All Aboard! [Chapter 26! --sorry for the wait]

[Estrea]

Augh, I'm so sorry I took so long. I got distracted by several things (like Miki's scandal, and N3 like Yuu so nicely mentioned >_>). I hope you guys won't abandon me for taking so long! >_<

So, comment reply time. And yes, that still stands for new chapter time!

Yuu: I love to hate you because you're my own personal slave driver. But without you I wouldn't have gotten chapter 26 done at all. And nice splash image.

ebc: I broke the forum limit! And I'm going to do it again. Muahahaha.

rndmn: Sorry I vanished for so long. Ultra super long chapter ahead for your enjoyment. And more plot development. Less fillerish.

Slack: Deleted scene is in Perv. I gather you already know about it by now.

JFC: Glad I have so many moments for you to comment on. Glad you had fun here, prepare for some major angst next chapter though.

Sakura: I love Motteke Sailor Fuku!!! Such an insane song. And don't worry, filler-dom comes to a close here. Plot development abounds as it lurches forward.

Ren: Yep, all's fun. Reina Reina Reina, so silly.

Amarghetta: I aim to please. Or make people die of laughter. Either way works.

orangesocks: I love the turtles too. Thanks for reading my overly longwinded chapters.

Sancho: Awesome drawings you have there! They look really good. <3 No, I don't have a problem with the outfits, they're perfectly fine. Do draw more if you have time. <3 And thanks for doing it too!

slave: I swear I'll make you cry here. Muahahaha. -evil grin-

len.chan: Glad I could be of service. Laughter is good for the soul.

OTN1: OMG you read this too??? XDDDDD Your comments make me a very happy Essy. <3 Though I think you're laying it on a little thick about my writing skills. I still think I'm too clumsy with my character portrayal and all that. You're a good writer too, don't downplay yourself so much. I still think you're better than me in certain respects haha. I don't need a big head right now. Would love to hear more from you in the future! <3 And thank you for the glowing praise.

C60533: MASS OF TEXT! -brain blanks out- And yes, I'm God of this story. BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME! And I think I just beat my last chapter's record...XDDDD

Blizzard: Yes, Maki and Miki are so similar here. It'll be lots of fun to see how they interact in the future too. And the action will be coming soon. Still developing and letting it brew.

lil_hamz: Lol its ok not to read on time, at least you still read about it eventually. Erika appears officially in this chapter. And yeah, all hail Ishiyoshi love. Their time in the spotlight will come.

iacus: Yeah I broke the forum. And I'm about to do it again. >D Fun fun fun. I hope I don't disappoint.

Saikami: You think this is long? Wait until 26. And yeah, Sexy Island <3333 More on that later.


AHHHHH that's it. Tired. So tired. I still need to edit 26 before posting.
15,001 words. <3 I'm insane.

Oh Yuu~~

[Yuuyami]

<33333333

-flutters in wedge-

You go girl! <3

[Estrea]

Chapter 26


Ishimura Maiha was bored. And restless. And irritable. And did I mention really really bored?

Every single day was the same. Spy on enemy movements, ambush a few scouts and patrols, sneak around and sabotage as much as possible. Ok, the last was sort of interesting at times. Sabotage work was a lot like pranking, except on a military basis. Maiha was good at pranking. It came with the job description...and the fact that she grew up trying to prank people who were training to be professional sneaks and saboteurs. If you can sabotage trained professionals, you can sabotage just about everyone else.

The main source of her irritation was how pointless it all felt. So what if she could do her job to perfection? It didn't win a war. It didn't end the fighting. To tell the truth, Maiha was sick of fighting. Sick of crawling around in miserable weather ambushing even more miserable people who appeared incapable of learning from experience. To this day, months after she had been first sent to this godforsaken battlefield, and they still hadn't learnt to look upwards for traps.

Maiha might have been trained to follow orders and to do her job, but doing the same thing over and over with seemingly no end nor any greater purpose in sight was beginning to wear on her. What was the point of killing all these people if it didn't lead to victory? Maiha was not fond of stalemates. Especially not in some arctic forest where summer was about 3 weeks long and only about 2 degrees warmer than winter (which was pretty much the rest of the year, figuratively speaking).

And now here she was, crouching in the bushes and watching the camp of the enemy, a mismatched collection of tents with a barely visible defensive perimeter. Amateurs, the whole lot of them, she thought scornfully. The only reason the conflict had drawn out for so long was probably because their own troops were probably just as incompetent. They weren't suited for a running battle. The nomadic tribesmen they faced might not be as well armed or as organised, but their style of mobile guerrilla warfare inflicted a sort of continual hemorrhage on the Imperial forces across the whole northern plains.

The central nucleus of the battle was here though, Maiha mused. In so far as she knew, the clan chief in command of the nomad coalition was somewhere around the region she was posted to, which was why she was here in the first place. Bumping off the leader was always a good way to cause chaos, and Maiha lived to disrupt things. Maasa used to call her a walking disruption. Against her will, she sighed out loud, her breath puffing into a little white cloud in front of her face.

She missed her friends, her teammates, her family. That was the real reason why she couldn't wait to get out of here. Life was a lot more fun with them. As flattering as the opportunity to work solo on the field was, she would rather hang out with her team and playfully reenact group rivalries with the other squad. It was all in good fun, and it gave them a break from the harsh reality of their lives. It didn't change their circumstances, but it made them a little more bearable.

But there wasn't much point in complaining about a situation she couldn't change, could she? Maiha squared her shoulders and pulled her fur hood more securely over her head, her eyes intent. A man had ridden in almost frantically earlier, and judging by the way he was behaving, it had to be an important message of some kind. He had entered the chief's tent only a few moments ago, and Maiha was terribly interested in what was being said in there. Part of her job description after all...nothing to do with the fact that she was a nosy parker. Nope, not at all.

It was almost laughably easy to sneak past the guards. It was almost dark anyway, with lots of shadows for her to blend into. Maiha didn't hide in the shadows, she was practically part of it. Easing around the guards patrolling the camp, she finally made it near the back of the large tent where the messenger had entered. Drawing a small blade from her boot, she carefully made a tiny slit in the tent canvas, allowing her a peephole and a listening post into the tent.

She wasn't disappointed. A group of fierce-looking warriors were sitting in a loose semi circle, holding some kind of council of war. Looking furtively around to make sure she wasn't in danger of being spotted, Maiha crouched close and kept an eye on the events unfolding in the tent, ignoring the slight twinge in her extremities as she did. The muscle aches were normal, she had been expecting it for a day or two now. The more debilitating effects wouldn't show up until a week, or maybe 5 days. It didn't make those 5 days any more comfortable though.

But enough of her niggling physical problems, she had to deal with not getting caught spying right now.

"The council advises you to pull our main force back and to cease the raiding attacks on the Imperial camps, Chief Miyoshi." The messenger, a lean man with a heavily scarred face delivered his message with a flat voice, his tone neutral, though just a trifle displeased. The chief he was addressing sat cross legged on a layer of furs, his large frame taut and athletic despite being of middle years, and he looked very fit and alert indeed. A large scimitar lay within easy reach of his right hand, and his cloak was draped over one shoulder as he stared in disbelief at the messenger.

"What do you mean, pull back? What are they up to now? We were doing just fine holding out against the Imperial forces!" Chief Miyoshi fumed, one hand tightening around the worn hilt of his well-used weapon. The messenger shifted nervously, looking apologetic as he replied.

"I am sorry, my chief. It is the will of the council. I do not like running away either." The messenger paused, almost hesitantly, even as his pose grew more awkward. From where Maiha was watching, it wasn't obvious, but she could sense it nevertheless. Clearly, that wasn't the only unpleasant news the man would be bringing. Well, the first piece of news had cheered her up considerably. Any news of a withdrawal had to mean that the other side was either weakening and willing to sue for peace, or regathering their forces for a final assault. Either way it meant that the protracted conflict would cease sooner than she had originally expected. Then she could return to the others and not be stuck out here for god knows how long.

"What is it?" The chief snapped irritably, having also noticed the messenger's suspicious behaviour. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of the messenger's face. Maiha waited eagerly. Bad news on the enemy end usually meant good news for them.

"Well my chief, I do not think I am authorised to tell you this, but the elders did not specifically forbid me to, and I believe you should know about this." The man, a true warrior of the nomadic clans, did not stutter or even stammer as he said this, even though he was clearly made uncertain by the news he was bringing. The chief narrowed his eyes, the muscles around his shoulders and upper arms tensing slightly before being forcibly relaxed as he made a short reply.

"Speak your mind then." The messenger took in a calming breath before dropping the bomb.

"The council sent a representative to present our people's case in this matter, in hopes of working out a possible compromise for the tax levies as well our autonomy rights." The man spoke quickly, and the chief nodded in response. Maiha mentally cheered at the news. It was about time someone made concessions and led the way to the negotiating table anyway, Maiha mused. She was getting sick of extended wars.

"And what is the problem?" The chief asked astutely. Clearly, the discomfort of the messenger was not lost on him. There was no need to be uncomfortable over such a piece of information. There had to be something else. The messenger shifted uncomfortably as he responded.

"The representative that was sent had to be of a suitable rank to convince the Imperials of the sincerity of our offer, and I must advise you that your daughter was the chosen one." The messenger eyed the suddenly motionless clan chief in front of him warily. The silence was almost ominous. Maiha resisted the urge to cackle madly at the expressions on their faces. Oh, the drama....

"You mean to tell me...Erika was sent right to the Imperials? My daughter?" The voice that came was cold and emotionless, cutting like steel itself.

"Yea, my chief."

The reply that came was lost on Maiha, whose attention had already wavered after gleaning the information she had sought. Besides, she wasn't interested in listening to a variety of creative swear words in the old tongue that the old Highland clans still spoke amongst themselves. She had picked up a lot of those while hanging around ambushing these people in the past year. Funny how one tended to learn the insults first in a new language when picking it up secondhand.

A group of those fierce warriors walked right past the tent, and Maiha flattened herself back into the shadows, blending in smoothly and concealing her presence the way she was taught to back during her training. The footsteps were trailing off into the darkened distance, and she was about to emerge and start sneaking back out to relative safety when a sudden spasm rocked her body, making her drop from a crouch to one knee, her arms instinctively wrapping around herself as the shiver passed.

Ok, so maybe she miscalculated the time she could spend safely away from base. When it came right down to it, Maiha preferred to work free from supervision, although she didn't mind so much if Captain was the one supervising her. However, the same could not be said of those handlers that took charge of them. Maiha would avoid seeing them as much as possible, something that wasn't too difficult to do given the nature of her mission. She could spend weeks on end without interacting with any living human if she chose to, discounting those poor unfortunates she killed in the course of duty, although frankly speaking they didn't remain alive for long enough to interact with anyway. The reports she had to send in could be dropped off undetectably enough, part of her job description. Staying hidden was pretty much what her whole life was based on now.

However, those bastards at the top were clearly suspicious prats. Maiha gritted her teeth as she willed the dull ache in her muscles away, as well as ignoring the humming sound in her ears. Logically speaking though, she couldn't blame them for doing what they did. It simply wasn't strategically sound to train a whole bunch of kids into highly effective spies and assassins and not have some kind of hold over them, in case they ever tried to make a break for it, or were tempted to turn on their superiors. Given how harsh the training regimes were, as well as the brutality of some of the trainers, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume that some of them might run away, or even revolt. And the skills they were all equipped with also gave them an absolute advantage should they ever decide to disappear into the general population, or to kill their trainers if it ever came to that.

Those at the top must have come to that same conclusion, so they took steps. In addition to all the propaganda trash they drilled into their young recruits, the elites that had graduated from boot camp, such as Maiha and her squad, as well as Yajima's team, were forced to make a final display of their "loyalty" to the Empire.

That pill. That damnable pill. Maiha would have spat on the ground then, but was afraid of giving her position in the enemy camp away, so she settled for grinding her teeth together some more. There had been no way to avoid taking it, since they would kill you on the spot if you didn't take it. Maiha didn't think her life was worth very much, but she treasured it dearly, since she only had one of it, and she wasn't really interested in dying early, never mind that her life as of now was still crap anyway. The others must have had similar thoughts, since she knew that their whole squad had taken that same pill, Captain being the first to step forward and gulping it down without fuss.

If only that pill had been a more ordinary, slow-acting poison. That would have been preferable. At least, Maiha mused, with Risako's skill in pharmacology during their training, they might have been able to decoct an antidote for it eventually, thus releasing them from this enforced servitude. But clearly, the trainers were aware of that possibility as well, so they developed something entirely different and far, far more exotic instead.

It was a clever little poison, really. It remained dormant for a certain period of time, around 3 months maximum, before it started reacting. Of course, if it were just poison, the worse it could do was just kill you when it activated, and your pain would be over after awhile. Death itself was not painful. It was just frighteningly unknown.

No, it was not just the poison, Maiha reflected bitterly. The pill they consumed came with a parasite as well. A parasite that lay hidden somewhere inside their bodies, kept dormant by the herbal mix in the outer layer of the pill. When the effects of the herbs started breaking down, the first effects would be those telltale muscle aches. The parasite wouldn't be awake yet, naturally, since it took awhile before it actually stirred. Which was a good thing, since it gave them time to report back to their handlers and request the antidote that would reinforce the parasite's slumber until the next cycle.

Maiha wasn't exactly thrilled about having a foreign entity reside in her body. Even less thrilled when she remembered the first victim she had witnessed. The handlers had deliberately given the pill to a convict some time prior, and then hauled him out for display after the time limit had passed and the parasite had just awoken in his body.

It had not been a pretty sight. The poor man, criminal or not, had clearly been in agony. Even though they were well used to pain and death, seeing the convict twist and contort and shriek while clawing wildly at himself still made them uncomfortable. That wasn't the end of course. The man had then gradually ceased his struggles, and his screaming lessened in volume, though not in energy, since his mouth was still open and screeching, but no sound came out. The herbalist that had developed the poison had gleefully explained that the man's nerve endings had been paralysed to some degree, rendering him unable to move, and his vocal cords were not working properly either. However, that did not lessen the pain the man was evidently experiencing, if the agonised look in the still wide open eyes was any indication.

The paralysed "example" had been hauled away just about then, and the herbalist took over to describe the eventual effects. The parasite would start eating away at the inside of the body, causing unimaginable torment to the victim, who could not even move to kill themselves since they were paralysed. Depending on where the parasite started, it could take anywhere from as short as a week or even as long as months before the victim died, suffering the whole time.

