Ultimate Muscle Fan Fiction ❯ I Want You Bad ❯ Secrets Revealed ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: A bit of nookie in this chapter. I'm quite crap at writing these kissy/sexy scenes, so please excuse how terribly it reads.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Ultimate Muscle. But I wish I owned Dik Dik and Mars... Now that would be cool...

 

Recap: Eskara defeated Terry and revealed that he had been wearing a full-body disguise, and that he fights like a bad boy! Dik Dik had important business to take care of...

 

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Chapter 7 - Secrets Revealed

 

Kiki grabbed her arms around her knees, huddling up against the late evening wind. Her eyes were fixed on the setting sun, and although she knew that it would soon be very dark, and very cold, she felt no inclination to move from her hiding place.

 

She snivelled to herself, grabbing the hem of her dress and wiping the tears from her face, only for hot, fresh trickles of salt water to replace them. She sniffed harder, shivering as another gust of wind blasted her face, chilling the tracks of her tears.

 

“Kiki?”

 

Kiki paused, wondering if she had imagined the voice. It was so quiet, and sounded almost ghostly against the wind that whistled relentlessly past her ears.

 

“I knew I would find you here. You always come here when you're sad about something.”

 

Kiki glanced down over her elbow, frowning down at the person looking back up at her.

 

“You've not been yourself for a while now, Kiki. What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Kiki lied, turning her head back to face the setting sun.

 

“Nothing? You don't usually cry over nothing, Kiki. Although, you did cry at the end of Titanic, whereas I was all like “just let go and die already!””

 

Kiki giggled involuntarily.

 

“There, see? It's not all bad. Even though you're laughing at me, it's a start. I'd rather you were laughing with me, but it's a start. Now, are you gonna come down out of that damn tree?”

 

Kiki dropped her feet over each side of the thick branch she was sat at the base of, leaning her head back against the trunk of the tree.

 

“I don't want to go to the buffet,” she said softly.

 

“You don't have to!”

 

“Well good, because I don't want to.”

 

“You don't have to! And I promise you don't have to go to any more IWF matches that Eskara is in. Now come down out of that stupid tree, already! You know, that time Trixie pulled out your slack tooth for you, and you hid up the tree, it was cute. You were 8 years old, of course it was cute! That time Dan pretended he wanted to go to the school disco with you and then stood you up, and you found out it was all a big joke, and then you hid in the tree it was understandable, but a bit weird. You were 14, and getting a bit old to be climbing trees. And then there was the time I set fire to your hair...”

 

“I was trying to grow it long for my sister's wedding,” Kiki sighed.

 

“And you had to get it all cut off, but you like it short now! And again, you hid in the tree.”

 

“I was 16.”

 

“And now you're 18, and you're still hiding in trees every time something upsets you. I sorta wish I had a camera, Kiki, you look really funny. In your cute little fairy dress, with your hair all wild, and your make-up smeared all over your face... You look like a pre-menstrual wood elf!”

 

“Roxanne, you're not helping!” Kiki snapped.

 

“I'm sorry. Will you please come down?”

 

Kiki looked down at Roxanne, who held up both hands towards her, smiling earnestly.

 

“Come on, Kiki!” Roxanne urged.

 

“No,” Kiki stubbornly replied, turning back to the horizon, where only half the sun was now visible.

 

“Well, you leave me no other choice...” Roxanne muttered.

 

“What?” Kiki muttered. “Hey!”

 

Roxanne grabbed at one of Kiki's dangling feet, and began to tug at her shoe.

 

“What are you doing?” Kiki yelped, as Roxanne succeeded in removing her shoe.

 

“You can't very well walk home in bare feet, Kiki!” Roxanne taunted her, waving her shoe in the air.

 

“Roxanne!”

 

“Get down out the tree, Kiki!”

 

Kiki sighed, swinging her other leg over the branch and grabbing on at either side of herself with both hands. She slid herself off the branch, supporting her descent with her hands. Once both her feet were on the cold, damp grass below, she held out one hand towards Roxanne expectantly. Roxanne started to move the shoe towards Kiki's hand, but then snatched it back, turning her back on Kiki.

 

“That dress must have been real expensive, Kiki!” she said slyly, as she tapped the toe of Kiki's shoe against her chin.

 

“I had savings!” Kiki defended herself.

