Alea slipped past the gates of Tyndale, as she had done on so many other days. She watched a group of girls playing volleyball, a cluster of guys bent over covetously looking at some obviously illicit material, and scattered people walking, talking, or studying. Some, to her amazement, even seemed to be eating. One of the girls playing volleyball twisted an ankle, so she darted over and took her place, bouncing enthusiastically to spike the ball.
Rina sat next to a tree, reading her math textbook. She sighed unhappily and flipped through it, stealing a glance at the group of people not far from where she was seated. "I hate being new..." She sighed to herself, closing the book.
Alea scored a few points, then cycled out of the game when the original girl was up to returning. She strolled across the lawn, earning a variety of glances from the assembled students.
Rina looked up after sliding the book into her multicolored bag, spotting a bronzed girl with light pink hair walking on the lawn. 'Is she new? She looks like it...' She watched the new entry curiously, placing her bag onto her lap.
Alea sat down at a small table with a mixed group of school kids. Words like "Bulbasaur" and "Hydro Cannon" were coming from that section. She pulled out a small wooden case, lacquered in black with a rainbow serpent across it, and pulled out a deck of cards. Fanning them, she smiled. "Care to play?"
Rina's curiosity finally overcame her will to study, and she stood up slowly. Crossing to the nearby table, she smiled to the older girl slightly. "Hello... you play Pok�mon?" She asked timidly, clutching onto her bag.
Alea nodded and smiled. "Looks like I won't have to claim the winner." She sat down on the grass and laid out a cloth, then began shuffling her cards. "I use psychic and normal type Pok�mon, and you?"
Rina sat down across from Alea, and fetched a small binder from her bag. "Well... I've always used a normal and fire type myself..." She took out her deck, and shuffled the cards slowly. "Although I don't really have a preference..."
Alea smiled broadly. "So many people eschew the normal type in favor of electrical... Well, my starting Pok�mon is a jigglypuff!"
"Electrical?" A small laugh escaped Rina as she beamed. "Never works for me. I like the Jigglypuff, but I've always tended to go for the Eevee first!"
"Awww... they're so cute! I have one in my deck, I just didn't draw it. Soon though." She smiled again and got down to playing the game. "By the way, my name is Alea, and yours?"
"My name? Rina. Vyoma," she added, looking at her hand. "I just moved here, but I don't think I've seen you at school... do you go to a different one?" She asked, looking up from the cards.
Alea looked down at her Tyndale school uniform. "And here I thought I wore the uniform right. Yeah, I have uniforms for all the area schools. It's boring going to just one. By the way, My jigglypuff evolves into wigglytuff and "does the wave"."
"Eeep!" Rina discared the now-fainted Eevee, smiling at Alea. "Looks like you win round one... I think I need to practice some more!" She looked at her bench. "Now, what next?"
"Still, it's not bad... Eevee's are cute and functional." She smiled again. "well, it seems I've wiped out your bench... we can play again or join the volleyball group or," she looked at her watch, "wait two minutes for the bell. Mind if I accompany you to your classes?"
"Really?" Rina's face instantly brightened. "I mean, that'd be great, if you wanted to... are you sure the teacher wouldn't mind?"
"I've never gotten into trouble yet. Then we can head to the arcade or something. Ummm... if a pretty girl like you doesn't have your schedule filled already?"
Rina blushed slightly and looked down. "My schedule isn't ever filled.. I don't think I exactly register as 'pretty' to the guys.. blokes... around here."
As they were walking into the classroom, she smiled over at the younger girl. "What about the sheila's?" She then took a seat a little bit away from her, preventing her from immediate answer.
Rina blinked and started to reply as she watched Alea sit down, then bit her tounge. "I..." She finally opened her mouth. 'I don't think they like me, either.' She sighed to herself.
The teacher started, preventing any other conversation. When the class finished, Alea stood and offered a hand up to her new friend. "I wouldn't be so sure. Some girls might find you very cute. What's our next class?"
Rina glanced at her schedule. "It's physical education. Want to go?" She asked, looking back up at Alea. "We're running."
Alea blanched. "Running? Dead run, or light jog? I can do a light jog, but the other..." She looked down at her chest and winced.
