Note: Much of this chapter was co-written by Dranger, back when we were working on a shared universe called Tennokiken.
Christmas on the Island: ROD
Nancy Mukahari tapped on the door of the office, then stuck her head inside. "I'm going to be taking off soon," she said, "do you need anything else?"
Rin Asogi looked up, pushing her long black hair out of her face. "No, I'm fine," she said warmly, "go enjoy your Christmas Eve."
"Thanks," Nancy said, then she produced a nicely wrapped package from behind her back, "and here you go."
"What's this?" Rin asked as she took the package, shaking it thoughtfully.
"Yomiko insisted," Nancy shrugged, "so there you go. I did make sure to ask her not to get a book, but other than that.."
"I'll unwrap it later," Rin laughed, the older woman expecting the gift was a book after all. She got up from behind her desk as the business suit clad woman said, "Have a Merry Christmas, both you and Yomiko."
"You, too," Nancy grinned. "Do you and Mimi have anything planned?" she asked, feeling a pang of guilt at not inviting her new boss out.
"We have some friends on the island with a... similar condition. We'll be sharing dinner with them," Rin told her, smiling.
"Well, have fun," Nancy nodded as she headed out onto the street.
Out on the street it was comfortable as she walked along the commercial street. It was a bit odd, the weather so comfortable even in this time of year, but
Nancy thought that she could get used to it. She could even get away with wearing just a leather jacket, jeans and T-shirt.
"Hey, Mukahari!" a woman's voice cried. Revy walked up to where Nancy waited, her leather jacket and simple clothes clearly suiting her. Somehow, the school security officer always looked dangerous, no matter how casual her clothes were. She hesitated, her short black hair falling into her eyes as she said, "You know Llewellyn, right?"
"I do," Nancy admitted a touch warily, "why?"
"I...," Revy hesitated, then the woman shook her head briskly. "Never mind," she growled, trotting off.
"Is this what I think it is?" Nancy murmured to herself as she shook her head slightly as she walked on. Still, she wasn't really one to talk, back when she and Yomiko had first gotten together she had been pretty damn clueless. But they had a good time that Christmas, and it had become something of a tradition.
Yomiko beamed as Nancy opened the door, she took a half step inside and she threw her arms around the startled Nancy's neck. The kiss was vigorous, Yomiko putting real effort into it, both of them separating reluctantly.
"What the heck?" Nancy yelped.
Yomiko pointed up in explanation, "Mistletoe."
Shane laughed softly from where he sat on the couch and said, "She didn't kiss me like that when I came in." The brown haired man looked around him curiously, "The apartment looks so nice! Where did you manage to hide all of the books?"
"Don't open any closets," Nancy advised him with a smile. She and Yomiko walked over to the couch, cuddling there together. "Rin's gift has been delivered, as promised."
"Good," Yomiko beamed. She hesitated, "You know, I said I wasn't going to get her a book, but I found the perfect one and..."
Nancy just laughed, "It's all right, love. I thought the gift felt sort of book like." She pulled her close, "I know you pretty well, after all."
"Shane," Yomiko looked over at him, "are you going out later tonight?"
Shane blushed slightly, "It seems I've been invited to the dorm party. Dan, Koyomi and their crowd seem to be planning something short of apocalyptic." He paused, "Though not by much, I think."
"You are in so much trouble," Nancy said sympathetically.
Shane shrugged, not denying that.
Nancy smiled slightly as she added, "I ran into Revy tonight, by the way." Her grin widened as she added, "She asked about you."
Shane sat up, blinking. "Damn, you think she saw something when I ran into her in the tunnels?" he asked.
Nancy gave him a look, "I don't think it was about that."
"Huh?" Shane blinked, clearly not getting what she was trying to say.
Yomiko frowned and decided to change the subject, "What time is it?"
Shane checked his watch, then pushed himself up off of the couch as he said, "Yeah, it's about that time."
The laptop computer was activated, then the modem engaged. That was connected to the television and a small digital camera was set up before they gathered together in it's line of sight. The TV showed static, then that cleared to show a large room, packed with people.
"Merry Christmas, Joker," Nancy offered with a grin.
