Ultimate Muscle Fan Fiction ❯ I Want You Bad ❯ Mars ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: You all know the score. I don't own Ultimate Muscle, or any of these awesome characters I'm writing about.

 

Recap: Dik Dik was spurred on to victory in his first round match against Jaeger, thanks to his love for Kiki. When he found out Kiki was watching Eskara and not him, he got a tad pissed...

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------

 

Chapter Four - Mars

 

“Poor Wally, I hope he gets better soon!” Kiki sighed, looking out across the dancehall. “And you said his mother and his sister saw the whole thing? How awful for them!”

 

“Awful, yeah,” Trixie replied dismissively.

 

Trixie's disinterested tone, combined with the rustle of her evening gown behind Kiki, was enough to make Kiki suddenly suspicious of just what Trixie was up to. She turned around, finding Trixie hunched over the punch bowl, the silver ladle in one hand and a chunky pint glass in the other.

 

“Trixie, what are you doing?” Kiki gasped.

 

“Making this party a bit more like a party,” Trixie dryly replied, dispensing another ladleful of punch into her glass. “Now be a good girl, and keep guard for me, yeah?”

 

“But Trixie-”

 

“Kiki, if I get caught, we'll both be in big trouble, so just make sure no-one sees me.”

 

Kiki spun around, surveying the dance hall nervously. She had hoped that the evening would go smoothly and quietly after Wally had been taken in the intensive care unit at KO Hospital, and Dik Dik had been given orders to rest for 48 hours. The following day had been intended for two simultaneous matches again, but due to Dik Dik's condition and Kid's disappearance, the officials had decided to just have one first round match the next day, and the other the day after that.

 

“There, was that so hard?” Trixie said, rolling her eyes as she handed a pint glass to Kiki.

 

Kiki stared at it in horror, before turning to watch as Trixie gulped down a quarter of her own glass in one swift movement.

 

“Trixie, I can't drink that!” Kiki whispered.

 

“Of course you can!” Trixie insisted, nudging the glass against her arm.

 

“Well if you don't want it, give it over here, I need it!” Roxanne said, appearing beside Kiki.

 

“Roxanne!” Trixie greeted her as Roxanne snatched the glass from Trixie's hand. “Any luck finding Kid Muscle?”

 

“Don't even ask!” Roxanne grumbled, before repeating Trixie's feat of swallowing back a substantial amount of her drink in one go.

 

“That good, huh?” Trixie laughed. “Too bad, the officials have put Kid up against Road Rage tomorrow. They say if he doesn't come back for the match, he's out of the IWF for good!”

 

“Oh, he'll come back!” Roxanne growled. “Mark my words, he'll come back alright! And if he doesn't, he's gonna have me to answer to!”

 

Trixie and Kiki exchanged looks of amusement and concern as Roxanne finished her glass of punch in one go.

 

“More!” she barked, thrusting her glass at Trixie.

 

“I don't think that's such a good idea, Roxanne,” Trixie warned her.

 

“Shut-up and pour, Trixie!” Roxanne snapped.

 

Trixie silently took Roxanne's glass from her hand, and began to refill it with the ladle. Roxanne crossed her arms, tapping a finger against her elbow impatiently as she watched Trixie delicately filling the glass with the slender ladle.

 

“Oh, to hell with this!” Roxanne said, pushing past Kiki to get at Trixie. “I wanted you to fill the glass, not do a damn chemistry experiment with it!”

 

Roxanne snatched the glass from Trixie, and dunked the entire glass into the punch bowl, pushing down until the pink liquid came up to her wrist before scooping the glass out, filled to the brim.

 

“Ew...” Trixie muttered, as she watched the punch drip off Roxanne's hand and down her forearm.

 

“Hey, careful there, Roxanne, this may be a party an' all, but I think you're just a little bit too young to be drinkin' like that!” Meat called over to them, crossing the dance-floor to join them as he spoke.

 

“What does he know,” Roxanne muttered under her breath, before gulping down more punch. “Damn diaper-wearing, middle-aged midget...”

 

“Don't worry too much, Roxanne, the kid'll turn up,” Meat assured her, smiling cheerfully, having obviously missed her last remark. “He does crazy things like this all the time, it's no big deal!”

 

Roxanne ignored Meat, continuing to drink at her pint of punch.

