Ultimate Muscle Fan Fiction ❯ I Want You Bad ❯ Fallout ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Recap: Kiki shared her findings with the girls, Kid Muscle defeated Hydrazoa to advance to the final match, and Eskara got angry with Kevin Mask.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Chapter 10 - Fall Out

Kiki winced as she watched Trixie finish another bottle of beer. Trixie had a terrible temper at the best of times, the last thing anyone needed right now was an angry, alcohol-fuelled, Trixie.

“I want to dance!” Trixie declared, slamming down the empty bottle onto the bar surface.

“I thought you'd never ask, Trixie!” Kid said with a grin, holding out a hand towards Trixie.

Trixie blinked at Kid, her face blank for a moment, before she suddenly screwed up her nose in anger, and slapped a hand across Kid's face with all her strength.

“Ow!” Kid wailed, touching a hand to his face. “What was that for?”

“For being such an idiot,” Trixie growled at him. “And I said I want to dance!”

“Now Trixie, I done told you I'm no good for dancin' tonight,” Terry nervously spoke up. “Maybe you oughta just dance with Kid.”

“I don't want to dance with Kid,” Trixie loudly replied, her back turned to Terry. “I want to dance with you, Terry!”

“I'll dance with you, Kid!” Dorothy offered, holding a hand up towards Kid.

“I don't wanna dance with you, you stink of fish!” Kid wailed. “And not even good fish! I mean, you stink of rotten, old fish!”

“Mind you manners!” Mrs Tusket snapped, slapping Kid across the face, her hand colliding with the same part of Kid's cheek as Trixie's blow had.

“Ow!” he complained. “What was that for?”

“For being such an idiot!” Mrs Tusket replied, planting her hands on her hips.

“I want to dance!” Trixie said again, her voice getting louder with every word she spoke.

“Trixie, Terry's not in a good way,” Meat said, in an attempt to pacify the furious blonde. “But I'm sure one of the other guys would love to dance with you!”

Kid crept over to Meat's shoulder, and began to steal items of food from his manager's paper plate.

“I don't want to dance with anyone else,” Trixie said stubbornly. “I want to dance with Terry!”

Kid began to wave two chicken legs behind Meat's head, stifling laughter as Meat remained serious, looking up at Trixie, oblivious to his little joke.

“Trixie, you might wanna lower your voice,” Meat calmly suggested. “If security find out you've been drinking-”

“I'm a big girl!” Trixie interrupted him.

“But you're not old enough to be drinking,” Meat whispered.

“I almost am…” Trixie muttered.

“Almost won't cut it in the eyes of the law, Trixie,” Meat pointed out.

Kid gasped as a chicken leg slipped from his fingers and bounced off of Meat's head. Meat spun around angrily, finding Kid giggling to himself. Meat simply slapped a hand across Kid's face.

“Ow!” Kid yelped. “What was that for?”

“For being such an idiot!” Meat snapped.

“I hate those Generation Ex bastards!” Trixie wailed dramatically.

“Fear not Trixie, I shall defeat that scoundrel Eskara tomorrow, and this whole ordeal will finally be over!” Dik Dik assured her.

“You'll do what now?” Trixie echoed, her eyes bulging as she turned towards him.

“I shall defeat Eskara-”

“If Terry couldn't beat him, I don't see how you can! You're a loser, remember?”

“I will win this match!”

“I hope you do!” Kid said, patting Dik Dik's shoulder and grinning gormlessly. “Cause if you don't, I'll have to fight Eskara myself!”

“That won't be necessary,” Dik Dik said firmly. “I will be victorious!”

“Go, Double D!” Kid cheered, throwing his hands up into the air.

Dik Dik turned his head towards Kid, arching an eyebrow at him sceptically.

“What did you just call me?” he asked darkly.

“Double D!” Kid confirmed.

“My name is Dik Dik Van Dik!” Dik Dik reminded him.

“I know!” Kid replied. “Duh! Dik Dik. Double D!”

“What did you just say?” Roxanne asked, walking over to Kid.

“I'm calling Dik Dik Double D from now on!” Kid cheerfully answered her.

