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

[orangesocks]

Risa's so sweet, protecting her Ai-chan.  TaGaki~! Risa shooting the seagull was crazy cool! Poor bird, though...

I adore how Ayaya's grudgingly fallling for the groping demon.

How long would this truce last before the storm finally hits?

Darn it...!

[Saikami]

Ah, great chapters! I'm sorry I didn't post for the last one, so I'll just comment extra here.

Very long chapter, but it seemed to go by really quickly. O__O;; I liked it. ^^ TakaGaki made me laugh so much considering they just met the prior night and they're actually kinda okay with marriage. But they do make such a cute couple <3 Risa's so cute when she protects Ai-chan. And then, when they made out in the basement. xD!! That was just great. I swear, you're god or somethin'

Now, what can I say about Miki? Well...She's just Miki! Nothing more to it, Groping Demon at it's finest. Aya and her are the best~! I was rather shocked when Aya did actually kiss Miki, but it was awsome I love how Miki always uses the "I saved your life!" thing because Aya has no choice but to agree. >:3

Rika and Yossie made me squeal ! Rika just needs to go and tell Yossie that she ditched her wedding to find her. <3

[len.chan]

Risa aiming the gun to Miki... BEST PART EVER! :heart: (just because Aya kissing Miki it's at another level already XDXD) gaki-san is so sweet protecting her wife
sorry for the short comment.. nothing more to say just waiting for next chapter

[Ren]

cheesesticks: oh that Ayaya captain clothes is hawt .

Aw I really forgot what I wrote at the temporary forum ^^; I'll recomment but I think it won't be exactly the same ...

- Gun vs flying knives = Gaki vs Miki Now Miki will be the most hated person of the navy .
- Aya.. I bet she'll beg Miki for more after she gets used to Miki .. No who is the aggressive one?!
- Kamei's "MY SHOCK!" expression is too cute to imagine She should find a lover, quick!
- Weapon lover Reina Use that harpoon to give Kamei's wedgies please
- Will Yossie told Rika to just go back home? I hope not.. ;_;

[Arcadia Victis]

<3 this fic. All of the characters are so colorful and entertaining.

[Estrea]

First up, let's deal with the replies first before posting the chapter. ^_^

cheesesticks: Nice pic! Aya looks really good.... Fanart? I want fanart! Everyone should contribute pictures anyway, since I'm contributing a whole ton of words.

Mikan: Yes, GAM is good. (almost typed GAM is god, but eh, that works too ) Addicted? Mufufufu.

lil_hamz: Welcome aboard! I'm glad you spent time catching up with the story, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^_^

black velvet: Yeah Yuko might as well just become a priest and start marrying everyone else off. Maki vs Miki? That's been brewing since Day 1.

freya: Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually.

Blizzard: Haha sorry about the distinct lack of fighting. I'm just setting things up for now. The fighting will return eventually!

JFC: Haha it helps that you just commented anyway.

orangesocks: Yep, the shoot-the-seagull part was fun. I just thought about it on the spur of a moment haha. Of course, plot twists make a story interesting...

Saikami: Yeah TakaGaki never fails to crack me up. And they're cute to boot, so that helps. Miki is so going to be pulling the "I saved your life" card everytime she runs out of things to say. Haha. As for Rika, well, you get to see the true circumstances of how she ran away in the coming chapter.

len.chan: Lol I was wondering whether Risa would actually do that to Miki, but eh, she has to protect her wife, so why not? Haha. Hope the next chapter won't disappoint.

Ren: Gaki vs Miki...Miki always wins in the end, somehow. As for Kamei, well, she'll find some fun later. As for the rest, you'll see.

Arcadia Victis: Welcome aboard! Glad you liked. Stick around ok!


Warning to everyone, next chapter has a substantial shift away from the current cast since I needed to introduce new characters and set up the plot some more. Hope no one is too disappointed!

...now you guys can play the waiting game while I edit the chapter again.

