Chapter 4
Disclaimer: Don't own them, aside from the ebony huntress, Jack, and his unit.
The sky rumbled, lightening playing leapfrog from cloud to cloud. The incoming hunters illuminated the darkness briefly. No sooner had they all arrived, then the clouds decided to relieve themselves of their cargo. "Ugh.joy," muttered X under his breath. In a few seconds, he and the others were drenched from head to toe, the ground turning to mud under their feet. "Hunters!" called Zero over the roar of the thunder. "We need to find shelter!" He drew his saber, providing a small source of light through the bitter darkness. Several of the other hunters in his unit followed suit, and soon there was enough light for them to see at least 5 feet in every direction. Huddling by themselves off to the side were the miserable members of Jack's unit. The ebony huntress stood at the edge of the ring of light, surveying the situation. The ground was extremely muddy, which meant they could not travel very fast. The pouring rain made visibility practically zip, not to mention it was night. Das ist nicht gut. she thought. We're sitting ducks.I just hope. "All right, my unit, follow me!" Jack roared, cutting into her thoughts, holding a large flashlight. The miserable rookies cast a longful glance at the other hunters before following him. She sighed, and waved at them, most directly at Zero. "Tschue?!" She winked before taking off after her unit, her hair bouncing gracefully behind her, leaving the others staring after her.
* * * * *
Three hours later.
"Oh, for.!" Zero let out a string of obscenities as he realized he'd stepped into a sinkhole for the fifth time in the past few hours. Pulling his leg free with a sickening splurt, he continued to grumble under his breath. Things had not been going well.they'd almost lost three hunters from mud-traps, and they still hadn't found any shelter. He slashed at some foliage in his way, cutting a path for the hunters behind him. "SHIMATTA!" He heard a hunter curse behind him. Zero turned, and saw Akira waist-deep in the sinkhole, and was sinking rapidly. Why me.thought Zero. He walked over, and with the aid of three other hunters, managed to pull Akira from the sinkhole. "Man, this SUCKS!" grumbled Akira, dripping in mud. " It's so stupid! I wanna go back to HQ." "Stop your whining," snapped Zero. "And deal with it like a real hunter." Grumbling about spoiled greenhorns, he continued on ahead, the rest of the hunters following quietly behind him. It was going to be a long two weeks.
* * * * *
Meanwhile.
Jack's unit had slightly more success than Zero's and X's units. They found a large, rocky overhang jutting out from the side of a tall mountain. Setting up a temporary camp, they all huddled close to one another, shivering and dripping with water. The ebony huntress stood alone, water dripping gently from her long hair to the ground beneath. If she was cold, she didn't show it as her lilac eyes took in their surrounding as best as possible in the dark. This area won't be safe for very long, she thought. The water will flood us out unless it stops raining soon.She turned, and faced them. "We should move soon.the rain will flood us out unless we move." Jack came forward. "We are staying right here," he growled. "This will suffice." "Aber.if we stay here we'll b." Jack approached her, and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. "We aren't going anywhere.and you are in no position to argue. Am I clear?" She glared at him, and said nothing. "Answer me!" "Ich hasse dich." He frowned, and a large SMACK met the rookies' ears. "Don't waste that German crap on me." he snarled. "It won't do you any good." "Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst." she growled. "Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!" Jack threw her to the ground, drew his beam sword, and slashed at her. The rookies gasped at their commanders' aggression towards her. She rolled to the side, but the blow landed on her left cheek. Jumping to her feet, she hissed at Jack, the fresh wound running from the corner of her left eye down to her chin. Her pain was hidden under a mask of fury. "Leave." "WHAT???!" came the chorused reply. "Was?!" "Leave." he growled again. "And don't come back until you have learned to respect authority and gotten some manners.GO!" He raised his buster at her. She frowned, and cast a look at her fellow unit members, most of whom were completely shocked. Her eyes met Szymions'. "Don't go.he whispered. She gave him a small grin. "Ich komme züruck." she said softly, before Jack fired at her. She nimbly dodged the blast, and then ran off into the trees, vanishing in the rain.
