On Changing Tides
AN: Here, have Serena as the smart-mouthed, sword-wielding lesbian as we all know we need to see in the world.
Corruption festered beneath the names of nobility and justice. It was like a terrible rot beneath the façade of brilliant flower. With a blade at her command, Serena shall cut it all away or else dishonour shall be the death of her. She refuses to fight for it any longer. Not now, not when she's seen the people she had hurt in the flesh and fury.
Fleet Captain Yuri approached Serena. He scowled. His cutlass was drawn as was a cruel smile and deviant eyes.
'Now, now, Serena. Surely you understand still that we are of the most gallant goals.' he said.
He reached out with his blade. The upward tip of his cutlass poked upon Serena's breast lightly. He disgusted her and she had no problems letting him now. Her face soured. She lifted her chin and looked down upon him. Her free hand turned to a fist. She raised her own cutlass.
'Duel me.' she snarled.
'Come now, surely we can settle this civilly.'
'You haven't a pleasant bone in your body. You and I both know you wouldn't hesitate to cut my tongue out of my mouth it meant you didn't have to listen to the truth!' Serena spat.
His eyes fluttered closed; he tutted: 'After all these years…' he lamented. 'I still can't fool you. And yet? You are Admiral Akaba's favourite soldier.'
'Tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine!' barked Serena. 'Now, duel me!'
He sighed and discarded his scarlet cape. He smiled sinisterly; his eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
'Very well, if you insist.'
Serena steeled her resolve. She remembered the stories of civilians and pirates had given her. True, consistent accounts of the atrocities the Navy had committed under the evil ambition of Akaba Leo. She would avenge them. It was her duty to restore order and enforce justice. She would no longer be part of a system that desecrates the very morals she had brought into her life; even if it meant becoming lawless for it was better to be lawless than without moral.
Yuri surged forth first. His slashes were precise and deadly. But he had sparred Serena many times. She knew his pattern. He knew hers. She parried his blade and ducked beneath it; surprising him with an uppercut.
He stumbled backwards. He thought he knew her patterns.
Serena spun on her heel and this time landed a strike with her blade. She swept in for a kick and got him across his ribs. He held onto himself and sputtered. Spittle flecked his mouth. He glared at her.
'You lowly, conniving, bitch!' he cursed.
He charged forth. He was lost in rage. He raised his blade high and it cut on sunlight. It glinted. With a harsh strike, he ravaged what was beneath which happened to be Serena's shoulder. His cutlass slid through her surgically but left much destruction. Serena howled in pain as fabric and skin tore. Blood spurted. Yuri relished it.
'That's what you get for using dirty tactics.' he snarled. He looked down on Serena as she collapsed.
She numbly clamped her hand over her injury. Blood stained her hands.
'You bastard! I won't forgive you!' Serena yelled.
'Please, you won't get the time in Hell, traitor.' Yuri replied; his voice was low.
He propped up Serena's chin with his bloodied cutlass. He smiled. He savoured the terror that shaped Serena's faces; the way her lips quivered and her arms shook. The way her eyes widened before him like he was some destructive force of nature.
'I believe you may want to reconsider that.'
A new, cold voice descended on the pair of them. Yuri straightened up; he felt his back brush against the mouth of a gun.
'Akaba Reiji… I'd know that voice anywhere. The prodigal son returns.' Yuri drawled playfully. He sighed, shrugged.
'You leave my crewman alone or else you'll be the one in Hell.' Reiji warned. He took his revolver off safety.
Yuri sneered. 'When one falls, one falls far.'
'I am proud to call myself the latest recruit!' Serena yelled.
She pulled herself to her feet even though she was in shambles. Her grip on her cutlass was loose but it would not take much feat to slash open Yuri's smug little face. She threw back her sword-arm and lashed forth. Her blade ate into the side of Yuri's face. He screamed and screamed. Reiji pulled back; readjusted his glasses then called out to the remainder of the crew.
Yuzu came back first. She plodded along in rags and smiles.
'What on Earth…?' she howled.
'You can take care of Serena, as our resident medic. I need to attend to the others. Are they well?' Reiji asked.
'Y-Yeah, you can count on me, Reiji. They're alive. Don't you worry.'
'Good. We can't risk losing numbers. Not when our mission is becoming so critical.' Reiji continued and he strode off. He readjusted the safety of his revolver and strapped it to his thigh.
Yuzu crept forward. Serena scrambled to her weak legs once more. She was puffed up and proud like the cat that got the cream.
'Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, sweetness?' flirted Serena.
She had to be delirious.
Yuzu swallowed at the sight of blood. Not just Serena's, she suspected as she saw the other body – Fleet Captain Yuri's – twitch as he tried to keep his face whole rather than like the pages of a flayed book.
Yuzu swung her brown bag around from off her back. She riffled through it and Serena trudged towards her.
'You don't have to be strong for me, Serena. I'm the doctor.' Yuzu tittered.
'I just want to get away from that motherfucker before he decides we can keep going pound for pound of flesh.' Serena laughed through her agony.
She powered onwards. Yuzu scampered behind her. Together, the women collapsed outside the Captain's Quarters of this naval ship. They would be safe here. The remainders of the crew had subjugated the rest of the team Fleet Captain Yuri had brought on his personal ship, Starve Venom. Further down the deck, they heard Yugo teasing the marine grunts they had captured. That had to be a good sign; or a beg for disaster. They could hear Reiji counting heads and making orders; no doubt telling Yuto and Shun to ransack the Marine's supplies.
'C'mon, Serena, let me have a look.' Yuzu cooed.
Serena hesitantly let go of her wound. It was deep and Yuzu sighed.
