A Fine Mess
Chapter 38 - Conjoined
The fugitives wearily made their way to Kh'val's medical bay to tend to their injuries. Though the pain in Kh'aan's chest was already fading, he was certain that Kayla's ribs had been broken. Her short reassurance did nothing to quell the anxiety he'd felt when his brother's foot had connected with her body. Just thinking about it made him want to march right back to the holding cells and give Kh'val a swift kick of his own. He bristled at the thought, but his musings were interrupted by a short gasp from his companion as they entered the medical bay.
Kh'aan glanced back to see her staring at the room in awe, her mouth gaping slightly as though the jaw muscles had gone slack. He followed her gaze and attempted to see the room through her eyes. Granted it is bigger than mine, but his entire ship is much larger. And I do not have so much scientific equipment. This is more of a laboratory than an infirmary. Directly across from the door stood a long counter covered with various instruments used for detailed study of samples. The female absently walked over to a magnification device and smiled, obviously finding it familiar. Kh'aan leaned back against the far examination bed to study the human's scrutiny. Her gaze rose from the counter to the cabinets that lined the wall above it. Some of the doors were solid panels, but the hunter noticed several paned with a clear polymer to make searching easier. Kayla gasped and raised a hand to one of the doors, and Kh'aan squinted until he made out a collection of human teeth in a jar. A shudder ran down his spine at what she could be thinking of the macabre display, but rather than comment she abruptly turned her back to take in the rest of the room.
"Ok, Doctor Frankenstein!"
Kh'aan's mind chewed curiously on her statement while he watched the marine cautiously walk around an unsettling examination chair. She lightly touched the one of the restraints strapped to the arm rest before taking a hesitant step back. A tremor shook her shoulders as her gaze traveled down to the floor, and he followed with his own eyes to the base of the chair. A dark stain had permanently marked the floor around the base of the device, and from the expression on her face he was certain that their thoughts were aligned - blood.
His companion turned away from the chair with a snort. "Medieval Torture Devices? What a freak!" She laughed, but the sound was as strained as her gaze when their eyes met. She stepped over to join him by the more standard examination bed, and Kh'aan abruptly gripped her waist and hoisted her onto the platform.
"Hey!" She exclaimed, her small fists punching at his chest. "No man-handling the human!"
Kh'aan snorted, hearing the laughter in her voice. "Stop whining, pup."
The human stuck her tongue out at him before laying back on the bed, and he had to resist the urge to grasp the little thing in his fingers before it disappeared. He noticed the heat beneath her skin along her abdomen, and hoped that he would be able to provide some relief. Without a regeneration module he was not entirely sure how to heal a human, and the lack of such knowledge - not something he would have pursued in his previous life - was frustrating to say the least.
Kh'aan reached into a drawer beside the platform and pulled out a portable scanner. Activating the device, he made several passes over her torso before realizing something was wrong. The display repeatedly blinked 'unknown tissue' with each pass, and he wondered if Kh'val had time to inject her with something sinister. Only after the fourth pass did he realize the problem, and the hunter grunted and jabbed another command into the instrument. Kayla snickered at the confounded expression on his face.
"Wrong setting, genius?"
Kh'aan snarled, a brief flare of anger at such a slight making him glare into her laughing eyes, but her humor was enough to creep through his defenses. Without pausing to think about his actions, he suddenly leaned forward and snapped his teeth shut inches from her nose. The female let out an uncharacteristic yelp and scooted away on instinct, nearly toppling off of the end of the platform. Chuckling, he gripped the front of her pants and pulled her back down before she landed on her head.
"God, you are such a clown! That was cruel and you know it!"
Her eyes released the moment's fear while he grinned shamelessly, and then he resumed scanning. "Skittish ooman. You should trust me."
Her bark of a laugh was anything but sincere. "Oh I do…when you're being a reasonable adult and not a mischievous little deviant." After sharing another glare the marine closed her eyes and relaxed on the exam bed. "Ok, Doc. Do your worst."
Kh'aan took a minute to gaze upon her unobserved, and then lightly brushed a thumb across her brow before his attention returned to the scanner. Pauk. I know nothing of these images. I know ooman body parts when separated from the body, but not in active use. You are Firstborn! Was! Fine, were Firstborn. You should know these things! On a carcass, yes! I could remove the parts one at a time. It makes no sense all in a jumble like this! Some High Elder you would have been! Shut up! Kh'aan silenced his mind and instead handed her the scanner.
"This is what is wrong with you."
Lying on her back, Kayla held the device up over her head to see it. He could only see her mouth around the suddenly enormous scanner, and he saw her small blunt teeth begin to gnaw on her lip. "Hmmm...there's my stomach, but what the hell is that? My spleen? I'm a soldier, not a surgeon!" She slapped the scanner into his open hand and groaned. "So can you fix it, or should I just go take a hot bath, or maybe a cold one?"