 

“Yeah, but you were saving that money for college,” Roxanne reminded her, waggling Kiki's shoe in the air as she spoke.

 

“I don't need all my money for college,” Kiki argued back weakly.

 

“Still,” Roxanne sighed, spinning around on her heels to face her friend. “The dress was expensive, and you do look totally hot in it!”

 

Kiki looked down at herself, nervously smoothing the skirt over her thighs.

 

“It seems such a shame to let it go to waste...” Roxanne muttered.

 

“I wore it today!” Kiki pointed out, looking up at Roxanne again.

 

“For all of like an hour,” Roxanne drawled, rolling her eyes. “A beautiful dress like that should be worn somewhere special. Like, I dunno, say a buffet in honour of the end of the first round of-”

 

“I'm not going back there!” Kiki stopped her, making a grab for her shoe.

 

“Ah-ah!” Roxanne warned, pulling the shoe out of her reach. “Let me finish...”

 

Roxanne turned her back on Kiki, taking five steps away from her and then stopping, her toes at the edge of the grass.

 

“Ooh, look at that, Kiki!” she said sarcastically, smirking over her shoulder at Kiki. “A gravel path! Man, I bet it would hurt to walk down that with a bare foot...”

 

“Roxanne, give me back my shoe!” Kiki wailed, running across the grass towards Roxanne's back.

 

“No can do!” Roxanne quickly said, leaping onto the course gravel path.

 

“Roxanne!” Kiki wailed, stumbling to a halt at the edge of the grass.

 

“Come on, Kiki!” Roxanne pleaded, backing away from her across the path. “I promise to stay with you, and we won't talk to any of the guys. Not even Kid.”

 

Kiki narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, watching as Roxanne stepped off at the other side of the path, backing up onto the grass there. The path was very wide, so stepping over it in one giant step would be out of the question.

 

“And don't worry about Trixie,” Roxanne continued. “She's not there tonight. She stayed at the hospital with Terry. He tore all the muscles in his neck, and he's in traction. And apparently, there's something wrong with his legs... It's really weird...”

 

Kiki curled her tongue over her top lip in concentration, scanning the width of the path and the edges of her own bank of grass and the one Roxanne stood on.

 

“They had to cut his boots off, it was totally gross!” Roxanne added. “Where his boots had been, his legs were all red and swollen, and the skin was coming off... It was horrible!”

 

Kiki skipped back several steps and then charged forwards, stretching her legs wider with every stride before launching herself into the air at the edge of the path. Roxanne watched, her jaw hanging low in silent awe, as Kiki flew over the path, landing clearly on the grass next to her. In Roxanne's frozen state of shock, Kiki was able to take advantage, and snatch back her shoe.

 

“Thanks, Roxanne!” she chirped cheerfully, pulling her shoe back onto her foot.

 

“What?” Roxanne recovered. “But that's not fair! Where did you learn how to fly?”

 

“Six years of ballet!” Kiki brightly replied, arching one arm over her head and spinning around on the spot.

 

“You...” Roxanne growled, bunching her fists and pressing them against her hips.

 

Kiki smiled, studying her friend for a moment.

 

“But even though I won, I'll still let you have what you want,” she offered, after a short silence had passed between them. “I'll go to the buffet with you - but first of all, I really have to clean myself up!”

 

“You're damn right you do!” Roxanne replied, suppressing a smile, and trying to maintain a look of stern authority. “You've got black marks all over your face, and tree bark all over your ass!”

 

Kiki laughed openly at Roxanne, before hooking her arm through Roxanne's, and allowing her to guide her out of the park.

 

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Kiki smiled back at Roxanne as her friend sat down next to her at a small table set back from the main dance-floor. They had snuck into the buffet, and managed to avoid the concentration of people at the other end of the hall, as Roxanne intended to keep her promise of staying with Kiki, and staying away from the others.

 

Kiki clasped her hands together on the surface of the table, trying to amuse herself with watching her fingers, trying her hardest to avoid the mounting temptation to look over at the crowd.

 

“Do you want a drink?” Roxanne asked her.

 

“Okay,” Kiki agreed.

 

“Hey, Kiki, there's no-one at the sandwiches, why don't you get a plate of sandwiches for us while I get the drinks?”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

Kiki nodded her head, watching Roxanne walk towards the bar. She glanced over at the end of the buffet table, which lined two walls of the room, finding that Roxanne was indeed correct; all the guests were standing at the back wall, leaving the bottom end of the table free.

