Welcome, ladies and gents!
I figured I should ease your cliffie a bit ;)
Chapter 25: Lost – Krypteria
"Greetings from the Zodiacs." The man spoke.
Ran's mind went into overdrive. Zodiacs? That was the organization of assassins that had gotten her onto the wanted list. That was the group that was after Sita and the twins. She didn't know anything about them. Not one bit of information. Sita had told her to run if she ever met them. How in the world was she supposed to run? She was tied to a chair!
Besides, that man, Kage, he hadn't been suspicious at all. He had pulled Elder Pinjao's name, too. Probably to get her trust. Or maybe, he had pulled it because he had tortured the man for information. Maybe Elder Pinjao had given her contact after days of torture to save his life. She hoped that he was alright. She hoped that he wasn't dead. She remembered Sita's torture wound. The insects. She shuddered at the thought of Elder Pinjao with a wound like that. A dark thought struck her. She was next. Suddenly, she couldn't get the image of Sita's infected wound out of her head.
"She's quiet, Shadow." The big man spoke again, but this time to Kage. He pushed himself away from her and sat on one of the old, dusty tables, ignoring the rats that ran away when he did. "She was screaming just fine moments ago." He took out a toothpick from his pocket and cleaned his teeth absentmindedly. He grinned, snapping it in half. He threw one half at a rat, not even looking at it. The creature squealed when the wood pierced it and then continued whimpering until it bled out on the floor. Ran didn't look away from those crimson eyes. They were excited by the sounds the animal was making. If she looked away, that giant man with the insane eyes and wide, bloodthirsty smirk, he would come after her next. She was going to lay on this dirty floor, smelling of rot and mold, until she, too, bled out. The assassin was enjoying the pure, raw fear in her eyes.
"Back off, Taurus." Kage ordered. The big man, Taurus, frowned at his partner. Obviously, there was some tension between them. Taurus stood and walked to Kage. He stood over a head taller than the lanky man.
"Fuck you." Taurus spit the other half of the toothpick into Kage's face. Ran stared at them, quiet. She forced her head to clear. She had a way out. They obviously weren't used to working together. She could play that. Turn them against each other. She was not going to give up.
"Focus." Kage spoke and walked away from the tall man. He came closer to Ran, and she held her breath. "We don't want to hurt you, Sparrow pilot. We want information." Taurus frowned and walked over. He caught Kage's shoulder and pulled him away from the girl.
"We don't want to hurt her? I do!" Kage shook his head, almost looking disappointed. "I want to slice her open. Carve up her pretty, unmarked body. Give her a makeover, if you will. Her blood tastes so sweet." He reached his hand forward, aiming for her face. For her eyes. Ran flinched away from him, eyes going shut. She was scared. Terrified. Was he going to rip her eyes out? The fingers of his hand brushed some of the loose strands of her hair back, almost gently. Ran flinched away from those bloodied hands. "Shadow." Taurus suddenly growled. Ran peeked at them and saw Kage gripping Taurus's forearm in a vice grip. His grey eyes were on the red ones, flashing in warning. "What the hell are you doing?"
Kage pushed Taurus away, making him let go of Ran's hair. "We want her cooperation." He looked to Ran then. "We want your cooperation. If you choose not to cooperate, I will be forced to let Taurus interrogate you. Do you understand what that means?" Ran gave a shaky nod. She was going to die if that man interrogated her. And it wasn't going to be quick.
Taurus smirked. "Did you like my joke?" He asked, causing Kage to rub his forehead in annoyance. "Did you?" His voice was slightly raised now, making Ran jump slightly. His eyes were focused on hers. "Ah, you didn't understand my joke." He laughed throatily. Kage murmured something that sounded like 'give me strength'. Ran was too terrified. If she weren't, she probably would've laughed. "The package that I gave you? It was your friend Pinjao's heart." He laughed again.