[Estrea]

Chapter 15


The capital city of Rijktrots, the center and pride of the Empire, was a huge, bustling metropolis of its time. It symbolised the union of the Highlanders and the Sea Folk, sprawled between the mountains and the ocean. The Inner City was built in and around the rolling foothills of Wreed mountains, while the Outer City stretched out across the short distance of the plains and on to the coast, where the great harbors lay for the mighty armada that was one of the cornerstones of the Empire's domination.

The Palace itself lay higher in the mountains, growing almost as if from the crags of the looming peaks to gaze down at the sprawling city below. It was a magnificent sight, whether one was looking at it from below, or admiring the majestic view from above.

Though that whole glowing description was probably just a whole load of crap, thought one small hooded figure, who was sitting on a stoop outside a bakery, munching idly on a piece of bread.

The official view of the city was indeed beautiful. But only if you were viewing it from high above, in the mountains where the palace was. Or if you were within the burnished bronze gates of the Inner City, where the marble walls separated the rich and powerful from the ordinary people that lived in the Outer City. And even in the Outer City itself, divisions were made. Closer to the limits of the Inner City, the more prosperous mercantile families and the more well-to-do tradesmen lived and worked, catering to the more affluent and the visitors to the capital. Still further on was Midtown, where the bulk of the ordinary city dwellers were, craftsmen and other lesser traders congregating in a noisy bustle along the famed Market Street. Beyond that lay the workers' district, where most of the poorer people lived. Finally, the city ends around the port district, where the warehouses and wharves were.

A tale of many cities indeed. The small figure took another bite from the loaf. Not too far away, a pair of young children, one boy and one girl, were staring with undisguised yearning and hunger at the loaf in the figure's hand. It was a fact that didn't escape the figure, who stood up and walked over to them, halting a few feet away to avoid spooking the hungry children away.

"Here." Her voice betrayed her gender, even though the hood and cloak hid her features. The mostly intact loaf was handed over to the children, whose eyes were wide with stunned amazement at the unexpected generosity. With muttered words of thanks, they practically snatched the offered loaf out of her hands, before dashing off down the alley. She watched them go, an inscrutable expression hidden by the shadow of her hood.

"How nice of you to do that, Captain." A familiar voice observed with a mocking tone from somewhere off to one side. She did not bother to turn to face them, seeing that she knew that they had been there since a few minutes before.

"What took you two so long?" Two slender figures stepped out of the narrow alley off to her left, similarly hooded and cloaked, but taller than the first.

The one who had spoken first shrugged. "We stopped by at Konno-san's place on the way here. Had to pass her the stuff she wanted anyway. Oh and she wanted us to pass a message to you. Said she got some new upgrades for our equipment and wants us to go check it out later."

The short captain nodded. "I see. What about the rest?"

The tallest in the trio piped up this time. "Maasa and Chinami are still sleeping after their night duty, and we left Yurina with Konno-san. Wasn't Momoko with you though?"

"Momo's with our charge, where else? Speaking of that, we better hurry after them. I have no idea why that girl wants to explore the Outer City. At least I managed to get Momo-chan to go along to protect her. If something happens to her, it'll be our necks on the line." The captain said a bit grimly.

"Ease up Saki! Momo might be small, but she's good enough to handle any trouble until we can get there to back her up."

"I know I know...and it's Captain Saki to you, Miya." Saki was already moving, navigating the complex maze of side streets and alleys to their target's last known location. Miyabi and Risako were giggling as they followed behind their squad captain and close friend.

"Hai hai Captain!"

"Goof off on your own time, not on duty!"

"Yes leader!"

"Just Captain will do, damnit."

~*~*~

Koharu was bored out of her mind. Even though technically, she was on a mini adventure in the Outer City and should really be a little more excited. But the general euphoria at sneaking out to explore had faded after a couple of hours, since there was only so much to see even after walking down the whole way of Market Street.

