I know, I know, I suck majorly for making everyone wait this long for the next chapter. Writer's block had its shining moment, along with several crossroads where things happened(or didn't happen) and making those executive decisions took some major day-dreaming time in school (and staring at the computer screen). Hopefully you all will be pleased with what happens- and yes there's more Meg and Jo time in this chapter :) A big thank you goes out to everyone who reads, reviews, or thinks about this story- you all are my motivation to keep going forward! Feel free to tell me what you think- any and all comments are appreciated. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer (yes! I remembered this time)- I own nothing. If I did...the ending sequence would have a lot more Meg&Jo moments to show haha :)
"Sounds like you all have been together for a while." Takeru said as he applied the cast to Jo's arm.
"We met up with Amy and Sei about a year ago. Jo and I have been together a lot longer though." Meg said, sniffling. "We've made it this far, so I'm pretty sure we can get through anything."
"She's pretty tough, it seems."
"That's an understatement. Jo's the strongest person I know. She's unstoppable if she gets mad."
"Looks like someone went a little gung-ho on her though. There are so many wounds in her stomach I'm surprised she's waking up and talking. Normally a person would be out for weeks with something like that. And you're going to have her fight tonight?"
"Don't say it like that. You heard her." Meg said, her voice reflecting a hint of anger. "She came and saved me…from...fighting…" Her eyes lit up. "Your uncle owes you one, right?" She said excitedly.
"Yeah." Takeru wasn't sure was Meg was going.
"Let me substitute for Jo tonight. I'll fight." There was a determined look in Meg's eyes that had rarely been seen before.
"Whoa. Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself there? I don't think everyone would be happy with that decision." He looked at Jo. "Especially her."
"Jo's saved my butt too many times to count. There's no way I'm just gonna let her go out there. I can fight just fine, if that's what you're trying to say." She glinted at him, eyes burning with intensity, the blue irises just as fierce as the hell-burning flames from Jo's.
"I'm sure you're strong enough." He quickly said. Leaning back he sighed. "Her arm's done. Now I need to get to her leg. Can you prop it up on the table?" Meg nodded, gently lifting Jo's leg and moving it. Takeru marveled at how Jo stayed asleep through the whole thing, when she was awake minutes before. "How does she…"
"She knows it me somehow. It doesn't bother her…" Meg shrugged. "Don't try to get off topic though!" She fumed.
"I'm not, I'm not. But you should talk it over."
"Talk what over?" Meg and Takeru jumped as they turned to see Sei standing in the doorway, Amy behind her.
"I'm fighting tonight." Meg said forcefully, standing up so she looked Sei almost in the eyes. Sei's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you serious?" Amy asked. "Your fighting is what got us into this mess! And you think Jo is gonna let you go out there?"
"Amy's right Meg." There was a pause after Sei said this as everyone digested the information that Sei had agreed with Amy. "Partially anyway. Especially about Jo. I doubt after what happened today she'll be willing to let you out of her sight, nevertheless fight."
"Well, I'm not letting her fight." Meg said stubbornly. "So someone's not going to end up happy either way."
"You think you can stop Jo from fighting?" Amy said incredulously. "Why not try telling a fish it doesn't need water?"
"Do you want Jo to fight?" Meg asked. "Do you? Are both of you that willing to let her go out there? Probably to die? We all know that she's hurt. A broken arm, a broken leg, over half of her ribs cracked. We've been in tight binds before but this is the first time something has happened like this. We can't give her backup while she's out there fighting; someone's got to fight for Jo for once. That's exactly what I plan on doing."
"Look, Meg, I don't want Jo to fight. I don't want you to fight either. This whole thing has led to so much trouble…and I don't like it. It's scary and stupid and…" Amy pouted. "I'm on your side here!"
"There's always going to be fighting Meg. Jo, and you, and the rest of us- we will all have to fight. You cannot prolong something that will always happen. Even if Jo does not fight tonight, I doubt that tomorrow she'll be in any better shape than she is now." Sei crossed her arms assumingly.
"So? What are you trying to say?"
"Jo will not let you fight! Can't you see that? She will do all of this to make you not have to fight and then you're just going to throw yourself into it in front of her?"
"D-Don't make it like that. That's not at all what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to protect her."
"Look, ladies-" Takeru interrupted. "If I may suggest. Meg, you are willing to fight for Jo here?" He asked hesitantly, stopping when Meg and Sei both glared at him.
"Yes." Meg said, huffing, speaking more to Sei than to him. Sei "hmph"ed and scowled.
"Jo's asleep. And going to be sleeping for a while. On top of all the wounds, it's simply a process of working through trauma and stress, which I take you all have been under for quite a while. Why don't you just…not tell her?"
The three girls stood around stupidly as the thought digested in their heads. Meg, shamed, admitted to herself that it was a good idea, as long as Jo didn't find out. Amy looked at Sei, who seemed lost in thought.