"Merry Christmas, Nancy," Joker agreed. The blonde haired man wore a Santa hat, a look that was oddly cute compared to his normal formality.
"Merry Christmas," Wendy beamed, the little blonde visibly tipsy while around her the staff of the Great British Library called out their greetings as well.
Yomiko's cheeks glowed red, "It's so good to hear from you all!"
"I hope you got the Christmas gifts we sent you," Shane offered with a grin.
"Of course," Joker held up the square shaped gift, along with the others, all of which were quite clearly books.
"No imagination," Nancy shook her head, but she was grinning.
"My gift to you is a bit more insubstantial," Joker continued. He smiled, "The Paper, Miss Deep," he nodded towards Yomiko and Nancy, "and The Word," he nodded to
Shane, "you are going to continue to be assigned to the Mariana's Islands for the foreseeable future."
"And if we're needed for other assignments?" Shane asked as he leaned forward intently, trying to be business like even as he felt joy over the idea of staying in one place for awhile.
"We can always take you off of the island for a few days," Joker said simply. He smiled at the happy expressions on their faces, "I'm glad to see it meets with your approval."
"Thank you, sir," Yomiko bounced to her feet happily.
"We'll be ready when you need us sir," Nancy nodded to him firmly.
Joker looked a little startled as the visibly tipsy Wendy leaned into him, smiling up at him with a fuzzy sort of happiness. "It seems it's time to let you go now," he awkwardly tried to push the blonde back, "the Season's best to you and yours." With that, the connection was cut.
"I'm glad we're sticking around," Shane grinned as he got up. "If you don't mind I'll take off, leave you two to celebrate together."
"Thank you, Shane," Yomiko beamed, snuggling close to Nancy.
"Have a good time," Shane laughed, grabbing his overcoat as he headed out into the twilight. As he walked away from the apartment building a rental car drove up, but he ignored it. 'Probably someone's relatives visiting,' he mused.
Nancy held Yomiko close, sighing softly. At Yomiko's questioning gaze she said, "It's been a very long day, love. Had to deal with an adultery case, those are never fun."
"Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?" Yomiko asked, looking up at Nancy with a cute little smile.
"You're already doing it," Nancy sighed happily.
They snuggled a moment, relaxing when... the doorbell rang. Both looked at each other in surprise, then Yomiko wondered, "Shane didn't forget something, did he?"
"I don't think so," Nancy said as she and Yomiko got up together. Yomiko lead the way to the door, Nancy following right behind her.
"Hello," Yomiko said cheerfully as she opened up the door, only to freeze. "Sensei?" she murmured softly, eyes wide in surprise.
The brown haired woman standing there smiled, "Hello, Sensei." Nenene Sumiregawa smiled, pushing the glasses that once belonged to Yomiko herself up her nose, "It's been a long time."
Nancy reached out to put a protective hand on Yomiko's arm, instantly recognizing the young woman, despite their never having met before, "Nenene."
Nenene took in their posture, an odd smile on her face. "It seems we have a lot of catching up to do," she finally said.
"Does anyone understand what's going on?" Anita asked, the little redhead and her two sisters standing just behind Nenene.
"It's easy," Michelle smiled excitedly, pushing her light green hair out of her eyes, "you see, Nenene was once in love with Yomiko, but she disappeared for five years. And now that Nenene has finally found her, she's living with this woman.."
"Michelle!" Maggie scolded, the tall black haired girl looking stressed.
Nancy took over, seeing that her lover was too shaken to move. "Come on in," she opened the door wide, "let's talk."
To be continued...
Notes: At the time this chapter was originally posted Shane was seeing a character named Sylvie, which I've edited out. This chapter follows up on Chapter Ten, as well.
Christmas on the Island: ROD
Part Two
Nenene blinked as the dark purple haired woman took over, waving them all inside. "Come on in," she opened up the door wide, "let's talk."
They filed in, Nenene looking at the purple haired woman thoughtfully. "I don't think we've been introduced," she finally said coldly.
"Nancy," she smiled slightly, "Nancy Mukahari." She looked past Nenene to the three young women who were following her, "And they are?"