Ran froze, her blood going cold in her veins. She felt herself going pale and became sick to her stomach. Elder Pinjao was dead. They had given her his heart. Heart. The warm, bloody package. They had given her his heart. She felt her throat closing, and she couldn't breathe. The room was closing in on her, her head was spinning. She couldn't breathe. The walls were becoming closer and closer. Black spots appeared in her vision. Ran passed out, hyperventilating.
"Gah." Taurus remarked. "She's out." He laughed. "I got her good, right?" He asked Kage. The other assassin frowned at him, silver eyes glaring.
"How did I get stuck with you?" He murmured into his chin. He was going to have a looooong day.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace stumbled onto the deck. He was beat. His hands hurt like hell. He had never done so much hammering in his life. Now, he understood why Marco kept telling him not to harm the ship. Whitebeard repairs were brutal to say the least. When they remodeled, they remodeled. Like insane. So here was Ace, sore, stumbling on the deck. The sun was slowly going down, setting the sea aflame and basking the new planks of the ship in an orange glow. There were pirates here and there, laughing and partying. The drinking had already started, as usual. Sundown was like a signal for the start of their celebration. Pirates celebrated life. They partied for their freedom. They sang and enjoyed each day like there was no tomorrow. Because, there could be no tomorrow.
The raven leaned against the railing, resting. His ribs hurt a bit when he breathed. It was going to be fine. Maybe he should go to the doc, though. Just in case, he figured. However, his master plan was interrupted when he smelled grilled fish. He looked around, searching for the grill, but he didn't find it. Kondor brought the big grill out to the deck for the more official parties. It would be strange for him to get it out today. So, where was the smell coming from? The raven looked around, searching for the source. He saw some kind of smoke coming from one of the crow's nests. Without any hesitation, Ace headed upwards. The raven reached his destination soon enough. He had climbed that rigging a thousand times, after all. He wasn't expecting to see Thatch.
The Commander jumped slightly when he saw Ace. "Get in!" He hush-yelled, his hand motioning for the raven to hurry up. The young pirate jumped in swiftly. The Commander had set up a small grill and built his own fire. There was a large fish on the net, crackling softly and smelling heavenly. Ace had heard rumors about Thatch being an amazing cook, but he had never gotten the chance to try the man's food.
Ace gave a sly smirk to Thatch. "What are you doing there, Commander Thatch?" The pompadour started sweating profusely.
"Ah, I-I caught this little thing this morning." The pompadour stumbled over his words, nervous. "I figured that I should prepare it for us, Ace! I was just about to call you!" The raven laughed at this.
"Nice save." He commented and plopped down. "Need any help?" He asked the Commander, even though the man seemed to have it all under control. He looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself, which wasn't something that you saw often. Sure, Thatch laughed, danced, sang, joked and all that. But, this was a new expression on the Commander's face. One that Ace hadn't seen before. The pompadour looked so at peace, like he was in another place with his mind. He truly loved cooking.
"Nah. I'm good." Thatch answered. "Make yourself comfortable. It'll be done soon." He flipped the sizzling fish gingerly.
"What kind of fish is that?" Ace wondered. "I've never seen it before." Ace fished a lot. When you didn't know what to do on a ship, you could always fish. Ace had done a lot of that. But, it's not like he knew every single species of fish, even though he had seen many. This one, it was his first time seeing it.
"It's a rare species. I think it's quite delicious. When prepared right, of course. When it's cooked poorly, it's very bitter." Thatch produced a pair of knives, seemingly out of nowhere and cut the fish expertly. He separated the halves, leaving them both on the heated net, hardened skin first. With the tip of his knife he pushed the spine out and slowly pried it off. It gave way, taking most of the bones with it. Ace watched with fascination as the Commander threw the bones away and salted the meat with some kind of a spice. Next, the pompadour put the halves on two plates, handing Ace his.
"Thanks." The raven said, breathing in the pleasant smell of the fish. He couldn't wait to try it.