 

“Meat's right, Roxanne!” Trixie tried. “Kid is always acting like a coward, but he always manages to deliver the goods in the end. Isn't that why you like him so much?”

 

Roxanne finished her drink, and dunked her glass back into the bowl, blanking everyone else around her.

 

“Roxanne!” Meat, Trixie and Kiki all cried in unison, grabbing at her arm.

 

She struggled against them, somehow managing to slip through them with her glass three-quarters full.

 

“It's not a full glass,” she told them as they made to take the glass from her hand. “And this will be my last, I promise.”

 

“Okay,” Meat said. “Let's just go sit down somewhere, yeah?”

 

“Good idea,” Trixie said.

 

Trixie guided Roxanne in the direction Meat was walking, leading her towards a small, unoccupied table. Kiki followed after them at a short distance, dangling her handbag down in front if her legs. She watched it as she walked, kicking at it with her feet. She had really been looking forward to just enjoying herself at the buffet dinner and dance events the IWF were holding in celebration of the ongoing tournament, but it seemed that was not going to be the case.

 

As she walked, Kiki thought, for the first time, about the true implications of Roxanne dating Kid Muscle. What if they got married? What if Roxanne moved to Muscle Planet with Kid Muscle once the tournament was over? Surely if Roxanne did marry Kid, she would be obliged to go to Muscle Planet, since Kid was the crown prince, and heir to the throne; and all that would mean that Kiki's only friend would be Trixie, and Kiki often found Trixie quite hard to deal with on her own. And if Roxanne did leave their group to live with Kid Muscle somewhere else, how long would it be before Trixie did exactly the same thing?

 

Kiki sighed softly to herself, lifting her head as Meat pulled out a chair for Roxanne. She glanced to one side, looking down a darkened corridor leading off the dance hall towards a fire exit, before looking back at the table again.

 

Kiki stopped, turning her head to the fire exit once more. She squinted at the door, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. It almost looked as though the door was slightly open, as though someone had gone through the door, and forgotten to shut it again. A gust of wind tugged at the door, pulling it open and casting a strip of blue moonlight across the floor of the dark corridor for a brief moment, before the door banged shut again.

 

Kiki looked over at her friends, finding Roxanne ranting about something whilst Meat listened sympathetically. Beside them, Trixie was lighting up a cigarette, looking anything but concerned with Roxanne's dilemma. As none of them were looking her way, nor were any of them likely to notice her absence, Kiki darted down the dark corridor, stopping by the partially open fire exit, and peeking outside.

 

Kiki felt her heart jump into her throat as she caught sight of who was standing outside. Although he was not standing very far from the door, he had his back to her, so she felt confident he would not see her spying on him. But what was he doing outside on his own? As a Chojin warrior - more specifically, as a Chojin warrior involved in the ongoing tournament - he should be inside celebrating with all the others. Although one of his team-mates had suffered a loss that day, the other had achieved a remarkable victory, so he had nothing to feel bad about.

 

Kiki edged closer to the door, running her eyes over the length of his body. He appeared to be looking upwards at something, something that had captivated the whole of his attention. Kiki slowly raised her eyes over the top of his head, searching the sky above him for the source of his amusement. As she was staring up at the star-filled sky, another gust of wind whipped at the door, tugging it wide open, and pulling Kiki's dress around her legs. She yelped in shock, grabbing at the folds of material as she tried to hold her dress down. She had deliberately worn a long dress after Terry's comment about the length of the skirt she had worn to Dik Dik's match that morning, and she had become obsessed with holding her dress down to cover as much of her legs as was possible.

 

“Oh hey dere, I didn't know you was interested in astronomy too, sweetheart.”

 

Kiki gasped, looking up to see that he had turned around to face her.

 

“Oh, no, I'm...” she began awkwardly. “Well, that is, I was just...”

 

Kiki yelped again as the wind slammed the door shut against her arm, knocking her back into the hall and hiding the Chojin from her sight.

 

“Ow!” she muttered, grabbing her elbow to nurse her injury.

 

The door suddenly swung open again, and the large shadow of a Chojin warrior fell over Kiki. She looked up sharply, frozen on the spot as she met his eyes.

 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked her.

 

“Fine...” she lied, as her attention was drawn away from the stinging pain in her arm.

