Kyuken's Love Is A Thrilling Comedy [Sommarsun Weeks Event | Menka]

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There was still hope in the air. Hope for Fiore and its people to live on, despite tensions in the far east of Ishgar. These large festivals running across the country were proof of that – the people’s spirit hadn’t completely turned to paranoia, and many were still able to have a good time. Just like the Fiore he’d always known and loved…

Many of Fairy Tail’s people were out partying, and Hargeon Town was always such a popular hotspot, so… Mura found himself there as well. The beach was irresistible in this time of year, with its azure-blue sparkles, the comfortable sun on your back, the energy that rose around everybody, and the pristine view of bikinis-

That last part was Kyuken’s brain running electric signals through Mura’s. It wasn’t his.

But yeah… for many, this was also a time to enjoy quality time with your significant other. Something that Mura… had trouble with, due to past events that he dared not recall. He was on his own, recovering from what felt like his heart having been slowly stomped into a mush.

But recover, he did. Nothing less to be expected of a God of Ishgar, after all. He even took the time to fetch himself an orange pair of swimming trunks before putting up a pair of leaning stools, a parasol and a freezer – the optimal setup for beachgoing. Now… he did put up two seats, for while he took his own seat and leaned back with a look of slight anxiety on his usually carefree face, he wasn’t here alone… and not just with Kyuken.

Menka had decided to tag along, and something deep inside of his heart was thrilled to hear that. That feeling began growing, though… and it rebelled against the flesh of his heart until it was about to burst open and kill him. Much like Kyuken right now… speaking of, that blue spirit ball face of his was just glaring down at Mura with ill intent.

“…”

“… I-Is there something wrong?”

“No, just wanted to clarify some things, little runt.”

“… Huh… H-Huh?”

“You heard me… my lovely fox queen Menka-chan’s on her way here, and you ought to remember your promise. I will make sure you don’t ruin my time with her sweet cheeks today, mark my fucking words – if you take over even once-“

“I want to have some fun too, so forget about it.”

“… N-NOOOO-“

Taken aback, Kyuken’s spirit ball form pushed straight onto Mura’s face with all the hostile intent that a man could bear. “S-SHE’S MIIIIIIIINE! YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN SO DAMN PAMPERED, YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHAT, WHAT, YOU THINK YOU’RE SOME KIND OF LADY MAGNET NOW THAT YOU PUT ON SOME FIBRES!?!? I HELPED YOUR SORRY ASS SO MANY TIMES, AND YOU CAN’T EVEN LET ME HAVE A SOLID GIRL FOR MYSE- CURSE YOU!!! I BROUGHT HER TO YOUR GUILD, SHE’S MINE!!!”

Obviously fed up with his crap, Mura just grabbed Kyuken’s spirit ball form and squeezed it until the lad couldn’t talk. “L-Listen, give me a break here… I can do for just a day. She seemed really excited to hang out with us, and I know she likes you most, so just… let me relax too,” he demanded before letting go of the now sloppy Kyuken who began tearing up.

“W-What’s gotten into yooooou? Have I influenced your brain this much?!”

And obviously, from any distance, Kyuken’s sobby bickering and Mura’s pained expressions were easy to see as the shaman tried his best to just look… relaxed. It was a good thing that other visitors at the beach hadn’t recognized him yet – a big crowd poking his ass was the last thing he wanted right now. He just waited for Menka to come out and show her stuff, y’know, typical beach episode shit and all. This was also a time to flex a little.

It was quite refreshing for the kitsune to be back in Hargeon, having spent some time exploring
the land and taking on a job or two. Menka’s wanderlust was simply too strong at times and she just had to travel. Oh, she adored her guild and its members but her desire for adventures had to be satiated. She’d had a great time on the road, meeting folks from all walks of life, as well as ending up in a close encounter or two. That was normal for her, of course but she was glad that she still had the knack. There was a part of her that felt that she’d been settling down since joining Fairy Tail, a thought that both frightened and excited her in a way. She knew that one day she’d enter the next stage of her life, something that her mother had never stopped ingraining into her mind.

