your weapons, now."

One bandit, seeing that the weapon wasn't aimed at him, lunged. "Yaaaa!"

The skeleton knight turned and released the bowstring; the arrow entered the bandit's right eye and exited through the back of his head, killing him. The string was drawn again, and an arrow ready to fly, before the dead bandit was on his back. "Do you wish to join your comrade?" He watched the surviving bandit drop his daggers.

Two more knights rode out of the forest, followed by 24 men-at-arms on horseback, eight hounds, and four huntsmen. One of the men-at-arms tugged on a rope that bound the hands of the crossbowman who fled from Zucchero; a second man-at-arms aimed his lance at the bandit's back, ready to punish any attempts to flee. "Is that what interrupted the hunt, Your Highness?" asked a knight in black armor; his coat of arms was a stag and a doe supporting a white shield marked with a black Iron Cross.

One of the men-at-arms was a woman. "Zucchero!" Spice-- renamed Spezia, the Italian translation of her name, for this episode-- rode up to her sister, dismounted, and embraced Zucchero. The silver-haired sexaroid's right arm encircled her sister's body to sheathe her scimitar; then she returned the embrace. Spezia then released her sister, turned around, and bowed to the skeleton knight. "Your Highness, may I introduce my sister, Zucchero."

The skeleton knight didn't turn away from the bandit. "A pleasure, Lady Zucchero."

The silver-haired sexaroid turned to the carriage. "Are you injured, Lady Dianthus?"

The girl took deep breaths to calm herself. "I'm f-f-fine, M-Miss Zucchero."

Zucchero turned to the knights and curtsied. "Thank you for coming to our aid, Milords."

"And Lady." The third knight, wearing silver armor, raised her visor to reveal Linda's face. Her coat of arms was two doves supporting a white shield marked with three red hearts.

"Thank you, Milady. I am Zucchero Sexaroid, maidservant to Lady Dianthus Japan, Duchess of Florentia."

"The girl in the carriage?" the skeleton knight asked as two huntsmen moved in front of him and bound the bandit's hands.

"Yes, Milord. We were accompanied by four knights, who were struck by crossbow bolts; their horses carried them away from the carriage," Zucchero stated.

The skeleton knight raised his visor to reveal Johnny's face; he turned to the men-at-arms. "Falkenhorst, Sheppard, search the road for the missing knights; see if they need a priest," who often had medical training.

"Yes, Milord." The two men-at-arms rode past the carriage, down the road.

The black knight raised his visor to reveal Abe's face, rode towards the carriage, and bowed to Dianthus. "I apologize for the banditry you suffered on my domain, Lady Dianthus. I am Lord Abraham, Duke of Schwarzwald. With me are His Royal Highness the Prince John, Prince of Mercia, Duke of Cornovii, Count of Deva; and Lady Linda, the Marquise of Heart."

Zucchero curtsied again. "I am most grateful for your aid, Milords and Lady."

The men-at-arms, leading the Florentine knights' horses, returned to their master. "Your Highness, two of the foreign knights are dead, two are wounded."

Johnny-turned-John faced Zucchero. "With your permission, Lady Zucchero, we will put the wounded men in the carriage and transport them back to my castle."

The silver-haired sexaroid turned to the carriage. "Lady Dianthus?"

"Okay."

Zucchero turned to the knights. "You may put the wounded knights in the carriage." She watched the men-at-arms remove the Florentine knights' armor, remove the bolts and bandage the wounds, and put the Florentine knights in the carriage.

***

Abe and John removed their armor. "You like getting medieval?" the black man asked as he put on a red doublet embroidered with silver crosses, and a blue and white checkered hose.

"Nothing special," the warrant officer-turned-prince commented as he put on a black doublet embroidered with golden fleurs-de-lis, and a black hose.

"Are you kidding?! Your role is based on Edward the Black Prince! You're the Crown Prince of England and hero of the Hundred Years' War! You can order me around, you can have me surround you with German women, hot females who can't wait to throw themselves upon the sword," he pointed at John's groin, "of a war hero! Admit it, you like being royalty!"