Thatch passed him a half of a lemon. "Enjoy." He said, a grin on his face. "You don't get to eat something like this every day, trust me." Ace squeezed the lemon juice over his meat and happily dug in. His eyes widened at the taste. He looked up to Thatch, who had closed the grill and sat down. The pompadour was grinning, waiting for Ace's reaction.
"This is amazing!" The raven supplied and started eating at a worrisome speed. The Commander laughed.
"Glad you enjoy my cooking." He, too started eating. Ace finished too fast for his liking. He sat there, eyeing Thatches food enviously. The Commander ignored him, though.
"You should cook more often." Ace said, eyes following every single bite the man took.
"Mmmm." Replied Thatch through his food, but he wouldn't be deterred. He knew that looking up and seeing the puppy eyes, he would give in and hand over more food to the raven. He would last. He sped up the movement of his chopsticks, careful of the small bones. Ace snorted, and then laughed, giving up. He decided that it was time to head to the kitchen and get some more food. Maybe he should've saved the fish for last.
"Have you heard from Izo?" Ace suddenly asked, causing Thatch to cough.
"Why would I be in contact with Izo? There's nothing between us!" The Commander said when he regained his breath. Ace raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say that there was." He said slowly. "It's just that, your division was on communications today… Never mind. I'll just call Ran." The raven decided and stood up, leaving his plate on the seat. "Thanks for the food." With that, he left Thatch in the crow's nest to stare at his plate uneasily.
~~~~pb~~~~
It was pretty late when Thatch wandered below deck and headed for the medical wing absentmindedly. He wasn't sure why he was going there. Well, he knew the general idea of why he was heading there. But, he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. The Commander stopped, leaning against the wall for a second. His mind kept going back and forth. He pushed off the wall and walked forward again. It was when Thatch arrived before the doc's office door that he stopped again, debating. He wasn't sure if he should enter or not. He must've raised his hand a dozen times, before letting it fall back down to his side. He couldn't knock. He was weak. Thatch sighed, deciding to leave.
"Are you going to stand there all night?" A voice came from behind him. He whirled around, as if caught stealing sweets. Sure enough, there was doc, in her white lab coat and the usual short red skirt and white sleeveless shirt. Her hair was straightened for a change and Thatch felt the usual pang in his abdomen that he felt around attractive women. A grin split his face and he let his eyes roam her breasts shamelessly. Doc frowned. "Great. You've moved from staring at my door to staring at my boobs. Lucky me." She said sarcastically and walked forward. "I've bandaged one too many arms and legs today, Thatch, either leave or come in." Doc seemed tired. She walked around the Commander and opened the door to her office/bedroom. She usually slept on the hospital bed anyways.
Surprisingly, Thatch followed her in. Doc walked forwards, dropping her clipboard onto her desk. She brushed her hair out of her face with a sigh. Her eyes were starting to hurt. She had spent two days sleeping with Marco. It had been heaven. He made her demons vanish. Her dreams had been peaceful. Last night, she hadn't gone to the phoenix. She had noticed that he was tired. Doc had figured out what was happening quickly. He was sleeping less when she was beside him. So, she did the only logical thing. She stopped coming to his room.
"I-I can talk to you, right?" Thatch asked. Doc turned to see him sitting on her bed, looking at his hands nervously. He was shifty. She raised her eyebrows, but didn't comment. "You know, the whole doctor patient confidentiality?" The Commander looked at her now. Jade gave another sigh and settled down into her chair, rubbing her temples gingerly.
"I'm a pirate, Thatch." Doc spoke gently. "I don't really have to respect those rules." Thatch stared at her incredulously.
"Just humor me, alright?" He told her. Doc nodded with a small smile. "I-I-ah- fuck…" Thatch dropped his head into his hands, sighing. Doc gave him a weird look and stood up. She headed to the burner and started heating up the water. She would wait for him. "I don't know where to begin." He finally said.
"I understand." Her voice had gone deep, soothing. That was her doctor voice. "Why don't you start by telling me what's bothering you so much?" The water boiled while they sat in silence and doc poured it in two cups. She dunked a passionflower bag into each and put a small lid on top.