No sooner had she returned, she’d received an invitation from Mura to spend some quality time on the beach, an idea that she was all too happy to go along with. The currently red haired kitsune had become rather attached to the Guild Master, both him and his spirit ally. It was an odd relationship for sure and Menka wasn’t always sure how things would go but she was happy. They’d brought her into the guild to begin with, after all, at a time where she’d felt rather awkward about guilds. She looked back on those days with a smile now though, having experienced the joy and pleasure that came with banding with other mages. Menka couldn’t have been more comfortable with having the guild mark on her body now and was quite content with showing it off whenever she could.

The day was a glorious one and so the redhead had decided to go all out and make the most of the lovely weather. She was dressed in a red and black bikini that certainly drew the odd look from those she passed, an experience that only caused her to laugh slightly. It probably wasn’t often that they saw someone of her kind and she made no effort to stop them from staring. In fact, she simply swished her tails, attempting to entice them in her own way. Yes, she had come to spend the time with her favourite duo but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t play around with others if given half a chance.

As soon as she stepped onto the beach, she was able to use her enhanced senses in order to detect exactly where Mura was perched. He and Kyuken were so different and Menka couldn’t help but wonder just who would have the reigns today. No doubt she’d find out soon enough and as she approached his chair and showed off her bikini, she’d give him a flirty smirk and ask. “Heya Mura. How'd I look?”

… People nearby began staring at his direction. Some were dudes giving attention away from who appeared to be their dates today, others were women suddenly feeling like switching teams. No doubt, this change in the atmosphere must’ve meant that she was approaching, and just as he turned his head to the side, her illustrious form proudly made its debut to him. The fact that Kyuken was at such a loss for words that even reprimanding Mura wasn’t worth it right now spoke volumes – she was…

“Gorgeou-”
“Highly-bangabl-“

Their voices resonating, it took but a moment for the two to glare at each other… mostly initiated by Kyuken burning holes through Mura’s face with his eyes, albeit figuratively. Mura’s face, uncharacteristically, appeared more… acceptive today. In any other day, Menka’s flirty nature would sort of ‘bash’ with his intentions to, at the very least, not be unfaithful, but today, he took in at an initiative stance much more of what made Menka the femme fatale that she was. Hell, he even smiled – none of the flustered panic on his face this time.

But Kyuken had issues with Mura’s unspoken rizz. He wasn’t having any of that today, and Mura could tell by the flames in his eyes. Then again, Mura could also tell that Kyuken didn’t want to make too big of a fool of himself in front of her, and the shaman could use that to nail in the point he tried to make. Then again, pulling off such a flirt made his heart flutter, but if Kyuken could pull off game, then so could he.

Sorry, Kyuken… but I wanna have fun too.

With that mental apology out of the way, Mura raised his gaze upon Menka and her stylish bikini, a bit befuddled by her choice in hair color change, but he approved of the color change and leaned back on his chair again, feeling his heartbeat speed up. “Red suits you… buuuuuuuuuuuut, I can’t really tell. Looks stylish, but I might need a closer look.”

… Fuck, how did Kyuken pull it off so smoothly all the time?

Her smirk didn’t disappear as he answered her, although Menka was just a little surprised by how confident he was. Normally, the Guild Master would be all red in the face at the very mention of her appearance and so she naturally assumed that it was perhaps Kyuken who was in command. That didn’t bother her, as she was incredibly fond of the spirit, given how similar they were when it came to certain things. They were both rather forward and knew what they wanted out of life, which Menka could certainly appreciate. In truth, it had been as much the spirit who had convinced her to join the guild as Mura himself and there was something about the lustful spirit that always attracted her attention. They’d had some fun times already and she was hoping that they would not be the last. Perhaps there would be time today for a little fun of that nature? A thought that caused her smile to grow.

Assuming that it was the spirit in charge, Menka would twitch her ears and approach his chair, taking her sweet time so that he could get an eyeful of her. She was at complete ease, despite the amount of people lurking around and honestly, it was hardly a new experience for her. The kitsune had been around for a long time and with a lifestyle like hers, wandering around in skimpy outfits was simply a part of life. God, how her mother would scold her for saying such things but the currently redhead woman couldn’t have cared less. She was happy with her lot in life and wouldn’t change it for anything.

