Chapter Three: She's a Bitch, He's a Slimy Bastard & I'm Lusting Someone
By Kurohi Tatsaki
Disclaimer: I do not own Wild Arms 3, and I haven't beaten the game yet! It's a cool game, though! (I just finished the Glimmering Emblem as of 1/5/03. School's tomorrow and most likely I'll hate the first week or so.) I wouldn't be writing a fic about it if I didn't think that! Jet's so kawaii!
"speaking", (thinking), ~(present thoughts in a flashback)~
*************************************
The entire labyrinth was backed with traps galore. It was dark and dreary and monotonous. The walls appeared the same and the floor crunched softly beneath my feet. I became rather bored, save the times we ran into monsters. I hated being knocked down and unable to use my...... Never mind.
A female named Claudia joined our group, failing to tell all of us in time before we were nearly struck by traps. Especially one little switch that when you pulled it, red beams would shoot at us! I got hit, and fell to the floor with a thud, my second soul seeming to want to escape from my very being.
But, before that, there was a bridge that was collapsing after the girl, Claudia, pressed a switch. In an attempt to make sure the others got past safely, I fell onto a painful pit-like area. Stab after stab of pain shot through me, and I screamed each time until I managed to crawl out of there.
I stayed away from the group after that. No-one helped me out.
Why didn't they? Didn't they see I was injured? It hurt so... so badly to move!
I still did, though. I still marched on, head held high. Is that why they didn't notice?
Now that, was scary and painful... but no one seemed to notice... except for Claudia.
Something's fishy about her... but Gallows likes her, though you can't trust his opinion about pretty girls. The judgment is all the same, ain't it?
***
She seems to be pullin' these traps on us on purpose! Wait... she smells odd... She has two scents... one of human blood... the other...... She also seems familiar with this ruin. She says that "We're almost at the heart of the ruin where the artifact lies..." Claudia notices Clive's expression of skepticism. "Isn't it about time you reveal what's behind the curtain? I don't think I can continue this any longer..."
She seems angered. "How did you see through my veil?"
"I don't have any particular reason. Instinct, I suppose..."
"Instinct!? How absurd! You mean to tell me I was found out by a silly little guess!?"
Then, a second soul, a second being, removed itself from Claudia. "A beauty spawned another beauty!? Talk about doubling your pleasure!"
I wanted to gag.
Clive wasn't thwarted. "A clever disguise, using the missing woman from Little Twister. But you have made one fundamental mistake. You attempted to use beauty as your weapon, but the blade you wielded was too dull."
She is in white robes. Her hair is short and thick. She demands, "So, what is your point!?"
"Your beauty is completely fake," the green-haired one seems to chuckle.
"How rude of you. What would you know about beauty?" she asks.
"A woman's beauty can indeed be associated with strength. And so, you used it as your weapon. However, beauty is not all about physical appearance. A kind and tender heart... Beauty from the inside is what ultimately shines through. You are not as beautiful as you think. I have a wife and daughter. I would be in great trouble if I were infatuated with another woman."
WHAT?! He has a family?!
...
Like I might not have any longer... I may be too late as is...
Ha... how pitiful. But I think the woman's gettin' angry.
"As long as no one is deceived by you outer beauty," the trench-coated sniper continues. "anyone can see right through you. You do not seem accustomed to deceiving others. I take it that you are not inherently evil?"
"Enough of your mockery!"
Yup, she's pissed.
"How dare you resist me! I'll make you pay! I will not forgive you for trampling over my feelings! Or my beauty!!"
She launches several blasts from her being, and my second soul stirs at the smell of my blood, which splatters across my body.
'Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!!'
"Gyyyaaaa!!" I clutch my body in agony. The power of the demons in my heritage awakens. My arms spread wide, and my body mutates into one of the three forms I have. My head throws itself back as I scream; fuzzy ears move up my head, my hair shrivels away. Fur, orange with black stripes, spread along my body. My clothing tears to pieces. My hindquarters become more like blades at the bone. Claws extend from my fingers, and my face now bears a tigerish, wedged muzzle.
I hear myself cry one desperate, "NOOOO...!" and slowly, ever so slowly, my consciousness fades into oblivion. I vaguely feel flesh wounds. I barely hear shouts of surprise and pain. And lastly, I hear my own scream, mutated, weakening and ugly......
Had I been beaten?
By what?
***
How long have I been like this? In such a state of limbo?
...
Can I move...?
Should I even try...?