"I…" Thatch began once more. "I think there's something wrong with me." The Commander finally said. Doc walked to the man. She gave him one cup, accepting the small 'thanks' that he gave and sat back down into her chair.
"What do you mean?"
Thatch placed his cup carefully onto the nightstand. "I'm not gay." He said adamantly. Doc's eyebrows rose. "I love women. I adore women." She was pretty sure that her eyebrows had vanished into her hair by now. "It was an accident, you know. We were both drunk. And I just- he just- you know… argh…" Thatch paused, his head dropping into his hands once again.
"And you think, that because you slept with a man, you are gay?" Doc asked carefully. Thatch raised his head back up.
"No- yes. Wait. No. I don't know. It's just. It's confusing, you know?" The man was obviously going nuts with the ideas swimming in his head. Doc gave him another gentle smile. "I mean, we are comrades. Bothers. I can't possibly be… I'm surrounded by men! That must be it! I need to be around women!" Thatch got up, suddenly excited. Doc, too, rose to her feet. Her hands caught his upper arms, trying to calm him down.
"Why don't you try to calm down, Thatch. Drink some tea." She pushed him back onto the bed gently, her hands rubbing his biceps in comfort.
"Yes. Yes. Of course." Thatch grabbed the cup and blew on the hot tea. He sipped it slowly. Doc let a moment pass before she spoke once more. The man was clearly at his wit's end. She wasn't equipped to deal with sexuality confusion.
"Why don't you listen to me for a moment?" She asked and Thatch nodded calmly. "There are different types of sexuality. Heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and asexuality are the four groups that you usually hear about." Thatch opened his mouth, but doc didn't let him interrupt. "So, naturally, there are people who don't fall into the first two categories. I'm not saying that you're bisexual or anything. I'm just trying to give you some perspective." Thatch sat there for a moment. He sipped some more tea and put the cup back onto the nightstand.
"You think I'm bisexual?" He finally asked. Doc shrugged.
"That's up to you to figure out, Thatch. The skies are not falling down on us." She gave him a small smile again. Thatch chuckled.
"I don't know what to think." He whispered.
"Do you get aroused when you think about women?" She asked him bluntly. Thatch looked up, not even blushing.
"Yes." He answered right away.
"Do you get aroused when you think about that man that you slept with?" She asked once more, still blunt as hell. Thatch dropped his head into his hands once more and murmured something. "I didn't catch that." Doc told him.
"Yes." Thatch told her quietly, reluctantly. He was nervous and embarrassed.
"Then, you may just be attracted to that one man." Doc said simply. Thatch stared at her for a moment. He reached for his tea and drank it in one gulp.
"Thanks." He told her finally. Doc gave him a smile and got up. Thatch rose on instinct, too.
"Why don't you sleep on it?" Doc suggested, patting his arm gently. The Commander nodded automatically, in a zombie-like state. He left her office and headed to his bed. Doc sighed, closing the door behind the troubled Commander. "I keep telling them that I'm not a psychiatrist." She murmured.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran woke up once again. Her mouth felt dry. She needed to pee. Her whole side stung terribly. She woke in the darkness and felt terrified on instinct right away. She remembered the events and started looking around the room again. The dripping was still a constant to her left. She wanted to cry. Elder Pinjao was dead. Ran was cold, tired and in pain. She needed to call someone. Ace. Izo. Sita. Shrimp. She needed to hear a familiar voice right now.
"Good, you have awoken." Kage's voice came from her right and she whimpered. The man appeared from the shadows, as if spilling from them. Ran noticed the short blades, wakizashi, at least two of them, on his hip. They were black, just like the current outfit that the assassin was wearing. It consisted of hakama and kosode, making him look like a shihakusho wearing Death god. If Ran had to choose between her captors, she preferred Kage.
A cup made contact with her lower lips and she allowed the assassin to tilt her head back, some water dribbling down her chin. Kage didn't bother wiping it off. Ran decided to be brave.