“A closer look, hmm?” She replied wickedly, her eyes almost shining with mirth. “I think that I can provide that for you.”

As she reached the Guild Master, she would lean down over him, giving the swordsman a far more fitting sight of her ample body. Carefree and utterly shameless, she’d watch him with that same twinkle in her eyes, even if she was a little uncertain as to how the rather hands on spirit would respond to her. He was forward, yes but could be just a little unpredictable too, which occasionally caught her by surprise. If she were in his position though, she could already imagine what just might happen.

“This close enough for you?” The kitsune then asked, her form not all that far from his.

What an eyeful… Mura wasn’t able to rizz his way through this one. Not only was her hourglass figure top-notch, those forbidden fruits almost beckoned him over with promises of a taste he’d not be able to compare to anything else in this world. But beyond all of the visual candy that Menka provided him, it was that lingering weight of love behind her actions that had caught Kyuken’s heart and was slowly coiling around Mura’s. Menka was a sort of an anomaly – where many others would wickedly weaponize their charms to commit more self-preserving actions… or, say, horrible deeds, Menka just genuinely loved the tension between her and her partners.

If she wanted to see his reddened face, there it was – Mura appeared to have returned back to normal, almost and at the same time not almost regretting his prior actions. Seeing that change in him, Kyuken’s patience had run to its end. “You- THAT’S IT! Mura, let me take over-“

Without even waiting for Mura’s answer, Kyuken flew straight into the shaman’s head and permeated through. Mura’s eyes, usually an amber-brown color, turned silver-white to resemble the eyes that Kyuken wielded in his living days. With that out of the way, Mura’s… or, well, Kyuken-possessed Mura’s entire demeanor took another shift, with confidence bubbling up as he’d latch a hand on Menka’s form and gently glide it all over before being fed up with the angle and latching his entire arm around her waist. With a little force of impatience, he’d attempt to pull Menka down to take a seat on him, granting himself a much better angle to investigate her form.

This… ‘play’ of theirs obviously drew in some attention, especially from those who recognized the God of Ishgar. Kyuken, however, couldn’t really give a crap right now, not when lightning of that good kind was running through his legs and abdomen. “Much better… you look so damn sexy, Menka~. You always do, but you’ve blown me away today…” Kyuken’s voice resonated through Mura’s mouth to sweet-talk her a little, “Damn it, this is what I love about beachgoing… the heat makes my head spin, and you’re not helping at all. I-I can’t keep my hands off of yo-“

… There was a lack of privacy, though, otherwise Kyuken would’ve dropped everything he wore right now. However, he was also getting a little ahead of himself – thus, taking a glance around, he spotted that a volleyball match was being held in the shallow water near the shore. Same shore had a huge rock spike protruding further away… so if he could get them both closer to that rock, then they’d be able to have some privacy at last. Although, he couldn’t make it look too obvious – this was still Mura’s body, after all, and people were all around them.

“Let’s… for Mura’s sake, let’s postpone the important stuff. Makes it feel all the better afterwards, don’t you agree~?” Kyuken promised along with a nuzzling smooch to her cheek just to get her in high spirits, “Wanna play volleyball?”

His reaction was pretty swift and before the kitsune could do much of anything, she was pulled down and directed towards the chair that had been prepared for her. Clearly, it was indeed Kyuken who was in charge and Menka would have to be on her toes with him around. The chemistry that they had was magnetic, after all, which usually resulted in them getting into all kinds of trouble, not that the kitsune minded. His eyes contained that same lustful passion that they always appeared to and the slayer was certain that soon enough, they’d end up making the most of his eagerness. However, there was no need for things to move too quickly and she was happy enough with simply making the most of the lovely weapon. The day was gorgeous and she’d been dying for the chance to show off her new attire.

The passion was most definitely in his words and Menka chuckled as she listened to him compliment her. Kyuken was always so charming, in his own way and she had no doubt now as to what they’d probably be doing later, unfortunately for his host, who always seemed to end up being made to feel completely embarrassed. Honestly, the redhead had no idea how Mura was able to function, when he had to deal with his spirit allies all day, especially since they could override his will when they wished. It wasn’t a situation that she’d want to find herself in and she kind of felt sorry for him. She for sure wouldn’t want to have another being inside her, manipulating and taking control at will

“I don’t mind taking things slow if that’s what you want to do.” She replied with a slight teasing tone to her voice. “I’m sure that Mura will appreciate it.”