"I know about the court intrigues, the coups, the men who killed their brothers and their brothers' children to claim the throne; being royalty is more trouble than it's worth," John said as he buckled his arming swords to his hips.

"Is that how you feel?" Abe buckled an arming sword to his left hip.

A 40-year-old Filipina, wearing a red houppelande, greeted the prince and the black man as they exited the changing room. "Are you ready to meet the guests, Dearest Husband?"

Abe's left arm encircled the Filipina's right. "Yes, Dearest Wife." The couple marched to the set of Schwarzwald Castle's grand hall, followed by Johnny; cameras focused on them.

"Presenting His Royal Highness the Prince John, Prince of Mercia, Duke of Cornovii, Count of Deva; Lord Abraham, Duke of Schwarzwald; and Lady Maria, Duchess of Schwarzwald," Spezia announced. A blue ribbon braided her hair around her head, but her uniform was otherwise identical to Zucchero's; two arming swords hung from her hips.

The male cast members bowed to the prince and the couple, while the female cast members curtsied.

'I can get used to this.' Abe raised his right arm. "We are here to honor the presence of His Royal Highness the Prince John, scion of the House of Sword," the English translation of Johnny's surname, "heir to the throne of Albion." The black man turned to the prince.

"Let us celebrate the alliance between Albion and Schwarzwald," John said.

Musicians began to play as the cast members danced the estampie, jumping up and stamping their feet to the cadence.

Dianthus, wearing a pink houppelande, walked up to John and bowed; Zucchero, following her mistress, did the same. "Thank you for saving my life today, Your Highness," the girl said.

"It was my chivalric duty. May I ask if this is the first time you have traveled beyond the borders of Florentia?"

"I..."

"It is," the sexaroid answered.

"I advise you to defend yourself with at least 20 men-at-arms when traveling. The Throne of Swords is the only authority a bandit respects."

Dianthus was confused. "Throne of Swords?"

"A term for force of arms, after the throne commissioned by Brand the Conqueror, my noble ancestor. He used the swords of defeated nobles to make the throne; it grows like a lion cub as Albion conquers new territory."

"Conquers... you mean wage wars of aggression? When will the wars...?"

"Will you please allow Lady Dianthus the pleasure of dancing with you?" Zucchero interrupted before her mistress could finish her question.

Dianthus' face was as red as a cherry as she turned to her maidservant. "Miss Zucchero!"

"Very well." John took Dianthus' right hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it; the girl's face seemed to glow like a lantern. Still holding Dianthus' hand, John began to jump up and stamp his feet.

The girl began to dance, imitating the prince. 'His hand is so warm,' the girl thought, a line she'd repeat for this episode's voiceover.

*

Dianthus awoke to find Zucchero's left arm draped across her belly, the hand gripping the scabbard. The girl's head turned to see the silver-haired sexaroid sleeping in the nude. "Kyaaaa!"

Zucchero rolled out of the bed to crouch on the floor, and drew her scimitar. She turned to her mistress. "Where is the enemy?"

Dianthus covered her eyes. "Miss Zucchero, please put on your clothes."

"Yes, Milady." The silver-haired sexaroid sheathed her sword as she walked to the chair where her clothes were.

"Why were you naked and in my bed?" the girl demanded.

"As your maidservant, I must remain by your side, ready to defend you from any enemy."

"Naked?" Dianthus slept in her chemise.

"It is more comfortable to sleep in the nude." Zucchero put on her boots and finished dressing. "Let us nourish ourselves with some breakfast, Lady Dianthus."

***

Trumpeters played a rousing tune as Linda led 20 knights on horseback on parade; streamers hung from their jousting lances. The knights rode around the lists, the field for jousting, before stopping in front of the box where noblemen and women-- including Abe, Maria, Dianthus and her maidservant-- sat. Aizhan and the Fallschirmjäger-- wearing the uniforms of Landsknechte, German mercenaries, their chainswords replaced by pikes and Zweihänder, German two-handed swords-- stood behind the fences, drinking wine and eating drumsticks.

