A/N: Here we go with chapter three.. oh.. perhaps I should mention that
this has a shounen-ai couple.. One I don't see too often but I enjoy..
Touma/Shin shounen-ainess.. look out! Um.. and I do know that his name is
Shin but they call him Cye.. there is a reason for that. You can gather
what the reason is if you think about it for just a teeny second!
***
"What do you make of her, mate?" A young man asked, leaning forward. He and another man stooped over a red couch, where a young woman with long silver braided hair lay. The room was well sized, with old pictures a various space knickknacks and loot hanging on the walls. There was a bookcase filled and overflowing with old, dusty books, an old barrel with a faded, chipped paint logo on it with faded maps rolled up inside of it, and a great many treasure chests locked and pushed out of the way.
"Eh.. she's got boobies, so what do I care?" A second man said, leaning forward and prodding the unconscious woman's chest. He wore a black trench coat with a skull and crossbones symbol on the back. There was a bundle of white lace at his throat, and a midnight blue velvet vest underneath the trench coat. He wore black slacks and shined black boots. He had deep blue hair, strangely untamed, with one lock of hair moving down the center of his face. He had a black eyepatch over his left eye. He had a light build, and looked rather on the snooty side.
"Touma!" The first young man exclaimed irritably, his real eye and his robotic eye both swiveling towards the offending speaker. This young man had shoulder length brown hair, tied back by a blue tie. He wore a dark blue and white striped sailor shirt, with a dark glove running up his right arm. There were three leather belts around his waist, and dark blue slacks with knee-high work boots. He had a swimmer's build, slightly tanned skin, and a gentle demeanor about him.
"What?" Touma innocently smiled, and proceeded to take open a small tin box he'd had in his pocket. He opened it, and was about to roll some tiny slivers of tobacco leaves in a small piece of paper, when the first young man all but slapped the box out of his hand.
"What have I told you about that?"
Touma groaned. "Not in your presence, my dear."
"Well I think you would've learned better than that, you old fool." The young man scoffed, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
"Lovers quarrel?" A new voice entered the conversation.
Touma turned, facing a young man with shoulder length unruly black hair. His light blue eyes shimmered with the delight of the two bickering. The young man wore a long scarlet trench coat, with no shirt underneath it. There were suspenders under the trench coat, buttoning onto the baggy gray jeans. Black chaps began at his upper thigh, and ran down to his buckled black boots. He placed his hands in his coat pockets, giving Touma a nod.
"Ryo, you bastard. Where have you been?" The first young man snapped, placing his hands on his hips. He wrinkled his nose again, scowling.
"..Out." He replied.
"Well, you look like you're half drunk. I assume you've been at a bar for the past hour getting drunk and doing god-knows-what with the floozies, while Touma and I stayed here and removed the bullet from this young lady's arm." The first young man hissed.
"Yup. That pretty much sums it up."
Touma turned to the young man. "Shi.. I mean Cye.." He murmured, pointing at the young woman that lay on a couch.
"Seems our guest is waking up." Cye said, smiling gently.
The woman elicited a soft groan, shifting uncomfortably. She wore a tattered dark blue coat missing three heavy brass buttons, a tight red tanktop, torn on one of the straps, shredded black with white faded jeans, and dirty black leather boots with one broken top buckle on each. She had bruises on her face, as well as her chest. A nasty gash lined the back of her neck, and her arm lay next to her, just dangling uselessly. She gave a painful moan and opened her eyes slowly, her gaze shifting in and out. She gritted her teeth in pain even as her view came into focus.
Cye's robotic eye examined her closely. "She's dazed, and her wounds are minor. Aside from a nasty shot in the arm, which now only needs to have the dressing replaced every few hours. Nothing some rest and food won't heal."
"Does that mean we're taking her in?" Touma sighed, looked down and resting his head on his palms. Cye turned to him and gave him a glare.
"She needs rest, Touma."
"Some violent, dangerous pirate you are." Touma retorted.
"I like to think of myself as a friendly, fair tempered pirate of mercy." Cye smiled slightly, placing his hands on his hips again. He flashed a dark smirk at Touma. "And you may see soon just how dangerous and violent I can be."
Touma grinned. "Hoo.. Naughty boy, you."
Ryo groaned. "No gay stuff in front of me, guys."
The woman leaned shot forward, ignoring any pain that must've surged through her with her abrupt jolt. "Brother!" She cried before wincing and falling back, gripping for a brace. Ryo started, leaning over.
"You OK, lady?" He asked, poking her shoulder.
