by shike77
Chapter IV
"I Just Wanna Live While I'm Alive…"
-"It's My Life", by Bon Jovi
Enigma: YAY! I'm IN this one! FINALLY! *cheers*
Saer: … *looking at shike* Are you suicidal?
shike: … There are days when I wonder.
Leon: … Days? I'm wondering all the time. What with incorporating every single thing that pisses people off in your stories except for the highly stereotypical newbie.
shike: ^_^;; You think so?
The bully part…? Meh, I was bored. Needed a way to introduce Nig, and this' been on my mind for a bit. Not to mention I'm a bit bitter when it comes to the bully subject… @_@ Three guesses why. The first two don't count.
"Hey, Ahnna!"
A whimper passed pale lips and the little girl continued on her way, determined not to look at the alleyway she'd just passed. Maybe they'd ignore her if she didn't look at them, she thought as she kept her eyes on the small black kitten cradled in her arms. The animal peered over her shoulder and hissed at the leering boys, ears flat against her skull.
"Calm down," she warned, "they're stronger than we are. All we have to do is ignore them."
Something caught her eye—movement on the rooftops. The girl dressed in rags shuddered involuntarily, her pace quickening. So, they were going to ambush her. Jump her and drag her off into an ally, then beat her until she's black and blue, then threaten her so that she was far too frightened to tell a soul.
Nearly stumbling on her skirts, she finally made it onto her street. There, that's where she could hide. The little shack that her Grandmother lived in, all alone, and wait out the boys there. The old woman would threaten them and chase them away with her broom if they ever came near…
A tall, burly boy stepped out from behind a crate in front of her and she yelped, falling backwards. Scrambling away from him, her breath irregular and heavy, she bumped into someone's legs.
"Trying to get away, Ahnna?"
She screamed as he kicked her cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. Her mouth screamed in pain as she was picked up harshly by her shoulders and thrown against a wall.
The kitten growled—a rather amusing sound—and jumped on the attacker's face.
The boy screamed, the kitten's claws digging into his skin and used as supports for the rest of the black animal's tiny body, her long tail lashing about like a whip that slapped his thick neck.
He tried to pull the kitten away from his face, but only caused himself further pain as his flesh tore and ripped. The other boys attempted to help, and the original attacker couldn't tell them off for the massive pain inflicted upon his face.
Curses flew throughout the group, and eventually the kitten tired and dropped from her hold, scampering back into the stunned girl's arms.
"Little witch!" one screamed, "Just like that ugly hag!"
"Get her!"
The group surrounded her, and she whimpered, clutching the hissing kitten in her arms, trying to find a way out…
Look up!
Wondering if the thought had been her own, the little girl felt tears on her cheeks as she looked to the sky.
Suddenly, a figure dropped from above, landing in between Ahnna and the gang without a sound, long cloak billowing out behind like Death's robes.
The figure stood from a crouch and pushed back the hood of the cloak, revealing short, tousled mud-brown hair. She tilted her head slightly to the side, raising an eyebrow up at those assembled before her—she couldn't be much taller than five feet.
"Did someone just call for an ass-kickin'?"
The assembled gang blinked.
A
Short, scrawny, apparently fourteen-year old girl stood before them,
tossing a pair of daggers in the air absently, catching them with ease
by the tip of the blade, which she held delicately in between her thumb
and index finger before throwing them into the air again. She didn't
watch as they spun and fell, merely caught, as if she knew how to use
them.
The gang-leader soon recuperated and merely laughed, his cronies following suit.
"What?! Another little girl to get in my way?!"
He didn't notice how she suddenly stopped, bright jade eyes burning with a sudden hatred, daggers hanging in mid-air as if held by strings from above.
He waved a hand. "You'll have to move, kid, or I'll be forced to hurt you."
"You'll have to leave, or else I'll be forced to inflict great bodily pain upon you in a very undesirable fashion." At the blank stares she received, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Meaning I'll have to rip your fucking balls off."
That gained a round of laughter from the boys in front of her. She raised an eyebrow, grabbed her daggers from where they still hung in mid-air, and threw them.
Suddenly, the gang-leader was pinned to a wall by both daggers, the thick fabric of his shirt preventing him from moving.
