To Love An Angel
Disclaimer: I dont own Burst Angel...but I wants it...its my precious...
"Wake up! Wake up! We've got a job!"
Jo's eyes flew open as she was suddenly awoken by the sound of gleeful shouting coming from inside her room. She propped herself up on an elbow, trying to find the source of that ungodly racket. She didnt have to look very far as her eyes fell on the young brunette skipping around her bed. Just to make sure that her friend was awake, Amy clambered onto the piece of furniture and proceeded to jump up and down, singing happily to herself.
"Go away, I'm trying to sleep" mumbled Jo, covering her face with her pillow. The darkness it afforded was soothing, but it was short lived as the younger girl yanked it away from her.
"I cant. We've got a job. Sei wants to talk to you about it".
The silver haired woman shot upright, the sudden movement putting Amy off balance and sending her tumbling to the floor. A job? Bailan actually had a job for them? About time! The last few weeks had been killing Jo with boredom and, even though she enjoyed spending time with Meg, she still wished that something exciting would happen. Sure, the laser tag session and the movies the day before had been entertaining, but now she could have some real fun. Jo put her hand out beside her, intending to wake her red headed friend (in case she wasnt already) and tell her about the news, but as she reached out all she felt was an empty bed.
"Amy, where's Meg?"
"Eating breakfast" came the muffled reply from somewhere on the ground.
Ignoring the younger girl's prone form, Jo clambered out of bed and headed out the door in the direction of the kitchen.
"The least she could have done was help me up" grumbled Amy from the floor as she watched her friend leave.
Sure enough, as Jo entered the main living area of the camper truck, there was Meg, sitting at the dining table and practically drowning herself in a bowl of cerial. She looked up as Jo wandered across to the table and sat herself down opposite, but otherwise didnt acknowledge her friend. She was always like this whenever she was eating. As Jo was just comtemplating what it would be safe to eat without Meg biting her hand off, she heard a small voice beside her.
"Bacon and eggs, Jo?"
She turned, coming face to face with possibly the most weediest, pathetic, sorry excuse for a man she had ever seen. Even while she was sitting down she was almost taller than him, and she could look directly into his brown, cow-like eyes. The darkness of his hair contrasted sharply with his pasty, pale skin, and his physique wouldnt have been out of place on a pre-pubescent girl. He was holding a steaming plate generously heaped with fried bacon and scrambled eggs, and offering it to silver haired gunfighter.
"Thanks Kyohei" Jo mumbled, taking the plate and setting it down in front of her. Kyohei muttered something along the lines of a "dont mention it" and scampered off back to the kitchen. As Jo was busy loading up her plate with as much hot sauce as she possibly could, her friend from across the table spoke up.
"Did you hear? We've got a job!"
Jo nodded and began eating her breakfast, all to aware of that fact after her impromptu wake-up call.
"Yes, and its an interesting job, too" came a voice from behind Jo.
Meg looked up and Jo spun around, both finding Sei standing beside the window and gazing out at the view. She had obviously only just joined them, as she wasnt there when either Meg or Jo had come down to breakfast. The older woman turned her gaze away from the window and fixed it on them before continuing.
"If you two wouldnt mind coming with me to the computer room, I can show you what I mean".
Jo shrugged and stood up, Meg a second behind her, and both women followed their dark haired friend out of the kitchen and down the passageway of the camper truck, eager to find out what exactly was required of them.
Evidently Amy had managed to pick her small, battered frame up off Jo's bedroom floor, as she was now sitting cross-legged in front of a large computer screen, tapping away at the keys and inserting disks into the hard drive. All three women were now seated on the floor behind her, the glowing information from the computer screen scrolling across their faces in the darkened room. After a few minutes of frantic keyboard work, a map appeared on the screen. Small, yellow dots moved back and forth through what appeared to be streets, often converging in one area before moving on. Amy began to explain.
"This is a map of the industrial district on the outskirts of Osaka. See these moving dots? They represent trucks".
"Whats so suspicious about that," asked Meg, seemingly perplexed, "of course there would be trucks in an industrial district".
Amy nodded. "True, that in itself isnt uncommon. The really interesting piece of information is that they all seem to be heading for the same location at regular intervals".
All three women watched as the little dots all arrived at the same location, waited, and moved off again before repeating the process. Sei spoke up.
"This isnt a random meeting. There's a continuous pattern here".
"Yes", replied Amy "This has been happening for the last few days, and all these trucks seem to arrive at regular three hour intervals".
Jo reached across the young girl's shoulder and pointed at the screen.
"Can you zoom in on that building?"
Amy obliged, tapping a few keys until a small video screen appeared. The building was pretty ordinary, but that wasnt what grabbed Jo's attention.
"There's a lot of security there for an industrial disrict" remarked the silver haired young woman.
She was right. Even though the video screen displayed only a small area, Jo could pick out at least twenty gaurds. Each seemed to be standing watch at random points, occasionally wandering out of sight to check the parameter. Amy whistled appreciatively.