* * * * * * *
Zero sighed, and gratefully wrung out his long, sopping hair. After five long, wearisome hours, they had finally found a cave in a Cliffside, facing a large body of water. From the salty scent in the air, Zero figured it was an ocean, but which one he didn't have a clue. It was still pouring outside, but at least they were out of immediate danger, and that was the important thing now. He cast his gaze over the rest of the hunters, most of whom were either asleep, or talking quietly amongst themselves. "I wonder what Jacks' unit is up to?" muttered a rookie softly. "Who knows.and who really cares?" whispered back another. "Just so long as it ain't us out there." "But they could be in trouble." replied a third. "Do you want to go out there and look for them?" hissed the second. Silence. "Didn't think so." "What are you rookies talking about?" Each one jumped in surprise at Zero's voice, who had approached them quietly. "Not being disrespectful, are we?" "Eto.nope," replied the first, a sweatdrop on the side of his head. "Nuthin' doing," replied the third. "Just talking about Jack and.umph!" The other two their hands over his mouth. "Shut up!" they hissed. Zero raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that the next ones out for patrol haven't been selected yet?" They shook their heads viciously. "Good.now get some rest. You'll need it." Sighing, the three rookies nodded, and complied with his suggestion. Thank god, he thought. Maybe now I can get some peace and quiet.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of movement. He turned around, and his gaze landed on the dripping silhouette of X. He motioned for Zero to come to him. Zero carefully made his way to X, and the pair stepped just outside the mouth of the cave, but still protected from the rain by the rocky roof. "Are you worried about them?" questioned X. Zero frowned. "Jack's unit?" X nodded. "The rookies in his unit, yeah.Jack? I don't really give a damn about him." "Zero." "Yea, I know.he may be a commander, but that doesn't mean I hafta like him." "Do you think we should look for them?" Zero pondered the question for a moment before answering. "Looking for them now would be pointless.we'd be sending out rescue parties for the rescuers.If we haven't heard from them in 2 days from now, we'll go look for them." "I wonder how they are doing? I hope they at least found shelter.it was unwise for us to split up like that.but with our units hating theirs and vice-versa." Zero chuckled. "Well, we couldn't force them to stay with us." His thoughts drifted to the ebony huntress. "But I think as long as she's with them, they'll be fine."
* * * * * * *
Cold, dripping, and completely pissed, the obsidian huntress took shelter in the branches of a large tree. Verdammst du, Jack-ass.she thought. I'll be back, and when I am.Ich führe du aus. ****************************************************************
Well, here's Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long to post.I wanted to wait and make sure ff.net was up ta full strength again before I posted it. Be sure to look for the next one soon ^^ Kudos to Vincent Valentine and Silver Sonic for beta reading.
German references Das ist nicht gut: This isn't good Tschue?!: See ya! Aber.: But. Ich hasse du.: I hate you Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst.: I don't care what you say. Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!: You can kiss my ass, you son of a bitch! Was?!: What?! Ich komme züruck.: I'll come back. Verdammst du: Damn you Ich führe du aus.: I'll take you out.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, aside from the ebony huntress, Jack, and his unit.
The sky rumbled, lightening playing leapfrog from cloud to cloud. The incoming hunters illuminated the darkness briefly. No sooner had they all arrived, then the clouds decided to relieve themselves of their cargo. "Ugh.joy," muttered X under his breath. In a few seconds, he and the others were drenched from head to toe, the ground turning to mud under their feet. "Hunters!" called Zero over the roar of the thunder. "We need to find shelter!" He drew his saber, providing a small source of light through the bitter darkness. Several of the other hunters in his unit followed suit, and soon there was enough light for them to see at least 5 feet in every direction. Huddling by themselves off to the side were the miserable members of Jack's unit. The ebony huntress stood at the edge of the ring of light, surveying the situation. The ground was extremely muddy, which meant they could not travel very fast. The pouring rain made visibility practically zip, not to mention it was night. Das ist nicht gut. she thought. We're sitting ducks.I just hope. "All right, my unit, follow me!" Jack roared, cutting into her thoughts, holding a large flashlight. The miserable rookies cast a longful glance at the other hunters before following him. She sighed, and waved at them, most directly at Zero. "Tschue?!" She winked before taking off after her unit, her hair bouncing gracefully behind her, leaving the others staring after her.
* * * * *
Three hours later.
"Oh, for.!" Zero let out a string of obscenities as he realized he'd stepped into a sinkhole for the fifth time in the past few hours. Pulling his leg free with a sickening splurt, he continued to grumble under his breath. Things had not been going well.they'd almost lost three hunters from mud-traps, and they still hadn't found any shelter. He slashed at some foliage in his way, cutting a path for the hunters behind him. "SHIMATTA!" He heard a hunter curse behind him. Zero turned, and saw Akira waist-deep in the sinkhole, and was sinking rapidly. Why me.thought Zero. He walked over, and with the aid of three other hunters, managed to pull Akira from the sinkhole. "Man, this SUCKS!" grumbled Akira, dripping in mud. " It's so stupid! I wanna go back to HQ." "Stop your whining," snapped Zero. "And deal with it like a real hunter." Grumbling about spoiled greenhorns, he continued on ahead, the rest of the hunters following quietly behind him. It was going to be a long two weeks.
* * * * *
Meanwhile.
