Hikari ran through some basic defense moves with Cole, proving herself to be a pretty decent teacher. Better than Korū could ever be, at least.
"Hmm… Linda, you can teach Cayne, then Kumori can teach Liam. Which means we can go shooting." Alina said, grinning at Richard. "Korū can do whatever."
Richard snorted. "I really don't want my house trashed."
"I'm highly certain that as long as Korū doesn't go all out in killing people, your house will be fine," Hikari said.
"Um. Okay…"
"Yes! Why didn't we do this earlier?" Alina cheered. "Bye guys!"
Richard rolled his eyes. "We'll bring back dinner."
"Okay. Have fun," Hikari called.
Korū silently watched everything that was happening.
Alina paused at the door. "Do you wanna come with?" She asked him hesitantly.
"No. I wanna see what happens to this place. If anything gets broken, I'll mindlink you."
"Okay…" Alina said, albeit hesitantly.
"I'm scared." Richard said.
"Me too." Liam said.
"But," He stressed on the word, "don't count on me to save your stuff. I ain't doing shit," Korū warned.
Kumori tilted her head. "I don't fight. I only know the basics, and I can't teach to save my life."
"You know the basics, I don't know anything." Liam told her. "It'll work out somehow."
"He can teach you." Kumori casually volunteered Korū. "He knows more than I do."
"That's like sending me to the wolves without letting me get used to the pain first." Liam protested, scared for his life.
"How does that make sense?" Linda asked.
"...what the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Korū grumbled. "You're a wolf, you dumb shit."
Liam huffed. "Just an expression."
"I'm worse than any 'wolf' in your expression," Korū growled. His eyes narrowed. "Wanna try?"
"Quite the opposite, really."
"I'm not gonna teach you," Kumori said. "Korū or leave it."
Korū gave her a withering glare. "I never agreed to this."
"Oh god. Linda? Please?" Liam begged, turning to Linda, who had abandoned her leather and was standing in one of the open spaces of the living room.
"Fine." Was the grudging answer.
"Glad to know I'm wanted." Liam muttered, and moved towards her.
Kumori snickered, patted Korū's shoulder, and retreated to the sofa.
"Not like you would willingly agree even if Liam begged you." Cayne pointed out, still standing beside Korū's.
"Huh. That's true." He glanced around. "So. Wanna train or something?"
Kumori grinned. The bias.
"Now I feel so unwanted." Liam sighed. Then he wrapped an arm around Cayne. "Well babe, at least we get to train together."
"Ew! You're sweaty!" Cayne yelled.
"Get your hands off me." The two of them said together. Cayne glared at Liam, "Don't touch me."
"Never gonna do that again, anyway," Liam retorted, walking back to Linda who had her head in her hands, wondering what kind of company she was keeping, and why she had let Richard and Alina leave without her.
Korū glared daggers at Liam, before letting out a huff, stalking over to Liam, and hitting his head with the hilt of the katana. "Get your shit together."
"I ain't got no shit. I gave it to the toilet bowl."
"What the fuck." He glanced over at Hikari and Cole. "Even he's making progress. Stop bullshitting."
"Fine, fine."
"He's all yours," Korū said to Linda. "Have fun."
Kumori watched from the sofa with the cats. The crow was staring from outside the window.
"You'll train with Cayne?" Linda asked Korū, who gave a curt nod, missing the way Cayne grinned happily.
***
"I'm so tired." Liam sighed. Almost everyone was flopped on the sofas, exhausted.
Kumori was half asleep and Korū was gaming as usual.
"We're home! Well, not really home." Alina said, bursting through the door. "But we come bearing gifts!" She set packets of food down on the dining table.
No one looked up. The guys because they were far too physically tired, Linda because her brain no longer functioned and she was hiding out in the room, taking a shower, Korū because he was fighting digital zombies, Hikari because she was watching Korū, and Kumori because... Well, she didn't even hear Alina.
"More for us then." Richard said, taking in the sight in front of him. Korū picked a rice ball from a bag next to him. "Sure."
"Could you guys like, go shower or something?" Richard asked. The rest of them got up from the sofas and dragged themselves into their respective rooms.
"Where's the teriyaki…?" Alina said, rifling through the bags.
Korū ignored the fact that there was teriyaki and settled with his onigiri.
"Teriyaki, teriyaki… found it. Um… ooh, treasure." She pulled out some unagi.
"Guys, come on." Richard said.
"Do you have curry?" Linda asked, approaching as she exited the room, drying her hair with a white towel.
"Maybe, somewhere…" Alina told her.
"How much food did you buy?"
Alina and Richard paused, guilty looks passing their faces.
"Everything?" Alina answered, taking in the look on Linda's face. "It was his idea!" She accused, nodding towards Richard.
"I didn't know what you would want to eat!"
Kumori had joined Korū in eating the onigiri.
"I don't think we'll be able to finish this…" Linda said.
"Is that a challenge?" Alina asked, looking at Linda from her place at the dining table.
"Uh, no," Kumori butted in, sensing incoming chaos.
"Are you sure that's healthy?" Linda questioned, her eyebrow flying higher and higher.
"Sure." Alina answered flippantly, grinning.
"I don't think you should ever casually challenge Ali to anything." Richard warned, after swallowing his mouthful of chicken cutlet.
"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Hikari laughed. She stole an onigiri from Korū.
"How do you werewolves shower so fast?" Richard wondered. Hikari shrugged, "Food."
Alina shrugged too, then turned to Linda. "How much do you wanna bet that I cannot healthily finish all the leftover food?"
Linda didn't hesitate, "A full set of custom sheaths."
Alina pondered. "For all of them?" How many blades did she have again?
Linda nodded, "Made by yours truly."
"Throw in some holsters."
"Done."
"You would have done it for me even without the bet right?" Alina asked, her eyebrow twitching up.
"Maybe. I still have a lot to make up for." Linda grinned. "At least you have an excuse to eat a lot of food now."
"Oh, God," Korū grumbled. "You're gonna die at this rate."
Richard started, "She never said-"
"-that she'll finish it in one sitting." He and Alina said and they bumped fists.
"She's pulled something like this one too many times."
"...what the fuck." Korū said, unamused.
Alina just smiled innocently.
"Okay, that was pretty good." Cole conceded.
The twins and Kumori were just sitting there, eating onigiri, rethinking, again, about their choice of friends.