Dawn of Terror
Chapter 22: Sea Voyage
Things would look better in the morning light. At least, that's what Rei had kept telling himself during the darkest hours of the night. The air was wet and dreary. Through the ocean fog, ship horns blasted at ungodly hours and forced Rei from the uneasy sleep he'd fallen to. He was wet, cold and hungry. Kevin was curled at his feet, sleeping soundly. The green-haired neko-jin shivered a bit. Rei sighed and pulled his sopping kimono over his head. He wrung it out and bit and lay it over Kevin's prone form. The smaller boy tugged the garment about himself and snuggled into it, as if it were a blanket. Rei smiled slightly and shivered.
In the greying dawn light, he could now make out the forms of ships and supposed they were in the shipyard. It had been too dark to tell when they'd marched in last night, and with the fog, seeing anything had been nearly impossible. He shivered again, the cool morning mist chilling him to the bone.
The neko-jins were huddled at the end of the dock in a small, shivering group, some sleeping, others praying, some whimpering in the corner. Rei observed this with a passive face. The soldiers and Enrique were all up in the sea-side hotel, probably sleeping sound in feather-filled beds. Rei made a face. How could people stand to do that? Sleep warm and well knowing that outside, there were children who were going to catch their death colds, crying for their mothers. It made him sick.
He sighed and looked back down at Kevin. He had to be strong for Kevin and he had to keep his mouth shut and keep them safe. Li was dead, and so was Mariah. There was nobody to look to for guidance now. He sighed heavily and shifted.
'Why Kai? Why? You could have said no, you could have...'
No. Kai couldn't have said no. That would have meant death for all of them. It was better this way, better for all of them. Even if it did mean...
No. He'd rather be killed by Kai than a nameless stranger. At least then, he'd be able to see if Kai truly wanted him dead. It would be better to look up and see nothing but hatred in those crimson eyes than look into the pitying orbs of someone he would never know. He shivered and wrapped his arms about himself. The sun was coming up now and a ship blasted its horn, making him jump.
Kevin stirred, opening an eye. "Rei?" he asked.
Rei looked back down and placed a hand on Kevin's head. "Go back to sleep, Kevin. You're gonna need it."
The younger neko-jin sat up. "Where are we?"
Rei sighed. "We're at the docks, Kevin."
Kevin looked at him, his violet eyes full of fear and apprehension. Rei felt sorry that he had to go through this again. "What are they gonna do with us, Rei?"
Rei looked out over the clam waters, listening to the waking cries of the gulls. "I...I don't know. I think they're gonna ship us out somewhere, but-"
Kevin clung to him. "They're gonna send us away? They're gonna make us go to some horrible place and we'll stay there 'till we die! We won't ever see our family...our friends ever again! What are we gonna do Rei? What are we gonna do?!"
Rei grabbed ahold of Kevin's wrists. "We're gonna stay clam, Kevin," he growled. "Panicking won't solve anything."
The younger boy let go of him and rubbed his eyes, sniffing a bit. "I wanna go home," he sobbed.
Rei lowered his head. "Me too," he said softly, although home was not where he'd thought it was at the moment.
Kai was here right? Then why didn't he feel safe? Why didn't he feel like he was home? Maybe...Maybe there was a bit more to this 'home' thing than he'd thought. It wasn't just about the people, it was about the place too. The place had to be friendly and comforting and the people had to welcome you to that place with a friendly smile. Home was familiar.
~*~*~*
Kai had been up since quarter past five, pacing the length of the hotel room. He was tired, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. Mariah's voice was haunting him, worse than any other. She'd been with the Hiwataris as long as he could remember and now....Now he'd killed her.
He paced some more, more frantically. He was searching for a reason for this. Why did Mariah have to die? It was stupid, she should have still been alive. Instead, she was lying on the courtyard ground, letting the flies tear at her rotting flesh.
He sniffed back a tear and sat down heavily on the bed. He didn't know what he would have done had it been Rei. He couldn't have done it and then...and then Enrique surely would have shot him. Both of them. Rei would be dead, he would be dead and it would all be his fault. He buried his head in his hands. "What did I do? Oh God, what did I do?"
