A/N: I JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIA – AND SHE TOOK ALL OF MY PAPER

Okay yeah I'm back! CHAAAA! This chapter is more of Mopey!Amarant, indecisive relationships, and HIDDEN things. Next chapter will be from someone else's POV, just warning you.

Amarant sighs and shakes his head, running a hand through his hair as Ruby blathers on about how Baku took a whole hour to convince that neither he nor Kuja needed to do work for him. He's too used to girls talking about stupid things, and this worries him slightly.

He's a little more worried over the fact that he hasn't tried to bed the girls he's met as of late, but he chalks it up to Kuja and leaves it at that.

"Kuja probably would like it if you listened to him," Ruby cuts in on his thoughts, and he looks at her from his position on the bed.

"I listen to Kuja. But only-"

"When he talks about stuff you like, right?" She clicks her tongue. "You know, one day, someone is going to say something that you'll need to hear, and then-"

"Amarant, are you listening to me?" Lani asks, arms crossed, " I swear to god, you never listen to a word I say. Let me guess, all you care about is yourself!" He doesn't respond, continues cleaning his claws, and pretends she's not talking at all. "Hey, Coral! Goddamn it-"

"-say something, would you? I hate it when people go loopy on me."

Amarant blinks and looks at Ruby in confusion, shaking his head. "What were you saying?"

She sighs. "I was saying that someday someone is going to say something important, but you're going to miss it. I'll bet Kuja's already said something that could help you figure out why he's been so angry at you-"

"I know exactly why he's angry at me," Amarant mutters, rubbing his beard. The lapses into his memories are starting to get annoying.

"Well, what is it?"

Amarant looks at the girl and shakes his head. "I'm not..."

"Don't start that crap again," the girl chides, "I thought we decided you weren't going to angst around my ship anymore?"

"More like you decided. Why are you even here, anyways?"

"My job on this boat is to play peacemaker. If you're upset, Ruby's here to help. That's the whole deal. Now, then, other than the fact that he's the diamond and you're the rough, why do you have such issues with yourself?"

"Myself?" Amarant raises an eyebrow, "You're kidding. I don't have issues with myself." Ruby crosses her arms and looks at him with the most serious woman face he's ever seen. "...Okay, maybe I have one or two, but I'm not in the mood to talk about myself."

"What are you in the mood for, then? All it seems is that you want to mope and let Blank play blind date with your man."

"Kuja is not my 'man'. I don't-"

The look returns.

"...Kuja is Kuja. I don't give a shit what he does; it's not my problem, or my place."

Ruby makes a noise and then throws her hands in the air. "Okay, fine. You can sit here and mope but once we get into Treno and Blank goes out with Kuja, chances are you're going to lose him."

"...Wait," Amarant frowns, eyes narrowing, "Go out?"

"Well, duh." She puts her hands on her hips, "I heard Blank talkin' to Marcus about it. He's real excited. He said that's why you two are on the boat, 'cos that boy of yours promised him a date."

Amarant remembers Kuja telling him that, just yesterday. How the hell was he supposed to remember that? He can barely remember the past week, much less one small statement late at night.

"Wow," Ruby breathes, "You look angry."

"I'm not angry." He sounds angry, that's for sure.

"Maybe I should go talk to Kuja, for you?" He glares at her, and she holds up her hands. "I think I have this figured out – there's nothin' wrong 'tween you two, just some misunderstanding or something. It's probably nothing, and by tonight-"

Amarant stands suddenly and she goes silent, blinking up at him in confusion. "Look... Ruby. I get it, okay? I know what's wrong, just as much as Kuja does. The thing is that we," he points to himself and then over her shoulder, in the general direction of where Kuja might be if he's lucky, "Don't know what we are. And because we don't know what we are, we can't be anything at all. Does that make sense to you?"

"Not... Well. I suppose..."

"Alright. Now, leave me to my moping, would you? You're starting to get on my nerves."

She looks at him for a while, then shakes her head. "I hope you... Ah, what am I sayin'? I just hope."

She leaves and, just as planned, Amarant falls back and closes his eyes, returning to his moping.

There are a few things about moping that Amarant discovers while laying on the bed in the Prima Vista. First, it really doesn't do much of anything – other than make you even more depressed. Second, time goes a lot slower while you mope, so one hour seems like days. Third, it's no fun at all.