“Double D?” Roxanne echoed, folding her arms and eying him critically.

“It's not a reference to your bra, Roxanne!” Kid quickly defended himself.

“It better not be,” Roxanne warned him.

“It's not!” Kid insisted. “I know you're not a double D! I broke into your locker at Vance's beach resort! And Trixie isn't a double D either. But Kiki is!”

All three girls stared at Kid in silent horror, their jaws hanging open.

“Trixie wears a padded bra!” Kid added, laughing as he pointed at the already infuriated Trixie.

“You ass!” Roxanne shrieked, slapping Kid across the face.

“Ow!” he complained. “What was that for?”

“For being such an idiot!” Roxanne roared.

“But it's the truth!” Kid whimpered.

He started to turn away from Roxanne, only to be slapped sharply again by Kiki.

“Ow!” he moaned. “What was that for?”

“For being such an idiot!” Kiki growled.

“But Double D started it!” Kid said, pointing at Dik Dik.

Dik Dik joined the others, and slapped Kid across the face.

“Ow!” Kid wailed. “What was-”

“If you still need to ask that question, obviously none of us have hit you hard enough yet,” Dik Dik warned him.

“Oh,” Kid muttered, hanging his head.

“C'mon, Kid, I need to get me a seat,” Terry said. “Let's go find us a table.”

“Okay…”

The others watched Kid and Terry walk off towards a free table, shortly to be followed by Meat. Trixie waited until all three were out of earshot before turning to Dik Dik.

“I know what you did to Terry, you asshole!” she snarled.

“What?” Dik Dik echoed, frowning in confusion.

“You sabotaged his fight against Eskara because you wanted to face Eskara yourself!” Trixie continued.

“What?” Dik Dik yelled. “How dare you make such an accusation against me, a Muscle Leaguer?”

“Because it's the truth!” Trixie yelled back at him. “Kiki saw you talking to Checkmate!”

Dik Dik turned towards Kiki, his face faltering for a brief moment.

“I can explain that…” he muttered, turning awkwardly back to Trixie.

“Well, we're all listening!” Trixie sneered sarcastically.

“I used Checkmate to help me create a method for ensuring Terry would lose to Eskara, because I want to fight Eskara myself,” Dik Dik began.

“So you admit it was you?” Trixie cut in.

“I admit I intended to interfere in Terry's match, but I never actually went through with my plan,” Dik Dik continued. “I realised how wrong and bad it was, and so I didn't do it. I couldn't do it. I don't know what happened to Terry, but I do know it wasn't my doing. I swear.”

“I don't believe you,” Trixie hissed. “You hired the help of a DMP member, and you hurt Terry.”

“I didn't hurt Terry, you have to believe me!” Dik Dik insisted.

“If you didn't do it, then who did?” Roxanne asked him.

“And how could you even think about doing it?” Trixie added. “You've probably scarred Terry for life! You could have killed him with that stuff!”

“I know!” Dik Dik replied. “Which is why I didn't follow through with my plan!”

“This is all your fault, anyway!” Trixie yelled, pointing suddenly at Kiki.

“Me?” Kiki squeaked, pressing a hand against her chest.

“Dik Dik, I don't know why you bother,” Trixie said to Dik Dik. “She's not even pretty!”

“Eskara is trying to take her from me, I wanted to destroy him with my own hands!” Dik Dik grumbled.

“Hey, Dik Dik, Kiki doesn't belong to you!” Roxanne argued back. “It's not like she's your wife, or something! And so what if she likes Eskara?”

“Who likes Eskara?” Jaeger asked, appearing beside the group.

“Kiki,” Dik Dik, Roxanne and Trixie all said together.

Jaeger turned to Kiki, who sighed, hanging her head.

“Eskara likes Kiki too,” Jaeger plainly said, shrugging his shoulders. “He vas talking about her earlier.”

“He vas?” Roxanne echoed. “I mean, he was?”

“Ja,” Jaeger confirmed with a nod of his head. “He said he vants her bad,”

“What?” the others echoed, all staring at Jaeger.

“Ja, it's true,” Jaeger sighed. “But I have come here for you, Roxanne.”