The utter terror that coursed through the blood of those girls then was completely understandable. The smugly self-satisfied grin of that herbalist had made Maiha pissed off enough to want to sock him in the face, but the gruesome reminder of the fate that awaited her if she did so halted her strike. Maasa, who had been next to her then, had also repressed similar urges, judging from her body language. Most of the rest also kept their expressions strictly neutral, clearly afraid of reprisals should they protest or voice any objections, but Maiha had practically grown up with them and knew how to read their unspoken cues. The tense worry and even raw fear spoke to her hidden senses as clear as day, and she was sure her own misgivings and terror were picked up on by them as well.

Only Captain had remained inscrutable and unreadable to the last, the blank mask they were all trained to put on firmly in place, impenetrable even to her close friends. It was still chilling to think about it, since Captain very rarely regressed to that state. The one she had done that, well, Maiha didn't want to relive it again. Needless to say, it was not the best place to be, even in the darkened hallway of her memories. Maiha had seen much evil, and committed even more herself, but she never ever wanted to remember the time when Captain...had not been herself.

The last vestiges of the spasm had mostly faded by now, and Maiha was certain that it wouldn't strike again until some time later, but it was still imperative that she left this place immediately and went to report. Given what she found out this evening, it shouldn't be too much trouble requesting the antidote from her sometimes peckish handler. She had been cutting it a little close, leaving it until a month before the absolute 3-month deadline, which was risky since the real time that the parasite activated could be a couple of weeks earlier than that. The spasms and aches were merely warning signs. When they came with increasing frequency, well, it was basically a large sign saying "get the antidote NOW". Maiha was extremely soliticious of her own skin, and despite her distaste for authority, she would humble herself (grovel too, if necessary) and get that damn antidote before the deadline was over. Dying that way was simply not on her approved list, if there can be any approved way of dying, that is.

Glancing furtively around once more, Maiha inched her way along, her light boots making barely a sound on the soft, damp dirt. Her feet felt cold, even with the fur-lined interior she added before winter fully set in. There hadn't been much snow as yet, just little flakes here and there that mostly melted before they even hit the ground. It rained a lot though. Maiha didn't like being rained on, but she reluctantly concluded that rain made it easier to sneak since visibility was cut down (or conversely harder, since reduced visibility works both ways).

Calmly, she worked her way past the somewhat negligent guards (really, if she weren't supposed to be concealing herself, she would go over and berate them for doing a crap job) and melded easily into the bush, taking cover until she could ease back into the forest and report back to camp. The dull feeling at the back of her head was a constant threat to her senses, persistently reminding her of her condition. As if she needed any reminding.

The moisture hung heavy in the air even as she moved deeper into the shadows amidst the trees. It looked to be another rainy night. Maiha sighed inwardly, but persevered. If her report went down well, it might spark a temporary truce...enough for her to get out of the rain a bit more at least. Or maybe this stupid conflict would end, and she could get back to civilisation and finally get warm again.

One could only hope. After all, it was the least she could do. In the absence of hope, there was only despair. She didn't need that. She saw it on a regular basis as it is already. If she started believing in how miserable her life was, she might as well go commit suicide on the nearest tree now. All those low-hanging branches finally serving more than their usual purpose of smacking tall people (Yurina and Maasa immediately popping to mind) in the faces. Alternatively she could stab herself with her kunai....but why was she debating possible suicide methods at this moment? Mentally slapping herself for digressing to unsavory topics, Maiha focused back on the task at hand.

Little things like staying alive was always so important, especially in a warzone. Maiha wanted to go home, preferably in one piece and still breathing. She didn't think Captain and the rest would be particularly thrilled by news of her death one way or another, never mind that Miyabi would probably just point and laugh, mostly due to her ongoing tug-of-war with the older Ebiru over a cutely clueless Risako. Though Maiha had her doubts about just how clueless Risako was. She had a sneaking feeling that it was all just an act, a convincing one though. Shrugging imperceptibly to herself, Maiha moved on.

Life was tough for a solo assassin on the prowl.

~*~*~

Rain. It beat down on weathered cobblestones, staining them a darker shade in the light of the sputtering torches. The streets were mostly empty, it being late in the evening and the bad weather conspiring to keep most people indoors and generally out of mischief.

It was a miserable night for anyone out in this weather. Here and there some individual would scurry quickly to their respective destinations, anxious to flee the unrelenting assault of the pelting rain. Doors and windows were closed and shuttered tight, and many exposed torches flared out, drowned by the downpour. Those few that were sheltered emitted only a faint circle of light in a limited radius from themselves, barely adequate illumination. It was just as well, since anyone who wanted to travel at this time would, and should be carrying their own lamps to light the way.

One person failed to do so. Of course, that person was militantly indifferent to such little things as darkness, rain, and basically zero visibility at the moment. Something far more pressing was commanding her attention, specifically the grumbling of her stomach. It was amazing what one could ignore when wholly focused on a single fact.

What was I thinking, coming to the city on my own? A small, gloved hand barely grasped the reins of her horse, basically letting the animal lead itself, while the rider herself was hunched over in her saddle, her free hand gripping her abdomen, ignoring the fact that the rain had thoroughly soaked her form. Cold and wet was nothing new, she was used to them on the plains, since it was not uncommon to ride out into a storm, especially when you needed to guide the horse herds back to safety. A nomadic lifestyle on the grasslands and wintering in the extensive forests pretty much made her mostly indifferent to the elements. You just get used to being rained on after awhile.

Hunger however, was definitely a problem. The rider muttered more curses in the old tongue, cursing her own gullibility. The first few days in this strange new city was an eyeopener for her. She had never actually been to any kind of town or city before, being born and raised in the wilds, as any self-respecting Highlander was. Her ancestors were nomads, and the grasslands was home. Though many of the aristocratic families and even the royal family themselves shared a common bloodline with them, most of the old clans did not view them as true children of the Highlands anymore, since they had forsaken the old ways to pursue the new, settled life of the southern peoples.

As it was, that made her uniquely unaware of the strange customs that city people held. She had been briefed by some of the elders before she left of course, but it still left her wholly unprepared for what exactly she would encounter in the city. The clansmen back home were all straightforward, honest people. They rarely lied to each other, and basically just told other people exactly what they thought of them, even if the clashes of opinion sometimes led to fights. In any case, everything they did was open and above board. It was a simple and uncluttered existence, one which left her, as daughter of a clan chief, badly unprepared for the guile of city folk.

She had been robbed only a few days after her arrival, though swindled was probably the more appropriate term. That was the least of her problems though. Money wasn't really that important to her. Back in the clan, the one thing they valued above all else, except for family and friendship and clan loyalty, were their horses. Barter was common, with horses and cattle being the primary commodities. Gold and silver were not uncommon, but they only used it for trade with outsiders, not within themselves.

It helped that her own clan guarded one of the routes up into the mountains where they were deposits of gold and silver. The Kova Range, a series of mountains spanning across most of the top half of the continent, held many ore deposits that the city people valued. She had no illusions about just why the Imperials were so insistent on fighting. Greed was not a virtue in her sight, and she would gladly give up the deposits to them if it ended the fighting. However, the specific section of mountains that the clans as a whole had laid claim to was sacred ground for their people, and they could not allow miners to invade that area recklessly and profane the place. Since the deposits could not be moved, they would sooner defend that region to the death than allow greed to taint that holy ground.

The main problem was that she simply could not gain an audience with the relevant authorities. She had simply assumed before that her status would be able to grant her entry into the palace, or even the administrative buildings of the bureaucratic offices if nothing else, but it appeared that no one took her seriously as a diplomat and representative of her people. Actually, doors were closed on her for one very simple fact: money. Bribery was standard procedure for quick resolutions to most problems, and just about every person she tried had hinted at the fact that a certain gratuity was expected (some abandoned hinting and just outright demanded money). When she had confessed that she had no money left, the smiles turned to frowns, and she was "put on the waiting list" just like everyone else (or just immediately shown the door in certain cases).

In one case, and one only, had one of the clerks, after leering at her the whole time (she had removed her heavy riding cloak, and was dressed in the close-fitting leather clothing of her people), slyly suggested that she could gain immediate access to the relevant people...if she spent a night with him. No sooner had those words left his mouth, his teeth also followed close after, her fist knocking out most of them with a heavy blow using the butt of her scimitar. The man was lucky to have escaped with just that, since she would have killed him under other circumstances. Fortunately for him, the guards nearby rushed to stop her, and then "escorted" her out (read: thrown her out). She didn't go back there again. If all the others were anything like that man, she could get no closer to speaking with someone in authority.

And so she was stumped. She was penniless, alone in a strange city, with no way of fulfilling the mission she had, at least not that she knew of. At her wit's end, she had briefly contemplated returning home, but just as immediately cast the thought aside. She could not return, not like this. The clans needed her to help resolve the conflict peacefully. Previous representatives who had been sent to speak with the Imperial commander on the battlefield back on the grasslands had not returned, at least not alive. The Imperial general simply refused to negotiate, or was too suspicious to, so the elders had decided to go straight to the source instead. If she could persuade the administration to abandon fighting and return to the negotiation table, there was a chance of a compromise being reached, and that Imperial commander, like it or not, would have to withdraw if a direct order came from the capital city.

It was their only hope. So she couldn't return in failure. What would her father think? Inwardly, she cringed at the thought of her father finding out about her task. Clan Chief Miyoshi, named War Chief of the Highlands for this war, was extremely protective of his precious daughter Erika, since she was the only girl among his children. She hoped he wouldn't literally slaughter his way in a straight line towards the capital along with her brothers, who were probably just as overprotective of her as their patriarch. Erika had demonstrated time and again that she was almost their equal in not only horsemanship, and also in battle as well, but they simply refused to let her do anything for herself. Their concern was all very sweet and touching, but it was bloody hindering awkward at times.

The rain continued pounding down in an almost solid curtain of water, blinding her even more than the darkness did. Her stomach churned rebelliously, protesting the emptiness. Having no money meant that she had had to go without food for a couple of days, and she was already feeble and exhausted. This heavy rain wasn't helping either. She didn't have much else of value with her, except for her weapon, her amulet, and her horse, all of which were simply not tradable in her opinion. She would rather starve than sell any of those. Her horse especially, since she had practically raised it and broken it in for riding on her own. Wirbelwind was her most prized steed, and more than that, she was her friend and partner. Erika trusted her horse more than the people around her in this city. At least Wirbelwind was loyal, and would never let any harm come to her if she could help it. She couldn't count on the same from these two-faced city folk.

The night was cold. The sound of the rain drowned out all else, save for that aching feeling in her stomach. Her consciousness blurred, her body swaying unsteadily in her saddle. Wirbelwind turned its head back to peer at its mistress, but she could barely see him, the dark grey of his coat blending perfectly into the darkness. More than that though, her vision simply wasn't in focus anymore, even if there were anything to focus on in the gloom in the first place.

The thud she made when her body made painful contact with the cobblestones was loud, but barely a whisper over the drumming of the rain. Startled, Wirbelwind immediately leaned down to nudge at the prone form of her master lying motionless in the rain, the warhorse actually seeming rather worried, or as worried as an animal could get. A low whinny came from the poor horse, who stood loyally over his fallen mistress, determined to shield her from the rain, as well as from any possible threat.

Erika tried to get up. She really did. But her body simply could not summon any energy to move even a muscle, and it was a chore to even remain awake at all. She tried to make a sound to assure her poor horse that she was alive, but it was all drowned out by the rain.

So cold...so tired...hungry...sleep... Her exhausted mind was shutting down slowly, even as her rational sense screamed at her to stay awake, or else the cold sickness would take her, and she would never wake again. The rain had started to turn to sleet at the evening wore on into night proper, so there weren't any people out to notice her state and help her, assuming they were willing to help. She fought to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle.

Even as her vision faded out gradually, she thought that depressingly, the last thing would ever see was the solid blackness of night in an unfamiliar city. Why couldn't she die on the tundra like a Highlander anyway? That was her final thought, before she slipped into the darkness of slumber, missing the wink of light heading in her direction.

The lantern stopped a few feet from the unconscious girl, the warhorse glaring suspiciously at the stranger to ascertain if there was a threat. After a few moments, Wirbelwind backed off a little, allowing the figure to attend to her fallen mistress, but not before tugging at the stranger's sleeve, as if saying "help her!". The stranger sighed after examining the fallen girl.

"I guess I can't just leave you out here..."

~*~*~

"Busy place," Ayumi observed from her vantage spot by the entrance. Megumi, who was lounged comfortably next to her, peered out from behind the curtains hiding them.

They were camped outside the capital city, on an open meadow where tents were pitched all over, the wagons neatly parked according to village of origin. It was an impromptu market fair, in a sense. Merchants dealing in foodstuffs came to negotiate better deals with each caravan, while other merchants, sensing a business opportunity, set up places to hawk their wares to the country folk, making the whole area look like a fairground as a result.

Ayumi and Megumi were currently in the tent, concealing themselves and waiting for their comrades to return. Masae and Boss had gone out earlier, off to snoop around in the city for a bit, but mostly to get in touch with their contact in the capital. Out of necessity, those two had had to be disguised, and Megumi had enthusiastically volunteered to assist them in their makeover. The results were...interesting. Ayumi had serious doubts about the whole thing, since those two were....significantly altered. In a very obvious and attention-grabbing way. When she had voiced those doubts, Megumi simply smiled mysteriously and answered.

"Well, they look different don't they? Everyone will be too concerned about how weird--I mean different they look to figure out just who they really are." Megumi had looked satisfied at that answer, and Ayumi had to reluctantly agree. The disguises were so unlike what Masae and Boss usually were like that it was impossible to know that it was them at first sight. Besides, the parties involved didn't have much of a problem with the disguises, the only complaints coming from Masae, who protested loudly when Megumi cheerfully dyed the woman's hair dark black with some unidentified substance. Boss had some grouses too, mainly centering on the lack of opportunity to display her sexiness, causing the other three to roll their eyes in unison.

That said though, it was sort of boring to be left behind, but Masae was insistent that Megumi rest since the woman was still weak from her injury, and Ayumi was roped in to stay and keep an eye on her. Two people were less noticeable than four anyway, although judging by the way those two were disguised, two will probably be more than enough. In any case, Megumi and Ayumi were currently entertaining themselves by people-watching, partly out of necessity to keep a watchful eye out for possible danger, but mostly because they had nothing better to do.