Relaxing in her chair,.Menka would turn her head towards him as he leaned in and kissed her cheek, before making a suggestion as to what they could do. Her gaze would then turn towards the volleyball court, where an energetic group of youngsters were playing. It’d been a while since she’d last played but she was sure that still remembered how. Agility was her forte, after all and she was as graceful in the water as she was in battle…or while taking part in other activities. Moving through would be as easy for her as breathing.

“I might be a little rusty but sure. Don’t expect me to go easy on you though.” She quipped with a devilish smirk, before standing up.

Kyuken wasn’t letting her get back up after such a challenging remark without a fun-sized slap to the backside and a returning statement: “Mura’s body is becoming more and more like mine back in the days, so I won’t hold back either!”

The approach towards the volleyball game did confirm that the game took place at the shallow parts of the ocean water. A game was about to end between two teams of young men and women, and upon the two Fairy Tail Wizards approaching them, one of the youngsters began to panic a little.

“AYO! NO, THERE’S NO WAY! GOD OF ISHGAR?!”

The entire game paused with all of their attention pointed towards Kyuken, who immediately noticed something unsettling. Not the celebrity status that Mura possessed, but something far worse… many of the male players – and even some females around – were shooting hearts from their eyes straight towards Menka. No, no, relax, calm down… don’t ruin the plan.

“H-Hi…” Kyuken spoke through Mura’s mouth, uncertain of how exactly the shaman would talk in a situation like this, “… So, uh, we’d like to join. Wanna have a-“

“WAIT, SHIT! YOU WANNA PLAY WITH US?! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, Y-YE- I-I mean *cough* y-yes, of course! No need to ask, you’re like a living legend…”

“Wait, wait, wait, we gotta shuffle the teams again! Sir Saint, you and the babe with the fluffy ta- HOLY SHIT, ARE THOSE FLUFFY TAILS REAL?!”

“Wait, she’s like one of those… I forgot the name-“

“I’m joining her team! Fuck y’all!”

And before even Kyuken could make head or tails of the situation, the youngsters had divided into two teams surrounding each Fairy Tail Wizard – there was Mura’s team, who mostly consisted of diehard Wizard Saint fans, and then… there was Menka’s team, who consisted of chads big and small, buff and skinny, brave and closet-y, all wanting to compliment her tails, her form, her stylish bikini and even her ears. This must’ve been a new type of discrimination towards kitsune, one that Menka might’ve already been familiar with… or not.

But it bugged Kyuken in all the wrong ways. Then again, he did plan to play against her in this volleyball game – he’d just have to outshine all of the fuckboys who thought they had a chance with her while he was around! And so, both teams walked out into the shallow seawater and readied the match, with Kyuken handing the first serve to Menka’s team. If he remembered correctly, then one could serve and still allow a fellow teammate to follow up with a smash in this type of game, given that leaping from the seawater was still a challenge.

Kyuken wanted to see just how rusty Menka was… cap. Anyone who appreciated beach episodes in cartoon television knew what he wanted to see.

The sudden attention might have been an issue for most but Menka took it all in her stride, swishing her tails around in a playful gesture to prove just how real they were to the admiring crowd. She was used to having the eyes of others on her anyway and quite happily amused herself for a few moments or two. The kitsune was unsure just how Kyuken would take to her egging them on but it was just her being her natural self and to ask her to stop was like asking her to stop breathing. If they wanted to fool about then she was up for the challenge.

Soon enough, two teams had been formed and it seemed as though volleyball was going to be the game after all. The redhead was ready to go by the time that it had all been sorted out and as her teammates briefly approached her for a little pep talk, Menka turned towards them, giving them a clear view of her bikini, the sun and water both shining dazzlingly off of her alluring form. Her tone was friendly but there was the slightest hint of competitiveness there too. If she was going to play against Kyuken then she wanted to win.