At least Momoko made a good companion. The smaller girl was quite energetic and had been giving her a running commentary on just about everything they passed as they strolled down the streets. For a servant of the household, Momoko sure knew a lot about the city. But then again, even the servants had more freedom of movement around the outside than her, so maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise. It was tough being the niece of the Prime Minister. Her uncle could be so protective over her sometimes. If he found out about how she slipped out of their town house in the inner city today, he would probably throw a fit. Fortunately, he was going to be in the palace the whole of today for some important meetings about some war or another in the north lands, so she was safe for the time being.

"I'm bored." She announced, after they stepped out of a silversmith's shop. Momoko, whose eyes had been wandering around their surroundings the moment they emerged from the shop, snapped her attention back to her charge, while still keeping one eye out for any suspicious individuals. It didn't hurt to be more careful after all.

"Well we could always go back." The servant (well secret bodyguard, but Koharu didn't have to know that) suggested. They had been out for most of the morning, and the short 15 year old knew that they should probably return before someone tattled on them.

"But it's boring back in the house!" Koharu complained. Which was true. She was forced to study all sorts of irrelevant things (to her anyway) like flower arranging, proper etiquette for all occasions, as well as music and dancing lessons. The dancing wouldn't have been so bad if her teacher hadn't been some kind of a sick pervert. The way he stared at her and the female servants attached to her made her uncomfortable. She had tried once or twice to get him changed, but her uncle had been too busy to hear her out. Until she could get rid of the man, she would probably have to keep asking Yurina and Maasa to hang around whenever she had dance lessons. The two taller girls made her feel a bit better just by being present in the same room.

She did enjoy the music lessons though, but her usual instructor was out ill for the week, hence her abject boredom. Sneaking out wasn't a viable option at first, since she got caught by Saki and Momoko while trying to climb out of a back window, but the privileged girl sure was surprised when Saki offered to help her get out to have a looksee around the city, provided Momoko came along of course. She had agreed very quickly to the conditions, since it was rare, if not impossible that she would allowed to go out into the city without being surrounded by a calvacade of heavily armed guards. Sometimes her uncle was just paranoid, she thought.

A couple of ill-dressed youths were looking appreciatively at the deceptively mature-looking Koharu, making Momoko tense inwardly. While she could probably deal with them on her own, she wasn't relishing having to deal with them in front of a panicky Koharu. The girl might be taller than her, but Momoko was trained for such situations. Besides, she really didn't want to blow her cover. The instructors had drilled that into them since they were but mere children in training, and the Captain continued to remind them not to expose themselves unnecessarily unless forced to, and even then, to make sure that there were no witnesses left alive.

Fortunately, she wouldn't have to deal with it herself today. A very pretty girl had walked up innocently to those same youths, asking them something or another. The clearly lecherous grins of those boys were evident even in the distance, and they started to lead the apparently hapless girl down a quiet alley. Momoko resisted the urge to snicker. She recognised the girl. The others had to be using Risako as bait again, and were probably lying in wait to kick the living daylights out of those boys. Lesson of the day: do not mess with them or whoever they were supposed to be protecting. Even appearing as a possibility of being a threat was good enough a reason for their squad to act.

"...Momo...Momo-chan...!" The shorter girl blinked and quickly turned her attention to Koharu, who was staring inquisitively at her. "Um, yes?"

"Where should we go now?"

Momoko pondered that for a moment before replying brightly. "How about we visit Konno-san? She has a lot of interesting things at her place." And it makes keeping an eye on you so much easier. "We'd have to bring some cake along though. Konno-san likes them."

Koharu's eyes had brightened at the mention of Konno Asami, genius inventor in the employ of the crown itself. The inventor had distinguished herself at first with the piping system that had enabled water to be piped up to the baths from the wells below, thus negating the need for servants to laboriously cart buckets of water up to the Emperor's bathtub everytime His Royal Majesty decided to take a bath. That ingenious system had been adopted by the royal family, as well as the more affluent families in the capital city. Since that achievement, Konno had also been involved in several other projects and had helped to advance quite a few useful improvements in drainage systems and the like, earning her some acclaim and gratitude from the masses.