"Maggie," the tall, dark haired woman nodded slightly.
"Hi," the green haired shorter woman beamed at Nancy, "my name is Michelle. My favorite novels are the Harry Potter series, and my shy big sister likes Hemmingway."
"Anita," the little redhead girl scowled. "We're sensei's bodyguards, more or less."
"I'm sorry," Yomiko managed, still looking wide eyed at Nenene, "I'm being such a bad host. Sit down, would you like something to eat or drink?"
"Thank you," Maggie said softly as Nenene and the sisters sat down on the couch together, her and Anita on either side of Nenene.
Nancy and Yomiko moved over to the kitchen, talking softly, and Nenene tried to get a hold of her racing emotions. She had been looking for Yomiko for so long, but never in her wildest dreams had she expected to find Yomiko with another woman. And watching them interact, it was pretty clear the other woman was her lover.
"Are you all right?" Anita asked Nenene softly.
Nenene smiled to herself wryly, the little girl seemed to have a knack for knowing what was going on with her emotions. 'Just like that night in Hong Kong,' she mused. "I'll manage," Nenene smiled, "just a little shook up, I think."
"They seem nice," Maggie noted in her understated way.
"And they're so cute together," Michelle gushed cheerfully.
Nenene winced as their hosts walked back into the room.
"Here you go," Yomiko brought a plate with Christmas cookies on it, while behind her Nancy brought cups with eggnog in them.
As Nancy was passing them out she gave Nenene a sympathetic smile as she said, "I put a shot of rum in yours, I hope you don't mind."
"Thanks," Nenene felt herself returning that smile reluctantly. She looked across where Yomiko and Nancy were sitting down and said, "I'm not quite sure where to start, honestly."
"Where were you for the past five years would be a good place to begin," Michelle offered cheerfully before Nenene gave her a look and she shut up.
"It's a fair question," Yomiko admitted with a soft sigh.
Nancy took a deep breath and said, "You remember when someone took a shot at you, shortly before Yomiko left Tokyo?"
"You were there," Nenene realized, looking over at Nancy in surprise and compairing her to a fleeting figure in her memory. She nodded slightly, "Yes, I remember it."
"You were targeted," Yomiko said miserably while looking down at the cookie she held, "because of your connection to me."
"What?" Nenene sat up in surprise.
"All the odd stuff that happened to us back in Tokyo," Yomiko said softly, "at least some of it was connected to me, and... another job I had."
Maggie had a thoughtful look on her face, Michelle had wide eyes and Anita had a fierce look on her face as she blurted out, "What sort of job..."
"I can't talk about it," Yomiko shook her head firmly, "I gave my word."
Nenene looked like she wanted to press, but she knew Yomiko would keep her word. "So you left Tokyo," Nenene said softly, her voice odd, "because you felt your presence there was putting me in danger?"
"Yes," Yomiko said softly.
Nancy cleared her throat. "I asked Yomiko to keep my presence in her life a secret back then," she said quietly, "she wanted us to meet, but I told her no." She looked at Nenene sympathetically, "I should have let her do that, I'm sorry."
Nenene felt a flash of anger, one she forced down. Obviously this Nancy perceived how Nenene felt, and even more obviously she was trying to be kind and mature about it. While all Nenene wanted to do was be totally unreasonable, in all honestly.
"So you've been avoiding Tokyo and Nenene for the past five years because you might put her in danger?" Maggie asked quietly. She frowned, "Wouldn't it have been better to just go after whoever was threatening her?"
"It wasn't an option at the time," Yomiko chose her words carefully.
"Which means you went after them later," Anita said, clearly sharp for such a young girl. She paused, "So why didn't you contact Nenene then?"
Yomiko took a gulp of her eggnog, presumably for courage as she said, "I wanted to, more than once." With a soft sigh she added, "I just couldn't seem to find the words to begin... other than, I'm sorry."
"That's a pretty good thing to say," Nenene smiled. She got up from her chair, looking out the window as a weak snow began to fall again. "I wish you had told me back then," she finally said softly, "I would have chosen to face the danger with you, I think."