 

“I was just doin' some star-gazin',” he added. “Did you wanna join me?”

 

Kiki glanced back down the corridor, where she was just able to see the table Roxanne, Trixie and Meat were sat at. Moving her eyes a little further across the dance-floor, she caught sight of Terry, walking towards the table with Kid Muscle and Dik Dik Van Dik. Kid was dressed in a lurid lime green satin suit, with turquoise shirt and scarlet tie, and he was carrying a bunch of yellow roses. Dik Dik, who was meant to be resting, by order of his doctor, was limping along at their side, a support bandage around his right wrist, and some paper stitches over his forehead.

 

“Sure,” Kiki said decisively, turning back to the man at the door. “I'd love to watch the stars with you.”

 

He nodded his head, and stood back, holding the door open for Kiki to exit. She smiled at him graciously, stepping out of the building. Behind her, he slammed the door shut, locking them out; but Kiki did not notice that he had done so, as she found herself gazing up at the heavens, awestruck by the beauty of the stars that night.

 

“So,” he said slowly as he joined Kiki at her side. “My name's Eskara.”

 

“Oh, I know who you are,” Kiki said with a smile.

 

“I see.”

 

Kiki blushed, clapping a hand over her mouth.

 

“Oh, that didn't come out right!” she wailed, looking up at him with bewildered, wide eyes.

 

“Dat's okay, sweetheart,” he assured her. “I've noticed you at all da IWF events, so I sorta already knew you would know my name. I was only tellin' ya cause I was sorta hopin' you would tell me your's.”

 

“Oh!” Kiki gasped, turning away from him for a moment as her mind became so blank, she could not even think what her own name actually was to answer him. “Kiki!” she recovered, turning back to face him. “My name is Kiki.”

 

“Kiki, okay,” Eskara said, nodding his head. “And I see you're friends wid Kid Muscle's girl?”

 

“Roxanne? Yeah, we're best friends.”

 

“Excellent...”

 

Eskara turned to look up at the stars again, leaving Kiki staring at his profile. She wanted desperately to say something, but failed to find the words. She did not want Eskara to think that she was just another dithering bimbo, but she felt like one as she struggled to think of something - anything - to say to him.

 

“It's a beautiful night, da planets are quite high in da sky tonight,” Eskara eventually said, without turning to look at her.

 

“Planets, yeah,” Kiki said awkwardly, turning to look up at the sky for herself.

 

“You see dat one right dere?” Eskara asked, pointing up directly in front of them.

 

Kiki turned to look at him, studying the angle he was pointing at. His eye level was so much higher than hers she decided he was probably pointing at something much higher than she thought he was.

 

“The-the blue sparkly one?” she asked, turning back to look at the star he appeared to be pointing at.

 

“Nah, da little red one,” he replied.

 

Kiki scanned the section of sky in front of them, but again drew a blank.

 

“I... no, I don't see it,” she said weakly.

 

“Here.”

 

Eskara side-stepped closer to her, bending his legs until his head was level with hers.

 

“Da little red one right dere,” he whispered into her ear, pointing out in front of her.

 

Kiki looked out in the direction he was pointing, spotting a tiny red dot amidst the masses of white and yellow blobs littering the sky.

 

“Oh yeah!” she said, smiling brightly. “That's Mars!”

 

“Dat's right, sweetheart,” Eskara whispered.

 

Kiki stiffened as she felt the warmth of Eskara's hand against the small of her back. It was a cool night, and the warmth of his hand, combined with the rush of adrenaline she always seemed to feel in Eskara's presence, caused her to shiver suddenly.

 

“Aw, are you cold?” Eskara asked her.

 

“N-no,” she said softly.

 

Kiki turned to face him, her heart jumping into her throat when she found her face only inches from his.

 

“Here,” Eskara said, standing back from her.

 

His hand slid from her back, causing her to shiver again, and bringing a smile to Eskara's face. He removed his large jacket, and then draped it over Kiki's shoulders, nodding his head quietly as she grasped at the material around her. Kiki waited until Eskara had turned his attention back to the night sky before closing her eyes and sighing softly. His jacket carried with it not only the warmth of his body, but also the intoxicating smell of his cologne. Kiki slowly opened her eyes again, looking up at Eskara as he continued to stare up at the sky.