"I need to go to the bathroom." She complained. Her voice cracked a few times. Her throat was raw and hurt horribly. Kage assessed her with cold, gray eyes. He nodded with a jerk of his head. The man undid her leg binds and Ran felt blood start flowing into her feet again. He walked to the back of the chair and undid the ropes on her hands next. Ran wanted to run. She wanted to escape. But, her body was numb from the hours that she had spent in that chair, in the same position, bound tight. She tried to get up, but her legs betrayed her and she headed towards the floor. Kage appeared in front of her, catching her.
"The feeling will return into your limbs soon." He pulled her up, forcing her to stand. Ran winced at the prickly feeling in her legs. She couldn't feel them at all. Kage tugged her to the side and pushed her at the wall. Ran managed to catch herself against the wet stones just in time. She had almost slammed her head against it. She quickly pushed away from the wall, disgusted. Her gloves were smeared with both Elder Pinjao's blood and the dirty slime from the stones. She looked at Kage, expecting him to show her to the bathroom. He looked down. Ran followed his gaze and froze. There was a bucket on the floor. A bucket. He wanted her to pee in a bucket.
"No." Ran said, turning to him. Kage shrugged. He went towards her, reaching for her to tie her back to the chair. "Wait! Wait." He stopped. "Will you turn around?" She asked. She really needed to pee.
"Why should I turn around?" He asked her, like he didn't understand. Ran gave him an exasperated look.
"I'm a woman. I need privacy." She argued.
"I do not see the issue. I have seen naked women before. I have tortured naked women before." Kage deadpanned. Ran felt the leftover blood in her face drain. She was pretty sure that she was shaking from terror. If she survived, she would tell this story to Ace, so that they could laugh together. Because the situation was absolutely ridiculous. Here she was, held captive by assassins and debating whether he was going to be a pervert about her going to the bathroom or not.
"Please?" She asked, putting a brave front. "I mean, it's not like I could hurt you anyways." She was babbling now. "I don't fight." She was aware that she was babbling. "You are a thousand times stronger than me. Besides, you have a partner, and I'm alone. And-"
"Alright. I accept your conditions." Kage turned, opening his back to her. Ran didn't even think about attacking him. She dropped her underwear and did her business quickly. The pilot watched Kage carefully. He never reacted to the sounds that she made. He never even twitched. The assassin kept his word. When she was done, Ran pulled her panties back up and fixed her kimono a bit. She could feel her feet again. Her side stung like hell. Obviously, she still had some glass imbedded in it.
"I'm done." She said, making Kage turn slowly. Attacking him would've been stupid. He was strong. Maybe as strong as Sita. She could gauge power well by the way the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Kage walked to her, grabbing her arm. He led her back to the chair and tied her up once again. His cold eyes scanned her and then he left the room, not asking a single question. Ran felt her fear fade slightly, replaced by confusion.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace woke up in the middle of the night. He looked around and realized that he wasn't in his usual hammock. Right. A part of the sleeping quarters was out of order. He shook his head and got out of the sleeping bag. The raven headed for the deck, his head feeling somewhat heavy. He grabbed a random rum bottle on the way and took a sip. The burn was welcome, making him feel alive. The taste reminded him of Ran. Everything reminded him of Ran. The first time he had drunk with her, they had drunk rum, too. They had always drunk rum together. His sleep had been cut short by his dreams of Ran. Actually, she was haunting him. Was this the 'thinking about the person you like' thing that people described? Ace didn't know. He didn't mind the dreams, though. He was pretty sure that Ran would like to try out some of the things his unconscious mind came up with.
"Awake so late, Ace-sama?" The raven turned only to see Penny behind him. For a change, she didn't have her apron on. She gave him one of those sweet, innocent smiles. Ace grinned at her.
"Hey, Penny." He answered. "I woke up." He explained. Penny nodded and went to the railing that he was sitting on. She leaned on her elbows and stared out to the calm, dark sea. "Why are you up?" Ace wondered.