"It almost looks like Market Street all over again." Megumi noted as her eyes swept across the wide meadow. They were set up near the edge of the green, closest to the walls of the city but furthest out as well. Most of the caravans were parked on the outer rim of the meadow, with the main bustle taking place on the side nearer the West Gate, where the city merchants had mostly gathered to advertise their goods. There were many people streaming in and out of those wide open gates, the ebb and flow of humanity surging like an inexorable tide.

Megumi squinted, adjusting her glasses as she did so, even as she observed that mass of people moving around. It was interesting to spot the diversity amidst the crowd. This was harvest season, and also a busy season for traders, it appeared. As this was the capital of the Empire, many foreign traders and merchants were present as well.

Here and there she noticed the flowing robes of the desert people from the Southern continent, their skin swarthy and eyes narrow, haggling with other people. Some were from the Eastern edges of the Empire, their silk clothing with elaborate embroidery adding a certain luster to the motley crowd milling in the area. There were also a sizable number of other foreigners in more "normal" wear, although Megumi could easily tell that they weren't natives from the slight differences in accent and dialect when they spoke, the voices carrying over on the wind. Probably from the Traxavex Archipelago, a strong nation in their own right, though their relations with the Empire often blew hot and cold depending on who was in power at the moment. They had some ridiculously chaotic system where the noble and merchant classes elected a leader to serve for a certain period of time, with a maximum number of years per person before they're barred from taking the position again. No stability at all, in her opinion.

"What are you thinking about?" Ayumi asked curiously, having noted that Megumi had drifted off into the land of thought for the past few minutes. The glasses woman blinked and snapped back to attention, releasing the tent flap and stretching lazily as she turned her gaze onto the younger woman.

"Nothing much. Just me feeling odd again..." Ayumi gave her a slightly suspicious look, although her voice was concerned when she asked

"Your wounds?" Megumi shook her head.

"No, something's bothering me, but I'm not sure what. I should be noticing something, but it escapes me at the moment. I'm sure it's important." The glasses woman tapped at her temple with a determined expression. "I'll figure it out somehow." Ayumi shrugged, interested but yet not really bothering to summon the energy to ask further. She figured that Megumi would tell her when she was good and ready. Instead, she turned her thoughts to their wandering team mates instead.

"I wonder how Boss and Masae are doing...?"

~*~*~

Boss and Masae were not having fun. At least, that's what they were telling each other on the surface with the constant muttered complaints about their disguises. Dig a little deeper though, they were actually probably rather entertained and amused by the roles their disguises forced them to play. Just a little, though.

People stared as they passed. Most of the stares were curious, even confused and maybe a little suspicious. Others looked intrigued. They looked odd. They stood out in an almost exaggerated fashion. But the one thing that was undeniable was that they were not to be recognised as Saito Hitomi and Ohtani Masae. Most people stared when they were in view, but returned to their work after they were gone, the quirky disguises making people dismiss them as much as it drew attention. Which was the whole point of course.

"I still don't get why I had to look like an old hag." Boss grumbled as she hobbled along, back hunched and face downturned, hidden mostly by the hood of her cloak. "If Muracchan had to dress me up as a witch, why can't I be a sexy temptress? Why an old, ugly hag with osteoporosis and a curved spine? Why?!"

"Megumi has a twisted sense of humor, and Shiba-chan is too willing an accomplice." Masae muttered, her smiling face looking just a little fake if you knew her. Ayumi had done a good job with the makeup, but the real attention grabber was the huge pink bow tied on the back of Masae's hair. The colored streamers and ribbons might have been a little overdoing it, but Masae deeply resented the frills they forced her into, just a little less than the fact that they ruined her hairdo. Megumi had assured her that the stuff would wash out, but Megumi had been wrong at times before. Close friend or not, she would murder that grinning glasses woman if her hair couldn't return to its normal state after this was over.

"I feel like a walking ribbon shop." Masae complained as they swept through the streets, although her outward mask of cheerful innocence remained. Boss snorted at that.

"Look at me! I look like the ugly old witch that eats newborn babies!" Boss affected a hacking, gurgling cough that fitted her character. Masae rolled her eyes.

"Don't you always?" Boss's cough turned into a choke. Her hissed reply made Masae suppress a laugh.

"I'm a man-eater, not a baby-eater!"

After that little exchange, they fell silent for a while even as they kept walking towards their destination, albeit in a very roundabout way. All the people in the street made it easier to blend in, given the large number of foreigners in the city as this time. Even if they were flamboyantly dressed, it wasn't quite that bad. Almost.

"Reckon Kon-chan would help us?" Masae commented randomly as they neared the large town house they were headed to.

Boss shrugged. "We can hope. Konkon likes a good mystery anyway, and we have one on our hands for her to solve."

"True." Masae paused as they peered out from the side street they were currently concealed in, looking at Konno's house...the entrance, anyway. The guarded entrance.

"How are we going to get in?" Boss was about to answer when Masae cut her off, recognising that familiar gleam in her leader's eyes.

"No Hito-chan, you can't seduce them into letting you through. Remember how you look now?"

Boss sighed. "Damn. There goes another idea down the drain." Masae coughed under her breath. "Not that it would have worked anyway."

"What was that?" Masae put on her best innocent look.

"Nothing!" She paused. "Think we could find a back way in?"

"Back doors are fun. It's bound to be locked though."

"Nothing a little lockpicking can't solve."

"And if it's latched?"

"We can always just break it down."

"I like how you think Masae."

And so off they went.

Subtlety was never a strong point between those two anyway.

~*~*~

Shimizu Saki sat on the sloping roof, the fingers of one hand tapping against the tiles. The wind gusted up suddenly, blowing her scarf into her face, and she reached up to unwrap and retie it back in place again, even as she spoke out loud into the air.

"Come on out Maimi, I know you're there."

There was a pause, before a sheepish Yajima Maimi hauled herself upwards from where she was lurking under the overhang, flipping easily and settling onto a spot next to Saki. They didn't bother to greet each other or give other signs of acknowledgement. They were sufficiently familiar with each other to go past all those unnecessary formalities.

"I can't ever sneak up on you, can I?" Maimi groused good-naturedly. Saki smiled briefly, gazing out at the beautiful view their current high perch allowed them.

"Maybe in a few hundred years." Saki replied airily, keeping a straight face. Maimi grinned, leaning back onto the tiles, her arms folded and pillowing the back of her head, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sun's rays shining down on them.

"What are you, a reptile?" Saki remarked ironically, referring to how Maimi tended to bask in the sun's rays whenever they met on the roof. Never mind the implications of her being cold-blooded as well. It was an old joke between them, and Maimi responded the usual way, cracking one eye open in the meantime to gaze at her companion.

"Nah, just a chameleon." They smirked at each other, the little reference to Maimi's job too obvious to miss. Spying was their main occupation, and blending in was part of the job description. If Saki and her team her the "trash disposal" unit, then Maimi and her squad were the invisible eyes and ears of their master. There was a certain amount of overlapping in their duties, but they had different priorities in general.

"So, how's life been treating you?" Saki had also flopped down on her back on the roof, and both of them were just staring up at the cloudless sky. There was a peaceful silence for a moment before Maimi responded.

"Sneaking, spying, bribery, anti-terrorism duties...same old grind as usual." She paused ironically. "You?"

"Assassination, arson, grand theft, bodyguard duties...pretty much the same." Saki yawned lazily. "So, anything interesting in your line?"

"We're busy this season," Maimi admitted. "All the new people in the city means that we're stretched a little thin." She shrugged. "Oh well, so far so good. Nothing we can't handle yet."

"You know, if you ever need any help, you can always borrow a couple of my people." Saki offered. Maimi smiled gratefully.

"I'll keep that in mind." There was another reflective pause, before Maimi asked shrewdly. "So, what's on your mind? This isn't just one of our usual chats, is it?"

Saki laughed. "Now I know why Maeda-sensei assigned you and your girls to your current post. I can't keep anything from you."

"That and the fact that you can't lie to save your life." Maimi observed, grinning widely. Saki smirked.

"Nah, that's Yurina." The two leaders shared a mutual look of amusement. Maimi then brightened up as if remembering something.

"Speaking of Maeda-sensei, she's back in town again."

Saki raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't know that."

Maimi nodded. "She got in late one night a few days ago. Got called to the palace not long afterwards."

Saki frowned. "Something serious?" She paused. "And wait, are you guys stalking her or something?"

Maimi grinned. "We're professional stalkers. Part of the job and all that." Chewing absently on her lip, she continued. "I don't think it's anything serious. I think the Emperor just wanted her to perform for him again."

Saki made a funny face at that. "I still can't quite get over the fact that our sensei's a professional performer."

"Enka singer by day, spy master and professional assassin by night," Maimi quipped. She shaded her eyes languidly. "It's a good cover though."

"That's for sure." Saki agreed. "I wonder if we can meet her for tea or something? She was always nice to us back then."

"Yeah, that she was. She saved you from being disassembled that time, didn't she?" Saki couldn't quite suppress the shiver that ran through her body at the reminder of that awful memory. Her voice was slightly mechanical when she did reply again.

"Not from what happened after, she couldn't." There was a distinctly bitter note in her voice. Maimi winced, inwardly cursing her own lack of tact, and quickly steered the topic away to a less touchy subject.

"SO, what were you going to ask me about?"

Saki shrugged, her face studiously neutral. "I would like you to check out on something, if possible."

"Anything for our dear Captain." Saki cracked a smile at that. "I don't command you, you know."

"Bah, technicalities. You'll always be our Captain, never mind that I'm leading another group." Maimi sounded extremely serious and sincere, the respect and deference clearly showing in her eyes.

Saki turned her head away, slightly uncomfortable, the words echoing her her head. Always our Captain. How familiar. How ironic.

Maimi took note of the situation and changed tack again. "So, what can I do for you?"

Saki snapped back to attention. "Hmm, well, I gather you know about our last mission?"

Maimi nodded briefly. "I know you, Yurina and Miyabi went out together that time. As for details, we don't cover that part, you know that."

"I know." Saki looked distant for a moment. "I don't want to trouble you, but do you think you could dig up a few details about it for me? I don't feel too comfortable about that mission, and well, Miya had to silence a witness. Just a kid too."

Maimi winced sympathetically. "Is she alright? With that, I mean."

Saki sighed. "She isn't, but she acts like she's fine. You know how she is." The squad captain sat up. "Anyway, check it out for me, will you? I know I shouldn't be questioning orders and all, but it just feels really wrong this time somehow. Something's fishy, I just know it."

"Consider it done. I'll look into it myself, so expect a full report next week." Maimi had also sat up, Her business-like face suddenly turned sly. "Speaking about fishy things, what is going on between you and Momo-chan anyway?"

Saki twitched. Her voice was a bit squeaky when she replied just a tad defensively. "What do you mean?! We're just friends! Nothing more!"

"I reiterate my previous point. You can't lie your way out of a paper bag." Maimi looked smug. "Besides, you can't wriggle out of this. Airi told me she saw you two sneaking out together before dawn several times. Secret rendevous anyone?"

Saki was sweating slightly, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I am NOT dating her. We were just sparring together since she wanted to practice." She paused when something else occurred to her. "Hey! What the hell was Airi doing, stalking us?! Don't you people have anything better to do?"

"We're just doing our job, keeping an eye out for suspicious things after all." Maimi's eyes were very large and innocent. Saki didn't buy that look for a moment, of course. Only an idiot would believe someone like Maimi, especially in such a situation.

"Ugh, don't you have any idea what the word 'privacy' means?!"

"Nope! We look in on private affairs all the time, best way to get secret information." Maimi looked utterly non-plussed by her shameless confession, a sly look in her eyes. "And what exactly were you doing with our dear Momoko if you wanted privacy, hmm?"

"GAH." Saki slapped a hand to her face. "I'm telling you, nothing happened! We were just sparring, is all!"

"At 4 in the morning? How dedicated of you." Maimi smiled beatifically at a flustered Saki. "Look Captain, next time you want to go make out with your girlfriend, find somewhere less open. Don't want to get caught, do you?"

"How did you----I mean, I WAS NOT MAKING OUT WITH ANYONE!!!" Saki looked like she was about to spontaneously combust from all the internal pressure, waving her hands about while trying to deny the accusations. Maimi smirked evilly.

"Tell me, was it fun?" Saki groaned as she buried her burning face in her hands, Maimi laughing at her.

"Maimi, quit teasing my Captain." Another voice piped up, startling them both. They hadn't even noticed that there was another presence in the area.

"Momo...?" Saki's eyes were slightly wide, recognising the voice immediately. Said person clambered up from her hidden spot from behind them, latching onto Saki's back in a loose hug.

"Hi Maimi, Captain~" The pint-sized assassin grinned at them. Maimi looked amused as she glanced at a still embarrassed Saki.

"Looks like your girlfriend found us." Saki groaned again.

"Momo, say something!"

Momoko tilted her head curiously. "LIke what?"

"I don't know! Just make her lay off it already!"

"Oh, ok." Momoko smiled dangerously at Maimi, who instinctively tensed. "Any last words?"

"Wha-?" Maimi's eyes bulged out comically, even as Saki half turned her head around to meet Momoko's eyes.

"You don't have to go that far, you know." Momoko giggled. "Overtrained, maybe."

Saki's eyes softened slightly. "Silly girl."

Maimi coughed ostentatiously in the background. "Ahem, if you're going to get all love-love around each other, I'll be off now."

They ignored her.

Maimi rolled her eyes and slipped off.

No sense in remaining where she was unwanted and unneeded.

~*~*~*~

Dawn of day three on Sexy Island, the relaxed atmosphere still prevailing.

Makoto was worried. Actually, if you didn't know her that well, she would have merely appeared normal and busy in her own way.

Tsuji, however, noticed that something was off. It showed in a multitude of different things really, little gestures that one had to be familiar with to catch on to. They were good enough friends that Tsuji knew these things, enough for one half of the evil twins to go over to have a chat with her friend.

Actually, the source of Makoto's distress wasn't all that difficult to pinpoint. A quick look around their makeshift camp produced some very noticeable absences. Ai and Risa were quite obviously not around, and given that Makoto was also good friends with Ai, her concern was thus also fully understandable.