 

Kiki slipped out of her seat and walked over to the table, picking up a paper plate and inspecting the remaining selection of sandwiches. She curled her lip as she found most of them had been bitten into, or squashed by questioning fingers, or merely opened up and left to dry out. As she perused the selection of snacks, Kiki felt an odd sensation, a feeling she knew only too well; and before she could stop herself, she had turned her head to look up at the top end of the room, her eyes landing instantly onto Eskara's.

 

Eskara was standing against the table, surrounded by a group of women who were half his size. They were all cooing over him and taking it in turns to position themselves next to him as their friends photographed them.

 

But Eskara's eyes were fixed on Kiki.

 

He was smiling slightly, one hand hanging by his side, the other holding a glass of something that looked like fruit juice. Kiki's eyes grew in size as he took a step forwards, her heart quickening as she began to toy with the idea of him coming over to talk to her.

 

She sighed with relief when he turned to look down at his hoard of female admirers, turning her head back to look at the table. Eskara, as he was now in his true form, was the sort of good-looking guy who could probably have a different girlfriend every night of the week; and, Kiki told herself, he probably did. Judging by the size of the group of women around him, in one night he had managed to acquire enough women to last him the duration of the tournament, and well beyond.

 

Kiki reached out towards a tray of less-handled sandwiches, pulling it towards herself to get a closer look at what it held. She thought for a moment and then reached out towards the back corner of the tray, where there appeared to be some completely untouched sandwiches; but quickly withdrew her hand at the sound of footsteps approaching her from one side. Kiki turned sharply, her face paling as she was confronted with Eskara.

 

“You gotta minute?” he asked, pointing over her shoulder.

 

Kiki turned around, seeing the same fire-exit she had snuck up to two nights previously to spy on him through.

 

“I...” she said weakly, turning back to him and holding up her paper plate.

 

“Roxanne's a big girl, I'm sure she can get her own sandwiches,” Eskara assured her, taking the plate from her hands and flinging it down on to the table.

 

Kiki found no further cause to argue with him, and so obediently turned around, walking down the short corridor to the fire-exit. She hesitated by the door, but Eskara reached past her, shoving it open, and then held an arm out to indicate that she should walk through it ahead of him. Kiki swallowed hard, stepping out into the cold night air. Eskara followed her closely, pushing the door shut firmly behind them.

 

“I guess what you saw today was a bit of shock, huh?” he asked, stepping towards Kiki to close the gap between them.

 

“Shock?” Kiki echoed, her voice sounding weak and wavering to even her own ears. “Well...”

 

Kiki took a decisive step back from Eskara, and he halted his advance.

 

“I knew you were wearing a mask, I just thought that...” she began, unsure of exactly what she had thought really lay beneath his mask.

 

“You thought dat I wore a mask for da same reasons dose other guys do,” Eskara finished for her. “Like Kevin Mask, and Kid Muscle.”

 

“Right...” Kiki said, nodding her head slowly. “Because it's a family tradition.”

 

“Actually, I was thinkin' more like cause they're both so darn ugly, but sure, family tradition sounds good too,” Eskara said, curling one side of his mouth into an amused smirk.

 

Kiki knew that he had meant that last remark as a joke, but she was still so confused and bewildered, she could not even smile, let alone laugh.

 

“You gotta understand, I needed dat disguise to get to where I am today,” Eskara explained. “It's a long story, but... Did I see you talkin' to Kevin Mask earlier?”

 

“Me?' Kiki asked, pressing a hand against her chest. “N-no, not me! He was talking to Meat and Kid about something, but not me!”

 

“Ah...”

 

Eskara turned his head to one side, looking up slightly, as though looking at the stars again. Kiki began to curl the fingers of her hand on her chest as she looked up at him, taking in his immaculate profile. He had such distinguished features, he looked almost regal. He had a strong, straight jawline, and pronounced cheekbones. And his nose was perfectly straight from bridge to tip.

 

He shifted his sharp amber eyes back to Kiki suddenly, before slowly turning his head around to face her front on.

 

“Are you scared of me?” he asked suddenly, taking another step towards her.

 

“No!” Kiki squeaked, staggering back from him.

 

“You was never scared of me before, when I was wearin' dat disguise,” he added, taking another step towards her.