He felt so confused inside. This wasn't the way he wanted to go, he didn't want to work for Enrique, but he had to. God, God, why? Why did he have to be tortured so? He'd just got Rei back and life was going well...
Li and Mariah had taken a liking to each other, even. Kai was sure Mariah had finally found happiness and maybe, she and Li would have got married and started that family Mariah always wanted. It wouldn't happen now. They were dead.
Dead, dead, dead. He wished he was dead. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this, wouldn't have to be tortured like this. He could just lie quiet for the rest of eternity, never bothering anyone, never being bothered. He curled up on the bed and sobbed. He was horrible! He was just like Enrique. He'd killed them. God, he'd killed his friends.
He sat up, wiping tears from his eyes. There was clattering outside the door and he assumed it was time to get going. He sat on the bed for a moment or two, staring at the door. He wondered what he'd do next.
~*~*~*
Rei was nervous. The sun was rising high in the sky, burning off the mist that surrounded the docks. The soldiers were out and about, jeering at the hapless neko-jins, herding them into small groups. Rei was glad he hadn't seen Kai yet, but he had saw a person he didn't want to see. Enrique.
The blond Emperor was patrolling the docks, stopping every now and then to speak with one of the shipyard workers. Rei sat with Kevin, keeping a sharp eye on Enrique. The Emperor was planning something. He just knew it.
About nine o'clock, whatever Enrique had been planning came into play. The neko-jins were rounded up into a large crowd, herded cruelly together with the sharp bayonets of the soldiers. Rei and Kevin cowered near the back. Enrique stood at the forefront, facing them, a funny little smirk playing on his features. His hands were clasped behind his back. To his left stood Robert with his head bowed, as though he couldn't bring himself to look at the pitiful neko-jins. To Enrique's right was Kai, standing bold and stoic, his face expressionless as he looked out over the neko-jins, to the far away horizon behind them. Rei swallowed.
Enrique spoke. You could hear the smirk in his voice. "Well, well, little kitties. It seems as though we'll be saying our goodbyes here."
There was some hisses when he made the 'kitties' remark. Nonetheless, he continued. "Boris-sama has sent his boat and is willing to take you off my hands. Don't worry, Boris will take good...care of you."
Rei shuddered, feeling the malice of the remark. Enrique was amused by the whole situation. "Soldiers, would you mind escorting the kittens onto their ship? They're going on a little cruise."
Enrique stood stock still, smirking as the neko-jins were prodded and shoved, herded onto a wobbly, rusting ramp, into a run-down freight ship. The soldiers sneered and laughed, poking the neko-jins with their bayonets. Kevin clung to Rei's wrist tightly in an effort not to get separated from the older boy.
The last neko-jin scrambled on board. They milled about, confused and worried. Rei felt a sickening sense of deja vu. The boat was cramped with neko-jins, all huddled in the dark, dank place and soon, the small compartment would be filled with urine and feces and the screams of children would rent the air. He felt dizzy. His breath came a little faster - he knew this situation too well.
There was a cry from outside, but it was too distorted to tell what it meant. Kevin glanced up at Rei fearfully and jumped, noticing the other boy had gone rather pale. The door of the freight compartment was closing now, wrapping the crammed space in darkness. Rei blinked and tried to steady himself. He couldn't let this get to him. His vision wavered in and out of focus. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Enrique, smirk still playing on his features.
The door slammed shut.
~*~*~*
Kai stood on deck, looking out over the boundless sea. The wind brushed by him, filling the air with the sharp scent of salt. Seagulls cried and wheeled, looking for their next meal. Kai sighed, but remained stoic.
Also on the deck was a platoon of twelve soldiers, hand-picked by Enrique himself. There was Micheal, a high-ranking commander who obviously envied Kai's position of General. He was snide and arrogant and Kai couldn't help but want to deck the red-head.
There were two low ranking soldiers, Steve and Eddy, who had been part of Micheal's command. Steve was bull-headed and almost as annoying as Micheal. Eddy was a Negro, who, in most of the soldiers' opinions, should have joined the neko-jins in the freight room. He was quiet and reserved, but confident. He seemed to know where he stood in this army.