“Me?” Roxanne asked.

“Ja. I vas vondering if you vould like to dance vith me?”

“Well sure!”

Jaeger took Roxanne's hand and began to lead her towards the dancefloor, but Kid quickly ran at them, grabbing Roxanne away from Jaeger.

“Hey, get your own girlfriend, you weiner-eating freak!” Kid yelled at Jaeger.

“Kid, we were only going to dance!” Roxanne pointed out.

“I don't care!” Kid said. “No-one touches my Roxanne but me!”

“I zhink maybe you have some issues, Kid Muscle,” Jaeger said gently.

“Yeah, spoilt, only child issues…” Meat muttered as he re-joined the group.

“Hey!” Kid protested.

“What's goin' on over here?” Terry asked, hobbling back over to the group.

“Terry, you're supposed to be resting your legs!” Trixie cried.

“Are you boys fighting?” Mrs Tusket asked, reappearing with Dorothy at her side.

“He tried to steal my girlfriend!” Kid winged, pointing at Jaeger.

“He tried to kill my boyfriend!” Trixie cried, pointing at Dik Dik.

“Eskara is trying to steal my girlfriend!” Dik Dik wailed.

“Enough!” Meat roared. “Sheesh, what is with you guys! I swear, if this crap carries on much longer, I'm reinstating my ban on social activities!”

The others began to mutter and moan, but Meat yelled out again, silencing them.

“Stop!” he yelled. “Terry, Trixie, go sit down and calm down! Kid, let Roxanne have one dance with Jaeger! And Dik Dik, stop talking about it, and just ask Kiki out already!”

“She doesn't want me!” Dik Dik whined.

“Don't I get a say in this?” Kiki asked.

“No!” the others all yelled at her.

“Oh, whatever!” Kiki growled, turning her back on them.

Kiki marched across the dancehall, and out the door to the hallway beyond. She was heading for the front door, but on her way, she was stopped abruptly as she walked into someone exiting the toilets.

“Ah!” she shrieked, staggering back as the large man hurriedly zipped up his fly, shaking his head to regain his senses. “Kevin?”

“Hello,” Kevin Mask answered her, straightening himself with an awkward cough.

Kiki watched him for a moment, an idea formulating in her mind. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to ensure she was not being followed, before taking three steps closer to him.

“Kevin, do you know Eskara?” she asked him quietly.

“I don't know anyone by the name of Eskara,” Kevin carefully answered her.

“Eskara!” Kiki pressed. “The guy who defeated Terry? He was at Kid Muscle's match today, he spoke to you!”

“Did he?”

“Yes!”

“Oh.”

Kiki waited for Kevin to expand on the subject, but he remained silent, standing so still, she began to wonder if he was even real.

“Kevin?” she whispered.

“Look, girls, it's Kevin Mask!”

Kiki turned at the sound of the voice, finding Eskara standing in the doorway, surrounded, once more, by a throng of giggling, simpering girls.

“Wow, Kevin!” one of them screamed.

Some of the girls ran towards Kevin, tugging at his arms and begging for autographs. Kiki lost interest in Kevin then, her attention turned to Eskara, standing amidst his bevy of admirers.

“Ladies, please excuse me,” Eskara said quietly, slipping between them to walk up to Kiki.

The women moaned in disappointment that Eskara had left them, but soon shifted their preference to Kevin, who was trying his best to escape them by aiming himself for the toilet door again.

“Good evening, Kiki,” Eskara said politely, bowing his head.

“Good evening, Eskara,” Kiki replied, grinning up at him.

“Would you care to dance?” he asked, holding out a hand towards the door leading back into the dancehall.

Kiki leaned past Eskara, peering back into the dancehall. By the bar, Roxanne, Trixie, Kid, Meat, Jaeger, Dik Dik, Terry, Dorothy and Mrs Tusket were all still standing arguing, and the last thing she wanted was to get dragged back into their disagreement.

“I'm sorry Eskara, I don't feel like dancing,” she said, her smile fading. “I was just leaving.”

“Leaving?” Eskara echoed quietly.