"How did that get past you?" Amy asked incredulously. "Is this whole starting to "care what other people think" thing going to your head or something?" Meg giggled, but stopped as Sei turned her glare on her.
"Well Meg, I suppose you think it's a great idea, don't you?" Sei smirked as Meg scowled.
"It's not great, but it's a solution."
"And what happens if Jo wakes up? You and I both know that there is no way any of us could keep her here."
"I don't know, but it's the best idea we've got. Takeru's right, Jo hasn't been sleeping well the past few days and I'm pretty sure last night wasn't enough to make her better."
"Really Meg, because you know so much about how Jo sleeps at night, what with you being on the other side of the room and all, snoring away like the lump you are." Amy teased, stressing certain words that caused Sei's face to blanch as she struggled to hold in laughter.
"Hey, I've known Jo a lot longer than all of you; I've seen how she sleeps…" Meg pouted, sinking onto the couch next to Jo, bouncing the other girl slightly, who moaned in protest. Meg turned to her quickly, putting a hand on the sweaty forehead. She reached for the blanket and wiped it gently. "Sorry Jo…" she spoke quietly. The others watched and realized that they couldn't tell exactly what it was Meg was sorry for.
"Go ahead." Sei sighed. "This isn't going to end well, but there's no stopping you Meg. If Jo gets wind of it though, I make no guarantees. That's up to you."
Meg looked up at Sei with determined eyes. "I won't lose."
Sei looked at Jo, watching her move restlessly. "You better not."
What the girls didn't know what that their arguing added on with Meg's jolt onto the couch was causing Jo to stir, and she looked hazily around as she fought to focus on what was going on. Everything ached as she breathed unsteadily, feeling the pressure on her ribs as her lungs shakily expanded and contracted. Her arm felt heavy and she turned slightly to see the bandages and sling wrapped around it. Sighing, she shut her eyes again as she tuned in to what was going on. Meg's agitated presence next to her made her aware that something was going on she needed to be included in.
"We need to make preparations." Sei said. "Please tell me that your guns aren't with Leo."
"They're not. We had that job last week and I didn't get a chance to fix them up." Jo startled silently when Meg answered. She had thought that Sei was speaking to her, realizing she was awake, but from the looks of it, no one was the wiser.
"Good." Sei sighed, sitting onto the chair across from the couch. "Go start getting ready. Kyohei will be here soon. I'll have him make something for when you get back. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"I'm positive." Jo felt the loss of warmth as Meg stood up. "Look at me; I'm not hurt at all."
"I meant mentally. It's been a couple of rough days."
"I'm fine. After all, I'm going out there to fight for the girl I love." She smiled sadly at Sei, and disappeared into her room.
"Amy. I need you to go make some security enhancements for the area. Do you understand what I mean?" Sei asked, refusing to look at anyone, her eyes glued to the ground as her hands held up her head.
"No problem." Amy gave a mock salute, hoping to cheer her up. When Sei didn't even lift her head, Amy slunk off to her room.
"Takeru, I'm sorry you had to see this. Normally we don't have problems like this."
Takeru scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Frankly, I don't see anything wrong here at all. You all are trying to help your…" He paused, thinking back to Meg's words. "Friend." He finished awkwardly.
Sei gave a small chuckle as she finally picked her head up. "That's something new to all of us, trust me."
"Look, I probably should get going. I'm gonna go try to find my uncle and get him to allow the switch. If you need anything, just call me though, ok?" He handed her a slip of paper with his number, which Sei accepted gracefully. He was halfway out the door before Sei called out to him.
"We…are in your debt." She bowed low. Still embarrassed, he looked out the door, blushing.
"It's not a big deal." He stepped all the way out. "I'll see you tonight, I suppose." The door behind him shut softly. Sei watched it for a minute then sat down on the chair across from Jo.
Jo was in a state of mild shock, an emotion that, while rare, was not unknown to the silver-haired girl. Love. The word ran through her mind like a clock, every second matching her beating heart. Meg. Love. Meg. Love. That was the rhythm of her life. Her eyes shot open, unable to take the internal struggle anymore.
"Jo. You're awake." Sei said, extremely surprised. "Takeru said you'd be out for a while."
"Takeru?" Jo uttered stupidly, out of it not only from her injuries but from the sudden revelation.
"The doctor, Jo." Sei sighed. "Anyway, you should really be resting. You only just woke up, so it should be easy to go back to sleep." Jo realized that Sei, and in that sense, no one else, knew she was awake for Meg's revelation.
"I…had a dream." She said, stalling for time.
"A bad dream?" Sei asked, one eyebrow raised in intrigue. "I didn't know you had dreams." Jo remembered Meg saying that only the night before- when she was right there next to me, the night before when she held me close and I felt at peace, the night before, that night, together, is that love, is that what it is??- Her mind went wild with the remembrance.
