Lots of official business going on this chapter. I took a bunch of legal-sounding words and just sort of ran with it. Well, more like sprinted off down the road in a fit of maniacal laughter. Hey, if you tilt your head to the side and relax your eyes, the fifth scene might look kind of like a porno. But as with all things, you have to believe it's there. Happy reading! ;)

Bloody Handshake

Rhia stretched out tiredly. She hadn't got enough sleep, but duty called. Sitting up, she inspected her wound dressings. Reed had bullied her into visiting the infirmary after they'd taken Arlong to his cell, and so she'd finally gone. The bandages were coming loose after a fitful night's sleep, and she heaved an irritated sigh realizing she'd have to get it re-wrapped before she could start her day.

She was just leaving her room when Reed brushed past her, "Hey you. You know I think there's something wrong with your fish guy."

"Why do you say that?" She frowned, checking the knob to make sure her door was locked. It twisted freely.

"I dunno, I walked by and he's still... well... hey what are you doing?"

She was tugging on the handle, trying to jostle it into working order. She then re-opened her door, checked to be sure she'd locked it, and slammed it shut again forcefully, thinking perhaps it simply hadn't caught. The force from her efforts caused the door to swing open violently.

"Stupid... it's broken," she grumbled, annoyed.

"Call maintenance."

"Like I'd do that after yesterday? No, I'll take care of it when I get back. In the meantime..." she grabbed a glass of water off her bedside table and placed it just inside the door. "That will have to do."

"Why's it such a big deal if someone goes into your room?"

"I just have a problem with it, is that so hard to understand?"

"Whatever. Hey, seriously though. Go check on your fish guy. He looks dead."

Rhia grimaced when she saw Arlong's figure still on the ground. He hadn't moved much since she left him the night before.

Opening the cell, she removed her shock prod and cautiously circled around to glimpse his face. His eyes were closed, but he was clearly unwell. Frowning, Rhia sheathed her prod and knelt down, checking his vitals. His breath was ragged and shallow, and he was feverish; if she had to guess she'd figure it was some kind of infection. Well, she'd better get to work.

She grabbed the pillow from the cot and used it to elevate his head. His leg had been set and bandaged at the infirmary, but the prison didn't give much concern to prisoner's recovery. This was where people came to die; no one ever left.

'Except this man,' Rhia thought inwardly. Arlong was the only prisoner she knew of to be released from custody in all of Impel Down's history. Maybe Reed had a point; maybe Hannyabal was being a little vindictive toward the fishman.

Pulling the blanket out from beneath him, she wrinkled her nose. It was wet and smelled foul; his body odor had the scent of rotten fish. She tossed the blanket outside the cell and got up to go to the sink. He was a fish, right? Water made sense to her.

Filling the small plastic rinse-cup to the brim, she checked the clarity of the water before crouching beside Arlong and emptying the contents into his mouth.

"Gla- ack!" He sputtered, jerking abruptly awake.

'Oops...' was the most comprehensive thing to occur to Rhia as she backed away, placing one hand defensively on the handle of her prod.

"What the hell!?" Arlong growled, sitting up and wiping his face with one of his hands. His eye darted to the woman standing defensively with her back to the sink. It was the short-haired brunette he'd seen before. "Who are you supposed to be?"

She didn't want to antagonize him further, so she pulled her hand away from her weapon. "My name is Rhia. It's my job to... tend to you, while you're in our care."

"And who's care is that?"

"That of the World Government, and its affiliates."

"I'm in prison, then?"

"Yes."

"Hm." That meant the others were arrested too. His next course of action was obvious; free his men, get back on the sea, and pick up where he left off. He turned his full attention directly on the woman, "What exactly is your role here?"

"I don't see how that's any of your concern," she frowned.

"I need to know," Arlong began, getting to his feet, "in order to determine your value as a hostage."

