It's kinda sad, I actually forgot that I posted this story. You can hurt me now. Anyway I finally managed to post the second chapter answering the probable questions of 'did she die' or 'was this meant to be a oneshot' or 'does she not care?' No, no, and no. So without further ado here is chapter two of Protégé.
Disclaimer: Amity belongs to me, but the Getbackers and related random stuff does not.
Summary: During the days of hell in Mugenjou the VOLTS take on a new recruit with the power to control the wind.
Protégé
Chapter 1: The New Recruit
As the young girl padded silently down the street she didn't even look up as a crow cawed loudly somewhere above her, already accustomed to the sound. She slipped quietly through the hole in the wall of a tiny, run-down shack on the outskirts of Mugenjou. The crow turned its head to watch her better through its beady black eye, then with another loud caw it leaped into the air, pumping its wings to gain altitude. It sailed through the city, feathers fluttering in breeze created by its passage, wheeling around at one point as it spotted someone on the roof of a building. The spiky haired man held up his arm and the crow daintily landed on the offered perch, accepting the piece of bread that the man offered.
The man's reddish-brown headed companion glanced up at him through his pink-framed, blue-lensed sunglasses from where he was lounging against the side wall of the roof, flashing a lopsided grin as the man listened intently to the crow's caws. After a few moments the man murmured words of thanks, gently stroking the black bird's head, then tossing his arm up into the air, launching the scavenger bird once more into flight.
"Well Shido?" Emishi asked the Beastmaster, who had shoved his hands in his pockets and was casually leaning against the wall as well.
"You know if you trust that girl so little why do you let her stay?" Shido asked his companion.
"Oh I trust her, impossible not to," Emishi responded. "I just want to know what she's still doing here in Mugenjou after nearly two weeks."
"Scavenging for food, according to the crow," Shido said. "She's still holing up in that rundown shack. I don't see how someone like her could possibly survive here long."
"Oh she can hold her own, trust me on that," Emishi muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his throat. Shido glanced sideways at the Rouran Joker. Emishi had been keeping a steady eye on the girl ever since their encounter almost two weeks ago, and Shido was beginning to wonder why. From what he'd seen of the girl she wasn't much different from most who came through Mugenjou; haunted by her past and running from her problems. Though he supposed he shouldn't judge her, he really didn't have much room to talk.
"So are you planning on confronting her again anytime soon?" he asked offhandedly. "Or are you just going to stalk her for the rest of her life?"
"Maybe," Emishi answered vaguely.
"If she's as good a fighter as you say then why not have her join the VOLTS?" Shido asked. "She doesn't appear to have any intentions of leaving and I seriously doubt she has anywhere to go."
"Her eyes," Emishi answered vaguely, and for once, seriously. "Her eyes were so sad. She doesn't belong here, not really, no matter how skilled she is."
"She beat you," Shido said with a smirk.
"I let my guard down," Emishi muttered. "I underestimated her strength, that's all."
Shido chuckled quietly.
"She just, doesn't belong here," Emishi repeated finally. Shido snorted.
"No one belongs here. Here just, happens, to people. Here happened to her. She can belong if someone helps her, and I still say that she can help us if she's that skilled. If she's been here this long and nothing's come of her presence then she obviously intends us no harm, but maybe she can help. We could always use the extra person." That said, Shido pushed off the wall and walked over to the stairs. "Ja ne, Emishi-san," he said with a wave over his shoulder.
"Ja ne, Shido-han," Emishi said in return. He leaned his head back against the wall with a smile. "Ja ne," he said to himself.
Amity pushed aside the raggedy blanket she had tacked up as a 'door' and entered the little one-room shack that she now took shelter in. It wasn't much, but it was hers and that was all that mattered to her right now. She would save the luxury apartments for when she hit it big one day, if ever she did. For now, she was happy just to have this.
She stored the food she had brought in an old rickety cabinet in the corner, then flopped down on the old mattress she used as a bed. Some sheets and blankets she had scrounged up were folded neatly on it, and the room was free of dust. Small and decrepit the place might be but Amity kept it clean and tidy at least. She might have close to nothing, but she took pride in what she had.
Amity sighed as she looked around. She wasn't supposed to be here still, she was supposed to have moved on. She didn't like staying in one place, she needed to keep moving. But she was reluctant to leave now that she had carved out a little hole for herself, she was almost comfortable now. And in the midst of this lawless city, she felt almost safe. Almost.
I'm merely passing through, she had said. She really hadn't meant to stay. I guess this makes me a liar, she thought to herself with a tired, disheartened half-smile. I told him I wasn't going to stay, but here I am, two weeks and I'm still here.
Emishi. She thought about the whip-wielder almost every day. He had no idea just how close he had come to winning that fight, just a moment more… she shivered. The power she had called upon to aid her had drained her faster in mere moments then the entire fight with the gang of twenty had. It had taken more than she thought she had to walk out of the room without faltering, and she had collapsed mere moments later in a small, offside room, out like a light for about a day. She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly. Half of her wanted to see the man again, while the other half hoped to never again catch a glimpse of him. He was the first person to coax a smile of any kind out of her in a long time, but he confused her. He had leapt out at her with the obvious intention of fighting, held her bound on the ground, and had joked lightly while she held a blade to his throat. And the only thing he had asked of her before willingly letting her go was her name.
