Chapter 79: 'Key and Mih'

"Key, you didn't have to hit him!" Mihoshi told her partner reproachfully as they were moving along the darkened main road.

"He had his hand on your ass!" Kiyone growled, stopping for a second to glance at Mihoshi and dab at her busted lip. Thankful for the cooling breeze. Choosing the current rout instead of the service road added six or so minutes to the trip. Both however had made a silent agreement leaving Butto. Neither one of them fancied a trip past the shrine right now, wanting as much distance between them and the stairs where Nobuyuki had lain bleeding as possible. Even professionally 'hardened' as Kiyone was to such things the memory was simply too raw.

"Well partner," Mihoshi chided laughingly. "It is my ass after all!"

"Yeah," Key mouthed glancing her way, specifically eying the cocktail dress Mihoshi was wearing all ruffles and bows, fluttering in the soft wind. Wondering privately How her Partner was coping.

"I'm just saying you didn't have to go overboard." Miho was continuing. "I had the situation under control!"

"Uh huh." Key nodded, confidentially thinking the dress Mihoshi had on suited her to a 't'. It was slightly more 'abbreviated' than her old one. Sasami had half mentioned she might be able to get the blood stains out of the other dress. It had been a general consensus however to just dispose of garment instead and Mihoshi assured she would make do. Nobody seemed willing to deal with such things at the moment at any rate. Still, Key couldn't help but consider, Mihoshi looked good, really good! Kiyone supposed she envied her partner in some ways. Mihoshi was gregarious, 'fun loving' in a fashion Kiyone had never been. It struck her as odd now that something, she'd seen as a weakness over the years was proving to be one of little miss Karamatsu's greatest strengths.

"Well, while your so busy busting my chops there." Key told her, ruefully working her jaw. "You might like to know, the creep walked up to me about five minute before." She paused long enough to be sure Mihoshi was looking. "Asked me for a blow job." Kiyone added, managing to deliver this with a fairly strait face. Mostly to avoid additional damage to her lip. Not bothering to add the list of things a certain jerk had mentioned Key had the best equipment for. With all the holy crapola going down back at the homestead, Kiyone was more than aware she needed to blow off some steam. Thus seeing that jerk 'coping a feel' while Mihoshi was taking someone else's order constituted the last straw!

"WHAT?" Mihoshi gasped at her friend, her entire demeanor altering in a second. "I-I didn't know!" She added, apologetically. It was just after everything that had happened over the last few days ... She had automatically assumed Key was overreacting! "Oh! I'm so sorry key!" Mihoshi told her then made a show of hefting a fist, shaking it at the world in general. "In that case good for you!" she amended adamantly. Kiyone couldn't help but smile at that.

"OW!" She swore the sharp pain instantly reminding her. Gingerly touching her split lip. It was amazing how such things could slip ones mind so quickly! "Still..." Key slurred slightly with a grimace. "Not sure why those other five guys decided to jump in!"

"Heh, heh," Her partner grinned. "Key, I hate to tell you this, but you 'whooped' his entire immediate family." Mihoshi shrugged. "The male half any how."

"Ugh!" Key mildly grunted. "Interesting gene pool! Nice 'n shallow." Her mind immediately returning to the 'knock off' designer shirts and cheap colonel her assailants were all wearing. "Girls probably would'a put up a better fight." She muttered.

"You know," Mihoshi mused, as they both continued along. "I always thought that old movie cliché about one person throwing a punch and a whole room starts fighting was bull?"

"Were in a cow-town partner!" Key huffed then actually thought about it. "Sort'a..." She shrugged, mind full of how she contorted her features. "I'd expect there's lots of grudges that build up around places like theses just waiting for the right moment to settle an 'ol score!" Having pulled slightly ahead Mihoshi stopped for a second, long enough for Kiyone to almost pass her before she also halted. "What is it?" She wondered aloud.

"There aren't that many cows around here?" Mihoshi asked clearly concerned. "Are you sure that's... ?"

"Miho?" Kiyone interrupted, gazing at her fondly. If Mihoshi were anything she was a constant.

"Yeah partner?" She asked, waiting, noticing how Kiyone was looking at her. Faintly smiling, much as she currently was able. An odd kind of light shining warmly from her eyes.

"Never change." Kiyone told her quietly, slipping her arm about Mihoshi's shoulders. "You got that?"

"Yes sir!" Miho brightened as they both fell in to step. They made the rest of the trip in relative silence.

Upon arrival at the front gate, Kiyone immediately noted Azaka and kamadaki, absent from their posts. Nothing too unusual in that fact She considered. Their were millions of small things those old logs took it upon themselves to investigate. Once, Kamadaki actually chased a guy on a bike for almost seven miles just because he'd been spotted on the fence, trying to sneak a peek of the princess sunbathing. The missing Guardians did trouble her for some reason prompting that she cast her view around. Noticing Ryoko's cart parked and charging in its usual place. As the two women drew nearer the house however, Kiyone slowed then stopped.