Should I...?
I begin to rise to my feet and open my eyes away from the darkness. I still feel fur. I haven't de-morphed to human just yet. I hear our leader shout, "You coward! That's so pathetic how you'd hide and shield yourself behind a woman! Now, come back here!"
I felt my body follow our group to another room of its own accord. I am behind Jet, who quickly spares a sideways glance at me, and then continues on his way. I hear, "I appreciate your work ethic, but you try to handle too much at once. That's why things don't work out for you. Right, Princess?"
"Janus Cascade... You're..."
"...still alive? Surely you didn't think I was dead? And you're not looking at a ghost, either. But the thing is..."
As he comes forth, a boulder crashes in front of us.
"Janus!" Leader shouts.
"My time has ended..." He looks all... scaly and green. A fish?! "My body has been eroded by the Dark Spear against my will... So my previous body has been eaten away, but I've now been endowed with the body of a demon. I've done it. I've attained the power that surpasses all! The power to dominate all! And all I have to do is trigger an impulse within my body... Rrrrrrrraaaagh!! Like so!"
I hear growling. It doesn't scare me. It scares the guardians, but not me.
No.
Not me.
My body roars with it, and Janus looks our way. His eyes widen. "Now, maybe I'll stand a chance against you... demon of the dark."
My body snorts in contempt, and attempts to speak. It is a garbled sound, one that the others do not know.
Janus understands my words. I have vowed to kill him.
"It's this sensation again! The mediums are trembling!? It's as if their uncontrollable fear is ready to jump out any second!"
The rather insightful Gallows replies, "They're afraid of Janus... No, they're afraid of what's inside him... or... are they afraid of Kurohi, or what's inside of him, too?"
Said demon laughs. "You all don't know how lucky you are. To be able to witness the power of demons in this day and age... Besides, you're even more lucky to fight side-by-side with a cold-hearted demon. You know him as Kurohi! Black fire!"
They all stare at us. Us as in, myself and the spirit. It becomes nervous. Who dares to gawk at us? Why do they stare at us so?
...
Is it because of what... who... we are?
...
Is it because of why we are what we are?
My mind fades into oblivion. The beast takes full control. Soon after, I feel its grip on my heart weakening, and I am myself once more, cold, battered, bloodied, and naked.
I later feel warmth around me for a while, and then later to my whole body and face. I open my eyes, dim orbs acquiring the light of the fire. It snaps and crackles with the ferocity of a dragon with snowy white scales, and a flame-tipped tail of holy.
...
Where have I seen that dragon before...?
It slowly fades into oblivion, and I cry out to it audibly. Don't go!
You have the answers! I have questions!! Please tell me why...-
"I see you're up, now."
"Uuugh..." I groan, rubbing my head and sitting up slowly, looking at the speaker, Virginia. My tail comes up to hold the blanket in place at least around my waist with its grip of iron. My bare, star-scarred chest is seen by all, and warmed by the fire. "Wha'... happened?" I murmur, shaking my head. "...such a blur... I can't really remember what happened after I transformed..."
"You knew you could all this time? Is it the power you have of the demons?" she asked me.
I sighed. "...Yes."
They all seem alarmed. I look up at them through half-lidded eyes. "...Please... don't do that." I close my eyes, and I see red just beyond my eyelids. A bright crimson, of bloodshed. Why do I see it? Why is there this unruly urge to kill inside me?! It wasn't there before! "I can't stand being looked at like that..." (That stare makes me afraid.) "Besides, my power does not come from the Dark Spear... otherwise, I would no longer be even fractionally human."
"I'm sorry..."
I open one eye at our leader. "When I am looked at like that, I feel even more like the outcast I..." (...have come to call myself...) I shake my head. "...never mind. My emotions are unimportant."
"What are you saying? Your emotions, faults, and abilities, are important!"
I laugh, another bitter sound. "You just say that, Virginia. Everyone just says that. Words mean nothing, and have meant nothing to me for ages. I cannot remember for just how long, because my memory has been tampered with, and I forget things too quickly for me to store them. Hence, I have nearly any memories to call such."
"Hmph. Seems like Virginia now has another person's memories to look up?" Jet said, opening one purple eye at me. With the fire, the eye seemed even more alive and vibrant than ever. I felt myself falling into that stare, and couldn't get out...
Nor did I want to.
I hadn't felt like this toward anyone...
...
But that was because of how I was treated. How I lived...
How I am now.
Being me sucks...
