Dark Ice Dragon: Well, sure the Red Rose has windows level with the beds. o The great thing about not really getting to see inside most of the rooms of the ship in the game, is that you can add whatever you want to it. So, I guess it's a matter of what you think the Red Rose looks like. And Blade's quote that confused you, that's just saying that the ground is so flat that just standing in one place it seems like you can see for forever. The only things I can compare it to would be Texas or maybe even Arizona, where it seems like there is nothing but dirt and a few cactuses as far as the eye can see. (I don't know if that helped you or not)
Shana Skye: I hope you enjoy Keep Yourself Alive as much as you enjoyed WWTLF.
Robshi: Cameras have also been around for a loooong time.
Chapter 8
Every morning since the group had set out for treasure hunting, it seemed that Mikoto was always awoken in unpleasant ways. There was the first night when she woke up with Ryuu on her lap, giving her quite a scare. Then, from there on out, most awakings were due to either the twins causing trouble, such as pouring a bucket of cold water on Seth to "liven him up a little", or the twins getting in trouble for causing trouble. Many mornings, Mikoto would awaken to Kashiya poking her head out of the flap of the tent and screaming, "What the hell do you two think you're doing?! You're wasting supplies!"
Then, tired and grumpy, Mikoto would look outside to find Blaise and Blade in the middle of wrapping her tent in toilet paper. "If you two want to wipe yourselves with leaves, go ahead! Hell, use a nice sprig of poison ivy! But I'm sure the rest of us would prefer toilet paper!"
"Sheez, Kash. Someone on the rag this week?"
Yes…that was the morning ritual. This morning was hardly any different.
"Gee, Kash! You tell us to wet down the sheets and we did. What's the big deal?" Blade asked with a roll of his eyes.
"You used our drinking water! That's the big deal!"
"Hey! No complaints! You said get it wet, you didn't specify what kind of water you wanted!"
"Mikoto asked you to find a reliable source of water! You were supposed to use that!" Kashiya raged, waving her arms wildly.
"And get malaria?!"
"You and your malaria obsession! I hope you do get it! And when it happens, I'm not treating you."
Mikoto stifled a laugh, then quickly changed into some clothes. When she set foot out of her tent, she saw that Ryuu was doing the same. He was still barefoot and only had on a pair of pajama pants, his dark hair was disheveled and he was still rubbing his eyes, yawning. Seth stepped out next, closed the tent behind him and as he approached the group, shoved an unlit cigarette into his mouth. "Must you always insist on being so loud so early?" he asked, agitatedly pushing his silver hair away from his forehead and putting on a pair of sunglasses.
"Nicotine deprived already, Seth?" one of the blonds snickered.
"If you two keep this up, I'll run out of cigarettes before we run out of water," he muttered, fumbling with his lighter.
"Yeah, well if you keep you your smoking habits, you'll get brain cancer!" Blaise shot back.
"That's the most intelligent thing I've heard you say," Kashiya said thoughtfully, "But then again, you'd probably know a lot about brain diseases."
"Screw you, Kash!" the twins screamed at once.
"Shut up…" Mikoto groaned, walking around the group. "Why did you want wet towels anyway, Kashiya?"
"I got a great idea for the first aide tent!" she beamed. "The ancient Madin Sarians came up with the first method of air conditioning. They hung wet sheets over their doors and when the wind blew it created a cool breeze. It's easier for me to work when it's cool…"
"Wuss…" Ryuu said quietly, and instinctively dodged the rock that was aimed at his head.
"And," she continued as she stared daggers at him, "it would be better for the potions to keep them in a cooler environment."
"Excuses…" Ryuu laughed, but that time too slow to dodge the next flying rock. He glared back at Kashiya, rubbing the side of his forehead.
Kashiya snatched the wet sheets from the twins and proceeded to hang them over the entrances of the first aide tent. Mikoto walked over to give her a hand. The first aid tent was pretty big. So big, in fact, Mikoto didn't seem to understand why Kashiya didn't stay there. Inside this tent was a cot covered with white sheets, a table with an expensive-looking chemistry set spread across it, and a chest with just about every plant and healing herb known to man, each in a labeled glass bottle and sealed with a cork. Potions, elixirs and some of Mikoto's ethers were kept in a different box, along with some of Kashiya's homemade potions.
"So, where are you going today?" Kashiya asked as she finished pinning up one of the sheets.
Mikoto finished with hers and wiped her hands together. "I'm thinking of excavating inside the castle since we haven't found much outside."
"Inside? Wouldn't that place be locked up or something?"