There was yet another missing person this day, one that went unnoticed by Makoto, but not by a certain wonky-eyed pirate girl, who was currently frowning at the fact that a certain turtle was nowhere to be found. A discreet search around the confined area of the sheltered bay where they had camped out produced no sign of that elusive turtle, and Reina was presently getting irritated. With fairly good reason.

Eri had vanished on her not long after dinner the night before. Prior to that, when Reina had attempted to strike up a casual conversation, Eri had quite pointedly turned to, of all things, a turtle, and ignored her. The same baby turtle appeared to really have developed an attachment to Eri, although it appeared to have no real fondness for Reina, biting the wonky girl on the finger when she tried to touch its shell. Reina was beginning to wonder if she just didn't have any affinity with turtles whatsoever.

Shrugging, Reina was resolved to leave the matter alone......but the fact that Eri simply wasn't around seemed to gnaw at her mind. Never mind that she kept seeing turtles wherever she went. Be it those large ones on the beach, or that aggressive baby turtle that appeared to be lurking around their campsite, glaring at her whenever she passed.

It definitely didn't help that in her mind, the word 'turtle' immediately reminded her of Eri. So you couldn't quite blame her for feeling irritated after the first hour or so. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and declared out loud to no one in particular.

"I'm going turtle-hunting!"

A few raised brows was all the reaction the declaration got from the nearby humans, notably Nacchi and Aya. Miki and Maki just looked amused. They had even more reason to be amused when another reaction decided to make itself painfully known to Reina.

"OW FUCK MY TOE!!!" Reina howled when a certain baby snapping turtle chomped down on her booted foot. Had Reina not been wearing any footwear, that toe surely would not have been there by now. Hopping around painfully on one foot, Reina looked down at the offending party, who managed to look as smug as a turtle could, while retreating rather quickly to avoid Reina's wrath.

Swearing incoherently to herself, Reina limped off in search of a different turtle. One larger, more frustatingly inexplicable, and no less aggressive one that had on one occasion given her black eyes, broken ribs, and a twisted ankle.

Reina had no idea why she was even looking for her. Maybe she was insane. Yeah, that was it.

Though if one were to ask someone else, it could be just that she was a sucker for pain. But let's not tell her that, shall we?

Makoto couldn't really be bothered with Reina's spell of bad temper. You just get used to it after awhile. No, what had snared her attention currently, beyond her conversation with Tsuji, was the fact that a certain couple had returned.

Yes, Ai and Risa were back. Both were blushing. It probably didn't help that Miki had immediately gone to work and started teasing them, backed up by Aibon, and soon joined by Nono. They made fun of the linked hands, the red marks on their necks, and more notably, the fact that there were rips in Ai's clothing. The pair looked awfully embarrassed, but made no move to counter the taunts or even deny it (what was there to deny anyway?). In fact, they stuck close to each other the whole time.

"Are you alright?" Makoto blurted out when they came close. Tsuji snickered.

"I'd say they look like they've had a perfectly fun time while away." Ai ignored the comment and smiled at Makoto.

"Of course I am." She shared a tender look with Risa, almost forgetting the existence of all other people outside from them.

Miki was about to open her mouth to tease them some more, when an exaggerated sniff from behind her caught her attention. She turned to see Maki pretending to wipe imaginary tears away from her eyes.

"Aw, my little Nii Nii's all grown up..." Miki stifled an instinctive chuckle, while Maki strolled over casually and clapped an overly friendly hand on Risa's shoulder.

"I expect to hear details." Maki's grin was evil, and Miki looked just as evil behind her. Risa blanched slightly and inched away from the duo that had corrupted her the night before. Ai looked concerned and was about to ask after her wife when a sneeze prevented her from doing so.

"Have you caught a cold Ai-chan?" Makoto asked. Ai was about to deny the fact when a second sneeze, louder than the first, pretty much invalidated her statement. She sniffled, causing Risa to pull her closer in a comforting way.

"I told you not to pass your cold to other people!" Kei materialised out of nowhere next to them, doctor instincts at work again. Ai sniffed again, and Risa managed to look ashamed of herself. Kei sighed dramatically.

"Now you two can go and be sick together!" The pair looked at each other, then simultaneously sniffled at the same time.

"Sickening, you mean?" Miki quipped smartly. The couple in question remained blissfully oblivious to her, lost in their own little world together. Maki was already moving away, coming to a halt next to Kaori, who was staring at Ai and Risa with a strange expression on her face.

"I believe we need to settle up." Maki looked smug. Kaori tore her eyes away from Ai and Risa and locked onto Maki, suspicious.

"You knew something was going to happen, didn't you? That's why you changed your bet yesterday afternoon!"

Maki looked innocent. "I wonder. Now pay up." Kaori grumbled and counted out a few gold coins, handing them to Maki. The former lieutenant smirked and tossed off a mocking salute before stalking over to where Miki was, tapping the groping devil on the shoulder. Miki turned, and reflexively caught the coins Maki tossed her way.

"Your share, partner." The last word was spoken in an undertone, low enough not to be easily heard, and the irony lacing the tone informing Miki about just exactly how they stood with each other now. Miki smirked back at Maki, pocketing the coins.

"Nice of you to share." Maki shrugged.

"Fair is fair after all." They shared mutual looks of conspiratorial respect. Ai and Risa continued ignoring everyone else. Kei gave up and wandered back to where Kaori and Mari were chatting with Yuko. Makoto dived back into her chores. Rika and Yossi barely noticed what had been happening. The twins shared evil looks and skipped off together. Nacchi was giving Maki suspicious glances. Aya just wondered what the heck was going on.

It looked to be yet another perfect start to a perfect day on Sexy Island for our favorite pirate crew.

~*~*~

"Um....so which way do I go now?"

Reina was lost. As in hopelessly so. But then again, she was always in a state of confused misdirection when on land. Put the girl on the sea and she was fine. Put her on land, and she had trouble telling left from right. Like right now.

"Uh...left...or right...or straight ahead?" Wonky eyes crossed even further into a look of intense concentration.

"Hm, left it is!"

She set off...on the right path. Literally.

Told you she was lost.

~*~*~

Afternoon rolled by quite uneventfully. At least, uneventfully by their standards.

Discounting the pranks and assorted mishaps from the troublemaking twins, such as when they managed to set fire to water, making a few things explode without the use of gunpowder, and managed to steal several bottles of Yuko's rum in those few short hours since morning, the rest of the time for the majority left around their camp was largely peaceful.

The older members of the crew, namely Yuko, Kei and Kaori, were having a quiet chat together at one side, with a noticeable absence of alcoholic drinks. Yuko had piously declared that she shouldn't get drunk so early in the day, much to general surprise of the rest of the crew. Kaori suspected it was probably because she was trying to ration her drinks to ensure it didn't run out too quickly. Naturally, no one questioned their captain. No one in their right mind would anyway.

The tiny trio (aka Mari, Tsuji and Kago) were currently having a council of war. Namely, a contest to outprank, outwit and outlast each other. The contents of their discussion shall remain unknown at this time. Needless to say, some part of it had to do with the ongoing betting pools about certain occurrences in the ship. It was probably not a good idea to leave those three alone together. Two were bad enough as it is.

Makoto had absconded with Ai for "girl talk", conveniently excluding Risa, who loudly protested that she was a girl too, only for Maki to suddenly appear by her side and whisk her away for those details she wanted. Nacchi, who had been nearby, watched with a mixture of amusement and mortification (for Risa's sake). Aya looked distinctly nonplussed by the whole thing, right up until Miki snuck up on her from behind and got a grope in. The subsequent scuffle and chase diverted Maki's attention from grilling Risa, who took the opportunity to run off and away from those evil clutches.

Yossi was watching with amusement at their antics, one hand absently tracing the hilt of her sabre. Her other hand was currently in possession of one Ishikawa Rika, who appeared to be unwilling to relinquish possession of it in any time of the near future. Oh well, it wasn't too bad a fate to be trapped by someone like that anyway, Yossi reasoned. There were worse fates out there.

[Estrea]

Eventually, Aya got sick of trying to chop Miki into tiny pieces, the latter being too wily to be caught in one spot for any extended period of time, and decided to go take a bath since she was all hot and sweaty after chasing Miki halfway across the beach and back. That had prompted a few more lewd comments from Miki, but Aya pointedly ignored it and enforced the same rule as from the day before: Miki was in no way allowed to be within a 100 metre radius of the pool in any shape or form. Nacchi decided to go along as well, and thus Maki was left behind once again to keep an eye on Miki. What a bad idea to leave those two alone together.

"I'm bored!" Miki declared aloud to no one in particular, sitting down with her back against a flat rock wall. Maki snorted, plopping down on the adjacent wall next to her.

"Make that two of us." Miki "pfft"ed and leaned back, stretching her legs out across the uneven ground, Maki mimicking the same gesture as they both stared into empty space.

"I don't feel like insulting you right now." Miki admitted, picking up a tiny pebble and tossing it in her hands. "It gets tiring after awhile."

"And it's not as fun without an audience." Maki agreed. They sighed at the same time.

After a moment's silence, Maki spoke up. "You know, you're sort of an interesting person to hang out with, minus the groping and the perversity."

Miki rolled her eyes at the qualifications. "Like you're any less perverted yourself."

"True." Maki grinned as she stared upwards. "If I weren't already predisposed to disliking you, we could have been friends."

"Tch, we don't have to be friends to hang out. We can be partners in crime. Yesterday proved that we work well together despite our differences." Miki smirked at Maki, who returned the expression.

"We could do that." A contemplative look settled over Maki's features. "So, who's next?"

"Hmm," Miki scanned the area for potential targets. She dismissed the elders out of hand. Kaori was too smart to mess with. Kei was too scary. And Yuko, well, let's just not go anywhere near there at all.

Ai was hanging out with Makoto, who had her cleaver in her hand. Risa was near them, her rifle on her lap. The presence of weaponry meant that that it was probably unsafe to meddle with them at this moment.

The next potential target was promising, but unfortunately, someone else had laid claim to that already. Miki smirked at the sight of Mari idly chatting to Yossi and Rika, while the twins lurked somewhere off to one side doing something she couldn't quite see in the distance. Miki had no doubt that something was going to happen for them soon. Any time Mari decided to take a hand in things with the twins in tow, things happened. Whether they were good or bad depended on your point of view on such events. Generally though, the recipients found it to very bad.

Eri and Reina were still conspicuously missing, and since Aya and Nacchi were away, that meant that there wasn't anyone to pick on. Maki had also come to same conclusion at the same time, and they both sighed simultaneously.

"This is no fun." Maki muttered half to herself. Miki, however, was already thinking of something else to entertain herself.

"Say, why don't we go sneak up on Aya at the pool?" Miki suggested, her eyes bright. Maki didn't even think as she replied firmly.

"No." Miki pouted.

"But you've seen her naked and I haven't! That's not fair!"

"Life is never fair." Maki said smugly. Miki glared at her.

"Hmph, I'm sure you can't even give her as good a time as I can." Maki twitched at the jibe.

"I so can."

"Cannot."

"Can too."

"Cannot."

"Can too---ah this is boring. We sound like a couple of idiots." Maki grumbled.

"You sound like an idiot. I don't." Miki clarified, smirking again. "And you're still no match for me when it comes to that."

"Oh really? Why don't you prove it then?" Maki replied thoughtlessly.

The words hung like a deadweight between them. They stared at each other. Maki was the first to react, a disturbed expression on her face.

"What did I just say?" Miki raised an eyebrow.

"I rest my case. You ARE an idiot."

Maki let that pass. "Let's just forget I ever said that."

"Yes, let's."

The conversation turned to more general matters after that. By general, it meant that they spent the time finding new ways to say clever things about each other and just about everyone else. It was more or less an entertaining way to pass the time, all 15 minutes of it. Inevitably, the conversation returned to where it started.

"I'm still bored." This time, Maki started it first.

"You and me both." Miki was using one of her smaller blades as a nail file, before putting it away.

"You know, about that thing you said..."

Maki cut in. "I said many things."

Miki continued, ignoring the interruption. "So, what do you think? Which of us is better at that?"

Maki groaned. "Are we still on that topic?"

Miki grinned devilishly. "We are now."

"Ugh." But Maki made no move to leave, so Miki went on.

"We need an impartial referee to tell something like that, you know."

"Are we seriously talking about this?"

"Yes." Maki simply stared at Miki like the knife-loving pirate had grown another two heads and was spouting fire. Miki ignored the incredulous expression and went on thinking aloud.

"We could ask Aya to judge..." To which Maki replied quite firmly. "NO."

"Spoilsport." Miki stuck her tongue out at Maki.

"We don't really need to find out who is better in bed you know." Maki pointed out quite rightly. "It's sort of a private matter anyway."

"Yeah well, but I'm a curious bastard, and so are you." Miki paused. "Besides, I think you're just afraid to find out that I'm better than you."

"I'm not afraid, and in any case, I'm better anyway." Maki retorted, crossing her arms indignantly.

Miki rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We aren't going to find out just by sitting here you know. We need a referee."

"I'm telling you that there is no way I'm letting you touch Aya like that just to prove a point." At Miki's speculative look, Maki was quick to add. "And no, you're not getting your hands on Nacchi either."

Miki looked slyly at Maki. "I thought you weren't involved with her? Why are you bothered by that idea?"

"Because no one in their right minds would let you anywhere near their friends like that. I'm just protecting them, is all." Maki huffed out defensively.

Miki snorted. "Right. I believe you." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. Turning her head slightly, she wondered aloud.

"Maybe we could ask Yossi?" Maki looked over as well.

"I don't recommend that." Miiki raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Maki simply pointed at Rika. "Not a good idea with her around."

Miki shrugged. "What, she's just a pretty face. I'm not scared of her."

Maki smiled in a chilly sort of way. "Wait till you see her angry. Not fun at all."

"Oh?" Miki looked interested.

"Ishikawa has a devil side somewhere in there. I've seen it once." Maki shook her head sadly. "That poor man will probably never be able to father children again."

Miki winced. "That bad?"

"Worse. I didn't even know one kick could make someone start bleeding there." Maki shuddered at the memory. Miki reconsidered her position.

"Right, so no Yossi." She paused thoughtfully. "I'm not touching the twins that way, or Mari, for that matter. Same goes for the older ones." Miki smirked. "I'm not like you."

Before Maki could protest, Miki continued. "That leaves only a few people..."