"Sei." Jo stared her down, the question fresh in her mind. "What is love?"
For a second Sei forgot how to breathe. Of all the things for Jo to ask, of all times, this was not the best one. The fact that the word even existed in Jo's vocabulary was enough of a shock to the system, although, Sei reasoned, hanging around with Meg for years might cause that to happen. Was there a chance that Jo was awake earlier? No, there couldn't be. After all, Sei thought, there would be no way Jo would just sit there and let Meg walk away, knowing she was going to fight.
"What is love?" Sei repeated, breathing again. "You don't know what love is?"
"Would I ask you otherwise?" Jo said, struggling to sit up. Sei got up and helped her, watching carefully as the younger girl winced when her injured areas were moved. Meg was right in her knowledge of wounds, concerning Jo of course.
"I'm surprised that Meg never told you about it."
"Meg says she loves food and kittens." Jo said, red eyes staring down Sei. "Somehow I doubt that's love."
"Well, Jo, I'm probably not the best person to ask these things. Love means a lot of things to a lot of different people."
"What's love to you?" Jo's voice was innocent, and Sei had no choice but to sit back down across from her. Although Jo was naturally stoic, she was hardly serious or intent about anything other than maiming and violence. Not even her horror movies got her this engrossed.
"Well, even I have different views on love. It's not something that's defined really. A definition would be something like…caring for someone on a deeper level than normal relationships. Like family. You love your family."
"So you and Amy are my family." Jo said.
"We are?" Sei said, more surprised than before.
"I live with you. Eat meals together. That's what a family is, right?"
"Where do you see things like that?" Sei asked. Jo scowled and looked down.
"It's on the TV. Plus, back with Meg when we first met….with those kids. That was her family. Plus, she says it sometimes. That you two are our family."
"Well, Amy and I feel the same way about the two of you." Sei smiled at Jo, with little effect.
"There's more though, isn't there." Jo wondered aloud.
"Of course there is. The thing about love though, is that you don't always know what it is, or what it means. You just know that it's there, in your heart, for someone."
"Someone?"
"Yes. People want to be with other people, no matter what they say Jo. Remember that. Love is just…being with someone that knows you and will never leave you. Someone who's willing to fight for you and support you, and someone who means more to you than anyone else in the whole world."
"Were you ever in love Sei?" Jo asked quietly.
"Once. Before you and Meg showed up." Sei smiled sadly. Jo sat in silence, waiting for more to come. When nothing did, she sighed and leaned back.
"I will never fall in love." Jo said quietly.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because I bring death, and destruction. Because my body is a tool for killing people. I would only hurt someone, even if I cared about them. I don't even know how to do that."
"That's because humans don't know how to care for people. They just do."
"I am not human."
"Contrary to belief you are." Sei smiled. "And people care about you as well. I care about you, as does Amy. And of course Meg cares about you. She always has."
"Meg is different." Jo stated.
"Yes, she is. She's different to all of us, isn't she?"
"Not like that. She is…not like you and Amy. If you two are my family, that means I care about you." Jo spoke her thoughts as they came to her head, her logical analysis going through what they had talked about. "I care about Meg though…but not in the same way. She is not my family, not now. She might have been earlier, but not now." Jo's face was puzzled.
"I'm sure Meg does not see you as family either Jo." Sei said kindly. "You two have an interesting dynamic."
"I don't know what we are." Jo said. "We are not family, and we are not friends. And all those things you said earlier, those are things that we do. Things I have always done, and will do."
"You shot the TV."
"That has nothing to do with it!" Jo flustered, her face going red as Sei looked on amusedly.
"Do you love her, Jo?" Sei asked her.
"Am I allowed to?" Jo asked in return, looking at Sei with defeated red eyes. "After everything I've put her through existing with me, am I allowed to have love at all? Can I experience that emotion?"
"Humans were made to love." Sei said quietly. "Someone told me that once."
"Meg though. She deserves better than me."
"Why don't you let Meg decide that?" Sei gently spoke, getting up to Jo. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on Jo's forehead, sweeping her silvery bangs and her hair. "You don't have to decide right now whether or not you love her. You don't have to come out and say anything. Just continuing living your life and being the person you are. That's all that we ask of you."
"If that is love, Sei..." Jo paused, her eyes closing to the soothing motion of Sei's hand. It felt like Meg, holding her. All that was missing was that flash of red, that scent of her perfume…it wasn't Meg at all. Jo reached up and put a hand over Sei's, stopping it as she lifted the hand off of her head. "You are not Meg." She said quietly.
"I know. But I love you Jo, all the same."
"I love her." Jo sighed. "Meg." She said her name quietly, her voice carrying the most emotion Sei had ever heard. She watched as Jo passed back into a peaceful slumber, her face etched with confusion, although the semblance of peace found there as well reassured Sei. Perhaps there was more hope than previously thought for the two of them.