Jack's unit had slightly more success than Zero's and X's units. They found a large, rocky overhang jutting out from the side of a tall mountain. Setting up a temporary camp, they all huddled close to one another, shivering and dripping with water. The ebony huntress stood alone, water dripping gently from her long hair to the ground beneath. If she was cold, she didn't show it as her lilac eyes took in their surrounding as best as possible in the dark. This area won't be safe for very long, she thought. The water will flood us out unless it stops raining soon.She turned, and faced them. "We should move soon.the rain will flood us out unless we move." Jack came forward. "We are staying right here," he growled. "This will suffice." "Aber.if we stay here we'll b." Jack approached her, and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. "We aren't going anywhere.and you are in no position to argue. Am I clear?" She glared at him, and said nothing. "Answer me!" "Ich hasse dich." He frowned, and a large SMACK met the rookies' ears. "Don't waste that German crap on me." he snarled. "It won't do you any good." "Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst." she growled. "Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!" Jack threw her to the ground, drew his beam sword, and slashed at her. The rookies gasped at their commanders' aggression towards her. She rolled to the side, but the blow landed on her left cheek. Jumping to her feet, she hissed at Jack, the fresh wound running from the corner of her left eye down to her chin. Her pain was hidden under a mask of fury. "Leave." "WHAT???!" came the chorused reply. "Was?!" "Leave." he growled again. "And don't come back until you have learned to respect authority and gotten some manners.GO!" He raised his buster at her. She frowned, and cast a look at her fellow unit members, most of whom were completely shocked. Her eyes met Szymions'. "Don't go.he whispered. She gave him a small grin. "Ich komme züruck." she said softly, before Jack fired at her. She nimbly dodged the blast, and then ran off into the trees, vanishing in the rain.
* * * * * * *
Zero sighed, and gratefully wrung out his long, sopping hair. After five long, wearisome hours, they had finally found a cave in a Cliffside, facing a large body of water. From the salty scent in the air, Zero figured it was an ocean, but which one he didn't have a clue. It was still pouring outside, but at least they were out of immediate danger, and that was the important thing now. He cast his gaze over the rest of the hunters, most of whom were either asleep, or talking quietly amongst themselves. "I wonder what Jacks' unit is up to?" muttered a rookie softly. "Who knows.and who really cares?" whispered back another. "Just so long as it ain't us out there." "But they could be in trouble." replied a third. "Do you want to go out there and look for them?" hissed the second. Silence. "Didn't think so." "What are you rookies talking about?" Each one jumped in surprise at Zero's voice, who had approached them quietly. "Not being disrespectful, are we?" "Eto.nope," replied the first, a sweatdrop on the side of his head. "Nuthin' doing," replied the third. "Just talking about Jack and.umph!" The other two their hands over his mouth. "Shut up!" they hissed. Zero raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that the next ones out for patrol haven't been selected yet?" They shook their heads viciously. "Good.now get some rest. You'll need it." Sighing, the three rookies nodded, and complied with his suggestion. Thank god, he thought. Maybe now I can get some peace and quiet.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of movement. He turned around, and his gaze landed on the dripping silhouette of X. He motioned for Zero to come to him. Zero carefully made his way to X, and the pair stepped just outside the mouth of the cave, but still protected from the rain by the rocky roof. "Are you worried about them?" questioned X. Zero frowned. "Jack's unit?" X nodded. "The rookies in his unit, yeah.Jack? I don't really give a damn about him." "Zero." "Yea, I know.he may be a commander, but that doesn't mean I hafta like him." "Do you think we should look for them?" Zero pondered the question for a moment before answering. "Looking for them now would be pointless.we'd be sending out rescue parties for the rescuers.If we haven't heard from them in 2 days from now, we'll go look for them." "I wonder how they are doing? I hope they at least found shelter.it was unwise for us to split up like that.but with our units hating theirs and vice-versa." Zero chuckled. "Well, we couldn't force them to stay with us." His thoughts drifted to the ebony huntress. "But I think as long as she's with them, they'll be fine."
* * * * * * *
Cold, dripping, and completely pissed, the obsidian huntress took shelter in the branches of a large tree. Verdammst du, Jack-ass.she thought. I'll be back, and when I am.Ich führe du aus. ****************************************************************
Well, here's Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long to post.I wanted to wait and make sure ff.net was up ta full strength again before I posted it. Be sure to look for the next one soon ^^ Kudos to Vincent Valentine and Silver Sonic for beta reading.
German references Das ist nicht gut: This isn't good Tschue?!: See ya! Aber.: But. Ich hasse du.: I hate you Ich interessiere mich nicht, was du sagst.: I don't care what you say. Du kannst meinen Esel küssen, du Sohn eines Weibchens!: You can kiss my ass, you son of a bitch! Was?!: What?! Ich komme züruck.: I'll come back. Verdammst du: Damn you Ich führe du aus.: I'll take you out.