She yowled in pain, gripped her shoulder, then ran a heavy slap across Ryo's face. "Creep!" She snapped.
Ryo rubbed his face, then squinted. "Chiclet, you crossed me quick, you know."
"Hush, Ryo." Cye waved him away, moving closer.
She looked at Cye, then at Ryo, then at Touma. "..How did I get here?"
Touma smiled. "You fell out of the sky, like a wounded dove, my sweet." He said, making his hand drop into his other hand as a falling gesture.
"..Fell.. From the sky?" The girl muttered, rubbing her forehead with her good hand.
"Well, technically from the streets into a crater, but we won't go into details." Cye shrugged, rolling his one normal eye.
"No, no, the sky sounds better." Touma shook his head.
"But she FELL from the streets, Touma!" Cye squinted at Touma. The girl looked from one to another, blinking confusedly. "You can't just change stories at your own whim!"
"Why not?" Touma asked, folding his arms and squinting at the younger man.
"Because you just can't." Cye replied.
"Well, I do cleaner jobs in looting!" Touma retorted.
"I work more quickly!" Cye growled.
"Yeah, but you almost got us cau-"
"Oh, don't EVEN start with me on that!"
"I'll start it whenever I damn well please!"
"Bring it!"
"Bitches.." Ryo intruded on their argument. The two stopped, about to strangle each other, and looked at Ryo. "..You're scaring the girl."
"Well, who cares?" Touma asked, shrugging. "She's got boobies, I don't care if I scare someone who has those things.."
"Look, thanks a lot for your.. concern.. but I have to go.." The girl muttered, beginning to stand. Cye stepped forward, a faint smile crossing his face.
"I don't know if you want to do tha-" He began as the girl cried out in pain and fell back onto the couch, gritting her teeth. Cye looked at her sympathetically, his eyes lowering.
"I suppose that was a bit late.." The girl glared at him, rolling her eyes.
"Look, lady, you could at least tell us your name. We did save your life." Ryo muttered, leaning against the wall.
"Well.." Touma began, stepping closer to Ryo, "Actually, if you want to be technical about it.. Cye and I were the ones who actually found her, Ryo.."
"Shut up, Touma." Ryo snapped.
"Well, it's true. All you did was ask her if she as a present for you when we brought her back." Touma whispered, folding his arms.
"It was a valid question." Ryo muttered. Cye smiled, setting a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Don't worry. They always act like this. They're just acting like idiots because it's the only thing they know how to do in front of new people." Cye murmured, removing his hand. "So.." He began, looking down at her, "Would you mind telling us your name?" He asked softly.
She stared up at Cye, then looked back down. "It's Mizima."
"Sounds like a brand of bottled water." Ryo hissed, straightening. "What about your last name?"
Mizima glared at Ryo, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Nicola. My name is Mizima Nicola."
"OK, Mizima, could you tell us what you're doing with gunshot wounds and falling into craters in the streets?" Ryo asked, walking closer to her and nudging Cye out of the way. She looked up at Ryo, frowning.
"..I borrowed something.." She began.
"Borrowed?" Touma smiled. "That's funny, dear. You don't normally get shot when you borrow someone's things.. Unless we count that one time Ryo borrowed Cye's hairbrush to polish his boots with. Where did the bullet end up, Ryo? Wasn't it your better half?" Touma laughed.
"It was a bad day for me and Ryo pushed me over the edge, is all." Cye whispered defensively, folding his arms.
"You're a nutcase, Cye." Ryo muttered, pocketing his hands. Cye smiled, tossing his head lightly as he turned back to face Mizima.
"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, tilting his head. Mizima stared at him, and slowly shook her head.
"..How could you tell?" She asked. Cye smirked, leaning back on his heels. He took in a deep breath before beginning.
"Mmm, well.. to start with, your boots are made of a leather only found in the northern countries, and in any other country it is sold at an obscenely high price, except for where they are manufactured, so most likely you got them in the north. Secondly, people differ in looks based on where they are from. I have never seen a woman with your fair skin and dark eyes here in the western countries. And third.. your accent also shows that you come from one of the northern countries.. I am guessing.. perhaps an area around Kentaro." Cye said, raising one eyebrow.
Mizima sighed, looking down. "..Could you all just let me go?"
"Never!" Touma shouted.
"Touma.." Cye muttered, glaring at the blue haired young man, who grinned in response.. Ryo bit his bottom lip, looking up.
"We'll let you go. You just have to let us get to a safe place before we can drop you off." Ryo said, looking out of the window.