"No, it's unlocked." Mikoto walked back over to her tent to grab her dagger and backpack before rejoining the boys.
"Hey!" Kashiya called, poking her head out of the first aide tent. "If you guys find any poisonous monsters, be sure to bring me back some of the venom! I can make all sorts of antidotes and vaccines if you do!"
"Alright," Seth answered, hoisting his rifle onto his back and pocketing his handgun.
"Where'd Ryuu go?" Blaise asked.
As if on cue, Ryuu stumbled out of his tent, buttoning his pants and using his teeth to hold his shirt up as he did so. "I'm here!" he said from around the red fabric. After he got his pants situated, he tried to slip his shoes on, still standing up. After hopping in place for a few moments, he managed that much and made it back to the ring. "Okay, so everyone ready?" he beamed.
"Does everyone have their weapon?" Mikoto asked, scanning everyone. The twins patted their sword sheathes at their belts, and Ryuu did the same for the giant sheath on his back. Seth pulled out his pistol and spun it around his finger. "I take that as a yes," she said softly.
"Okay, men! Move out!" Blade yelled, trying his best to sound like a drill sergeant.
Beside Seth and Ryuu's tent was a rack with many shovels and other tools on it. As everyone passed it, they picked up a piece of equipment and marched on toward the humongous castle.
When the group made it to the door, Mikoto turned around. The four guys were whispering amongst themselves about the appearance of the castle. She cleared her throat and they stopped talking and looked at her. "The architecture in this building is both very old and very dangerous," she warned. "Please, be very cautious when excavating. Also, the monsters that live in here are tough."
"Yes!" Blaise exclaimed, throwing a punch into the air. "I've been waiting for a good challenge!"
Mikoto scowled and he uneasily lowered his fist. "Trust me, they aren't easy to fight."
Seth inhaled a puff from his cigarette and threw the butt on the ground to smother it beneath his boot. "You might want to elaborate, Mik," he suggested.
"Let's put it this way…" she started, "notice how some of the castle is upside-down?" Everyone nodded. "Think of everything being backwards. A powerful weapon against these fiends, is a weak one to us."
Now everyone seemed confused. Mikoto found it comical looking at the twins, their mouths half open and their eyebrows furrowed. "Since all of you have well built weapons the best defense against these guys is magic."
"To put it laymen's terms," Seth sighed, "don't go looking for trouble. We don't want to fight any more of these fiends than we have to."
"Simple enough," Ryuu smiled
Mikoto bit her lip. She was still uneasy about bringing them into the castle. After all, it had been many, many years since she had been forced to go inside the building. She had no idea how the structure was holding up, or if it was at all. "Follow me," she said eventually.
She pressed with all her might against the heavy wooden door, but it wasn't opening. Closing her eyes, she pushed her shoulder against the rough surface, but still the door didn't budge. The boys moved in and everyone pushed at once. Slowly, the heavy door began creaking open. Legs straining against the weight and force of the door, the group of five managed to open the door just enough for each to squeeze in.
"Wow. Do you have to do that every time you enter this dang place?" Blaise said between gasps for breath. His hands were resting on his knees.
"I don't remember it being this difficult, but yes," she panted. With a grunt, she pulled herself back up. "Brace yourself, because we have to close it now."
"Wha-?" Ryuu said in disbelief. "Can't we leave it open until we have to leave?"
"We don't want the monsters from inside getting out. Trust me."
A growl came from within a dark corner of the foyer. Mikoto's eyes widened. "Come on. Close the door. Now!"
A pair of eyes was visible, each glowing a dangerous yellow color. "Seth. Fire a couple of shots! Try to scare it off!" Mikoto managed as she and the twins pressed with all their might to shut the door.
A series of loud bangs echoed through the foyer, and the response they got was not one Mikoto was hoping. The growling became louder and the eyes were stealthily getting closer.
"Shit…" Seth muttered, pocketing the pistol. "It's not working, Mikoto!" he announced, loudly.
"I see that!" she grunted as she continued to struggle against the door. It was still open, though not enough for anything to get through. "We can't get the door shut in time!"
"What do we do?" she heard Ryuu yell.
Then, it clicked. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed, "When it starts running for us, dash to either the right or left. Does everyone understand!?"
A chorus of several hurried and nervous 'yeahs' echoed around her. "I'll let you know when!" Mikoto kept her gaze on the two yellow eyes, still creeping closer. She could start to see what else was around it. It was a Cerberus; it's brown fur matted and fangs dripping saliva. Its pace quickened, now it was at a canter. Chains from around its ankles clacked against the floor. As soon as it started to pick up speed, Mikoto screeched, "Now! Go, go, go!" She dashed to her left and she felt the wind sweep past her as several people dashed in the opposite direction.
