Aaaand chapter nine! WOW.

Luke: I know. Normally you'd give up by now.

Me: SHUT UP.

And I haven't even posted eight yet as I'm writing this. Wow. Well, this beginning part anyway. And these reviews... HOLY CRAP, I feel so loved even though I know I'm NOT...

REVIEW REPLIES. Oh yays.

Icebox Plums: Evil giggle? Oh dear... well, they won't be "nameless", they will have roles but they won't be featured in chapters all at once anymore, and not very often. I will write the other story, thank you for your advice. If the other reviewers support it, I'll post it later. ^ ^ I already got some of the first chapter done, but it's got SPOILERS everywhere. Yes, the basic stuff will be mentioned here. Pivotal chapter? Yay... wait, that is a good thing, right? ^ ^ ' Pivotal is not always good... I will work harder to prevent plotholes, thanks. And I kind of do both- I have some big plot points planned, and a few scenes. I just write everything in between as it comes into my head, and I try to connect the scenes I think up in an interesting way. So... yeah. My story here actually tends to write itself; I hadn't planned to introduce Yagate until smack in the middle of that Choral Castle mess, but... things change. (shrug)

co426e: Looks like you're becoming a regular here. ^ ^ If I may ask, what is the origin of that username of yours? Er, anyways, Asch would only be that violent when pissed off. Well, I pissed him off. ^ ^ ' Yes, Luke does improve slightly, theeeen he talks to Van and goes back to square one. Ugh. Good character development? YAAAY, thank you! And naturally they don't trust me, I'm the only they know the least about. Death reaction was well done? REALLY? OH MY IMAGINARY GAWD, yay. Thank you, SO MUCH. I give you virtual cupcakes. AAAND yes, a lot happened in seven. Lady Luck has abandoned me. And I'm glad you think Yagate members are interesting characters. It's okay about the confusion, though. SI fics everywhere, yes. That thing with Asch was luck. He vastly underestimated me. ^ ^ Tee hee. Yes, Luke is nice. He just has a hard time showing it sometimes. I'll be working on that, yes. And I know this is random, but THANK YOU for not mentioning pairings. The people that do mention them don't make me mad, just... very flustered. ^ ^ ' Augh, grammar mistake of DEWM! Thank you for pointing it out so kindly. I'll have to go back and fix that sometime.

Kite Fox: Hello again. ^ ^ You thought it was awesome? Oh yay, thank you. ^ ^ You like Yagate and I write original characters well? Awww... I'm feeling so loved right now. Thank you so much. By the way, I saw your fic 'The Fools Lier'. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but shouldn't that be 'The Fool's Liar'? I'm probably just being stupid, but... did you get the idea to write that from this? I'm not mad or anything, just curious. Wow, I'm being so vain... sorry. ^ ^

Commandant of Heart: (salutes) Greetings, Commandant! I'm glad you love the story. And yes, I drugged Asch. I didn't exactly have a choice. Well, I've finished reading the Ion Gaiden and yes, I kind of feel for him. I still think he was kind of harsh, though. He had a good reason, of course. Aselia is awesome, yes. ^ ^ PCP stands for plasma-cutter pain. It was mentioned earlier in the story when it first happened, remember? ^ ^ Calling it PCP is just easier, so... yeah.

shinXlullaby: Thanks. ^ ^ Here's the next.

DG a.k.a. Demon Gurl: Oh, hello again! I don't mind you not reviewing; you actually have a life, unlike me, so naturally things would get in your way. ^ ^ Actually, I hadn't thought about that... I need to develop Jade and Guy more, yes. Luke personal assistant equals... chaos. I wish I could learn fonic artes, like in those other SI fics, but since I'm not from Auldrant I can't use fonons. I have no FON SLOTS. ^ ^ '

: Hello, you're a new reviewer. ^ ^ I'm sorry you didn't like the journal part, I have that there to add some personal thoughts and stuff in the story... sort of. I just liked writing it, really. I'm glad you like the character and story.


Usotsuki, Usotsuki

Chapter Nine

Of Sand and Swear Words

Sand. Lots and lots and lots of SAND. Also known as the sea of false gold to some, and for good reason I might add. Of course, my earliest observations of the Merchant's Guild were the heat and the people. I've only been to large cities very briefly, not counting the two weeks and I'd lived in Baticul, so the crowd was rather unnerving. I grew up in the outskirts of a small town, after all.

Luke's first and foremost observation was the heat. It didn't bother me as much because I can put up with rather high temperatures, but Luke whined about it for about five minutes right after getting off the ferry. Van started to talk to him, so Luke's attention was diverted.

"I have to turn Arietta over to the inspector in Daath. I'll meet up with you later," Van explained, carrying said emo kid in his large arms. I resisted the urge to make a face at him.

"What? But I want you to come with us!" Luke protested.

"I'll head for Baticul as soon as possible. Don't be selfish, Luke." Yeah, like you have any right to tell him that. Van then turned to his sister. "Tear, please look after Luke for me."