A knock at the door- Sei realized that there were many interruptions as soon as there was a moment of peace- brought Sei out of the reflective moment and she went to open it, finding a chef at the door.
"Hey Sei." Kyohei smiled up at her.
"Kyohei, you're finally here." Sei smiled, opening up the door. He followed her in, eyes gazing around the trailer as they did every time he came, searching for something new or, in some cases, things he should stay away from (he had learned his lesson about Jo being inside when watching her horror movies) and he was not disappointed.
"What happened to Jo?" He asked quietly as he saw the sleeping girl. Kyohei had grown used to the fact that Jo was considered unstoppable in almost every aspect of fighting.
"We don't know. She's sleeping right now, and Meg was out of the way while fighting, so she doesn't know what happened either."
"Was this from the tournament you were telling me about?"
"It might be related, but we don't really know. Meg and Jo were out earlier today while Amy and I were out trying to find you and some supplies. In fact, if you wouldn't mind, we bought some food- not a lot, but Amy's been complaining all day, and I'm sure Meg would like some food when she gets back from the fight. Jo could use some too, now that I think about it. Soup is good for sick people, right?" Sei asked as she went off into a tangent. Kyohei awkwardly butted in.
"I don't think soup is going to help Jo much, Sei."
"Well, I've got to go check up on Meg."
"Why? You said she didn't get hurt."
"She's fighting for Jo tonight." Sei said as Kyohei gasped.
"And Jo's letting her?"
"Jo doesn't know." There was a pause as Kyohei digested the information.
"Sei, if she finds out while you all are gone, there's no way-"
"It's fine. You won't have to try and keep her here. The most hopeful solution is that this is done quickly and easily and Jo is none the wiser." Kyohei visibly relaxed.
"I'll go get to work…" He murmured shyly. "Jo will be okay, right?"
"We will get through this somehow." Sei said, both of them knowing it wasn't a reassuring answer. There wasn't one though, to Kyohei's question. For all of the scared behaviors he had, Kyohei, Sei thought, was someone who grow into the empathetic sort of man people loved. Sei walked to Amy's room, knocking once before letting herself in, the shut door isolating the group members from each other.
Not that it would last long. Meg came out of room dressed in full gear, her blue hat hanging on her back as she walked steadily into the room where Jo was. She sat down next to the girl. She wondered what had possessed her to come back here. She supposed it was the thought of Jo not knowing what she was doing that bugged her. Sei's words had hit home earlier and she shied away at the remembrance of them. Her emotions were too worked up now for her to be doing this, but here she was, telling the one girl who wouldn't want her to leave that she was going.
"Jo…" she whispered quietly. "Jo…wake up." She put a hand on her forehead, doing the almost exact same thing Sei was doing earlier. Jo, in her sleep, heard Meg's voice say her name softly, and she shuddered with an unknown feeling as she slowly awakened. The touch on her forehead…that smell was Meg, but she was different, tenser, more aware of what she doing- Jo could feel her fingers tensing in her hair as she smoothed it away.
"Meg…"She murmured, and Meg was almost overtaken by the gentleness of Jo's voice in that one word.
"Jo please. I have to go. I promise I'll come back though, ok? I promise."
"You'll get hurt, if you leave." Jo said automatically, thinking back to the previous days.
"Jo." Meg choked up. "I can't let you get hurt. That's why I'm going."
"You're fighting." Jo said, with the resigned air of someone who had lost an argument.
"Yes." Meg said. "Are you mad at me?"
"I can't stop you Meg, from doing what you want." Jo said, tiredly. Her conversation with Sei had done little to ease her fears when it came to Meg and the absence of her presence someday, if it ever would happen.
"I don't want to fight. I don't want any more fighting." Meg said, nearly in tears.
"I will always have to fight." Jo said.
"Not always Jo. Because I'm fighting now." Meg said determinedly. "You told me, Jo, that day, that you fight for me. And now I'm going to try and repay back some of the debts I owe you."
"You owe me nothing."
"I owe you everything." Meg said as she leaned down towards Jo's face. Jo blinked and her breathing increased. She was so close to her, with that red curtain of her hair draped over her like so many times before, but this was so much more different.
"Meg…" Jo said her name again, unsure of what else to do. Meg's breath reached her ear as she whispered delicately into it.
"I will never leave you. When I get back, once I've won, we won't let something like this happen again. I promise Jo. I will never leave you." Jo sighed in response as she wrapped her good arm around Meg, holding her tightly. Meg stroked it, pulling back, as she stared into Jo's eyes. The fierce red hue that had always surrounded them was fading, slowly, as Meg saw something in them she had never seen before.
"If they hurt you, it is unforgivable." Jo said, repeating her earlier words. "I will find them. I will drag them down to hell with me."
"Shhhh, Jo, it'll be fine. One shot, remember?" Meg smiled sadly.