Next, there were two novices, newbies to the army. Who else would they be but Tyson and a blonde named Max? Kai's luck would have it that Tyson follow where ever the other bluenette went. Max and Tyson were currently sitting on the deck, playing cards. With them was a third boy, who was looking rather greenish. He was apparently in charge of the tech/communication section of the army, which had earned him the name "Chief". Kai had yet to find out what his real name was.
The others were of no importance, but Kai could name each one, merely becuase he had to know. There was Carlos, a brooding, angry boy; Stuart, a bumbling sort of boy who thought the world of himself; Andrew, a loud-mouthed upstart who was quickly becoming friends with Tyson; Pedro, a fine soldier and a smart one at that; Luiz, a pretty-boy with a boatload of ignorance; and a boy called Brian. Brian was ever-silent, ever-watching and spoke with a heavy Russian accent. Kai couldn't help but think he was plotting something. Brian reminded him greatly of Tala and Kai refused to trust him.
They were headed for Russia to meet with this "Boris" fellow and to hand over the neko-jins. Kai was partially glad that Enrique had sent him with these neko-jins to give to Boris, instead of having him lead troops at home, through town after town, killing neko-jin after neko-jin. At least this way, someone else would be doing the killing. He couldn't imagine killing another neko-jin. If he did, he knew it'd be Mariah that he was killing, over and over again. Or worse yet, it would be Rei he saw when he pulled the trigger. He made a face at that thought - killing Rei a thousand times over for who knew how long?
He sighed. A gloomy sort of silence had settled over the soldiers on deck and Kai grew uncomfortable. Even Tyson and Max were silent. The bluenette General stormed away from the deck. He would go check in with the ship's captain and make sure they were still on course. He didn't want to be on this boat longer than he had to be.
~*~*~*
Boris sipped his tea, smiling to himself. Enrique had sent word that the neko-jins were on their way. There was a knock on the door. He glanced up, setting his tea down and folding his hands. "Come in."
The door opened a a small beam of light streamed into the relatively dark room. It was blocked out by another shadowy form. "Sir."
Boris laughed - a cruel, grating sound that hung on the air. "Come in, Lupinex."
The person at the door walked in. He was odd looking, almost to the point of grotesque. His hair was a blue-grey and he resembled a wolf. "Sir, there is a strange ship docking in our harbour. Should I alert the garrison?"
Boris waved a hand dismissvely. "Let them dock, Lupinex. It's Enrique's soldiers with our new guests."
He smiled curelly and Lupinex smiled nervously, two sharp fangs being bared in the process. "Uh, of course Sir. The new guests. I will get the others to help me...greet them."
Boris's smile grew even more wicked. "Yes, and I think I shall accompany you."
Lupinex swallowed, bowed and exited the room. Boris chuckled dryily to himself. "Greet them indeed..."
~*~*~*
Night had fallen on the open waters. The cabin lights were on and the ship's captain, a girl named Frankie, kept her eyes on the seemingly still waters. Beside her, Kai stood, also overlooking the waters. "Are we still on course, Captain?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the water.
"'Course we are! If I couldn't keep us on course, I wouldn't be here, General. After all, I am a woman."
Kai said nothing more. Her statement was true - it was practically a miracle she was captain of a ship. The dark waters continued to heave and swell before them as the ship cut through the waves. Frankie sighed. "We're almost there, General. Perhaps you should go and rouse your soldiers. All hands will be needed on deck to dock."
Kai nodded and slid out of the cabin like a wraith, stealing through the shadows.
~*~*~*~*
Judy sighed into her java, looking dejectedly down at the table. Grandpa was at the kitchen sink, washing up dishes. He looked at the star-filled sky. Judy sighed again. "I hope my Max is okay. I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to him."
Grandpa set another dish down on the counter. "If he be with my Tyson, he'll be fit as a fiddle, Ma'am."
Judy smiled a bit. "You make it sound so simple."
Grandpa emptied the sink. "But it is, Ma'am. Sho as de North Star. Dem soldars ain't doing nuthin' like fightin', oh no. Dey be lootin' a pluderin', hurtin' helpless folk. Most of dem ain't got no choice, I suppose. Dey all gotta do what dat Enrique feller says. If dey don't...well, it don't bear no thinkin' 'bout."
