"Something's wrong," Jason said, abruptly sitting up.
"What is?" Saki asked, her arms reaching to pull his head down onto her lap again.
Jason roughly brushed her hands aside, his face deep in troubled thought.
"I don't know... I just got a bad feeling," Jason replied, eyes looking into the distance. As his back was to Saki, he did not see the astonished and annoyed look on her face.
"It must be your imagination," the black-haired woman said as she got up to her knees, leaned forward and pressed herself onto his back.
Unfortunately, he did not seem care for it all, for he shot to his feet. In fact, he doesn't even seem to notice Saki's embrace, for his face didn't redden at all.
"Sorry Saki, you get back to the others, I'm going to take a look around," he said and sprinted off before she could say anything.
"Hmph," the woman pouted and crossed her arms. As Jason disappeared from her view, a sly grin came onto her face.
"Very interesting," she commented.
If there was anyone else there, they would have witness Saki literally disappearing into thin air.
---
Maria stared into the hungry eyes of the huge fox, wondering when the predator would jump at her. At the moment, it seemed satisfied to circle around the blonde Russian, its clawed paws touching the grass seemingly without a sound.
'It is... playing with me...' Maria realized; steeling her nerves as the fox creature turned around her in a full circle.
Indeed, there was almost a sense of smugness on the fox's face. The way the back of the lips curved upwards... it was as if it was enjoying a private joke.
Something the way the fox looked irritated Maria to no end. Choosing what she thought was the most opportune time, her hand snaked to grab her Enfield handgun.
Her speed seemingly surprised the fox somewhat, and as Maria pulled her black revolver out she thought she saw the fox's eyes widen.
But before she could level the gun and aim, the fox leapt, its fangs bared open.
In alarm, Maria raised her left hand to protect her neck. A viciously sharp pain shot up that arm as the fox landed behind her, leaving a slashing wound on her forearm.
Maria ducked and rolled to one side to avoid a second attack, trying not to favor her wounded arm and yet maintaining a grip on her weapon.
A sharp hiss of pain escaped from her clenched teeth. Willing herself not to be distracted by the pain, Maria did not allow herself to even look at the extent of the wound on her left arm. Instead, her eyes hardened and glared at the fox, and she gripped the handle of her revolver so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Seeing the fox's manic grin becoming wider and its wagging, mocking tongue only galvanized Maria's resolve.
"I will kill you and nail your skin to my wall," Maria swore, just loud enough for the fox to hear.
The blue fox blithely ignored her words, and took a step forward.
Instantly, Maria's gun arm flew up and she fired a snapshot at the creature. Shocked by her sudden speed, the fox barely sidestepped away from the bullet.
As the cracking boom of the gunshot dissipated, the fox began to growl angrily, its casual countenance turning feral.
It was getting mad.
Even so, Maria grinned. She paid no heed to the throbbing pain on her arm, or to the dripping of her blood onto the grassy ground.
The fox continued to growl, but waited for Maria's next move.
She slowly aimed her gun directly between the eyes of the fox.
"Now that I have your attention, why don't we finish this dance?" Maria challenged.
The fox complied by lowering its posture, coiling the muscles of its powerful legs, ready for a swift pounce to deliver a fatal bite with its massive fangs.
Time stood still as Maria and the animal stared at each other, two fighters preparing to unleash a fatal strike on the other.
And then, time was broken.
"Maria!"
Even as Jason's voice broke out from the bushes, Maria never faltered.
She confidently gave the trigger a single stroke, and her Enfield thundered.
The fox could not compare with the Russian's absolute concentration. When Jason's call unexpectedly reached them, the animal broke eye contact with Maria, and thus was distracted.
It almost proved fatal for the predator, as the bullet struck the right side of its chest.
And then it was Maria's turn to be surprised, because the creature did not go down. Instead, it stood still, its tail straight and rising. Like Maria, the fox ignored its grievous wound which was allowing black blood to pool on the ground.
The fox's face was twisted in a hideous display of feral anger, but it made no move towards Maria.
"MARIA!"