Eskara looked past Kiki at the front door, looking slightly confused for a moment, before one corner of his mouth began to curl into his cheek to form a devious smirk on his face.

“I'll walk you home, sweetheart,” he offered, shifting his golden eyes to Kiki.

“Oh, thanks!” Kiki replied with a smile, glad to have the extra time with him.

Eskara held out his arm towards Kiki, and she looped her arm through it with a smile, allowing him to guide her outside.

“So, do you live far from here?” Eskara asked, glancing around the night streets as he spoke.

“Not really,” Kiki casually replied. “I usually go through the park, it's a much quicker way back.”

“Da park, huh?” Eskara asked, grinning widely. “Do we pass any shops before da park?”

“Shops?” Kiki echoed. “Um… I guess we do. It depends what sort of shop you're looking for, I guess.”

“I was thinkin' like a pharmacy,” Eskara replied.

“A pharmacy? Oh, are you not well?”

Kiki frowned up at Eskara in concern, but he returned her gesture with a look of confusion.

“I don't think we do pass a pharmacy, but I know where there is one nearby,” she offered. “Just around the corner from here.”

“Okay…”

Kiki walked on, gazing around herself as though in a daydream, completely oblivious to Eskara, who was staring down at her, his face contorted in confusion and frustration.

“There it is!” she said as they reached the end of the road. “And it's still open!”

Kiki turned to grin up at Eskara, who forced a smile, nodding his head.

“Right,” he said, starting across the street.

Kiki skipped along at his side, thanking him as he held the door open for her to precede him into the pharmacy. Kiki walked straight into the shop, heading towards the back corner. Eskara made to follow her, before something to one side caught his eye. Glancing once more at Kiki as she walked away from him, he turned to the front counter, walking over to a section lined with a group of teenage boys.

The boys fell silent as they saw Eskara approach, all staring up at him in awe.

“What you lookin' at, huh?” Eskara growled at them.

“N-nothing!” one squeaked, pushing his friends away as he tried to escape from Eskara's path.

“Den move, before I shove your friend's head so far up your ass, your mamma won't know where you end, and he begins,” Eskara warned, his voice quiet and laced with menace.

The boys screamed and ran out of the shop, leaving Eskara chuckling to himself. He turned back to the shelf they had been loitering around, rubbing his hands together as he surveyed the selection of condoms on display.

He began to hum a tune to himself as he helped himself to a selection of boxes, studying each one in turn. Once he had narrowed his choice done to three different varieties, Eskara began to look for Kiki to ask her for her opinion on the matter. He turned in a complete circle on the spot, his face darkening when he failed to locate her.

Eskara walked along the aisle towards the back of the shop, the area he had last seen Kiki in. As he neared the children's section, Kiki suddenly popped up, holding a brightly coloured plastic bottle in one hand. Eskara stopped short, tilting his head to one side as he began to wonder just what she was doing.

Unaware that Eskara was watching her, Kiki unscrewed the lid of the bottle, pulling out a plastic wand. She dunked it into the bottle a few times, then held it up, blowing a bubble through the hoop at the end.

Eskara twitched nervously as he watched her touch a finger to the bubble, bursting it in midair, smiling to herself with a childlike innocence. He looked down at the boxes of condoms in his hand, then back at Kiki.

Eskara was beginning to think Kiki's idea of a “walk through the park in the dark” was slightly different to his interpretation of such behaviour.

“Eskara!” Kiki yelped, hurriedly replacing the lid to the bottle. “Did you get what you needed?”

“Um…”

Eskara looked down at the boxes again, then back up at Kiki, who was watching him expectantly, her large, bright eyes burning into him suddenly.

“Sure,” he lied, closing a fist around the boxes.

“Okay.”

Kiki bent down to replace the bottle, and Eskara quickly shoved the condom boxes into his belt, glancing around to ensure he had not been spotted by security. As Kiki stood up again, he held out a hand towards her, smiling innocently. Kiki took his hand and smiled back at him, walking out of the pharmacy.

As they reached the door, Eskara pushed it open, standing back to allow Kiki out ahead of him. He turned towards the clerk behind the counter, who was holding out a hand towards him.