'You just had to piss him off, didn't you?'
'Fuck yeah I did!' Serena boasted. She reverted back to her usual self before being consumed by the pain. She groaned as she brought her arms back to her side stiffly; her eyes wide and teeth gritted.
'Don't move your arms!' Yuzu scolded.
It took five or so minutes but soon, Serena was back in working order or somewhere close. She was hopped up on pain killers, a little bit of opium, and a fair few windings of bandages. She'd be good to fight soon again, or at least until Yuzu can get Serena onto her medical table where she can get proper attention.
Serena's eyes were dreamy which was definitely the result of pain killers. 'Thanks, sweetness.' She smiled smugly. 'C'mon, lemme give you a little bit of sugar.'
'I also accept dessert.' Yuzu teased.
She flushed a little bit when Serena pecked her cheek.
'I'd literally kill ten thousand people for you.' Serena said in a serious, gravelly voice. Serena clasped onto Yuzu's hands for maximum effect. Their gaze held for an unusually long time.
'I am well aware.' Yuzu replied.
'I literally love you. I'm glad we met. I'm glad I'm one of the Lancer Pirates.' Serena continued.
'You are literally high right now.'
'Fuck yeah I am. Being around you puts me on cloud nine.' Serena flirted.
'We'll see.' Yuzu replied cynically.
From further down the deck, people started to yell at them. Things were getting too cushy between them; they were risking Yuri's revival at this point and a resurrected Yuri would be demon spawn to deal with so it was time for the Lancer Pirates to make their great and theatrical escapes. Like they always did. They had become known for it at this point.
Yuzu shouted back at her comrades who jeered at her in good nature back. She got up. She flattened her skirt and Serena copied; brushing her hands over her brown-red, once white, trousers. Serena hooked her good arm over Yuzu.
'Carry me.' Serena whined.
'I will, I will. I'd never expect my most critically injured patient to walk herself to our ship.' Yuzu replied soothingly.
Together they plodded off. They regrouped and everyone was there. Serena smiled and laughed. It was bizarre to see her like that; the smell of pain killers on her solved that mystery. Yuya hefted up Serena from the other side and Mieru fluffed around them, making sure that Serena's chakras or whatnot were aligned for optimal recovery. She also couldn't let them risk straining Serena's legs or sides as they carried her so poorly.
Once more, the Lancer Pirates – a odd motley crew of misfits and never-do-wells – set off on their next voyage; to their next battle be it between themselves over who got seconds or between a shopkeeper and got away with pickpocketing or between themselves and their true enemies. It was a mystery. It was an adventure.
The strong, salty breeze of the distant oceans picked up. Their sails puffed outwards and proudly bore their emblem; the horseback skeleton knight armed with a lance. It felt good to be back.
It had been two weeks since the skirmish on Starve Venom. On their ship, two weeks may as well have been a different life in between the violence and domesticity. Serena had been summoned to Yuzu's office two hours ago. She swung her legs idly; wondered when she would be permitted to leave. It seemed soon though. Yuzu smiled as she put away her things.
'So, what's the verdict, sweetness?' Serena asked.
'Here, you deserve it. Don't tell Sora I stole it though.' Yuzu said. 'All good patients get a lollipop from their doctors after a check-up. At least from the city I'm from anyway. They might do it differently in Academia.'
'They most certainly do.' Serena replied with a shiver.
She accepted the lollipop. She tore off the plastic and lobbed it at the nearby bin. She popped it in her mouth and was accosted by the intense raspberry tang that burst on her tongue. She cringed. How did Sora eat these?
Yuzu, noting Serena's expression, shrugged. She guessed what Serena was thinking.
'We never said he was a good confectioner.' Yuzu joked. 'Well… You're all good to go. For now, if you get into another fight with that prick Yuri, you might end up with a permanently fucked up shoulder. Assuming you live to tell the tale; which I trust you would. But still, be careful. He's out for blood now, no doubt. You've probably left him with a very nasty scar and for a vain man like that, well, that's a crime punishable by a thousand deaths.'
Yuzu rambled. Serena smiled. She liked to listen to Yuzu's voice.
'Do you remember?' Serena asked, abruptly interrupting Serena who had moved onto lecturing her on the importance of keeping flexible.
'Remember what?' Yuzu asked; happily skipping to Serena's jump of conversation.
'What I told you after you dosed me with opium?'
'That you loved me?' Yuzu replied, simply. 'It's fine. Everyone gets high differently. You become a sap, it's fine. It's the same for Shun.'
'I'm glad you remember though.' Serena said. She stopped swinging her legs and her eyes brightened; became mischievous. She hopped down from Yuzu's cold, tall bed that she used for general check-ups.
Serena prowled around Yuzu before pouncing on her with a hug. 'I'm very glad. Because I meant it, sweetness. I really am glad to have met you. To have fallen in love with you.'
'Oh.' Yuzu gasped.
Serena pecked Yuzu's lips. She held onto Yuzu's shoulder and made a point to remember this moment: what was around them, how it felt, and what it meant. She remembered the Yuzu's lips were reminiscent of her the fruity, rosy balms she used. She remembered the chill of the office and where the placement of Yuzu's things were; not just what Reiji had given her so his medical suite could be functional.
'Now, it's poker night with the boys.' Serena continued. 'It's time to have a little fun.'
Yuzu placed her hand over Serena's. 'Have fun.'
Serena took a breath. This was her life now. And she couldn't be happier. She was surrounded by love and by friends. She had good food and good laughs. She could want for nothing on this stingy ship. And best of all?
Every day was a new adventure and she couldn't lap it up enough.
'Fuck yeah, I will.'