She tripped over something on the ground and before she could do anything to catch herself, whoever was running behind her had done the same and had fallen on top of her. "Stay down!" it was Seth's voice.
There was a sickening thud as the beast ran directly into the door. What little light was coming into the foyer from the crack in the door was gone completely as the force of the collision finished the shutting of the door all together.
"What do we do now, boss?" came the distinct voice of one of the twins.
"Shhh!" she shushed him. Her eyes were still on the faint silhouette of the fiend. She shoved Seth off of her and looked desperately around, trying to formulate some sort of plan. Given very little options, she eventually called out, "Close your eyes everyone!" The yellow eyes snapped in her direction, where the shout had come from.
Almost in a single motion she sheathed her dagger, held her hands up in a magic seal and cried, "Flare!" For a brief moment the entire foyer was alight with a blinding crimson explosion, and the beast shrieked in agony as it was engulfed in the flames.
By the time the flame subsided, the entire area smelled like burnt hair and all that was left in the middle of the foyer was a very singed carcass of a monster. It was awkwardly silent. Mikoto sighed and fumbled around in her backpack, finally pulling out a flashlight. "Did someone else bring the lantern?"
The only response she got was a strange squeal that might have been a yes, and the switching on of the said lantern. She could see Blaise, Blade and Ryuu each standing in awe on the opposite side of the foyer and when she turned around she saw Seth sitting on the ground, his mouth agape.
"Let's hope we don't run into another one of those," she said quietly. Very slowly, almost as if they had a new respect for the Genome, the three boys on the other side of the room approached her. When Blade was close enough, she snatched the lantern from him and threw the flashlight down to Seth. "Come on, we can't find anything just standing here."
"Holy mother of-" Seth started, but Mikoto held up a hand.
"We'll talk about it later," she stated, quite firmly.
Kashiya was grinding up herbs for a potion when she noticed someone walking back to camp, completely alone, holding onto his arm. She poked her head out of the first aid tent to get a better look and saw the person was Seth. Over the past few weeks, it would be an understatement to say that Kashiya had 'taken a liking' to Seth.
With glee, she shouted, "Hey, Seth! Over here! What's wrong with your arm?"
He was still quite a bit away from camp, but not so far that he couldn't hear her. He looked up and was getting ready to answer when there was a shriek that came from behind him. Caught completely off guard, he couldn't raise his gun in time. A Veteran swooped down from the sky and using its mighty claws picked him up by the shoulders and dropped him again from about ten feet above the ground.
"Oh, God!" Kashiya murmured, running from the tent. "Get back! Leave him alone!" she screamed, waving her arms wildly around. The flying monster only turned his eye on her and shrieked again; a loud piercing cry so horrible she had to cover her ears and squeeze her eyes shut.
The fiend stopped its horrid cry and Kashiya reopened her eyes. A few multi-colored strands of hair were in her face. Quickly, she blew them out of the way and ran to Seth's side. He was unconscious and bleeding freely from around his shoulders, the arm he had been holding earlier, if it wasn't before, was now dislocated.
With another cry, the Veteran started to gain more height. Kashiya calculated that it was about ready to swoop again. Looking every which way for an idea, she grasped Seth's rifle and several shells for reloading purposes. She pointed it at the flying beast, aiming precisely for its eye. By the time she pulled the trigger, he had moved and she missed its eye and got the wing instead. She tried a second time, this time she hit her target. Even though blinded, the Veteran didn't seem fazed.
Out of frustration, she threw the gun on the parched soil. The beast was descending blindly. Its huge mouth was open, getting ready to let out another piercing shriek. As a last resort, Kashiya reached into a pouch around her thigh and pulled out a homemade grenade of hers. Using her teeth, she pulled the pin and threw it, directly into the monster's mouth.
In a last ditch effort to keep Seth from obtaining any more injuries Kashiya covered him with her own body. A few seconds turned into an eternity, then there was a loud explosion. She felt parts of the monsters hide hit her in the back and stick in her hair.
Cleanliness was the last thing on her mind at the moment. Once she was sure the beast was dead, she looked at Seth, brushing his silver hair back. "Seth, Seth!!? Are you conscious?"
No response.
