Claire

Sorrow Has a Friend

Kira's POV

It was rather late in the day. Giriko and I were in Lady Arachne's chamber, practically guarding her.

"Has it started yet, Mosquito?" Arachne asked as soon as the tiny, long-nosed man stepped into the room. He tipped his hat, and his head. "Yes, my Lady. Medusa's plan is in action. The Kishin will be released within the hour, if all is successful." Lady Arachne hummed, then quieted.

Giriko spat an exotic insult at Mosquito, and the old man retaliated. They were getting closer and closer to fighting, and I was determined to put a stop to it.

I jumped between the males, pressing my hand against Giriko's chest. "That's enough! What good are you two doing by bickering? Stop it." I spat, glaring at the both of them. Lady Arachne agreed above me, but I didn't react. "My apologies, my Lady." Mosquito said before leaving the room. Giriko scoffed. "What a wuss of an old man!" I giggled, backing away from him.

Giriko and I had spent the entire day just working together, getting used to each others' styles and Techniques. The hard work paid off, too. We could fight together now, whether I was the Meister and he was the Weapon, or he was the Meister and I was the Weapon, or if we were both wielding ourselves, we could fight together. That was a benefit I enjoyed having.

"You may go, both of you." Lady Arachne announced as a group of midgets huddled into the chamber. I shrugged and stood up. "It'd be nice to have something to fight right about now." Giriko huffed. I shrugged, "You could fight me?"

His look was one of compromise. "What do I get if I win?" He asked. I shrugged. "Whatever you want." He tilted his head to the side. "Okay. Victory sex. Sounds good to me." I rolled my eyes and giggled, although I knew he wasn't kidding. "What do I get if I win?" I asked. He paused in thought. "Uh. What do you want?" I waited until we were in the corridor to answer.

"I want to sleep with you." I told him, not at all shy about it. He grinned. "So I get sex either way. Nice." I shook my head. "No! I didn't say that. I want to sleep in the same bed. No touching." I winked at his expression of pure horror. "What! You expect me to sleep next to a hot body like yours and not touch you!" I nodded. "Yeah. I do." He sighed, then shook his head. "I am so not losing, then."

One hour and tons of wounds later, Giriko lay on the ground, defeated. I was panting from loss of breath, but still standing. "Two out of three?" Giriko asked weakly. I shook my head. "Oh, hell no! I'm exhausted, and a nap is well deserved."

Giriko got up and had a look of mild concern. "How bad did I hurt you?" He asked gently. I shook my head, wiping away fresh blood from a large cut on my shoulder. "Not too bad," I lied. I'd realize just how bad the damage was when I got in the shower later.

I was smart enough to bring my clothes into the bathroom with me, and when I came out, I was grimacing. I was sore, bruised, and cut all over. Giriko was drying out his hair with a towel when he saw me. "Holy shit, Kira!" He gaped, dropping his towel and walking over to me.

I shook my head, waving him off. "I'm fine! Just minor wounds. Nothing serio--Gah!" I hissed as he put his hands on my arms. "Fine my ass." He grunted, picking me up bridal style. I clenched my jaw and scratched his bare skin, where his shirt was supposed to be.

He grunted at the slight pain, then lay me down on the bed. "Need anything? I'll get it for you." I shook my head. "No. I don't."

Giriko sighed and got into bed with me, curling up and pulling the blankets over us. I frowned at the space between us and closed it painfully, curling into his chest. "What happened to no touching?" He chuckled. I snuggled into his chest further. "I lied," I mumbled. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder with a sigh, his touches gentle and sincere.