Inevitably though, her mechanical skills were called upon by the government to help with military development, which the inventor had initially refused vehemently since she disdained being a party to violence or the creation of weapons that would aid in destruction. Unfortunately, she had been forced to compromise her ideals since the direct order was that she had to comply or be jailed. However, even then, she usually focused her efforts on developing better defensive measures for the military, experimenting with a variety of alloys to create better armor plating for the soldiers. Of course, those improved alloys were also used for weapons like swords, but that couldn't be helped.

Due to the nature of her work, most people weren't allowed in to see Konno unless they were high ranking enough, or if they were personal friends of the genius. The friendly girl resented the fact that her freedom of movement had been curtailed, but accepted it grudgingly since there was no other alternative. It wasn't as if she was literally caged, since she was allowed to go out freely (with guards discreetly tailing behind, but yeah). Nevertheless, she enjoyed tinkering with new things and rarely went out anyway, except to consult with other people, or if there were meetings to attend. Supplies and other essentials were catered to her, so she never had to worry about those minor things anymore. 

Koharu had never actually met Konno before, although her position as niece to the Prime Minister would certainly grant her entrance with the guards in the front should she choose to do so, which was why Momoko had even suggested it in the first place. Well, technically Momoko could get them both in due to the privileges of her alternate identity, as well as the fact that her entire squad was on good terms with the inventor after the first time they got sent to her to discuss designs for their "special" equipment. But to do so would raise uncomfortable questions from the naturally curious Koharu, and the short girl would rather avoid that if possible.

"You know Konno Asami? That is so cool!" Koharu looked impressed. Momoko coughed nervously.

"Ahem well, we helped to deliver messages and supplies to her before. The Prime Minister ordered it." That wasn't a lie, as far as it went. Koharu appeared to be satisfied by the answer, and let the matter drop.

"Well, shall we go then?" Momoko changed the subject quickly, not wanting her charge to start thinking too much into the topic just in case. Better not risk it after all.

"Let's go!"

~*~*~

"Wrench." Said implement was handed over.

"Oil." The tin was passed down.

"Cloth please." Moments later the requested fabric was delivered.

Many minutes, various implements, and lots of tweaking later, a sigh of satisfaction was released.

"There, done." Konno Asami, genius inventor, rose to her feet, wiping her greasy hands on the cloth. "Thanks for the help Yurina-chan, it was really useful."

"You're welcome." The much, much taller girl smiled down at the older woman.

"Well now that I finally finished repairing that, why don't we have some tea and cake?" Konno smiled at the younger girl she had borrowed earlier as an assistant for the day. Yurina beamed at the suggestion. Tea sounded just fine with her.

"So what are the new stuff you added to our arsenal this time?" Yurina prodded insistently, having asked Konno the same question for the whole morning but to no avail. The inventor simply smiled and told her to wait until the whole group was around. This time however, the genius seemed a little more willing to respond, although a bit evasively.

"Well, I came up with upgrades for Saki's and Momo's weapons, and I have a few other useful tools you guys could use, probably wouldn't work for standard military code, but definitely up your alley..."

"Anything like that flash bomb you made for us the last time?" Yurina asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Let's just say they're less bright and useful for sneaking."

"Aww come on, tell me!"

"Patience is a virtue." And that was the last she would speak of the subject despite the continual urging of the 14 year old. Konno was not naturally a sadist, but some perverse part of her secretly enjoyed having the younger girl eagerly anticipating her creations. Frankly, she wanted to talk about her latest improvements for their equipment just as much as Yurina wanted to hear about it, but she didn't want to have to explain herself again when the others came by.

The young genius had self-control. She could wait until the whole squad assembled before starting her explanations.

Now, to distract herself and Yurina with food so that she wouldn't be tempted to spill everything beforehand...

~*~*~

"Can we drown her?"

"I think she knows how to swim."

"Darn."

"...but if we tied her up first?"

"Hmm..."

"What are you two discussing now?" Shibata Ayumi came up behind her two teammates, her tone suspicious as she folded her arms, eyeing the older and supposedly more mature women who were sitting in the shade of a tree, watching their current charge play a short distance away. The pair had the decency to look just slightly guilty, like children caught with their hands with the cookie jar.