"I couldn't sleep." She whispered. Ace looked to the small girl, noticing how far away she looked. He turned, watching the same horizon that she was. He realized that, since the hostage incident, he hadn't really hung out with Penny. Well, he had been near her, talked to her, but they had always been in a group. Before the incident, they had always had some time alone, just talking. He missed that.
"Do you still have nightmares?" He asked cautiously. Penny shrugged.
"Sometimes I do." She answered. Penny looked at him, now, turning away from the sea. "I met Ran-san." She changed the topic skillfully. Ace felt a grin make its way onto his face on reflex. Gods, he had it bad. Penny gave him a small smile when he saw his reaction. "She is a very energetic woman." Penny concluded.
Ace started laughing. "You have no idea." He told Penny. She gave him a disbelieving look. "No, I don't mean like that!" Ace raised his hands in defense. "I mean, she is energetic. Often hyper, too. That's why she's so fun, though. You have no idea what she will do next."
"She keeps Ace-sama on his toes." Penny summarized. The smile on her face never fell. Ace focused on the small cook next to him. She really was adorable. Ace briefly wondered why she didn't have a boyfriend or a lover yet. Then, he remembered that Penny had been enslaved. You don't just forget that kind of experience. Then again, she had confessed to him. And he had rejected her. No, he had rejected her even before she had confessed. Ace felt guilt eat its way through his stomach.
"Do you ever think about anyone in that way?" The raven wondered. Penny gave another small shrug. Calypso, her shoulders were tiny, Ace thought. Penny started twirling her hair nervously.
"Sometimes." She said. "But, I don't look for an adventure in a man. I look for stability." She spoke, getting a dreamlike look in her eyes. There was a blush on Penny's face, too. "I want someone strong, smart and gentle. Someone who will accept me for me. Someone to take care of me." She kind of drifted off into her own little lala land.
Ace gave a small smirk. "You're looking for a prince charming then?" He teased.
Penny's whole face went bright red. "No! No! I mean- yes… sure. I may be looking for someone like that." She admitted shyly, looking down. Ace laughed.
"I'm glad that I didn't return your confession then." Penny looked up to him, a bit shocked. She noticed that Ace had a sad look on his face. "I'm the farthest that you will find from a prince charming." He told her.
~~~~pb~~~~
"Morning sunshine." A voice woke up Ran. She opened her eyes into the darkness. She was still in the basement. Her mouth was dry again. But, on the upside, she didn't need to pee, since Kage had given her minimal water. She couldn't tell the time anymore. It seemed like she had been there for days. Weeks. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to die. She wasn't going to betray Sita. She was going to die.
"Aweee, look at her, Shadow!" Taurus exclaimed, pulling her face slightly up. He brushed the side that was full of glass on purpose. He enjoyed blood. Ran had found that out fast. When Kage was gone, Taurus would come down and 'play' with her. Thankfully, it was never sexual. He tortured her. He would cut her and then pour alcohol over those wounds. He put different kind of salts on her open gashes, causing them to sting even worse than when he poured booze. He liked it when she screamed. That's why she never did.
"Move away from her, Taurus." Kage said. He was the nicer one. He gave her water. He asked her questions, too. She never answered him. He asked where Scorpio was. That was his favorite question. He kept asking where that person was. Ran had told him. She didn't know a Scorpio. So, Taurus cut her. Whenever she said she didn't know, the big man would hack and slash. She was counting in the beginning. Keeping track of all the wounds. But, now, she didn't know anymore. Maybe fifty something? Or was she in the low seventies already? She wanted to die.
"Why, Shadow? I like her like this?" Taurus bent down and licked the newest of her cuts. It was a long slash on her neck, just missing her carotid artery. He had been careful not to kill her too soon. He liked to play. He liked the blood.