Judy sighed. "You're right. I just hope Max hasn't had to do too much of that stuff. It's awful."
"Sho is, but ain't nuthin' nobody can do 'bout it. Dere'll be a war, fer sho."
Judy sighed again. "A war? I suppose. I wish we didn't have to go to war to solve this though. I just want Max to come home safe again. And still be....Max."
"Yore son won't never be like he was afore dis, Ma'am. Stuff like dis changes folks, fer better or fer worse."
The single candle flickered in the early summer breeze wafting in through the window. Outside, the night-time stars twinkled merrily in the velvet sky.
~*~*~*
"Toss those lead ropes over to the men on the dock!"
Frankie strode amongst the soldiers, shouting orders. "Hurry it up, stir your stumps!"
There were men down on the dock, hauling the over-board lead ropes to the docking posts, looping them about the fraying wood, securing the boat. The ship bobbed up and down on the water. The waves were rising higher and it was starting to rain. Frankie kept trying to spur the soldiers on. "Move it! There's a stomr a-brewing and if we don't dock now, we don't dock!"
Then, all at once, the boat was secure and the men down on the docks started lowering the ramps. The soldiers took off, ready to march the neko-jins off of the boat and onto the dock. Kai sighed and followed, slowly.
~*~*~*
Rei's eyes flickered open. Kevin was slapping him frantically across the face. "Wake up, Rei! Wake up!"
The green-haired neko-jin was nearly hysterical with worry. Rei groaned and grabbed Kevin's wrist. "Stop that," he growled, sitting up a bit. He glanced around at the fretful throng of neko-jins. "Ugh. How long have I been out?"
Kevin shrugged. "Nobody has the time. It could be tomorrow for all I know."
Rei sighed, getting to his feet. His vision made the world shake and rock and he was thrown back onto his rear. Then he noticed that Kevin had fallen over too. He glanced around. Lots of neko-jins had fallen down, actually. Rei clambered back to his feet. There was a loud groaning noise that echoed throughout the ship. Rei glanced over at the door, finding it starting to open. They were docking.
They had arrived.
~*~*~*
Chapter 22: Sea Voyage
Things would look better in the morning light. At least, that's what Rei had kept telling himself during the darkest hours of the night. The air was wet and dreary. Through the ocean fog, ship horns blasted at ungodly hours and forced Rei from the uneasy sleep he'd fallen to. He was wet, cold and hungry. Kevin was curled at his feet, sleeping soundly. The green-haired neko-jin shivered a bit. Rei sighed and pulled his sopping kimono over his head. He wrung it out and bit and lay it over Kevin's prone form. The smaller boy tugged the garment about himself and snuggled into it, as if it were a blanket. Rei smiled slightly and shivered.
In the greying dawn light, he could now make out the forms of ships and supposed they were in the shipyard. It had been too dark to tell when they'd marched in last night, and with the fog, seeing anything had been nearly impossible. He shivered again, the cool morning mist chilling him to the bone.
The neko-jins were huddled at the end of the dock in a small, shivering group, some sleeping, others praying, some whimpering in the corner. Rei observed this with a passive face. The soldiers and Enrique were all up in the sea-side hotel, probably sleeping sound in feather-filled beds. Rei made a face. How could people stand to do that? Sleep warm and well knowing that outside, there were children who were going to catch their death colds, crying for their mothers. It made him sick.
He sighed and looked back down at Kevin. He had to be strong for Kevin and he had to keep his mouth shut and keep them safe. Li was dead, and so was Mariah. There was nobody to look to for guidance now. He sighed heavily and shifted.
'Why Kai? Why? You could have said no, you could have...'
No. Kai couldn't have said no. That would have meant death for all of them. It was better this way, better for all of them. Even if it did mean...
No. He'd rather be killed by Kai than a nameless stranger. At least then, he'd be able to see if Kai truly wanted him dead. It would be better to look up and see nothing but hatred in those crimson eyes than look into the pitying orbs of someone he would never know. He shivered and wrapped his arms about himself. The sun was coming up now and a ship blasted its horn, making him jump.
Kevin stirred, opening an eye. "Rei?" he asked.