“OK boys. I’m Menka and I want us to win this game, no matter what. Use any dirty little cheats that you can think of as I’m certainly going to and I reckon we’ll come out on top for sure. Remember to have fun though too.” There was a sparkle in her eyes that seemed to hold the attention of her teammates, even when she wasn’t speaking. Her kitsune charm perhaps or merely the sight of her gorgeous form?

“Do we get a reward if we win?” One of her teammates asked, looking over her form without much restraint.

“We can talk about that later. Let’s win first, yeah?” Menka replied silkily, evading the question and yet satisfying him at the same time. Honestly, the only ones that she wanted to reward today were Mura and Kyuken.

With that, her team would line up on their side of the net, before Menka tossed the ball up for one of her powerful teammates to smash. He hit the object like a missile and it flew down over the net towards Kyuken like one too. It was as if the ball had been charged with something and who possibly had the power to do that?

Listen, a babe like her could tell them to go to war against Pergrande all by themselves, and many would likely still obey. A mixture of energy, lewd and excitement over being in the company of powerful wizards like these two… wizards were still considered a minority in Fiore, even after all of these years. What was it, 60%? Wait, no… 20%?

Upon hearing Menka’s devious plan to not care squat about fair game, however…

“ON IT!” a roar in sync came out from the group of boyz that she was teamed up with, “We’ll beat the God of Ishgar, NO MATTER WHAT!” Summoning the strength of a thousand men, these boys’ bodies were suddenly coated in golden flames of determination… or so they thought. One could delude oneself into many things, after all.

The ball was tossed up, and one of her teammates had smashed it straight towards Kyuken… but with quite the unpredictable amount of force. Menka must’ve tinkered with the ball prior to the serving, but Kyuken decided to brace his arms and await its collision-

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAM*

The echoing slam as it hit his lower arms echoed throughout the entire beach, but Kyuken kept his foothold despite being pushed back several meters and not stopping. “HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGG!!!” he growled wildly, summoning as much of his physical strength as he could to counter-act whatever amping spell that Menka had put into that ball.

The result was that the ball bounced back up in the air, much to Kyuken’s relief. One of his teammates managed to use the opportunity to smash it over their net, and as Kyuken’s eyes followed the ball, he also caught sight of- WAS THAT A HUMAN MECH?!

Against all odds and laws of nature, physics and reason, Menka’s teammates had all… folded their legs together. One was holding the legs of another, and with that, they had managed to fold themselves into a human… mech. Something. Two dudes were the legs, two were the arms and torso, and one was the ‘head’. Despite how ridiculous they looked, their flexibility was inhuman – they managed to intercept the sudden smash, and they could pull the human mech back up as quickly as a single athlete could. How on earth did they even find the strength, skill and not to mention will to pull this off?!

The first point went to Menka’s group… oh shit, he was losing. Couldn’t have that. “Let me serve- LET. ME. SERVE,” he insisted to his teammates who dropped a few sweat pearls at how riled up he was, “I’ll show them will, alright… and I’ll show you how to get dirty.” Locking eyes with Menka, Kyuken wanted to convey his own competitive nature to her… but he couldn’t be mad at her. She was so fucking hot- focus, FOCUS!

“… How did Mura do this, again? Sand, earth, sand, earth, sand… it’s still earth, so what if I…” Kyuken mumbled to himself while rubbing the underside of the volleyball, coating it with a thin layer of sand. Once satisfied, he’d serve an underarm strike and watch the ball make a normal arc over their net, but right when it got to the other side, the sand stuck to the ball weighed down on it and caused it to fly downward at an explosive rate.

Now, how was Menka going to deal with that dirty trick of his?!??!

Her teammates had done pretty well in securing the first point and Menka was pleased that they were as eager to compete as she was. Yeah, she knew that they were doing it for her sake which was rather sweet in truth. They were already playing with the strength and stamina of men twice their size although it honestly hadn’t involved anything magically from her. Her buffs had to be given through her magical cookies for the most part and she hadn’t even thought of making any for this purpose. No, it was simply their hormones that were driving them onwards. The redhead wasn’t sure how long that would last though and she wasn’t all that eager to find out either. The last thing she wanted today was for things to get too out of hand and for someone to get hurt. Today was for fun, of course and as Kyuken served and sent the ball over the net to her side, that was the thought on her mind.