Kh'aan snorted, a retort on his lips when her words actually reached him. "Cold bath? I do not understand?"
"Sometimes cold works for injuries just as well as hot, depending on the problem. It reduces swelling enough that the body can repair itself." She smirked and turned away from his curious gaze. "Then again, we are talking about primitive human medicine, not your neon burning skin glue."
Kh'aan snorted and turned to the many cabinets on the wall. The contents of Kh'val's medical bay were making him extremely nervous with each passing second. He is not a scientist. What could he possibly use this equipment for? Do you really want to know? The hunter growled and forced his thoughts to remain on task. After rummaging through several cabinets, he returned to the exam bed with a ceramic bowl of yellow liquid, a tube of red crystals and a very large needle. The scent of fear suddenly filled the room, and when he glanced at the female her eyes were wider than platters. She took one look at the syringe and bolted from the bed, her injuries completely forgotten.
"No way! NO WAY, MAN! Get that thing the hell away from me!"
Kh'aan was startled by her abrupt movement and nearly dropped the bowl. Placing the items carefully on the counter, he turned to Kayla hiding a chuckle. She had run across the room to hide behind the 'mid-eval torture device', whatever that meant, and at the moment resembled one of the tiny primates that her species were rumored to be descended from. Her eyes darted between him and the syringe, and her knuckles were on fire where she gripped the back of the chair. After a hearty chuckle at her expense he took a step toward her. Kayla darted to the right of the chair but Kh'aan swiftly blocked her escape. She dashed back to the left and he again met her between the chair and the counter. The marine growled and lunged to the right making Kh'aan follow suit, but the maneuver was a ruse. The second he was out of her way she darted out of the corner. Kh'aan growled. As you say, ooman…this is getting old. He was pondering exactly how to grab her in a secure hold without harming her when Kayla winced and her steps faltered. He used the opportunity to grasp her shoulders before she could run again.
"Kh'aan, I'm serious! You're not getting near me with that thing without a fight! You'll be singing soprano for the rest of your life if you try it! Let me go!"
Her tone threatened blood, but Kh'aan ignored it and 'man-handled' her back to the platform. Kayla struggled the whole way until he forcefully held her down, and then she resorted to pleading. "Please! That's gonna hurt like hell and I'm gonna scream and your ears will be ringing for days and you won't hear psycho bro if he gets out of prison and I don't want to lose my voice and you'll probably kill me and…no please!"
Her words came out in a rush and her skin was burning beneath his hands. How can you be a soldier and yet afraid of a simple syringe? Foolish ooman. Though he was enjoying this brief moment of power over her, he knew that she'd retaliate if he kept it up. Kh'aan allowed her to fidget for a few more minutes before finally releasing her legs to pick up the syringe. Her protests grew in volume and she appeared ready to kick him, but then he leaned over until their eyes were inches apart.
"Are you finished?" The marine whimpered and bit her lip, but did not answer. "This is not for you."
Giving her one last stern frown, Kh'aan turned to the bowl and proceeded to draw some of the liquid into the syringe. He took a quick glance at the trembling female, and then injected the liquid into the tube of crystals. There was an immediate chemical reaction within the tube. The crystals rapidly melted into the yellow liquid, swirling through until he began to shake the tube. The liquid thickened and its color changed from a mottled orange to a deep purple, though Kh'aan only noticed that it grew warm in his hand. He popped the cap off of the tube and poured the newly formed gel over her exposed stomach. She shivered almost imperceptibly, and then raised her head to see what he was doing. Kh'aan put down the tube and reached forward to rub his enormous hand over her abdomen, massaging the gel into her skin. He felt her skin grow warm beneath his hand, accompanied by a slight tingle, and was relieved that he'd mixed the ingredients correctly. The sub-dermal gel was not something that he'd used very often.
Kayla moaned and dropped her head back on the bed. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place, you jerk?" Her words were angry, but her half-lidded eyes and small smile told him that the gel was working as planned.
Kh'aan snorted. "It is more fun to disturb you. You make amusing expressions when upset."
The human frowned and raised the middle finger on her right hand. "You're just a barrel of laughs, aren't you?"
It seems you make me that way, silly ooman. I wonder sometimes if I am regressing because of you. Rather than respond to her jab, he picked up the scanner to check his progress. The gel was soaking into her skin and repairing the tissues as it went, but it appeared that he needed to apply it to her back to saturate the area thoroughly. He let out a frustrated grunt and reached forward to flip her over, but then thought better of it.
"Turn over."
Kayla gasped, and when he met her gaze her eyes were wide in false shock, and she clutched a hand to her chest. "My god! Did you just ask me nicely? I think I might faint!"