"..What?" Mizima said, raising an eyebrow. She turned and looked out of the window as well, and fell back in surprise. She could only see clouds, and the ground was completely out of sight. "..What's going on?" She asked, looking at Ryo.
"We're staying off of the ground so as to avoid being seen, Mizima. Don't worry, we're still above Phaeolyn, you'll be able to get right back to the city soon." Ryo murmured, turning to leave the room.
"Who are you people?" She asked, turning back to face the three. Ryo paused, turning back to face her.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, eh? You gave us your name.. ok then.." Ryo smiled, bowing. "I am Captain Ryo Sanada.."
"Captain?" Mizima whispered.
"I am his First Mate.. Cye." Cye said softly, smiling.
"And I'm Head Engineer Touma Hashiba." Touma grinned, placing his hands on his hips.
"You have the pleasure of being one of the first to come aboard our fine vessel, the Dark Wonderland." Ryo said, folding his arms. Mizima's eyes widened in recognition.
"..You're pirates." She whispered.
"..Bingo." Ryo said quietly, smiling. He straightened, looking at Touma and Cye as they nodded, leaving the room. Ryo smirked as he turned back to Mizima. "We will be dropping you off at Port Rinbo. From there you can take a short train ride back to the city."
"And I assume this will all come from my own pocket, even though I didn't ask you for help?" She asked.
".Well now, we're aren't dating, are we? Is there any point in being formal?" Ryo asked in return. He turned to leave, but paused before he reached the door, turning back. "You may want to find something to change in to.. the crew gets rather rowdy when they see a young lady with partially torn clothes." He said, leaving the room. Mizima growled, leaning back onto the couch, gripping her bad arm and wincing. As she cradled her wounded arm, Cye reentered the room, carrying a small parcel with him. He sat down on a small stool that was next to the couch.
"Would you like me to tend to your wounds, Miss?" He asked, holding out the parcel, which contained bandages, antiseptics, and various medical supplies. Mizima sighed, looking away.
"I want off of this ship. I have something important I need to do and I don't want to be hindered by your pigheaded captain." Mizima said as Cye took her arm and examined it. He looked up, his cyborg eye shimmering in the light.
"I can understand what you mean. Ryo is a bit on the obnoxious side when you first meet him.. but you'll get used to it." Cye said, opening the parcel and removing a few cotton swabs and the antiseptic. "..I just wonder what it in you're in such a hurry to do, Miss."
"..It's personal." She replied.
"Something involving your brother?" Cye asked, tapping the antiseptic onto the swab, and then placing it over the wound on Mizima's arm.
"..What..?" Mizima asked, her eyes widening.
"You called out for your brother as you awoke. I assume it is about him." Cye said.
"..I'd rather not talk about it." Mizima hissed.
"Ah, all right.. anyway, we removed the bullet from your arm, so now I am going to remove the dressing from your arm, clean it again, and the replace the dressing. Based on your reaction to Ryo's touch, your pain killers have worn out, so I'll get Touma to bring some in soon." Cye murmured, not expecting a response from the quiet woman. He set down the cotton swab and slowly pulled back the fabric of her coat. He gently began to remove the bandaging that surrounded her upper arm.
"..I feel like I've met him somewhere before." Mizima whispered.
"Met who? Cye asked, looking up.
"..Ryo." She whispered. "..It's just.. his eyes.. they seem so familiar.." She said, looking away. She shook her head, sighing. "It's probably nothing.. There are many blue-eyed people in the world.. I guess I'm just.. tired.."
"..Perhaps you should get some rest before we dock at the Port. And don't feel uneasy just because this is a pirate ship.. I assure you that all the tales of slovenly drunken brutish pirates and their dingy wrecks of ships aren't true. Well, at least concerning us.." Cye said while dropping the old bandage onto the floor and swabbing the wound delicately.
"..I thought pirates would slit the throat of any people who happened upon their ship." Mizima whispered.
"..Well, we happened upon you and brought you here, so it wasn't your fault, now was it?" Cye smiled, beginning to wrap new bandages around her arm. As he finished, he picked up the old bandaged, stood, and turned to leave. "I'll have Touma bring in the pain killers soon.. try to get some rest before we dock."
"..Right." Mizima said softly, looking back out the window. She heard the door shut, and breathed a sigh of relief. She felt a strange presence about the ship, something she couldn't explain. It was something familiar, but was unreachable, like a memory of a dream. She shut her eyes, and then opened them, seeing only the dense clouds outside of the window. They were passing more rapidly now, and she could hear the engine of the ship cranking in the background. "..So.. here I am.. I've finally found you.. Dark Wonderland.." She whispered, smiling slightly.