"Nothing!" Murata Megumi quickly replied, glancing at her partner-in-crime. "Nothing at all. Right, Masae?" The other woman nodded in agreement. "We weren't really talking about anything, Shiba-chan..."

"Oh really? I thought I heard something about tying people up." Ayumi levelled a steady gaze at Megumi, who pushed her ever-present glasses up her nose at the scrutiny, the lenses glinting in the sunlight. The youngest of the group looked over at the young girl who was playing in the sand nearby, their current responsibility.

"Please don't tell me you were planning to do anything to Aria-chan."

Masae whistled innocently, while Megumi removed her glasses to clean them on the front of her shirt before putting them back on. Ayumi sighed.

"You do know that Aya will probably skin you alive if anything happens to her youngest sister while she's away, don't you?" Shibata tried her best to sound serious and grim, but it came out more exasperated and amused than anything else.

"Ah, but Aya isn't here. And what Aya doesn't know won't hurt her in the least." Megumi preached reasonably, a pious expression on her face. Masae snickered beside her. Ayumi sighed and flopped down next to the seated duo, clearly giving up on ever persuading them. It hadn't worked in the past, why would it work now?

"I wonder how Aya is doing out at sea? It's been more than a month since we last saw her."

Masae shrugged, leaning back against the tree. "I'm sure she can take care of herself. Besides, she has Maki with her."

"That's part of why I'm worried, actually." Ayumi added laconically, drawing a chuckle out of the other two.

:Well, Nacchi's with her too, no big deal. She can keep an eye on them both." Masae added encouragingly.

"Ah, but did you know that our dear Abe-san also has a playful streak a mile wide somewhere behind that serious officer look she puts up?" Megumi was smiling benignly even as her companions turned to look at her.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." The glasses girl nodded with a knowing look.

"Wow, she sure hides it well...how did you know though?" Masae looked curious, as did Ayumi. Megumi smiled mysteriously.

"I have my sources."

Shibata eyed her steadily. "Don't tell me, you blackmailed someone for it?"

Megumi buffed her nails against her shirt. "Close, but not quite."

"Threatened?" Masae tried.

"Getting further."

"Tricked?"

"Not really."

"Swindled?"

"Do you two really have such a bad opinion of me?" Megumi placed a hand to her chest, pretending shock and hurt.

"Not you, just your integrity." Masae shot back, a grin on her face. Ayumi muffled a snort of laughter with her hand.

Megumi pretended disappointment, shaking her head. "I'm not that bad..." She began with a righteous tone. "...I only resorted to bribery."

Laughter. "Who?" The question came simultaneously afterwards.

Light reflected off the glasses with a tilt of the head. "Our dear Gocchin is surprisingly susceptible to a certain kind of pastry..."

More guffaws. Then Ayumi straightened herself. "How would Maki know anyway?"

Megumi smiled cryptically. "Think. How else?"

[Estrea]

For her part, Shibata really tried. But she couldn't seem to come up with anything logical. Or even illogical, for that matter. Masae, however, got the point immediately. Or maybe she was just too used to the Murata-style hints. She cracked up even as her two teammates looked on, Megumi with an evil glint behind her glasses, and Ayumi still trying to puzzle out what the subleader meant.

"They didn't!" Masae cracked out in between fits of laughter.

"Oh but they did."

"But how?"

Ayumi decided to interrupt at this point. "Do you two know I still have absolutely no idea what the heck you're talking about?"

"And that's our fault?"

"Yessssssssssss." She somehow managed to stretch the one syllable into two. Possibly even three.

The two older women glanced at each other, before Masae shrugged and leaned over to Ayumi, whispering what Megumi had implied earlier. The younger woman first had her eyes widen with shock, before she simultaneously paled and blushed at the same time.

"But...how?!"

"I said that already." Masae pointed out.

"Apparently there was alcohol involved somewhere along the line. And rope too, I think." Megumi recalled. Masae nodded sagely even as Ayumi clapped a hand to her forehead.