Ja ne, see you. The words flashed through her mind and Amity smiled briefly. There she went again, cracking a smile, and again because she was thinking of him.
'I hate goodbyes, they're too permanent.' 'Then don't say goodbye. Say ja ne, see you.'
"Ja ne," she whispered.
Hers the little shack might be now, but Amity learned fast that anything in Mugenjou that belonged to you, however small, you had to fight to keep. She was fighting off random cliques and smaller gangs on an almost regular basis now, to the point where she was sleeping with her twin curved blades in hand. And it was becoming harder and harder to hold on to this little haven of hers, as more people learned of the lone girl who lived alone near the edge of Lower Town. After all, how many does it take to take out one girl? Apparently, however, it took more than had been worth digging up. Up until this point anyway. But this was the third group Amity had met on this one scavenging expedition, and there was a full thirty members to the gang.
"Come on girly, give it up."
"Ya know there's no way ya can take us all out."
"We won't hurt you. Much." The man leered at her, and Amity shuddered.
Yeah right, she thought silently, eyeing the crowd around her. There was no way she could win if she relied on her weapons alone. There were far too many to this group and they all seemed to know what they were doing. That, and they had her hemmed in. Amity smiled grimly, then raised one hand in the air, bringing the other in front of her face in almost an attitude of prayer. She was tired and this was going to wear her down fast, she would have to move quickly then.
"I can't beat you can I?" she asked almost innocently. "Why don't we find out, hmm?" Confused, the group exchanged looks, shrugged, then sprang forward as one. A twister of wind whipped up out of nowhere around Amity, spreading up and out, then down. The gang was forced to the ground, unable to stand with the hurricane force winds holding them down. Amity wasted no time, dancing around and knocking out the boys as fast as she could move. Panting, she banished the wind she had summoned up, then staggered away from the scene, the members of this gang scattered about on the street.
As she turned a corner a few streets up a sudden disturbance in the air behind her caused her to twist sideways, just in time to dodge the knife that had been aimed at her back. No, she thought in desperation. She was worn down to almost nothing, she couldn't possibly fight off anyone else. But there were five people halfway down the street behind her. With an angry sob Amity raised her weapons, determined to go down fighting. But she never even got the chance. Something whizzed past her, catching the surprised five off guard. The whip that shot by her on a path to the five created a horizontal whirlwind around it, doubling the force of impact as it knocked all five boys off their feet. They scrambled back up, furious, but they didn't stand a chance against the whip-wielder, who, with a few fancy maneuvers, finished them off almost effortlessly.
Grinning, Emishi snapped his whip back onto his belt and turned to look at Amity, who was kneeling on the ground, her chocolate hair spilling about her shoulders as her shaky hazel eyes trained on him.
"Funny that we should run into each other again like this," Emishi said, walking to stand over her, his hands on his hips. Amity simply stared at him, then pushed off the ground to stand on trembling, unsteady legs.
"I would hardly call it coincidence." She stated flatly. "You've been watching me, haven't you?"
Emishi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, not exactly. I know this guy see, and he can talk to animals…" he trailed off as Amity lost her footing and fell. He caught her easily, thinking to himself that she didn't weigh near enough, she was far too thin. Then he realized that she had passed out. With a sigh he hefted her far too light form in his arms and walked the short distance to the shack that she had claimed as her own. He stepped though the blanket in the doorway and looked around the tiny room, laying his unconscious charge on the mattress, easily flipping open a blanket and settling it over her.
"Well you certainly keep it clean in here," Emishi muttered to himself as he looked around. The floor was even dust free, the broken handled broom against the wall the apparent reason. He settled himself on the floor at the foot of the mattress, leaning back against the wall as he studied the unconscious Amity's features. She was pale, drained, the slight scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks standing out sharply in contrast to her white face. Her hair lay in a tangled, matted halo about her head, and she was rather in need of a shower. The stained, ripped t-shirt and patched jeans she was wearing now were what she had been wearing when he first saw her, so apparently she had no other change of clothes. After a quick scrounge of the place Emishi settled back down with a frown, noticing the minimum of food in the broken cabinet and the lack of it everywhere else. He sighed, realizing that if he was going to do anything for Amity, now was the time to do it. However well she handled herself in a fight, it wouldn't mean anything if died of malnutrition. He closed his eyes and settled into a light nap, tuned for the slightest sound, either from his unaware charge or from outside.
Footsteps outside had him standing in one fluid motion not long later, but he relaxed almost as fast, recognizing the staccato footfalls.
"Hey Shido-han," Emishi greeted his friend brightly as he stepped outside. Shido eyed the shack, then Emishi who was leaning casually against the wall. "You were watching then Shido-han?" Emishi asked curiously. Shido gestured to the birds that were flying overhead in answer.
"Have you asked her yet?" he questioned the joker. Emishi chuckled.