"Why did you tell me this?" Jo asked. "You would have been gone and I would never have known if you didn't wake me up."
"I just…I didn't want to lie to you. Even though earlier, you were all against me going…I guess maybe I wanted you to fight with me about it, and tell me you didn't want me to go."
"I don't want you to go." Jo said flatly. "Last time I fought with you, you could have died."
"What are y-"
"It was my fault. I don't deserve to talk with you. I've broken my own oath."
"Jo, what are you talking about?"
"I swore I would never let you get hurt. That I would never put you in harm's way."
"Jo, I chose to do this. I want to stay with you, even though I know there's going to be danger and terrible things. And for this one night, I have to go. I can't sit on the sidelines and let you put yourself out there in danger, not when I could take those blows for you." Meg pleaded quietly.
"You don't have to stay." Jo said. "I am a demon from hell. I don't deserve anything from anyone."
"Jo, that's not true. That's nowhere near the truth! When you first came, with Shirley, she kept telling us all with that book that you were an angel Jo. That you were going to save us all from that life we were living. And you did. You saved us all. Shirley, and the others, they have a family now, a real one. And I have you. And even if you are from hell, even if you were cast away by the Devil himself, well then, you're an angel from hell. You're my angel, and whether all you bring with you to this world is destruction and catastrophe, at least you've got an accomplice in whatever it is you'll do. I'm by no means any better than you Jo. And I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the two of us survive."
Jo sat in silence as Meg calmed down from her rant. An angel from hell….the name was fitting, she supposed, with her silver hair and wing shaped tattoos. She had seen pictures, and mosaics, when traveling with Meg on their way to Tokyo. Stopping in churches, though Jo had no idea why they did it, Meg had pointed out the stained glass linings on the walls and studied them, to a point where Jo was wondering why they were still there. Churches made her uneasy. They were too peaceful, too open, too trusting. It was a dangerous place, with its open spaces and hidden passageways-indeed Jo had spent more time keeping watch for anything bad rather than observing the same things Meg watched.
"The churches…" Jo said, reminiscing. "Why the churches?"
"I used to pray for our safety…" Meg said sheepishly. "Even though I didn't really believe in God and things like that all that much. It was to explain your presence. I don't know why you showed up one day with us, what sort of fate or divine intervention brought us together. I wanted to see too, if you were an angel. I thought there'd be a picture on the wall or something."
"Those places were dangerous. It was too open."
"It's a church. There isn't supposed to be violence in them."
"You liked to look at the windows."
"Stained glass. They were pretty." Meg smiled. "The kids and I used to talk about what we'd want in a house. I always wanted stained glass windows."
"Why? Glass breaks easily, it's fragile."
"Yes, but the color never fades. And the fact that it's delicate makes it more beautiful."
"We'll get them someday, then." Jo said with a final tone. "Stained glass windows." She turned to Meg, eyes staring her down. Meg understood what Jo was trying to say, in that awkward roundabout way she developed whenever her emotions, or thought processes, whatever it was in her head, went through something she didn't want to admit. She leaned down towards Jo one more time, hugging the girl.
"We will not break." She said quietly. "Do you understand?"
"I still don't want you to go."
"And I still don't want to. But I'm going, and you're staying here, and no matter what the other says, that's the way it's going to be." Meg sighed. "Promise me you won't do anything reckless or stupid. No typical Jo maneuvers. Stay here, please."
Jo looked down at the cast on her leg, then back at Meg. "I'm not exactly in the position to get up and go for a run now, am I?"
"Well, someone must be feeling better, was that sarcasm I heard just then?" Meg teased trying to lighten the mood. Jo scowled and looked away.
"Come home…safe, ok?" Jo said quietly, still not looking at Meg. Meg got up and walked towards the door, pulling out her large bazooka from the side closet.
"I will." Meg nodded, before stepping out the door. She could feel Jo's eyes on her; she could tell that same look was in her eyes as before. She shook her head slightly. She couldn't think of Jo being different right now. She needed to see her in her mind as the pillar of strength she had relied on, she needed to see with her own eyes the power that Jo had, just so she could hope to emulate it.
She was no Jo, that was for sure, and she knew that all the people out there were expecting the mysterious girl from last night, wanting to see if anything would change at all from the standard set by her. Quickly, and easily, was becoming the most obvious way to win. Showboating and grandeur would offer little help, and Meg, who oftentimes relied on that fact in her enemies, felt no more secure about fighting than she did the other night. Of course, as she shifted the bazooka in her arms, the fact of the much larger gun she was holding helped a lot as well.
It was going to be get in, shoot fast, aim well, and leave. Of course, this entire thing wouldn't even work unless Takeru had convinced his uncle to allow the switch, and Meg was fairly confident that the doctor could do it.
She smiled as she saw the young doctor standing around the meeting area, where the contestants were milling around, eyes always warily watching in case of any surprise attacks. Takeru waved her over, a small smile on his face.