But why do I feel like passing out under his gaze?
So strange...
"What are you starin' at?" he asks almost angrily. I raise an eyebrow at this.
"You. Why, is there a problem?"
He seems taken aback, and he splutters almost nonsense. Virginia decides to change the subject. "But, boy... You sure surprised us when you mentioned your wife and daughter."
"Ahh..." he sighs. "My apologies... I didn't mean to keep it a secret. It's just hard to find the right timing to bring it up..."
After a moment, she replies, "Well... um... What were we talking about, again? Oh yeah, surprises, right?"
Clive seemed to be able to relate. "There is no need to beat around the bush,-"
Hah. I have a hard time getting to the point sometimes, too...
"-Virginia. We were all surprised by what we saw..."
She murmurs, "Yeah, I guess... I... I just find it so hard to believe that someone could transform like that... Is that the true power of the artifact? To change someone into a different being? The power of the past?"
I nodded toward her. "I am also a fragment of this power... demonic power..." I said, my voice vibrating so much I could giggle at the mere sonorous-like feel. "...By blood, as far as I can remember, I have held powers similar to what the Dark Spear can do." I paused, then looked at the palm of my hands. "But... unlike the Dark Spear, I retain some semblance to purity..." My mouth set itself into a firm line. "...not like I really was... I had to grow up really fast. Not much childish simplicity is left in me, even at such an age..."
"How old are you?"
"...Fifteen. Sixteen in a few days."
"That's really young!"
I shrugged at Gallows' outburst. "Not that I really cared. I may be young but some say I have the knowledge of someone thrice my age... and half my age in level of autonomy. They say I'm very intelligent, but lack greatly in independent opinion or action. Some claim my actions are the reaction of others." I laughed again, despite my nudeness, which was ignored until now. "Oh... um, does anyone have some spare clothing? Mine... um... were shredded by [[Soul Two]] ..."
"Who's Soul Two?"
"The first beast I found within myself..." I answered. "The tiger beast you saw in the ruins that fought on your side. I don't know if he harmed any of you. Were any of you hurt?"
They shook their heads; I sighed in relief. "Good... Thank goodness... Now, does anyone have *any* spare clothing??!"
A few garments were chucked in my face. They smelled highly of Jet's spicy scent.
I was in heaven.
"Oh, how nice of you to give him some, Jet!" piped the brown-haired leader.
The silver-haired boy said nothing.
I flitted out of there, putting on nearly identical articles of clothing to Jet's. I sniffed the clothing again, drowning myself in his scent. It was soo addicting...
...Was this lust?
... ...I'm lusting over another male?
I show myself in his attire. It is slightly baggier than I like, and some of it slides down my shoulders, showing my collarbone.
I feel eyes on me, and look in their direction. My eyes lock with Jet's, and I feel a flicker of desire pass through my eyes. I close my eyes to hide it, and reopen them when I am certain it is gone.
I can't love him... I can't lust him... I can't feel anything for him unless I want him to die... ...
No... no, no, no, no, no...
`What do you mean? Why are you fretting like this?`
Wha...?
"You look good, Kurohi."
"Thank you..." I murmur automatically. My eyes haven't left Jet's even as I sit down next to him. I can't stop staring at him. He's so...
`What happened to you, Kurohi? I can sense everyone you've ever cared about. They're still alive.`
They're... alive?
`Yes. Now, if you don't mind, next time you transform, take off your clothes!`
WHAT?! You can't possibly be serious! They'll see me!
`As if they haven't? I saw them pick up your limp, *nude* form, you know. And the one you're sitting next to, the boy, noticed your, er-hem... *excellent* endowments...`
EEEP! I did NOT need to know that! But... but...
`Hey, it's given you hope, huh?`
...Hai...... Arigatou. [1]
"Hey!"
I blinked and looked the silver-haired lad's way, stuttering uncontrollably, "W-What Jet-chan?"
"'Jet-chan'?" asked Clive.
I blushed bright red. "N-nanda! [2]" I said too quickly. They knew something was up. My cover had been blown up right in my face, and I felt Jet staring at me, purple eyes gleaming in the night sky.
"Um, Kurohi, I'll need to talk to you after this meeting, okay?"
I nodded at our leader. "Yes, ma'am..."
*************************************
R&R! That's all I can say!
[1] "Hai" is Japanese for "Yes", "Arigatou" is Japanese for a polite "Thank you" or "Thanks"
[2] "Nanda" is Japanese for "It's nothing" or "Is that all?"