 

Kiki opened her mouth to talk to him, but a sudden drilling sensation against her hip caused her to stop short. She frowned down at her side, lifting up Eskara's jacket to look down at her hip. As the drilling sensation came again, she realized that it was her cellphone vibrating inside her bag. She quickly opened up her bag and grabbed it out, answering it without even checking the caller ID.

 

“Hello?” she said sweetly, glancing at Eskara as she spoke.

 

“Kiki, where are you?” Trixie answered her.

 

“Um...”

 

Kiki looked up at Eskara, who smiled down at her.

 

“Anyway, get back here, you're not gonna believe what just happened!” Trixie twittered into her ear. “Kid Muscle just proposed to Roxanne, and she just dumped the punch bowl over his head! Oh, but it gets so totally better than that, Kiki, the punch has like taken the colour out of Kid's horrible tuxedo! You saw his tuxedo, right? Man, he looks like one of those guys from Dumb and Dumber! It was hilarious, Kiki! And Dik Dik's here! He came here especially to see you, Kiki! Get your ass back in here! Where are you, anyway?”

 

Kiki did not answer Trixie immediately, as her eyes were still fixed on Eskara. She really did not want to leave him.

 

“Kiki, are you still there?” Trixie asked her.

 

“Yeah,” Kiki blurted. “Sure. Kid proposed to Roxanne. Right.”

 

“Kiki, where the hell are you?”

 

“I'm on my way.”

 

Kiki quickly hung up her phone, pausing as she clutched onto it, looking up at Eskara.

 

“That was Trixie,” she explained. “She said she wants me to go back inside.”

 

Eskara remained silent, and so Kiki approached the door she had come out of. When she found it was locked, she turned back to Eskara.

 

“Right, well, I guess I'll have to go round to the front entrance,” she said, slipping her phone back into her bag.

 

“Do you always do exactly what Trixie tells ya to do?' Eskara asked her darkly.

 

Kiki paused, sensing something more sinister in the tone of his voice.

 

“Well...” she began, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Trixie is sort of...”

 

“Da bossy blonde bitch I see you hangin' around wid all da time?” Eskara finished for her.

 

Kiki shook her head rapidly.

 

“No, you've got Trixie all wrong, she's not bossy, she's just...”

 

Kiki trailed off as she tried to think of a counter argument to Eskara's accusation; but she was finding it even more difficult than she had imagined it would be. Eskara had a very valid point: Trixie was bossy, and Kiki did always do whatever Trixie told her to do, no matter how ridiculous. Just like how she had stood by and let Trixie help herself to punch, and then serve it up to Roxanne.

 

“Never mind,” Eskara assured her. “It's gettin' cold out here, I think I'll be headin' back inside too. I'll walk you round.”

 

Kiki nodded her agreement, starting back towards the front entrance. As Eskara fell in line beside her, she suddenly remembered that she still had his jacket.

 

“Oh, here, you should take this back,” she began, lifting the jacket from her shoulders.

 

“Nah, dat's alright, you keep it on for now,” he said dismissively. “I'll get it back off ya when we get inside.”

 

“Oh. Thank you.”

 

Kiki pulled the jacket around her shoulders again, walking on in silence. She wanted to look at Eskara again, but she did not want him to think she was just a hopeless fangirl who could do nothing more than stare at every Chojin she saw with hungry eyes. As they walked, Kiki thought again about Trixie's remark about Eskara's eyes looking unreal, as though he was wearing some sort of mask. It seemed to be that most of the wrestlers in the IWF wore some sort of mask, so it hardly seemed surprising that Eskara would wear one too; but it did make Kiki curious to know what he looked like underneath his mask.

 

Kiki began to muster the courage to approach the subject with Eskara, but before she could plan out what to say, both she and Eskara were forced to stop short, as Kid Muscle landed across their path by the front entrance to the dancehall.

 

“But Roxanne, I only meant I wanted you to cook me some cow and rice!” Kid wailed, rubbing at his head as he pushed himself back up to his feet.

 

“You asked me if you would be getting lucky tonight!” Roxanne shrieked, jabbing a finger at Kid.

 

“Ah, Roxanne, give Kid a break,” Terry tried. “I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you none, right Kid?”