"Oh... r-right." I bowed my head as soon as Van started to look my way. Must not look suspicious. Must NOT look suspicious. As soon as Van walked away I lifted my head and looked at Luke.

"So, uh... we'll just be heading to the Kimlascan consulate now, right?" I asked cautiously. I wish I didn't have to go all the way there. This place is really fascinating...

"Yes," Jade replied simply, walking ahead and not even looking at me. I grimaced at the thought of what he'd said to me earlier and followed nervously. Well, I always knew I was a bad liar, but I was hoping to at least keep them fooled long enough to get home... Tear gave me a weird look, but I pretended not to notice as I tailed the blue-clad science man who was the source of my current misery. To distract myself, I started looking around the city.

For one, Chesedonia is much, much larger than it is on the game. That, and it is much more crowded. As we struggled on our way toward the Kimlascan side we were barraged on each side by a sea of colors and conflicting shouts of merchants, each trying to sell more than the other. The city's architecture and bazaar made me think most strongly of Saudi Arabia, especially considering its location in a desert. The walls of the surrounding buildings would have been white if not for the constant battering of sand and dust, due largely to the random gusts of wind. Sand in the eyes SUCKS.

I focused on the people next. While most of them appeared to be residents of Chesedonia, clad in simple colors such as brown or green, there were many who sported Malkuth blue and Kimlasca red. I remembered that those were the colors most pivotal to the lives of those outside the autonomous state... especially the nobility. I glanced at Luke, who was observing his surroundings with wide eyes without a care in the world.

...well, the smart ones, anyway.

We forced our way carefully through another crowd of people, offering hasty apologies to those knocked off-balance. I hesitated briefly to help a small boy to his feet, which was a kind gesture but one of the dumbest things I have ever done. As soon as I sent the boy on his way and looked up, I found out why.

The others had been oblivious to my absence and had left me behind.

"Dammit!" I cursed. "Alas, the disadvantages of being the quiet one! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" And why am I talking to myself? I started walking in the general direction that I had been heading in before, whilst following Jade. I hoped to catch a glimpse of someone from behind and run to join them. While it would have been nice to look around, the place got a lot less interesting when I was alone and vulnerable. I almost had a panic attack when I remembered that Sync was around.

And so, I headed off with a fervent desire not to get caught, killed, or lost.


I did not get caught.

I did not get killed.

However...

"DAMMIT!" I yelled again, swiveling my head madly. "Where the hell is the Kimlascan consulate? Where the hell am I?" I stepped backwards once, bumped into a passing figure and was knocked off-balance; I grunted, my arms making an almost comical pinwheel motion, before I fell on my face.

Yeah, I have the elegance and grace of a one-legged zombie. Shut up.

"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going, boy?" AARRRGH! AGAIN?

"Well, excuse me for living!" I shot back as I got to my feet. Yes, yelling at strangers is a bad idea. I am an idiot, shut up. In my defense, I was in a very bad mood. "I just happened to step back right when you ran out behind me! And by the way, I AM NOT A BOY!" I yelled as I whirled around to see who was harassing me. Or, maybe I was harassing them?

Standing before me were Noir, York, and Urushi. And let me tell you, Noir is FAR from modest. Geez, she looked like a whore. And I was rather alarmed to see just how short Urushi really was; he was even shorter than me. His top hat just reached my shoulder.

"Y-you..." I gasped. Oh SHIT, the Dark Wings.

"Well, I never thought I'd see a little girl dressing up like a boy," York commented idly, examining me as if I were some kind of insect. I made a face at him in response.

"Ooh, look, you made her mad," Noir snickered coyly, also giving me a look.

"I've BEEN mad, you cheap-ass broad," I snapped. "Now leave me the bloody hell alone before I go all Fear Garden on you."

"Fear Garden?" Urushi asked, leaning on his cane.

"I'll chop your bloody arm off and plant it, now get lost!" I yelled, reaching for my sword.

"Like you?" Noir asked, flipping her hair obnoxiously.

"I am not lost," I lied. "But I wish I were, so you people would just GO THE HELL AWAY."

"Someone's in a bad mood," York observed teasingly. I drew my sword and swung it at him without thinking.

"And you're not helping," I growled. "GO. THE. FUCK. AWAY."

"What if we don't wanna?" Urushi asked obnoxiously, brandishing his cane menacingly.

"Fine, then I'll just bloody LEAVE." I forcefully sheathed my sword and turned on my heel, trying desperately to rein in my temper. "GOODBYE, you oxygen wastes. If I ever see you again it will be far too soon."

"Hey, now, that's not very polite, little missy!" Urushi cackled as he grabbed my arm.

"Unless you want a free flying lesson, I highly advise you to let go of me," I growled.

"Can't do that, little missy. See, we've been hired by someone who has a bone to pick with you." My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Oh shit, how could I forget? Asch hired them! But wait, I thought he didn't hire them until later... well, who cares? HE HIRED THEM!