 

“I'm n-not scared,” Kiki lied, stumbling back from him continually, as he slowly followed her, one step at a time. “I was bit shocked to... To see what you... What you really look like.”

 

“I see,” Eskara said, smiling darkly. “And so now dat you know what I really look like, what do ya think?”

 

Kiki raised one finger as though she was about to answer him, but stopped as her back collided with a concrete pillar protruding from the wall of the dancehall, abruptly ending her retreat.

 

“Do you like what ya see?” Eskara asked, continuing to slowly walk towards her.

 

Kiki nodded nervously, too scared to talk, but too frightened to leave his question unanswered.

 

“You probably noticed dat I got me a few female fans back dere,” Eskara said, stopping in front of Kiki, darkening her under his shadow. “But I still remember dat you liked me even when you thought I was just a bald and ugly old man...”

 

Eskara leaned forwards, planting one hand against the pillar, blocking Kiki's only route of escape.

 

“Dat sure means a lot to me, Kiki,” he whispered, brushing the fingers of his other hand against her cheek.

 

Kiki trembled under his touch, raising her chin slightly on instinct as a furtive look flashed across Eskara's eyes.

 

“Oh and by da way, Kiki,” he whispered, moving his face closer to hers. “Thanks for puttin' on such a sexy dress for me, and thanks for cheerin' me on today.”

 

Kiki opened her mouth to answer him, but before she could speak, Eskara swiftly closed the marginal gap between them, pressing his lips against hers. Kiki's eyes widened in shock at the contact, but when Eskara's hand slid from the wall and came to rest on her waist, she began to relax, her eyes fluttering shut.

 

Kiki moved one hand to Eskara's chest, pressing the tips of her fingers into the material of his wrestling outfit, which was pulled tightly across his muscles. As she moved her other hand up to do the same, Eskara let out a low growl against her lips, sliding his hand down over her hip and onto her bare thigh.

 

Kiki moved one hand over his shoulder and around the back of his head, tilting back her head and sucking his bottom lip into her mouth. Eskara responded to her advance by sliding his tongue into her mouth, deepening their kiss.

 

Kiki's fingers bit into Eskara's shoulder as he moved his hand around the back of her thigh, pushing his way underneath her dress. His hands felt so rough against her bare skin, and yet his lips were soft and warm, and she did not want to ever break their kiss. Kiki ran her tongue along Eskara's top row of teeth, her eyes snapping open again as her tongue dragged over the sharp points of his fangs.

 

Eskara slowly pulled back from her, frowning down at her questioningly.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, cupping her chin in one hand.

 

“Fine...” she lied, breathing heavily. “I should really get back... Back to Roxanne.”

 

“Right,” Eskara replied with a nod.

 

“And it's getting so late, my dad would kill me if I got home a minute after midnight,” Kiki added.

 

Eskara straightened away from Kiki, pulling a face at her remark; but his gesture went unnoticed by Kiki, who was inspecting her watch.

 

“I'll see you tomorrow night,” she offered, looking up at him again and smiling sweetly.

 

“Tomorrow night?” Eskara brightened, placing his hand on the pillar again and leaning over her. “Now dat sounds good to me...”

 

“Yeah, Roxanne got us tickets to the tournament analysis show,” Kiki added. “So we'll be there to see you, Kid, Dik Dik and Hydrozoa talk to the fans!”

 

Eskara curled his top lip and frowned heavily, looking suddenly displeased with what Kiki had said; but again, she failed to notice his aggravation.

 

“Well, I should get going,” she said decisively, glancing at Eskara's hand next to her head.

 

“Sure,” Eskara tightly replied, stepping back from her and moving his hand away from the pillar.

 

Kiki smiled up at Eskara as she passed him and then began to walk around the building towards the front entrance. Eskara watched her back for a moment, before shaking his head to himself and hurrying after her. As he caught up with her, he took a hold of her hand in his, smiling down at her as she turned to him.

 

“So, you live wid your parents, huh?” he asked casually, as they walked on, hand-in-hand.

 

“Yeah,” Kiki replied. “But not for much longer, the girls and I are going to college after the summer, and we're going to be staying together in the city.”

 

“College, huh? I guess dat means your smart, too.”

 

“Smart too?”

 

“I mean you're smart as well as beautiful.”

