Delivery

Chapter 5

The conversations being had among the passengers was worth listening to, but Revy couldn't really make out a thing they were saying. They were speaking Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and a healthy helping of Taiwanise as well. She could follow about every sixth word in the Taiwanise, but the rest of it might has well have been Latin. She leaned against Rock who seemed to be listening with interest.

"Anything interesting?"

He nodded, "Tsurara apparently is meant to be a gift for someone named Tsukune," he replied, "She," he pointed to Ling Ling, "resurrected her from the dead, and wants to give her as a gift."

Revy listened and looked at them, "So, Geisha Doll is going to be a cock puppet for some dude?" she asked before she shook her head, "Sucks to be her."

She watched the group, but she remained by him. She felt an arm, and she didn't bat it away. Instead she enjoyed the feeling. Right now she really wanted their bunk, but since the Lagoon was so full there wasn't much of a chance of scratching that itch. Instead she motioned toward the bow and Rock followed her. Dutch had already heard the news, and he was making absolute use of it. The past fifteen minutes had been spent going in the direction they said they would, but at the same time he'd calculated a new course that would take them through water that still had a few surprises left in it left over from various wars.

If someone didn't know the area well it could land them with some major repairs, if they were lucky. Since they used this route from time to time he knew where most of what was left over was. Old ship mines, the kind left anchored since the last world war, rested out there. Most of them were far enough apart that several of them wouldn't blow if one was touched. Of course all of the countries that had been in that war refused to admit that mines were theirs. No need to come and retrieve anything if they didn't place them.

It made it a perfect place for smugglers to move through. Revy knew that Dutch usually liked to take that stretch of ocean as slowly as possible, but with the possibility of the Miao Family catching up to them they had to move quickly. It meant there was no room for error, no mistakes, and it also meant that Dutch's knowledge of the area had to be perfect. She shook her head. There was a whole lotta if coming off of this plan, and that was going to bite them in the ass. It wasn't like they had a lot of choices in the matter, but it didn't mean that she had to like it either.

"How long is it going to take us to get through there Dutch?" she asked, "'Cause getting experimented on by a crime boss isn't my idea of a good time."

He shrugged, "Shouldn't take more than three hours, and that's pushing it. We can't just go straight through, you know that, but if we're lucky that's exactly what they'll do. You did wound their reconnaissance, right?"

Revy nodded, "Yeah, I did, but that doesn't mean that they are out. Fuck, I hate this knowing monsters are real bullshit. For all we know they could have an entire boat full of mermaids over there."

Dutch nodded, "It makes things interesting, but even if that's the case that yacht is too damned big to navigate through here quickly. It will take them twice the time to get to us."

Rock listened, "What about any munitions posts?"

Both of them looked at him, and he shook his head, "I know where we're heading, I learned about it. But I know that there are a few uncharted islands in the area, they were munitions outposts for the Axis powers. It's likely that most, if not all, of the weapons and ammunition are still there."

Revy smiled, "Not a bad idea, we find one of those outposts, load up on some stuff that goes boom, and blow that fuckin' yacht straight out of the fuckin' water," she said with a smile, "If they've got a boat load of mermaids those live bait bitches will be spending all of their time saving the rest of their asses, and we can get the fuck right outta Dodge."

Dutch nodded, "It's not a bad plan, but I doubt that they talked about where those outposts were, did they?"

Rock shook his head, "They talked about them, about what they were, but no the military never disclosed where they were located."

Revy growled but Dutch smiled, "Well, there's one here," he pointed about midway through the liquid minefield, "I only know because Balalaika uses it as a layover. We've been there twice, remember Revy?"

Revy nodded, "That little island with the bunk… Oh shit, those were war bunkers?!"

Dutch nodded, "They were, and while she's using the one closest to the beach the others are largely unexplored. Still, it could be a quick way of getting ourselves pretty fucked over. There's no guarantee that we can find anything that could take care of that yacht."

Revy shook her head, "Maybe, but if our only plan is to run we're pretty fucked as it is. Even if it takes them twice as long to get through if they've got mermaids and bird girls then it's pretty likely they're gonna know exactly where we are. I mean we could use the torpedoes, but that means turning around and facing them. Not to mention if we miss, or a couple of mermaids sacrifice themselves."

Dutch nodded, "Yeah, short battle with no payout. Alright, we'll stop. Balalaika isn't there right now. She's got her hands full with handling the influx of new gangs. So, we should be able to scout the other bunkers. Three extra hours isn't much time, but maybe we can find something worth using," he said, "And, was I mistaken, or did one of our passengers say that they were dead?"

Revy shook, "No, she said she's dead, a living corpse."

He nodded, "Well, that adds another layer of possible fucked."

She looked at him, "What do you mean?"

Two silver haired twins stood at the bow of the yacht. Their blue and purple eyes looking over the beauty of the sea, admiring the feeling of the salty air, and enjoying the sun. They held hands, glad to be together, raised back from the blackness together. Beside the blue eyed one a long wrapped package leaned against the railing. A small teddy bear was linked to a chain, and it appeared that a quick pull would easily unwrap what could be mistaken as a present. The shorter haired twin stood in a soft blue school uniform. His twin sister wore a soft blue dress, something that stretched down just above her ankles.

"The ocean is beautiful, isn't it brother dear?"

"Oh yes," he replied, "It's gorgeous sister dear."

The two of them leaned against each other, "They raised us up, brought us back, and we get to keep going," she said softly, "We get to kill, but we have to be careful, we can only kill those that our new father wants us to kill, but it's so much fun that he lets us kill how we want, right?"

Her brother nodded, "It is, although, it's no fun when they won't die."