The gang attacked her as one, and she grinned. She backflipped, kicking two in the face in the process and landed on her hands. She kicked another several times in the face, still on her hands, then flipped back to her feet, the movement shoving him into a few of his comrades. One rounded back and leapt for her, only to be punched in the face. His nose gave a sickening crack, and she smiled as she pulled her fist back with blood on it. She tentatively licked her hand, eyes shining in the delight of fresh-drawn blood.
Two picked up rocks and threw them, the stones soaring towards the brunette in the cape. She merely reached out with her arm and they stopped in mid-air, then reversed direction and hit the defenseless gang members who had thrown them in the eyes.
Grinning at their confused and frightened looks, she grinned.
"You've never seen telekinesis before? Ingrown little fuckers, aren'cha?"
At their blank stares, she only laughed. They cringed, as if expecting her to kill them with a flick of her finger next.
She winked her right eye—which had a red, jagged scar running through it, although the jade orb itself was untouched—and snapped her fingers, causing some of the young gang members to yelp.
Instead of a big explosion, a ball of flame hovered directly in front of her, dancing at her fingertips.
Ahnna couldn't help but giggle. This girl with the daggers had the tough-appearing boys down to little more than whimpering dogs. Suddenly, she wasn't so intimidated by them, and doubted that she would ever be so again.
"Now, I think you jackasses have some apologizing to do."
The daggers flew back to her hands and the gang leader hit the ground with a thud and a groan. She walked right up to him, grabbed his collar, and hoisted him up to her eye level—which had him on his knees, so if it had been anyone but this particular girl he wouldn't have been so frightened.
Grabbing the dagger that had entwining vines carved into the hilt and blade, she held it up o his neck, threatening him.
"Okay, bitches, here's the story;" trying to keep a straight face as he whimpered, she continued. "Not only will you apologize to this fine young lady, each in turn, and be her loyal servant for the rest of your miserable, worthless lives, but you will all walk up to the village elders, turn around, take off your pants and show them your lily white asses in broad daylight in the middle of that festival tomorrow. With no disguises what so ever. And if there is one hair on this fine young lady's head harmed, I will hunt you down and skin you alive. Deal?"
Every boy, pale and frightened silly, nodded franticly, swearing that they'd do just so as long as she didn't kill them.
"Very good," she dropped the leader with a thud—who immediately began kissing the ground at a very amused Ahnna's feet—and innocently dusted off her hands and readjusted her cape. "Another job done well, fine assassin," she mused to herself, grinning.
The black kitten bounded out of Ahnna's arms and leapt into those of the caped girl, who held her up and glared at her sternly.
"Nariko, I thought we were done
playing around and beaten' up busses. You know that I told you I'm a
professional assassin and I don't need to be playing with children."
The kitten mewled, blinking eyes identical to the assassin's, a scarred ear twitching.
"Shut up, you. I am not a kid, I'm five-hundred ninety-seven years old, and you know it."
Another small sound.
"As of this summer. I had a party and everything…!"
The two 'bickered' as the assassin—or so she called herself—walked away, not heeding the stares that followed her. Ahnna wanted to follow her and thank her, but the girl put up her hood and disappeared behind a building—never to be seen again.
The little girl smiled as she skipped to her grandmother's home. Gramma's gunna wanna hear this!
***
"… No, you owe me twenty rupees. I bet you I could take 'em all on without 'em touchin' me."
Nariko's only objection was to turn around and start cleaning herself in a rather inappropriate area.
"I take it that's the cat's way of saying, 'kiss my ass'?"
A snort from the assassin, who glared at her companion and replied sarcastically, "No, she's saying 'camels go moo and fluffy bunnies run amok across the plains in search for everlasting peace."
"Alright then, I'll remember that," her friend replied dryly, wincing as he cut himself with the small knife he was using to shave the beard he'd grown during imprisonment. The assassin ignored him, pouring over a crude map he'd dropped at her feet when he'd arrived at the room in the inn. She resisted the urge to smudge the chalk that had been used to roughly sketch out the course to their destination—whatever it was—just to spite the man, but decided against it, glancing at the broadsword strapped to his back.
"Where the hell is this place, and why are we going there?"
"You used to live on the far continent, right?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Familiar with the country of Serdio?"
"Nope. I haven't been there since I was fifty-two, Krait, methinks they changed the name a bit." She squinted at a small circle in the map, frowning at it. "But I know that lake, though. Or at least I think that's it. You're not much of an artist, buddy."