The bounty hunter sighs and stands up, stretching. The room has no windows but he can tell that night's settled already – the time is so strange when moving between continents. He feels the beginnings of cabin fever and promptly leaves the room, deciding to wander around and hopefully get into lots of distracting trouble.

He takes the stairs up and wonders if he's going straight into the captain's cabin – he doesn't really care, either way.

It's the control room, and there's a shaky little table set up in the corner. Two of the other actors, who he hasn't met yet, are sitting at it, smoking galenas and talking quietly. One of them, wearing a bandana low over his eyes, spots him coming up and nods to him. "Hey."

"...Hey." The bounty hunter looks around, idly – he's been in control rooms before, so this isn't as interesting as he had hoped.

"Want a smoke?" the other actor asks, looking out from the shade his strange hat casts over his eyes. Amarant looks at them for a moment and then shrugs, walking to the table and leaning against the wall next to it. The one with the bandana gives him a roll and a match – he lights it and breathes deep. It's been a while since he's smoked, and, quite frankly, there was a very good reason for it. He can't remember it, but he knows there was a reason.

"So, you're a bounty hunter?" Amarant looks at the one with the weird hat, "I can tell. My name's Cinna."

"I'm Marcus," the one with the bandana says, nodding to him.

"...Amarant."

Cinna's eyes widen a fraction and he grins, "No shit? The Flaming Amarant, isn't that what they call you?"

"That's what it was, yeah." The bounty hunter feels a little relaxed and is almost excited that his reputation proceeds him. "Not so much anymore."

"Hah," Marcus snorts, blowing smoke from his nostrils, "Ruby said Blank was in deep shit – guess she wasn't kiddin'."

"Goddamn it, that woman talks too much," Amarant groans.

"You're preaching to the choir, here," Cinna drawls, leaning back until his chair almost falls over, "Still, it's good we have some sense on this ship." He laughs, and reaches out with a foot, poking Marcus, "Can you see us gettin' jobs with an all male crew?"

"I can't see how we get jobs with just one woman," the shorter actor mumbles, "She practically runs herself out switching from one character to another."

"Well, it's not like you get a lot of girls who have a passion for acting, like her."

Marcus laughs, now, fully, "A passion for acting? That woman has a passion for everything. Off her damned head, with all those hopes and dreams." He nods at Amarant, as if proving a point, "Just look, she wants to hook you and that prospect of Blank up. Can you imagine?"

Amarant takes a long drag and doesn't answer.

"Marcus, you idiot," Cinna exclaims, "You don't tell people that!"

"Why the hell not? The man has a right to know what he's gotten into. I say you abandon ship as soon as we hit Treno," he advises Amarant, "Before she starts her whole matchmaker spiel."

"Remember when she tried to hook Blank up with-"

"What's goin' on in here, huh?"

Cinna falls back for real, landing on the floor with a tremendous clash. Marcus laughs and Amarant smirks, looking at Baku with shielded eyes.

"Ruby told me you didn't need to work. You're lucky she's the only girl on this ship," the boss says, but there's no malice in his voice and he looks as if he couldn't give less of a damn. "I would put you to work right now, if I didn't pity you."

"Why in the seven hells would you pity me?"

"Because when Ruby wants to do something, she does it. If that girl had only her imagination to sustain her, she'd be fat as a hen."

Amarant sighs, and looks at the joint, frowning. "She's got a lot to do, if that's her plan."

"You aren't gonna stop her?" Cinna asks, "After all, isn't that guy Blank's after... well, a guy?"

"So?" Amarant glances at the actor, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't look like you go for guys," he says, blinking.

"You don't look like you can act. What's the difference?"

"The difference is that he can't act!" Marcus chuckles, and Cinna gives him a look.

Amarant laughs and puts out his smoke, looking from Baku to the two actors. "Look, don't... Just don't worry about her messing around with me," he mutters, "I don't give a crap." He turns to Baku, frowning. "...Thanks for letting us on."

"Yer welcome, just don't expect it again. We're a respectable acting troupe – we don't need bounty hunters and womanly men ruining our reputation."

Amarant gives him a long, steady look, and then chuckles. "Respectable. Mmhmm."