"That explains the rope burns on the girl's wrists when she came by to look for Aya that time, huh?"

"Truly. And the bite marks too."

"I wonder how she got singed there though?"

"No idea. Maybe we can ask them when they get back."

Ayumi decided that it was time to change the subject. After all, there were minors playing only a few feet away. Children didn't need to hear anymore of such sordid details.

"SO. I'm sure they'll find some way to get out of trouble even if they do get into it somehow." She forced in as much 'let's change the subject' vibes into her tone as was humanly possible. Her older comrades got the hint and decided to spare younger ears from the adult conversation. Besides Ayumi had a really disturbed expression on her face and the other two wasn't sure if they knew how to revive the younger girl if she collapsed or something. The sea was nearby of course, but they didn't want to accidentally drown Shiba-chan or something. Saito would get mad if they did.

"Hey, where's the Boss?" Masae quipped, finally noticing the absence of their leader.

"I was wondering when you two would notice." Ayumi sighed. "She's out with the missus for a trip to the village."

Masae nodded. "I wonder when the Admiral is coming back. He's been off at the capital for the last 3 weeks. Aria misses him and raises holy hell since both Aya and the Admiral aren't around to keep her occupied."

"Aya was never that annoying when she was a kid." Shibata agreed.

"No, she was just stubborn and insufferable." Megumi deadpanned. Masae snorted. Shibata giggled.

"I still remember the time when she took out two neighborhood ruffians with a broomstick. A broomstick." They all laughed at that.

"Goes to show that no one should ever pick on her sisters when the girl's around. She stabbed one of those bullies in the groin with the stick!"

"That must have hurt."

"I'd bet."

They all sighed at the same time. "I miss having her around." Masae mourned.

"But you'd deny that if anyone else asked." Megumi observed.

"Obviously."

Ayumi rolled her eyes. Then she thought of something else.

"Hey, I wonder how Rika-chan is doing."

"Perfectly fine, I'll bet. Our little scheme worked out without a hitch, thanks to glasses here." Masae poked at Megumi's shoulder.

"Scheme is such a nasty word." The subleader complained.

"Then what? Plot? Conspiracy?"

"Set-up?"

Megumi turned to look at Ayumi. "I like that one." She turned back to Masae. "See, Shiba-chan came up with something better."

Masae pouted.

Ayumi giggled. "I still can't believe you staged the whole thing." She said to Megumi, who absently adjusted her glasses again.

"Well you were the one who mentioned that your friend wanted out of the marriage. If you didn't want us to do anything, you shouldn't have said it in the first place." Megumi reasoned reasonably, the way she always did when subtly trying to extricate herself from blame. Ayumi rolled her eyes, being used to it, but decided to ask something that had been nagging at her ever since that incident.

"How did you know that Rika would run away from the carriage on the way to the wedding?"

"Elementary, my dear Shiba-chan. Remember the time when you brought us along with you when you went out with Ishikawa?" Ayumi nodded, and Megumi continued.

"Well, I kept dropping hints to the lady about how she should 'be free' and 'escape' the whole afternoon." Masae blinked at her subleader.

"So that's why you kept saying all those strange things and jokes that time!"

"Like the one about the duck and the farmer." Shibata recalled with awe. Masae raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"You actually remembered that one?" The youngest in the trio hid her face in embarrassment.

Megumi looked bemused before continuing. "That was the first step. Had to plant the idea in her subconsciousness." The glasses-wearing woman shrugged. "Then the next step was to give her that last push to make that decision on her own to leave. Which was why I didn't let you go to tell her that everything would be ok the evening before."

Shibata blinked. "How did you know I was going to go comfort her the night before that? I was sure I didn't tell you, but then again you guys just dragged me along for a card game..."

"Well, if you had gone and told her that everything would be ok, she'd be less likely to want to leave. I wanted to isolate her and force her decision."

The younger woman looked aghast, but Masae was impressed. "I'm surprised you planned all that without giving it away."

Glasses shifted again, reflecting more sunlight in that same ominous manner. "Practice." She quipped drily.

