Congrats for wedging, glcorps! Yuu is not going to be pleased.
Chapter 22There was, as said previously, absolute silence engendered from that bold move by Miki. Well, as silent as it could be with the sound of the waves in the background, but you get the idea.
But the point here was not the silence of the audience, far from it. With the possible exception of Keita, who still looked as if his favorite horse just died (like anyone cares). Everyone else was probably a whole lot more interested in the principals of the situation, that is Aya and Miki, who were currently locked in a kiss. Although who was locking whom in one was still debatable at this point, since while Miki did initiate it, Aya wasn't exactly resisting or pushing her away all that much either. One could only wonder what was going on in their minds.
For Miki, it could be very simply summed up in one word:
SCORE!!! (give or take a few exclamation marks)
For Aya however, it was far more complex. The girl did have a tendency to overthink things at times. Although you probably couldn't quite fault her for it this time, given that any normal person would have a lot to think about when someone of the same gender kisses them (not for the first time!) in front of someone else of the opposite gender who had just professed their love for them not minutes ago.
Now, her first instinctive reaction had been to pull away and then proceed to clobber Miki senseless...at least, that was the initial plan of action. However, due to the fact that she had kept her eyes open when the pirate had boldly glued their lips together, she managed to notice two crucial things. One of them was, predictably, the look in Miki's eye as she had swooped in. The other was probably incidental, although that couldn't be said for sure, since when Miki had pounced, the angle of their bodies had shifted just right, giving her a nicely unobstructed view of Keita's face out of the corner of her eye.
Needless to say, Miki's cheeky expression was infuriating to Aya, but that playful glint, coupled with her direct view of Keita's undisguised shock and horror, woke up the slightly sadistic side of herself that Aya hadn't really known that was there before. And thus, from her initial
'why the hell am I letting her kiss me?!' reaction, it quickly shifted to
'anything to piss Tofu Boy off'. Perhaps witnessing something like this would finally convince her persistent suitor to back off and tell him that no, she had absolutely no interest in him at all.
Extreme times called for extreme measures, she reasoned, even as she returned the kiss, hearing Miki make a bit of a surprised noise at that, which caused her to smirk just a little bit. Her own arms encircled Miki's waist, pulling the pirate closer, even as she kept an eye out for Keita's reaction.
The poor boy looked like the sky had just fallen on his head, and his hands were trembling. There was shock, horror, and actual tears glimmering in his eyes as he continued gaping at the two girls making out in front of him. Aya felt a surge of triumph at that.
On the other side of the couple, Maki and Natsumi were also in varying states of shock, although admittedly for different reasons and to a lesser degree than Keita. Nacchi recovered quickly enough from her wide-eyed expression at Aya's response to Miki, and was casting a slightly worried glance at Maki instead, clearly recalling how violently the younger woman had reacted to Miki kissing Aya before.
She need not have worried however, for Maki, instead of immediately trying to separate her best friend from the pirate, was instead standing there with a peculiar expression on her face. Nacchi had known Maki long enough to know that this was her "thinking" expression. Curiously, she whispered.
"Are you alright?" Her voice was soft, and her hand reached out to rest on Maki's folded arms. Maki blinked slightly and turned her head to look down at the concerned expression on Nacchi's face. The tall sailor smiled a bit wryly back. "Yeah, I am."
Nacchi didn't look convinced, but let it slide. Instead she asked. "What are you thinking?"
Maki looked back at the still kissing pair, then sighed with a perplexed expression on her face. "Well," she started, "I was wondering if I should be upset that they're doing that, or be pleased by the fact that Tachibana looks like he's just been hit by a carriage." She kept a perfectly straight face while saying that, and Nacchi giggled at heavy irony present in the tone of voice.
"You know, you could do both at the same time." Nacchi pointed out, and Maki nodded with a little shrug. "Oh well, I'll leave them alone for now." She paused, then added. "Doesn't mean that I won't get that sneaky little pirate for it later though." Nacchi giggled at the conviction in Maki's tone.
Back to our little snog fest then. Miki's hands had started to wander a little, to which Aya responded by digging her fingernails forcefully and painfully into Miki's back, causing the pirate to quickly withdraw her hands to safer regions. Clearly, Miki wasn't quite about to mess with a good thing, not when Aya was apparently willing to kiss her right now. Miki might seem like she had no good sense at times, but after having been literally bitten by Aya before, she knew that the girl wasn't kidding about hurting her if she went too far.