"I honestly didn't believe him at first when he said she dresses like a boy," York muttered thoughtfully. I glared at him, then forced my face to adopt a neutral expression. As soon as York reached for my other arm I lifted Urushi off his feet and threw him at the other male member of the Dark Wings. With that effective distraction, I bolted in a random direction, attempting to blend in with the crowd. It worked fine until another searing, sudden PCP bout brought me to my knees. The pain was indeed getting worse. It felt almost like that time I accidentally cut my thumb with my dagger when I was checking to see if it was sharp, only this was much more painful, included this weird burning sensation, and was... everywhere.

Shit on a stick! Dammit, I have the worst luck EVER!

"There she is!"

"That little wretch! I'll kill her for that!"

That was all it took to get me back on my feet and running, blind due to pain and fear, spurred on only by adrenaline. I managed to lose the Dark Wings after about twenty minutes, then I collided bodily with someone who was going in the opposite direction and ended up sprawled on my ass in front of them. The likelihood of running into people is why I hate crowded places.

"Aah! I-I'm sorry, I-" I looked up to see one of the worst sights of my life. My misfortune is really, really starting to get to me, I swear. "SON OF A-" I gasped, hurrying to my feet under the very evil glare I was receiving from Asch the Bloody, who happened to be wearing a rather worn-looking travel cloak to hide his maestro robes. Why he was trying to hide them was beyond me-maybe he didn't want to start causing problems between the Order of Lorelei and Chesedonia...

"Y-you..." Before I could even blink, Asch had his fingers clenched around my throat. Uh, yeah, that definitely didn't help the fear. "YOU LITTLE RAT!" A crowd gathered instantly to see the source of the commotion; I noticed bitterly that none of them tried to help me.

"N-nice... to see you too..." I gasped, failing at my bad attempt at a casual facade. If Asch's face wasn't so twisted with rage, he probably would've smirked at me and mocked me for my obvious terror. Such a cruel man he can be...

"You DRUGGED me, you little-"

"It's your own... bloody fault... for underestimating me..." I replied, clawing at Asch's arm much like I did when he first attacked me. "I doubt... that I... could've-" I was forced to stop as Asch's grip tightened and cut off what little air supply I had. I managed to cough a little, but that was it.

"SHUT UP! I should kill you for that stunt you pulled!" As I frantically tried to get Asch to loosen his grip, my head throbbing from the lack of oxygen, I tried my best to tell him with my facial expression: You're welcome to try.

"HEY! What's going on here?" a merchant yelled, temporarily abandoning his stand and parting the crowd. The man made me think of Chuck Norris just because of how muscular he was. Asch loosened his grip just enough so I could breathe again just as I thought I was going to faint.

"None of your business, old man," Asch snapped, carefully covering his maestro robes further with that cloak of his without letting go of my throat. Hey, look, he can multitask.

"Whether it's my business or not doesn't give you the right to pick on a helpless kid," the merchant growled as he flexed the muscles in his arms. I reached out and kicked Asch in the knee as hard as I could immediately after that was said. Asch swore loudly and swung his fist at my face in response. The merchant grabbed Asch's arm and held it in place roughly three inches from my face, and I took that chance to free myself. As soon as I torn myself from Asch's grip and ceased the prompt coughing fit, I took off again as fast as I could.

"Run, kid! Hurry!" The merchant called after me.

"You're not going anywhere, rat!" I heard a pained yelp and a few horrified gasps and almost turned around to see what had happened. Oh my imaginary GAWD, did Asch kill him? There's no way, Asch was never one to kill so needlessly...

I bit my lip and kept going, knocking things over into Asch's path whenever possible. That did next to no good- Asch actually grabbed my hair and tore some of it out (uh, OW) he was so close behind me. I tried to speed up, but whenever I did he would do the same. What should I do? I can't keep running forever...I DON'T WANNA DIE. ...I-I have to get to the consulate. The others are there, and they can help me with this thorn in my side... I saw a partially clear road and turned sharply, leaning to the side as I did so; Asch followed, albeit slightly slower seeing as he didn't want to risk tripping up and letting me get away. Ooh, that'll work... no wait, what if I trip? If I do, I'm fucked. Forget that plan.

"D-dammit..." I gasped, out of breath and exhausted. This is not good. This is... okay, this is seriously BAD. I tried to speed up, but something very hard and HEAVY collided with me from behind and sent me sprawling onto the dusty ground. Much punching, swearing, and rolling ensued, ending with Asch pinning me to the ground. Even as I was surrounded by a curtain of crimson hair I was vividly reminded of my German cousin who had pinned me once, along with almost drooling on my face... you know, that horrible big brotherly thing?

"Ha! Finally got you," Asch gasped victoriously, also out of breath but not nearly as tired as I was. The next thing I know I'm on the receiving end of Asch's infamous evil look. I guess I had this coming... I did drug the man, after all.

"Th-that merchant..." I gasped. "Did you... kill him...?"

"No, but I should have," Asch grumbled.

"You'd never kill a civilian and you know it," I spat. "Even you have more decency than that."

"And what the hell do YOU know about decency? You DRUGGED me, you disgusting little wretch!" Once again, one of Asch's hands wrapped around my throat.