"So you manipulated one of my close friends into running away from her wedding?" Ayumi accused.

"I did not manipulate, merely encouraged her to take the road she really desired in her own heart. If she didn't have that idea in her heart already, she wouldn't have fallen for the whole thing so easily. In a way, I was just helping her along." Megumi defended herself in a logical and reasonable fashion, and in her most sincere tone. Completely faked of course, but it worked anyway.

"Well...that makes sense..." The younger woman gave way grudgingly.

"And then we all know what happened next." Masae reflected. "You woke us all up before dawn and had us sneak out to wait on the route the bridal party would take. Boss was totally pissed off."

"Luckily Ishikawa really did decide to make a break for it. If not, I might have some trouble justifying waking you guys up." Megumi admitted. Masae stared.

"You mean you weren't sure?"

"Well, it was a gamble..."

Masae just made a noise of exasperation. Ayumi scratched at the back of her hand absently.

"Still, your idea of disguising us as part of the honor guard in the bridal party was interesting."

Megumi shrugged. "Figured we could get into the mess, knock a few of the real guards out, and then pretend to chase after the runaway bride while getting rid of the real pursuers on the way. Leaving our target home free."

"And then you practically had us herd the lady towards the harbor." Masae accused.

"Actually, towards the wharf where Aya's ship was getting ready to set off." Megumi corrected. "It was cutting it a bit close, since I didn't know how fast Ishikawa could run to be able to make it in time."

Shibata was shaking her head. "The perfect set-up. You knew that Aya would never turn Rika-chan away if she made it on board."

Megumi smiled. "Of course. Aya doesn't like the idea of arranged marriages anyway. And it probably helps that the groom in question is that Tachibana boy."

Masae snickered. "He was the one that kept trying to send flowers to her after meeting her at that party, wasn't he?"

"That's the one. Aya was really annoyed with him too. Even humiliated him in public once, I recall. Gocchin was telling me all about it that time." Megumi reminisced.

"Nevertheless, you sure dumped a lot of trouble onto Aya before she even left the harbor." Ayumi scolded.

"Oh, I'm sure they can handle it. Hardship is part of life's experiences. It moulds character." Megumi said sagely.

"I hope to God no one else ever finds out we were involved in this whole fiasco." Shibata sighed, massaging her temples.

"First lesson, Shiba-chan: I never leave any evidence behind. Ever."

"What about that time with the squirrel?"

"What squirrel?"

"The one in the kitchen."

"Oh. That was an anomaly. Besides, Boss was the one who messed it up first."

"True..."

Another day, another story. Where it all began, it would all end.

Karma did always have a way of turning around to where it started.

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


Sorry if it feels random. I had a good reason to move the focus back to mainland. The last two lines says it all. I couldn't get to introduce all the new characters yet, but here's most of them.

And I have a new post-chapter segment! Mostly just for crackiness.

*Melon Kinenbi pops in*

Saito: I can't believe you left me out of the chapter.
Me: I mentioned you, didn't I?
Saito: I was only present in 3 lines. 3 lines!!!
Me: Um, sorry?
Shibata: I'm sure Estrea tried her best...
Megumi: Not to mention a certain bunny rabbit got left out of the chapter entirely...
Me: HOW THE HECK DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THAT?!
Megumi: I have my sources. *glasses flashing*
Masae: She means that you she read your character notes.
Me: Good god. Stay away from my notes!
Megumi: You should take better care of them in the first place.
Me: Oh whatever. Give them the preview for the next chapter Shiba-chan.
Shibata: Ahem. *stares at script* It's blank.
Me: Blank?
Shibata: Yesssss.
Me: Make something up then.
Shibata: Huh?
Megumi: She means lie your way through it.
Shibata: Oh. Um. More action? Probably drama. Crap humour and comedy.
Masae: As expected from a 3rd rate B-movie.
Saito: What B-movie? This is a Z-movie.
Shibata: Is there such a thing as a Z-movie?
Saito: Well, there is now.
Me: HEY!!!!
Masae: Face it, you're a crap director.
Me: T____T
Shibata: Well, until next time then?