“Not a word,” Eskara growled.

The clerk turned deathly white and nervously shook his head. Eskara stepped outside after Kiki, only to find she was looking up at him questioningly.

“What was that about?” she asked, pointing over her shoulder.

“Ah, nothin',” Eskara assured her. “Let's go, yeah?”

“Okay.”

Kiki hooked her arm back through Eskara's, and the two walked on towards the entrance to the park.

“Hey, I just remembered something!” Kiki said as they walked into the park.

“What's dat?” Eskara asked, only semi-interested in what she had to say.

“Well, Dik Dik attacked you yesterday, and now you don't have a mark on your face!” Kiki continued.

“Oh…” Eskara muttered, rubbing a hand against the side of his face that Dik Dik had torn open the day before. “Lucky me, huh?”

“Wow, that's amazing!” Kiki gushed.

“Say Kiki, can we take dis path?”

Kiki stopped walking, looking down the path they had been heading along. The path was lit by a line of small, solar-powered lamps along one side. The other path - the one Eskara was pointing down - was pitch dark, and lead into an area of wild and unkempt bushes.

“It's quicker this way,” Kiki explained, pointing along the lit path.

“But dis way looks more fun,” Eskara said, winking at her.

“But-ah!”

Kiki yelped as Eskara grabbed onto her hand and dragged her off down the darker path. She stumbled after him, looking back over her shoulder as the lights of the city behind them began to fade. The shadows of the overgrown trees and bushes soon swallowed them up, and when Kiki turned back to Eskara, she could barely see him through the darkness.

“Why did you want to come this way?” she asked him, her voice hushed.

Eskara paused, looking around himself awkwardly for a moment, before smiling as though an idea had just occurred to him.

“Da stars!” he said, pointing up at the sky.

“The stars?” Kiki repeated, looking up at the clear night sky above their heads.

“Yeah, it's better for lookin' at da stars here, sweetheart,” he continued. “No light pollution.”

“Wow, the stars are beautiful tonight!”

“Oh yeah.”

Kiki watched the sky above her head, her mouth slightly open as she scanned through constellations she recognised, trying to remember their names. She almost forgot where she was and who she was with until she felt Eskara slip his hand around her neck.

Kiki quickly lowered her eyes to Eskara as he stepped closer to her, tilting her head back as he lowered his lips to hers.

Kiki closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Eskara's shoulders, losing herself in his kiss. She found herself moving closer into his embrace as she felt the welcoming warmth of his body from the cold of the night.

Kiki secretly wished the moment would last forever, but all too soon Eskara pulled away from her, a confused look flashing over his features that worried her. She opened her mouth to ask him if he was alright, but he started to move towards her again, and so she stopped herself, closing her eyes in anticipation of another kiss; but it never came.

Kiki slowly opened her eyes, finding Eskara standing in front of her, his hands on her waist, and his eyes wandering lower over her body. The lower his eyes fell, the more confused and worried he seemed to look.

“Eskara?” she said softly.

“Huh?” he blurted, his eyes snapping back to hers.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

“Sure,” he lied, forcing a smile.

“Are you worried about your fight with Dik Dik tomorrow?”

“Fight wid Dik Dik… Yeah, I'm worried about da fight, dat's it.”

Kiki slowly nodded her head, but she knew he was lying. She wondered what it was that he was hiding from her - was it perhaps something that Kevin Mask knew? But Kiki decided that whatever Eskara was really worried about, he would sort through it himself. He seemed to her like a strong and decisive person who would have no trouble dealing with even the most complex of problems.

“It's really cold out here,” she said, shivering as she was reminded of the cold in the absence of Eskara's closeness. “Let's go back to my place, you can come in for a bit if you want.”

Eskara brightened a little at Kiki's offer, and nodded his head.

“Okay, yeah,” he said. “Let's go.”

Kiki hooked her arm through Eskara's again, and they continued on through the park.

“You know, I would offer you my coat if you're cold, but as you can see, I ain't got one,” Eskara said as they reached the end of the overgrown path and rejoined the main path.

“That's okay, it's not far to go now,” Kiki replied with a smile.