Something's better than nothing, the pirate reasoned, happily savoring the moment and ignoring all the eyes on them.
Seeing that Keita looked on the verge of total collapse, Aya decided that it would be enough for now. She wasn't that cruel. It was with a certain regret when she pulled her lips away from Miki's (mentally kicking that whining horny little voice in the back of her head back into the closet it came from) and glared intensely at Miki.
"Not a word." Aya muttered threateningly under her breath, trying to back away from Miki, but the pirate refused to let go, a goofy grin on her face. Miki's mind was working very quickly, putting two and two together rather easily and whispering back to her captive. "If you're going to show him up, then do it properly." Miki purred as she nipped playfully at Aya's ear, causing a shiver to run through the younger girl's body.
"What are you up to now?" Aya growled out in a low voice, still pressed close to Miki. The knife throwing pirate preened slightly and smirked. "Just follow my lead."
"Fine." Aya had a slightly bad feeling about this, but decided that she would rather handle Miki than Keita. At least beating Miki up into a pulp was a feasible idea. Beating up Keita simply wasn't, not unless she wanted to get her uncle Elio in trouble. Oh well, whatever Miki came up with me couldn't be too bad, could it?
"Well, Tofu Boy, any more questions?" Miki asked insultingly as she turned her head to face Keita. "As you can see, she's most definitely not yours, but mine."
Keita seemed to snap out of his daze at this, his face outraged. "But, but you're both girls! This is wrong!" Then he frowned. "And my name is Tachibana Keita, not Tofu Boy!"
Behind the scene, Maki was shaking her head. "He had better be afraid if he's pressing that argument." She grumbled, absently putting an arm around Nacchi's shoulders. "I'll even help that miserable pirate kick his ass in this case."
Miki snorted. "Does it look like it bothers us? Face it,
Tofubana, you don't stand a chance at all." She then turned back to look meaningfully at Aya. "Right honey?"
Aya twitched at the endearment, but otherwise kept a straight face, faking a smile back. "Of course
darling." Her voice dripped with forced affection. Maki and Nacchi hid a smile behind their hands when they caught the upward roll of Aya's eyes to the sky.
Miki was trying her best to keep from bursting out in laughter, even as Keita floundered on helplessly. "But I love you...!"
"Well, I don't." Aya replied flatly and truthfully, cutting him off before he could say anything else. She almost felt a moment of genuine pity for him. It really wasn't his fault, but she did wish that he could catch a hint faster. "Sorry Keita, but you better find someone more suitable for you." She finished almost kindly, but kept her arms wrapped around Miki, even pretending that her attention was completely absorbed with the pirate.
Keita looked dejected and heartbroken, to say the least. Moving diffidently to his side, Captain Levant patted him on the shoulder. "Come on boy, get your chin up. No point getting depressed over women." The older man looked amused as he glanced back at Aya. "Well Aya, I didn't know Maki managed to convert you," Maki snickered at that in the background. Clearly, her reputation preceded her. "But I wish you happiness in whatever you choose."
"Why thank you, uncle Elio." Aya replied ironically, while trying to subtly prevent Miki from feeling her up too much in their current position. The man winked back at her.
"I wonder what your father would think..." Aya paled slightly, and Elio smiled expansively. "Or that prerocious youngest sister of yours...Aria, was it?" Aya winced, a worried expression on her face. "Great, Aria would just copy whatever I do...crap."
"You have a sister?" Miki asked with interest. Aya sighed. "Yes, several." Then she looked sharply at Miki, who had a speculative look on her face. "Don't even think about it, you little lecher." Miki pretended hurt. "Aw, come on, do you think I'm that bad?"
"Yes you are." Aya replied smartly, momentarily forgetting about the audience in the background. Miki, however, reminded her with a shifty glance, and Aya quickly covered up her tracks. "You're mine, and I'm not sharing you with anyone else." Aya cringed inwardly at the words, even as Miki looked pleased with the response. Maki coughed pointedly in the background.
"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, but can we leave now?" Elio looked at Maki, then at the other ship waiting for them. "Ah I see, you came for Aya?" Maki and Natsumi nodded in unison. Elio had a speculative look on his face, before glancing at the still depressed Keita next to him. "You two, follow me." He gestured to Nacchi and Maki, requesting them to move to one side with him to speak privately for a moment.