The fox's ears twitched, hearing that Jason's call was getting louder and closer. It gave one last growl and jumped into the bushes before Maria could react.
Just before it disappeared from view, the fox turned back and gave her a silent glare.
'We will meet again' was the feeling Maria get from that unearthly gaze.
"Maria! Are you alright?!" Jason yelled as he finally found her.
A flood of relief washed over the blonde. So much, that it seemed that her knees were giving way.
"Maria?"
Despite her best efforts, Maria found the sensation of closing her eyes and simply giving in to the comforting darkness all too irresistible.
---
When Maria opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a futon, and Jason sitting on the floor nearby and leaning against the wall.
She blinked, looking around her. She was back at the inn.
Maria sighed, knowing that there was probably a lot of commotion after her incident with the fox. She slowly sat up and turned her attention at Jason, who was looking over her with his arms crossed.
"Hey," he greeted with a slight smile.
"Hey," she replied half-sleepily.
He leaned over and reached to get her a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted. After several gulps, she leaned back and sighed again.
"We have to stop meeting like this," Maria said wryly.
The corner of Jason's mouth twitched. "Y'know, you're giving Sleeping Beauty a bad rep," he smirked.
Maria smiled, then it disappeared. "What happened?" she asked.
Jason shrugged. "I was hoping you'd tell me. I heard gunshots, and when I found you, you were already on the ground unconscious and bleeding."
Maria recounted to him of her encounter with the huge fox. As she told her story, she lightly touched her bandaged arm. It still stung with lingering pain.
"You alright?" Jason asked in concern, looking at her pained expression.
Maria gave him what she hoped to be a reassuring smile. "I... I am just annoyed," she replied, "that I got so careless."
"From what you told me, you did everything you could. But didn't the innkeeper say that there aren't any wild animals in that area?" Jason asked.
Maria nodded. "That is what I thought too. How long have I been sleeping?"
"It's a new day today. The local doctor treated your wounds. He said it's just a scratch, nothing serious."
"I see..."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm just... well... I have ruined the vacation for everyone," Maria said, a little crestfallenly.
Jason snickered, causing her to frown.
"What is so funny?" she asked, not amused.
The Exodusian jerked a thumb back behind him, and Maria could see a fruits basket and some local biscuits and snacks.
"When the doc said you're ok, they got you this stuff and went to the beach again," Jason smirked.
"What?" Maria exclaimed indignantly.
"Hey, you can't blame them, it is summer after all."
"You are right. I want to go too..." she grinned.
"Nuh-uh," Jason shook his head, "salt water and wounds do not mix."
"Spoilsport."
"How about a mountain climb instead?" Jason winked.
"What?" Maria repeated.
"That is, if you're not -too- weak..."
---
Later...
"Need any help?" Maria smirked. She stood at a higher vantage point triumphantly, looking downwards at a very haggard and out-of-breath Exodusian.
"Don't be insulting," Jason managed to gasp, causing Maria to laugh.
They had hiked up the majestic mountains, and stopped when they found a small brook.
Jason privately grinned. 'She seems much happier,' he noted, thinking that the fresh mountain air and the climbing exertion did wonders for Maria's morale. Indeed, as they walked and climbed up the rough trail, she seemed to be regaining strength and all thoughts of the previous incident forgotten.
"Didn't think you would run out of breath so quickly," Maria said, "I thought you're made of sterner stuff."
"I'm an Exodusian, not Superman," Jason grunted, causing her to grin. He stooped to splash some cold water from the river on his face.
"Thank you."
Jason paused, letting the droplets run down his face uninterrupted. He turned to look at Maria, who had a strange smile.
"For what?" he asked.
"This," the Russian woman answered. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Color came flooding into her cheeks.
For Jason, time seemed to stand still. Then he remembered to close his gaping mouth.
"Uh, you're welcome," Jason mumbled, reddening.
Maria opened her eyes and smiled at him again.
---
By the time they returned to the inn, it was nearing nightfall. The Hanagumi had already changed into their yukatas and said nothing when they saw Maria and Jason coming back together.
"I'm going to change," Maria said.
Jason nodded. "See you at dinner."