Rina followed her gaze, and realized the girl's situation. "I'm sure it'll be a light jog, don't worry!"
Alea beamed. "Okay... race you there..." She took off down the hall, dodging around startled freshman.
"Hey, come back! No fair!" Rina laughed and raced after her friend, jumping over books and students' legs as if leaping over hurdles.
Alea grabbed a railing and spun around a corner, then heard her new friends cries. She turned around, coming face to face with Rina as she came around the corner. Too late, she realized that a collision was imminent.
"Oooof!" Rina cried out, hitting Alea quickly and painfully. Almost bouncing off of her, she stumbled to catch her footing.
Stumbling back from the impact, Alea windmilled her arms then fell down on her ass. She looked up at Rina and gently rubbed the side of her left breast. "You realize, if it still hurts later, I'm going to expect you to make it all better." She flashed a coquettish smile and held up her hand.
Rina blushed slightly and offered her hand. "Are you sure you'd want me to?" She asked in return.
Alea stood up and looked down at Rina. "You've got to realize it's not just physical hotness that sways people... although that doers help. Tell you what, ask me that again after school, 'kay?"
"Sure." Rina was about to say more, but caught a glimpse of the clock behind Alea. "Oh God!" She yelled.
Looking over at the clock herself, she shrugged. "Well, if we're late for this class, we can skip it and be early for the next. Your call"
"Skip?" Rina asked nervously, already imagining her parent's reaction. "I... I don't know..."
"Okay, then we have to run... If we book, we can get there in time." She took of once more down the hall.
Rina nodded and quickly followed, praying to arrive in the gymnasium as soon as she could.
The mismatched pair slid into the doorway of the gym with scant seconds to spare. Alea was amazed at her partner's speed. Despite her head start, and her longer legs, Rina easily outdistanced her, then slowed somewhat to let her keep up. Panting, they hit the lockers to change.
Nearly an hour and quite a number of laps later, they were heading into the showers.
Rina reached behind her back and began to slide off her gym uniform, now covered in sweat. She lifted it over her head, sighing with her eyes closed. "Coach really works you..."
Alea reached out to help her new friend remove her top. "You look tired, let me get it." A number of nearby girls stilled their talking and watched.
Rina nodded and allowed her new friend to assist her, at first unaware to the situation and the others in the room.
Alea reached around and gently lifted the sweat-drenched top, then unfastened the back of Rina's bra. "Hold on, I'll get you out of this, then you can help me with mine. It's a deathtrap."
"I agree..." Rina nodded, her face paling slightly. She felt her bra fall slightly, catching it quickly. "Hmm..." She reached over, fumbling slightly as she attempted to undo Alea's bra.
The catch finally released allowing twin masses of flesh to fall free. Alea stretched, rolled her shoulders, and headed into a shower stall, muttered comments about her build following her. "Rina?", she peaked back out, "Are you coming?" Faint titters of laughter traveled through the gaggle of girls watching Rina.
"Y-" Rina was about to finish when she started to become aware of the eyes focused on her. She had no clue to the identity of most if not all of the girls in the changing room, but could quickly guess exactly what they were laughing about. Her voice caught firmly inside of her throat, she nodded slowly. "I'll be right there... that is what showers are for..." She murmured quietly, following Alea.
"Did you hear, did you hear? Rina, the little runner, is running with some new cow of a girl? Oh yes, I've heard they're lovers. That's what I heard as well. Do you think...? could they be...? are they now...? so they...?" In such a way gossip and suspicion built a web outside the shower. Inside the shower, however, there was merely water, soap, and two girls. Already lathering up, Alea smiled at the younger girl. "Front, back, both, neither?"
Rina thought for a moment, imagining what was going on outside the stalls. 'Well... let them talk.' She thought bitterly to herself, then smiled at Alea. "What do you suggest?"
A wicked smile crossed Alea's reddened lips. "You're asking the wrong person. I'm a naughty girl. I'd suggest we wash each other, front and back. It's easier on the arms. That's what they're going to say we did anyway..." She lathered up her hands.
"I don't like it here." Rina sighed. "Everyone's like that in this school... I wish I never moved here. But I guess we might as well give them something to talk about, hm?" She replied. She quickly caught her eyes from wandering below Alea's neck, snapping them back to her face. "Front and back?"