She huffed, "I know, but now we're going after ones that will, and they told me about them. There's a man there, he's nice, he was so nice to me. He talked with me, listened to me sing, and we got along so well. I'd like to keep him."

Her brother smiled, "Oh, a special kill?"

She shook her head, "No, I like him. Maybe he could have the kind of fun we were forced to have, remember? We could make him like us, an older brother. I'd like an older brother. He was so sweet and pure that when I offered the prize we had to give he refused. He would be a wonderful big brother."

He smiled, "An older brother, that does sound nice," he replied wistfully, "What's his name sister dear?"

She grinned, "The mean girl called him Rock."

They stopped and turned at the sound of feet approaching. Both of them knelt as Xia-long neared them.

"Children, when we take the ship there are two humans I want to be spared. I have plans for them," he said, "Will that be a problem?"

They shook their heads, "No Uncle Xia-Long," they chimed together happily, "We can spare them."

He grinned, "Wonderful."

The two smiled at each other, a quick giggle was shared, and then they looked out over the sea.

"Sister dear, we should kill that girl Ivan," he said, "She got us, and that means that she won our little game. She's worthy of another try."

She grinned, "Yes brother dear, she is worthy," she replied, "And maybe our new big brother can help us."

The two of them kissed, similar to the hundreds of times they had before, the learned behavior from years of abuse that had followed them into death, and into their rebirth, their life like lips held for a moment before each barely pierced the other's lip with their fangs. Then a clear liquid, warm and flowing, covered the wounds and instantly it healed. Anyone that stood around them would smell melted wax for a moment. They were neither alive nor dead, instead their entire existence was connected to the very bodies they had.*

They moved among the others that had accepted them, and some that gave them a wide berth. Their actions had already been seen, and it was obvious that the two of them delighted in their jobs. They were skilled, and only a fool would welcome their interest in seeing how long it would take for them to end their existence. The experiments in the cargo hold were more than enough reason to be civil with the two formerly human children.

The fact that they had captured, wounded, and slowly tortured a young vampire was more than impressive. The youngling was meant for leverage, to ensure that a minor noble family would see fit to align themselves with the Miao Family. The head of the family refused, stating that aligning with lesser monsters was beneath her. They all had heard of how Xia-Long Miao had given the two permission to video the youngling. The hold was soundproof, and both of the former human children were very disappointed that the youngling wasn't dying. Acid, dismemberment, and a slew of other things had been done, but none proved to be working. News of the video spread, and for some reason some of it even managed to make it to hidden websites in the darker part of the internet. It was after this discovery that Lady Alcina Dimitrescu contacted them again. In the video she had sent they had seen a tall form, well over six feet tall, with dark curls that covered the right half of her face. She was pale, a corset covered her breasts and waist, with it becoming a long black dress which fell to her ankles. Her eyes were two different colors one was red and the other gold, both were slitted like a cat or dragon, and her lips were blood red.

She had the classic looks of a movie starlet from the forties, her voice was prim, proper, sounding of a British accent, but it was her tone which floored them. She was not begging, but instead she was stating that she would allow the house of Dimitrescu to swear allegiance to the Miao Family, to give them the support of their vassals, allow them to cross their lands, and to interact and trade with their businesses if they would only ensure that her daughter was returned. But the promise of a quick and painful death if she was further harmed. She was still in the cargo hold, no longer sane, no longer proper, but instead a feral beast that scurried to the darken corner to escape the attention of those that caught her. That would be the next stop after capturing Ling Ling Huang and her associates. They would head toward Japan, toward the meeting of the nobles, and return the youngest Dimitrescu to her mother.

The hour had passed, and Chu Hua found herself on a small dingy that had the engine removed. There were no paddles, no way of directing it, she was simply left where she was. Not that it mattered. She felt the pull and roll of the ocean. The currents here were much deeper, and for the most part she wouldn't drift far in an hour. She looked at Ling Ling who gave her the same smile that she'd seen on Ten-Ten time and time again.

"It was good seeing you Auntie, I will pass your love onto mother, I am pleased that I didn't have to kill you."

She grinned, "it was good seeing you Ling Ling. I see much of your mother in you, and thank you. I am also pleased that I didn't have to die, I shall attempt to show the same courtesy toward your brother and other guests when we catch up to you."

She watched as the boat moved, and she took notice of its direction. Granted, they would likely change again once they were out of sight, but a direction would be of benefit. The ship moved, and she could see it disappear into the distance, becoming little more than a spot on the horizon. Time passed, and finally she heard the yacht. She looked to see two girls leap overboard, transforming before they hit the water.

Both of the other mermaids swam to her.

"Mistress Chu Hua, we shall escort you back to the ship."

She nodded, "Thank you," she said looking where the torpedo boat had disappeared, "I need to speak to Xia-Long, and then I would like a warm bath drawn. Add in a few healing herbs if you would."

Both nodded, and she felt the dingy being pulled. She hadn't lied to Ling Ling. She would attempt to return the same courtesy that she was shown. But that human female would be stripped bare, beaten within an inch of her life, and then tied to the bow of the ship. She would serve a purpose, if nothing else than a warning to others.

Author's Note:
Bite Sized Monster Moment! Loa are either spirits of the deceased or minor deities that are summoned by a Voodoo ceremony. In this ceremony a wax body, or bodies if there are more than one, are prepared, and special talismans are placed into the body/Bodies, that are connected to the life of the deceased, or have importance to the minor deity. Once summoned, and once combined with the bodies Loa cannot be killed or harmed until the talisman that has been used to bind them to the body is destroyed. As an added benefit Loa have the speed, agility, and strength of a fledgling vampire.