She didn't know what to do. There was no way she could move him without injuring him further, but if she didn't get him back to camp, they could be attacked again. "It's alright, Seth. I'm going to take you back to camp…" she said to the unconscious body.
She pulled his arm around her shoulder and dragged him back. He was heavy, and much taller than her, thus making the struggle back to camp even more difficult. Huffing and puffing for breath, Kashiya managed to struggle back into the first aid tent. With even more difficulty, she managed to lay Seth down in the cot.
"Oh, God…" she was repeating frantically. Using what was left in her canteen, she washed her hands off and went back to where Seth lay. She carefully removed his shirt and inspected the deep cuts on his shoulders. "It's my fault, I distracted him…" she was muttering. Shakily, she poured an antiseptic over the wound and his muscle spazed beneath the liquid. The liquid began to foam and bubble around his ripped muscle tissue. "It's infected… Oh lord, I hope Mikoto gets back soon…" she said quietly to herself, working some more medicine into the wound with a cloth.
She had a potion that was meant to treat infection, but he couldn't take it as long as he was unconscious, and she definitely didn't have the tools to give it to him in shot form. Still keeping pressure on his right shoulder with one of her hands, she used her spare hand to grasp the potion bottle, rip the cork from it with her teeth, spit the cork on the ground, and pour the liquid into her own mouth. She discarded the empty potion bottle and bent over the silver haired man, used her unoccupied hand to steady his chin, and transferred this liquid from her mouth into his. When there was no more liquid left in her mouth, she turned her head and spat, the bitter taste of the potion still fresh in her mouth. Seth sputtered and tried to sit up, but Kashiya sat on the cot next to him and pressed him firmly back against the mattress.
"Stay put, I still need to wrap you."
She dug around in one of the chests and pulled out a fresh roll of gauze. "Can you sit up?" she asked. He nodded, and with her added effort, managed to sit upright as she wrapped his upper body in thick white bandages.
Seth noted as she worked, that she definitely was very professional about it. Honestly, he had come in contact with surgeons who were more careless with their patients. Her steady hands were constantly moving around him in order to wrap the wounds evenly. When she finally finished, he felt her gently pulling him back down onto the mattress.
She sighed and stood over by the flaps of the tent, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she thought. She knew she had to push his arm back into place, but she was still contemplating about how she was going to go about doing that.
With a shake of her head, she walked back over to the middle of the tent and began picking up scraps of bloody cloth and discarding them in a box full of trash. When she successfully managed this, she used a clean washcloth to try and wipe the stains from her shirt, consisting of Seth's blood and Veteran innards.
"Oh, man, this was a good shirt too…" she muttered as she worked the washcloth against her ruined top. With a sigh of disgust she gave up and threw the towel against the ground.
"Sorry you ruined your shirt," Seth offered as he watched her.
"It's not your fault," she said with a weak smile. "It's not like you planned on being attacked by a ferocious beast." She sat down on a chest facing him.
"I suppose," he mumbled. He wanted a cigarette in the worst way. He needed that nicotine to calm him down and take some of the pain away. Impatiently, he reached for his vest that was lying on the ground, despite the pain in his shoulders, and dug through the pocket before pulling out a pack and a lighter. Kashiya, however, beat him to it.
"No smoking, not while you're in this condition. And most certainly not in the first aid tent," she stated, snatching the pack of cigarettes and lighter from him and pocketing them.
"Stop worrying so much, you get grey hair that way," he said, trying to take them back from her, but she wasn't listening. Her attention was somewhere else.
"Mikoto!! I need you over here now!" she began yelling out of the tent.
"What's the matter?" was Mikoto's faint response.
"Seth's hurt badly, and the bleeding won't stop. I've tried everything!"
"I thought it was just his arm."
"He was attacked by something else."
"Ew. I'll say he was attacked by something else," came Ryuu's voice. "What is this thing?"
"Are you sure he was attacked?" Blaise laughed.
"Because it looks like this thing was hit one hundred times worse!" Blade finished.
"That's because it got a grenade in its mouth, and if you don't shut up so that Mikoto will come look at Seth, I'll do the same to you!" Kashiya screamed at them.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming…" Mikoto yelled.
She ran back to the first aide tent to see Seth lying in the cot, his upper body heavily bandaged and blood already seeping through the once white cloths. "How long ago did you bandage him up?" she exclaimed.
Just as Kashiya opened her mouth to talk she felt Seth's hand creeping over to her pocket with his cigarettes in it, she quickly swatted it away. "I didn't finish more than twenty minutes ago."
"Get those bandages off of him," Mikoto said, pulling her sleeves up. The tent flap opened again and all of the boys stampeded in as well.