Alea chuckled. "You can look at them, if you want. They're not going to bite." She reached out and began to scrub Rina's arms, shoulders and neck.
"I-" Rina's face quickly turned crimson, but she relaxed slightly, enjoying Alea's actions.
After finishing with the arms, she brought both hands up to the space between their bodies and gently washed each finger, then the palm and back of the hand, all the while fastening her gaze upon the girl before her.
Rina could feel her heartbeat gradually rising, her face heating up as well. 'Why?' The word repeated in her mind a number of times, her eyes fixated on the busty girl.
The fingers thoroughly cleansed, Alea brought the hands upwards into the streaming water where the jets could play across them and rinse away the soap. She kneeled and began to lather up Rina's legs. From ankles up to knee, her hands stroked, massaged, and worked the lather against her flesh. Head bent over, she focussed devout attention upon each toe, worshipping it to cleanliness as water streamed down her back and around to the front, streaming from her nipples to the drain below.
Rina's breathing increased rapidly, staring at Alea intently. The feeling of Alea's hands washing over her body was sending new thoughts through her head, and ideas that she hadn't considered before. 'What if...' and 'what now...' cascaded through her mind, not wanting to know what could happen partially, but also wanting to explore further.
Alea slowly drew her soapy fingers up Rina's legs, pressing in slightly to massage as well as clean, then drew them down with a light scratch of her nails, moving her head so the water sprayed on them only on the down stroke. Up with pressure, down with scratch, in a slow but building rhythm, punctuated with the moist, warm rush of the water.
Rina shivered slightly, closing her eyes. The feelings continually grew stronger and more forceful, as her mind reeled with emotions previously untouched.
Rina's legs scrubbed to a tingling cleanliness, Alea turned her attention upwards. She pulled back as she stood, then stepped forward to lay her hands upon the nearly flat, smooth skin of the younger girl's belly. Soap entwined fingers kneaded, stroked, and teased that more public area nestled between two of the most private. She continued to massage as she slowly rotated herself around Rina. Soon, she was standing behind her, arms sliding around her firm waist to finish her cleansing rub.
Rina felt somewhat relieved about Alea's change in position, but gradually came to the same emotional peak as before. But a cloud of almost disappointment crept over her as well, despite her attempts to clear her mind from that. 'I don't understand...' The purple-haired girl thought to herself weakly.
Alea stood in close, only a faint spray of the hot water separating her chest and Rina's back. Finished with the belly, she drew her hands up the sides and under the arms, gently massaging and scrubbing. Her breath crossed the mist to race against Rina's neck.
Alea's breathing further heightened Rina's feelings, as she became aware of just how close the older girl was to her. And the positioning of Alea's hands was dangerously close to where Rina had previously labeled 'hands-off'.
Rina could barely prevent her hands from moving south, and was frightened and what she wanted to do -- and the realization that she did want to do something. What, she wasn't exactly sure.
Alea's hands slid back, relathering to tease at the ripples and knots of the girl's back. As she washed, and massaged, she whispered, "You seem so... tense. I'll have to do something about that."
"Like what?" Rina's reply was weak and slightly higher than normal, Alea's voice playing in her mind.
"We''ll think of something." So saying, she moved Rina so water played more directly on her back as she kneaded the tense muscles. As the tension unraveled from the upper back, she followed its lines down until she reached the small of the back. Gentle pressure, matched by sharp exhalations of her breath, worked the final knots from her back.
Rina let out a short gasp, then bit her lip to prevent anything else escaping her throat. She could feel her muscles relaxing, but quickly tensing up soon afterwards.
Pressing her body in against Rina's back, she slid her arms down those of the purple haired girl, drawing soap along them until her hands were lined up along the younger girl's fingers. Slowly, she guided Rina's hands to the soap and lathered up, controlling each motion by the tension of her dark fingers.
Once their stacked hands were covered in suds, she brought them up to Rina's face. Fingers entwined, bodies held together, twenty fingers caressed and adored the cheeks, lips, throat, all places that surrounded Rina's gasps.
The feelings resulting from the combined touching was almost driving Rina over the edge, her previously unexplored body now being massaged by what seemed to be a goddess. She felt her knees weaken, losing her ability to stand upright.