The moment Maria disappeared into the inn, the Hanagumi crowded around him, giving him sly looks and knowing grins.
"Ooh, smooooth," Kanna smirked, giving him a nudge with an elbow.
"Whaaaaaat?" Jason groaned in complaint.
"Did you two have fun?" Sakura asked, eyes wide and shining. The rest of the Hanagumi stared at him innocently, as if they had no interest in his answer. Jason wasn't fooled for a second.
Sumire didn't let up either. "Heavens, the two of you were gone for a long time by –yourselves-," she emphasized.
"One can only imagine how Maria-san could put up with a buffoon like you for so long," Orihime added.
"Oh be quiet," Jason replied. "You guys went to the ocean by yourselves, remember?"
"And aren't you thankful for the privacy?" Kohran countered.
"Yes, well... argh, enough already!" Jason grumbled. To escape, he looked at Ogami and smirked. "Say, all of you went to the beach right? I bet Ogami here got a real eyeful today."
Ogami didn't respond, but Jason's evil grin only got wider when he saw the young Japanese man blushing. It was obvious that he was remembering the sight of seeing the Hanagumi in swimsuits on the beach.
"Ogami is a pervert," Jason stated, pointing at his red face.
"Eeh?!" Ogami exclaimed. His face only got redder when the Hanagumi turned to look at him.
"Why are you getting so red!?" Orihime demanded hotly.
"My my..." Sumire batted her eyes. She waved her fan so that it covered her mouth demurely.
"Ogami-san no baka," Sakura whispered, herself reddening too.
"Say Ogami, who do you think had the best swimsuit?" Jason asked, not showing any mercy to his captain.
If Kanna, Iris, Reni and Kohran weren't distracted by the pervert comment, they were obviously paying attention to Ogami now.
"Ah, uh..." Ogami stuttered.
"Come on, surely you have a preference," Jason prodded. He did feel a little bad pushing Ogami to the spot, but he was just having too much fun to care.
"It is obvious whose swimsuit was the best," Sumire said confidently.
"Yeah, it couldn't be the person who fell off the boat and lost her top," Kanna deadpanned.
"What did you say?!"
At the same time, Iris tugged urgently on Ogami's sleeve.
"Big brother, who –do- you think was the cutest today?" the young girl asked.
"Heh, I..." Ogami stammered, sweat beginning to show.
Seeing his predicament, Sakura tried to defuse the situation. "You shouldn't ask Ogami-san such difficult questions, Iris..." she said.
"Sakura-neesan isn't worried about not being the cutest, but Iris wants to know!" Iris said adamantly. That caused Sakura's smile to strain a little. Jason could see that she was going to pop a vein, and he privately laughed.
Then Iris latched and pulled Reni closer for Ogami's inspection. "Iris wants to know if Reni-chan is the cutest!" she exclaimed.
"Why me?" Reni muttered.
As they chattered about their day at the beach, Jason took a step back and watched as the noise level increased.
"Did you get the Taichou into more trouble?" Maria chuckled softly as she joined him.
"Well..."
"You are incorrigible," Maria sighed in mock disappointment.
Eventually, the darkening skies and bright, shining stars silenced the discussions.
And then Kohran brought out her fireworks.
The Hanagumi gasped with wonder as Kohran opened a wooden crate and began pulling out rockets, sparklers and Roman candles.
"Where did you get these?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as the bespectacled Chinese girl began handing out the fireworks.
"Come on, do you really need to ask? Explosives are my speciality!" she smirked.
Soon, the night skies lit up with brilliant displays of pyrotechnics, wowing the Hanagumi who cheered excited at every burst of light and sound.
But watching from the shadows was Saki, eyes glaring at the happy scene that she was witnessing. Her hand trembled over her chest, a pulsating wound that throbbed incessantly.
Even so, she smiled wickedly, focusing her attention on Maria. The blonde Russian was smiling; entranced by the sparkler she was playing.
"You are already dead..." Saki hissed.
And then she smiled sweetly, stepping out to the open and waving at the Hanagumi.
'You just don't know it yet...'
---
tbc...