It took everything ounce of his self-control not to thump her on the head. "Over…or I will do it for you."
Kayla smirked and once again stuck her tongue out at him before rolling over to her stomach. An uncontrollable impulse made him flick her ear before he poured more of the gel onto her back, using both hands to rub it in. In light of everything that had happened in the past half hour, neither gave much thought to the contented groans that the human was making, nor the great care that Kh'aan took in making sure that he reached every inch of her exposed skin. The only stray thought he had was if he was applying too much pressure, but he was certain that she would say something. Once finished he stepped back and reached for the tools to put them away, but a frustrated whine from his companion made him pause.
"Who said you could stop?" Kayla's quiet voice hid traces of laughter, and Kh'aan noticed a brief bloom of heat in her face.
The hunter snorted for a moment, his fingers lightly ghosting across her smooth skin, and then an impish grin quirked his mandibles. Prior to meeting her, he had never been prone to foolish, juvenile behavior…but she had just called him a "mischievous little deviant'. Who am I to disappoint?
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Kayla relaxed on the exam bed, surprised that the purple gel had practically eliminated the pain from the Arbitrator's kick. And it didn't hurt like a sonofabitch, unlike that blue stuff. She chuckled lightly at the thought, but her musings were interrupted by an erratic tapping. After focusing on the sound she realized that it was Kh'aan's tusks, and a chill traveled her spine. Uh oh! Whenever they chatter like that he's up to no good. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when something warm, wet and pebbly whipped across her lower back. Goosebumps erupted all over her body seconds before she shrieked, flipping awkwardly off of the exam bed with no thought to the landing. She hit the floor on her left hip and rolled away trying desperately to see what he'd done to her. The sensation shivered through her veins and she could not think coherently enough to curse him out properly.
"The fuck! Was that…are you…what the hell…DID YOU JUST LICK ME?"
Kayla focused on the hysterical hunter through rage-tinted glasses and snarled. He was bent forward over the exam bed, trying to remain standing from the looks of it, and his entire body shook from heavy rumbles of laughter. After several snorting grunts he managed to nod his head slightly, but then she heard a high chitter escape from his throat sounding like a drunken cricket. Kh'aan's knees abruptly gave out and he collapsed on top of her, howling gleefully at the expression on her face.
The human groaned and heaved at his immovable bulk. "You ridiculous gremlin! You infantile lunatic, what the hell is wrong with you? My god, you're worse than my squad after the Hallows Eve Sugar Fest!" Her tantrum did nothing to quell the hunter's mirth, and the marine finally snapped. Screaming obscenities, she pounced on him with fists flying. Kh'aan rolled around on the floor, entirely too incapacitated to defend himself any other way. He tipped away from her left jab and her fingers glanced off of his right arm, gouging into what was probably the only soft spot on his entire body - directly below his armpit.
Kh'aan's howl changed pitch instantly and his head snapped around to gaze at her wide-eyed. He could not miss the predatory glint in her eyes and tried to wrestle free of her, but Kayla quickly wrapped her feet around his right leg.
"Wait. Do not do…"
"BONZAI!" His words came too late. Kayla fell on him with all the ferocity of a deranged beast, and her feet locked together around his leg in an effort to keep him immobile. She ducked under his flailing arm into that unscratchable area out of his reach, and then proceeded to poke him relentlessly in the side. "Take that, you bastard! This means war!
The hunter snorted and thrashed but she was in perfect positioning, and the torture of repeated jabs into his newly discovered sensitive flesh seemed to be undoing the formidable hunter. Beneath her own snarls she could hear his erratic breathing, and he could barely form a complete sentence to plead with her.
"Kayla! *snort* Stop! *hiss* Not funny! *snarl* No!"
Kayla's face was split in a maniacal grin as she continued to torture her companion, and barely had enough time to hang on when he abruptly heaved to his feat. Think this'll stop me? After a moment's hesitation she used his movement to twist onto his back, removing all chance that he had at freedom short of ramming her into a wall.
"Think you're so tough, huh? Take that! You won't get away from me, devil!"
Kayla linked her legs around the hunter's waist and latched her arm around his throat, leaving her right hand free to dance under his arm. Kh'aan bucked and fidgeted in a comical dance to throw her off, but after years of wrestling with soldiers twice her size, the marine knew how to maintain a hold.
"Lick me, will you! I'll show you, you insufferable mountain! I'll…"
In a fit of desperation Kh'aan stopped trying to shake off the pesky human and instead opted to simply overpower her grip. He grasped her foot and tried to unlock her legs from around his waist, but his hands were shaking uncontrollably from her assault. Just as he managed to force her left foot to release him, she kicked out and his grip slipped. His talons grazed through the space between her foot and the sole of the sandal before becoming caught on the bindings.