"My uncle said it would be okay. He said that the whole saga between the two brought a ton of money in from the crowds and betting. To not let you compete would make him lose money, he said." Takeru laughed. "Are you ready?"
"No. I really don't want to do this. I'd rather be at home with Jo." Meg sighed. "The quicker this gets done, though, the quicker I can get back. So that's about the only good thing. I'm starving too." She whined. "I haven't had anything since lunch and it's been an eventful day."
"I'm sure. But it's almost over now." Takeru said absentmindedly. Meg looked at the setting sun.
"Yep. Everything's almost over."
Sei had sunk onto Amy's bed after going to check on the girl, and the said hacker rushed over to check on the drained girl.
"I don't think I can do this Amy. It's too familiar."
"Sei, we're much better prepared this time. I've rigged some of the electrical wires in the buildings nearby to explode if needed. If anyone tries anything, we can create a distraction and get Meg out quickly." Amy scowled. "Pull yourself together. This is about Meg right now, and Jo, not your irrational fears."
"It is about them! I don't want to see them die."
"They won't. It's not like last time, I told you already. There's no war now, no rival factions fighting for domination. It's peaceful, for lack of a better term. It's just one fight, so get through it ok? Tomorrow we'll take a day off or something, all of us." Amy sat down next to Sei. "I can't help you anymore Sei. I'm not Satsuma. And no one can ever be her. But you have to know that you can help yourself. She wouldn't want you to be living in this fear all the time. Don't you want to look her in the eye and tell her about the leader you've managed to become?"
"I won't be in the same place as her."
"What are you talking about?"
"She's in heaven. I doubt I'll ever get there." Sei sighed. "I've done too many things."
"Hey. You're a good person. And she's not in heaven." Amy got up and opened the door, pointing out the small window that had brilliant shades of colors dancing through from the sunset. "There's a beautiful world out there Sei. Both of you lived in it once. And I'm sure you can find your way back to it again."
She looked up into Sei's face as she felt the older girl wrap her arms around her from behind, hugging her. Sei caught her gaze and smiled sadly.
"You believe it so wholly, that she's not dead."
"I don't understand how you've given up so quickly." Amy shrugged Sei off. "Anyway, we better get going. Considering Jo will be unable to watch Meg tonight, that leaves the two of us as babysitters."
"And Kyohei will keep an eye on Jo." Sei said, smirking. Amy' s face lit up as she ran ahead of Sei into the kitchen, bursting open the door with such a loud clatter that Kyohei gave a girlish scream and dropped the empty pan he was holding.
"Kyohei! Give me some food!" Amy yelled, a serious look on her face.
"A-amy?" He stuttered. "But, I don't have anything fully prepared-"
"I don't care! I'm starving! God, what made you think you could not be here as quickly as possible? I gotta eat! C'mon, don't you have any snacks or cookies or something?"
"Well, I mean, I have some stuff from class earlier. Jeez Amy, I have to go to school you know, otherwise-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, so you can travel abroad and become a world famous patisserie I know I know. But you work for us, and Sei gives you the money to go to school and to work here, so fork it over." Amy thrust out her hand. Kyohei looked helplessly to Sei, who simply shrugged her shoulders. It was better for her that Amy be fed and mildly content while they sat, as opposed to being whiny and irritating because of the lack of food.
"Sorry Kyohei, she's got a point." Kyohei gave a characteristic whine as he slumped over to the counter and his bag, dejectedly pulling out the small bag of cookies lying within. Before he had even fully turned back to the girls, Amy had snatched them out of his hand and was merrily skipping out of the kitchen.
"Wait- Amy! Those were supposed to be for everyone!" He called futilely.
"Forget it. Let her have them." Sei smiled. "It'll keep her quiet for a bit. Things should be quiet around here too. Jo's still sleeping, so no worries about that. If she wakes up, just give her something to eat and tell her that the TV's all hers."
"Sounds too easy to me." Kyohei fretted.
Sei patted him on the back. "Don't take it for granted. Just hope everything works out ok." She peered into the pots on the stove. "That looks good."
"Thanks." Kyohei said. There was a pause, in which Sei's stomach growled loudly. She blushed embarrassedly and went to follow Amy.
"Right. Well then, see you when we get back." She said, shuffling out the door. Kyohei stared for a minute before shaking his head and turning back to his pots. If only he had quit while he had the chance echoed faintly through his mind.
The crowd was raucous as Meg stepped into the arena, her hands nervously clutching the gun. The previously gruff Kaneshi had seemingly changed his ways towards the group of girls, though whether it was Jo's near beating of him before or the fact that his nephew was coercing him into it, Meg had no idea.
Her opponent was a wiry thin man with glasses that he shoved up his face as he brought out a rifle. Meg watched with a mix of pity and amusement.