The trumpeters paused as the black man rose and extended his hand towards the knights. "This tournament is held in honor of His Royal Highness the Prince John, who led the armies of Albion and Schwarzwald in battle against the forces of Gallia; and to the Lord our God, who granted us victory." The trumpets drew the audience's attention to John as he rode in front of the box.

"Prince John is a handsome man," Zucchero commented.

Dianthus blushed as she stared at the prince. "Yes."

"I believe he will be an excellent choice for your husband."

The girl's face seemed to glow like a lantern as she turned to the silver-haired sexaroid. "Ehhhh?!"

"As the honored guest of the Duke of Schwarzwald, His Royal Highness the Prince John has been named champion of the tournament; those who seek glory may challenge the prince for the title," the announcer stated.

A shield, strapped to John's left forearm, bore his coat of arms-- a skull over two femurs forming a cross that quartered the shield, the first and third quarters black fields with golden fleurs-de-lis, the second and fourth red fields with three golden lions. The prince threw a gauntlet onto the ground. "Who dares to challenge me?"

Linda turned her horse around to face the knights. "Let the joust bring glory to our lands and peoples." She rode towards the thrown gauntlet. "I..." Shadows enveloped the lists as storm clouds blotted out the sun. The surprised redhead looked up. "What...?"

"Roarrrr!"

Linda drew a blunted sword, used for tournaments. "Mother of God!" Strong winds blew her horse onto its side; the redhead's leg was pinned under the horse's body, immobilizing her.

John charged; lightning scorched the ground behind him. The prince threw his jousting lance like a javelin, the tip reaching for the source of the wind-- a 27-meter-long dragon with a broken horn, wearing a knight's armor, whose flapping wings generating winds that blew off the box roof.

The dragon's front claws held a magically enlarged great sword; he slashed, shattering the lance. John used the distraction draw a blunted sword from a scabbard buckled to his saddle; he jumped into the air and slashed at the dragon's exposed back.

"Milord!" "Your Highness!" "Shrieeeek!"

The dragon writhed to parry John's attack; he folded his wings as he fell. The dragon transformed into a man, who somersaulted in midair to land on his feet; his armor magically shrank and changed shape to fit his human form, and his great sword shrank.

The prince landed on his horse; he turned his horse around to face the transformed man.

"Your Highness!" Spezia threw her master's arming swords, weapons of war.

John dropped the blunted sword to catch the swords, which he pointed at the man; behind him, the golden-haired sexaroid was pulling the redhead free of the fallen horse. "Greetings, Kind Sir. Have we met?" the prince asked.

"Greetings, Deathly Prince. Yes, we met at Nanciacum, where you cut off one of my horns before routing my army; the wounds still sting." The man's physical appearance was that of a 25-year-old, but as a vampire, he had seen 890 winters. He had black hair that reached his shoulders, a beard and a mustache, and violet eyes. A scar on his forehead marked the place where the dragon's left horn was cut off.

"Such is war."

An 18-meter-long dragon led two gargoyles towards the lists; they landed behind the man and transformed into beautiful women, their armor shrinking and changing shape to fit the women's human forms. The Landsknechte transformed as they drew their Zweihänder, jumped over the fence, and surrounded the transformed women.

The gargoyles-turned-women, a blonde and a Moor, ignored the weapons now aimed at them. "You stand in the presence of His Majesty the King Clovis, scion of the House of Merovingian and heir to the powers of the Lord Jesus Christ, ruler of Gallia, the Promised Land of immortals," the blonde stated. "Bow and show His Majesty the respect he deserves as King of Gallia," the Moor demanded.

'The character designer designed two welcome additions to my harem. I wish he designed more.' "Are you wounded, Father?" the dragon-turned-woman asked.

Nadeshiko-turned-Dianthus gasped as she stared at the dragon-turned-woman-- Balthild. "It's her!" she whispered.

Zucchero, who drew her scimitar and now stood in front of her mistress, turned. "Lady Dianthus?"

"The strange woman at the hot springs!"