***
"What do you make of her, mate?" A young man asked, leaning forward. He and another man stooped over a red couch, where a young woman with long silver braided hair lay. The room was well sized, with old pictures a various space knickknacks and loot hanging on the walls. There was a bookcase filled and overflowing with old, dusty books, an old barrel with a faded, chipped paint logo on it with faded maps rolled up inside of it, and a great many treasure chests locked and pushed out of the way.
"Eh.. she's got boobies, so what do I care?" A second man said, leaning forward and prodding the unconscious woman's chest. He wore a black trench coat with a skull and crossbones symbol on the back. There was a bundle of white lace at his throat, and a midnight blue velvet vest underneath the trench coat. He wore black slacks and shined black boots. He had deep blue hair, strangely untamed, with one lock of hair moving down the center of his face. He had a black eyepatch over his left eye. He had a light build, and looked rather on the snooty side.
"Touma!" The first young man exclaimed irritably, his real eye and his robotic eye both swiveling towards the offending speaker. This young man had shoulder length brown hair, tied back by a blue tie. He wore a dark blue and white striped sailor shirt, with a dark glove running up his right arm. There were three leather belts around his waist, and dark blue slacks with knee-high work boots. He had a swimmer's build, slightly tanned skin, and a gentle demeanor about him.
"What?" Touma innocently smiled, and proceeded to take open a small tin box he'd had in his pocket. He opened it, and was about to roll some tiny slivers of tobacco leaves in a small piece of paper, when the first young man all but slapped the box out of his hand.
"What have I told you about that?"
Touma groaned. "Not in your presence, my dear."
"Well I think you would've learned better than that, you old fool." The young man scoffed, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
"Lovers quarrel?" A new voice entered the conversation.
Touma turned, facing a young man with shoulder length unruly black hair. His light blue eyes shimmered with the delight of the two bickering. The young man wore a long scarlet trench coat, with no shirt underneath it. There were suspenders under the trench coat, buttoning onto the baggy gray jeans. Black chaps began at his upper thigh, and ran down to his buckled black boots. He placed his hands in his coat pockets, giving Touma a nod.
"Ryo, you bastard. Where have you been?" The first young man snapped, placing his hands on his hips. He wrinkled his nose again, scowling.
"..Out." He replied.
"Well, you look like you're half drunk. I assume you've been at a bar for the past hour getting drunk and doing god-knows-what with the floozies, while Touma and I stayed here and removed the bullet from this young lady's arm." The first young man hissed.
"Yup. That pretty much sums it up."
Touma turned to the young man. "Shi.. I mean Cye.." He murmured, pointing at the young woman that lay on a couch.
"Seems our guest is waking up." Cye said, smiling gently.
The woman elicited a soft groan, shifting uncomfortably. She wore a tattered dark blue coat missing three heavy brass buttons, a tight red tanktop, torn on one of the straps, shredded black with white faded jeans, and dirty black leather boots with one broken top buckle on each. She had bruises on her face, as well as her chest. A nasty gash lined the back of her neck, and her arm lay next to her, just dangling uselessly. She gave a painful moan and opened her eyes slowly, her gaze shifting in and out. She gritted her teeth in pain even as her view came into focus.
Cye's robotic eye examined her closely. "She's dazed, and her wounds are minor. Aside from a nasty shot in the arm, which now only needs to have the dressing replaced every few hours. Nothing some rest and food won't heal."
"Does that mean we're taking her in?" Touma sighed, looked down and resting his head on his palms. Cye turned to him and gave him a glare.
"She needs rest, Touma."
"Some violent, dangerous pirate you are." Touma retorted.
"I like to think of myself as a friendly, fair tempered pirate of mercy." Cye smiled slightly, placing his hands on his hips again. He flashed a dark smirk at Touma. "And you may see soon just how dangerous and violent I can be."
Touma grinned. "Hoo.. Naughty boy, you."
Ryo groaned. "No gay stuff in front of me, guys."
The woman leaned shot forward, ignoring any pain that must've surged through her with her abrupt jolt. "Brother!" She cried before wincing and falling back, gripping for a brace. Ryo started, leaning over.
"You OK, lady?" He asked, poking her shoulder.
She yowled in pain, gripped her shoulder, then ran a heavy slap across Ryo's face. "Creep!" She snapped.
Ryo rubbed his face, then squinted. "Chiclet, you crossed me quick, you know."