"What is it?" Nacchi didn't bother with unnecessary questions. Elio looked serious. "Those are pirates with you, yes?"
Seeing no point in trying to deceive someone as experienced as Elio, they nodded. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, before he continued.
"I won't ask how you got them to help you, but you two need to know a few things." He paused, face grim. "You can't let Aya go back to the capital now. It's too dangerous for her, and even if we can get a pardon for the rest of the crew, I doubt that whoever's behind the order won't give up trying to get rid of her. The secret orders that Elial received were quite specific that the main priority was Aya." The two women sucked in a deep breath at that, clearly shaken by the information. Elio then continued.
"I'm not sure what you people did to have someone go to such lengths to silence you, but I want you kids to be safe. Take Aya with that pirate ship, and make sure she lies low out here for some time. Don't let her go back, whatever you do. Elial is going back to base, and there are several others who are willing to help us back at High Command. We need to overturn the ruling before any one of you can report back to claim justice. Going back now is simply suicide."
Maki looked worried. "What about Yuuki and the rest of the crew? They're sailing back right now!"
Nacchi patted her on the arm. "Don't worry, I told Kinjou not to report directly back to base." She smiled wryly. "It's a good thing that we have a private port village set up by a certain Levant brother about 2 days' sail away from the main base. They can go there to await news until it's safe." Nacchi looked directly at Elio, who appeared amused. "Isn't that so, Captain Levant? You left clues in that parchment for me to find."
His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Guilty as charged. I'm glad you picked up on that quickly enough. Yes, my brother Elial will pass a message to them when the time is right, so you can rest assured that they will be safe and well." He chuckled a little suddenly. "I thought that you two would end up there as well, but you surprised me by coming after Aya. Loyal friends, the two of you." This was said with a certain approval.
Maki shrugged, while Natsumi inclined her head at the praise. Then Nacchi looked thoughtful. "How do we know when we can go back? I mean, you would need to pass a message to us, don't you?" Elio paused at that.
"Hmm that's a good point..." Maki stared at him. "You mean you didn't think about that?" The older man looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, I do miss a few things now and then!" He said just a bit defensively, and Nacchi grinned at him. "Getting old?" She asked archly, and Elio laughed ruefully. "Perhaps." He then became all business. "What do you two propose anyway? We need a way to communicate somehow."
Natsumi thought for a moment, before snapping her fingers together. "I got it!" At the expectant looks from the other two, she explained her idea.
"Well, remember when you found us at Klashnik?" Elio nodded. Nacchi then continued. "Anyway, there's a tavern there called the Sea Coconut, and the proprietress there appears to be a friend of those pirates we're with now. She seems to be trustworthy too, so you can write a message--coded, of course, if you are worried--and leave it with her for us. I'm sure she can be trusted to do so, especially if you give her a little payment for the favor."
Elio stroked at his stubbled chin. "Sounds feasible. It's better than sailing around in circles trying to track down one pirate ship just to give you the message anyway. That's a really fast vessel they have there." He was eyeing the Red Dawn with a certain amount of respect, clearly wondering how to modify his own ship to make it faster.
"Well, now that this is settled, you three had better set off." Elio started, then paused. "Aya isn't really involved with that woman, is she?"
"No." Both of them replied at the same time. Maki grinned. "Aya rolled her eyes at us while they were playacting earlier. She's using that groping devil of a pirate to ward off Tofu Boy...though I wish she could pick someone else to do that..." She muttered the last bit. Nacchi, however, had a strange expression on her face.
"You know, they might be acting now, but there's a good chance that it could turn into something more..." She mused, and Maki turned on her with a fierce look. "What do you mean?" The younger woman did not look particularly pleased at the assessment. Nacchi looked away from Maki for a moment.
"I know you won't like to hear this, but I've never seen Aya react so much with anyone else. Those two...sparks practically fly whenever they're together. It's amazing." Nacchi shook her head. "I've never seen anything quite like it before."
Maki was silent after Nacchi's take on the situation, and her expression was stony. Evidently, that conclusion didn't please her in the least. Elio quickly stepped in to intervene before the discussion went any further, clearly sensing an argument if it were allowed to continue.
"Well, in any case, you two should take Aya and go. Oh, and about Ishikawa, do you think we can get her so I can send Tachibana back home and off my ship?"