“So, do you walk through dis park on your own in da dark?” Eskara asked.

“All the time, yeah,” Kiki casually replied.

“What are you, nuts?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Kiki, a pretty young girl like you shouldn't be walkin' around bushes in da dark on your own! Anythin' could happen to you!”

“But I always walk through this park. I have done since I was like three years old!”

“Well you shouldn't! It's dangerous!”

“But this is a really nice neighbourhood.”

Eskara frowned down at Kiki, but she continued to look at him with wide and innocent eyes. He sighed, smiling in spite of himself.

“I guess maybe I'm just a little too suspicious,” he said. “Five years at Da Academy does dat to a man.”

“Five years at The Academy?”

Eskara's face dropped, and for a long time, the two walked in silence.

“Were you at the Hercules Factory for five years?” Kiki eventually asked, as they turned up her street.

“Um…” Eskara began, his face darkening slightly.

“I guess they had nowhere to assign you, so you had to stay, huh?” Kiki asked.

“Yeah…” Eskara slowly answered. “I uh… I completed my trainin' early, and I sorta stayed on as a teacher.”

“As a teacher? Wow, you must be really good!”

“I guess so, yeah.”

“Well, this is my house here. Do you want to come in for a coffee?”

Eskara cocked a half smirk at Kiki's proposition, but as he met her eyes, he quickly realised she had literally meant that offer as it was.

Eskara's face straightened, and he slowly looked up at the homely two-storey house behind Kiki.

“Come on, my mum and dad are out tonight, it will just be you and me!” Kiki encouraged him.

“Really?” he asked, dropping his eyes back to hers, unable to suppress his smile.

“Yeah! Come on!”

“Okay.”

Kiki took a hold of Eskara's hand and pulled him up to the front door, releasing him to fish her keys out of her handbag. She grinned at him as she unlocked the door, before opening it and stepping inside. Eskara followed her in, and she closed the door, walking along the hall to a door at the very end of it. Eskara started after her, stopping as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

He tilted his head back, looking up the stairs at the floor above.

“How do you take your coffee?” Kiki called to him.

“Huh?” he responded, snapping out his reverie. “Oh, uh… Say, Kiki, don't bother wid da coffee, I'm not really in da mood for coffee right now.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Eskara waited as Kiki's heels clicked across the kitchen, then she reappeared in the doorway.

“Do you want to see my room?” she asked him.

Eskara smiled slyly.

“Yeah, sweetheart, dat'd be great.”

“Okay, it's this way.”

Kiki pulled off her shoes and began to scale the stairs, followed closely by Eskara. She lead him into a small room off of the upstairs landing, walking into it in darkness. Eskara paused in the doorway, wondering why she had not bothered to put on the light; but then he noticed she was looking out the window at the stars.

“The sky is so beautiful tonight,” she sighed.

“But not as beautiful as you, sweetheart,” Eskara said with a smile, flicking the lightswitch.

Kiki spun around as the light came on, slightly alarmed to see Eskara's reaction to his surroundings. His eyes bulged for a moment, and his face turned pale again; and she could have sworn he physically jumped at what he saw. Kiki watched him curiously as he slowly surveyed the room, frowning as his throat slowly moved with an audible and elongated gulp.

“Eskara?” she said, taking a step towards him. “Do you want to sit down?”

Eskara frowned at Kiki's hand as she held it out towards her bed, then turned to face her.

“I don't think dat's such a good idea…” he said slowly, touching a hand nervously to his belt.

“Oh…”

Kiki turned to her bed, her face turning pink as she spotted the pile of plush toys littering the surface of her duvet. She began to think the toys were what had put Eskara off wanting to come any closer, but as she turned back to him, he appeared to be looking at something else. Kiki followed the direction his eyes were fixed, finding her shelf lined with her ballet trophies.

Kiki sighed to herself as she suddenly realised how immature and girly her room actually was. It was no wonder poor Eskara felt so out of place.

Kiki turned back to Eskara, but again his eyes had moved to another point in the room, and his face was even more contorted this time. Kiki quickly followed his eyes to a poster she had hanging by her wardrobe.

