Russian Mystique (On Hold)

Day #1:

"Mackenzie, I thought you were going to teach me how to fight!" Nikita complained loudly as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the makeshift training grounds in the yard of the castle.

"No. I told you I was going to teach you self-defense. Which believe it or not, tries to avoid fighting," the warrior princess stated, obviously irritated with him.

“Then why am I dressed like I’m ready for a fight?”

"The first thing you have to know is how to avoid dangerous situations to begin with. Which for you, isn't possible. So we might as well skip that part." Nikita scowled at her. But she continued on, ignoring his facial expressions. "Secondly, you want to see if there are other possible solutions, like talking it out, or simply walking away. Try to get the other person to calm down, but I recommend not actually telling them to do so, it makes them more upset. Usually there is a way to negotiate with them and get away. But if that doesn't work, then there is number three. You hold them off until you can get away or get help. You want to avoid this outcome as much as you can."

Blah, blah, blah, Nikita kept thinking to himself. His eyes started to wander along with his brain. Mackenzie was quite pretty today…I mean…Wait! What was I saying? Mackenzie was always pretty and she was just a friend, well a hired bodyguard! There was no way I could like her more than that… or did I? When Nikita looked back, Mackenzie was staring at him. Uh oh, I'm in trouble now.

"Look Nikita, I'm only doing this because you always get in bad situations, but if you don't want my help..." she stated, then started to get up from where she was sitting on a bench.

"NO! I do want your help. But I just thought this was going to be more fun, not all lecture. I want to know how to actually defend myself. But I’m just confused, how exactly is this going to help me against kidnappers?"

It was true, Nikita really did want to learn, but not something he could look up on the internet or figure out for himself. The young prince wanted something more physical, actual combat. And the fact that Mackenzie had offered to be his teacher was a plus too.

Mackenzie just looked at him and sighed. "So you think you're ready?" she asked simply.

"Yes!" Nikita exclaimed. “I’m ready.”

She got up and stepped in front of him. "Okay, punch me.”

"Ummmm, what?" Nikita asked, confused. How was this going to teach me anything?

"I said, punch me. You want to fight so let's go. I say, you won't even touch me."

Was that a challenge? It sure seemed like one. Nikita smirked, and his fist shot out. The young prince was fast, but Mackenzie seemed to know exactly what he was going to do. She dodged to the side slightly, grabbed his wrist, and swung him past her with her hand pushing his back. When she let go, Nikita turned to find her grinning. His scowl returned.

"Nikita, you rush into things. Did you notice that I didn't even have to try and I would have been able to get away? There are two very important things that you must conquer to be able to fight. You must overcome the rush of the attacker, and your own fear. You luckily are able to get over both quite quickly, a lot faster than others. But you don't think when it comes to fighting. And remember, this is SELF DEFENSE."

Nikita sighed, she was right. She always seemed to be right.

"Okay sensei, show me a move that I can use to defend myself then," he remarked sarcastically.

Mackenzie seemed to just let that slide. "This is a two step move. Now, I want you to punch me again, but slowly, so I can show you exactly what to do."

Nikita nodded and punched with his right hand, keeping his arm extended. He watched as Mackenzie sidestepped away from his arm to the outside of it. She grabbed his wrist again with her right hand and used her left palm to push slightly on his elbow joint.

"Now, imagine if I did this hard. I could easily break your arm. And once you're down, I can escape. You try." The princess released the prince’s wrist, after holding on for a second too long. He repeated the moves he had just seen. She smiled. "Good. That's a move you would use to incapacitate someone. This next step is slightly different. Punch me again."

Nikita did so, but this time, instead of pushing on his elbow, she rotated his wrist and pulled it back around, so it was pinned against his back. He could feel her, she was right behind him. He blushed, thankful that she couldn't see his face. Why was it that the slightest touch from her made him crazy?