As the ball flew down swiftly, Menka would then tap into her magic in a more entertaining way, creating a large amount of dough which absorbed the impact of the ball. It wouldn’t be much good if it touched the water but such was the stretchiness of the dough, it was just about able to launch the ball back up into the air, allowing the kitsune to smash the ball back over to Kyuken’s side. Her team didn’t seem too upset that they weren’t involved in that particular save but they were so besotted with her that the slayer wasn’t expecting any complaints. Her competitiveness was starting to build and the game was turning out to be more fun than she’d thought. It made a nice change from how things usually were between herself and Mura’s spirit friend.

Whether she was aware of it was not hard to say but there was an aura of magic that was starting to build around her, due to her interest in the game. It wasn’t frightening or anything like that, just gave a little extra sparkle to her movements. She was getting psyched up in her own way and it started to have an effect on her teammates too, boosting their competitive streaks too. They appeared to be feeding off of her aura, which would make things harder for Kyuken and his allies.

The game was well and truly afoot now.

DOUGH?!?!?! DOOOOOOOOOOUGH?!?!?!?!?

“H-HEY, WAIT, IS THAT EVEN LEGAL?!?!?” Kyuken roared in complete… perplexion. Confusion. What-the-fuck-ism. It hit a solid surface, didn’t that mean that the point went to his team?! Dough was still… no no no, she made so much fucking dough!

“Yeah, it needs to hit the water, bro!” one of the hormone-drowning boys stated to the possessed shaman’s dismay, as it meant the game went on. And Menka took the opportunity to launch herself up to ready another smash, finally giving the group of horndogs what they wanted – a full-body, front seat view of just how much turbulence she had in certain angles.

And just like that, the volleyball passed right by his face as he’d been too mesmerized by her… thus, another point to Menka’s team. “…” Oh, he was all kinds of pissed right now – at this rate, he wouldn’t be able to show anything! She’d completely outshine him, the neeeeeeeeeerves!

Kyuken slowly picked up the volleyball and lost any sense of reason he had left. The amount of mana he poured into it almost changed the weather itself – in fragrant, burning colors of white, red, blue, green and yellow, the volleyball almost burst itself if not for reinforcing enchantments that he stacked on top. Everything that Mura had in his arsenal of spells were put in the volleyball, and then the possessed swordsman served it up in the air… where it passed the stratosphere.

There were no clouds, so all there was left was a faint, white line of smoke from where the ball had passed. Up in the atmosphere, however, the ball crackled in all sorts of magical energies – wood, fire, water, metal, earth, yin, yang, it had the entire ordeal manifested as pure, primordial arcana that reinforced itself before it flew back down like a meteor.

Then, and only then, did Kyuken realize what he had done. “… O-OH NO!” he screamed in pure dread before launching himself up in the air, reaching a height equal to that of a skyscraper before colliding with the falling meteor of a volleyball. The impact released all the magic that he had stored in it, revealing to the rest the cataclysmic orb of destruction that it could’ve left behind…

And at the very end, a mildly exhausted Mura landed on the water’s surface once more with no ball in sight. Back up, his mortified and subconscious face released bubbles of dread under the seawater, with a clinging smoke escaping his body that revealed to be an unconscious Kyuken… who seemed to regret all sorts of things today.

“… THAT. WAS. AWESOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!” the boys yelled in drunken marvel, uncaring of just how close they were to be standing in a glass dome. Mura was twitching himself slightly awake by now, but the number that Kyuken did on him just 'cause of a little competition…

A sigh escaped the kitsune as she watched the aftermath of Kyuken’s loss of control. He’d completely gone off the deep end, so to speak and had almost harmed her teammates with his recklessness. It was an unhappy ending to their game and as the other players realised what’d almost happened, they were a little less eager to play with the magical pair, which was a shame. They did, however, give Menka a few more compliments before moving on and received more than a few phone numbers from the various guys and she could have sworn a couple of the girls had too. Well, variety was the spice of life and the redhead had never been afraid to experiment. She’d certainly done enough of that in her time.