"Kind of a one-trick pony, aren't you...?" I asked breathlessly. I only then realized the position I was in. OH MY IMAGINARY GAWD, if the Asch fangirls could see me now I'd be DEAD. DEAD DEAD DEAD DEEEEEAAAAAAD. Never mind that he wants to tear me apart, he's got me pinned... I'm glad I'm beyond the reach of said fangirls...

"Just shut up..." Asch growled as he grudgingly let go of my throat. "I can't wait until... you know what, never mind. I'll save that little surprise for later."

"Surprise?" I asked, coughing a little. I really don't like the sound of this...

"I'll just say that I can't wait to see the look on that ratty little face," Asch sneered, getting to his feet and dragging me along with him.

"Really... sounds like fun," I replied sarcastically. "I really hate you, I hope you know that..."

"The feeling's mutual."

"I'm going to ask you another question I know you probably won't answer," I announced as Asch spun me around and twisted my arms behind my back.

"You're an idiot."

"So're you. Now why didn't you just go back home and tell your family that you were the real Luke?" I asked. "You know things only the real Luke would know. They would have believed you..." Yes, that was stupid and very insensitive of me. That is why, in retrospect, I think I deserved that fist to the back of the head.

"That's none of your business."

"Really...? Then answer me this; how the hell am I any of your business...?" I grunted, trying to ignore the new throbbing pain in my head. The man sure doesn't hold back, even against a girl half his size...

"Because of the orders I've been given, idiot."

"HEY! What do you think you're doing? Let Temari go, NOW!" I heard Guy yell. YAY! Rescue time! I hate being rescued, but I'm not complaining. Asch made an angry face, hesitated briefly, then roughly shoved me away (very reluctantly at that.) Why, I'm not sure... he probably just wanted to avoid confrontation at that point. I stumbled forward, then spun around and took that precious chance-I idiotically punched Asch in the face. I say 'idiotically' because of the loud snapping noise that followed.

"AAAAAAAARRRGGH! Son of a BITCH!" I yelled, examining the fingers on my right hand. FUCK! IT HURTS! I must've broken a few of them! AAAAUUUGH, IT HUUUURTS! Asch, despite the pain he was in, smirked at me and allowed himself a short sardonic laugh before turning on his heel and running from Guy. Said blond savior didn't bother to give chase; he tended to poor little me instead, as I was cursing up a storm still (though thankfully under my breath.)

"Temari, are you okay?" Guy asked, keeping his distance. I nodded and swore at my right hand again. Oh, look, he's already got the documents... heh, "Andre, Andre, I've got the secret documents!" I'm such a loser...

"Who knew that bastard had such a hard face... damn..." I muttered. Guy gave me a really weird look.

"You broke your fingers, didn't you?"

"Seems like it..."

"You need to be more careful. We were all really worried when you got separated from us," Guy scolded gently. I bowed my head in shame.

"I-I'm sorry. I was helping a kid, then I couldn't find you all... then the friggin' Dark Wings tried to take me away... then I ran into Mr. Sunshine there..." I murmured irritably. "I'm very sorry. Dammit, I'm such an idiot..."

"Mr. Sunshine?" Guy asked, trying not to laugh.

"Asch the Bloody. He's always in such a lovely mood..." I explained quietly, my voice laden with sarcasm. Guy snickered a little, but regained his composure and cleared his throat a little.

"He was trying to capture you again? Looked more like he was beating you up to me," he commented sourly.

"I pissed the obnoxious little bastard off," I explained casually. Guy looked at me weird again. "Wh-what?"

"Nothing... it's just that I've never heard a girl talk like you do."

"What, the swear words...?" I asked. Note to self; cut back on the wordy-durds. Guy shrugged a little, then turned away.

"Well, it doesn't matter. The ship's ready now. Follow me, and stay close... GAAH! NOT THAT CLOSE!"

"Sorry!"


As soon as we all met up at the Kimlasca-Malkuth border, I literally dropped to my knees and begged for forgiveness just because of how angry everyone looked at me. Well, Ion didn't look angry, of course, just concerned. The little dear is so sweet, I swear...

"I am SO SORRY. I beg your forgiveness..." I muttered, bowing my head. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Luke snapped. "Get off the ground already. Sheesh..."

"Tear, Temari broke four of her fingers. Could you heal her please?" Guy asked cordially. Guy could apparently tell how many fingers had broken either by the sound of my fist meeting Asch's face or by the fact that all my right hand fingers (minus the thumb, which for some reason is not counted as a finger) looked all crooked and weird. And by the way, they all hurt. A lot.

"How'd you manage that?" Anise asked, still mad at me. Hell, I don't blame her. I'd made the whole group search for me in the hot sun for about an hour. I'd be more than pissed if it were me. The only one who wasn't giving me a dirty look was Ion, of course. I don't think that one is even capable of getting angry.

"I punched Mr. Sunshine in the face..." I muttered. "Probably hurt myself a lot more than I hurt him..."

"Mr. Sunshine?" Ion asked.

"Asch the Bloody," Guy explained with a poorly concealed smirk. "Looks like he's still after Temari." Tear examined my fingers, then snapped them all back into place with expert knowledge and a deft hand movement. Oh, and it hurt. A whole friggin' LOT.