"I would have but unconscious people have this habit of not hearing you when you say things." Shido grunted.
"That's quite an ability that girl has," he commented, his arms crossed over his chest.
"But it completely wipes her out when she uses it," Emishi replied, brow furrowed. "Now granted if she practices…" he trailed off.
"She's your problem now, whatever she chooses to do," Shido said, turning to go. Emishi spun around, sputtering.
"Shido-han! What do you mean she's my problem?"
"You were the one who was so interested in her well being these past few weeks," Shido reasoned as he walked away. "You can be the one to watch after her now. Think of her as a protégé if you will." While Emishi was left gaping like a codfish Shido vanished around a corner and Emishi knew better than to think that he could catch up. Shaking his head to clear it he wandered back in to the shack to resume his place on the floor at the foot of the mattress. He turned to look at Amity again. While he was talking to Shido she had rolled onto her side and one hand was curled by her mouth which was open just slightly. Emishi smiled fondly in spite of himself, she looked so innocent like that, like a little child.
"Protégé, huh?" he whispered. "Might not be so bad, hmm Amity-han?" the sleeping girl didn't respond. Emishi leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, settling once more into a light nap.
When he opened his eyes again several hours later he noticed a slight change in the atmosphere of the room, as if it had become slightly more charged.
"You'd have beaten me you know," a quiet female voice disturbed the stillness. Emishi turned to look at Amity, whose open eyes were studying him. She sat up then, her hands folded on her crossed legs, still half under the blanket. "You were trying not to hurt me. I saw how easily you dealt with those boys earlier. If you had tried, you could have killed me in a second, but you were trying not to hurt me," she accused quietly.
Emishi shrugged nonchalantly. "Would you rather that I'd killed you then?" he chided gently. Amity snorted, a bitter sounding laugh.
"Just one minute longer and you'd have won," Amity said, staring a hole in the wall next to her. "I was using the wind to read your moves, to dodge, to toss your whip aside. I couldn't have kept that up for longer. As it was I was ready to collapse."
"As evidenced," Emishi agreed with a nod to her in the bed. "You're still skilled, and I've never seen weapons quite like those." He gestured to the curved blades on the table. Amity turned to look at her blades, the only things she really owned in the world other than the clothes on he back.
"Why did you step in?" she asked bluntly. "Why are you here?"
"Aw, you're so suspicious Amity-han," Emishi complained with a grin. When her expression didn't change he gave in. "I'm here with an offer actually. I'm not the only one who's noticed you."
"An offer?" Amity asked warily.
"Yes. Would you be interested in joining the VOLTS?" Emishi asked. Amity blinked.
"The VOLTS are a street gang, yes?" she questioned. Emishi's mouth quirked.
"Sure, make us sound like bad guys," he chuckled.
"Well aren't you?" Amity challenged.
"Well what does that make you?" Emishi asked. Amity looked as if he'd slapped her, and Emishi wondered for a second if he'd gone too far, so he tried again. "You have no where to go, am I right?" Reluctantly, Amity nodded. "You're all but starving on the street. The VOLTS can offer you shelter, food, and a more comfortable place to sleep. All we ask in return is the loan of your skills to ours. You can just try it out," he added quickly when she looked away, uncertain. "Stay with us a while, and if you don't like it, you can leave and try your hand elsewhere. But quite frankly, I don't want to leave you alone down here to die on the street." Amity pursed her lips while Emishi unconsciously held his breath.
"I promise you nothing," Amity said after a while. "Except that I'll give it a shot. But if I don't like it, I leave. Yes?" Emishi smiled in answer.
"Of course," he said brightly, standing easily and stretching out the kinks that had developed while he cat-napped. As Amity made to stand Emishi extended a hand to help her up. She glanced at him, startled. He waited unmoving. Hesitantly Amity placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She stared at their joined hands for a few moments, some emotion in her eyes. Then she blinked and it was gone and she was moving to the table to collect her weapons. She left the shack without taking anything else, Emishi right behind her.
"So what does being in the VOLTS involve? What am I going to be expected to do?" Amity questioned as they walked away from the little shack, Amity sparing it no more than a brief backwards glance, a small acknowledgement of the home it had provided for her during the last few weeks. "Who am I going to answer to?" she asked, sounding a little uncertain.
"Me," Emishi said simply, his hands behind his head. "You've been placed in my responsibility so you'll answer to me. Other than that, I guess you'll just have to wait and see," he said with a devilish grin.
Amity's eyes rose to meet his, uncertain, wavering. They were the eyes of someone who had seen every dream ever formed crushed underfoot before her eyes, who had seen an entire life go up in flames around her and leave her a shivering wreak among the ashes. But a small glimmer of hope remained, all riding on this one last chance, this one last wild shot at life. And Emishi was determined to make it work out for her. Reaching out a hand he ruffled the hair of the VOLT's newest recruit, grinning widely.
Yep, so I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. Notice the word TRY, college apps are a bitch. Ano, please review, reviews motivate me. And if Amity is beginning to sound like a Mary-Sue, TELL ME! I DO NOT want that to happen! Arigato. Ja ne!