Nacchi winced. "Err, Captain Levant...I don't think Lady Ishikawa wants to go back really, and I don't think that really intense-looking woman standing next to her will let her go in any case." She pointed over at where Yossi and Rika were standing side by side. Elio frowned as he looked at Yossi.
"That person looks sort of familiar somehow..." He then shrugged. "Eh, whatever. I'm only being paid to make sure the Tachibana boy is safe. I don't get any more or less whether or not I find Ishikawa, unless I'm turning her in for the bounty her father set, which probably won't happen since Tachibana is on the ship and all." He rolled his eyes ironically. "Well, take them and run. I'll pretend I never saw you, and I'll go get that poor Tofu-err, Tachibana boy drunk before he thinks about it too much."
"Thanks Captain Levant." Nacchi said gratefully. He shrugged. "Not a problem. And call me Elio. The way you say Captain Levant makes me feel old." He joked. Nacchi smiled faintly. "Of course Elio. Thank you for helping us out." He waved it off.
"Now go, you two. Take care of Aya for me and her father." He looked sternly at Maki suddenly. "And treat Natsumi better, you incorrigible player. Quit playing around."
Maki blinked at him, confused. "Huh?" Elio sighed dramatically. "How do you put up with her?" He asked Nacchi, who blushed slightly, shooting a death glare at a smirking Elio, who winked at her. Flustered, Nacchi tugged at Maki's arm.
"Come on Gocchin, let's go." She pushed Maki in front of her and away from Elio, back towards where Aya and Miki were. Maki looked over her shoulder at Elio.
"What the hell do you mean?" Elio smiled cryptically, but chose not to answer.
Wisdom had to be found on one's own time, by one's own efforts.
~*~*~
Oh no, what do I do now? Was what Rika was thinking when she met Keita's eyes. She most definitely did not want to go back and get married to him. Frankly, she was a little surprised to see him in this place.
It's certainly a small world out here...Seeing Rika flinch upon seeing the man, Yossi put two and two together and guessed. "Someone you don't want to see?" Her voice was only mildly curious, and Rika nodded hesitantly.
"Um...heistheoneI'msupposedtomarry." Rika let it come out in a rush of words, and Yossi blinked, sorting out through the jumble of words after a few moments, before her eyes grew wide. She stared back at Rika, before letting her narrowing gaze slide back to the man in question. She gave him an appraising sort of look.
"He doesn't look
that bad." The pirate conceded, albeit a little reluctantly. Rika made a face. "I know that, but I'm in no way interested in him." She pouted cutely, causing Yossi to tighten her grip on the railing just a bit. "Mmhmm." Yossi fixed her gaze resolutely at the scene taking place on the other ship instead.
"What the hell, Miki?!" Yossi blurted when Miki pounced on Aya and kissed her. They hadn't been able to hear the conversation clearly, but judging from the interactions beforehand, Miki was definitely trying to piss someone off...whether that was Aya or Rika's fiance was debatable though, from her point of view.
The twins materialised as if out of thin air (well actually from behind them) next to them at the railing, their eyes bright with interest at Miki's bold act. Kago cheered openly.
"Woo~ Go Miki~!!" Next to her, Tsuji had a funny expression on her face, as if she was pondering something.
"Wait, we came all this way so that Miki gets to ravage her girlfriend? Huh?!" Yossi stifled a snort, and Rika giggled next to her. The older pirate took on a sagely expression as she explained to the younger two.
"This is Miki we're talking about. Of course it makes sense." The twins went "ohhh", and Kago ventured.
"Isn't that a lot like the Yuko explanation?" Yossi nodded, but Rika looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Basically, it means whatever Yuko wants, Yuko gets, and we help her with it." Yossi shrugged it off as if it were nothing, while Tsuji helpfully added.
"In Miki's case, we don't necessarily have to help her with it, since she usually can do it without our help, but I guess this time was an exception..."
"Oh." Rika didn't really get it, but she figured that there wasn't any point in advertising that fact right now. She could find out more about it at a later date...provided she didn't get caught right now and sent back home to get married of course.
"So what do we do now? I don't want to go back." Rika tugged at Yossi's arm, her eyes becoming all pitiful as she gazed up at her childhood friend. Yossi gulped. There was no way she could win any argument with Rika it seemed, if the girl kept resorting to dirty tricks like that to get past her defenses. Behind them, the twins snickered at the sight, before starting to make kissy noises at them. Yossi pointedly ignored it, clearing her throat.