Clovis-- the vampire who ruled Gallia, who could transform into a dragon and command storms-- turned to his daughter. "I am unhurt." He turned to John and psychically lifted the thrown gauntlet off the ground, into his hand. "I dare to challenge you, Deathly Prince; the prize shall be the lands of Alsatiae and Lotharingia, which your forces seized from my dominion."

"Those lands are no longer mine to give, Your Majesty; they are now part of the Duchy of Schwarzwald," the prince stated.

"A bribe to buy the services of the Duke's army, Deathly Prince?"

"Such is diplomacy, Your Majesty."

Clovis turned to the box; he saw the worry in Dianthus' eyes as the girl stared at John. "Then the prize shall be the woman you love, who shall enter my family's service."

The challenge confused the prince. "Which woman?"

Balthild glided towards the box. "You are Lady Dianthus Japan, Duchess of Florentia, yes? I met your father when I visited Florentia last September; I see his spirit in you."

Zucchero pointed her scimitar at Balthild. "My mistress is not a pretty bauble to be given away like a prize."

The dhampire smiled. "She will not be a bauble; she will be one of my lovers, and shall enjoy pleasures beyond the limits a mere mortal can bear."

"I'm not..." The girl's face seemed to glow like a lantern.

"Although I do not harbor such feelings towards Lady Dianthus, it is my chivalric duty to fight for her honor. With her permission, I will accept your challenge," John stated.

Dianthus turned to her champion. "You..."

"You have my mistress' permission," Zucchero deadpanned.

"Shall we use blunted weapons?" the prince asked.

"Neighhhh!" A Mare of Diomedes, a man-eating horse with bat wings and a scorpion's tail, dived towards the lists. Beherit, his armor painted black to distinguish him from his 20XX incarnation, rode the monstrous horse; the Red Legion leader aimed his lance at Aizhan's throat.

Aizhan somersaulted backwards to dodge the thrust. "Grrrr." The monstrous horse's stinger lashed at the werewolves, forcing them to back away as it landed.

Beherit turned to see John face Clovis. 'Johnny is promoted to become the crown prince of a G8 nation-- two G8 nations, according to the history of the Hundred Years' War-- while I am demoted to become a new character's delivery boy. I hate this episode.' He rode up to the vampire king, and dismounted.

Clovis released his sword, whose guard was a golden bat; the guard's wings flapped to keep the blade off the ground. "We shall use weapons of war." The vampire king mounted the monstrous horse; his arm extended to receive a lance from the Red Legion leader, who marched to the dhampire's side.

John sheathed the sword in his right hand and extended his arm. "Lance." Spezia put the weapon of war in the prince's hand.

Clovis pointed his lance at his opponent. "Are you ready to be judged before the Lord Jesus Christ, Deathly Prince?"

John answered by turning to the box. "Trumpeters, signal the tilt." The prince pointed his lance at the vampire king.

"I see." The trumpeters gave the signal. "Ya!" Clovis and his opponent charged towards each other; then John's horse jumped over the tilt, the barrier between the prince and his opponent, a split-second before lightning scorched the ground on his side.

The point of John's lance reached for Clovis' left eye. The vampire king's sword flew in front of the prince to cut off the point; then the magical weapon thrust at John.

"Your Highness!"

The prince jumped off his horse, over the magical weapon, and then landed on the vampire king's lance. John pointed a sword at Clovis' left eye, and lunged.

"Your Majesty!" "Father!"

The vampire king's left hand gripped the blade, stopping the point of the prince's sword before it could blind him; blood flowed from the cuts on his hand. He released the lance; John jumped, somersaulted over Clovis' head, and landed on his saddle as the horses passed each other.

The prince and the vampire king turned their horses around. "You violated the code of chivalry and the rules of the tournament," John calmly stated.

Clovis smiled as his sword flew into his hand. "Such is vengeance, Deathly Prince." The vampire king and the prince charged.

Dianthus climbed over the fence and ran towards Balthild.

"Lady Dianthus!" Zucchero ran after her mistress.