Kayla's blood rage fizzled in an instant, clarity giving way to abject fear as she realized exactly what that unpleasant sensation was. She froze on his back for a split second before frantically attempting to release her hold. In the midst of her panic she felt Kh'aan's shivering subside, and he grabbed her flailing legs and peeked over his shoulder at her wide eyes.
"Who is…insufferable?"
"Kh'aan…don't you dare…" The warning dried up in her throat when he again dragged his talons along the sole of her foot. Kayla flinched violently on his back and began writhing in earnest to break free of his grip. "Holy shit! No! No no no!"
Her companion growled low in his throat. "What do you oomans say? Turning about is fair?" Before she could respond she felt his talons slash eagerly at the bindings of her sandals. The thin leather soles fell away quickly, and Kayla screamed bloody murder when he proceeded to unleash hell on her sensitive feet. She punched fruitlessly at his back and tried to kick her legs out of his hands, but Kh'aan's grip was not to be trifled with. A lapse in the human's struggles made the hunter pause, and the brief respite gave her enough motivation to resume her attacks on his side. In the midst of his mischief, Kh'aan was unprepared when his knees gave out and they tumbled back to the floor.
"Unhand me you oaf!"
"You started this!"
"No, you did!" DON'T! STOPIT!"
"If you were not my friend…PAUK! STOP! I would kill you!"
After what felt like an eternity the two fugitives finally relented, piled haphazardly in an uncoordinated heap of tangled limbs. Though one of her legs was pinned beneath Kh'aan's chest, Kayla felt a sense of victory being the one on top…draped across his back with his massive neck in a sorry excuse for a choke hold. She felt his heavy breathing begin to slow and attempted to calm her own, but a hearty chuckle kept getting in the way of air. His heart pounded a furious beat against her knee, and she imagined that he could feel the same with her sternum mashed against his shoulder.
Kh'aan shuddered out another chuckle and then took a deep breath. "Truce?"
"I will never surrender," she replied breathlessly. "But if you yield, I accept."
The hunter took one last poke at her foot. "Never."
"Brat!"
She felt him squeeze her leg, and was ready for the fight to renew when a heavy bang echoed through the ship. Their eyes darted to the door and then met over Kh'aan's shoulder. The hunter heaved to his feet with a grating snarl, swiftly grasping her arm to hold her in place. Kayla yelped for a moment as she struggled to right herself, and then resituated her grip across his throat. Several shuffling steps later and Kh'aan left the lab with her latched to his back. He stopped in the corridor and craned his neck to meet her gaze with an incredulous one of his own.
"What?" The marine chuckled lightly. "Had you left me on the floor, we wouldn't be in this position."
No sooner did the words leave her mouth when Kh'aan abruptly released her legs. Kayla dropped unexpectedly, and only her arm around his neck stopped her from hitting the floor. She smirked at the hunter as he gasped around her forearm, and then reached up to re-lock her legs around his waist. She growled against his back and loosened her hold when she was finally secure.
"Just for that I'm staying put, you ass!"
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In the corridor the banging seemed to vibrate through every bulkhead. Kh'aan's nerves were still on edge after their 'battle' in the medical lab, and he flirted with the idea of using Kayla as a club to beat his brother. The image made him chuckle, but it was drowned out by a surprised sound from the human.
"Hey! That's green! But I thought…" He felt her hands push on his shoulders to raise her higher on his back, and then a warm breath crossed the top of his head. "Two toned? That figures! At least I'm not going blind."
Kh'aan stopped walking as she resumed her perch. "What are you talking about?"
Kayla's scent flared with embarrassment for a moment before he heard her chuckle. "Sorry…I just noticed...It was something I'd seen before, thought I'd seen wrong, and now realized that I was right. It's not important."
Kh'aan wanted to inquire further, but something told him that she would launch into a long story that he was not in the mood to hear. Instead he reached back to ruffle her hair, and then they proceeded down the corridor to the access stairs. The Arbitrator's cacophony of roars and banging made their heads throb in tandem, but another sound stopped Kh'aan's foot on the first stair.
He felt Kayla shift on his back as though turning around. "What's that?"
A high ringing buzz sounded from the control room making the hunter snarl. "A message."
Fun and games over, the human nimbly hopped from his back and followed to the control room. As he eased into the command chair he heard another small gasp from her, and turned to see her once again staring around in awe. Kh'aan briefly followed her gaze, but he knew that Kh'val had the larger ship. The differences were not as fascinating anymore. Turning his attention to the controls, his brow furrowed as he pondered their predicament and then he swiveled around to face Kayla. He watched her take in his contemplative expression, wondering how she had learned to read such vastly different features from her own. After another minute's scrutiny she stepped forward until her knees met his legs.