She leaned toward him and said, "This move, along with pushing the person down, would allow you to get away as well. It restrains the person a little, but by adding pressure to the shoulder." She did so and Nikita shifted uncomfortably. It hurt a ‘little.’ "It causes them great pain. If you push the person down, placing a knee in-between the shoulder blades and pulling the arm up can dislocate the shoulder, allowing you to get away. But I don't recommend that because it makes the move more complicated. This move is hard enough to do. It looks easy, but the technique can get confusing when turning the wrist and arm. Just take it slow."

Mackenzie threw a punch at him and he mimicked her moves to a tee, but then took it farther by pushing her down. But he made the mistake of loosening his grip on her arm when they fell. She spun around so that she landed on her back with him on top.

Nikita propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her. She just stared up at him. He blushed, and was about to get up when Mackenzie brought her face up to the young prince’s and kissed him. It was like the Fourth of July fireworks where their lips met. She brought one of her hands up to his face and cupped it slightly, deepening the kiss. Nikita leaned over her, trying to get closer.

His hand went to her hair, fingers splayed in it. So he could admit it now. He liked Mackenzie Kane. And it is VERY apparent that she liked him back.

Then she shoved him off of her and got to her feet. She frowned and stormed off. Nikita remained, propped up by his arms behind him and he cocked his head to the side, blushing and sighing.

****

Day #2:

Mackenzie and Nikita recovered from their first day of self-defense lessons. Right off the bat Nikita earned a slap and punch to the shoulder and a smack across the face. Then he was scolded and strictly warned about kissing her again like that. But the prince knew that she had a weak spot and she liked him.

Then the fun began. They started the next day with just the basic moves and built from there.

"Okay, what should I learn first," Nikita asked Mackenzie, who was standing opposite him.

"A good punch," the princess stated. She began to explain how to throw the best kind, when Nikita interrupted.

"Kenzie, I can throw a good punch. Why don't you let me fight you again before teaching me? That way we can work on my mistakes?"

Mackenzie shrugged and agreed, saying, "Give me all you've got, prince."

And he did. He hit her hard across the face, causing Mackenzie to do a 90 degree spin. She hadn't expected him to hit that hard or be that good. She smirked and spat on the ground, recovering from the sudden blow. She punched him in the face now and sent him stumbling backward with a yelp. Then she knocked his legs from under him while he was recuperating from the last blow, leaving him to land hard on his back. He grunted in pain as he made a move that might have just saved his rear in a real fight. He pulled her legs from under her.

She landed on the floor. Before he could finish her off, she scrambled up, beginning her next move. She sat on his chest, legs at his sides while she used her arms to hold his above his head.

"Had enough, baby prince," she asked playfully.

"Were just getting started," he responded, as he moved his hands in a circular motion, grabbing her wrists.

He quickly used his body to push her on the ground and get in the same position she had him in, except with him on top.

"Had enough, baby," he playfully mimicked her.

"Were just getting started," she mimicked back.

Mackenzie slammed her head into his – a move that he didn't want to try, for fear of hurting her it seemed – instantly giving him a headache followed by kicking him in the private area. Her quick thinking instantly gave her enough time to get the obviously bigger man turned around, leaving him face down. Jess sat on top of his back, legs on his sides. She grabbed his arms and put them behind his back, holding them into place like a policeman arresting someone.

"Alright, I give up," Nikita begged, almost pleading.

Mackenzie thought that was sufficient and began to get up, but he flipped over so his back was against the ground and pulled her back down so she was sitting on him.

“You’re improving, dear prince. I’m impressed. But there’s still a long way to go yet.”

****

Day #3:

Nikita gently wrapped a white bandage around and around and around. The thin, pale fingers twitched slightly as he wrapped but didn't move away. When it reached the end Nikita gently pinned it and brought the hands to his lips, placing a small kiss on the knuckles.

Nikita glanced up and caught a mix between blue and green eyes staring back at him adoringly. He glanced down to his opponent's pink lips, which were tugged into a slight smirk and then back to his eyes.

Nikita chuckled quietly and took one of Mackenzie's hands in his. Then the prince gently released Mackenzie's hand and moved away to pick up a pair of black boxing gloves that sat on the bench beside them. He picked them up, tossing them in the air before catching them again.