"Well, if it comes down to that, we'll fight them. I won't let them take you against your will." Yossi promised, and Rika leaned in to hug Yossi's arm. "Thank you Yocchan!"
"Um, right..." She turned away, only to see the twins mouthing "kiss her" at her. "Shut up, you two." Yossi grumbled, and Aibon huffed. "Wuss!"
Tsuji tilted her head over to Miki, who had Aya firmly in her grasp. "You need to learn more from Miki over there."
"Whatever." Yossi turned to look intently at the other ship, noting that Maki and Natsumi were off to one side speaking with a big burly man who was evidently the other ship's captain. The conversation over there broke off with Natsumi pulling Maki away, making the pirates wonder what happened. That didn't matter too much though, since the other ship captain ordered his own sailors to stand down, so their people could come back over easily enough.
Notably, Miki refused to let go of Aya's hand, even after they finally stepped apart. The knife-throwing pirate had an evil grin on her face, while Aya's face was like a thundercloud. Yossi snickered.
Life was about to get a lot more interesting on board the Red Dawn.
~*~*~
When the pirate ship had pulled away, Keita sank to his knees, his face buried in his hands. Elio stepped up next to the young man, shaking his head. "There there."
"I wanna go home..." Keita whimpered. Elio smiled sympathetically, even as he cheered inwardly.
Time to get rid of an unwanted passenger.
~*~*~
"OW HEY!!! What the heck are you doing? OY! Not my face!" Miki yelped, even as she danced away from Aya, who had drawn her gunblade on Miki and was whacking the pirate with the flat side of the blade. Aya was fuming as she sheathed her weapon again.
"That was for coming on to me in front of all those people, you little devil! Keep your hands to yourself next time!" Aya brushed herself off, as if disgusted by the fact that Miki had touched her earlier. Miki feigned hurt.
"But I helped you get rid of that annoying guy! You should be grateful!" Aya snorted.
"That was useful, but unnecessary! And don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, you little lecher!"
"I'm not a little anything! And I think I'm older than you!"
"So? You act like a brat!"
"That's not---"
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!!!" Yuko roared, coming squarely in between the quarreling pair with broadsword drawn. Both Aya and Miki backed away a few steps instinctively, as did everyone else. One did not mess with someone who was waving around a big sword like that.
"Fujimoto, if you want to flirt with your girlfriend, do it behind closed doors!" Miki smirked, while Aya grew red with anger. "I'm not her girlfriend, and we're not flirting!"
"Not my problem." Yuko waved it off, then raised her sword in the air to call for attention. "Ok get up people, get to work! No slacking off!" She turned to squint at Aya and Miki, appearing to think about something for a moment. "Oy Fujimoto, if you two are going to keep this up, take it below. Don't distract everyone else."
"Aye captain!" Miki mock saluted, before sliding over next to Aya to whisper. "So, wanna play with me some more?"
"Argh." Aya pushed her palm into Miki's face, forcing the other girl away. "Leave me alone."
Miki bounced back easily. "You know you like me." Aya rolled her eyes. "I do not."
"What did I say about flirting?" Yuko called back from where she was at the helm. Aya muttered several choice swear words under her breath, stalking away from Miki and moving towards Maki and Nacchi, who appeared to be extremely amused as they watched the little scene.
"Poor you." Maki sympathised as Aya got close, still trying to fend Miki off. Yossi then very kindly "escorted" Miki away (aka haul her off) so that the three ex-navy girls could have a quiet moment together.
"Really, if you two had to come after me, couldn't you have found some less annoying people to work with?" Aya asked, exasperated. Maki coughed.
"Well, we didn't really have much choice there. We didn't know anyone else in that port." She explained, and Aya sighed, before asking.
"So, what did uncle Elio talk to you two about?" Maki and Nacchi eyed each other shiftily for a moment, before the older woman stepped in to reply.
"Well, he told us to lay low for a while before we went back." Aya frowned.
"But I need to go back to check on my family...and I sure as hell don't want to stay on board this ship with
her around..."
"It's safer for you if you stay out at sea for now." Natsumi coaxed gently. "Also, you still haven't recovered have you?" The motherly little woman tutted as she gave the pale and worn-looking Aya a once over. "How's the shoulder?"