“I only bought that because I think he's a good wrestler,” she hurriedly explained. “Not because I have a crush on him.”

Eskara slowly turned to Kiki, nodding his head slowly.

“I guess it just don't feel right bein' here when I'm bein' watched by Kevin Mask…” he muttered, glancing at the poster of Kevin again as he spoke.

“I'm sorry,” Kiki said, hanging her head.

“Oh no, sweetheart, don't get upset,” Eskara quickly said. “I should probably get goin' now, anyways. I gotta get some trainin' done for my fight tomorrow. I hear ol' Van Dik won Best Wrestler at da Hercules Factory, so I guess I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, huh?”

“Yeah. I'll be watching you. Kid got us front row seats again.”

“Good. I'll see you tomorrow Kiki.”

“Okay. I'll show you out.”

Kiki slipped past Eskara, walking back down the stairs. Eskara paused in the doorway of her bedroom for a moment, taking one last look at his surroundings, silently shaking his head to himself as he did so, before following after Kiki.

“Good luck tomorrow, Eskara,” she said, as she opened the front door for him.

“I don't need luck to win, but thanks anyways,” Eskara said, winking at her.

“I know that Dik Dik is my friend and all, but I really want you to win, Eskara,” Kiki said, turning away from him slightly as she began to blush again. “If you lose, you'll be sent to another planet, and I want you to stay here.”

Eskara scratched at the back of his head nervously, looking up at the sky for a moment as he tried to think of how to answer her.

“Well hey, I hope I win too,” he eventually said. “Good night, Kiki.”

“Good night. And good luck.”

Kiki stretched up onto her toes and gently kissed Eskara, dropping away from him again. She touched a finger to the tip of his nose, smiling at him sweetly.

“Good night, sweetheart,” he whispered, taking her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

Kiki watched him leave, waiting until he was completely out of sight before closing the door. She then thumped her back against the door, sliding to the ground with a dreamy smile plastered over her face.

“I hope you stay here forever, Eskara…” she whispered, sighing to herself at the thought.

She closed her eyes, her mind starting play out the concept of Eskara remaining on Earth; but Kiki's dreams were abruptly brought to a halt as the hall phone began to ring. She quickly stood up and hurried over to the small table the phone sat on, grabbing up the receiver.

“Hello?” she said.

“Kiki? It's Roxanne,” Roxanne's voice answered her.

“Oh, hey Roxanne! What's up?”

“Man, I'm glad you answered the phone, Kiki, I've been looking everywhere for you! Kiki, you were wrong about Dik Dik! It's all been a huge misunderstanding! I know it's too late tonight, but promise me that tomorrow, before he goes into his fight with Eskara, you'll talk to Dik Dik.”

Kiki thought over Roxanne's proposal for a moment, screwing up her face as she began to sway towards not doing as Roxanne asked.

“Well…” she said slowly.

“Please, Kiki!” Roxanne begged. “The poor guy is breaking his heart, promise me you'll talk to him! I'm not asking you to like him, I'm not even asking you to believe what he has to say, just promise me you'll go and hear him out, yeah?”

Kiki sighed as Roxanne's voice grew more desperate and pleading in her ear.

“Okay, I'll go see him before the match starts,” Kiki agreed.

“Thanks, Kiki!” Roxanne said cheerfully.

“But I have to get to bed now, my dad won't let me out for tomorrow's fight if he comes home and finds me still dressed and wandering about the house!” Kiki added.

“Y'know, Kiki, you are 18 now…” Roxanne said quietly, after a short pause.

“Yeah, but as long as I'm still living at home, I have to respect my parents' wishes,” Kiki replied.

“Man, you're such a stickler for the rules, Kiki!” Roxanne laughed. “Sometimes I wish I had your self-control!”

Kiki laughed, shaking her head.

“Good night, Roxanne.”

“Good night, Kiki.”

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Next Chapter: Dik Dik explains himself to Kiki, Broken mocks Eskara, and Kiki is forced to choose between the scarlet gazelleman and the crimson birdman as they go head to head in the second, and final, semi-final match-up! Chapter 11 - Decision Time.