Walking around the net and over to where Mura was laying in the water, the furry female would then proceed to lift the Guildmaster out of the sea and over towards the shore. In a way, the scene reminded her of when they’d first met, as he’d ended up hiding in the water too after coming across her, not to mention a fair few other women too. It felt like both an age and yesterday at the same time. Yet, as a creature who’d lived as long as she, time was a funny thing and it was hard to remember what day it was sometimes. What she did know was that every day she’d spent in Fairy Tail had been a great adventure and Menka hoped that it would continue to be that way.

Carrying him back to where they’d started, Menka would lay Mura on a towel and then after briefly thinking about what she should do for a second, leaned over him and performed her own version of the “Kiss Of Life”, in an attempt to bring him back to consciousness. Kyuken would no doubt be pissed that he’d been out for the count for this but that was his own fault. There was just a tingle of magical power that surrounded her as she did it, although it wouldn’t cause any pain. She felt a few eyes on her two for daring to do such a thing in a public place but they obviously didn’t know her very well. Besides, she was only helping him breathe, in her own way and after using up so much of his energy, it did look like he needed it.

Kyuken was a menace…

His control… or lack thereof was physically altering Mura in one way or another. Perhaps a sort of side-effect of his Spirit Magic, but one that the shaman was unaware of for years… but today began to put him on the sending end of reflections. Even when he was subconscious.

Safe to say, Kyuken had his fun. Kyuken… and Menka… where did Mura fit in that wacky relationship? Why did he feel so intertwined? Sure, his body was regularly hijacked by the unhinged samurai spirit for all sorts of shenanigans accompanying their foxy guildmate, but something was so off about the entire scenario…

What did Mura feel for her? Love? After his wacky love life, had he fallen in love once again? Was it really love? Or was it Kyuken’s love portrayed as his own?

“…?”

He felt warm, tasty lips on his own, and his eyes widened up immediately. How shameless could she be? They were at a public beach, and people were giving them both eyes… and he wasn’t known for being such a flirtatious Wizard Saint. “M-Menka, it’s me… Mura,” he tried to warn her, ultimately leaning on to the idea that her passion was aimed for Kyuken… it was mostly to sate the reddened spirit who was hovering behind her, glaring down at Mura with large tear drops falling off of his face.

“D-Damn it… I screwed up big time, and you got another lucky lecher moment… waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhahaahaaaaaaaaaa…”

Mura’s hands gently cupped around Menka’s shoulders to gently make a little space between the two, but despite his preventive actions, his face was beet-red. “I can’t tell if… if these feelings are mine, or Kyuken’s. But you probably like him the most, s-so… you don’t have to be so aggressive with me…”

His eyes betrayed his words. Not making eye contact with her, but with the grains of sand beneath him. She always got so heated with Kyuken, just with Kyuken… right? Every time Kyuken took over his body, it was just her and that braindead samurai. He felt more like a vessel, a middle man… and as a God of Ishgar, he couldn’t just turn into a second Heero. Right?

“This kinda reminds me of the first day we met. Though, you haven’t changed at all…”

There was a swish of tails in response to his words from the kitsune and after a moment or two, she shrugged and answered. “I don’t know, I’d like to think that I’m a little less selfish than I was back then. Maybe you’re right though, maybe I am the same woman as I was but you can hardly blame me, right? I’ve been around a long time and some habits are incredibly hard to break, if you can call them habits.” After a brief pause, she added. “I honestly wasn’t trying anything just then though, I thought you were in trouble after getting his just now. I’m not that shameless, oh mighty Guildmaster.”

That being said, it appeared that her actions had drawn something out of him and Menka fell silent for a short time as she thought about how best to respond. It was hard to argue with what he said and more often than not, it was Kyuken who she ended up fooling around with. She sighed, realising that what she’d just said about her selfishness was all a load of bull. By being with Kyuken, the redhead had made things difficult for his host and she could understand how hard it must be for him. Was she being more of a hindrance than a help to him? Mura had let her into the guild after all, that day at the bathhouse.