"Might as well hang up signs and call it an all-admittance show," Seth grumbled.
"Ryuu, will you sit him up?" Kashiya asked.
The brunette stumbled forward and pulled him up while Kashiya and Mikoto worked to unwrap the linen from around his torso. "So, what are you planning on doing?"
In her head, Mikoto was cursing herself. She had allowed these people to see too much of her using magic, but now that it was ruined and they knew anyway, what was the point of hiding it anymore? They didn't seem to be bothered by the fact she could summon fireballs into the palm of her hand unless they were being hurled at them.
Once all of the bandages were off, Ryuu laid Seth back against the mattress.
"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," one of the twins mumbled upon seeing Seth's bare shoulders.
Mikoto took a deep breath, placed one hand on Seth's chest and held the other up to form another magical seal. "Curaga." The words were almost inaudible under all of the murmuring in the tent.
Seth's eyes were wide in even more amazement as he felt a strange warmness spread up his entire upper body. Kashiya was also even more amazed to see the bleeding slow down tremendously. "Now all you have to do is relocate his arm and rewrap him," Mikoto said quietly, sitting on the ground. She was starting to feel dizzy, having cast two huge spells in one day. The dizziness meant only one thing; her magic level was getting dangerously low.
Inhaling a huge breath, she stood up and walked over to a chest. "Kashiya, I'm going to take one of my ethers now," she informed as she scooped out a bottle. Upon exiting the tent, she pulled the cork and breathed in the contents of the vial.
"By the way!" she cooed from outside of the first aide tent, "Since Seth isn't able, I want the rest of you boys to start up tonight's fire!"
"We'll be needing the lighter!" Blade yelled, pulling it from Kashiya's pocket. Seth made a strange sound that was a mix between a squeal and a grunt. The three boys filed out of the tent and started building the fire. Kashiya left the first aide tent as well and went back to her and Mikoto's tent.
"What are you doing?" Mikoto asked.
"I'm going to take a bath. I'm afraid if I don't soon, I'll be picking Veteran guts from my hair for weeks!" she groaned. "Why don't you come too? There're so many guys around, I miss having girl talk!"
In her head, Mikoto racked her brain for all possible ways to politely say no, but it was in vain. Kashiya had already grasped all of her and Mikoto's bath supplies, towels, and then grabbed Mikoto by the arm to drag her to the lake the twins had found.
"Where you two going?" Ryuu asked as they bustled past.
"Taking a bath…" Kashiya said casually, then she turned to glare at all three of them, "And if any one of you even thinks about spying I will rip your eyeballs out and use them in my potions. Capice?"
"Uh…y-yeah…" Ryuu said slowly, watching them go.
"K-Kashiya…ya know…" Mikoto stuttered nervously, "I just took a bath yesterday…I wasn't planning on taking another one until tomorrow!"
"That's alright. Nothing wrong with being clean, right?"
Well…she told herself, it was bound to happen, wasn't it?
When the two made it to the lake, Kashiya casually stripped down and walked into the water. "Oh wow! It feels great! It's so cool! Come on in, Mik!" she called over to the Genome.
Mikoto, who always bathed either after everyone else was asleep or early before anyone woke up, bit her lip and nervously rubbed her legs together. "Naw, I'll sit right here and talk to you…" she tried.
"Oh, c'mon! Live a little, child! We're both girls, it's not like I'm going to rape you or anything," Kashiya rolled her eyes and dunked her head underwater. When she came up, strips of red, purple and blue hair was hanging in front of her eye. She merely shook her head, much like a dog, and let all of her hair flop to the side.
Mikoto smiled in spite of herself. She had actually never seen Kashiya's right eye. She almost suspected it to be missing, much like Beatrix. But it was there, a vibrant lavender color just like its twin, just always covered by hair.
"Get in! The water feels awesome!" When Mikoto didn't respond, Kashiya groaned and pulled herself up onto a rock. "What's wrong? You have some sort of growth you're embarrassed about?"
Mikoto's jaw almost dropped. How come Kashiya was so good at blindly guessing things and not realizing it?
"Libra! Libra all the way! That's your star sign, isn't it?" Well, she was 'awoken' around that part of the lunar calendar, but she didn't think of herself being 'born' under that star sign. "You're so introverted and shy, you really need to loosen up! Live a little! Your life is going to pass right by you if you don't!"
That's unlikely, she thought bitterly, but Kashiya continued to glare at her as if it was a crime that she wasn't bathing as well. Finally, she reluctantly consented. "…Okay. But…not a word of it to anyone, okay?"