"What's wrong?"
Kh'aan studied her for a long moment. With every day that passed since their initial meeting, he was continually surprised by her fierce resolve. Even now in the face of so much uncertainty, he could see in her eyes that she would stand by him no matter what they faced. It warmed a normally dormant part of his heart and he reached forward to playfully flick her ear, though his hand strayed down the side of her neck to her shoulder before he dropped it.
"Should I answer?"
He could tell by her wide eyes that he'd caught her off guard. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she spoke. "Why not? I mean, what's the worst that could hap…" She abruptly groaned and wiped a hand down her face before again meeting his gaze. When she spoke her voice had returned to that 'soldier' tone that he was coming to enjoy.
"Do we know the origin of the signal?"
Kh'aan grinned, pleased that her wits were as sharp as ever. "It is possible that I could find out." He waited to see what her human brain would come up with next and was not disappointed.
Kayla began pacing the floor of the control room, idly running her fingers over the various surfaces as she passed. "This isn't our ship. Whoever that is would be expecting to speak with your brother, not you. They might be more sympathetic to him than to us, and if they know that we're out and he's locked up…"
"We will be intercepted before we reach the clan ship…" he continued for her.
"And lose all chance of humiliating the odious troll." The marine smacked her right fist into her left hand. "So in order to avoid losing what little advantage we have right now, we need to find out who that is before risking discovery."
She whirled around from her pacing to meet his gaze, and seemed startled by the pleased expression on his features. "What?"
He couldn't help himself and rumbled with laughter before turning back to the console. "I knew that you would say that."
He heard a hiss from behind him and wondered if she was trying to hide a smile. "Yeah, well don't think you know so much about me, buster. I'm a crazy human, don'cha know? We're cut against the grain!"
A pleasing shiver rippled through Kh'aan's veins, and before Kayla could react he whirled around and snared the loops on her pants. He pulled her forward so quickly that she had to brace her hands on his chest to avoid falling knee-first into his groin. She struggled for a moment, but stilled when his forehead touched hers.
"That, you outrageous creature, is why I like you."
Kayla's heat flared in her embarrassment and she abruptly looked away, but he noticed that she did not remove her hands from his body, nor did she pull away. After several shaky breaths her eyes met his, and the cocky soldier smirked.
"It's your funeral."
The former Firstborn snorted and turned back to the console. As he began to trace the signal, a low purr coursed through his frame when he felt Kayla rest her chin on his shoulder. If Kh'val could see this he would probably die. After several minutes fiddling with the console, his purr choked off into a grating snarl.
The marine's concern was tangible. "What? Who is it?"
The hunter gulped down several deep breaths, but it still took everything he had to keep from snapping at her. "My Sire."
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"Sh'aan, will you listen to reason?"
"Me? It is you who has been acting without thought, not I. Your reason has been compromised ever since you found them together on that rock!"
"I admit that I acted under stress, but that does not excuse your behavior now. Do not change the subject."
"So you are allowed to chastise me for responding to my emotions, but you are beyond reproach, is that it?"
High Elder Kh'alik growled and turned away from the regal female before his anger got the best of him. This argument seemed unending, and though they were due to meet with the council, it seemed as though the disagreement would hold them forever. Kh'alik wanted to contact Kh'val to ascertain the status of his prisoners and confirm their arrival, while Sh'aan wanted to send her personal guard to escort the Arbitrator to the clan ship. The High Elder thought that such action would seem excessive, but she was not to be swayed.
"Grand Matron, I am willing to compromise. We will contact Kh'val. If…" he raised a hand to silence her protests. "If he does not answer, we will send your guard to meet him. Is that satisfactory?"
Sh'aan refused to meet his gaze, instead staring out of the viewport as though willing the Arbitrator to appear. Kh'val would gladly kill his brother if given the chance. A heavy sigh preceded her answer. "Very well. Anything to be certain that they are alive."
They left the Grand Matron's chambers and hurried to High Elder Kh'alik's private office. Sh'aan did not miss the slight paranoia in his voice when he said that the comm. in his private chambers was the most secure. He allowed her to sit while he leaned over her shoulder to access the link.
After fifteen minutes of listening to the signal without receiving a response, the usually stoic Grand Matron began to fidget in her chair like an impatient pup. Kh'alik monitored her out of the corner of his eye, and resent the message manually rather than waiting for the computer to retry automatically. "He is probably interrogating them."
Sh'aan snarled. "That does not reassure me, Kh'alik."
He turned to her, his eyes glowing with restrained anger. "You have always disliked my third-born, Sh'aan. Your insistence that he would harm Kh'aan is almost insulting."
"Do not speak of that to me, Kh'alik. I saw your eyes when we met in the gardens. You distrust him as much as I."