He leaves and heads back downstairs, to the room below.

"So, why are you guys so far away from home, anyways?"

Kuja looks at Blank curiously, reclining on the other's bed. He likes the fact that the boy is letting him have full reign over his entire room – Amarant wouldn't ever let Kuja act like he owned the world, even if he felt like he did sometimes.

"Hm?" The question remains in the air and Kuja sighs, looking out the window into the open night sky, "Oh... We, had problems... and then in Alexandria..." What could he say? He couldn't rightly tell the actor about how he blew up part of the castle, could he?

"Did you see what happened?" Blank asks, leaning against the window easily, "I heard it was pretty bad."

"I... No, I didn't see what happened. I only dealt with the aftermath. I've... Before Amarant, I usually looked only at what might happen to myself. After him, I was too worried... about, well, us, to see what was really going on."

"Man, I really have no chance, do I?" The actor laughs, and Kuja smiles, faintly.

"Don't give up hope yet. This is the first time I've stayed away from him for so long in almost four months, you know. Considering I'm not getting annoyed with you, or anything else, I'd say you're doing fine."

"Do you really think that?" Blank looks outside and shakes his head, "I hope so."

"I'm really not that much to be won," Kuja confides, smirking, "I mean, I'm mostly skin and bones."

"Are you kidding?" Blank is grinning now, arms crossed, "You're a total babe. Not that I use that word for guys a lot, but man. You've got presence and a beautiful face, elegance and a really nice body."

Kuja laughs, "Nice of you to balance physicality with mentality."

"Now see, that's what I don't get." Blank starts pacing, and Kuja almost doesn't notice that he's going straight for the bed. "If I was that lizard-guy-"

"Amarant," Kuja corrects.

"If I was Amarant, I wouldn't be all sullen and unresponsive to you – I'd be, well... I'd jump on you, and shout 'Take Me Now'!"

Blank actually does this, just to prove his point. Kuja laughs and he grins down at the Genome, looking pleased. "See? Now, why doesn't he just do that?"

"Because he's three times my size and thinks he can crush me with one hand?" Kuja supplies, and the actor rolls his eyes.

"My god, really? How dramatic." Blank swoons, "I will crush him with my iron might! Oh, fie, desolate and dreary life!"

"You really are an actor," Kuja chuckles, shaking his head.

The other grins, and leans in, nose to nose with the blushing Genome. "Thank you."

"You know," Kuja murmurs, raising an eyebrow, "You haven't shown me to my room, yet."

"Aw," the actor moans, sitting back so that he's straddling the other, "I was hoping you'd stay here." Kuja gives him a look and he sighs, "Okay, okay. I'll show you..."

The two leave the room and Kuja follows Blank down the hall. The actor shows him to a small room with a bed, dresser, and mirror. Kuja smiles at him. "Thank you very much, Blank. You've been wonderful."

"Hey, I do what I can," the other responds, rubbing the back of his head. The Genome moves to go inside and Blank suddenly speaks again, "Hey!"

"Hm?"

"Uh... Well, shouldn't I get, I don't know, a kiss or something?" He grins at the monkey-tailed man in what he probably hopes is a coy manner.

Kuja smiles and leans over, curling a finger under Blank's chin and lifting his face up. "If you insist," he drawls, before kissing him lightly.

Before either can become too enthralled, he pulls away, smiling. "Goodnight, Blank."

"...G'night."

Kuja closes the door, and is alone.

Amarant hasn't slept alone in at least three months. He thinks it might've been longer but who knows, really? All he knows is that it's been so long since he's had the bed to himself.

He spreads himself out and stretches, feeling the entire bed under him and feeling, for the most part, grateful that tonight he and Kuja aren't sharing rooms. They haven't talked all day, and he wonders if there's really something wrong.

He knows what he can't do is what he should do, and he shakes his head, deciding to enjoy his freedom for the night.

By the end of the hour, the bed is a little too big to be comfortable, and there's a distinctly cold spot to the left of him. He sighs, and tries to sleep knowing that Kuja's on the other side of the ship – maybe in his own room, but maybe, just maybe, he's with that rag-doll of an actor...

He groans and covers his head with a pillow. It's going to be a long night.