"Alright, rules are the same. Play fair. Withdrawal can come at any time, otherwise, its death." Kaneshi bowed and stepped out of the ring. Meg aimed carefully with her bazooka, while the man fiddled with his gun. Locked in her sights, she went to pull the trigger, when the man disappeared. Stunned, she moved out of the viewfinder, narrowly missing the bullet past his head.
The crowd gasped as Meg rolled to the ground, protecting her head as more shots rang off. Her gun covered most of her body, and she fired off rapid rounds like a machine gun across the arena, defending and attacking at the same time. There was a blurring stop, and she was face to face with the man again.
"You're fast." She gasped.
"So you've noticed…" He said back, winded.
Meg fired off a shot as he finished speaking, but he ducked it quickly and went off again, running around so fast Meg could hardly tell where he was. A bullet shot off and she instinctively ducked, and seconds later, felt a searing pain seize through her arm. Turning, she saw the graze that the bullet mark had left her, a shallow wound that bled easily. The crowd gasped as she fell to the ground, unaccustomed to the pain. The man stopped again.
"I knew you would duck. You're too predictable in your movements." He rolled his eyes. "Statistically speaking, you don't stand a chance." He knelt down to her level. "Why don't you just give up?"
"No!" Meg yelled, punching him in the face with an uppercut that sent him flying. "I'll never give up!"
He chuckled, getting up from the ground as he wiped the dirt and blood off his face. "Well, at least you'll make it interesting."
Meg fired off another round of shots that chased the blur around the arena. Unlike her previous attacks, this time she ran around as well, chasing after the blur in a show of agility both Sei and Amy were surprised to see.
"He was wrong, you know." Amy whispered over to Sei. "Statistically speaking, he knows nothing about Meg and what she can do. A new enemy gives you no advantage. It's a mind game he's trying to play." Sei nodded as they continued watching.
"Hopefully Meg won't be affected."
"Nah, I'm sure Jo brags like that all the time." Amy giggled. She winced as Meg took a blow to the head, knocking her down. Turning to Sei, she saw the same worried look on her face.
"Still. When we were talking about getting things done quick," They watched as Meg got a lucky foot out that tripped the man to the ground. "I didn't exactly mean it like this."
Meg stood over the man, glaring. "This is it." She pulled the gun to his face. "Give up, or I'll kill you."
"You'd kill an innocent man?" He said between breaths, looking into her face.
"You're no more innocent than me." Meg spat out. "Don't compare your reasons here to mine."
"I'm here to support myself. I need the money."
"This isn't the way to do it."
"And what makes you so special?"
"I'm nothing special. But I'm here to protect the most important person in the world to me." Meg's eyes narrowed, picturing red eyes in pain watching her. "And I'll do what it takes to make sure that happens."
"I'll never give up."
"Then it was nice to know you." Closing her eyes, and looking away, Meg pulled the trigger. There was a gasp from the crowd and Meg opened her eyes only to find the man behind her, a knife at her neck.
"You stupid girl." He chuckled. "You should have given up right from the start. You're slow. You're stupid. You fight for what? Love? Love never wins." He pressed the blade into her neck, and a small line of blood formed from it.
"Meg!"
"No!"
Both Sei and Amy jumped out of their seats. Sei looked at Amy with panic on her face, and in response, Amy nodded slightly as she curled her hand around the button she was holding in her hand.
"Don't. Not yet." Takeru said as both girls jumped to see him standing next to them. "I think Meg can get out of this."
"We're not losing anyone else!" Sei said emotionally. "Not again."
"Relax." Takeru placed a hand on Sei's arm. "Have faith in your fighter."
Meanwhile, Meg was breathing shallowly as she stood perfectly still. She could feel the blood trickling down her neck. One false move and the knife would slice her like a hot knife to butter.
"Are you going to give up, or not?" He asked, his hot breath creeping into her ears. Meg shuddered as she flashed back to Odeko and what had happened only moments earlier.
"Stop!" Meg screeched, as she kicked a leg out behind her, knocking the man away, hitting him in the balls, as the knife sliced her still, though avoiding her jugular.
"Bitch!" He scowled, chucking the knife at her. Meg flicked it away with her gun, advancing menacingly towards the man.
"I will never give up! Do you understand? Never! I'll never give up!" She shot him in the legs, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. "Try to run now, you sick bastard." She put the gun to his face.
"Meg!" Sei's voice rang out clear across the silent stadium. "Don't Meg! You don't have to go that far!"
"Go on Meg." The man leered. "Go. Go all the way. Let your love prove itself."
Meg's hand shook with the gun in them. Her eyes were peering through the scope and all she could see was the outline of one of the man's eyes as the main focus of the scope was directed at his forehead. One bullet would end it, kill the man and make a bloody spectacle of him, showing everyone that she was not to be messed with, and neither was Jo.