Rei looked back down and placed a hand on Kevin's head. "Go back to sleep, Kevin. You're gonna need it."
The younger neko-jin sat up. "Where are we?"
Rei sighed. "We're at the docks, Kevin."
Kevin looked at him, his violet eyes full of fear and apprehension. Rei felt sorry that he had to go through this again. "What are they gonna do with us, Rei?"
Rei looked out over the clam waters, listening to the waking cries of the gulls. "I...I don't know. I think they're gonna ship us out somewhere, but-"
Kevin clung to him. "They're gonna send us away? They're gonna make us go to some horrible place and we'll stay there 'till we die! We won't ever see our family...our friends ever again! What are we gonna do Rei? What are we gonna do?!"
Rei grabbed ahold of Kevin's wrists. "We're gonna stay clam, Kevin," he growled. "Panicking won't solve anything."
The younger boy let go of him and rubbed his eyes, sniffing a bit. "I wanna go home," he sobbed.
Rei lowered his head. "Me too," he said softly, although home was not where he'd thought it was at the moment.
Kai was here right? Then why didn't he feel safe? Why didn't he feel like he was home? Maybe...Maybe there was a bit more to this 'home' thing than he'd thought. It wasn't just about the people, it was about the place too. The place had to be friendly and comforting and the people had to welcome you to that place with a friendly smile. Home was familiar.
~*~*~*
Kai had been up since quarter past five, pacing the length of the hotel room. He was tired, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. Mariah's voice was haunting him, worse than any other. She'd been with the Hiwataris as long as he could remember and now....Now he'd killed her.
He paced some more, more frantically. He was searching for a reason for this. Why did Mariah have to die? It was stupid, she should have still been alive. Instead, she was lying on the courtyard ground, letting the flies tear at her rotting flesh.
He sniffed back a tear and sat down heavily on the bed. He didn't know what he would have done had it been Rei. He couldn't have done it and then...and then Enrique surely would have shot him. Both of them. Rei would be dead, he would be dead and it would all be his fault. He buried his head in his hands. "What did I do? Oh God, what did I do?"
He felt so confused inside. This wasn't the way he wanted to go, he didn't want to work for Enrique, but he had to. God, God, why? Why did he have to be tortured so? He'd just got Rei back and life was going well...
Li and Mariah had taken a liking to each other, even. Kai was sure Mariah had finally found happiness and maybe, she and Li would have got married and started that family Mariah always wanted. It wouldn't happen now. They were dead.
Dead, dead, dead. He wished he was dead. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this, wouldn't have to be tortured like this. He could just lie quiet for the rest of eternity, never bothering anyone, never being bothered. He curled up on the bed and sobbed. He was horrible! He was just like Enrique. He'd killed them. God, he'd killed his friends.
He sat up, wiping tears from his eyes. There was clattering outside the door and he assumed it was time to get going. He sat on the bed for a moment or two, staring at the door. He wondered what he'd do next.
~*~*~*
Rei was nervous. The sun was rising high in the sky, burning off the mist that surrounded the docks. The soldiers were out and about, jeering at the hapless neko-jins, herding them into small groups. Rei was glad he hadn't seen Kai yet, but he had saw a person he didn't want to see. Enrique.
The blond Emperor was patrolling the docks, stopping every now and then to speak with one of the shipyard workers. Rei sat with Kevin, keeping a sharp eye on Enrique. The Emperor was planning something. He just knew it.
About nine o'clock, whatever Enrique had been planning came into play. The neko-jins were rounded up into a large crowd, herded cruelly together with the sharp bayonets of the soldiers. Rei and Kevin cowered near the back. Enrique stood at the forefront, facing them, a funny little smirk playing on his features. His hands were clasped behind his back. To his left stood Robert with his head bowed, as though he couldn't bring himself to look at the pitiful neko-jins. To Enrique's right was Kai, standing bold and stoic, his face expressionless as he looked out over the neko-jins, to the far away horizon behind them. Rei swallowed.
Enrique spoke. You could hear the smirk in his voice. "Well, well, little kitties. It seems as though we'll be saying our goodbyes here."
There was some hisses when he made the 'kitties' remark. Nonetheless, he continued. "Boris-sama has sent his boat and is willing to take you off my hands. Don't worry, Boris will take good...care of you."