"Kamei and Tanaka aren't around anyway, not that I would touch Kamei. It's a bit unnerving to know she might go berserk." Miki agreed, checking them off her mental list.

"I'm not touching Mako-chan when she's holding various kitchen implements. I like my hands as they are now." Miki said, and Maki nodded.

"Risa's taken to keeping her guns near her, so that means her and Ai-chan are out." Miki mused thoughtfully.

"And that means we're fresh out of people." Maki added sardonically. "So why don't we just drop the whole idea?"

Miki smirked. "No way. There's still one more option."

Maki looked at her in confusion. "Oh? I'm sure that's all of us already."

"You're not thinking straight," Miki chided. "There's you...and me."

Maki twitched convulsively as she processed the idea. "I'm not doing THAT with you!"

"What, you shy?" Miki asked bluntly. Maki massaged her temples.

"Look, we only just managed to quit trying to kill each other only a couple of days ago. It's a little too much to ask for me to adjust my thinking about you right now, at least not enough to do that with you." Maki explained with a sigh.

"It's not like it's going to be anything serious." Miki argued. "We're both reasonable, experienced adults that know exactly where to draw the line. I don't see a problem."

"Experienced adults I agree with. But, reasonable? You?" Maki dismissed the notion out of hand.

Miki wasn't about to give up once she had taken hold of an idea. "Come now, it's just a little bit of fun."

"Fun? With you? No way." Maki got up to her feet. "I'm not participating in this insanity."

"I never thought you were that much of a prude." Miki sneered. "Seems like you're all talk and no action."

"What did you just say?" There was a definite aura of incredulous anger hovering around Maki now. A twisted grin spread across Miki's lips.

"You heard me. You're pathetic. Waffling over your non-relationship and acting all tough about it. I can't believe how anyone can even stand you the way you are."

A distinct vein was standing out against Maki's forehead now. "And you're a morally bankrupt and utterly shameless creature!"

"Ah, but at least I'm honest about it." Miki spread her hands out in front of her. "I've never pretended to be anything else. Unlike you." She paused, then added as an afterthought. "Hypocrite."

Maki was fuming on the inside. No one ever talked to her like that. She was not a pathetic, indecisive person! She was a person of action!

Miki waited. If her instincts were right, it wouldn't be long now. For added effect, she put on her most infuriating smirk for Maki's benefit. The timing was almost just right too.

"I am not scared of anything." There it was. Maki had a dangerous gleam in her eye, and Miki raised her head in an expression of cool defiance.

"Prove it then." She purred.

All hell broke loose not long after that.

Looking back on the incident, it was an extreme case of bad timing. At least, that was from Maki's point of view. For Miki though, the timing was perfect.

What was I referring to? Simple, an interruption. By the worst people possible.

Nacchi and Aya were just on their way back from their bath. Naturally, they were headed for camp. Even more obviously, they would be putting their clothes away back on ship. And therefore, their logical route would take them right into the cove where the ship was anchored.

It just so happened that everyone else was outside. Mari was currently laughing her ass off on the beach in front of an extremely embarrassed Rika and Yossi, courtesy of an unrepentant pair of twins who had taken it on themselves to ambush the pair, resulting in an awkward situation in which Yossi had somehow ended up in a slightly compromising position with Rika. Even more distressingly for the boyish pirate, Yuko was sitting nearby and had a distinctly speculative gleam in her eye, something that screamed trouble to Yossi's instincts. Whenever the captain had one of those ideas of hers, it generally spelled trouble in capital letters.

Since just about everyone else was outside and watching the delightful antics of the couple outside, few noticed that Maki and Miki were not in the open. No one gave it any thought though. What could they possibly be doing after all?

Therefore, it was with completely unprepared spirits that Nacchi and Aya walked into the cove engaged in casual chatter......only to see two very familiar people apparently fighting with each other. If fighting involved being attached at the lips as well, that is.

Aya's eyes had widened so much, it covered half her small face. You couldn't quite blame her for her reaction. The person she despised was getting it on with one of her best friends. She had good reason to be shocked, flabbergasted, and all round stymied by the whole situation.

"Oh my god, what are you two doing?" Aya blurted out reflexively, her voice strangely shrill and squeaky from her shock.

Maki pulled away quite violently away from Miki, stunned by the intrusion. They hadn't gotten very far, yes, but even the first step was far enough in her opinion. Especially with the people who had just walked in to witness such a scene. Miki simply smirked, releasing her tight grip on Maki's shoulders.

"Right on time Aya-chan~!" That shameless flirt smoothly disengaged herself from a suddenly nerveless Maki, before quite unabashedly latching on to a horrified Aya.

"You...you...you..." To say Aya was shocked was probably an understatement. Try stunned, horrified, disbelieving and all those other adjectives suitable for such an occasion. In any case, the mental image of Maki and Miki together was permanently burned into her brain like a sizzling hot brand. She couldn't even speak coherently now as she tried vainly to process the information, even as Miki quite shamelessly nuzzled at her like nothing had happened previously.

"Seems like Gocchin has been busy. Nacchi was wondering when you would get started with your conquests again with a new crew. Nacchi is happy for you too."

Oh no... Aya was jolted out of her own bafflement and thrown back into reality by Nacchi's words. The lapse into 3rd person while speaking didn't happen quite as often nowadays, but Aya clearly remembered that Nacchi had been trying to stop doing it in order to be taken seriously by other people in the navy. To think that the shock of this sudden turn of events had undone all that work in an instant. Poor Nacchi...Maki you idiot!

It wasn't like Aya was completely unaware of what was going on between those two. They were among her closest friends, and she would have had to be very blind or very oblivious to miss the fact that something was going on between them. Sailors gossip a lot, so she had heard rumours about them before as well. Maki had also hinted at the existence of a more physical relationship between her and Nacchi. But Aya could see well enough that Nacchi cared a lot more than was normal for Maki. Of course, Nacchi was naturally caring towards her friends, but Aya noticed that the way she treated Maki was subtly different. It was very slight, but it was there nevertheless. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Nacchi always smiled. She was still smiling now, but it didn't touch her eyes. Aya stiffened inwardly at the glossy mask on the older woman's face, sympathy and pain flooding through her as she tried to comprehend just exactly how Nacchi felt at that moement.

"Will you help put Nacchi's things back for her?" There it was again, that glossy, porcelain smile. So radiant, so beautiful.

So heartbreaking.

Aya numbly took the items, and Nacchi turned to face them with her smiling face. An utterly fake exterior.

"Nacchi will go for a walk now. See you for dinner."

The small woman turned on her heels and departed, walking rather quickly away.

Maki, for her part, was still frozen on the spot, somewhere between kneeling and getting up, an awkward half-crouch. She had been...disturbed by the fact that two of the most important women in her life had just stumbled in on her making out with someone she didn't even like. Of course, she had had liaisons with plenty of other women that she had absolutely no feelings for previously, but that was then. For one thing, she had never had people she cared about walking in on her more intimate moments with strangers.

Maki might have been an incorrigible player, but she was also a considerate one, as far as it went. For whatever reason, she had scrupulously kept her playtime strictly separate from the time she spent with her close friends. That meant that she never flirted too much with other women when she was hanging out with Nacchi and Aya. Her conquests weren't as many as rumor had labelled her for, but there was a decent number of them, though she had never flaunted that fact in front of either of her friends.

Now, getting caught with Miki was embarrassing and just a little degrading, but that was just that, wasn't it? She tried to reason to herself that it was just one isolated episode, something to laugh about in the future, and maybe the subject of teasing during late night drinking sessions. It was nothing serious at all.

Aya had been shocked, her face told the whole story of her emotions quite clearly since she wasn't bothering to hide it. But Maki had found herself irresistibly drawn towards Nacchi's reaction...which was perfectly nonchalant.

As it should be. Maki told herself sternly. She was in an open relationship with Nacchi, which meant that they were free to pursue their own amusements outside of their time with each other. Yes, lately she hadn't been seeking outside entertainment since there weren't any viable targets, but the deal still stood. Had she been expecting Nacchi to exhibit some form of jealousy? No, that wasn't right. There shouldn't be jealousy. They had agreed on that early on.

Just like there shouldn't be any guilt. A mocking little voice rang at the back of her head. Maki winced inwardly. Nacchi's calm reaction and completely magnanimous words stabbed at her like sharpened swords, producing a distinctly uncomfortable feeling somewhere in her heart. She felt...bad. Bad for doing something like that with Miki. Bad for letting Nacchi see her doing it.

Why should she feel bad? There was nothing to feel bad about. It was nothing. Nothing at all. It meant nothing.

Then why does it hurt so much to see her smile and walk away?

Aya had recovered her senses the moment Nacchi walked out of the area. Staring incredulously at Maki (while shoving Miki aside with one hand), she burst out quite appropriately.

"What are you still doing here?! Go after her, you idiot!"

Miki was smirking from the side. "Yeah that's right, you idiot~"

"You shut up, I'll deal with you later." Aya snapped at the wholly unrepentant Miki, who shrugged nonchalantly.

Maki shook herself, as if stunned out of a dream. Her eyes regained focus as she stared blankly and forlornly after Nacchi's retreating back in the distance. There was a certain sag to her shoulders as she slowly straightened up, her eyes fogging over with an unrecognisable emotion. Her voice came out stilted, slow, and uncertain.

"I..." Don't have the right. "...can't..."

"What do you mean, you CAN'T?! You two are together, aren't you?" Aya exploded, gesticulating wildly with her hands, having shoved the stuff she had been carrying into a startled Miki's arms. Maki looked down at the ground. Her gaze, her voice, were all hollow.

"We're...not like that." Not supposed to be.

Aya had had just about enough of this crap. She marched right up to the still silent Maki, and despite the height difference, she managed to grab Maki by the collar and stare at the taller woman with a threatening gaze.

"I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but Nacchi's hurting, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT. I want you to fix it RIGHT NOW, Goto Maki, or don't you talk to me ever again!" Aya breathed out explosively and released her numb friend, shoving Maki in the direction where Nacchi walked off.

Nacchi...hurt? Maki's thought were functioning in a very choppy, incoherent sort of way at the moment. Her feet kept on moving on their own, and she barely noticed where she was going. My...fault?

Why?

She didn't understand anything. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. It was never supposed to be so complicated. It was supposed to be all about fun. All about convenience. Everything was so clear and so simple.

It wasn't supposed to hurt. She wasn't supposed to feel anything bad at all. That was the whole idea.

Nacchi always smiled at her. She was still smiling before she walked away. Why does it hurt? Why?

Something felt wrong. It all felt so wrong.

It doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt.

Why do you leave? Why do you walk away?

Don't leave me.

I don't want to be alone.

~*~*~

"You have 10 seconds to explain what you just did before I skin you alive." Aya was glaring far more viciously than she had ever done before, and Miki actually took a step backwards because of it.

"Whoa there, no need to get all touchy. It was just a bit of harmless fun." Miki defended herself.

"Tick tock." Aya said coldly. "You're not being very convincing."

"I think you're overreacting." Miki said calmly, having pulled herself together to face this new situation.

"Overreacting?!" Aya's voice sounded a little shrill. "You just messed my two best friends up in a major way!"

"I think it's good for them." Miki replied coolly. Before Aya could yell at her some more, she went on.

"They weren't getting anywhere before anyway. Something needed to happen to shake things up."

Aya blinked. Once. Twice. The information filtered through her brain slowly as she made the links.

"You...planned this?" There was no other reasonable explanation for where the evidence was pointing. But, why would Miki meddle in something like that? There was no real reason for her to do so, was there?

Her confusion must have showed on her face, for Miki simply shrugged and dumped the stuff she was holding back into Aya's arms, strolling over to lean against the rock wall as she stared outside.

"Not in the way you think, I just played it by ear. She gave me an opening, I took it for fun. Whatever happens afterwards is all up to them." Miki sounded completely serious and clinical about the whole thing.

Aya digested the words with a strange detachment in her mind. She was beginning to understand what Miki meant, and was a bit stunned by the depth of understanding behind Miki's words. How could someone, who had barely known them for long, had so astutely picked out the fact that something was so critically wrong with their relationship? Aya began to reassess her opinion of Miki. Apparently, the pirate was a lot more perceptive than she had given her credit for.

"So you were trying to help them?" Aya asked, her eyes shrewd as she stared at Miki.

"I didn't say that." Miki denied it immediately. "I just got bored and wanted to see something new."

Too defensive. Aya noticed it immediately. She had begun to read into Miki's behavioral patterns, although she still got thrown off by new insights into the older girl's personality sometimes. She carefully concealed a smile.

"You went to all that trouble to mess things up between my two best friends just for fun?"

"So?" Miki huffed out, crossing her arms.

Aya was still smiling in a strange way. "You do know that if something really bad happens to either one of them, I swear that I'll really try to kill you for good this time?"

Miki turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "You mean you weren't trying seriously before?"

"Just for fun." Aya shot back smartly, before walking off back towards the ship, Miki staring incredulously after her. Aya was still worrying about her friends, but was also filled with a cautious optimism at the same time. If Miki was anywhere near right about the state of Nacchi and Maki's relationship, then maybe this issue might be able to get things out into the open once and for all.

She could only hope. If Miki was wrong, she would enjoy slowly slaughtering that damnable pirate. No one messed with Matsuura Aya's friends.

~*~*~

Hurts... That was her first coherent thought as she swam out from the dark depths of unconsciousness.

I'm...not dead...? Was the second. After all, wasn't death supposed to be some kind of oblivion. No pain, no nothing at all.

Hungry... She was so tired. Her body felt weightless, weak and exhausted. She could barely summon enough energy to crack open her eyelids, only barely managing a small flutter with them.

Warm... But not unpleasantly so. It was not bright, wherever she was. The world outside her closed eyes did not radiate bright light, since the skin of her eyelids was pleasantly dark and cool.

She really needed to check where she was. A warrior didn't leave herself helpless like this.

With some great effort, she forced her eyes open, the soft glow of candlelight seeming stark and momentarily blinding to her unprepared eyes. Everything in her vision swam in and out of focus, a mass of blurred images as if she were looking through distorted lenses. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

What she did see managed to shock a few years of her remaining lifespan out of her, her brain almost going into critical meltdown as it processed the image presented to her right in front of her face..

WHAT THE HELL?!
===================================


I broke the forum again!!! XDDDDD

15,003 words FTW.