Beherit drew a scimitar and pointed it at Dianthus, but Zucchero sent throwing knife into his right eye. "Ahhhh!" He kneeled as the girl ran past him. 'I truly hate this episode,' the Red Legion leader thought as he fell on his chest.

The blonde drew an arming sword as the Moor drew a scimitar; then raised their weapons as they stepped in front of the girl to shield their mistress. The silver-haired sexaroid sent two knives towards the gargoyles-turned-women; as the blonde and the Moor blocked the attacks, Dianthus ran between them and stopped in front of Balthild. The gargoyles-turned-women reached for the girl; then the blonde blocked a slash from Zucchero's scimitar as the Moor blocked a thrust from the knife in the silver-haired sexaroid's left hand.

Dianthus heard the prince and the vampire king's swords clank against each other. She performed a zarei-- she kneeled, placed her hands upon the floor, and bowed until her head touched her hands. "Miss, please stop the battle! I don't want anybody to get hurt!" Tears rained upon Dianthus' hands.

The gargoyles-turned-women frowned at the girl. "You will address Crown Princess Balthild, scion of the House of Merovingian, heir to..."

"Sheathe your swords, Amelie, Kalila," the dhampire ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." The blonde and the Moor complied; Zucchero's scimitar returned to its scabbard as her throwing knife returned to one of the sheaths hidden under her gown.

John beheaded the Mare of Diomedes. Clovis jumped off his horse. "Roarrrr!" The vampire king transformed into a dragon, and launched a pyrokinetic attack; the prince's horse reared to dodge the fireball.

Balthild, ignoring the battle raging in front of her, took a knee and put her hand under Dianthus' chin. The girl's head rose to look into the dhampire's eyes. "I will ask my father to end the duel, but in return, you must accept the Kiss of the Red Rose, Lady Dianthus."

The girl blushed. "A kiss?" Then Dianthus felt Balthild's lips upon her own. "Gasp!" The dhampire pushed the girl against the ground as her tongue reach between those lips to massage the girl's tongue. Dianthus felt lightheaded as Balthild broke off the kiss. "I..."

The dhampire's lips crept down the girl's neck; then Dianthus felt two points, Balthild's fangs, upon her jugular vein. "Kyaaaa!"

*

"Mistress Nadeshiko?"

Nadeshiko's eyes opened to see Sugar looking down on her; the 14-year-old's head laid upon the silver-haired sexaroid's lap. "Miss Zucchero?"

"Who is Zucchero?" Sugar asked.

The 14-year-old saw that she was inside a car. "Miss Sugar? Where...?"

"You're in my car, on the way to the base," Aizhan from the driver's seat.

"Why...?"

"Terrorists put a bomb in Sugar's car, blew it up, and then tried to finish you while you were unconscious. You were lucky Johnny went to Ranger School; he knew what to do in that situation," the tsundere girl commented.

Nadeshiko sat up. "Mister Tsurugi?"

"I was able to send a distress signal to Spice," Sugar stated. "She reported the assassination attempt to Mister Tsurugi, who led the casevac," casualty evacuation.

The 14-year-old blushed. "He saved me?" Then Sugar put her head against Nadeshiko's heart. "Ehhhh?!"

"Your heart rate is elevated, a sign of stress. Would you...?"

"It's not stress, it's..." The 14-year-old's face was as red as a cherry.

"Don't forget to use a condom," Aizhan deadpanned.

Nadeshiko's face seemed to glow like a brake light. "B-b-but I'm n-not ready to..." She put her hand over her neck, and felt wetness. "Gasp!"

"Mistress Nadeshiko?" The silver-haired sexaroid examined her mistress. "You have shrapnel wounds on your neck. I apologize for not noticing them earlier. I will treat the wounds." She opened a first aid kit.

The girl felt the sexaroid rub disinfectant on her neck. 'If the dream was more than a dream, is the strange woman the dragon?' she wondered, a line she'd repeat for this episode's voiceover. 'Is she...?'

"Cut!" the director ordered. "Good job, girls."

***

To be continued...