 

Kid screamed, pointing at Eskara as he sighted him next to Kiki. Eskara sighed quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kid stumbled back from him for a few steps, before tripping over a rock and falling back down to the ground.

 

“Kid, you're pathetic!” Roxanne barked, marching up to him.

 

She hooked an arm under his and yanked him to his feet, running her eyes over the purple splash marks on his green suit.

 

“Get a grip!” she shouted at him.

 

“Roxanne, why do you have to be so mean to me all the time?” Kid wailed.

 

“Because that's what you need, Kid Muscle!” she snapped. “You need someone to give you a good kick up the ass every now and then!”

 

“Are you gonna be that someone, Roxanne?” Kid asked, blinking at her sweetly.

 

“I guess so,” Roxanne sighed. “Now come on, let's just - hey wait a minute! Kiki, what the hell are you doing hanging out with that guy?”

 

The others all turned to Kiki, who blinked back at them innocently.

 

“You again...” Dik Dik growled, marching over to Eskara. “Stay away from her, you foul-mannered cretin!”

 

Dik Dik tore Eskara's jacket from Kiki shoulders, throwing it at Eskara's face.

 

“I'm going to destroy you in the ring, Eskara!” he warned, brandishing his antler fist at Eskara.

 

Eskara pulled the jacket from his face, smiling down at Dik Dik.

 

“You say dat as though you don't think your friend Kenyon could actually beat me in a match,” Eskara said sarcastically. “Which, of course, he couldn't, but as his friend, you oughta believe dat he could.”

 

“Stay away from me, Eskara,” Dik Dik growled, raising the points of his deadly fist towards Eskara's chin. “And stay away from my woman!”

 

Dik Dik grabbed Kiki's arm and dragged her away from Eskara. She squealed in pain as he inadvertently grabbed onto the same arm she had bashed on the door only moments ago; but Dik Dik was too preoccupied with his staring contest against Eskara to notice her sufferings.

 

“I'll see you in the ring, Eskara,” Dik Dik confidently announced.

 

“Sure,” Eskara agreed, pulling on his jacket.

 

He then walked back inside the dancehall, leaving the others standing outside in silence, all looking around each other.

 

“Ow, Dik Dik, you're hurting me!” Kiki cried, grabbing at his hand.

 

“What?” he snapped, turning to face her, yanking at her arm as he did so.

 

“Ow!” she screamed, tears forming in her eyes. “Let go of me!”

 

“Hey, whoa, Dik Dik, careful there!” Terry said, jogging over towards them.

 

Dik Dik growled at Terry, his ears flattening against his head. Terry stopped abruptly, a few steps back from Dik Dik, his face white with shock.

 

“Our jobs and our futures on Earth are at stake here!” Dik Dik reminded them all. “And so far, it seems like I'm the only one taking this issue seriously! Sometimes, you all make me so mad!”

 

Dik Dik released his hold of Kiki, who sighed in relief, watching him march off, away from the dancehall.

 

“I reckon he was just feelin' the effects of them drugs they had him on at the KO Hospital, Kiki,” Terry whispered to Kiki. “Don't you go worryin' yourself none, I'm sure he'll be good as new day after tomorrow!”

 

“He'd better be,” Meat grumbled. “I'm beginning to think I should reinstate my ban on social activities. You guys are meant to be here to save the Earth, not flirt with all the pretty Earth girls!”

 

“Maybe Kiki needs to give Dik Dik a bit of space,” Kid suggested. “I know she's really in love with him and all, but he's been acting really weird ever since he beat Jaeger.”

 

“Maybe he's been acting weird because he actually won a match,” Trixie suggested sarcastically. “I mean come on, the guy is such a loser!”

 

“Hush, Trixie, don't be insultin' a man in front of his girlfriend like that!” Terry warned her.

 

“I'm not Dik Dik's girlfriend!” Kiki yelled.

 

The others all turned to stare at her, every one shocked by her sudden outburst. She gulped, faltering as she tried to regain her composure.

 

“I think I'm gonna get an early night,” she said softly. “I'll catch you guys later.”

 

Kiki walked off down the parking lot, shutting out the voices of those she left behind. She needed to be alone to think right then.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------

 

Next chapter: Kid Muscle takes on Road Rage, but Kiki can't seem to keep her eyes on the ring, and soon ends up in the most unlikely of places! Chapter 5 - Read the Signs!