Chapter 2 - The Vengeance Is Unearthed.
"He's back?…." Maxi furrowed his brow in confusion, "Who, what?" he had a horrible sinking feeling coming to his gut, one of terror, and anxiety. "Astaroth…he's alive" Iseoie said simply, she didn't want to tell him, but, she wasn't going to not, she had spent the last three years trying to find him, she never accepted he had died, after she'd discovered Astaroth was still alive, resurrected from the fires of the Soul Edge. "I don't believe you, I watched him die, I killed him!" he shouted, distress was clear in his voice, and he turned his back to her, his hands shaking. The thing that worried him, was, he wasn't sure he could face everything again, after the last fight, his body wasn't in the same condition, he had acquired some injuries that had never healed. "Well it's true Maxi, and I travelled half the globe to tell you that" she narrowed her emerald eyes, not really liking the response she was getting from him. He'd changed, he wasn't the same, not as fun loving, not as up for a fight as he was four years ago. It was odd. Maxi let out a sigh, his shoulders were tense and quivering. He could feel Iseoie's gaze blazing into the back of him, staring at him with those jewel like eyes he admired. "What do you want from me Isy?" he asked, turning his head to look at her. "Help" she said simply.
She didn't wait for a response, she simply put up her hood to shade her features again, and turned around to walk back towards the villagers. "MURDERER!" they shouted, the body of her victim had since been cleared away. She snarled, glaring at them, "Don't be so ignorant, I did you a favour, that man was a thief" she snarled, "He was stealing money from you all every day, I've been watching him for the past four days, and you are too wrapped up in your perfection, that you couldn't see it" she finished her little speech, walking on, silence now echoing through the village. Maxi walked towards them, only to be separated from Iseoie, by the villagers that swarmed around him, demanding to know who this 'Iseoie' girl was. "Get out the way, c'mon!!!" he pleaded, "Move!!" he shouted again, pushing passed several villagers, but he still couldn't get to her. "ISY!" he finally shouted, getting her attention at last.
She stopped and turned to face him, "You've made up your mind?" she asked sternly, taking down her hood again. People stood and stared, this was the most strangest confrontation ever, and it didn't help that not many people knew of Maxi's past, or the people that were in it. "I'm going with you" he grinned, shaking himself free of the last few villagers to catch her up. He slung an arm around her shoulders playfully and looked back at the villagers, "I'll come back" he began, scratching his chin with a sheepish smile, "Some day" with that vow, he left them, and continued to walk with his old 'friend' back towards the docks. "I'm assuming you have a ship of some kind" he asked, quirking one of his pointed eyebrows. "No, I swam here, of course I have a ship" she grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "I also have something for you, which my blacksmith restored for you" she added, as they stood before a huge ship.
It was rather beautiful, and striking to the eye, the sunset washing over it from the sea behind. Magnificent. The creamy sales whipped in the slight breeze. "This is the KazeRyuu" Iseoie stated, indicating the ship. It had a long, snaking gold dragon painted down the side of it, and it glistened in the soft, orange glow of the setting sun. "Where in the gods of Olympus did you acquire this beauty?" Maxi asked, his eyes wide with awe as he stared at every fine, perfect detail of the ship. "Well, I'm a woman, I can fight, and the crew helped me out, I became captain" she chuckled, leading him onto the ship, "That's basically it". "I'd be a woman if I could have this ship" Maxi joked, a grin curling the ends of his lips. Iseoie laughed slightly, and slapped him across the chest, gently. "Shut up, and follow me, we'll meet the crew". He nodded, obediently following.
"Drak, this is Maxi" Iseoie stated, approaching one of the crewmen, he was fairly handsome, with flame coloured hair that was tied loosly on the ends, just by his shoulders, and with lovely blue eyes, he looked admiringly at Iseoie, then at Maxi, extending a palm. "So this is Maxi, it's a pleasure, I've heard a lot about you" he smirked. "Erm, I see" was Maxi's only reply taking Drak's hand slowly, as he looked at Iseoie, raising an eyebrow. Drak fell silent a moment, and then looked as if he was struck by inspiration. "I've got something for you, Maxi" he stated, scurrying off towards the main cabin. "Oh really, and what might that be?" Maxi asked, narrowing his eyes in Iseoie's direction. She just gave an innocent smile, as Drak returned holding a box, a long, wooden box in his hands. He flipped it open, to reveal a set of glistening nunchakus. "Fatibal!?" Maxi exclaimed. "Completely restored for your use Maxi" Iseoie said smiling, "Drak spent hours fixing them up for you" she finished. Drak nodded, and let Maxi take Fatibal out of it's case. He swung them around, trying out a few of his old moves, it felt like old times, the sea air, Fatibal, Isy, yet it was incomplete without Xianghua and Kilik.
The day had finally drawn to a close, the sea air had fallen fresh and the stars twinkled warmly above, in the indigo skyline. The deck of the KazeRyuu, was empty, apart from one figure that sat lonesome on the edge. It was Maxi, sitting in quiet thought, deep, slow breaths escaping his body, as he stared at Fatibal in his hands. The moon washed over his body, like a warming touch, softly, enhancing each curve of his skin. "Can't you sleep?" a voice asked from the door to the captain's cabin. He looked up, his dark eyes wandering over to see the outline of a slender figure leaning against the door frame, silhouetted in the moonlight. "No, not really" he replied, "Just thinking about some things, that's all". The figure came into view, revealing herself as Iseoie, she sat beside him, and patted his shoulder gently. "Xian, and Kilik, right?". He nodded solemnly, "This is like some kind of crazy dream, I didn't think I was going to see any of you again, and it's great to see you" he reassured her, looking at her now.
He couldn't help but let out another sigh, as he placed a hand on one of hers, which was resting on her lap. "It's just not the same without all of us together, especially when it comes to tracking down that bstard….." he growled deeply referring to Astaroth, and then shrugged his shoulders, letting them relax at her touch. "I know" was all she could think of to say, as she found herself leaning her head on his shoulder. "We'll do what we set out to do four years ago, and then, we'll find our friends, and everything will be the way it should be" she reassured him with a smile.
She looked away from him, as she noticed his eyes fixed on her, she felt as though he was trying to pry into her should or something. "It's good you found me, so I can finish what I started" Maxi stated suddenly, breaking the eerie silence. "What we started" Iseoie corrected. Astaroth had destroyed her village, and she happened to meet Maxi there when Astaroth burnt her home down, ever since she'd travelled with Kilik, Maxi and Xianghua to carry out her revenge. "Right" he said with a grin, the grin shadowing his lips. His hand was placed at the other side of her, so he was now directly in front of her. His soft brown eyes with moonlight reflected in them. "Maxi….what are you doing?" she asked, staring at him uneasily, and feeling uncomfortable at his closeness. "Finishing the other thing I started" he replied, leaning up to grip her chin softly, running his thumb along her chin, pressing his lips against hers, with a content sigh.
From one of the shadows on deck, a figure watched, a dark growl emitting from him, as he watched them kiss, his eyes narrowing spitefully. "Dammit…" he muttered, hissing.