"I knew that," Yomiko softly agreed as she flashed a sudden shy smile, "that's probably why I didn't tell you."
Nenene laughed softly, "You know me too well, Sensei."
"So what are you going to do now?" Nancy asked curiously, "How long are you planning to stay on the island?"
"Indefinitely," Nenene said with a grin.
"Eh?" Yomiko blinked.
"We talked to the principal before coming here," Michelle beamed, "the school would happily have an author like Nenene Sumiregawa in residence."
"So we'll have plenty of time to catch up," Nenene said with a smirk. "But now, I'd best go check out the suite the school set me up with. Come on, ladies."
"Hai!" all three sisters chimed in, following Nenene to the door.
Nenene paused at the door, offering the two of them a smile, "Merry Christmas, Sensei." And with that they were out the door, talking as they went.
"Hopefully the two bedroom suite will be large enough for all of us," Michelle said.
"I could always take a closet," Maggie offered.
Anita shook her head, "You and your small spaces."
Nancy closed the door, walking back to where Yomiko had sat down in the livingroom."Are you all right?" Nancy finally asked into the silence.
Yomiko smiled up at her weakly, "A bit overwhelmed by it all, honestly." She paused, "So what do we do now?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Shane looked up, surprised it was snowing again, then continued walking. It wasn't too far to the dorms, thankfully, and he needed the exercise anyway. It was strangely peaceful as he walked, only a few people still running errands, which was why he saw a familiar figure loitering not far from the school dorm buildings.
"Hey, Llewellyn," Revy called as she pushed off from where she had been leaning against a wall, dressed in casual clothes and a jacket.
"Ms. Chambers," Shane nodded warily, not sure what the dangerous woman was doing, stalking him this late at night.
"I'm glad I caught you," Revy admitted, "I wanted to talk to you." She ran a gloved hand through her hair, "The truth is... I wanted to say thank you."
"Thank you?" Shane blinked.
"When you saved me in the tunnels," Revy growled, making a face. "I froze, when that thing got back up..."
"It was like a bad horror movie," Shane agreed, shuddering slightly.
"Yeah," Revy nodded. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and irritation on her face as she blurted, "I wanna buy you a drink."
"Oh," Shane blinked as he answered, "uhm, I've kinda been invited to the dorm Christmas party, and I said I'd come."
Revy scowled as she muttered, "Damn."
Shane hesitated, a sudden idea occuring to him. It was a bad idea, possibly disasterous, but somehow... "Why don't you come with me?" he offered. "They said I could bring a date."
"I am not your date," Revy scowled warningly.
"Perish the thought," Shane smiled. "I'm sure they'll have something to drink, knowing college students."
"Better not be a keg," Revy said as she fell into step beside him. "I like rum, usually."
"I'm sure we can scrape up something," Shane answered as they walked by several students, one or two rather stunned to see Revy with him.
"Yeah," Revy gave one of the boys one of her scarier smiles and he visibly blanched, "this could be fun."
'Here's hoping we don't end up with a burnt down building by morning,' Shane thought, but despite his grim thoughts he was smiling. Maybe it was time he did something a little wild, in his life. He had taken things pretty safe in her personal life, at least.
"What are you smiling at?" Revy asked, looking at him curiously as they entered the main hall, decorated in gaudy Christmas stuff.
"Just that I'm lucky to be here with you," Shane answered, and had to bite back a laugh as Revy actually blushed.
"Aww, shut up," Revy grumbled.
End, ROD Christmas
Black Lagoon Christmas
Balalaika stood in her apartment, looking out over the Mariana Islands as she swirled some vodka in a glass. The snow coming down was pretty thin, not like the snows in Russia, but that had been a lifetime ago. Now she was here, half the world away, and building a life very different from anything she would have imagined.
"Things are quiet tonight," Balalaika turned, her nearly white blond hair gleaming, "you can go, Sargent."
Boris stiffened, the taller man frowning slightly, "But Captain..."
"It will be fine," she reassured her body guard, "take the squad leaders and celebrate. It's been a good year, and you've worked hard."
"Are you sure?" Boris asked.