[ferrar1]

Whole load of new characters :DDDDDDDDDDDD

Love the laidback conversation between the melons. Ties up alot of loose ends and background stories.

AND i thought Megumi was the leader in real life.. no?

Are the berryz part of the naval army as well? or mainland army?

[Amarghetta]

Eh, more people in the fic! Can you handle it? :p

[Mikan]

Ow ow ow *Lies down* Mooooore characters...more back stories.....reading too much...owow myy heaaaad!!!

Well!! Indeed you said there were gonna be new chapters but wow, yeah didnt see that many coming. Melon Kinenbi were awesome....looooooooooooooooool. I loved the whole plan on how to get Ishikawa on the boat. There was a point were I cackled but I dont remember exactly where it was.

Btw, ur a wonderful director and I hope you`ll cast me in ur next dream!

[FeverInducedMadness]

-lovely sigh- Yay Berryz... I was wondering if they'd make an appearance in this, the greatest story I have read this year. <3 You've probably just made my day.

The Melons cracked me up. Especially the first few lines:

"Can we drown her?"

"I think she knows how to swim."

"Darn."

haha, and I loved how they were discussing the aesthetics (I think that's right...) of the words they were using. Priceless.

Awesome stuff. :3 I want more! <3

[Ren]

Berryz and Melon!

Koharu sure suits to be the type of the princessy girl who is grounded etc- . But having Momo as her bodyguard (or servant) really made me crack up , because I was imagining Koharu walking around in gown while Momo beside her using maid outfits with weapons hidden in her skirt .

Professor Konkon . I remember Slack's avatar , where Konkon is wearing glasses and white outfit like a professor .

The Melons are very schemy... But that just fits with how Megumi looks, exactly . They are part of the navy too? What did Nacchi do anyway ? Is it with Maki?

And that Aria girl, Aya's younger sister, is she just a made up character for this fic or she really exists ?

...and I love that Pervert title below your nick .


Oh and I forgot to repost these pics from my comment for ch 14 in the temporary forum, please bear with the crappiness :

Eh, more people in the fic! Can you handle it? :p

Its Estrea! She can do it for sure !

[rndmnwierd]

Woot, I wonder how you'll fit the Shige in this?  I cracked up at the whole Melon convo. That's good stuff... As always, looking forward to the next chapter.

[lil_hamz]

Princess Koharu, it does have a ring to it. I have been wondering how Konno, Koha and Shige would fit into this and now I know, except for Sayumi. She seems rather princess-like as well but with your superb writing skills you could probably write her as someone no one would expect. Having the Berryz was a nice touch but wow things are bound to get messier now 

[orangesocks]

'Konno was not naturally a sadist, but some perverse part of her secretly enjoyed having the younger girl eagerly anticipating her creations.'

KONKON! Whose a sadist?! Though I could see how she could be one...

I liked the Melon Kinenbi appearance. Funny! 

What's the joke with the duck and the farmer? Does it exist??

[coachie]

THE MELONS!!!!

I so hoped you would pull them in, yay! And a big YAY! for evil sheming (or good in this case)
Now all I need is a little Country Musume goodness and I'm completely satisfied.
At the beginning of this chapter I thought this was actually CM's Asami (they are three and she's the smallest and was the leader -not sure about that though)

And Aya got a little sis! For some reason I kept thinking of Aria as Aya's child 

[Slack]

Of course Konkon can be sadistic.

Now I see how Aya's blade could have a revolver in it...

[magicnumber]

At first I was like, "damn no GAM  " But the Melons were hilarious and yay for Berryyzzzz + Koharu!

I love how you're really including all of H!P in this story and not just giving them random filler roles. This story is the greatest 

[JFC]

Konkon invented/developed Aya's gunblade? COOL!

Berryz...like ninja's in training? or some type of elite guard for Koharu? Come to think of it, I totally didn't realize that there had been no Koharu up to this point.

Da Melons...gotta love 'em! They're almost like Miki in their sneakiness.

Z-MOVIES HELLA YAH!!!