“I care for both of you.” The kitsune eventually continued, trying to find the best way to express herself. “I know that it seems as though it’s Kyuken that I’m attracted to and I won’t lie, I like him but I appreciate you too. It’s not an easy situation for me either and my feelings are as much of a jumble as yours…”

She fell silent for a moment and then spoke again. “I don’t want you to feel as though you’re just Kyuken’s wingman though and if you feel it’s for the best, I’ll back away and leave you two alone. It’s hard enough dealing with a normal relationship, let alone one as complicated as ours. I know that you already have a mate and I probably shouldn’t have even started this in the first place but like with many things, I’ve been ignorant to your feelings. So, what happens next is entirely up to you, not me or Kyuken, just you. It’s your life and I’m not going to spend anymore of it forcing you into something you don’t want.”

For the first time, there was no amused look or flirty tone, she was genuine with her words, speaking with a maturity that seemed to go AWOL most of the time.

Man… to think that she found it just as mind-fumbling as he did was sort of relieving. And yet, he hated her answer… mostly because it sounded like the end. The end to something he genuinely wanted.

“Things are… complicated. My mate, that is,” he decided to update on his situation, “I may not see her again…” That was honestly all he wanted to say concerning that matter – ever since the incident back at the mountainous regions between Bellum and Pergrande, Mura continuously felt like the gap between him and Mythica expanded without end. To think that he hadn’t seen her since…

“I-I don’t wanna talk about it. I beg you…”

Despite holding her shoulders, he didn’t let go. And despite trying to hold his tears in, they kept flowing down his face. His hands slithered over to her back and gently pushed her back down towards himself, embracing her fully and without being prompted or pushed by anyone else. “Don’t stop… teasing me. Playing with me. I’ve always liked it,” he finally admitted, feeling so sour in the back of his throat from the sharp shame that befell him upon saying those words, “It comforts me a lot… and it makes me forget what I’m missing.”

How he was able to talk with a face red as blood was beyond him. “I’ve grown to like you as well, Menka…”

Honestly, she’d expected him to actually accept her offer and have them split apart. The kitsune wouldn’t have blamed him for it and truthfully, he’d always seemed rather awkward around her due to the complexities of their relationship. The easiest thing to do would have been to just step away but to her slight surprise, that wasn’t what happened at all and she found herself in his arms, which brought a smile to her face. Things couldn’t quite be the same as they;d been before, she understood that and was willing to ease up a little to make things easier for him. It would mean that Kyuken might not always get what he wanted but the honest truth was that it wasn’t his decision to make anyway. Mura was the one in charge and it was obvious to her now that she’d not always respected that in the past. Well, that could change now.

Once her surprise had faded, her arms would wrap around him too, a gentle embrace filled with warmth but none of the usual almost overwhelming sense of lust behind it. “I’m glad to hear that and if you want things to continue then they will do but I promise that I’ll no longer leave you sitting on the sidelines. Whatever happens between us going forward will be what we all agree on, the three of us. If there’s something that you're uncomfortable with, you tell me and it stops, right then and there. I’ll do my best to reign in my urges but it’s not easy when Kyuken is around, you know. He has a spark about him that radiates with me, a sort of chemistry I guess.”

Pausing for a second, she’d appreciate being close to him and then carried on. “I know that you’ve got a lot going on and I bet that this hasn’t really helped, which I’m truly sorry for Mura. My hope was that I could support you in my own way but it seems that all I’ve done is add more problems. Give me a chance though and I’ll set it right.”

Yeah… Mura could live with this. Mura could accept this. He didn’t want to be pushy, and Menka clearly respected his wishes. It was honestly… relieving. He felt like he had those thoughts knitting up in his stomach for… how long, again? It had been over a year already? Damn.

“… Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine,” Kyuken finally caved in under the pressure and subdued his gutter, “But I’m telling you! You been looking a lot like me nowaday- LOOK! EVEN YOUR HAIR’S TURNING GREY NOW!!!”

Kyuken’s sharp observation skills allowed him to point at Mura’s hair, which had begun to show greyish nuances growing out from the root on his head. A silvery grey nuance, just like Kyuken’s hair. Mura didn’t pay any mind to it and simply embraced Menka even tighter, gazing up at the bright blue sky with all sorts of thoughts running through his head.

I got a lot to talk with her about… once I find her again. But thanks, Menka. You make waiting for that time more bearable…