"Hush, Ryo." Cye waved him away, moving closer.
She looked at Cye, then at Ryo, then at Touma. "..How did I get here?"
Touma smiled. "You fell out of the sky, like a wounded dove, my sweet." He said, making his hand drop into his other hand as a falling gesture.
"..Fell.. From the sky?" The girl muttered, rubbing her forehead with her good hand.
"Well, technically from the streets into a crater, but we won't go into details." Cye shrugged, rolling his one normal eye.
"No, no, the sky sounds better." Touma shook his head.
"But she FELL from the streets, Touma!" Cye squinted at Touma. The girl looked from one to another, blinking confusedly. "You can't just change stories at your own whim!"
"Why not?" Touma asked, folding his arms and squinting at the younger man.
"Because you just can't." Cye replied.
"Well, I do cleaner jobs in looting!" Touma retorted.
"I work more quickly!" Cye growled.
"Yeah, but you almost got us cau-"
"Oh, don't EVEN start with me on that!"
"I'll start it whenever I damn well please!"
"Bring it!"
"Bitches.." Ryo intruded on their argument. The two stopped, about to strangle each other, and looked at Ryo. "..You're scaring the girl."
"Well, who cares?" Touma asked, shrugging. "She's got boobies, I don't care if I scare someone who has those things.."
"Look, thanks a lot for your.. concern.. but I have to go.." The girl muttered, beginning to stand. Cye stepped forward, a faint smile crossing his face.
"I don't know if you want to do tha-" He began as the girl cried out in pain and fell back onto the couch, gritting her teeth. Cye looked at her sympathetically, his eyes lowering.
"I suppose that was a bit late.." The girl glared at him, rolling her eyes.
"Look, lady, you could at least tell us your name. We did save your life." Ryo muttered, leaning against the wall.
"Well.." Touma began, stepping closer to Ryo, "Actually, if you want to be technical about it.. Cye and I were the ones who actually found her, Ryo.."
"Shut up, Touma." Ryo snapped.
"Well, it's true. All you did was ask her if she as a present for you when we brought her back." Touma whispered, folding his arms.
"It was a valid question." Ryo muttered. Cye smiled, setting a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Don't worry. They always act like this. They're just acting like idiots because it's the only thing they know how to do in front of new people." Cye murmured, removing his hand. "So.." He began, looking down at her, "Would you mind telling us your name?" He asked softly.
She stared up at Cye, then looked back down. "It's Mizima."
"Sounds like a brand of bottled water." Ryo hissed, straightening. "What about your last name?"
Mizima glared at Ryo, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Nicola. My name is Mizima Nicola."
"OK, Mizima, could you tell us what you're doing with gunshot wounds and falling into craters in the streets?" Ryo asked, walking closer to her and nudging Cye out of the way. She looked up at Ryo, frowning.
"..I borrowed something.." She began.
"Borrowed?" Touma smiled. "That's funny, dear. You don't normally get shot when you borrow someone's things.. Unless we count that one time Ryo borrowed Cye's hairbrush to polish his boots with. Where did the bullet end up, Ryo? Wasn't it your better half?" Touma laughed.
"It was a bad day for me and Ryo pushed me over the edge, is all." Cye whispered defensively, folding his arms.
"You're a nutcase, Cye." Ryo muttered, pocketing his hands. Cye smiled, tossing his head lightly as he turned back to face Mizima.
"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, tilting his head. Mizima stared at him, and slowly shook her head.
"..How could you tell?" She asked. Cye smirked, leaning back on his heels. He took in a deep breath before beginning.
"Mmm, well.. to start with, your boots are made of a leather only found in the northern countries, and in any other country it is sold at an obscenely high price, except for where they are manufactured, so most likely you got them in the north. Secondly, people differ in looks based on where they are from. I have never seen a woman with your fair skin and dark eyes here in the western countries. And third.. your accent also shows that you come from one of the northern countries.. I am guessing.. perhaps an area around Kentaro." Cye said, raising one eyebrow.
Mizima sighed, looking down. "..Could you all just let me go?"
"Never!" Touma shouted.
"Touma.." Cye muttered, glaring at the blue haired young man, who grinned in response.. Ryo bit his bottom lip, looking up.
"We'll let you go. You just have to let us get to a safe place before we can drop you off." Ryo said, looking out of the window.
"..What?" Mizima said, raising an eyebrow. She turned and looked out of the window as well, and fell back in surprise. She could only see clouds, and the ground was completely out of sight. "..What's going on?" She asked, looking at Ryo.