"Go, go," Balalaika made shooing gestures, smiling in a way that was much more relaxed than she once would have.
Boris left, the mountainous guard faintly troubled. On one hand he was glad to see her happy, but hard experience had taught them to be on their guard. A enemy could strike at any time, and he did not want to see her hurt...
Balalaika took a drink, savoring the fine booze as it slid down her throat. Drinking was something she did rarely, mostly to be polite to guests or to disarm enemies, but she liked a good drink now and then. Especially now that her wars were possibly behind her.
It was a bit frightening to admit to herself, that Balalaika had come here to escape the wars that she had fought in all her life. From being a child sniper to Afghanistan, the hard exile, her rise as a crime lord and her rule of Roanapur... she had fought all her life. Now here, on a remote island, she seemed to have found peace.
For a warrior, it was a frightening prospect.
A soft knock on the door made Balalaika frown slightly, jarred from her thoughts. She went to the door of her penthouse suite and looked out the peephole, confirming who it was. "Come in," she smiled, opening the door.
Rockuro Okajima smiled back warmly as he entered, the slightly shorter black haired man dressed in one of her usual suits. He still looked a lot like the straight laced Japanese business man Rock had started out as, though underneath the suit was a different sort of man.
"Thanks for inviting me over," Rock nodded, passing her a brightly wrapped bottle. He was good at this sort of polite gesture, in some ways better than her.
"I've been inviting you over for months, Rock," Balalaika noted wryly, "you really need to stop making such a fuss."
"Once you start taking things for granted," Rock shrugged eloquently as she shrugged off her suit coat and left it hanging on a chair. AS he loosened his tie he looked slightly more rakish, but still quite dignified.
Balalaika laughed softly, shaking her head. "Drink?" she asked curiously.
"Just a bit," Rock smiled, "I don't have the same tolerance as you do."
The two settled on the couch, sitting side by side. In a rare gesture of weakness Balalaika let herself lean against him, and Rock put his arm over her shoulder. "My men would be horrified if they saw this," she murmured after a moment.
"I think most of them would be happy for you," Rock corrected gently. He hesitated a moment, "You mind if I bring up some business?"
Balalaika sighed, but still smiled faintly as she said, "If you must."
"Sorry," Rock shrugged, "but I finally heard back from Garcia. He's willing to both provide funding and wants to set up a scholarship for disadvantaged children."
Balalaika grinned, sitting up as she said, "He will? I had hoped, but..."
"He's not thrilled with you over your first run in," Rock said wryly, "but the deal we're offering him is pretty reasonable. He'd be a fool to disagree."
"And how is Fabiola?" Balalaika asked teasingly, smiling as Rock blushed.
"Still less than happy with me," Rock admitted.
Balalaika chuckled softly, but didn't tease him any more. She knew Rock was still a bit... uncomfortable with everything that happened the last time Roberta, Fabiola and the others had been in Roanapur. Rock had been hired by Garcia to help find Roberta, with eventually evolved into a attempt to save Roberta from herself, which was ultimately successful. But to do so Rock had manipulated all sides of the conflict, revealing a side of magnificent bastard-hood that no one realized he had.
'Well, except for Dutch,' Balalaika mused. He had told her about how Rock had come up with a plan to kill a Hind attack helicopter with a torpedo boat, and noted that once Rock got his feet under him, he'd be a 'badass motherfucker.'
"Lost in thought?" Rock asked after a moment.
"Just remembering how Dutch first described you to me," Balalaika teased.
"Do I want to know?" Rock asked, grinning shyly.
"Probably not," Balalaika noted. She shifted a bit to turn towards him as she asked, "And is business done for the night?"
"Pretty much," Rock agreed.
"Good," Balalaika pulled him forward gently, "then kiss me."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
At about three in the morning Janet Bhai left her boyfriend Benny collapsed on the bed, the blond haired man snoring softly. 'Men,' Jane shook her head wryly as she padded through the apartment he had on the island. She had been seeing Benny since meeting him and the Lagoon Company in Roanapur, and had grown quite fond of the man.
As Jane sat down at his complicated computer and began to crack his passwords she murmured, "But business is business."