"Perhaps, but I am willing to…"
Their discussion was interrupted by a response from the comm. Kh'alik accepted the link and prepared his speech for the Arbitrator, but the words disappeared from his mind as they were connected. Instead of greeting his third-born, they came face to face with none other than Kh'aan, with his companion directly behind his shoulder. The human straightened up on the screen and took a step back, but their easy proximity was not lost on the elders.
Several tense minutes passed before anyone spoke, and then the elders saw the tips of the humans fingers appear behind Kh'aan's shoulder. Their Firstborn visibly relaxed from the brief touch and he exhaled sharply.
"Grand Matron, High Elder."
Kh'alik was struck dumb by their unexpected presence, but Sh'aan managed to maintain her composure. "Kh'aan. This is a surprise. We were expecting to speak with Kh'val. That is his ship, is it not?"
Kh'aan nodded, but they noticed a twitch of his mandibles as though he were laughing at something.
Kh'alik finally came to his senses when the hunter did not elaborate further. "Where is Kh'val? How is it that you and your ooman are in control of his ship? I doubt he would allow you to answer his comm. willingly."
Kh'aan growled heavily, and Sh'aan saw the human's eyes dart him immediately. The hand on his shoulder appeared to squeeze. She studied the hunter more thoroughly and realized that his heat was rising rapidly. He is angry, and she is calming him. That is very interesting.
Kh'aan appeared to take several deep breaths before answering. "Kh'val was…his behavior…he…" The hunter let out a heavy growl, and they noticed movement from the human again. She leaned forward and seemed to speak to him. Though they could not hear her words, Kh'aan's reaction was almost instantaneous. He squared his shoulders and his eyes were luminous in their intensity.
"Kh'val was behaving dishonorably. It was best to confine him before he harmed anyone."
KH'alik snorted. "Dishonorably? You will have to elaborate, Kh'aan. That explains nothing."
Their Firstborn snarled, his eyes darting across the console before meeting theirs again. "We will arrive at the clan ship in two days. I will explain further when we are able to meet in private. Kh'…"
"Two days?" The Elders exchanged a glance. "But Elder Ne'hak informed the Council that Kh'val would arrive in six days."
"Six? That does not make sense. Why…" Kh'aan's eyes suddenly widened, and they heard a snarl through the comm. They saw him look down and punch commands into the console. Moments later he barked out a string of curses that made the human to wince.
Sh'aan began to piece the picture together, and her insides churned with her unease. Why would he lie? What is happening out there?
Kh'aan's raging eyes locked with theirs in turn. "We will arrive in two days."
"But what…" Kh'alik's words were cut off as Kh'aan severed the connection. The Elders exchanged wary glances while waiting for him to reappear, and only after several minutes did they tear their eyes from the feed. Sh'aan was the first to speak.
"What is happening out there? It is not like him to be so disrespectful toward us."
"No," Kh'alik replied with a heavy sigh. "Which means that something is very wrong."
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Kayla stared at the blank screen, shocked that Kh'aan would cut off his elders in mid-sentence. He was growling heavily and his hands flew across the console with almost frightening precision. Her instincts told her to keep quiet until he acknowledged her presence.
Kh'aan finally sat back from the console and turned to her. His eyes were heavy with emotion, but it seemed to flit between rage and sadness, as though someone had disappointed him so much that he was furious. After a shaky breath, she stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"What is it? You look ready to destroy something."
The hunter regarded her carefully, the growl lessening but not going away. He did not want to reveal something that would undoubtedly upset the human further, but she deserved the truth in all of its ugly glory. "Kh'val was taking the long way back."
As expected, the human's heat spiked for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Kh'val told the Council that he would arrive at the clan ship in six days. We are only two days distant. He was taking a longer route." The hunter growled again, his eyes closing against the desire to rend the Arbitrator limb from limb.
Kayla could not contain herself and her voice ricocheted off of the walls. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" She backed away several steps and then stormed forward again, grasping Kh'aan by the shoulders. "Tell me you're joking. I really need to know that you're messing with me."
Kh'aan's eyes softened slightly, but his body shook beneath her hands. "I am sorry, Kayla. I am not joking. For whatever foolish reason, he deliberately deceived the Council..."
"No, he had a VERY good reason, the fucking freak! He had toys to play with! AUGH! I'll kill him!"
She turned on her heel and bolted from the room before Kh'aan could grab her, and the hunter leapt from the stool hoping that she was not foolish enough to attack Kh'val. He raced down the access stairs wondering how she'd gotten so far ahead of him, but upon reaching the cell block he realized that he'd lost her scent. After another glance at the cell doors he retraced his steps to the upper levels. Kayla's furious aroma hit him like a block of stone, and he followed it to Kh'val's kehrite. As the door opened he wondered if he should spar with her to release their anger, but to his surprise she was only sitting in the middle of the floor.