"Gaah... son of a mother..." I hissed in pain as Tear set about healing the injuries. "I'm sorry for all the trouble."

"It's all right, you've already apologized. And besides, we haven't lost any time," Ion replied with a little smile. His smile faded and was replaced by a concerned frown. "I'm still worried about what the Oracle Knights want Temari for..."

"So am I," Luke grunted. "What the hell would they want with a timid little wallflower?" I merely shrugged as Tear let go of my newly healed hand.

"I honestly wish I knew... I'm more concerned about the 'surprise' Asch mentioned..." So what is it? Dismemberment? Burning at the stake? Getting my eyes poked out with a really hot french fry? Being fed to rabid rappigs?

"We can discuss this on the ship. Let's get going," Jade ordered sternly. I cringed under the critical look he sent my way. DAMN, I hate being so close to the suspicious one. I repressed a shudder and started following Jade and Luke across the border.

It all happned in about a second. All I saw was a blur of black slide on by and I instinctively tried to shield Guy. If I can prevent the curse slot... maybe I can spare Luke some suffering... though at this point I'd say he deserves it.

"Look out!" Tear warned.

Sync's foot collided with my stomach and sent me reeling and gasping for breath. Guy tried to avoid the speedy little bastard, but didn't quite make it as Sync slashed at his arm and inflicted that vicious curse slot that would cause problems much later on. Guy shouted in pain as he lost his balance, dropped the documents and fon disc, and hit the ground; I was impressed to see him gather up the documents right away. Wow, he's really good at ignoring pain.

I caught my breath quickly and acted once again on instinct; I stomped on the dropped fon disc and broke it. Guy got to his feet as Sync glared at us; I noticed that no one else had moved, perhaps due to being caught off-guard.

"Hand those over!" he yelled harshly, jabbing a finger at the documents under Guy's right arm.

"Fuck you!" I shouted back. Sync ignored me and looked over to the shadows of the nearby building.

"What're you waiting for, stupid? She's RIGHT THERE!" I followed the little bastard's gaze to see a small figure hiding behind a building, holding a katana. I couldn't see anything but that sword and black clothes. The figure's face was completely shrouded in shadow.

"What the-? Who is THAT?" I asked loudly. It certainly isn't Asch, that person's too small. And besides, they have a katana. Asch doesn't. The figure turned away suddenly, but didn't say a word. I guessed by the size that this mysterious person was probably Anise's age... but I couldn't tell the gender.

"IDIOT! Worthless idiot!" Sync roared, looking ready to twist off heads.

"We shouldn't cause a scene here! To the ship!" Jade shouted, stepping back. I nodded and took off after Tear, Anise, and Ion.

"Damn it! They just don't give up!" Luke groaned as he followed.

"You're not getting away!"

"THE HELL WE'RE NOT!" I yelled back.


About half a minute later, the ship is pulling out of the harbor as Luke is struggling to climb over the gate thing that I do not know the proper name of. I know I didn't need to, but I reached out, grabbed his arm, and tried to help him as best I could. Unfortunately, that led to him falling over the weird gate thing and body-slamming me onto the deck. OW. I'm getting hurt a lot lately...

Luke got up and backed away as if electrocuted as I peeled myself off the polished wood. Holy CRAP, Luke is heavy. I got to my feet, dusted myself off for no reason, and headed off toward my cabin without another word.

"Temari, wait a moment. We have a lot to talk about." Oh yeah. Whoops.

"Okay," I agreed easily, following after Jade. There is no way that I'm going to convince this guy. Worst case scenario, he kicks me out of the group... or kills me. That would suck. Best case, he lets me stick around until I find my way home but makes me miserable the whole time. That would also suck, but it's better than the alternative.

So we all gathered in the cabin that Jade had been using and started up a rather complicated and... boring conversation about the (secret) documents... I'm such a loser, shut up. First, Jade named off this huge long decimal that is Lorelei's fonon frequency (and pi.) Then everyone else put in their two cents and Luke then loudly demanded to know what the hell they were all talking about. Me, I just sat there and kinda stared into space as I wondered about (and dreaded) Asch's "surprise." I only tuned back in to hear this:

"Is it just me, or are you being a lot nicer to Luke all of a sudden?"

"I-I don't know what you mean. Oh, also! Everything has a fonon frequency. They're like fingerprints; no two frequencies are the same."

"Way to change the subject. Very smooth."

"Be quiet, Guy!"

Then I tuned back out. Um, okay, here's a question I didn't think of; how'd I get in Baticul? I'm pretty damn sure somebody would've noticed if I just ninja-poofed up in there. And I wonder why Van wants me captured? Why order Asch to do the capturing? Who was that person with Sync earlier? DAMMIT, WILL I EVER GET ANY ANSWERS?

"Temari? Are you okay?" I looked up to see Tear giving me a concerned look. I really need to stop zoning out in front of these people.

"I'm fine. Just thinking..." I muttered. "The more I see Asch, the less I like him and the more questions I get..." Yeah, seriously. Like what his surprise is.