Kage sighed. "Because we need her alive for a bit longer. After I'm done, you may have her." Ran didn't care anymore. She felt dead. Even if she survived, she doubted that she would ever be alive again. They will kill her, just like they killed Elder Pinjao. She regretted never saying goodbye to her mother. She regretted never talking to her father. She regretted never going for drinks in that fancy new bar with Bohai and Shrimp. She regretted never telling Izo just how important he was to her. She regretted never telling Ace just how much she loved him. She regretted never flying all around in the Sparrow. She regretted never teaching Daithi everything she knew about AGT. She regretted a lot. Ran wanted to cry.
"Tell me about Scorpio, Sparrow pilot." Kage spoke once more. She had grown to hate his voice. Suddenly, rage boiled inside of her. She was angry. She had so much to live for, and there they were, making her feel like she should die. She hated them. She despised them. Something that she rarely did. No, maybe she didn't hate and despise them. Maybe she hated and despised herself. For entertaining the idea of dying. Her eyes opened and she glared at Kage. She saw surprise flash in his silver orbs at the fire in hers.
"I don't know any Scorpio!" She yelled at him suddenly, her body lurching forward, despite the ropes. She started struggling like insane, hoping that her arms would get free. Hoping that her joints would dislocate so that she could run away. Because, if she did get free, she would run. "I don't know any Scorpio! Fuck you!" And then she started screaming again. She was screaming like hell. Taurus laughed somewhere in the background. He was enjoying this. She could feel her lips cracking and her throat getting rawer. Ran's voice broke, but she never stopped screaming. She could hear a song in the back of her head. A comforting sound of a Sparrow singing. Then, a crash sounded and glass was flying everywhere. Ran closed her eyes on instinct. People were yelling, shouting. There were sounds of a struggle, of some sort of combat. Someone shot a gun. Taurus cursed and something crashed, making the whole room shake. A gentle flutter of cloth sounded right in front of her and Ran smelled the familiar expensive perfume. She finally opened her eyes and saw pink with small, delicate red flowers all over it.
"Forgive me, sweetie. I had a bit of trouble finding you, love." She was never so happy to see Izo in her life before.
That's all folks!
anniewanny2: Welcome back, love :D Hope that this quick update eased your cliffie tension a bit ;) Thanks for the wonderful compliments!
Glad that you liked the JadexMarco thing :D I enjoyed it, too. Marco is a challenge, with his iron control… But I think doc will take care of that easily hehehehe~ Wonder what will happen when he finally lets go :3
Don't worry about repeating yourself, I adore reviews! And I love your comments :D I know that a lot of AcexOC stories are a bit see-through, as in, they focus on only one character and get a bit annoying after a while. I 'm trying to keep it as interesting as possible :) (even though I have a ton of OCs xD)
I adored the beginning of last chapter xD It made me soooo happy :) I figured that you guys would appreciate some action, even though I am bordering the T rating ahahahhahaha I'm glad that you didn't want it to be a dream, because I was aiming for that xD
I hope this update was fast enough? :P I eat reviews and spit out chapters hahahahaha
Wren: Heheheheeeee~ heheeeee~ Glad you liked it :D I was like, this has to end funny :P So, Leo's face or Ran's body…. Perfect! The song just sort of fit :D Miyavi is so *Q* Miiiiyaviiiiiiiiiiii :3
I hope that this chapter explores her state of mind even more. Ran is growing, a lot. I think that if you want to write a good story of any kind, you need to have your character grow during it.
Chameleone aaaah sloooowly getting there xD He was supposed to be a small side story, but it kind of took flight, and I don't really mind it. I suppose my story is getting more and more complicating as I go xD I hope that my mind blabber isn't too confusing :P
Zodiacs are amazing in my opinion. I mean, they are neutral. They are the product of the corrupt world, they are insane people who live for money or murder. I think that they were inspired by Genei Ryodan, or the Phantom Troupe from Hunter x Hunter. We'll see what happens with Ran and them, eh?
I hope this chapter solved your Sita + twins dilemma :D
Until next time :)