Miki: You're mad.
Me: Yes, yes I am.
Aya: You're evil too.
Me: And proud of it!
Maki: I'll kill you
Me: Um, shit? o_o;
Reina: And why the fuck is there a homicidal turtle on my case anyway?!
Me: Are you talking about Eri or that little turtle that bit you?
Reina: BOTH!
Me: Oh well, it's your fate. Deal with it, for I am God of this fic.

I hope everyone has fun. <3 -waddles off to write side story-

[Yuuyami]

DIBS O_O


Lessee...

Maiha's section at first made me laugh because of her attitude towards everything xD But then it made me sad how even though they probably do have the power to surpass their trainers, they can't do anything at all because of the parasite living within them ;-; I hope Risako's good enough to be able to come up with a formula to get rid of that virus or something ;-;... Unless they go to Konkon... o_o...

Stupid imperials D< Not even bothering to see Erika just because she's a money-lacking representative D<

The Melons made me laugh as usual xDDDDD Megumi's twisted sense of humor and Ayumi's inner girliness disguising the other two xD Boss as an old hag... -dies of laughter- I feel so bad for Masae too xD I hope the hair dye washes off xD Even if it didn't, I'm sure she could dye her hair over that black hair anyway, it IS Masae xDDDD Poor Masae having to act all jittery and girly next to Unsexy Boss Hag xDDDDD I swear, every time you bring the Melons in, it's like the light radiating from the clouds xD

Aww xD Leader and Captain talk :] Yuki's a nice ninja? Sweeeet xD Saki and Momo are dating? Oh my xDDDDD I love how flustered and uke Saki becomes when the subject is brought up, roffle xD Wouldn't they get in trouble for dating? Or is it as long as they do their job, they could do as they wish in the shadows, yes? xD Anywho, much less of dating, but much more sniping around their missions would get them in trouble? I recall Miyabi saying the code of how they were only supposed to do their jobs, no questions asked o-o. Oh snap O-O C-UTE SQUAD~! DON'T GET CAAAAUGHT~! o_o

Sexy Island: Day Three. I like the sound of that xD It's like they are stranded on an island in the unknown and are going to be devoured by cannibals xD Anywho... xD Reina versus the turtles part two! xDDD Poor Reina's toe -pats- And Reina can't tell from right and left? -dead- Ai and Risa are so cute <3 You would think they would be a little more discreet about their just-did-it moment and would have been more careful with the handling of clothes xD If there wasn't as much evidence, they wouldn't be teased as much xD Then again, they're too much into their world to even be affected by the teasing so I guess that's okay xD Yossie and Rika are such a cute couple, but they haven't done anything intimate(of their own will) lately ;-; Still catching up with the ten years? xD

Miki you idiot! You made Nacchigoma all angsty ;-; Then again, if what Aya says is correct, then Miki somehow did patch things up. Kinda o_O But hot damn is Maki so dense xDDDDDD At least she noticed that Nacchi was hurting... Nacchi speaking in third person is so cute... But also sad at the same time ;____; MAKI~! YOU KNOW YOU <3 HER AS MUCH AS SHE LOVES YOU~! ;___; Fix each other already! >< -wears hardhat if the inevitable angsty confrontation is next chapter-

Is that Erika at the end? -squints- I wonder what she saw that was so traumatizing xD

Aren't you glad I made you write instead of watching you skive? It's almost been three weeks since your last update xD I hope your next won't take as long xD Your readers <3 you mucho xD Noticed how they kept bumping your thread? xDDDDDD

WRIIIITE <3 -cracks whip- <3

[Saikami]

Evil cousin =-=

DIBS ON SECOND COMMENT

Thank you for dibbing it for me, cousin. ^^

Ah, about time I finished, damn finals and yard work from hell kept getting in my way. -_-; Anyway! Onto the comment~!

Poor Miha D: I can't imagine how upsetting being sent on a solo mission must be. o-o; I mean, leaving your friends, who are like your family, for something that seems to have no point. O_O;; How irrtating~ -__-;; At least there is a chance of the war ending. That'd be cool. ^^ I agree with my cousin, it made me really sad to read the parasite thing, but they know KonKon...

Government always wants money. -_-; Damn bastards, why don't we just kill them all? I mean... Well, now it's all their falt that Erika is passed out on the cold hard ground! D: My guess is that KonKon found her.

Yay! More Melons~! <3 Gotta love that gang. Megumi must've had fun dressing Boss and Masae up like that. I dunno which is funnier, Boss complaining that she can't show off her sexiness or Masae in pink ribbons. Roffle. And, of course Masea got her hair dyed. After all, she's known for it.

Captain and Momo are dating~ -singsong voice- So cute :3 I love how Saki get's all flustered and sucks at lying. <333 Gahh damn you and my cousin...Getting me to like Berryz so much. -_-; Although, I'm not complaining so much. o_o;; -gives all C-ute members hardhats- Get that info damnit! But it'd be nice if you didn't die. o-o;;

Yuki...Ninja...O-O FTW? Oddly enough, I find that awsome. ^^;

Now, we're back on Sexy Island~! WOO. -jumps into sea and starts looking for it- I WILL GET THERE DAMNIT!

Anyway, where to start? o_o; Well, let's start with Mako With how worried she is, it's humorus and cute (in a freaky way considering she has many kitchen knives o_o). But don't you worry Makoto-san! Risa is taking good care of Aichan in and out of bed~! -covers mouth- oops...>_>;; Well SOMEONE has to break it to her!

TakaGaki~~! <333 Not much to say except for congrats to them. They're so cute! Sticking together like that <333

The Tiny Trio, gotta love the name. It makes me giggle. And now that Mari is in on the games, everyone is doomed. -gives them explosive devices and puts hardhat on- Have fun.

IshiYoshi: They're cute~~ Rika is so dominant in her freaky girlish ways. If I were Yossie, I'd fear any attempts to escape from her after all, she made him BLEED O_O;; Gahh damn.

TanaKamei love~ Even if they never spoke to eachother in this chapter. Reina is so sadistic WOO! Proves she's the yankii we know and love. :3 Those turtles (including Kamei) are so cute and evil~~~

Miki, Maki, Aya, and Nacchi...O_O!??! FTW??? Evil! Why did they have to get caught!? ;   ;! Not saying it was a good thing in the first place, but gahh damn. >_< It's just like Miki to do something like that, things better be fixed! ;__; Maki, go get her girl! -slams head on desk- I can't be too against that situation...Can I? dfjkadlsjflasfdhjkfa HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THEY'D GET CAUGHT!? -takes in deep breath- They can fix things...Right? o_o;;

[Loser87]

*out of my lurkiness*

Dibbers =]

I should comment more often yes, I should, shouldn't I?
Anyway, I am coming out of my cave and commenting on how long it took me to read this o_o
Instead of skimming like I usually do, I read the entire thing..And god damn was it long o_o

But my comment will be short and straight to the point
It was love yes, it was..
It was utter love and I want more
So maybe you should update yeah..
I really think you should update because I said so and I am god..>_>..kinda...
Update~

[deviousmind]

 good chapter..brrrr angst  ..  the maki/miki/aya/Abe part was really interesting...

now im gonna read that chapter again...just in case i missed some details 


PS: wat deleted scene? wat Perv forum? wtf! where the hell is that! am i missing something really great?

[Yuuyami]

Deleted scene is in the perv section of this forum, but you need to have at least 18 years of age and have over 20 posts in order to request access and successfully get that access.

Though, Essy-chan has also posted her deleted scenes in the Livejournal community Renai Revolution, which is one of the links in Rndmnwierd's signature.

Yeah :]

[deviousmind]

Deleted scene is in the perv section of this forum, but you need to have at least 18 years of age and have over 20 posts in order to request access and successfully get that access.

Though, Essy-chan has also posted her deleted scenes in the Livejournal community Renai Revolution, which is one of the links in Rndmnwierd's signature.

Yeah :]

SUPERB!  .....k now i sound like a perv...errr

i mean, thx

im over 18, i think i post more than 20 times..

so where do i sign up?


(the world is against me...now ill never be able to study)

[Yuuyami]

It's in the H!P Joint section. The thread title is something like "REQUEST PERV ACCESS HERE" or something xD

[deviousmind]

oye , thx =),

and

o__O ! for Renai Revolution

[JFC]

JFC: Glad I have so many moments for you to comment on. Glad you had fun here, prepare for some major angst next chapter though.

If it involves the GAM story arc and about how Miki's trying to come to terms that she's feeling more than just horniness over Aya, or about the Nacchi/Maki story arc, BRING IT ON!

Ishimura Maiha was bored. And restless. And irritable. And did I mention really really bored?

Well, when you're a trained assassin, then yeah, regular spy missions just get dull.

To tell the truth, Maiha was sick of fighting. Sick of crawling around in miserable weather ambushing even more miserable people who appeared incapable of learning from experience. To this day, months after she had been first sent to this godforsaken battlefield, and they still hadn't learnt to look upwards for traps.

Ah yes, definitely. Quite often one of the big reasons that wars continue is that the powers behind them just don't know when to stop. Thing is though, these "powers" aren't the ones that are actually involved in the fighting. They're not the soldiers. The soldiers are the ones who see, day in and day out, the futility of the whole endeavour.

Maiha crouched close and kept an eye on the events unfolding in the tent, ignoring the slight twinge in her extremities as she did. The muscle aches were normal, she had been expecting it for a day or two now. The more debilitating effects wouldn't show up until a week, or maybe 5 days. It didn't make those 5 days any more comfortable though.

Debilitating effects? She was expecting it???   Maiha's not sick with something, is she? 

"The council advises you to pull our main force back and to cease the raiding attacks on the Imperial camps, Chief Miyoshi." The messenger, a lean man with a heavily scarred face delivered his message with a flat voice, his tone neutral, though just a trifle displeased.

Chief Miyoshi? Any relation to Erika?

"What do you mean, pull back? What are they up to now? We were doing just fine holding out against the Imperial forces!" Chief Miyoshi fumed, one hand tightening around the worn hilt of his well-used weapon. The messenger shifted nervously, looking apologetic as he replied.

"I am sorry, my chief. It is the will of the council. I do not like running away either." The messenger paused, almost hesitantly, even as his pose grew more awkward.

Another big reason for wars continuing is that there are soldiers who, like their commanding counterparts, don't know when to quit. Quite often these types of soldiers are the ones looking for personal glory, rather than fighting for the good/cause of their nation.

"What is it?" The chief snapped irritably, having also noticed the messenger's suspicious behaviour. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of the messenger's face. Maiha waited eagerly. Bad news on the enemy end usually meant good news for them.

"Well my chief, I do not think I am authorised to tell you this, but the elders did not specifically forbid me to, and I believe you should know about this."

...

"The council sent a representative to present our people's case in this matter, in hopes of working out a possible compromise for the tax levies as well our autonomy rights." The man spoke quickly, and the chief nodded in response. Maiha mentally cheered at the news. It was about time someone made concessions and led the way to the negotiating table anyway, Maiha mused. She was getting sick of extended wars.

...

"The representative that was sent had to be of a suitable rank to convince the Imperials of the sincerity of our offer, and I must advise you that your daughter was the chosen one." The messenger eyed the suddenly motionless clan chief in front of him warily. The silence was almost ominous. Maiha resisted the urge to cackle madly at the expressions on their faces. Oh, the drama....

"You mean to tell me...Erika was sent right to the Imperials? My daughter?" The voice that came was cold and emotionless, cutting like steel itself.

ERIKA'S THE PRINCESS!!! 

Those at the top must have come to that same conclusion, so they took steps. In addition to all the propaganda trash they drilled into their young recruits, the elites that had graduated from boot camp, such as Maiha and her squad, as well as Yajima's team, were forced to make a final display of their "loyalty" to the Empire.

That pill. That damnable pill. Maiha would have spat on the ground then, but was afraid of giving her position in the enemy camp away, so she settled for grinding her teeth together some more. There had been no way to avoid taking it, since they would kill you on the spot if you didn't take it.

...

It was a clever little poison, really. It remained dormant for a certain period of time, around 3 months maximum, before it started reacting. Of course, if it were just poison, the worse it could do was just kill you when it activated, and your pain would be over after awhile. Death itself was not painful. It was just frighteningly unknown.

Those...bastards. 

The pill they consumed came with a parasite as well. A parasite that lay hidden somewhere inside their bodies, kept dormant by the herbal mix in the outer layer of the pill. When the effects of the herbs started breaking down, the first effects would be those telltale muscle aches. The parasite wouldn't be awake yet, naturally, since it took awhile before it actually stirred. Which was a good thing, since it gave them time to report back to their handlers and request the antidote that would reinforce the parasite's slumber until the next cycle.

Well, as disgusting as the whole thing is...you have to admit, it's an effective way to ensure loyalty.

~*~*~

One person failed to do so. Of course, that person was militantly indifferent to such little things as darkness, rain, and basically zero visibility at the moment. Something far more pressing was commanding her attention, specifically the grumbling of her stomach. It was amazing what one could ignore when wholly focused on a single fact.

What was I thinking, coming to the city on my own? A small, gloved hand barely grasped the reins of her horse, basically letting the animal lead itself, while the rider herself was hunched over in her saddle, her free hand gripping her abdomen, ignoring the fact that the rain had thoroughly soaked her form.  Cold and wet was nothing new, she was used to them on the plains, since it was not uncommon to ride out into a storm, especially when you needed to guide the horse herds back to safety. A nomadic lifestyle on the grasslands and wintering in the extensive forests pretty much made her mostly indifferent to the elements. You just get used to being rained on after awhile.

This is Erika, isn't it? Shouldn't she be a guest at the castle or something? Come to think of it, even if she was, she likely wouldn't have known that she could have just gone to the kitchen and fetched something herself. Being from the nomadic tribes, she's probably not used to having the convenience of a fully-stocked kitchen.  She probably was also trying to avoid being a burden to her hosts, so she's trying to handle it herself (which is also what she's likely used to).

Though many of the aristocratic families and even the royal family themselves shared a common bloodline with them, most of the old clans did not view them as true children of the Highlands anymore, since they had forsaken the old ways to pursue the new, settled life of the southern peoples.

Now wouldn't it be interesting if we found out that some of these girls were closely related to the nomadic clans?