Krait rolled his eyes, examining the cut on his chin further in the dirty, smudged mirror. "I've seen you try to draw, Enigma, and I think your skills leave much to be desired in comparison to even mine."
"Hey, my stick people are a work of art, thank you very much. And I'm damn proud of 'em, too."
A sigh from the man, who turned on his heel and knelt down beside her, using the slightly bloody knife to point to a dot on the map. "Indels Castle in Bale is our destination, and there we'll find the Jade Dragoon."
"Aw, hell." Enigma stood, folding her arms. "Don't try and trick me, buddy. A castle means royalty, and royalty are all stuck up pains in the asses."
"Does that include me?" he asked wryly, raising an eyebrow.
"You don't count," she retorted, rolling her eyes.
"And why not?"
"Because you're a mercenary for hire now, not ruling over people with an iron fist being a total asshole to them. Plus, you can kick my ass any day of the week."
Krait shook his head, smiling at the assassin's reasoning. "True. Then again, the cat could kick your ass."
"She could no-"
Enigma was interrupted by a mewl. The assassin glared down at Nariko, then back up at Krait.
"… You're conspiring against me, you shitheads."
"How'd you guess?" came the dry tone—accompanied by an amused mewl—and then an empty pack was thrown at her. "Go get some supplies. We're using a couple wingly teleporters, and might take a side-route through Ulara."
A groan. "Not Ulara… That Charlie woman's there."
A raised eyebrow. "What's so bad about Charlie?"
"…Never met her, have you?"
"No."
"Pray you never have to. Whether or not it's to Soa, I don't give a shit, but just pray."
***
"No, you're holding it wrong. This hand there. Yes, that's it. Now, swing. No, not like that. The weapon doesn't go that far above your head, you're leaving yourself open for attack."
The blonde girl narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, the awkward grip causing her to miscalculate the strikes. In spite of her father's glare, she switched her grip so that the other hand was on top—although still the proper grip, unlike her previous one had been before it was corrected—and she grinned, swinging triumphantly.
"… Right. Forgot you were left-handed."
She sent a playful glare in Dart's direction, and the man shrugged.
"While your father tries to remember the obscure details of your life, could you go wash up in the stream nearby? You too, Dart, it's time for supper."
Shana grinned as her daughter ran off in the direction of the running water, fuelled by the promise of food after a long day's ride and a short sword practice with her father. Dart picked up the wooden practice sword she'd dropped and placed it in the scabbard—which was then transferred to his bag.
"You're spoiling her rotten, you know that?"
Dart made a face. "I wouldn't call it spoiling-"
Shana laughed, and he stopped. He crossed his arms on front of him and titled his head to the side slightly, smiling. "Alright, so I do. But I don't really spend all that much time at home nowadays…"
She nodded sadly, then frowned. "Is that why we're all going to Indels instead of just you this time? Because you don't spend as much time at home anymore?"
Dart suddenly looked rather distant, hesitating a moment before he answered. Shana felt a sickening lurch in her stomach, although she couldn't tell why.
The Divine Dragoon glanced about him once, as if worried that someone might overhear, and then he walked forwards until he was standing right beside her. He knelt down, and, with one glance about the area, he whispered the news.
"Miranda was attacked by someone looking for the Moon Child last week."
About to enquire further, Shana was stopped by a rustling in the bushes, and she turned around to find her daughter scowling at her parents.
"So, what, you're about to get all smoochy while I try not to barf?"
Shana laughed uneasily and Dart smiled, although both actions were forced. "Sorry, we thought you'd take a little longer than that."
The girl snorted and sat down in front of the fire, then grinned. "So, what's for supper?"
"Travel rations," came her father's reply, and the girl frowned at the bread and Coney meat she was handed.
"… Damn."
"Watch your language."
"Yes, Mom."
***
"… Do you think that her answer is still the same?"
A pawn moved.
Setie stared rather incredulously at the man before her with that look on her face, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.
"Soa, what were you thinking, proposing to Miranda?"
There came a frown from the man she sat across as she moved her knight into position.
"Only what I said. She is the most eligible woman to be my wife-" he moved a bishop to neatly dispose of the meddlesome Chess piece, "-and I do not regret my decision to ask her hand."