By Kurohi Tatsaki
Disclaimer: I do not own Wild Arms 3, and I haven't beaten the game yet! It's a cool game, though! (I just finished the Glimmering Emblem as of 1/5/03. School's tomorrow and most likely I'll hate the first week or so.) I wouldn't be writing a fic about it if I didn't think that! Jet's so kawaii!
"speaking", (thinking), ~(present thoughts in a flashback)~
*************************************
The entire labyrinth was backed with traps galore. It was dark and dreary and monotonous. The walls appeared the same and the floor crunched softly beneath my feet. I became rather bored, save the times we ran into monsters. I hated being knocked down and unable to use my...... Never mind.
A female named Claudia joined our group, failing to tell all of us in time before we were nearly struck by traps. Especially one little switch that when you pulled it, red beams would shoot at us! I got hit, and fell to the floor with a thud, my second soul seeming to want to escape from my very being.
But, before that, there was a bridge that was collapsing after the girl, Claudia, pressed a switch. In an attempt to make sure the others got past safely, I fell onto a painful pit-like area. Stab after stab of pain shot through me, and I screamed each time until I managed to crawl out of there.
I stayed away from the group after that. No-one helped me out.
Why didn't they? Didn't they see I was injured? It hurt so... so badly to move!
I still did, though. I still marched on, head held high. Is that why they didn't notice?
Now that, was scary and painful... but no one seemed to notice... except for Claudia.
Something's fishy about her... but Gallows likes her, though you can't trust his opinion about pretty girls. The judgment is all the same, ain't it?
***
She seems to be pullin' these traps on us on purpose! Wait... she smells odd... She has two scents... one of human blood... the other...... She also seems familiar with this ruin. She says that "We're almost at the heart of the ruin where the artifact lies..." Claudia notices Clive's expression of skepticism. "Isn't it about time you reveal what's behind the curtain? I don't think I can continue this any longer..."
She seems angered. "How did you see through my veil?"
"I don't have any particular reason. Instinct, I suppose..."
"Instinct!? How absurd! You mean to tell me I was found out by a silly little guess!?"
Then, a second soul, a second being, removed itself from Claudia. "A beauty spawned another beauty!? Talk about doubling your pleasure!"
I wanted to gag.
Clive wasn't thwarted. "A clever disguise, using the missing woman from Little Twister. But you have made one fundamental mistake. You attempted to use beauty as your weapon, but the blade you wielded was too dull."
She is in white robes. Her hair is short and thick. She demands, "So, what is your point!?"
"Your beauty is completely fake," the green-haired one seems to chuckle.
"How rude of you. What would you know about beauty?" she asks.
"A woman's beauty can indeed be associated with strength. And so, you used it as your weapon. However, beauty is not all about physical appearance. A kind and tender heart... Beauty from the inside is what ultimately shines through. You are not as beautiful as you think. I have a wife and daughter. I would be in great trouble if I were infatuated with another woman."
WHAT?! He has a family?!
...
Like I might not have any longer... I may be too late as is...
Ha... how pitiful. But I think the woman's gettin' angry.
"As long as no one is deceived by you outer beauty," the trench-coated sniper continues. "anyone can see right through you. You do not seem accustomed to deceiving others. I take it that you are not inherently evil?"
"Enough of your mockery!"
Yup, she's pissed.
"How dare you resist me! I'll make you pay! I will not forgive you for trampling over my feelings! Or my beauty!!"
She launches several blasts from her being, and my second soul stirs at the smell of my blood, which splatters across my body.
'Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!!'
"Gyyyaaaa!!" I clutch my body in agony. The power of the demons in my heritage awakens. My arms spread wide, and my body mutates into one of the three forms I have. My head throws itself back as I scream; fuzzy ears move up my head, my hair shrivels away. Fur, orange with black stripes, spread along my body. My clothing tears to pieces. My hindquarters become more like blades at the bone. Claws extend from my fingers, and my face now bears a tigerish, wedged muzzle.
I hear myself cry one desperate, "NOOOO...!" and slowly, ever so slowly, my consciousness fades into oblivion. I vaguely feel flesh wounds. I barely hear shouts of surprise and pain. And lastly, I hear my own scream, mutated, weakening and ugly......
Had I been beaten?
By what?
***
How long have I been like this? In such a state of limbo?
...
Can I move...?
Should I even try...?
Should I...?