Her eyes widened. She probably should have figured he'd try something like this, but given his condition he shouldn't have even been sitting up. Now she was pinned in and would have to fight her way out. He was still wounded, but if a fever wasn't keeping him down she wasn't going to count on injury.

Taking a shot when she saw it, she darted to his left toward the door. His hand swept out to catch her and she ducked, rolling outside of the cage. She reached out to close it quickly, but he caught the door before it latched and slid it open again.

She rolled onto her feet and pulled out her shock prod, standing defensively in wait of the fishman's next move. She was at a huge disadvantage; the holding cells were a remote area inside the prison, and she hadn't had the presence of mind to ask someone to join her. If there was going to be a fight, she needed to make it a quick one.

He lunged, making an obvious frontal motion which she skirted. He caught himself by planting his hands on the floor and used them to shift his body to face the woman, who was turning back to round on him. The close-quarters were making his combat style a bit more complicated, and he was feeling somewhat faint from the combination of a headache, a lack of food and blood loss, but there was no way he was going to lose to any human.

He caught her arm before she brought her prod down, and squeezed until she gasped and dropped her weapon. He then used his other hand to grab her by the midsection and sent her flying into the bars of an empty cell.

Her back and head slammed hard into the metal bars and she cried out, falling on all fours. She felt the warm sensation of fluid running down the back of her head breaking off into small trails down her neck and shoulders. She looked up and saw a blurred vision of Arlong walking toward her, much like a predator. Giving up any hope for ending the fight with both of them alive, she unholstered her six-shot and took aim.

Her arms quivered. It was no use. She couldn't see. If the world would just stop spinning for one second...

He yanked the gun from her hands and lifted her by the neck. She wrapped both hands around his wrist, trying to find the trick spot she'd used yesterday, but his muscles were tense and she couldn't get a feel for it. She kicked out, but his reach extended beyond the length of her legs and she only managed to strike at air. The ringing in her ears phased in and out like some kind of siren. Her vision had degraded into little more than amorphous swirls of color suggesting vague images.

A gasp for breath. Her sight was dimming. Her own heartbeat thudded in her ears. She was blacking out.

There was a shout and a roar of pain that sounded miles away. She felt herself collapse to the floor, but if it hurt she didn't notice. She'd been released, she vaguely understood as she descended into unconsciousness.

"Here she is; it's a good look for her, don't you think?"

The words lulled her out of sleep. Her eyes blinked open.

"If she does wake up, tell her- oh, never mind." It was Reed. He smiled at her, "You're a real idiot, you know?"

"Gee, thanks." She was still a bit dazed.

Hannyabal came into view. "I take from the state you're in, your first conversation didn't go quite so well."

"You could say that," Rhia admitted, looking around. She was in the infirmary, which was more or less deserted. "How long have I been under?"

Reed pulled up a chair to sit at her side. "About an hour. You're lucky I found you, you know. The fishman would have killed you."

"Now you understand why I want him in level four," Hannyabal said, frowning.

"I still think he can be of use. I want another go."

"Absolutely not. It was a mistake making him solely your responsibility; I'm having an emergency conference to discuss alternative imprisonment until his sentencing."

Rhia scooted back to get a better vantage of the two men; her boss was sitting on a loveseat he'd pulled away from the wall, giving her his time-worn scowl that he whipped out whenever he thought she was being reckless. Her brother sat quietly, picking at his fingernails, obviously trying to keep out of their argument.

"I think Nezumi is a bigger problem than Arlong."

Both men gave her disbelieving looks.

"Are you stupid?" Reed exclaimed. "You are! You're stupid!"

Hannyabal crossed his arms, "I have a hard time believing that, Adviser."

Rhia sighed in frustration. How many times would she have to explain this? "Look, we all knew from the get-go that Arlong was going to be a handful. That's why you assigned me to watch him, right? He couldn't be left to simple guards. This whole situation was my fault. I treated him the same as I would have any other prisoner, when I should have been more cautious."