Alea supported the younger girl's body against her own as she cleansed her shining features. Her breath was sharp in Rina's ear, and her fingers traced lips, teasing near the tongue.
Their bodies touching, Alea's fingers so very close... Rina's excitement continued to build. Her breath raspy and her body rising and falling, her tongue lightly dabbed Alea's fingers briefly.
Alea stroked the fingers of her right hand across Rina's lips and tentative tongue, while her left hand slid back and brushed lather into the wet purple mass of her hair.
Rina became more bold with her tongue, darting it out of her mouth to play with Alea's fingers lightly. She smiled at Alea's massaging. 'I could use this more often... wait! No.. yes?'
Alea moved her right hand forward, drawing her finger a bit away from Rina's mouth, then slowly leaned Rina's head forward with her left hand, bringing her mouth onto her fingers and hair into the spray of water. She continued to move her hand through the moist purple mass, each motion rocking the lips upon the stiff fingers.
The stronger spray of the water onto Rina's head felt relaxing, and she could feel her worries and uncertain thoughts wash away with the lather. Alea's fingers tasted sweet, and Rina quite enjoyed the feeling. The younger girl couldn't help feeling what Alea tasted like elsewhere, instantly feeling her face heat up at the thought.
With teasing slowness, Alea pulled her fingers from Rina's hungry mouth and reached over towards the shower knob. In one smooth movement, she turned the water off and stepped back from The girl before her. She shook out the volume of her own hair that had acted as a barrier between her chest and the younger girl's back, then stretched, revealing what the pastel waves had concealed.
Rina's eyes widened at the sight before her, Alea's nude form quite impressive. She stood there quietly for a moment, unsure of what to do next, and unable to take her eyes away.
Finishing her stretch, she grabbed a towel. "You seem clean enough... time to dry off" She stepped forward and began to buff Rina with the soft scratchy material.
Rina nodded blankly, almost in a daze. She allowed Alea to dry her off, smiling lightly.
After finishing toweling Rina, Alea grabbed another towel and handed it to the newly dried girl. "I always have trouble getting a couple of spots. Wanna do me?"
"I.. I can try!" Rina stammered, accepting the towel. She reached forward uncertainly, starting to dry off Alea's shoulders.
Alea moved, bobbed, and jiggled as she accommodated the assistance of the smaller girl. When most of her, other than a few sensitive areas, was dried she wrapped the straining towel about herself and opened the curtain. "Hmmm... everyone seems to have left. We'd better get dressed."
"Alea?" Rina asked timidly, stepping out slowly.
Hmmm?" She started to don her clothes, then looked at her pocketwatch. "I think we just skipped a class. Hope it wasn't important."
Rina gulped. "I guess I could just say I was sick..." She looked down, and started to get dressed. "What do you think those girls were saying earlier?"
"What girls?"
"The ones in here earlier.."
Alea blinked, trying to remember. "I think they probably thought we were already lovers, and that we were going to do it in the shower. They were probably speculating exactly how... petting, tongue, some slipped in toys." She shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"No.." Rina shook her head, buttoning up her top. "It doesn't." Hearing Alea say 'already lovers' made her heart flutter somewhat, and she tried to look away.
Alea looked quizzically at the other girl, then reached out and gently placed the fingers of her hand against Rina's cheek, brushing her thumb across her lips. "What's wrong, ri-chan?"
"N-nothing.." Rina stammered quietly, looking into Alea's eyes almost painfully, unsure of what to say.
Alea saw want... desire... uncertainty... adoration... fear... all directed towards her. she realized that her fun had caused quite a reaction, struck a deep resonance, within this other girl. There was something between them. A kinship, perhaps. Slowly she nodded. "I'll show you some things later, if you want to hang out after school. We can bum around and then go to one of our homes. What do you think?"
"Really?" Rina's face brightened again. "I'd love that..."
"So, what's the second class after gym? We should be able to catch that one."
"Study hall." Rina smiled in reply.
Alea shrugged, noting the expression of Rina as her eyes followed the swells. "Okay, there's enough time before the bell. let's just walk out of school and hit the arcade, 'kay?"
"What if we get caught?" Rina asked nervously.
Alea shrugged again. "Why start now?"