She watched the young man with adoring eyes as he gently placed the glove on his hands and tightened the straps. She already had her protective gear on. Today they were going all out in the fighting. Mackenzie patted them twice before dropping them. Nikita lifted his hand curiously, testing the weight.

"How does it feel?" Mackenzie asked and Nikita made a funny gesture with his hands, blushing slightly at how stupid he felt.

"Tight but not too tight," Nikita finally decided and Mackenzie nodded.

"That's good. Are you ready?" the princess asked and the prince swallowed before nodding.

Nikita was wearing black pants and a white tank top. It wasn't the most fashionable of clothes but he did manage to pull it off. There were sweat marks on his top from their warm-up workout and his curls were starting to spring free from their gel confinement, all of which made for Mackenzie's lack of concentration at this current moment.

As much as she hated to admit it and as much as she had been angry at him for kissing her back on the first day, she really was warming up to the young man. And she did find him attractive. Mackenzie tore her gaze away from him and they stepped back, getting into position.

"Do I just…?" Nikita trailed off, making a jabbing motion at the warrior princess and Mackenzie chuckled, stopping his wrist in mid-air with ease.

“Sure, Nikita, you can make the first move!”

“Great!” Nikita exclaimed and kicked his leg out, taking her legs out from under her. She screamed and crashed to the ground. But she recovered quickly, pulling him down with her. They rolled around on the grass, the gloves coming off of their hands. They both parted and scrambled to their feet.

Nikita hit her once, straight in the shoulder. She raised her arms to guard herself before hitting him back straight in the stomach. While his body reacted to her attack, he gave her a kick, hooking his leg straight behind the knee, causing her leg to buckle underneath him. They both fell to the floor as she dragged him down with her, slapping his back repeatedly as she did so.

Nikita landed some fierce blows to her face, which was luckily shielded by a protective helmet. She returned, getting some blows to his face. This was an intense hockey fight, with fists actually landing on both of them. And Mackenzie was no girl, so hitting her was okay. Besides she was technically the stronger of the two.

Mackenzie could gradually feel their fight moving away from the training area, she slammed his back against a post and her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. He slapped her and kicked at her, but it never hit. She pressed her chest to his, forcing him back further into the post. She could feel sweat and blood, both his and her own sticking to her skin as more sweat dripped down her back from the fury of the battle.

A kick to the mouth came to Nikita and was good for a serve and he knew that although they came with fists, Mackenzie’s were better than anyone’s. But he was learning from the best and he knew her well. He slipped her grip and ducked her fists as she attempted to get him again.

He suddenly launched into the air, doing a perfect backflip and landed on the ground, snapping his head up. She smirked and darted forward at him. He stood up and met her fist as she brought it at him. “Impressive,” she spat dryly.

“I’m just getting start, Kenzie!” he retorted, spitting to the side of him.

"You'll have to fight me better than that though," she replied simply, watching him carefully. Nikita looked over the determined and amused woman in front of him. The two stared each other down for a moment, waiting for the other to make a move. Nikita had a tired look in his eyes while Mackenzie had an energetic fire in her.

It was almost contagious and soon he felt the fire build in him and push the tiredness away.

“Wanna stop, pretty boy?”

“Never!”

Mackenzie then made a quick move and threw one of her fists at the prince. With ease he avoided it, while quickly running at Mackenzie, who fell into a defensive fighter's stance. Nikita threw a swift punch that was blocked as the two started into a quick frenzy of hand-to-hand combat.

"I don't see why—" Nikita dropped to the ground for a moment to miss getting hit by Mackenzie's flailing arm, "—you still have—" another hit avoided, "—the upper hand here."

Mackenzie gave a small grin as she swiped out her leg, knocking the prince off balance, "I'm too full of energy and you need to work to matchup with me." She received a basic blow to the shoulder, forcing her to step back, "Might as well use it up; and you enjoy it."

Nikita growled as he grabbed her wrist in a tight grip, pinning her to the post once more with a burst of force.