I begin to rise to my feet and open my eyes away from the darkness. I still feel fur. I haven't de-morphed to human just yet. I hear our leader shout, "You coward! That's so pathetic how you'd hide and shield yourself behind a woman! Now, come back here!"
I felt my body follow our group to another room of its own accord. I am behind Jet, who quickly spares a sideways glance at me, and then continues on his way. I hear, "I appreciate your work ethic, but you try to handle too much at once. That's why things don't work out for you. Right, Princess?"
"Janus Cascade... You're..."
"...still alive? Surely you didn't think I was dead? And you're not looking at a ghost, either. But the thing is..."
As he comes forth, a boulder crashes in front of us.
"Janus!" Leader shouts.
"My time has ended..." He looks all... scaly and green. A fish?! "My body has been eroded by the Dark Spear against my will... So my previous body has been eaten away, but I've now been endowed with the body of a demon. I've done it. I've attained the power that surpasses all! The power to dominate all! And all I have to do is trigger an impulse within my body... Rrrrrrrraaaagh!! Like so!"
I hear growling. It doesn't scare me. It scares the guardians, but not me.
No.
Not me.
My body roars with it, and Janus looks our way. His eyes widen. "Now, maybe I'll stand a chance against you... demon of the dark."
My body snorts in contempt, and attempts to speak. It is a garbled sound, one that the others do not know.
Janus understands my words. I have vowed to kill him.
"It's this sensation again! The mediums are trembling!? It's as if their uncontrollable fear is ready to jump out any second!"
The rather insightful Gallows replies, "They're afraid of Janus... No, they're afraid of what's inside him... or... are they afraid of Kurohi, or what's inside of him, too?"
Said demon laughs. "You all don't know how lucky you are. To be able to witness the power of demons in this day and age... Besides, you're even more lucky to fight side-by-side with a cold-hearted demon. You know him as Kurohi! Black fire!"
They all stare at us. Us as in, myself and the spirit. It becomes nervous. Who dares to gawk at us? Why do they stare at us so?
...
Is it because of what... who... we are?
...
Is it because of why we are what we are?
My mind fades into oblivion. The beast takes full control. Soon after, I feel its grip on my heart weakening, and I am myself once more, cold, battered, bloodied, and naked.
I later feel warmth around me for a while, and then later to my whole body and face. I open my eyes, dim orbs acquiring the light of the fire. It snaps and crackles with the ferocity of a dragon with snowy white scales, and a flame-tipped tail of holy.
...
Where have I seen that dragon before...?
It slowly fades into oblivion, and I cry out to it audibly. Don't go!
You have the answers! I have questions!! Please tell me why...-
"I see you're up, now."
"Uuugh..." I groan, rubbing my head and sitting up slowly, looking at the speaker, Virginia. My tail comes up to hold the blanket in place at least around my waist with its grip of iron. My bare, star-scarred chest is seen by all, and warmed by the fire. "Wha'... happened?" I murmur, shaking my head. "...such a blur... I can't really remember what happened after I transformed..."
"You knew you could all this time? Is it the power you have of the demons?" she asked me.
I sighed. "...Yes."
They all seem alarmed. I look up at them through half-lidded eyes. "...Please... don't do that." I close my eyes, and I see red just beyond my eyelids. A bright crimson, of bloodshed. Why do I see it? Why is there this unruly urge to kill inside me?! It wasn't there before! "I can't stand being looked at like that..." (That stare makes me afraid.) "Besides, my power does not come from the Dark Spear... otherwise, I would no longer be even fractionally human."
"I'm sorry..."
I open one eye at our leader. "When I am looked at like that, I feel even more like the outcast I..." (...have come to call myself...) I shake my head. "...never mind. My emotions are unimportant."
"What are you saying? Your emotions, faults, and abilities, are important!"
I laugh, another bitter sound. "You just say that, Virginia. Everyone just says that. Words mean nothing, and have meant nothing to me for ages. I cannot remember for just how long, because my memory has been tampered with, and I forget things too quickly for me to store them. Hence, I have nearly any memories to call such."
"Hmph. Seems like Virginia now has another person's memories to look up?" Jet said, opening one purple eye at me. With the fire, the eye seemed even more alive and vibrant than ever. I felt myself falling into that stare, and couldn't get out...
Nor did I want to.
I hadn't felt like this toward anyone...
...
But that was because of how I was treated. How I lived...
How I am now.
Being me sucks...
But why do I feel like passing out under his gaze?