"Haven't you learned anything?" Ion asked hopefully.

"Only that he's planning some sort of surprise. I'm not looking forward to it, either," I replied disdainfully, resisting the urge to bang my head against the table I was sitting at. "Um, Guy? How's your arm?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"What? Oh, it's fine. Don't worry." It won't be fine for long.

"Temari." I cringed at the sound of Jade's voice. "Don't try to avoid the subject. This is very serious."

"I know, Colonel," I sighed. "But I'm too stupid to figure it all out, no matter how much I think about it..."

"Temari, stop putting yourself down like that," Tear scolded, glaring me down. "You'll never get any stronger if you don't have confidence." FUCK confidence! I won't be here long enough for that! And as much as I would dearly love to say that aloud... that would be bad.

"Umm... I-"

CRASH!

In come five Oracle Soldiers. Oh lovely. Time to work on that killing fear now. I got up, drew my sword, and started the fight immediately. I hesitated only briefly and cut the first soldier down, grateful for the helmet that concealed his face, as Tear jabbed another with one of her daggers. Luke, although still hesitant (though not as much as me), was doing well with Fang Blade and Havoc Strike as his main moves. Jade didn't use any fonic artes due to how small the room was, instead settling for decapitating another soldier with his spear. Guy finished off the last two with Crescent Strike and Tiger Blade, since Luke was unwilling to administer any finishing blows.

"Oh lovely... I feel like the First Alice now..." I muttered, poking a soldier's head with my sword. I'm actually getting used to this. That's good and bad at the same time... I get to go home and say "Hi, Mom! I'm a mass murderer now!"

"The First Alice?" Tear asked. I paled slightly.

"You don't want to know."

"Can we assume their goal is to stop Ion and the letter from reaching Baticul?"

"Either that or they're very hostile hitchhikers..." I grumbled irritably.

"You don't think they'll try to sink the ship, do you?" Luke asked a little nervously.

"Master, what do we do? I can't swim..." Mieu squeaked. Luke made a face and kicked him across the room, much to the dismay (and anger) of Tear. I made an angry face at the arrogant aristocrat. How can he be so mean to something so adorable...?

"Shut up and drown."

"If they were going to sink it they wouldn't come aboard," I explained to Luke. Didn't someone else ask about the ship sinking in the game...? Ah, who cares?

"Then they're trying to take it over!" Anise concluded.

"So, I guess we'll just have to secure the bridge before they do, huh."

"That's correct." Jade messed with his glasses a little. I think I died a little on the inside. I dearly wanted to suggest a split-up operation, but that idea would be shot down in no time at all. DAAAAAMN. I hate being anywhere near the suspicious one...

"Oh, geez, this'll be fun," I groaned sarcastically. "We can all be like the First Alice." Gah, I should probably stop mentioning that...

"Okay, what is this First Alice stuff about?" Anise asked. I sighed.

"Umm... it's kind of a fairy tale... about four Alices and a Wonderland... the first one is the one that goes all crazy homicidal and kills a lot, and gets locked up like a criminal as a result..." I muttered as we made our way down the hall.

"What about the others?" Guy asked with a kind of detached interest.

"The second is a man who likes to sing, if I remember right... he was shot down by a madman, which I think was himself... Uh, the third is a cute girl who built her own kingdom, and ruled it as queen. Then that kingdom was burned down or something, by her I think. Um, the fourth Alice is a set of twins, who come closest to being the true Alice. They don't wake from their dream, so they wander the Wonderland for all eternity." I took a huge breath as I finished my rough synopsis. "I didn't explain it very well, but yeah..."

"That's a twisted fairy tale... which is probably why you know it, Wallflower," Luke commented idly. "You know all kinds of twisted things... like that Scare Yard or whatever."

"Umm, don't you mean Fear Garden?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah, that. Where the girl kills her classmates and plants their arms in a garden?"

"Yup." I allowed myself a little giggle at the disturbed looks on Guy's and Jade's faces. Ion paled a bit, but tried to act like none of what I'd said had bothered him. Anise just looked really creeped out, as if I was the one who had made a Fear Garden.

"Who the hell came up with THAT?" Guy asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno... probably the same one who wrote-"

"DON'T WANT TO KNOW," Guy objected fiercely. "Do you know any stories that aren't... well, demonic?"

"Umm... the Evil series isn't that bad," I replied cordially. Wow, what a random conversation.

"It's a series?"

"Mm-hm. There's Daughter of Evil, Servant of Evil, Regret Message, and Re_birthday," I listed them off carefully. "In chronological order."

"Is it a sad story?" Tear asked.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," I muttered. "I still feel bad for the servant." Even though I don't like Len's voice that much...

"Well, as interesting as this is, we have more important things to do than listen to Temari's strange stories," Jade teased lightly. I bowed my head yet again, not so much out of shame as to avoid Jade's look. Okay, he's creepy. He'd be a perfect teacher.

"I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought it up," I muttered. "We should take care of this right away."

"Tell us that story later?" Anise asked hopefully.