The Kova Range, a series of mountains spanning across most of the top half of the continent, held many ore deposits that the city people valued. She had no illusions about just why the Imperials were so insistent on fighting. Greed was not a virtue in her sight, and she would gladly give up the deposits to them if it ended the fighting. However, the specific section of mountains that the clans as a whole had laid claim to was sacred ground for their people, and they could not allow miners to invade that area recklessly and profane the place. Since the deposits could not be moved, they would sooner defend that region to the death than allow greed to taint that holy ground.

Ah, so THAT's what this war is about. Money.


Figures.

The main problem was that she simply could not gain an audience with the relevant authorities. She had simply assumed before that her status would be able to grant her entry into the palace, or even the administrative buildings of the bureaucratic offices if nothing else, but it appeared that no one took her seriously as a diplomat and representative of her people. Actually, doors were closed on her for one very simple fact: money. Bribery was standard procedure for quick resolutions to most problems, and just about every person she tried had hinted at the fact that a certain gratuity was expected (some abandoned hinting and just outright demanded money). When she had confessed that she had no money left, the smiles turned to frowns, and she was "put on the waiting list" just like everyone else (or just immediately shown the door in certain cases).

Unfortunately, this is the world that Erika's having to deal with. To the citizens there, it's just a normal part of life. But when you're an outsider, seeing it for the first time must be mind-boggling.

If she could persuade the administration to abandon fighting and return to the negotiation table, there was a chance of a compromise being reached, and that Imperial commander, like it or not, would have to withdraw if a direct order came from the capital city.

There HAS to be someone who's preventing this from happening. For all sides, returning to the negotiating table is obviously the best solution.  Whoever this person is, must have big eyes for those gold/silver deposits.

The thud she made when her body made painful contact with the cobblestones was loud, but barely a whisper over the drumming of the rain. Startled, Wirbelwind immediately leaned down to nudge at the prone form of her master lying motionless in the rain, the warhorse actually seeming rather worried, or as worried as an animal could get. A low whinny came from the poor horse, who stood loyally over his fallen mistress, determined to shield her from the rain, as well as from any possible threat.

ONOES!!! ERIKA!!! 

The lantern stopped a few feet from the unconscious girl, the warhorse glaring suspiciously at the stranger to ascertain if there was a threat. After a few moments, Wirbelwind backed off a little, allowing the figure to attend to her fallen mistress, but not before tugging at the stranger's sleeve, as if saying "help her!". The stranger sighed after examining the fallen girl.

"I guess I can't just leave you out here..."

YAY she's saved!!! But...by whom? It's obviously someone that the horse thinks is trustworthy, so might it be someone that they know? Maybe a fellow Highlander that came down to the city?

~*~*~

Ayumi and Megumi were currently in the tent, concealing themselves and waiting for their comrades to return. Masae and Boss had gone out earlier, off to snoop around in the city for a bit, but mostly to get in touch with their contact in the capital. Out of necessity, those two had had to be disguised, and Megumi had enthusiastically volunteered to assist them in their makeover. The results were...interesting.

...

That said though, it was sort of boring to be left behind, but Masae was insistent that Megumi rest since the woman was still weak from her injury, and Ayumi was roped in to stay and keep an eye on her. Two people were less noticeable than four anyway, although judging by the way those two were disguised, two will probably be more than enough.

Aw, I wanna see their disguises.

Probably from the Traxavex Archipelago, a strong nation in their own right, though their relations with the Empire often blew hot and cold depending on who was in power at the moment.

Interesting.    

~*~*~

But the one thing that was undeniable was that they were not to be recognised as Saito Hitomi and Ohtani Masae. Most people stared when they were in view, but returned to their work after they were gone, the quirky disguises making people dismiss them as much as it drew attention. Which was the whole point of course.

"I still don't get why I had to look like an old hag." Boss grumbled as she hobbled along, back hunched and face downturned, hidden mostly by the hood of her cloak. "If Muracchan had to dress me up as a witch, why can't I be a sexy temptress? Why an old, ugly hag with osteoporosis and a curved spine? Why?!"

"Megumi has a twisted sense of humor, and Shiba-chan is too willing an accomplice." Masae muttered, her smiling face looking just a little fake if you knew her. Ayumi had done a good job with the makeup, but the real attention grabber was the huge pink bow tied on the back of Masae's hair. The colored streamers and ribbons might have been a little overdoing it, but Masae deeply resented the frills they forced her into, just a little less than the fact that they ruined her hairdo.

Oh wow.

"Reckon Kon-chan would help us?" Masae commented randomly as they neared the large town house they were headed to.

Boss shrugged. "We can hope. Konkon likes a good mystery anyway, and we have one on our hands for her to solve."

Their contact is KONKON!!! 

~*~*~

If Saki and her team her the "trash disposal" unit, then Maimi and her squad were the invisible eyes and ears of their master. There was a certain amount of overlapping in their duties, but they had different priorities in general.

Ah, so the two units are trained in such a way that they compliment each other's skills. Interesting. It begs the question though, wouldn't it have been better to have one of Maimi's group doing the spying mission that Maiha was currently on? They must be just as well trained at killing to take care of anyone who might find them out, after all.

Saki made a funny face at that. "I still can't quite get over the fact that our sensei's a professional performer."

"Enka singer by day, spy master and professional assassin by night," Maimi quipped. She shaded her eyes languidly. "It's a good cover though."

I wonder if the royal family is aware of Maeda's "second job"?

"Anyway, check it out for me, will you? I know I shouldn't be questioning orders and all, but it just feels really wrong this time somehow. Something's fishy, I just know it."

A good soldier may follow orders, but a good PERSON knows that sometimes you have to find out the details behind those orders.  Having to silence a kid? That in itself should be enough to spark curiosity.

"Ugh, don't you have any idea what the word 'privacy' means?!"

"Nope! We look in on private affairs all the time, best way to get secret information." Maimi looked utterly non-plussed by her shameless confession, a sly look in her eyes. "And what exactly were you doing with our dear Momoko if you wanted privacy, hmm?"

The answer of a spy.  Plus, it's undoubtedly fun to tease her like that.

~*~*~*~

Actually, the source of Makoto's distress wasn't all that difficult to pinpoint. A quick look around their makeshift camp produced some very noticeable absences. Ai and Risa were quite obviously not around, and given that Makoto was also good friends with Ai, her concern was thus also fully understandable.

Oooooh, wonder how she's going to react when the two of them come back?

There was yet another missing person this day, one that went unnoticed by Makoto, but not by a certain wonky-eyed pirate girl, who was currently frowning at the fact that a certain turtle was nowhere to be found.

Awwwwwwwwww...Reina misses Eri! 

"OW FUCK MY TOE!!!" Reina howled when a certain baby snapping turtle chomped down on her booted foot. Had Reina not been wearing any footwear, that toe surely would not have been there by now. Hopping around painfully on one foot, Reina looked down at the offending party, who managed to look as smug as a turtle could, while retreating rather quickly to avoid Reina's wrath.

I know I shouldn't laugh because Reina's just been bit, but...

Yes, Ai and Risa were back. Both were blushing. It probably didn't help that Miki had immediately gone to work and started teasing them, backed up by Aibon, and soon joined by Nono. They made fun of the linked hands, the red marks on their necks, and more notably, the fact that there were rips in Ai's clothing. The pair looked awfully embarrassed, but made no move to counter the taunts or even deny it (what was there to deny anyway?). In fact, they stuck close to each other the whole time.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!   

"Have you caught a cold Ai-chan?" Makoto asked. Ai was about to deny the fact when a second sneeze, louder than the first, pretty much invalidated her statement. She sniffled, causing Risa to pull her closer in a comforting way.

"I told you not to pass your cold to other people!" Kei materialised out of nowhere next to them, doctor instincts at work again. Ai sniffed again, and Risa managed to look ashamed of herself. Kei sighed dramatically.

"Now you two can go and be sick together!" The pair looked at each other, then simultaneously sniffled at the same time.

And of course, they're both thinking "YAY!" 

"I believe we need to settle up." Maki looked smug. Kaori tore her eyes away from Ai and Risa and locked onto Maki, suspicious.

"You knew something was going to happen, didn't you? That's why you changed your bet yesterday afternoon!"

Maki looked innocent. "I wonder. Now pay up." Kaori grumbled and counted out a few gold coins, handing them to Maki. The former lieutenant smirked and tossed off a mocking salute before stalking over to where Miki was, tapping the groping devil on the shoulder. Miki turned, and reflexively caught the coins Maki tossed her way.

"Your share, partner." The last word was spoken in an undertone, low enough not to be easily heard, and the irony lacing the tone informing Miki about just exactly how they stood with each other now. Miki smirked back at Maki, pocketing the coins.

"Nice of you to share." Maki shrugged.

"Fair is fair after all." They shared mutual looks of conspiratorial respect.

Fair? Ummmm...yeah...fair.  Hooray for partners in crime! 

~*~*~

The tiny trio (aka Mari, Tsuji and Kago) were currently having a council of war. Namely, a contest to outprank, outwit and outlast each other.

Who will survive?

Eventually, Aya got sick of trying to chop Miki into tiny pieces, the latter being too wily to be caught in one spot for any extended period of time, and decided to go take a bath since she was all hot and sweaty after chasing Miki halfway across the beach and back. That had prompted a few more lewd comments from Miki, but Aya pointedly ignored it and enforced the same rule as from the day before: Miki was in no way allowed to be within a 100 metre radius of the pool in any shape or form. Nacchi decided to go along as well, and thus Maki was left behind once again to keep an eye on Miki. What a bad idea to leave those two alone together.

Bad idea? Only if you happen to be on the receiving end of the scheme that these two will eventually concoct. 

After a moment's silence, Maki spoke up. "You know, you're sort of an interesting person to hang out with, minus the groping and the perversity."

Miki rolled her eyes at the qualifications. "Like you're any less perverted yourself."

"True." Maki grinned as she stared upwards. "If I weren't already predisposed to disliking you, we could have been friends."

"Tch, we don't have to be friends to hang out. We can be partners in crime. Yesterday proved that we work well together despite our differences." Miki smirked at Maki, who returned the expression.

Looks like they realize they get along better than they initially thought. Probably has to do with the fact that their personalities (or at least, certain aspects of it) are quite similar.

"We could do that." A contemplative look settled over Maki's features. "So, who's next?"

...

there wasn't anyone to pick on. Maki had also come to same conclusion at the same time, and they both sighed simultaneously.

"This is no fun." Maki muttered half to herself.

Aw nuts. 

"Say, why don't we go sneak up on Aya at the pool?" Miki suggested, her eyes bright. Maki didn't even think as she replied firmly.

"No." Miki pouted.

"But you've seen her naked and I haven't! That's not fair!"

"Life is never fair." Maki said smugly. Miki glared at her.

Never hurts to try, and we all know that Miki-sama never gives up. 

"Hmph, I'm sure you can't even give her as good a time as I can." Maki twitched at the jibe.

"I so can."

"Cannot."

"Can too."

"Cannot."

"Can too---ah this is boring. We sound like a couple of idiots." Maki grumbled.

"You sound like an idiot. I don't." Miki clarified, smirking again. "And you're still no match for me when it comes to that."

"Oh really? Why don't you prove it then?" Maki replied thoughtlessly.

The words hung like a deadweight between them. They stared at each other. Maki was the first to react, a disturbed expression on her face.

Wha?

"What did I just say?" Miki raised an eyebrow.

...

Maki let that pass. "Let's just forget I ever said that."

"Yes, let's."

Half of me wants to say agree and say "forget it", but another half....*slaps other half*

"We could ask Aya to judge..." To which Maki replied quite firmly. "NO."

"Spoilsport." Miki stuck her tongue out at Maki.

Oh boy...

At Miki's speculative look, Maki was quick to add. "And no, you're not getting your hands on Nacchi either."

Miki looked slyly at Maki. "I thought you weren't involved with her? Why are you bothered by that idea?"

"Because no one in their right minds would let you anywhere near their friends like that. I'm just protecting them, is all." Maki huffed out defensively.

Miki snorted. "Right. I believe you." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Even Miki can see that Maki's crazy for Nacchi, but is just unable to admit it to herself! 

"Ishikawa has a devil side somewhere in there. I've seen it once." Maki shook her head sadly. "That poor man will probably never be able to father children again."

Miki winced. "That bad?"

"Worse. I didn't even know one kick could make someone start bleeding there." Maki shuddered at the memory. Miki reconsidered her position.

*crosses legs together and grimaces in obvious sympathy pain*

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh

"And that means we're fresh out of people." Maki added sardonically. "So why don't we just drop the whole idea?"

Miki smirked. "No way. There's still one more option."

Maki looked at her in confusion. "Oh? I'm sure that's all of us already."

"You're not thinking straight," Miki chided. "There's you...and me."

Omgass...

Maki got up to her feet. "I'm not participating in this insanity."

"I never thought you were that much of a prude." Miki sneered. "Seems like you're all talk and no action."

Oh, that's a challenge right there! 

"You heard me. You're pathetic. Waffling over your non-relationship and acting all tough about it. I can't believe how anyone can even stand you the way you are."

...

She paused, then added as an afterthought. "Hypocrite."

Maki was fuming on the inside. No one ever talked to her like that. She was not a pathetic, indecisive person! She was a person of action!

Miki waited. If her instincts were right, it wouldn't be long now.

Miki's instincts? About what? What's she trying to do goading Maki on like this?

Mari was currently laughing her ass off on the beach in front of an extremely embarrassed Rika and Yossi, courtesy of an unrepentant pair of twins who had taken it on themselves to ambush the pair, resulting in an awkward situation in which Yossi had somehow ended up in a slightly compromising position with Rika. Even more distressingly for the boyish pirate, Yuko was sitting nearby and had a distinctly speculative gleam in her eye, something that screamed trouble to Yossi's instincts. Whenever the captain had one of those ideas of hers, it generally spelled trouble in capital letters.

Another wedding, perhaps? 

it was with completely unprepared spirits that Nacchi and Aya walked into the cove engaged in casual chatter......only to see two very familiar people apparently fighting with each other. If fighting involved being attached at the lips as well, that is.

Aya's eyes had widened so much, it covered half her small face. You couldn't quite blame her for her reaction. The person she despised was getting it on with one of her best friends. She had good reason to be shocked, flabbergasted, and all round stymied by the whole situation.

I'd actually be more worried about Nacchi's reaction, to be honest.