"That's one well defended warehouse".
"What do you think's going on?" asked Meg, eyes glued to the screen.
"I dont know," replied Sei, "but its our job to find out. Bailan thinks it might be a rival syndicate planning to establish itself in Osaka, so he wants you girls to go on a reconnaissance mission and check it out. Also, because this isnt officially "Tokyo business", we'll be working closely with the Osaka police force".
Meg's eyes lit up instantly.
"That means we're gonna go see Takane!"
Jo groaned inwardly. It wasnt that she didnt like the police woman, it was just that she was a bit too gung-ho for her. Any job that involved Takane usually ended in the destruction of half of Osaka. That wasnt exactly a bad thing, it was just that she would most likely get the blame for it.
"When do we start?" asked the gunfighter, nonchalant.
"Bailan wants answers as soon as possible," answered Sei, standing up, "meaning right now".
The three other girls also stood and exited the computer room, heading in the direction of their respective bedrooms. It was going to be a long drive to Osaka, and a short nap would be the best way to pass the time. Sei, being the only woman in the vehicle with a driver's license, unfortunately didnt have that luxury. Sighing, she resigned herself to the long trip and moved off towards the main living area of the truck. She would have to tell Kyohei that he would need to go home.
Jo couldnt sleep.
She lay in bed, listening to the sounds of passing traffic and concentrating of the slight rock and sway of the truck as it made its way along the highway. Beside her, Meg lay sleeping soundly, her head resting on the gunfighter's shoulder. Jo lay on her back, arms crossed under her head. Her sleep deprivation was being caused by two things. The first was that she was just too excited about her upcoming mission. The promise of violence sent adrenaline pumping through her veins. She loved combat. The smell of gunpowder, the sound of shots being fired. It was so much fun! The second, and equally pressing cause of her wakefulness was lying not more than three inches away from her.
Meg.
She still didnt know what it was she felt for the other girl, and it was starting to get on her nerves. She hated being confused, it was an unproductive waste of energy. Jo knew that these feelings lay somewhere along the lines of friendship, but they were somehow...different. She certainly felt friendship for her red headed companion, but she also felt other things. Jo felt a deep sense of loyalty towards her friend, as well as a certain amount of protectiveness. She understood that friendships were built on these things, but it just felt to her that these feelings ran deeper than that. To what extent? She didnt know.
All these thoughts swirled around inside her head, only serving to further fuel her confused state of mind. Giving a soft sigh of frustration, she got out of bed, careful not to wake her sleeping companion, and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a shower would clear her mind?
Meg awoke to an empty bed.
Jo's absence was immediately noticable to her. The missing warmth of her crimson eyed friend had stirred her from sleep, making her acutely aware of how cold she was. Pulling the blankets to her chin, she lay still and waited for Jo to come back from wherever she had gone. She reasoned that her friend had only gone to the bathroom, so she shouldnt be long.
She was wrong.
Minutes dragged by, and Jo still did not return. Where could she be? It was doubtful that she was sitting in the cockpit with Sei, as the silver haired woman rarely ventured into that area of the vehicle. Getting a snack was ruled out too, as breakfast hadnt been that long ago. Baffled at this minor mystery, the blue eyed girl got out of bed and left the bedroom, performing a quick sweep of the truck. Amy's room was clear (except, of course, for the little girl who was, in Meg's opinion, snoring rather loudly and drooling copiously in her sleep), as was the computer room and lounge area. However, as Meg proceeded onwards, she became aware of the sound of running water coming from somewhere near the bathroom. This struck the girl as odd. Jo never showered in the mornings, so what was she doing with the water turned on? Watering pot plants? Advancing towards the bathroom, Meg put her head against the wooden door, listening. Yes, she was sure of it. The sound of splashing water could be heard. Curious, Meg put her hand on the doorknob and turned it.
Opening the door.
The hot water of the shower helped to soothe Jo's thought filled mind. It washed away her troubles, filling her with a sense of ease. The young woman ran her head under the water, completely soaking her hair and giving it a wet, silvery shine. Satisfied that this was about as relaxed as she could be, Jo shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. Briefly wiping her face dry with towel, she allowed herself to stand naked on the bathroom floor and let the water drip off her body. The slight prickle of the cold against her skin caused her to smile. It made the gunfighter feel truly alive. A sound behind her snapped Jo out of her reverie. She turned her head to look over her shoulder.
And came face to face with a wide-eyed Meg.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up, but ive been very busy lately. Anyway, not a lot happened here (surprise, surpirse), but I swear, stuff will happen in the next chapter. I hope no-one was offended by my portrayal of Kyohei, but he is a weedy little crybaby. And besides, he had to at least make an appearance. As a side note, I always wanted to do a whole "walking in on your wannabe girlfriend naked in the shower" thing, so thats why this chapter ends the way it does. Anyway, I love my reviews, so please keep them coming. They encourage me to keep going. Thanks everyone!
Until next time!