"I can't."
Kh'aan chuffed under his breath and knelt before the raging human, her heat flaring in her current state. "You cannot what?"
Kayla's eyes rose to meet his, and he could plainly see the storm in her mind. "I can't kill him. You said so yourself…'no chance'. So no matter what he does, until we get there I can't touch him." A low growl worthy of any Yautja rumbled from her chest. "What I wouldn't give to be able to just flood that cell…say it was a coolant leak that we didn't notice. You said it takes two days to drown…and we've got two days to travel. 'Whoops! Sorry about that. Didn't go near him, so didn't know. Who's to say he didn't rig that cell to drown us?'"
Kh'aan couldn't help but chuckle at her tone, so full of false regret that it was nearly threatening. "You are frightening when you are angry."
The marine glared at him incredulously. "You, scared of li'l ol' me? You're full of shit!"
The hunter grasped her shoulders and rose to his feet, pulling the human up as well. "You are a dangerous ooman, Kayla. I have no doubt of this. I am simply glad that you do not unleash your full temper on me."
"Oh yeah?"
Kayla swiftly ducked out of his grasp, spinning to her knees and around his legs before leaping from her crouch to kick him squarely in the back. Kh'aan stumbled forward a step before his reflexes kicked in, and he turned to her with a snarl. Her eyes glittered in the muted light from the walls.
"I need a punching bag. You'll do."
She darted forward curling her hands into fists, the balls of her now bare feet silent on the hard floor. Kh'aan immediately moved to block any hit she might attempt, but was unprepared when she seemed to use his body to her own advantage. He swung his left arm out to cut off her approach, and she ducked while grasping his wrist in her left hand. Her light feet nimbly walked up his bent leg, and she used his bent elbow as a swing to whirl up onto his back. He thought that this was another useless maneuver on her part and reached back to pull her down, but Kayla remained in motion. Her weight settled for only a moment before she used her momentum to swing over his shoulder. She seemed to twirl around on the edge of his vision, and then her legs were around his arm. Still she moved. Kh'aan was unaware that he was spinning with her until she was suddenly upside down at his leg, her knees clasped to his elbow, and when his shoulders turned without his lower body the trap was sprung. As the human rolled out of the way, Kh'aan followed through with the forced inertia and toppled to the floor on his right arm, hearing a loud crack that shot pain from his elbow to his shoulder.
Blood rage flooded his senses and he leapt from the ground with a roar. Kayla watched in awe as he threw his arm out to the side with another loud crack, effectively resetting his elbow. Her eyes narrowed as they met his, and they circled waiting for the other to make the first move. Kh'aan snarled and stormed forward, claws extended as though to rip her face off. She ducked the left arm, but took the right across her upper back as she turned to hit him with a roundhouse kick to his side. Her heel connected with something solid that gave upon impact, but Kh'aan only grunted. He grasped the offending limb and used it to throw her across the room, and then followed before she could rise. The hunter's foot came crashing down toward her torso, and the human quickly rolled to the side to avoid being crushed.
Kayla flipped to her feet and turned to the hunter, but a heavy fist to her jaw knocked her back down. Pain surged across her face but she ignored it, darting out of the way of another descending foot. As Kh'aan turned to charge again, she ducked under his reach and slammed her shoulder into his sternum, satisfied to hear the behemoth's air whoosh from his lungs.. She rolled through the move around to his back and locked her left ankle around his right leg as he turned around. Kh'aan tripped over her foot and fell forward, but used his arms to brace and rebound from his fall. He was upright in seconds only to receive a fist to his lower jaw. His bottom teeth gouged into his mouth, and the hunter spit blood in her eyes as she charged.
Kayla gasped and backed away, wiping the green mess from her eyes. The distraction proved enough, and Kh'aan's arms circled her waist, raised her into the air and slammed her to the floor. The room echoed with the force of her impact, and though she tried to rise again her body would not cooperate. Kh'aan stepped forward sneering, his pride triumphant even as concern edged to the forefront of his mind. He reached a hand down to help her to her feet, but the marine was not yet finished. She took the offered hand and raised a foot to his chest. Using the last of her strength, Kayla tugged and launched Kh'aan over her head, his bent state lending his mass to her maneuver so that he nearly threw himself. The hunter landed on his back and the floor vibrated with the force.
After several minutes shaking the stars from his vision, Kh'aan turned to gaze at the feisty marine. He had a smart remark on the tip of his tongue, but choked on it when he saw her rolling her jaw. All mirth and rage left him, and the hunter quickly crawled across the floor.
"Kayla! I am sorry. I should not have hit you that hard. Did I…" A small hand swatted across his face and silenced his words, but before he could get angry he heard her laughing.
