Ginga Ocean James: Liara
Chapter 35-Finale of Arc 2
Dina rushed to where she saw Steve last, but was shocked to see that he and Fume weren't there anymore. She looked around in panic,
"Where is he? Did they go into the forest?" she yelled, clearly worried about her brother. John frowned, his expression growing more serious.
"Look over there, I see pawprints." he said jumping down to the ground, sniffing the ground where they were and then looking back to the forest.
"They've gone in there, Akame and the others are there as well. Let's hurry Dina." he said running in. Dina sighed, "Please be safe Steve." she said before going inside the forest.
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Steve smiled as he talked with his new friend. Fume-to him seemed very nice. But Steve was going to get a wake-up call…
His jaw dropped when he saw his adoptive mother Akame growling at Fume.
"Mother, what…? What is…?" he stumbled, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. His mother and Fume were glaring at each other. "Mother wait, let her speak!" said Steve. "I'm sure this can be solved without fighting! Please!" he begged. Tesshin looked back and forth between the two.
"She led you here?" he asked slowly. He seemed unsure that his brother was telling the truth, but he let him continue. Steve turned to Fume, signaling for her to talk.
"Our numbers are growing thin…we need new members and soon or we will not survive next winter." she said with upmost seriousness. Her face showed great fear, but she continued anyway, "After thinking it over, what we did over in that foreign land was a huge error. You do not have to forgive us just yet, but we…we wish to…" she seemed unable to say anything further. Steve looked at Akame, who grew confused.
"So…are you saying that you want a truce then, Fume?" asked Lakana. Fume looked up and nodded.
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Liara and James seemed both wary of what Akame and Kisaragi were telling him, but he trusted them. Gin seemed pleased with how things had turned out. The leader smiled,
"My apologies for what happened to your mother-in-law and daughter, but we hope that more bloodshed will not happen in the future." he said.
Fume smiled faintly, looking back at Steve adoringly with a grin.
"It all worked out in the long run…I'm sorry for my earlier behavior." she sheepishly grinned,
"I was foolish…and that caused the deaths of Suki and Peachtuft…I can't forgive myself until I change." she said with a new resolve. Fume had felt guilty about what she had done, but Steve forgave her, much to the annoyance of his siblings.
Liara sighed, "How much do you wanna bet that something's gonna happen in a few months? I bet you that shiny rock I found earlier." she said in a monotone voice as she laid her head down on Kovu's back. Nakari had snuggled up nearby next to the wall.
Gin was sitting near John and Akame, watching them talk. "I see things are settling down for now, but Liara's right…trouble has come up a lot lately…and so close to home…" he said sighing.
John nodded and smirked, "Don't worry Gin, the new generation's got it covered." he smiled.
Akame nodded, "…Should I go start training the new soldiers soon?" he said getting up. Gin nodded and Akame left.
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Meanwhile, in an underground cave, a red-furred female dog looked outside her den room. She looked around intently as if something or someone was out to get her. She got up, but kept close to the walls to avoid being seen. She peeked around the corner, but saw nothing.
"Grrrrrr." she made a noise in annoyance. She went back to her room and went to sleep.
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Steve smiled as he pulled his new mate Fume closer to him. He looked to see his newly adopted stepchildren were fast asleep. He put his head down on the ground and fell asleep…