Rei shuddered, feeling the malice of the remark. Enrique was amused by the whole situation. "Soldiers, would you mind escorting the kittens onto their ship? They're going on a little cruise."
Enrique stood stock still, smirking as the neko-jins were prodded and shoved, herded onto a wobbly, rusting ramp, into a run-down freight ship. The soldiers sneered and laughed, poking the neko-jins with their bayonets. Kevin clung to Rei's wrist tightly in an effort not to get separated from the older boy.
The last neko-jin scrambled on board. They milled about, confused and worried. Rei felt a sickening sense of deja vu. The boat was cramped with neko-jins, all huddled in the dark, dank place and soon, the small compartment would be filled with urine and feces and the screams of children would rent the air. He felt dizzy. His breath came a little faster - he knew this situation too well.
There was a cry from outside, but it was too distorted to tell what it meant. Kevin glanced up at Rei fearfully and jumped, noticing the other boy had gone rather pale. The door of the freight compartment was closing now, wrapping the crammed space in darkness. Rei blinked and tried to steady himself. He couldn't let this get to him. His vision wavered in and out of focus. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Enrique, smirk still playing on his features.
The door slammed shut.
~*~*~*
Kai stood on deck, looking out over the boundless sea. The wind brushed by him, filling the air with the sharp scent of salt. Seagulls cried and wheeled, looking for their next meal. Kai sighed, but remained stoic.
Also on the deck was a platoon of twelve soldiers, hand-picked by Enrique himself. There was Micheal, a high-ranking commander who obviously envied Kai's position of General. He was snide and arrogant and Kai couldn't help but want to deck the red-head.
There were two low ranking soldiers, Steve and Eddy, who had been part of Micheal's command. Steve was bull-headed and almost as annoying as Micheal. Eddy was a Negro, who, in most of the soldiers' opinions, should have joined the neko-jins in the freight room. He was quiet and reserved, but confident. He seemed to know where he stood in this army.
Next, there were two novices, newbies to the army. Who else would they be but Tyson and a blonde named Max? Kai's luck would have it that Tyson follow where ever the other bluenette went. Max and Tyson were currently sitting on the deck, playing cards. With them was a third boy, who was looking rather greenish. He was apparently in charge of the tech/communication section of the army, which had earned him the name "Chief". Kai had yet to find out what his real name was.
The others were of no importance, but Kai could name each one, merely becuase he had to know. There was Carlos, a brooding, angry boy; Stuart, a bumbling sort of boy who thought the world of himself; Andrew, a loud-mouthed upstart who was quickly becoming friends with Tyson; Pedro, a fine soldier and a smart one at that; Luiz, a pretty-boy with a boatload of ignorance; and a boy called Brian. Brian was ever-silent, ever-watching and spoke with a heavy Russian accent. Kai couldn't help but think he was plotting something. Brian reminded him greatly of Tala and Kai refused to trust him.
They were headed for Russia to meet with this "Boris" fellow and to hand over the neko-jins. Kai was partially glad that Enrique had sent him with these neko-jins to give to Boris, instead of having him lead troops at home, through town after town, killing neko-jin after neko-jin. At least this way, someone else would be doing the killing. He couldn't imagine killing another neko-jin. If he did, he knew it'd be Mariah that he was killing, over and over again. Or worse yet, it would be Rei he saw when he pulled the trigger. He made a face at that thought - killing Rei a thousand times over for who knew how long?
He sighed. A gloomy sort of silence had settled over the soldiers on deck and Kai grew uncomfortable. Even Tyson and Max were silent. The bluenette General stormed away from the deck. He would go check in with the ship's captain and make sure they were still on course. He didn't want to be on this boat longer than he had to be.
~*~*~*
Boris sipped his tea, smiling to himself. Enrique had sent word that the neko-jins were on their way. There was a knock on the door. He glanced up, setting his tea down and folding his hands. "Come in."
The door opened a a small beam of light streamed into the relatively dark room. It was blocked out by another shadowy form. "Sir."
Boris laughed - a cruel, grating sound that hung on the air. "Come in, Lupinex."