The human winced at the flood of agony her body was feeling, but could not stop her laughter. "'on't 'e. I 'arted it. Ow…'eah…'e'ind 'e not to 'ake 'ou 'ad ei'er!"
Kh'aan snorted and hung his head, wondering how this tiny insignificant being could be so infuriating and exhilarating at the same time. "It is a deal. Come. Back to the medical bay."
"'ou 'ean tha 'edie'al 'orture 'amber."
His eyes widened for a moment, but then he chuffed under his breath and carefully gathered the injured marine in his arms. She immediately began to protest, but he silenced her with a finger across her lips. "Whatever that means, yes. Now stop being difficult."
Kayla shut her mouth and allowed him to carry her. As humiliating as it was to appear so weak, she knew that he felt guilty for busting her jaw. "'orry, 'ad"
He rested her on the exam bed and rummaged through Kh'val's stores until he found the hand-held regeneration unit. He adjusted the settings to 'Bone' and then slowly passed the device over her damaged jaw. Kayla felt a warm tingling again, but this time the sensation was much sharper beneath her skin. She tried her best not to wince.
Kh'aan's mind was in an uproar. What was I thinking? I could have killed her! She started the fight, and it was a legitimate spar. I should not have participated. It was obvious that she was angry and not thinking clearly. She broke your arm! It does not matter!
"Pauk!"
His outburst caught Kayla's attention, and she reached up to touch his arm. Kh'aan tried to remain composed, but the touch undid his resolve. He snarled and dropped the scanner, capturing her shoulders in his hands. His gaze was so intense that she whimpered involuntarily.
"It was a fair spar, Kayla, I know this, but I will still never forgive myself for harming you. Do not tell me that it is OK. It is not. I should not have hit you. I should have known better than to…"
The human's hand came up to silence him, her fingers closing gently over his mouth. Her eyes held his as a small but pained smile formed, and she rolled her jaw for a moment before risking an answer. "I forgive you. Don't beat yourself up. I already did that, and you paid me back in kind." Feeling the strength return to her face, her smile grew. "Truce?"
Kh'aan's color faded back to normal from the frantic blaze of green and brown that it had become. His mandibles twitched into a smile and he leaned forward to bump her forehead, one tusk caressing her repaired jaw. "Never."
"Brat."
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Kayla rested on the exam bed watching Kh'aan inject himself repeatedly with various colorful liquids – something orange into his side, something black with an unpleasant scent into his right elbow, and the yellow liquid directly into the roof of his mouth. She cried out for him when his eyes crossed and he gripped the exam bed so hard that his talons gouged into it.
"Damn, even I felt that!" She covered his rigid hand with hers, and the hunter eventually turned his palm to link their fingers. "Couldn't you have just rubbed on some of the gel or something?"
"Yes, but an injection works faster. I only mixed the gel to make it easier for you."
The marine grinned. "I'm touched. After pain like that I might have killed you!"
"I know."
They made their way to Kh'val's meal chamber for a light snack, but did not remain for long. Kayla could not stop yawning and the gesture was becoming contagious. After the fifth open-mouthed groan from the human, he felt his own throat open even though Yautja did not yawn very often. The hunter snarled when his face was back under control.
"How is it that I am adapting all of your annoying habits? My stomach did not make half as much noise, I did not 'yawn' so frequently, nor was I as prone to sleep as I am now. You are a bad influence!"
"Meeee?" Her retort was absorbed by another yawn, making the single word draw out into a whine. "I can't help it if you're a copycat!" The marine ducked when he took a half-hearted swipe at her.
Kh'aan led the way to the Arbitrator's guest chamber. The simple room held a large bed of furs, a small table and stool, and a small washroom imbedded in one wall. Before he could speak the human shuffled forward and leapt onto the furs, seeming to disappear into their thickness. Her muffled voice said something that he could not make out.
"What was that?"
Kayla raised her head. "I said, 'do you kick in your sleep?'"
Kh'aan chuckled. "Not that I know of. Why?"
"If you said yes, I'd take the floor. But as long as I don't wind up a pincushion, I'll share."
She dropped her face back into the furs, and moments later her breathing steadied in sleep. Kh'aan snorted at the ridiculous human and covered her with a fur before lying down beside her. This may be the last chance that we ever get.
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AN: Hope you enjoy. I tried something different this time around - a correction of style, if you will. If you caught it, let me know what you think. If you didn't, don't sweat it.
Shameless Plug: Janelle Monae. Awesome artist. Awesome creative vision. Get Metropolis and The Archandroid, listen to them back to back, and hear the story she weaves. You can almost step right into it. Total, complete, and utter brilliance.
Oh, and thanks for all of your reviews and favs and alerts and just letting me know that this is still something good to read! You guys rock!
-da Cap'n