"We're staying off of the ground so as to avoid being seen, Mizima. Don't worry, we're still above Phaeolyn, you'll be able to get right back to the city soon." Ryo murmured, turning to leave the room.
"Who are you people?" She asked, turning back to face the three. Ryo paused, turning back to face her.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, eh? You gave us your name.. ok then.." Ryo smiled, bowing. "I am Captain Ryo Sanada.."
"Captain?" Mizima whispered.
"I am his First Mate.. Cye." Cye said softly, smiling.
"And I'm Head Engineer Touma Hashiba." Touma grinned, placing his hands on his hips.
"You have the pleasure of being one of the first to come aboard our fine vessel, the Dark Wonderland." Ryo said, folding his arms. Mizima's eyes widened in recognition.
"..You're pirates." She whispered.
"..Bingo." Ryo said quietly, smiling. He straightened, looking at Touma and Cye as they nodded, leaving the room. Ryo smirked as he turned back to Mizima. "We will be dropping you off at Port Rinbo. From there you can take a short train ride back to the city."
"And I assume this will all come from my own pocket, even though I didn't ask you for help?" She asked.
".Well now, we're aren't dating, are we? Is there any point in being formal?" Ryo asked in return. He turned to leave, but paused before he reached the door, turning back. "You may want to find something to change in to.. the crew gets rather rowdy when they see a young lady with partially torn clothes." He said, leaving the room. Mizima growled, leaning back onto the couch, gripping her bad arm and wincing. As she cradled her wounded arm, Cye reentered the room, carrying a small parcel with him. He sat down on a small stool that was next to the couch.
"Would you like me to tend to your wounds, Miss?" He asked, holding out the parcel, which contained bandages, antiseptics, and various medical supplies. Mizima sighed, looking away.
"I want off of this ship. I have something important I need to do and I don't want to be hindered by your pigheaded captain." Mizima said as Cye took her arm and examined it. He looked up, his cyborg eye shimmering in the light.
"I can understand what you mean. Ryo is a bit on the obnoxious side when you first meet him.. but you'll get used to it." Cye said, opening the parcel and removing a few cotton swabs and the antiseptic. "..I just wonder what it in you're in such a hurry to do, Miss."
"..It's personal." She replied.
"Something involving your brother?" Cye asked, tapping the antiseptic onto the swab, and then placing it over the wound on Mizima's arm.
"..What..?" Mizima asked, her eyes widening.
"You called out for your brother as you awoke. I assume it is about him." Cye said.
"..I'd rather not talk about it." Mizima hissed.
"Ah, all right.. anyway, we removed the bullet from your arm, so now I am going to remove the dressing from your arm, clean it again, and the replace the dressing. Based on your reaction to Ryo's touch, your pain killers have worn out, so I'll get Touma to bring some in soon." Cye murmured, not expecting a response from the quiet woman. He set down the cotton swab and slowly pulled back the fabric of her coat. He gently began to remove the bandaging that surrounded her upper arm.
"..I feel like I've met him somewhere before." Mizima whispered.
"Met who? Cye asked, looking up.
"..Ryo." She whispered. "..It's just.. his eyes.. they seem so familiar.." She said, looking away. She shook her head, sighing. "It's probably nothing.. There are many blue-eyed people in the world.. I guess I'm just.. tired.."
"..Perhaps you should get some rest before we dock at the Port. And don't feel uneasy just because this is a pirate ship.. I assure you that all the tales of slovenly drunken brutish pirates and their dingy wrecks of ships aren't true. Well, at least concerning us.." Cye said while dropping the old bandage onto the floor and swabbing the wound delicately.
"..I thought pirates would slit the throat of any people who happened upon their ship." Mizima whispered.
"..Well, we happened upon you and brought you here, so it wasn't your fault, now was it?" Cye smiled, beginning to wrap new bandages around her arm. As he finished, he picked up the old bandaged, stood, and turned to leave. "I'll have Touma bring in the pain killers soon.. try to get some rest before we dock."
"..Right." Mizima said softly, looking back out the window. She heard the door shut, and breathed a sigh of relief. She felt a strange presence about the ship, something she couldn't explain. It was something familiar, but was unreachable, like a memory of a dream. She shut her eyes, and then opened them, seeing only the dense clouds outside of the window. They were passing more rapidly now, and she could hear the engine of the ship cranking in the background. "..So.. here I am.. I've finally found you.. Dark Wonderland.." She whispered, smiling slightly.