The name brought red to Meg's eyes (literally) as she was consumed with anger- anger over what had happened with Jo getting hurt, with the pain she was in, anger with Odeko and what he had tried to do, and anger with Sei and Amy for getting them all into this mess, and anger with herself for not being able to control everything.
"Give up." Meg said, her face tilted so that the man couldn't see her eyes. "Give up now." Her voice was expressionless.
"I'll never give up." He mocked. "But you're right in this case, I have no other choice unless I'm willing to die. You win this round." He looked at his legs. "I can't even feel them. You've got a pretty good shot there. At least the government'll pay for the surgery."
"Leave this place. If I or Jo ever see you again, you won't survive the day."
"Then why let me go?"
"Because Jo will kill you when she finds out you hurt me. You're living on borrowed time now." Meg chuckled lowly. "Sucks for you."
"Well, girl, you've got mercy for a lousy scumbag like me." He sighed, raising a hand in the air. "I surrender!" He called out for the stadium to hear.
"Meg is the winner!" Kaneshi called out, stepping into the ring with a bunch of medics who carried off the man.
"Meg, eh?" He called out as he was getting put on the stretcher. "The name's Hanacho, if you wanna tell your friend Jo while she comes to get me."
"Hanacho." Meg said quietly. "I'll remember that."
Suddenly, Meg was tackled as Amy ran into her, nearly knocking her over. "Meg! You won! And you didn't even need any karate skills like last time! You really are like that tiger when you put your mind to it!" Amy hugged her tightly. Meg softened as she returned the embrace.
"Thanks Amy." She looked behind her to see Sei with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on her face.
"You did it, Meg." Sei said, half-exuberant, half-relieved. "I was worried for a second there you were gonna shoot him."
"I was." Meg looked at the night sky. "But I don't think Jo would have wanted me to, you know?"
"I think Jo would have wanted you to survive!" Amy said, climbing off of Meg. "Jeez that guy had a knife to your neck and you just stood there."
"Yeah, well." Meg grinned sheepishly as she rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. "I was thinking up a plan- oh!" She remarked as she pulled her hand back to find blood on it. Sei and Amy stared at it as well.
Takeru interrupted their staring with a loud and clear congrats to Meg, who jumped slightly but relaxed afterward as the kind doctor offered to patch her up right there.
"I don't think Jo'd be very happy to find you at home with blood," He explained as he wrapped a bandage around it, and the arm wound. "They're both shallow wounds, so they'll heal quickly."
"Thanks Takeru. I really owe you one, for everything tonight."
He waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting Jo and yourself better. While tonight was great- really, you had a interesting fight with Hanacho up there-"
"Wait, you know him?"
"Yeah. He's a friend of my uncle. He always fights in these things but end up withdrawing all the time. Even though technically it means he's disgraced, he's not a professional fighter, so my uncle will let him continue to fight."
"He's fast."
"Yeah." Takeru chuckled. "He steals stuff, but gives it away a lot of the time. He's a pretty good guy, but he's had his heart broken too many times. So he's become a bit more selfish and desperate nowadays. I'm glad he didn't hurt you anymore though."
"I'm glad I didn't have to kill him." Meg sighed. "Right now, I just want to go home."
"Please. You want to see Jo." Amy teased, peering out from behind Sei.
"Brat." Meg scowled, whacking her softly on the arm. "So what if I want to see Jo? You just want to get back so Kyohei will cook you something. I saw you eating those cookies too! But did you save one for me? No, of course not!"
Sei walked behind as Meg and Amy bickered back to the trailer after saying goodbye to Takeru and assuring him that it would be fine if he came back to check on Jo tomorrow, and that it would be perfectly fine if he stayed for lunch as well.
When Sei watched from the doorway as Amy and Meg ran into the trailer, she saw Jo's eyes snap open and turn immediately to Meg, giving her the once over. She saw the slight frown that formed on her face as she saw the bandages, and the look that was shared between the two of them as she caught Meg's eye. She saw Meg slowly sit down next to Jo, who struggled slightly to make room, and smiled gracefully as she saw Meg help Jo get comfortable. She watched as Jo threw the blanket that was on her onto Meg, and she saw the same look in both their eyes as Meg settled down next to Jo, presumably to tell her about what went on. Jo looked at Sei for a minute, and Sei understood that Jo had known all along, and that consciously she let Meg go, not, thankfully, blaming Sei for what occurred.
And as Sei followed Amy into the kitchen, past Meg resting on Jo's shoulder with her eyes closed, and Jo's eyes on the girl, Sei realized just what it was she was seeing in the myriad of colors and emotions in the two girls eyes, stained on like imprints that would never fade.
Love certainly had found its way to the trailer again.
Alright then, Chapter 10 (OMG) is complete! Thanks again to everyone who reads, reviews, or just thinks about this thing! Feel free to comment :)
Next chapter- well, I'm off to slay the monster known as writers block, so hopefully, hopefully, dear god please! It'll be up sooner than the last couple have been.