So strange...
"What are you starin' at?" he asks almost angrily. I raise an eyebrow at this.
"You. Why, is there a problem?"
He seems taken aback, and he splutters almost nonsense. Virginia decides to change the subject. "But, boy... You sure surprised us when you mentioned your wife and daughter."
"Ahh..." he sighs. "My apologies... I didn't mean to keep it a secret. It's just hard to find the right timing to bring it up..."
After a moment, she replies, "Well... um... What were we talking about, again? Oh yeah, surprises, right?"
Clive seemed to be able to relate. "There is no need to beat around the bush,-"
Hah. I have a hard time getting to the point sometimes, too...
"-Virginia. We were all surprised by what we saw..."
She murmurs, "Yeah, I guess... I... I just find it so hard to believe that someone could transform like that... Is that the true power of the artifact? To change someone into a different being? The power of the past?"
I nodded toward her. "I am also a fragment of this power... demonic power..." I said, my voice vibrating so much I could giggle at the mere sonorous-like feel. "...By blood, as far as I can remember, I have held powers similar to what the Dark Spear can do." I paused, then looked at the palm of my hands. "But... unlike the Dark Spear, I retain some semblance to purity..." My mouth set itself into a firm line. "...not like I really was... I had to grow up really fast. Not much childish simplicity is left in me, even at such an age..."
"How old are you?"
"...Fifteen. Sixteen in a few days."
"That's really young!"
I shrugged at Gallows' outburst. "Not that I really cared. I may be young but some say I have the knowledge of someone thrice my age... and half my age in level of autonomy. They say I'm very intelligent, but lack greatly in independent opinion or action. Some claim my actions are the reaction of others." I laughed again, despite my nudeness, which was ignored until now. "Oh... um, does anyone have some spare clothing? Mine... um... were shredded by [[Soul Two]] ..."
"Who's Soul Two?"
"The first beast I found within myself..." I answered. "The tiger beast you saw in the ruins that fought on your side. I don't know if he harmed any of you. Were any of you hurt?"
They shook their heads; I sighed in relief. "Good... Thank goodness... Now, does anyone have *any* spare clothing??!"
A few garments were chucked in my face. They smelled highly of Jet's spicy scent.
I was in heaven.
"Oh, how nice of you to give him some, Jet!" piped the brown-haired leader.
The silver-haired boy said nothing.
I flitted out of there, putting on nearly identical articles of clothing to Jet's. I sniffed the clothing again, drowning myself in his scent. It was soo addicting...
...Was this lust?
... ...I'm lusting over another male?
I show myself in his attire. It is slightly baggier than I like, and some of it slides down my shoulders, showing my collarbone.
I feel eyes on me, and look in their direction. My eyes lock with Jet's, and I feel a flicker of desire pass through my eyes. I close my eyes to hide it, and reopen them when I am certain it is gone.
I can't love him... I can't lust him... I can't feel anything for him unless I want him to die... ...
No... no, no, no, no, no...
`What do you mean? Why are you fretting like this?`
Wha...?
"You look good, Kurohi."
"Thank you..." I murmur automatically. My eyes haven't left Jet's even as I sit down next to him. I can't stop staring at him. He's so...
`What happened to you, Kurohi? I can sense everyone you've ever cared about. They're still alive.`
They're... alive?
`Yes. Now, if you don't mind, next time you transform, take off your clothes!`
WHAT?! You can't possibly be serious! They'll see me!
`As if they haven't? I saw them pick up your limp, *nude* form, you know. And the one you're sitting next to, the boy, noticed your, er-hem... *excellent* endowments...`
EEEP! I did NOT need to know that! But... but...
`Hey, it's given you hope, huh?`
...Hai...... Arigatou. [1]
"Hey!"
I blinked and looked the silver-haired lad's way, stuttering uncontrollably, "W-What Jet-chan?"
"'Jet-chan'?" asked Clive.
I blushed bright red. "N-nanda! [2]" I said too quickly. They knew something was up. My cover had been blown up right in my face, and I felt Jet staring at me, purple eyes gleaming in the night sky.
"Um, Kurohi, I'll need to talk to you after this meeting, okay?"
I nodded at our leader. "Yes, ma'am..."
*************************************
R&R! That's all I can say!
[1] "Hai" is Japanese for "Yes", "Arigatou" is Japanese for a polite "Thank you" or "Thanks"
[2] "Nanda" is Japanese for "It's nothing" or "Is that all?"