Delivery
Chapter 3
He'd saved her ass, and she knew it. Actions didn't get her anything but shown exactly how much weaker she was than their clients. It was pretty evident that her guns were something they were worried about, and at least her skill as a hired gun could potentially keep her alive. But she wasn't going to deny the fact that it was Rock's way with words that kept that walking sperm donation center from likely snapping her neck. It didn't matter what she said, because it was an obvious point to be made. Sure, she was certain that Dutch would end up handling it, but she wouldn't be any less dead.
Instead Rock, her Rocky-Baby, had managed to keep the jaws of death off of her for a while longer. She sat on the stern, holding the Remington seven hundred, looking at the yacht that was getting closer. The rifle had the reach she was looking for, but she wondered if she should be using the Gepard M3. Sure, the ammunition for the Gepard was crazy expensive, but if any of the Miao Family was as strong as that top heavy bitch she'd rather deal with them with just one shot.
Not that she couldn't get a headshot with the Remington, but it'd make her feel better to see a head burst into a fine red mist instead of just seeing the wall behind it painted with what had been inside. Paranoia wasn't unreasonable after all. It tended to keep someone alive for longer, and that was certainly useful. She watched the yacht, her throat hurting from where that bitch held her above the ground. She ignored the pain, and she focused on the ship. For a moment there was nothing, and then she saw it. It looked like a girl, but she jumped, and instantly she wondered if the girl was insane. There was far too much distance for her to make that kind of jump. At best she would crash into the water, and they'd have to slow down to get her. At worst she'd be sucked up under the blades of the yacht, and at least that'd be one less of them to worry about.
Instead mid air she watched as the girl's legs moved together. They changed, and she watched as a creature from old sailor stories hit the water and began to swim toward them at an incredible rate. Mermaids had been in sailor stories for ages. Stories about the half woman half fish folk that either smiled upon ships and helped guide them to safety, or decided to be malevolent and lead those sailors to their deaths. She wasn't about to take a chance. She took a quick aim and fired. The shot which should have been perfect was just a grazing shot. It left a bloody mark on the side of the mermaid's head instead of going dead center.
She watched as the splash happened, and she stood up, taking another shot, but knowing that hitting something underwater was a crap shoot at best. She heard something and looked to see another. This one lept from the yacht as well, but she was ready. She fired, hitting her, and watched as the body fell to the water below. They weren't just leaping now, they were returning fire, and she had to take cover as the bullets pounded the place she had been sitting a moment before. They let up, and she moved to fire again when there was a blue haired woman before her.
She was petite, maybe she stood about four and a half feet tall, but she wasn't going to take a chance that she was weak. She'd made that assumption before. She dropped the Remington, grabbed her pistols, her cutlass, and she pulled it. The modified nine millimeter barked as it was fired. The mermaid was fast, the bullet was faster. It caught her in the shoulder, knocking her back, the next one found her knee dropping her to the top of the ship. She was ready to put the bullet in her head, be done with it, when she heard the Geisha Doll.
"I believe this one may have some answers."
The idea of bringing her inside didn't sit well, but they were the clients. She helped get her below, away from the sight of the yacht. It was likely that they had already seen what she had done, and if there was more like her then they wouldn't be waiting. She wouldn't wait. She'd attack, clear every threat, and then save her crewmate. The girl was groaning, and after a few moments she was tied down to a bunk. She noticed that it was Rock's, and that bothered her. The girl didn't look at them, or didn't until the woman that hopped around like a demented impersonation of a rabbit moved toward them. She took a moment to look at her. Her clothes were formal looking, black with silver buttons, she wore a simple hat that was black with a silver rim. She had seen it before, and it bothered her that she couldn't place it. She knew it had to do with burials, perhaps it was funeral clothes. Her dark hair was perfectly brushed and like herself it was pulled into a ponytail. The other thing was that her skin was just as white as the living geisha doll's.
"Chu Hua, how nice to see you," she said simply, "I believe it has been, what, ten years?"
The mermaid looked at her, "Ling Ling," she said through gritted teeth, "I see that you've been busy."
She smiled and spread her hands, "A bit," she admitted, "After all, I have stepped in as one of the heads of the Huang Family. You know, for being my Aunt, you are a pain in the ass."