"Start?" Rina blinked.
"Start getting caught. Never have yet. Do you want to come?"
Rina's face clouded over for a moment, then shook it off. "Er... okay." She nodded. "Lead the way!"
Alea took her hand and lead her out of the showers. Together they walked through the halls and out of the front door. A teacher was walking in and looked at them oddly, but Alea didn't flinch. The teacher, apparently deciding that they MUST have a reason to be going out, walked by and entered the faculty smoking lounge. Soon they had past the school gate.
Rina was almost shaking by the time they exited. "She saw us!"
Alea giggled and turned around, walking backwards before Rina with her arms tucked behind her head. "No she didn't. She saw two students, not two people, let alone us two people." She continued to proceed Rina, failing to notice the pitbull that began to slink after them.
Rina blinked, but decided to go along with whatever Alea's reasoning was. "That makes sense.. I guess." She followed after the taller girl, deep in admiration.
A short while later, they arrived at the doors of Never Never Land. Alea walked in and threw her arms wide. "Arcade heaven... feast your eyes." She went over and plopped some bills on the counter, receiving in turn a large bag of tokens. Returning to Rina, she poured some of them into her hands. "If you need me, I'll be at the skeeball for a few."
Outside, the dog began to whine and turn about nervously, then lay down and gnawed its leg where a black mist swirled about it.
"Wow!" Rina looked around, staring at all the machines. "There's so many!" She happily accepted some tokens and began to wander around, almost like a small child being placed in a toy store without any parents around.
Alea snuck some glances at Rina as she strolled past Street Instinct Trilogy 4. There was so much similar to them... For a moment, she paused, trying to decide if it was right for her to continue to spend time with this girl. She shook those emotions, telling herself that it was, and would be, Rina's choice. She turned and began to slide the wooden balls into high ranking slots.
Rina soon found her way to one of the old whack-a-mole games, smirking. She slid two of her tokens into the slot and prepared to play.
The small objects began to jump up, and Rina quickly pounded them in return. However, her mind was elsewhere. 'I wonder what Alea's doing right now..'
The dog continued its gnawing, abrading the skin til drops of blood soaked out. Its whining grew louder and slowly changed pitch as the stygian vapor drank up the red liquid.
Alea looked down at her pile of tickets, trying to decide if she had won enough. She shrugged, pulled them off, and headed towards the frantic beating of burrowing mammals that marked Rina's presence.
"Iie! Iie! MOLES!" Rina cried, desperately trying to "whack 'em all" as the sign suggested. "Get back here!"
As the timer ran out, alea slipped her bronze hands around in front of Rina's eyes and breathed into her ear, "Guess who?"
Rina jumped slightly, quite surprised. "A-Alea?"
"Nope, you're Rina."
"Are you Alea, though?"
"That's a very metaphysical question. Do you want me to be? And is this a truth, or a dare?"
"Truth or dare, hm?" Rina smiled slightly. "Well, it sounds like a truth to me.. and I asked first!"
"Okay, I'm Alea. Generally, at least. I have to admit, I usually play this game in pri..." Her words were interrupted by the shattering of glass and a discordant snarling as three dogs seemingly smashed through the front window simultaneously, each pushing to be first.
"What was that?!" Rina cried nervously, her eyes still covered by Alea's hands.
Alea spun, dropping her hands from the purple haired girl's eyes. What had seemed a small pack of dogs was made apparent as one dog, gifted with a pair of additional heads, as it pushed through the glass and bound to the center of the room. Screams and yelps marked the passage of arcade goers as they scattered, desperately seeking to escape the hellish creature before them.
Alea called out, "Run!" as she booked away from the Whack-a-Mole and back towards the skeeball racks, flipping coins before her as she slid to a stop.
The motion had attracted the attention of two of the beast's heads, and it turned towards her, growling and sniffing the air.
"I-" Rina instinctively reached for her brooch, fastened right above her skirt. I have to stop them.. but if I transform here, I'll.. I'll.. she thought desperately to herself.
Alea hit the buttons for the three skeeball racks where her coins had landed in the slots, then scooped up some of the wooden balls and turned back towards the three-headed beast. Four baleful eyes met two incredulous ones.