The person at the door walked in. He was odd looking, almost to the point of grotesque. His hair was a blue-grey and he resembled a wolf. "Sir, there is a strange ship docking in our harbour. Should I alert the garrison?"
Boris waved a hand dismissvely. "Let them dock, Lupinex. It's Enrique's soldiers with our new guests."
He smiled curelly and Lupinex smiled nervously, two sharp fangs being bared in the process. "Uh, of course Sir. The new guests. I will get the others to help me...greet them."
Boris's smile grew even more wicked. "Yes, and I think I shall accompany you."
Lupinex swallowed, bowed and exited the room. Boris chuckled dryily to himself. "Greet them indeed..."
~*~*~*
Night had fallen on the open waters. The cabin lights were on and the ship's captain, a girl named Frankie, kept her eyes on the seemingly still waters. Beside her, Kai stood, also overlooking the waters. "Are we still on course, Captain?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the water.
"'Course we are! If I couldn't keep us on course, I wouldn't be here, General. After all, I am a woman."
Kai said nothing more. Her statement was true - it was practically a miracle she was captain of a ship. The dark waters continued to heave and swell before them as the ship cut through the waves. Frankie sighed. "We're almost there, General. Perhaps you should go and rouse your soldiers. All hands will be needed on deck to dock."
Kai nodded and slid out of the cabin like a wraith, stealing through the shadows.
~*~*~*~*
Judy sighed into her java, looking dejectedly down at the table. Grandpa was at the kitchen sink, washing up dishes. He looked at the star-filled sky. Judy sighed again. "I hope my Max is okay. I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to him."
Grandpa set another dish down on the counter. "If he be with my Tyson, he'll be fit as a fiddle, Ma'am."
Judy smiled a bit. "You make it sound so simple."
Grandpa emptied the sink. "But it is, Ma'am. Sho as de North Star. Dem soldars ain't doing nuthin' like fightin', oh no. Dey be lootin' a pluderin', hurtin' helpless folk. Most of dem ain't got no choice, I suppose. Dey all gotta do what dat Enrique feller says. If dey don't...well, it don't bear no thinkin' 'bout."
Judy sighed. "You're right. I just hope Max hasn't had to do too much of that stuff. It's awful."
"Sho is, but ain't nuthin' nobody can do 'bout it. Dere'll be a war, fer sho."
Judy sighed again. "A war? I suppose. I wish we didn't have to go to war to solve this though. I just want Max to come home safe again. And still be....Max."
"Yore son won't never be like he was afore dis, Ma'am. Stuff like dis changes folks, fer better or fer worse."
The single candle flickered in the early summer breeze wafting in through the window. Outside, the night-time stars twinkled merrily in the velvet sky.
~*~*~*
"Toss those lead ropes over to the men on the dock!"
Frankie strode amongst the soldiers, shouting orders. "Hurry it up, stir your stumps!"
There were men down on the dock, hauling the over-board lead ropes to the docking posts, looping them about the fraying wood, securing the boat. The ship bobbed up and down on the water. The waves were rising higher and it was starting to rain. Frankie kept trying to spur the soldiers on. "Move it! There's a stomr a-brewing and if we don't dock now, we don't dock!"
Then, all at once, the boat was secure and the men down on the docks started lowering the ramps. The soldiers took off, ready to march the neko-jins off of the boat and onto the dock. Kai sighed and followed, slowly.
~*~*~*
Rei's eyes flickered open. Kevin was slapping him frantically across the face. "Wake up, Rei! Wake up!"
The green-haired neko-jin was nearly hysterical with worry. Rei groaned and grabbed Kevin's wrist. "Stop that," he growled, sitting up a bit. He glanced around at the fretful throng of neko-jins. "Ugh. How long have I been out?"
Kevin shrugged. "Nobody has the time. It could be tomorrow for all I know."
Rei sighed, getting to his feet. His vision made the world shake and rock and he was thrown back onto his rear. Then he noticed that Kevin had fallen over too. He glanced around. Lots of neko-jins had fallen down, actually. Rei clambered back to his feet. There was a loud groaning noise that echoed throughout the ship. Rei glanced over at the door, finding it starting to open. They were docking.
They had arrived.
~*~*~*