She looked away from her, "How is Ten-Ten?" she asked, "I haven't seen my older sister in a long time."
Ling Ling smiled, "She's as well as can be expected," she replied with a sincere tone, "I know if she knew that you were here she would send her love, so I will do so in her place."
Chu Hua nodded, "I see," she looked at Revy and her eyes narrowed before she growled, "So, using humans to transport you? Very foolish. Why are you leaving Roanapur for anyway? It's not like the Huang Family to abandon a new territory."
Ling Ling smiled, "Abandon? Hardly," she replied eveningly, "I am merely transporting a gift to a dear friend of mine. Well, friend, and potentially a lover. I do have to wonder if he would be fine with Necrophilia, after all, I am dead, but I still have certain needs. Needs that I would prefer for the handsome Tsukune to take care for me."
Revy looked at the woman, and she finally noticed that not once had she taken a breath. She hadn't blinked, she had sat like a corpse because she was a corpse. Her eyes widened at that, and she began to shake her head, "What the fuck?"
Ling Ling looked at her, "Oh, did I destroy your worldview? How delightful!"
Revy shook her head, the dead didn't walk, they didn't talk, and they sure the fuck didn't enjoy the fact that they'd just fucked someone's mind over. She felt a presence, and she saw Rock. He was beside her, still stoic, and she could practically feel the calmness he had. She didn't doubt that he was scared as well, but she took some solace in his presence.
"What you are doesn't matter," he said simply, "What is going on does. We are engaged in a business transaction, and her," he pointed toward Chu Hua, "organization is attempting to disrupt that transaction. This is a direct result of not being informed of all of the risks."
Ling Ling studied him, "Well, you've got some backbone," she replied, "Very well, I agree that we were too tight lipped. In my case that is because I'm dead. Everything is tight, including my orifices. Something I'm hoping that Tsukune helps me with. Still, I am finding out what is going on, and I will inform you, and your associates, as soon as I know."
Chu Hua looked at him, "Hmmm, if you were something else, even a flesh golem or a different type of zombie than Ling Ling, you would be interesting to have. It is too bad that you are just a human," she said through the obvious pain she felt, "As for what we want, you've left yourselves open. We are to take you and your allies prisoner, and this vessel we are to either take command or sink it."
Ling Ling looked at her, "Why?" she asked, "We are family, perhaps not exactly close, but we hold a truce, does that mean nothing?"
Chu Hua shook her head, "It's not that simple, and you know it," she said, gritting her teeth, "We're under contract, and we have to follow it. Still, as family, could you remove the bullets that waste of skin pumped into me?"
Revy moved, ready to finish what she started when she felt the hand. Again, it was Rock, and again she stopped. She looked at him, anger in her eyes, and she wanted to lash out. Instead of hitting him she struck the wall. She grabbed the Remington and looked back at them.
"This waste of skin is going to make sure that those bastards don't board us, kill some of us, and then take the rest of you for whatever the fuck reason," she spat back, "Oh, and if I see some of your family coming over, I'll give them some free brain surgery, how does that sound, live bait?"
Chu Hua glared at her as she left. She looked toward Rock who stood and walked behind Revy. Within minutes they were out, and she did the only thing she could while Ling Ling removed the first of the bullets lodged in her. She screamed in pain, anger, and annoyance.
Revy got up to see something moving toward them. It had wings, feathery wings, but they weren't white or beautiful. Instead it looked as if the being's arms were wings. It landed, and its bird-like legs touched on the boat. She noticed the easily five inch talons at the end of each toe, and the bird woman gave a slight bow.
"Hello, I am Chyou, adopted daughter of Xia-Long Miao, sister of Routier Miao. You have captured my cousin, please return her before I have to kill you all."
Revy raised her pistol, ready to end this, before Rock stepped forward.
"Maybe we won't have to endanger one another," he said, "Your cousin has relayed the contract that you're under. I wouldn't be so crass to attempt to undermine it, but I do believe a mutually beneficial agreement would certainly help us, right?"
Chyou stood there for a moment. She was slightly taller than Chu Hua, but she was still only around five foot tall. She was built petite as well, but Revy could only guess that was so that she could fly easier. The bird woman scratched the side of her redhead with what looked like a small grabbing digit that was on the bend of her wing. Almost as if it was meant to be a thumb and the rest of the wing was the grabbing finger.