"You...you...you..." To say Aya was shocked was probably an understatement. Try stunned, horrified, disbelieving and all those other adjectives suitable for such an occasion. In any case, the mental image of Maki and Miki together was permanently burned into her brain like a sizzling hot brand. She couldn't even speak coherently now as she tried vainly to process the information, even as Miki quite shamelessly nuzzled at her like nothing had happened previously.

You know, Aya probably wouldn't be reacting so strongly like this if she didn't have any good feelings towards Miki. If she really JUST despised Miki, her reaction would be one more of anger and being "grossed out" instead of the shock that she's feeling now. After all, somewhere deep inside she might actually LIKE the way Miki's been chasing after her. It means that someone wants her, and wants to be with her. It's a nice feeling, even if Aya doesn't realize that she feels it yet.

"Seems like Gocchin has been busy. Nacchi was wondering when you would get started with your conquests again with a new crew. Nacchi is happy for you too."

Oh no... Aya was jolted out of her own bafflement and thrown back into reality by Nacchi's words. The lapse into 3rd person while speaking didn't happen quite as often nowadays, but Aya clearly remembered that Nacchi had been trying to stop doing it in order to be taken seriously by other people in the navy. To think that the shock of this sudden turn of events had undone all that work in an instant. Poor Nacchi...Maki you idiot!

I echo Aya's words...Oh no...

Nacchi always smiled. She was still smiling now, but it didn't touch her eyes. Aya stiffened inwardly at the glossy mask on the older woman's face, sympathy and pain flooding through her as she tried to comprehend just exactly how Nacchi felt at that moement.

"Will you help put Nacchi's things back for her?" There it was again, that glossy, porcelain smile. So radiant, so beautiful.

So heartbreaking.

Aya numbly took the items, and Nacchi turned to face them with her smiling face. An utterly fake exterior.

"Nacchi will go for a walk now. See you for dinner."

The small woman turned on her heels and departed, walking rather quickly away.

Oh man... poor Nacchi. This might have broken her...

"What are you still doing here?! Go after her, you idiot!"

Miki was smirking from the side. "Yeah that's right, you idiot~"

"You shut up, I'll deal with you later." Aya snapped at the wholly unrepentant Miki, who shrugged nonchalantly.

Holy shit, did Miki actually plan for this to happen this way? Did she plan on getting caught to get Maki to finally realize that...omgass NACCHI!!! 

"We're...not like that." Not supposed to be.

There's a BIG difference between what you're "supposed to be" and what you "ARE". Deny it for as long as she may want to, Maki DOES know how Nacchi really feels about her. Likewise, she really DOES know how she feels about Nacchi.

Nacchi always smiled at her. She was still smiling before she walked away. Why does it hurt? Why?

Something felt wrong. It all felt so wrong.

It doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt.

Why do you leave? Why do you walk away?

Don't leave me.

I don't want to be alone.

Ok, now that you've realized how you really feel...GO AFTER HER YOU IDIOT!!! 

~*~*~

"You just messed my two best friends up in a major way!"

"I think it's good for them." Miki replied coolly. Before Aya could yell at her some more, she went on.

"They weren't getting anywhere before anyway. Something needed to happen to shake things up."

Aya blinked. Once. Twice. The information filtered through her brain slowly as she made the links.

"You...planned this?"

Miki comes up with the craziest plans, doesn't she?  Thing is, at first they look like they've blown up in your face, but once the dust settles, things seem to work out surprisingly well (in at least, the desired final outcomes are reached).

"So you were trying to help them?" Aya asked, her eyes shrewd as she stared at Miki.

"I didn't say that." Miki denied it immediately. "I just got bored and wanted to see something new."

Miki-speak for "yep".   

"You do know that if something really bad happens to either one of them, I swear that I'll really try to kill you for good this time?"

Miki turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "You mean you weren't trying seriously before?"

"Just for fun." Aya shot back smartly, before walking off back towards the ship, Miki staring incredulously after her. Aya was still worrying about her friends, but was also filled with a cautious optimism at the same time. If Miki was anywhere near right about the state of Nacchi and Maki's relationship, then maybe this issue might be able to get things out into the open once and for all.

Miki's pirate attitude and way of looking at things definitely was the way to go here. Nacchi and Maki were keeping their true feelings from one another, which just isn't healthy for either of them, plain and simple. Regardless of what the results might be, they need to get everything out on table and talk about it. No secrets, they both need to know how the other (as well as how they themselves) feels and where they stand.

~*~*~

Hurts... That was her first coherent thought as she swam out from the dark depths of unconsciousness.

Erika's alive!!! 

With some great effort, she forced her eyes open, the soft glow of candlelight seeming stark and momentarily blinding to her unprepared eyes. Everything in her vision swam in and out of focus, a mass of blurred images as if she were looking through distorted lenses. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

What she did see managed to shock a few years of her remaining lifespan out of her, her brain almost going into critical meltdown as it processed the image presented to her right in front of her face..

WHAT THE HELL?!

*gasp* What did she see??? More importantly, WHO did she see??? 


===================================

I broke the forum again!!! XDDDDD

15,003 words FTW.

You know it took me like, an hour to read through this thing while I was trying to process it and make comments/questions at the same time? 




KEEP IT UP! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!! 

I hope everyone has fun. <3 -waddles off to write side story-

SIDE STORY!!! 

Deleted scene is in the perv section of this forum, but you need to have at least 18 years of age and have over 20 posts in order to request access and successfully get that access.

I think they upped it from 20 posts, but whatever. It's not like I have to worry about not having access. 

[deviousmind]

man...the story is excellent..and the reviews are awesome...


I love this forum 

[rndmnwierd]

I'm so overwhelmed! So much to process, so much plot. My main happiness?



ERIKA THE WARRIOR PRINCESS!!!

I love you...

[Sancho]

YAY!!!! new Chap ( And it's a nice one too.)

Erika is the Warrior huh? So that means that the Black smith has a new Daughter-in-law

No Tanakamei? 

And another Nacchi's attitude were revealed. (Scary)

Same goes for Maimi and her crew. People who don't know the word "Privacy" are quite scary too. So paparazzi were already existed in some what 16th century. 

[FeverInducedMadness]

The main source of her irritation was how pointless it all felt. So what if she could do her job to perfection? It didn't win a war. It didn't end the fighting. To tell the truth, Maiha was sick of fighting. Sick of crawling around in miserable weather ambushing even more miserable people who appeared incapable of learning from experience. To this day, months after she had been first sent to this godforsaken battlefield, and they still hadn't learnt to look upwards for traps.

Mmm... Poor Maiha. That really sounds like a job that would suuuuuuuuuuck. Especially if she's so good at it. A challenge is one thing, but monotony is another...

Especially not in some arctic forest where summer was about 3 weeks long and only about 2 degrees warmer than winter (which was pretty much the rest of the year, figuratively speaking).

XDDD That kind of reminds me of weather here, sometimes. Only in reverse. Like winter's not that long and only 2 degrees colder than summer. XDDD

The nomadic tribesmen they faced might not be as well armed or as organised, but their style of mobile guerrilla warfare inflicted a sort of continual hemorrhage on the Imperial forces across the whole northern plains.

Have I ever told you I love the way you describe things? XDD What imagery...

Bumping off the leader was always a good way to cause chaos, and Maiha lived to disrupt things. Maasa used to call her a walking disruption. Against her will, she sighed out loud, her breath puffing into a little white cloud in front of her face.

Heh, silly Maiha. <3 

"You mean to tell me...Erika was sent right to the Imperials? My daughter?" The voice that came was cold and emotionless, cutting like steel itself.

Wooooo~ Erika's gonna be having a lot of fun soon, I can tell... XDD

It was a clever little poison, really. It remained dormant for a certain period of time, around 3 months maximum, before it started reacting. Of course, if it were just poison, the worse it could do was just kill you when it activated, and your pain would be over after awhile. Death itself was not painful. It was just frighteningly unknown.

No, it was not just the poison, Maiha reflected bitterly. The pill they consumed came with a parasite as well. A parasite that lay hidden somewhere inside their bodies, kept dormant by the herbal mix in the outer layer of the pill. When the effects of the herbs started breaking down, the first effects would be those telltale muscle aches. The parasite wouldn't be awake yet, naturally, since it took awhile before it actually stirred. Which was a good thing, since it gave them time to report back to their handlers and request the antidote that would reinforce the parasite's slumber until the next cycle.

DAMN IT.  So escaping their situation is pretty much impossible. Especially knowing you, cuz you'll make the poor kids suffer for a long while... ><;;

The lantern stopped a few feet from the unconscious girl, the warhorse glaring suspiciously at the stranger to ascertain if there was a threat. After a few moments, Wirbelwind backed off a little, allowing the figure to attend to her fallen mistress, but not before tugging at the stranger's sleeve, as if saying "help her!". The stranger sighed after examining the fallen girl.

"I guess I can't just leave you out here..."

Oh snap! Hope Erika's fallen into good hands... And no offense, but I giggle at the horse's name. <3 Saying it out loud for the past few minutes has been amusing.

In any case, Megumi and Ayumi were currently entertaining themselves by people-watching, partly out of necessity to keep a watchful eye out for possible danger, but mostly because they had nothing better to do.

I wonder if they do what I do when I people-watch... if I'm in a safe place, like a car or something... and they can't hear me... Sometimes I'll make up dialogue for the people walking outside. XDD

Probably from the Traxavex Archipelago, a strong nation in their own right, though their relations with the Empire often blew hot and cold depending on who was in power at the moment.

 

"Megumi has a twisted sense of humor, and Shiba-chan is too willing an accomplice."

ROFL Ah, the Melons...

"And if it's latched?"

"We can always just break it down."

"I like how you think Masae."

  I look forward to the Melons' parts in these chapters more and more because they're just so full of hilarious win... <3

"What are you, a reptile?" Saki remarked ironically, referring to how Maimi tended to bask in the sun's rays whenever they met on the roof. Never mind the implications of her being cold-blooded as well. It was an old joke between them, and Maimi responded the usual way, cracking one eye open in the meantime to gaze at her companion.

"Nah, just a chameleon." They smirked at each other, the little reference to Maimi's job too obvious to miss. Spying was their main occupation, and blending in was part of the job description. If Saki and her team her the "trash disposal" unit, then Maimi and her squad were the invisible eyes and ears of their master. There was a certain amount of overlapping in their duties, but they had different priorities in general.

Ah~ Nice interaction with Captain and Leader here... <3 Makes me feel warm and fuzzy... And mostly I've just been feeling apprehensive when I get to these parts. And interesting... so C-ute's not exactly doing the same thing that the Berryz are... Hm... I wonder if that makes their job more or less dangerous... o_o

"Anything for our dear Captain." Saki cracked a smile at that. "I don't command you, you know."

"Bah, technicalities. You'll always be our Captain, never mind that I'm leading another group." Maimi sounded extremely serious and sincere, the respect and deference clearly showing in her eyes.

Aww, Maimi. <3 

"Consider it done. I'll look into it myself, so expect a full report next week." Maimi had also sat up, Her business-like face suddenly turned sly. "Speaking about fishy things, what is going on between you and Momo-chan anyway?"

Saki twitched. Her voice was a bit squeaky when she replied just a tad defensively. "What do you mean?! We're just friends! Nothing more!"

Ohhoho.  

"Ugh, don't you have any idea what the word 'privacy' means?!"

"Nope! We look in on private affairs all the time, best way to get secret information." Maimi looked utterly non-plussed by her shameless confession, a sly look in her eyes. "And what exactly were you doing with our dear Momoko if you wanted privacy, hmm?"

 

Dawn of day three on Sexy Island, the relaxed atmosphere still prevailing.

SEXY ISLAND~!
Actually, I'm kind of done with quotes for now. Except for this one:

"OW FUCK MY TOE!!!" Reina howled when a certain baby snapping turtle chomped down on her booted foot.

You know... When I first read that exclamation, it all ran together for me, and I was totally thinking something else and I LOL'd very hard because of it. XDDDD

Seems like there's gonna be trouble on Sexy Island now, too... Even if Miki did what she did for a good reason... (She can deny it all she wants to, but... ) But again, knowing you, a resolution won't be coming any time soon. XDD That's okay, though. This story's so good that I could wait forever for it. <3

[shindoushiz]

Finally something is happening with Maki and Nacchi, eventhough right now it's a train wreck.
Reminds me of the time Nacchi was getting angry with Takahashi(poor Ai-chan, when she's actually trying to talk more for once, she's just putting her foot in her mouth). Nacchi kept smiling pleasantly and a watching Mari was like "uh oh...that smile...stop talking, she's pissed off"

hmm..Reina, I hope you at least know your way around some places, like the pirate island. You can't fool me with your, "This is where Japan is?!!" on Utaban since you laughed right after you said it.

On the ishiyoshi front, it's very serene. I'm waiting in anticipating for what happens once they meet up with the nobles and such. I'm still interested in knowing if there's more info on Yossui's family. No one is questioning about how those two know each other but maybe they are working on it behind the scenes in their betting circles?

[Amarghetta]

Oh, I missed this so much. Welcome back!

I laughed so hard at many parts, that there's no use pointing out which ones. But I like Miki so much, and I like her even more when she messes with Maki! 

So, Erika woke up to find herself nestled against Yui's boobs?   

[Ren]

Ahh! Chapter 26

Oh no... drug addicted Berryz! O_O That is so... cruel!

I was wondering "WHO WHO WHO WHO... ERIKA?!", how dare those robbers rob her, may they be get the pain they deserve . And who saved her? I hoped its Yui.

@ Boss can't display her sexiness. Those man-eating Melons are uncontrollable. I can imagine what the guards look like if Boss seduced them, probably Taka-san reaction.

I like how Maimi stalk Captain. And C-ute as a group of stalkers, mmm lovely. And.. Maeda Yuki is the kids trainer, I kind of remember her outfit from one of her singles, which look like a ninja, but I don't remember which one. Somehow Kamei can be classified as a stalker-ish heard it all turtle too, like how Airi probably spy-ed on CaptainMomo.

All the turtles hating on Reina. She should ask Nacchi to help her do some turtle-search.

The most innocent pairing on the sexy island have been corrupted by MakiMiki. Who is the innocent one left now?

Oh Reina is lost! What will happen to her?!

Poor Yossi...

and... Poor Nacchi, she talk like a baby now ^^;. Miki the couple-breaker! And Maki is too... Slow...

Who is that person at the end? Reina? Erika?