"Yes, it sounds interesting," Ion added, smiling at me. AWWW he's so CUUUUUUTE... must resist glomp impulse...

"Sure," I replied with a little shrug. I wonder if I can remember the translations. "Let's go kick some Oracle ass first."


And so we did. Well, sort of. I got stabbed... repeatedly... and Guy saved my ass whilst I was too busy screeching in pain to defend myself... yeah.

"Now I feel like... a Higurashi victim..." I gasped as Tear hastily healed me. "And... you REALLY don't want to know... about Higurashi... so please don't ask... It makes Fear Garden look like sunshine and daisies..."

Needless to say no one asked about Higurashi. I think I scared them... even Jade. Hey! An accomplishment!

Anyway, we made our way onto the deck and I had the honor of destroying an ugly little robot with a light bulb on its head. Why did I feel the need to do that? The little menace tried to steal my iPod. If there were any sledgehammers nearby, I would've used one of those.

"HA! Take that, you little thievin' bastard!" I yelled, kind of insane-sounding.

"Really, Temari... don't you know the meaning of restraint?" Jade asked lightly as he examined the metallic remains of my enemy. I felt my face heat up as I shoved my iPod back in my pocket and sheathed my sword.

"It tried to take my soul..." I muttered as a feeble defense.

"I highly doubt that little thing is your soul."

"It... it's very important to me..." I mumbled. "So... let this be a warning for anyone who tries to take it without permission..."

"Really? Why do you care about that thing so much? You can always just buy another one," Luke sneered.

"My mother got it for me," I growled. "And besides, this kind of iPod isn't being made any more..." That, and you can't buy them on Auldrant because they're not supposed to exist.

"Ah, well, let's leave it at that. We still have work to do, you know."

Indeed, we did. We made our way further out onto the deck, cutting down the occasional Oracle Soldier along the way. Anise and Tokunaga are a lot more awesome than on the game, believe me. Tokunaga's plushy paws can actually be quite painful. Other than that, the only thing I really like about Anise's fighting style is Negative Gate. I love that arte to death... except when it's being used against me, of course.

"Where the hell is their leader? Let's hurry up and finish this..." Luke whined, rubbing his head (an Oracle Knight had kicked him in the side of the head earlier.) As many of you may know, Luke's complaint was answered by a rather high-pitched and cheesy evil laugh.

"Wow, that was manly..." I drawled sarcastically (albeit quietly) as I whirled around to face Dist in his floating chair.

"Silence, you!" he roared at me. Said fruit loop regained (some) composure and started his speech. "Listen, you ignorant savages, and you shall hear my beautiful name."

"Savages, huh..." I muttered. Wow, sounds like what those anti-atheist bastards used to call me. Only "savage" is too big a word for them...

"I am the most graceful member of the Six God-Generals, the one and only, Dist the-"

"Hermaphrodite," I finished loudly. I was thankfully ignored; I didn't feel like explaining to Luke what a hermaphrodite is.

"Why if it isn't Dist the Runny," Jade remarked casually, as if commenting on the weather.

"The rose! R-O-S-E, rose! Dist the Rose!"

"You mean Dist the Reaper," Anise corrected grimly.

"Silence! I refuse to accept that name! It's Rose! ROSE!"

"You know this guy?" Luke asked, inclining his crimson-clad head.

"I'm in the Oracle Knights, too, so... but why do you know him, Colonel..?" Anise asked as she turned her head towards Jade. Dist was the one who answered, with a sneer to rival Luke's, no less.

"I, the genius Dist, once counted that duplicitous snake Jade amongst my friends."

"Which Jade is that? I don't know any Jades with such poor taste in friends," Jade commented cheekily. I bit my knuckle to keep from laughing out loud and drawing attention to myself.

"What did you say?" Dist hissed (HA! rhyme) as he glared at Jade. Luke and Guy drifted away from the group to mutter between themselves; I didn't quite hear what they were saying, but I didn't mind because I already knew.

"Ah ah, careful now, you know how your nose runs when you get mad."

"Grrrrrrrrr! No it doesn't!"

"Hermaphrodite..." I muttered. Jade gave me a kind of surprised look before his trademark grin returned.

"You're rather demented, Temari."

"It doesn't matter," Dist droned, apparently unaware of what I'd just called him. "Hand over the fon disc data!"

"You mean this?" Jade asked, waving the notebooks around in the air. Dist immediately swooped down in his chair and tore the documents from Jade's loose grip.

"Hahahaha! How careless, Jade!"

"You can have them. I've already memorized their contents," Jade replied cheerfully. I laughed loudly as everyone else snickered a little. Hey, I'm not that subtle, you know.

"Ha ha, what a loser..."

"Grrrr, I'm being mocked by savages!" Dist growled as he squirmed angrily in his chair.

"Your FACE is a savage!" I retorted without thinking. I was ignored again, which was definitely a good thing.

"When you taste the pain of my super, ultra gorgeous artes, you'll regret what you've done!" With that, a huge, ugly, malformed-looking robot dropped from the sky and Dist retrieved some kind of remote controller thing to assume control of it. I grimaced and drew my sword, as did Luke and Guy.