Rina watched in dismay. She recognized the beast from books she had read... and if what they said were true, then Alea wouldn't be able to fend them off on her own. 'If I transform here, she'll know who I am... I can't leave, they might hurt her... I can't remain in this form, otherwise we'll all get killed by these things!'
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The brown wooden balls struck the brows of the canine heads. Staggered momentarily, it shook and snarled, then turned to fully face it's assailant. Another quick barrage of balls slowed it for a moment, allowing the last of the stragglers to escape. Only the monster, Alea, and Rina remained.
Suddenly, the creature pounced, clearing the distance between it and its over-curved target. Her last barrage of balls landed square in its slavering jaws, preventing it from biting her. Instead, she was borne back by its mass and sent sprawling across the skeeball racks.
"ALEA!" Rina cried at the top of her lungs, then glared at the creature bitterly. There was no other course of action. To save Alea, but possibly still give her up... not the sacrifice she wanted to make, but one she knew she would have to. "Iris...." She began, reaching for her small locket above her skirt. "Goddess Power... Make.. Up!" She cried, tossing it into the air.
Her vision swimming from the battering and the acrid breath that rained down upon her, Alea lifted her head in response to Rina's voice. Weakly, she watched as the girl she had recently met, that she had washed and almost... well... almost done more... changed... transformed... became more. The girl she had known was replaced with something more primal and true. A goddess, perhaps, or perhaps just a dream.
Her line of sight was broken by the snarling fiend spitting out the choking spheres and climbing up on the racks, crossing her body to surround her face with its three heads. "HOLD IT!" SailorIris cried, lifting the Skia above her head and swinging it around briefly before bringing it down. "Catch me if you can! Soldier of the skies, goddess of the rainbow, I am the untouchable Sailor Iris!" Suddenly, the violet-tressed goddess of the rainbow realized that she was really talking to dogs, and felt quite stupid for doing so. Casting an apologetic glance towards Alea, she quickly thought of what to do - although she was sure the other mythos senshi would not agree with her new plan of action of jabbing the dogs quickly with her staff.
Fetid canine spittle dripped across her face as the two side heads drew back, preparing to divide her flesh. The center head kept watch on her, its horrid gaze locking her muscles in place. Her heart screamed out, but her body refused to move, and barely continued to breathe. Just as the heads began their raptor's dive upon her bronzed cheeks, it gave a series of sharp yelps and leaped off of her. it landed heavily, facing it's new assailant with the right and center heads while the left head continued to eye her with hellish appetite.
"Back! Back! Get! Shoo! Off! Heel! Sit!" Iris shouted commands nervously, not thinking to try her attack. Barely able to understand her transformation, going against ... whatever it was ... seemed like an impossible task. She swung the Skia around nervously, unsure of what to do. Alea stood, balanced on the angle of the skeeball rack. She was trying to find some way to help this... goddess?... that stood before her. "Rina? Is that you?"
Iris quickly paused as she looked at Alea. She opened her mouth to speak, still swinging the staff, but could only nod. Reverting her full attention back to the Cerberus, she jabbed the left head as strong as she could.
With the strike of the Skia, the head that had guarded Alea turned it's attention to the rainbow Senshi. Alea tried to run forward and jump off the skeeball rack, but a pool of spittle derailed her plan, and her as well. She fell forward, landing across Rina and bearing her down under her melon sized breasts. Simultaneous with this slapstick moment, the three heads reared back and belched forth flames. Because of the fall, the 2 yard long fan of thick red fire went just over the entwined girls without damage.
"EEEP!" Iris squeaked, loosing her hold on her weapon. Now pushed down and without real power, she began to panic even moreso than before. "Wha-wha..."
Ignoring the opportunity to enjoy the wiggling girl beneath her, Alea rolled to her feet. "Cover me here, 'kay?" Without waiting for an answer, she slapped the three-faced dog in one of its snouts, then began to book across the room. Pain and hunt instinct urged the monster to chase the fleeing tormentor and abandon the prone girl.
"NO! ALEA!" Iris shakily grabbed her weapon. She had no choice but to attempt her attack... it was avoidable, it wasn't strong, but it was all she had. She could only pray that Alea wouldn't be the destined target. "Iris... Skylit... Illumination!"