"Maybe?" she asked, sounding a little confused, "Xia-Long said that I had to get Chu Hua back, because she needs to think before she acts, and he plans on making her sit the rest of this out as a punishment."
Rock nodded, and Revy could see the effect on him. He was sweating, his right hand was flinching, and she could see the evident that he was holding himself together by will alone. After this, if they survived she was going to confess to him, and then she was going to let him wreck the living shit out of her. Fuck nothing would be off the table, she would be open for anything, and she wouldn't complain a bit about it. He could fuck her ass and she would be fine with it. Because right now she was so fucking turned on by how strong he was being.
Rock nodded, "Good, she will need to anyway," he said, "how about you fly back over, let them know that we will release her on a smaller boat, without an engine, and we will do so in one hour's time. We will stay on our current heading until that moment, and then we will change course after we drop her off. You will not be breaking your contract, technically, and we will not have to hold onto your cousin as insurance."
She nodded, "I think that Xia-Long will go for that," she said, "I may have to fly back, don't shoot at me, okay!"
With that she took the air, her dark red wings lifting her up easily. Revy noticed right away that the girl was athletically built, and if she knew how to use those talons then any threat she made was a statement. Revy moved closer to Rock and touched his shoulder.
"How you doing Rocky-Baby?" she asked, "Holding up?"
He nodded, "Sure, I'm just fine. I just found out that monsters are real, we've got a bunch for clients, and on top of that they're taking territory in Roanapur," he replied calmly, "I'm hoping that this is a fucked up dream. One where it will change in a minute, because if not then I'm going to feel really, really stupid."
She looked at him for a moment, "Stupid, stupid about what?"
He laughed, "Never taking the time to tell you that I think we'd be good for each other, that I want more than to just be your partner."
She felt her heart in her throat, and she leaned forward, "I do too," she admitted, "but if you say a word about me being vulnerable I'm going to have to deck you, you know that right?"
He nodded, "Sure, if this is a dream this would be the moment we kiss, and then I wake up."
She watched as he turned around, and she took the next step. He helped her, gave her an arm, and she took it. She stepped forward and kissed him, tasting the ramen he'd eaten earlier, the taste of the Heineken beer that Dutch provided, and lastly she tasted him. Her tongue wrestled with his for dominance for a moment before surrendering. She felt his arms move around her, and she just held the Remington. She had to be ready, ready to shoot, ready to deal with them if they tried to attack, but damn if she wasn't going to enjoy this moment. A moment later she heard the soft clicking sounds of talons on steel. She broke the kiss, angry that it had to end, happy that it happened, and assured that the first moment she got Rock was going to be buried inside of her.
"What did your dad say?" she asked, "We got a deal?"
"You do," a male voice said, "I agreed to it."
She looked to see what she assumed was supposed to be an incredibly well dressed man standing there with a black satin top hat. The ruffled business suit looked as if it had been practically lived in, but even so she recognized designer clothes well enough. The charcoal gray with white pinstripes suit rested against his athletic frame. Like her Rocky-Baby he looked as if he had a more lean muscular physique. His lean face wore a confident smirk, in truth it reminded her of Chang and how he appeared when he was offering them a job. To finish it off he was wearing a pair of sunglasses that rested where he could look over them, or through them, but not quite in the place they were meant for. His blond hair was a chaotic mess, and his designer Italian business shoes looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"I must admit that the idea of releasing my aunt, and using the time frame to change course is ingenious. It is most clever for a couple of humans," he said, sounding impressed, "So, I won't have anyone do any reconnaissance for the entire hour that it takes us to get to Chu Hua. Now, afterward, I plan on capturing this ship. When I do, I believe I will see how you both take to monster blood. Personally, I believe you," he said pointing to Revy, "Would do well as either a mermaid or a siren, and your boyfriend there would do well as an oni. They are known for being clever."
He looked at the girl, "Chyou, you feel up to carrying me back?"
She nodded, "I do," she replied, "as soon as you're ready!"
He grinned at her, "Then I am ready," he replied before turning back toward them, "Your clock is ticking as of this moment, don't waste it."