"Painful." Aya admitted, although she showed no other outward signs of her injury. She worked the injured shoulder around a little, wincing just a bit. "I think I reopened it after whacking that annoying girl earlier..." Her confession had barely left her lips when Nacchi was by her side, rolling the sleeve up and pushing it as far back as possible to reveal the crude bandage on the wound, which was already soaked red again.
"We'll have to fix this I guess. Let's go find that doctor." Natsumi looked at Mari, who was passing by. "Excuse me, do you know where Kei-san is?"
"Should be down in the bunks looking after Reina." The small pirate replied after a moment's thought. Nacchi thanked her and then motioned to Maki to help support Aya on the other side.
"I can walk on my own." Aya protested, even as her two friends pretty much shuffled her off. Maki rolled her eyes. "Not with us around, you won't."
"That's right." Nacchi agreed. Aya pouted.
"But I only hurt my shoulder, not my legs!"
"LIke we care." The two replied in unison, before Maki practically carried the smaller Aya on her back down the ladder, Nacchi following down not long after.
~*~*~
Eri was huddled in an old blanket, practically tenting herself in it, leaving none of her body parts exposed except for her eyes peering out. The gentle rocking of the ship was peaceful and almost comforting, even as the turtle girl stared quietly and unblinkingly at the still comatose Reina on the bunk.
Kei was seated on the edge of the side of the bunk bed, keeping an eye on Reina's injuries. Actually, she was just changing some of the bandages. Fortunately, Eri hadn't broken any of Reina's bones, otherwise that would have been a bitch to fix. The bruised rib would heal in a couple of weeks or so, and the external wounds weren't all that bad either. But Reina was still in a bad shape overall.
Eri felt a little guilty about that. She always did feel bad when her berserker self decided to show up and wreck things. That was why she usually chose to stay out of stressful situations, and why she had never mentioned her more violent side to most people. She didn't want other people to be afraid of her after all.
Even if harpoon girl had been annoying and scary, she didn't deserve injuries on these scale. Eri sighed softly as she continued watching Reina lie there on the bed, even as Kei moved over to her cautiously.
"How are your bruises?" The doctor was quite wary of her, and didn't get too close either. Eri blinked up.
"Um, I'm fine. Just sore." Eri murmured quietly. Kei nodded, shuffling quietly away. Natsumi had warned the rest of the pirates what not to do around Eri, and advised them on how not to set the girl off into another frenzy. Even the twins took heed, since they were none too thrilled about trying to pick on Eri after seeing the state Reina was in after the beating she received from a berserk Eri. No one was that suicidal really.
Familiar voices interrupted the turtle girl's reverie, and through the dim light filtering through the port holes, she saw the three officers of her previous ship. She had known that Maki and Natsumi were on the ship already, but Aya's presence was a surprise to her. Blending effectively into the shadows in the corner by Reina's bunk, Eri peered out curiously even as the trio asked Kei for help with treating the apparently inflamed wound on Aya's shoulder.
Kei clucked her tongue disapprovingly as she made Aya sit down on one of the empty bunks, checking the injury.
"It wasn't so bad the last time I saw it. What did you do to it?"
Aya sighed. "How about fighting my way out of captivity, jumping into a stormy sea and nearly drowning?"
"Oh." Kei sounded completely unsurprised. "Take your shirt off. I'll need to get that old bandage off and clean the wound again." Her tone was brisk and all business, barely even lifted her head when she suddenly barked out. "And Fujimoto, quit peeping from up there."
Every eye in the room (except for Kei and Reina) shot up to the opening leading to the top deck, where Miki was sticking her head through to stare quite blatantly at the about-to-undress Aya. Maki stormed over and was about to sock a grinning Miki in the face, when someone else pulled Miki out of harm's way.
"Sorry, I'll try to keep an eye on her!" Yossi's voice floated down, and there were some noises of a struggle as Yossi dragged a protesting Miki away.
"I'll go up there and
keep an eye on that little devil." Maki muttered, before scrambling up the ladder in pursuit. Nacchi sighed. Maki obviously had more than just "keeping an eye" on Miki in mind. She wondered who would win the subsequent scuffle in that case.