"And explain why you're fighting back." This statement distracted Nikita just enough for the warrior princess to kick his legs out from under him, causing him to fall.

But he was just as quick and kept a strong hold on her so she would fall with him. After a rough collision with the ground, Nikita scrambled about and had Mackenzie pinned under his strong hold, looking her sternly in the eye.

"Do I have the upper hand now?" He questioned as he began to lift his weight from her. She merely rolled her eyes—he should really know by now that she doesn't just give up—before wrapping a leg around him, gripping the front of his shirt roughly, and turning them so she had him straddled under her.

"I'm still not finished," she snapped harshly.

The pair stared each other for another few moments.

"Well…" Nikita started as he held Mackenzie's wrists. She still gripped his shirt. "I am."

Once more, the two were flipped, and with a small 'thud' Mackenzie's back was against the grass. When she went to turn her wrists again, he had anticipated it and kept himself firmly placed over her. Mackenzie let out a soft grunt as she struggled under him, which gave Nikita some amusement.

Mackenzie glared into the man's eyes for a moment, not planning to show any defeat.

"Are you done now?"

The princess looked away from his face and rather at his shoulders, then to his chest, till her eyes travelled down to where their lower halves met. She smirked and brought her knee up, getting right in the sweet spot. He collapsed to the side, but recovered.

They both scrambled to their feet and launched their fist at one another. However, they both blocked each other’s blows and their arms linked together in an “x” form, with them both frozen in place and glaring at each other. Their chests heaved with the struggle to breathe. They remained like this for a few more minutes, before they finally calmed down.

“You’re ready,” Mackenzie growled with a quick head nod.

“I know.” Nikita lowered his arm and snatched up the gloves that had fallen off. So much for using those. I guess using fists were better and more natural for him. “No kidnapper can kidnap me now.”

“Well, technically they still can, but if you are alert and attentive, sure, you’ll be able to fight them off now.”

“Thanks Mackenzie, but what about you? What will become of you?”

Mackenzie looked to the ground. “I’m staying for now, but my work here is pretty much done. I didn’t envision being a royal bodyguard my whole life.”

Nikita set the gloves back in their place and sat on the bench, cooling off. He removed the helmet and set it to the side of him. Then he began to unwrap his hands. “Yeah, I should figure that. But I like you Mackenzie and I know you like me. These past few days, I lose my breath around you...and it isn’t from the fighting.”

Mackenzie padded over and sat down next to him. “I understand. I’m not normally one for romance and the gushy girly princessy shit, but...I’ve felt it too.”

“I don’t want you to leave Kenzie.” Nikita felt his hand intertwine with Mackenzie’s, interlocking their fingers together. Hers were still taped up, but his weren’t. He gazed into her eyes, longingly. “Please don’t leave me. We could find a way to stay together and get married and then we can both fight back-to-back….for the kingdom!?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “It’s not my life.” She tore her hand free and jumped to her feet. “We’re done, you’re battle ready. I’ll talk to King Sergei tomorrow and inform him!”

Nikita jumped to his feet now. “Mackenzie wait!”

Mackenzie continued walking away, choking back the tears. What was wrong with her? This was how women became weak and fragile! This was how people lost battles, because of love! She wasn’t one of those, she was strong and independent. She couldn’t be falling for some Russian prince in Moscow.

“I have a secret power! My father recently told me what it is. He told me never to tell anyone, but I trust you.”

That made her halt. She spun back to him. He was standing before the bench, rubbing his muscular shoulder. Since they’d been working out and fighting, he’d gotten much more buff and ripped. He came toward her.

“You have a secret power?”

“I do, I’d like you to know so that way you can maybe change your mind. All the strength in the world won’t help me if--”

“What do you have?” Mackenzie asked, cutting him off.

Nikita grabbed her hand and led her back to the bench. They sat down and he launched into his story.

Notes

Sorry it's been a millennium since this or anything has been updated. I was in a busy funk and also in a movie-watching, edit-making mood.
But hey, I'm getting updates to everything slowly now!


Next up: Nikita's Secret and Trouble...