"Colonel... do you think you could cast Splash, please?" I asked, glancing to the side at Jade. "I don't think that robot will work as well when wet." Jade sighed and set about gathering the fonons to perform the arte I'd asked for. I smiled a little with gratitude.

"Oh, very well. Give me support in the meantime."

"Yes, sir." I took up a defensive stance in front of Jade and set about blocking any stray blow or debris headed toward Jade. When I thought Jade was about to unleash his arte, I shouted a quick warning: "Guy, Master Luke! Get back!"

"O violent torrent... Splash!" The ugly robot, known as Kaiser Dist X or R or something, was then on the receiving end of a downward torrent of water; said water wreaked havoc with the machinery. I ran right at it, again without thought, and jabbed my sword into one of its "knee" joints to limit its mobility. For my efforts, I got hit in the stomach by a robotic arm and was sent flying.

"Ungh!" I yelled as Tokunaga's plushy form materialized behind me, cushioning my fall that I didn't take right. "Th-thank you, Anise..." I gasped, breathless from pain.

"Don't mention it," Anise replied with a grin. She then set about casting some arte; I did for her the same as I had done for Jade, albeit more clumsily due to not having my sword anymore.

"O healing power... First Aid!" Tear chanted; I felt the pain in my stomach vanish. Hmm. Must've broken a rib... damn, I've gotten better at blocking out pain...

"O twisted door, open wide! Negative Gate!" Anise declared boldly. Due to the sword stuck in one of its "knee" joints, the Kaiser Dist could not escape the wrath of the twisting Shadow fonons. Jade then unleashed another Splash, which caused it to explode and send my sword pinwheeling through the air. I yelped as it embedded itself in the deck close to my left foot.

Dist, in the meantime, was sent flying by the explosion and dived into the ocean. I grinned idiotically and hummed the Final Fantasy victory music under my breath as I watched him. It seemed like no one heard me, for which I was quite thankful.

"Hey, look..." Luke said uncertainly, staring at where Dist had met the unrelenting water.

"It'll take more than that to kill him. He has the tenacity of a cockroach," Jade sighed, once again adjusting his glasses. I pulled my sword from the deck and fell on my ass; I then got up and hurriedly placed my sword in its sheath. "I'm going to check on the bridge," Jade announced, turning on his heel.

"I'll go with you," Guy volunteered. "Ladies, please protect Luke and Ion."

"Hmm? Don't tell me you're afraid of us, Guy..." Anise giggled, jumping up right behind Guy. He promptly jerked away, bumped into me, jerked away again, and bumped into Luke, who gave Guy a critical look.

"N-no! Of course not!" Guy denied loudly. He then ran off after Jade like his life depended on it. Poor man...

"We should make sure no one's hurt," Tear suggested.

"Yes, you're right," Ion agreed, looking concerned for the other passengers already.

"Good idea," I agreed. "Thank you for healing me, Tear."

"It's my duty as a healer. There's no need to thank me," Tear replied kindly. Anise sighed and rubbed her head irritably.

"It's not easy being a messenger of peace..." she groaned.

"Ya got that right..." Luke muttered sourly, making a face at the poor damaged deck. I ignored them both and followed Tear and Ion around the deck, fighting off the last of the Oracle soldiers and helping the crew and passengers (we did NOT have that whole ferry to ourselves.)

Well... at the very least, I can say I've won my second boss battle. I thought, as Baticul's huge form appeared on the horizon.


Done-ness!

Dood, I saw Jade with a ponytail. I've never seen anything stranger.

This chapter is so SHOOOORT...

I AM NOT AN ASCH (or Luke) FANGIRL AND I HAVE NO BLOODY INTENTION OF PAIRING MYSELF WITH ASCH (or Luke.) Just saying that. I'm non-hormonal and Asch (and Luke) has much better taste than that... cough Natalia (cough Tear)...

Luke: Wow, you sure love to put yourself down.

Me: I'm honest... er, wait, not really. Well, at the very least I'm honest with myself.

"The First Alice" is from the Vocaloid song Alice Human Sacrifice. You can read the translation here (minus spaces): h t t p : / / w w w . an i m e l yric s. co m / d ou ji n/v o ca lo id/ hi tob ashira

As for the Evil series... you should look on Youtube for subbed PVs if you're curious. Daughter of Evil is by Kagamine Rin. After you find that, the rest of the series should be in video recommendations.

And also, Higurashi. Which is, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. There is an anime, and a manga, and games... and they have bloody death. Yes.

On another note, I got these awesome squishy headphones with skulls on them with a T-shirt for ten dollars. Behold the wonders of Wal-Mart.

And I was watching the Tales of the Abyss anime, episode 19, in public. And I almost started crying. 0.0 If you've seen it, you know why... AND I REALLY HATE MOHS. (STAB STAB STAAAAB) I can't wait until... um, spoilers. Never mind.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are very nice but not necessary. ^ ^

~MyDarkSideHasAWayOfHerOwn (Temari Haruhara)