It took Jane longer than expected to crack Benny's system, he was fiendish about security features. Jane was certain there was no way to hack the system from outside, and even with direct access to the machine it was hard work. Jane was faintly touched that he had 'Jane' as several of his passwords, but didn't let it bother her.
Retrieving a small device from her backpack Jane hooked it to the modem, then dialed out to her superiors. It took a few nervous minutes before the connection pinged back, then she triggered the full download of Benny's data.
'Just a few more minutes and it's all over,' Jane thought.
But just then the dim lights came on in full intensity, even as the modem connection cut out. Blinded for a moment Jane cried out in pain as she was yanked out of the chair and bodily slammed against the wall.
"What the fuck, Jane?" Revy snarled, the brown haired woman pinning her up against the wall, hard, while Benny stood behind her with a deeply wounded expression on his face.
"Can't a girl surf for porn in peace?" Jane quipped even as she felt terror flow through her body.
"Don't fuck with me," Revy said darkly, "do you think we're fucking stupid? We knew about your meet in Roanapur with that corporate shark, the only thing we didn't know was if you'd go through with it."
Jane shook her head ruefully. "And we made sure to meet in Washimine Group territory too," she noted with a sigh, "Balalaika is on friendly terms with her?"
"More like Rock and Yukio get along," Benny said flatly, his hands in the pockets of his hastily thrown on robe. "Jane...," he hesitated then sighed, "why?"
Jane looked away, unable to face his wounded puppy eyes. "The simplest reason in the world," she shrugged, "money. They were offering me a obscene amount of money for access to the island's systems and security layout."
"If you had money troubles why not come to us?" Benny demanded.
"It's not troubles, Benny," Jane said calmly even though Revy still had her pinned to the wall, "it's retirement money. I'm not getting any younger, and staying on the cutting edge is hard work. With this kind of score, I could quit."
"Who hired you?" Revy demanded, "And who was he working for?"
"He calls himself Mr Smith," Jane smirked, "I'm guessing it's a alias. Other than that I'm telling you nothing."
"Jane...," Benny started, unsure what to say.
"Sorry, lover," Jane actually looked a bit regretful, "you've been fun, but a girl's gotta eat."
"Benny, take that thing off your modem and take it to your lab," Revy ordered calmly, "we need to know where she was trying to send the data. I'll take care of things here."
Benny hesitated, "You sure, Revy?"
"I got this," Revy said as the man unhook the device then went to get dressed.
Jane listened as Benny dressed then left, then she looked at Revy calmly. "So is this where you kill me and dispose of the body?" she asked.
Revy ignored that, meeting her gaze intently. "There's no way you took the job without knowing who you worked for," Revy said flatly, "who's pulling the strings?"
"No way," Jane shook her head defiantly, "not telling. I have professional ethics you know."
Before Jane could even react Revy shifted her grip, grabbing her writing hand hard. She grabbed Jane's index finger and wrenched it back, making Jane yowl in pain. She continued the pressure, then with a wet sound the finger broke.
Jane was hiccuping brokenly, crying a little as she gasped, "You maniac! That's gonna take weeks to heal!"
"Assuming it heals right at all," Revy said flatly. Jane looked at her in alarm as Revy smiled coldly, "How well would you be able to hack with ten crooked fingers?"
Jane gulped then said the predictable, "You wouldn't."
Revy calmly grabbed another finger and pulled it back threateningly as she purred, "Do you really wanna bet?"
"Stop, stop!" Jane yelped. As Revy eased off the pressure she slumped slightly. "It was a big, American based multinational," she told Revy flatly, "SEARRS."
"SEARRS, huh?" Revy nodded, already planing to send Benny after data on them. "Thank you much for your help," she told Jane.
"What now?" Jane asked as Revy grabbed her by the collar.
"Guess," Revy snarled as she punched Jane in the face.
To be continued...
Notes: New material! Yay! Wanted to set up explicitly that Balalaika and Rock are a item. I also wanted to do a Revy chapter where she's tough and scary, since I've kind of 'softened' her in this fic. I'm basing this on the manga version of 'Greenback Jane' who is somewhat less nice than in the anime.