"What, do you really have a growth?" Kashiya asked, now somewhat confused.
Feeling herself blush a bright red, she stripped down as well, her tail swinging into plain view.
"Wow!" Kashiya exclaimed. "I've heard of it, but I would have never believed it! They had records of people in the Alexandrian royal family that had tails! Are you related to them?"
"No," she lied, it came out a bit quicker than she intended though. "But please, don't tell anyone!"
"I am sworn to secrecy!" Kashiya held up a hand and smiled to prove her point. "But why not show something like that off? I would!"
"Let's just say that…some people aren't as open minded as they should be…"
"Amen to that!" Kashiya laughed. "I can relate. Oh boy, can I relate."
Mikoto was just about to ask why, when Kashiya ducked underwater again and popped back out. "Oh wow. I feel so much better! I had that crap all over me! That was disgusting. Lets hope that never happens again."
"So, you blew up a Veteran with one of your grenades?"
"Yeah, and I got to wear the spoils of the battle," she grimaced. "Do you think there's a chance of getting it all off my clothes?"
"The guts? Yes. Blood? Probably not."
"Damn," Kashiya grumbled, running some soap through her hair. "I don't suppose you know any spells that'll get rid of stains do you?" she chuckled at her own joke. "By the way, in all honesty, you need to teach me some of those spells! I was so scared today; I thought that Seth was really in for it. I was afraid he'd die of blood loss before you showed up."
"Y-You want to…"
"Yes, I think it would be very beneficial for me to learn some healing spells, don't you think? If the worst case scenario were to happen?"
"We'll have to see…and if I do, it'll be in secret. I don't want to be giving magic lessons to everyone," Mikoto smiled meekly.
"Oh really?! That would be awesome!" Kashiya squealed.
They weren't in the lake much longer before they saw smoke rising from the campsite.
"Oh God…" Kashiya mumbled, wringing her hair out. "That means one of two things. Either they succeeded in building a fire, or the tents are burning."
Hurriedly, the two girls dressed and ran back to camp, towels wrapped around their wet hair.
"Wow, I'm impressed, you managed to start a fire without killing anyone," Kashiya laughed.
"Yes, we are competent fire builders, thank you very much," Blade replied, sticking his tongue out. Mikoto sat on a log and busied herself with drying her hair with the towel.
"Who's cookin' tonight?" Blaise yelled.
"Not me! I cooked last night!" Kashiya yelled, walking back to her tent to deposit her stuff.
"Not Ryuu!" Seth called from within the infirmary tent. "I don't know what the hell he tried to feed us last time."
"Kashiya," Ryuu laughed, "You might want to bring him out here. I'm sure he doesn't want to sit in there and yell at us all night."
"You're probably right. Give me a hand, will you?"
Ryuu abandoned his spot, poking at the fire to help Kashiya bring Seth out to the campfire. Once everyone was assembled, Mikoto pulled their meal out of a cooler; hotdogs. A fairly simple meal, and everyone could prepare his or her own. The condiments were spread out on a towel on the ground beside the fire.
"Oh, yeah, Kashiya," Mikoto started up. "You know what we were talking about earlier? At the lake? I said that people weren't as open minded as they should be, and you said you could relate. I was meaning to ask you what you meant, but we got sidetracked."
"Oh, that. Well, that's a long story."
"Awww, c'mon, Kash! Let's hear it!" Blade exclaimed, impaling his hotdog on a stick and holding it above the flame.
"Well, ever since I was relatively young I had an interest in alchemy. My parents didn't really understand it. They disregarded it most of the time. Sure, they bought me my first chemistry set, but only because they wanted me to study chemistry. When they found out I was mixing and making potions they got kind of peeved at me.
"They had this entire delusional thought of what they wanted me to be when I was older. Since I was so interested in making potions, they wanted me to be a doctor. They expected me to go to medical school. But I told them, I had no interest in that sort of thing. I wanted to mix potions. That was one of the things that they couldn't understand about me.
"When I was in the junior high, a friend of mine got me interested in the legends and horoscopes. They thought that my interest in these areas were sacrilegious. They constantly told me that I shouldn't be interested in horoscopes. 'It's the work of the devil,'" she said, imitating her mother's voice. "They didn't want me to hang out with my friend anymore. They said she was a bad influence. 'Too free willed'. But, whatever... I did anyway.
"So, then what happened?" Ryuu asked. "Do your parents still think that way?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" the twins asked together.