Setie moved the queen, shaking her head sadly. "Don't even think about asking her the same question twice. I know she won't hesitate to make your other eye black and slice off your manhood, just like she threatened."
The wounded eye twitched, the skin surrounding it blackened, blood having leaked into the orb itself. His nose hadn't even remained untouched by the furious White-Silver Dragoon's fist, the left side of his face a nightmare of black and blue. "Love must overcome all trials," he muttered stubbornly, moving his pawn to take the queen.
"There's a difference between love and a lost cause, Cedric," the Sacred Sister remarked dryly, taking the pawn with her own bishop.
"Do you presume my cause to be unworthy of your precious time?!" he snapped quietly, moving the rook to remove the bishop from play without a moment's thought.
"Whether you're talking about the chess game or Miranda, both answers are yes." She moved her remaining rook to the left, the white king's possible routes out of that situation blocked by her remaining bishop and a pawn. "Checkmate."
She stood and left for the Dragoon's room, leaving the sputtering Nobleman behind.
***
"… Kongol, I don't think we should've told Haschel about the situation."
The Giganto frowned, staring down at the young Wingly. She swung her legs absently, staring at the seawater as it cascaded away from her foot in ripples as her skin gently brushed the water's edge.
"Why not?"
She shook her head, the ribbons that held her hair in place bouncing about her neck freely, no wind directing them where to fall. "Kon', he's gettin' old. And he knows it, too. But I think he doesn't want to accept it…"
The Golden Dragoon shook his tattooed head slowly, with a great, heavy sigh. "No, Meru." He moved closer to the water's edge, staring out towards the horizon. Dark eyes seemed clouded, and he frowned once again. "Haschel… knows exactly how old he is getting. But he doesn't want to die in his bed. He wants to… die helping someone. Besides," the big, rough voice hesitated, and Meru highly doubted that it was because of the usual struggle for words in the human language.
The wingly felt movement in her stomach and there her hand flew without thought, fingers spread out over the skin.
"… Of all people, you should be staying home."
"Aw, c'mon!" Struggling to stand up without some sort of aid, Meru glared at her companion. "S-seriously, I'm fine. You shouldn't worry 'bout me, I've handled worse!"
"It's not you I'm concerned about," he shook his head again, reaching out to place an enormous hand on her shoulder. "What would happen to your child if you were wounded?"
Meru shook off his touch with a careless snort. "C'mon, I told Guaraha the same thing I'm tellin' you; Nothin' major's happened to me before, it's not gunna happen now! I've got a few months before she's due, an' I'm not gunna sit at home while you guys fig're out who's after Shana! An' that's that!"
Kongol knew that arguing the case further would only result in the Wingly's temper rising. He cast a glance over the loose, baggy clothing she'd donned in a failed attempt to hide the enlarged womb, knowing very well that she'd only slow the group down…
… But did she?
… Yeah, Meru's pregnant. Yay for her, let's have a party… Or not.
Ahem. Onto the reviews! Yay.
Striker — Meh, took a bit longer this time… yay for me. *waves absently* But It wasn't Derek that proposed… @_@;; Of course, with that little bit I put in there, it's kinda hard not to tell… And Cedric kinda got a beatin', too… ^_^ Good ol' Miranda, eh?
DemonGod — *blink* … Well, that's your opinion. But methinks that Rose kinda deserves the peace of death… In other news, never really thought of a Matrix Dragoon… *snickers*
Fifi — … Not like I'll listen to you. ^_^ I win! Want Shifty? @_@;; Have, then, while you still like 'im.
Shifty: ^_^ *glomps Fifi* Luff!
… No, he no die yet. @_@;; MAYBE later. Not sure about whether or not to kill him… Not in ST, though. He gets to live through this part of the story.
Aer — Technically it WAS Yaoi… And GOOD. Sometimes I feel like I get the strangest animals in the universe and there's nothing I can do about it.
Shade—Methinks you made some sort of wisecrack about my previous comment, but I only got . and… nothin' else… Is it just my computer? Methinks so, because my computer is shit.
Oh, and a universal note on Miranda: ^_^;; Well, I kinda get like Miranda on occasion… (don't look at me like that) … Think it was 'that time of the month' or somethig when I wrote that, and it helps a bit… Go me? Yahoo.