Alea continued her run, attempting to use the larger video games as a deterrent. Suddenly, as she and the beast spun around "Final Killer Death Combo Turbo IV", a rainbow exploded in their faces, blinding them both. The Cerberus scrabbled its claws, but was unable to find enough purchase to stop and drove its heads solidly into "Deadly Intuition Challenge 3" Alea tumbled to the side, careening off of a video game that had been being installed. Uneven on it's dolly, it fell over and landed upon the beast. Bones broke, as did part of the case of the machine it's heads had hit, causing its drooling mouths to be perilously close to exposed wires.
Iris jumped around, trying to avoid tumbling or poorly placed games. Now there were two problems -- getting Alea safely out of harm's way, and not getting pinned for the costly damage the arcade was surely experiencing. Using the nearby Street Fighter 3 cabinet for an added push, she desperately tried to catch up to Alea. The Cerberus' mistake might provide enough time... but was it really enough? She wasn't sure, but had no intention on waiting around.
Alea hit her head on a vending machine, then fell on her ass and began to rub her eyes clear. She saw the girl who was catching up with her, and the monster who was staring to rouse itself. Grabbing what little change she had left, she began to feed it in and punched for a diet Pepsi. "Please tell me you have something harsher in that magic wand of yours!"
"A-Alea! We have to get going... I.. I can't fend him off..." Iris stammered.
One head of the creature rose away from the exposed wires and began to howl. Alea popped open the can, took a swig, then hurled the can towards the exposed wires. It wobbled through the air, spinning but staying upright, until it hit the beast and splashed. Soda met wires and caused a small explosion of electricity and smoke.
Iris let out a shriek and could only think about one thing; running away. She grabbed for Alea's arm. "We have to go now!"
Scooping up the girl who was trying to drag her away, she headed over to the snackbar. A fine array of tremendous kitchen knives yielded themselves up to a cursory search. "Are you kidding. Whatever that is, it's some sort of vicious monster. It wanted to EAT us! You're some sort of super-hero, right? You can't just let it get away. If it's not dead, I'm going to have to kill it. We won't get this lucky shot again."
"I don't want this shot in the first place!" Iris cried out, but paused, wanting to see what Alea was going to do. "But I'm the one who's going to have to kill it.. you don't understand!"
Choosing the longest of the knives, she quickly headed back to the twitching mass on the floor. "What's there to understand. Unless it requires a silver bullet, or something, or you have something more in your wand, I think my arm's stronger than yours."
Not quite wanting to believe that Alea's strength could outdo her magical powers (or lack thereof), Iris shook her head. "This.. it's not an ordinary dog!"
"Duh, it's got three yaps. You don't see that in your average pitbull." She carefully slid up to the body as the smoke finished thinning. "Oh! Umm... Rina... I think we can leave now." The smoke digging at her eyes was not the only reason for the tears that clouded her eyes as she backed away.
Iris shot a glance at the creature before turning to Alea. "A-Alea?" She looked at the older girl, speaking quietly. What to say, she wasn't sure.
Alea slid and arm around the trembling senshi, trying as best as she could to block the entwined corpses of three stray dogs. She led her out the fire door and into an alley.
Iris shakily allowed Alea to guide her, then eventually realized she had yet to detransform. Clasping her hands over her locket, she reverted back to her original form as Rina Vyoma. 'How am I going to explain this...'
"So, you do this sort of thing often?"
"W-what thing?"
"Ah... secret identity!" She looked up at the setting sun. "Tell you what, you get some rest, I'll tickle the info out of you some other time, 'kay? I promised my mom I'd pick up some stuff, and I barely have time to get it and get home." She tousled the younger girl's purple hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Tell you what, we can get together soon, make it a sleepover or something? What do you say?"
A small smile crept over Rina's face, and she nodded slightly. "That'd be great." She thought for a moment. "Alea... you won't... say anything?"
"Don't worry, I won't go spreading it around. It's weird, but somehow I feel connected. It's our secret. So, we'll get together soon and talk about it?"
"You bet." Rina breathed a sigh of relief.
Alea smiled and started to walk off, then turned her head to look over her shoulder. Catching eyes with Rina and flashing a smile, she called back, "It's a Date!" then continued to walk into the setting sun.
Return to Sailor Tyche.