 

Eskara winked at Kiki, raising her hand to his lips and softly kissing her knuckles. Kiki blushed nervously, turning her head away from him in a weak attempt to hide her shyness. Once her cheeks had cooled, she turned back to Eskara, smiling up at him; but his face had suddenly gone pale.

 

Eskara slowed his pace, eventually stopping completely, and forcing Kiki to do the same at his side. She frowned up at him, searching his eyes as she awaited an explanation for his actions; but he was watching something over her shoulder. Kiki turned her head to follow his stare, finding Dik Dik Van Dik standing at the very edge of the parking lot, almost hidden from view under the shadow of the trees that stood there. He appeared to be talking to someone, but Kiki could not see who it was through the darkness of the shadows.

 

“I gotta go, Kiki,” Eskara said in a low voice.

 

Kiki turned back to face him, finding that he was still watching Dik Dik.

 

“I'll see ya tomorrow, sweetheart,” he whispered.

 

Kiki started towards Eskara to kiss him goodbye, but he quickly released her hand, turned his back on her and hurriedly walked off around the back of the building. Kiki watched him leave until he had disappeared from her sight, before turning back to watch Dik Dik. She silently wondered why Dik Dik would be hanging around outside the dancehall in the dark, and curiosity demanded she find out who he was talking to.

 

Keeping close to the wall of the dancehall, Kiki slowly crept across the parking lot, watching Dik Dik carefully as she went. As she drew nearer, she began to hear his voice; and he sounded impatient.

 

“What part of no don't you understand?” Dik Dik snapped, his voice hushed, yet laced with repressed anger. “I kept my part of the deal, you can't possibly want anything else from me!”

 

“Forsooth, Van Dik, thou must consider the gravest of dangers I hath put myself through for thou!” a voice replied.

 

“Dangers?” Dik Dik echoed, his voice slightly raised. “How dangerous do you think this was for me, Checkmate!”

 

“Checkmate?” Kiki mouthed silently, her eyes doubling in size in her shock.

 

“Monetary gains mean nothing to me, Van Dik,” Checkmate said. “I hath performed a favour for thou, and now thou art indebted to me.”

 

“I owe you nothing!” Dik Dik growled, clenching a fist in the air at Checkmate's silhouetted figure.

 

“I took upon myself a great risk for thou, Van Dik,” Checkmate plainly replied. “If thou art were a gentleman, thou wouldst repay mine favour!”

 

“I'm repaying you now, you irritating buffoon!” Dik Dik snarled, thrusting a hand towards Checkmate. “Just take the money, and go. Five thousand, just like we agreed.”

 

“Fine,” Checkmate said, snatching the bundle of notes from Dik Dik's hand. “I will accept this payment for my deed. But methinks me should warn thee, thou play a very dangerous game, Van Dik. A game far more dangerous than even the game of chess-”

 

“There's nothing “dangerous” about a game of chess! You have your money, now shut-up and leave me alone!”

 

“In any game, Van Dik, be it the fine game of chess, or even the honourable game of wrestling, it always pays to truly understand one's opponent.”

 

“I understand perfectly well. My opponent is my enemy, and I intend to pulverise him!”

 

“I hath watched your opponent, the one you call “Eskara”. Thou must remember, appearances can indeed be deceptive.”

 

“Stop talking in riddle, Checkmate! What do you want?”

 

“Thou already know my demands. I want a place in the Muscle League.”

 

“No can do.”

 

“Then I am afraid I cannot disclose Eskara's secret.”

 

“Secret?”

 

“Indeed. Good day to you, Dik Dik Van Dik.”

 

Checkmate's shadow began to walk away, and Dik Dik spun around to face the dancehall, his ears flat against his head and his teeth bared in rage. Kiki quickly ran inside out of his view, hurrying on until she reached the sanctuary of the main hall. There she stopped to think over all that she had just witnessed.

 

What sort of favour had Checkmate done for Dik Dik? And why would Dik Dik, an honourable Muscle Leaguer through and through, be making any sort of deal with a member of the DMP?

 

And, Kiki wondered, what was Eskara's secret - a secret that only Checkmate knew?

 

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Next Chapter: Kid Muscle runs away (again!) and Kiki does some more eavesdropping - this time on Kevin Mask! Chapter 8 - One of the Good Guys.

 

 

A/N: Now PLEASE review!