"I moved out when I was fifteen. I got so angry at them, I just left. That's when I went to Lindblum. I heard that people get started off on a lot of artistic professions there, so I took some money from home, and my friend and I both ran away to Lindblum. We shared an apartment for several years. I became an alchemist's apprentice, constantly picking up snippets of legends here and there from storytellers and books that I've read."
"What happened to your friend?" Seth asked.
"Oh…she got married," Kashiya smiled faintly. "I don't get to see her very much anymore. She moved to Alexandria with her husband, that's where he's originally from. We talk every once and a while, and she visits whenever she can."
Kashiya sighed and leaned back against her log, tearing off a piece of a hotdog bun. She didn't eat processed meat, or meat at all for that matter. "So, what about you guys? Lets hear your guys' life stories."
"Well," Blaise started. "There's not much to tell with us."
"Yeah, ma and dad divorced a few years ago."
"We live with ma, we see dad on the weekends and birthdays."
"We have a little sister, she's five…"
"No, she's four."
"I thought she was five…?"
The two thought for a moment between themselves, and finally Blade started back up. "Anyway, she's four or five. Her name is Ellie."
"Oh, and we have a dog named Schnitzel."
"A dog named Schnitzel?" Mikoto asked.
"Yeah. He looks like one too!"
"That's so…incredibly wrong…" Kashiya said, shaking her head. "How about you Ryuu?"
"Well, dad was in the Lindblum army when I was little. He was actually one of the Regent's bodyguards, to be exact. But he had to quit the service because he was shot in the spinal column. He's paralyzed from the waist down. So, he couldn't work anymore. Mom never worked in her life, so for a while she did maid work, but stopped after a couple of months. My older brother and I work to support the family. But, you see, he's an actor, and his pay is solely dependant on how well the shows he performs sells. So, his job is pretty…manic. He can make a lot of money sometimes, and sometimes he makes little to nothing.
"For me, I just have a hard time keeping a job," he laughed nervously. He chewed on his lip as he tried to think of what else to say. "I already told you about my motorcycles, so there's really not much else to say."
"Okay, Seth? C'mon, buddy! Your turn!" Blade said in a singsong voice.
"Shut up. You're annoying," Seth grunted.
"You just don't want to tell us!" Blaise prodded.
"Wow, it takes a genius to figure that one out, doesn't it?"
"Oh, don't be a party pooper!" the twins whined.
"Fine, God, I'll tell you." He ran a hand through his hair, mumbling about how much he wanted a cigarette. "I don't remember my mom. She was depressed after I was born and committed suicide when I was little. Too little to remember. Dad was a drinker. I didn't see much of him either. Typically he left me with the neighbors or dumped me with his parents while he went out and partied. I was independent by the age of twelve. I could cook for myself and clean and was already making the majority of the income of the house. Dad was constantly spending more on alcohol, especially after he lost his night job as an airship engineer. By this point, he would drink straight out of a bottle of vodka.
"Before long, he started selling things around the house for more alcohol money. The beds, the radio…anything that would bring in a few extra gil. And, I guess alcohol does some really shitty things to you, because when we ran out of things of value in the house, he tried to sell me to some dumbass drug dealer."
"He what?!" Kashiya exclaimed. "That's horrible!"
Seth shrugged and tried again to steal his cigarettes from her. When he was unsuccessful once again, he muttered a profanity under his breath and said, "He's behind bars now. I haven't talked to him in over ten years."
"That's awful, I'm really sorry to hear that, Seth," Mikoto said quietly. She felt her eyes sting, she wanted so badly to cry. She could just see, little Seth, crying alone in his empty house. Dad came home drunk again, yelling at his only son to 'shut the fuck up before I give you something to cry about!' Not knowing what else to do, she bit on her tongue, hoping maybe if she caused herself pain it would get her mind away from the awful mental images she was getting.
"So, what about you, Mikoto? Let's hear your past!"
"Yeah, I'm curious too!" Kashiya exclaimed.
"No, I'll pass."
"Come on! Everyone else told theirs!" Blade whined.
"Yeah, that's not fair! You're a hypocrite!"
"Hypocrite or not, I'm the one paying all of you," she said, looking down on the twins as she stood up. "Sorry if it's unfair, but that's life for you. Who ever said life was going to be fair?" She could really attest to that. Life was most certainly never fair to her, nor was fate or all other supernatural forces that were working against her.