"Hey, you big oaf, get-"

Amarant snaps awake and sits up, sheets pooling around his waist, and glares groggily at Ruby, who's standing in the door with a grin on her face, arms crossed.

"That's classy."

"I w's sleepin', woman. What'd you expect?" He tries to flatten his hair but it's been a while since he's tried to do anything with it, so it sticks up in rebellion. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Yeah, but when you're sleeping you tend not to hear it. We're almost to Treno, and," she closes the door and grins, "I know what Blank and Kuja are doing for their date."

"Good for you," Amarant groans; he had almost forgotten and now the woman has to remind him. "Go away, I want to sleep more."

"That's one of the first stages of depression, you ass, so get up!"

Amarant groans and moves to get up, before blinking. "You're going to leave, aren't you?" he asks her, staring in confusion.

"Why should I? You're just going to go back to sleep!"

Amarant looks at her for a moment, and then smirks. Fine, if she doesn't want to leave... "Whatever," he drawls, putting his feet on the floor and then standing.

He refuses to acknowledge her for exactly one minute while he goes to the dresser and gets his clothes – when he turns to look at her, she's staring.

Unabashedly.

"...w...wow."

He grins, "That tends to be the general consensus, yeah." He pulls on his pants and she still won't stop staring at him. He rolls his eyes. "Close your mouth, 'fore you swallow a bug."

Her jaw snaps shut and she blinks, flushing. "You know, you're an awful arrogant man."

"When the general reaction to seeing me naked is a woman staring with her jaw hanging, that means I can be arrogant." He chuckles, "Asked you to leave."

"You could've told me why!"

"I'd never tell a pretty lady to leave me alone just because I'm naked. What do you think I am, completely queer?" He pulls on his shirt, and she rolls her eyes.

"With that kind of shirt? Do you need me to answer?"

Amarant looks down at the black shirt with netting, and shrugs. "Kuja got it for me while I was playing bodyguard for him."

"You know, I really don't get why you two are even around in the first place."

Amarant frowns. "He needed help, I helped him. Then we needed to leave the Mist continent for a while, so we did."

"How... simplistic." She can tell, easily as he can lie, that there is more to the story, but she doesn't pry and leaves Amarant grateful. "Come on. Where will you two go once you get off the ship? I heard Blank mention the inn, but..."

"The inn," he repeats, "We'll probably go there first. Janelle works there – if she isn't back yet I don't know where she could be." Lani will probably be there too – she tends to take up space in the easiest places possible. Hopefully, she'll leave him well enough alone, at least concerning Kuja.

The ship is alive – actors and band members are running about, shouting orders for docking, and Amarant shifts through them easily enough, finding Kuja sitting on a large costume trunk, legs crossed and tail draped next to him.

"Hey," he mutters, and Kuja looks up at him. "What's going on?"

"We're docking," Kuja states the obvious, "Where have you been?"

"Sleeping. We going to the inn first?"

Kuja shrugs his shoulders, getting that helpless look that he gets sometimes, when he doesn't know what to do. "Yes. Hopefully, Arok or Lani will be there to give us some information on Janelle. Do you think they found her yet?"

"I don't know. Maybe – maybe not." Kuja sighs, and Amarant shakes his head. "What's up?"

"I don't think anything of interest is up," Kuja drawls.

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

The ship lurches to the right, and Kuja blinks, sliding off of the trunk. Amarant reaches out and loops an arm around him, catching him before his knees even hit the ground, pulling him up.

"You okay?"

"I – that's a layered question, Amarant," the Genome murmurs, and pulls away as Blank dashes past them, shouting an easy greeting.

Moments later, the ship jerks forward and Amarant again grabs Kuja to keep him from reeling. Blank comes up to them and frowns, before grinning.

"Well, everybody," he shouts to the group still struggling with lines and set pieces, "Welcome to Treno! Keep your pockets light and your hands lighter!"

Ruby giggles and then latches suddenly onto Amarant's arm, earning a scowl from Kuja. "Well, sugar, show me to this Lani girl you were talkin' about!"

Amarant is forcibly dragged from the ship and he swears that, for all the good the girl wants to do, she's just backtracking ten paces.

This is proven when Blank comes out with Kuja, arm around his waist.

He wonders how fast his bounty would be reinstated, if he were to murder a scrawny little rag-doll actor.

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