"If those idiots get hurt brawling over nothing, I'm not going to treat their wounds." Kei muttered darkly even as she swabbed Aya's wound clean. Aya, for her part, didn't make a sound, although her face was going through a variety of interesting expressions, contorting whenever Kei pressed too hard.
"Maybe you should go stop her before anything too serious happens Nacchi...ow." Nacchi nodded distractedly and sped off upwards. Aya sighed and winced again when Kei firmly applied a new bandage to the cleaned wound. Her eyes wandered over to the bed on the far side of the area, where Reina was lying on.
"What happened to her?" Aya asked curiously. Kei tightened the bandage at that point, and Aya grunted painfully.
"Got mauled by a crazy berserker. Someone you should know actually." Kei explained as Aya tentatively patted her redressed wound before struggling back into her shirt.
"Oh?" The word "berserker" rang a few bells, and Aya tried to recall where she heard it before. "Oh! Kamei?" The personnel files had noted that little trait down on the side, and she remembered reading about it before with a certain amount of interest. Meeting and training with Eri hadn't really justified the whole berserker image though, since Eri was quiet and unassuming on the outside. She had since gathered that it took a lot of aggravation before the placid girl would snap. Whatever that injured girl must have done must certainly have pushed Kamei over the edge somehow.
Aya looked forward to getting details on that. Maybe it was a character failing of hers, but she viewed the potential for such raw violence as a useful weapon when correctly utilised. If it could be turned against an enemy, well, the advantages were obvious. It was part of the reason why she had accepted Eri into her crew in the first place.
"I hope that girl gets better soon." Aya said sincerely as she smoothed down her clothes. "And thank you very much." Kei waved off the thanks easily, firing off instructions to the younger girl.
"Don't overwork that shoulder, and please try not to let Fujimoto get to you. You need more rest to get better first."
Aya sighed. "Believe me, if I could avoid that girl, I would. Isn't there a way to keep her off me anyway?"
Kei pondered that seriously, before answering with a straight face. "Not that I know of. You're on your own I'm afraid. But I'll tell her to ease off on you for a while, maybe that will help." She didn't sound too convinced about the effiacy of that method either, but the concern was there. Aya smiled wearily back.
"I'll appreciate it, thank you." Kei nodded before going back to check on Reina.
Aya puffed out a breath and braced herself before heading upwards.
It was not going to be an easy time avoiding one Fujimoto Miki.
~*~*~
"You lost sight of her? Just how inept are you?" A deceptively calm male voice said. There was no overt anger in his tone, but the threat of retribution in his voice was still evident underneath the civility. This was the voice of a snake, a dangerous creature indeed. The guards, all tall and beefy, quaked in their boots at the unspoken snarl in those words.
"Sir, we are very sorry, we will track her down immediately." The leader stammered bravely. The man levelled a contemptuous gaze at them.
"Forget it, if I'm to depend on you incompetent fools to find my niece, she would have come of age before you find her. Now get out of my sight."
The men, grateful that they were not being punished any further, quickly scrambled out of the room. The man behind the desk sighed, rubbing at his temples.
"My lord, I'll take my squad out to find the young lady, do not fear." A voice echoed from the shadows off to one side, sounding perfectly subservient and crisply militaristic. The man nodded in approval.
"It is as well that I have such elites at my disposal. Unfortunate that your break is cut short, Captain."
"It is nothing, my lord. Our lives are yours to command." Again, letter perfect and dripping obedience. The man looked pleased by the subservience.
"Glad to hear it Captain. Now find her. She must not be harmed."
"I understand perfectly, my lord." There was a brief shift amidst the shadows near the side of the room, and a curtain twitched briefly. Whoever had been there was gone by now. The man smiled coldly.
Always useful to have a shadow squad at your beck and call.
=======================================================
Hmm, slightly filler-ish chapter. Sorry it took so long.
Miki: Oh I wouldn't know, I'm quite happy with it.
Me: Of course you are, you get to harass Aya.
Aya: Why me?
Miki: But don't you love me Aya-chan? -puppy eyed-
AyaL ...not in this fic yet Tan...
Miki: -pout- Damn. Estrea, hurry up and put us together already!
Me: -twiddles thumbs- I'll see what I can do.
Anyway, more hilarity in next chapter probably, with occasional moments of seriousness.
This started out as a comedy, remember? I won't forget to bring laughter.
Topic: All Aboard! [Chapter 26! --sorry for the wait] (Read 99786 times)