Trying to keep her emotions under control, the blond Genome stumbled back into her tent. She heard them murmuring to each other, and yet she didn't care. As much as she wanted to just curl into a ball and cry into her pillow just for the sake of crying, she knew she had to be stronger than that. So, instead, she stared up at the canvas overhead and tried with all her might not to think about what she heard at the campfire.
"Man, what's up with her? She never wants to talk about herself," one of the twins complained, throwing a stick into the fire and watching it catch.
Kashiya straightened up and looked at them, shaking her head, "Is that some sort of problem?"
"Yes! What if her childhood was a nightmare? She should probably get it off of her chest rather than wallowing in it!" Blaise shouted.
"Guys, keep it down," Seth rolled his eyes.
"What do you know about her? You've known her longer than any of us!" Blade continued.
"I'm sworn to secrecy."
"What?! So you do know something?!"
"Drop it you two! If she doesn't want us to know about it than we need to respect that!" Kashiya yelled, throwing a stick at the twin blonds.
"Kash is right," Ryuu said, drawing something in the dirt with a finger.
"How did you get it out of her then?"
"We were drunk."
"…You were drunk? With her? That's sick! You sick, perverted old man!"
"I am not old or perverted!"
"Then how the hell could you allow her to get drunk?!"
"Look, we ran out of water the last time she went treasure hunting. She had brought along alcohol for cooking purposes. She had also heard that alcohol lasts longer than water, so we were drinking it to keep hydrated, not to get drunk. The child had no alcohol tolerance whatsoever, and she was slobbering drunk after a couple of drinks."
"Well, that explains it a little…" Kashiya said slowly, still sounding as if she was slightly worried about the entire predicament.
"Anyway, what she did tell me was pretty messed up. I think either the alcohol messed with her mind and she was just saying a bunch of strange shit, or the alcohol I had consumed made me screw up what I heard."
"Was it that bad?"
"Just strange. But like I said, I'm not sure that I heard correctly."
"And you're not going to tell us!?" the twins groaned.
"No, sorry."
Ryuu stood up from the fire next and walked toward the tents.
"Going to bed so early?"
"I'm going to check on Ms. Tribal," he answered. "I think we upset her."
Hands jammed firmly in his pockets, he strutted over to her tent and tapped on the canvas flap to make his presence known. "Is that you, Kashiya?" Mikoto's voice came in from the inside.
Ryuu smiled and poked his head in, "No, just me."
Mikoto felt her face burn red and she wanted to hide. "Oh, hey Ryuu."
He sat on the sleeping bag in front of her, crossing his legs. "You sure ran away from the campfire fast. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"No, I'm just tired, that's all."
Ryuu rubbed the back of his head and smiled uneasily. He wasn't sure how to word what he was getting ready to say. "Ya know, Blaise made a very good comment. If you have something you want to say, you really should let someone know. Even if it isn't me, even if it's Kashiya. You shouldn't just wallow in sorrow. It's good to get something off your chest every once in a while."
"I'll keep that in mind…" she said, a bit more venom in her voice than she meant.
"And you know, I'm here too. I'd like to know about your past too…" he continued.
Mikoto rolled her eyes and stood up from the sleeping bag. She walked directly past Ryuu and out of the tent. "Ms. Tribal, I don't mean to upset you!" he pleaded. She heard him scramble up as well and follow her outside, the tent flaps swinging as he ran through them. "I only want to help!"
"Yeah, as does everyone else…" she muttered.
"No, Ms. Tribal! I'm very serious, I really want to help you. You seem so…lost and alone." Still, she paid no heed to what he was saying, merely continued her stride away from him. Yet, Ryuu wasn't giving up either. He kept up his steady pace behind her, like a talking shadow. They were no longer even close to camp. Now they were standing in the middle of nowhere, dry soil under their bare feet, looking back on the roaring fire that Kashiya, Seth, Blaise and Blade were still tending. "Mikoto…please…"
Mikoto. That was only the second time he actually called her by her first name. And on top of everything else, he sounded so sincere when he said it. She felt her defenses crumble, the emotional wall she was constantly trying to keep intact was tumbling down, and all he had to do was say her name.
She needed to keep him away from her. He was dangerous. And maybe, just maybe, her past was the only thing that could truly scare him away.
"Please, Mikoto, just tell me."
"Fine…" she seethed, clenching her fists and giving her all so that the angry tears that were collecting in her eyes wouldn't run down her red face. "You want to know about my past, I'll tell you!"
To be continued….
A/N: We tried to balance between funny and serious in this chapter. We hope that we were successful in doing so. Please, leave us a review. Reviews are the only way we know that people are reading. o