"Got that right," Reed interjected. Rhia ignored him.

"But if I get him backed into a corner, put him in a position where his only choices are to listen to my offer or sit and rot-"

"Hold it," Hannyabal stopped her. "Your phrasing suggests that you plan to make a deal with him. That's not what we agreed on. If he chooses to act on revenge, then fine, but we're not bartering with criminals."

"Nezumi is a criminal! He represents everything that's wrong with our system! He is a detriment to the ideal of justice, and I'm not going to just sit around listening to horror stories about the atrocities he lets happen! Arlong's brutality is reason to bring Nezumi to justice, not to look the other way!"

The Vice Warden quieted, considering her words, and she took that as a sign to go on. "How many more monsters like Arlong is Nezumi going to let operate? How many people are going to die so he can make his spending money? In a way, he's worse than any pirate or brute, because his actions reflect on all of us. If word gets around that the marines are taking bribes and no one's looking out for the people, they're not going to trust authorities like us. When a person sees a marine, they should feel safe, not violated."

"All right; yes, I see your point. But how would you ever get that pirate to cooperate?"

Rhia pursed her lips in thought. "Well, I could always just ask him what he wants."

The nausea was too much. Pushing himself up from the mat, Arlong only barely made it to the waste-bucket in time.

Since the last... incident, he'd been moved to a concrete box with an iron door. He'd been given a floor pad to sleep on, had one bucket filled with water, and another bucket for... well, everything else. There were pros and cons about his new room; he could actually sleep on the bed, but there was no plumbing. Overall, it was a wash.

He wiped his chin and sighed, exhausted. He'd acted impulsively without thought to the consequences. Not only that, he'd lost his temper. What good would the woman have been to him dead? He needed to bide his time, wait until he was in better health and -hopefully- better circumstances. His men were counting on him; he wouldn't screw this up anymore than he already had.

Hannyabal ventured into the assembly room somewhat uneasily. He trusted Rhia, believed she wouldn't steer him wrong, but he felt a bit out of place. Magellan hadn't outright forbid him from what he was about to do, but he had made it clear that he thought it was suicide of the career and wouldn't have his name tied to it in any way. This wasn't his jurisdiction, and his fellow board members weren't about to put themselves on the line simply because Rhia had suspicions. In fact, thinking about it that way made him wonder why in the world he was about to do this.

Oh, yes. Because she'd asked him to.

But he knew she was right. In the interests of justice, it was his responsibility to report wrongdoings wherever they may happen, whomever may commit them. To pursue, without discrimination, any and all perpetrators in violation of the people's welfare and follow through as an extension of their wrath was, is, and would always be the code he lived by. It was with that thought in mind, after all members of the board had assembled, taken their seats and quieted, that he claimed the floor.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Division of Public Security and Preservation; thank you for your attendance. I've called you here on no small whim; in light of recent information uncovered by people under my direct command, I've come to the conclusion that all of you must be made aware of the situation.

"Marine Captain 00733, Nezumi, surname undocumented, Marine Branch 16, is currently under suspicion of misconduct in violation of code eleven of the Virtue of Authority Act. He is suspected of neglecting his own responsibilities, as well as accepting bribes and in some cases, causing outright harm to innocent civilians. In addition, though the reports are currently unsubstantiated, he has been accused of the mishandling or outright trading of government secrets."

The room erupted in a whirl of hushed voices and shifting seats. One man, the Vice Minister of Judicial Conduct, stood to address the Vice Warden.

"Have you any evidence to support your claims?"

"Some. Currently we are only in the beginning stages of gathering evidence. As of yet, no charges have been laid against the named, and none will be until we have absolute certainty of guilt. The purpose of this meeting was nothing more than to inform you of the grave possibility of a leak in our system, and to warn you of what information you relay, and how, and to whom. I also sought to make you aware of the presence of an internal investigation, so in the event that I or my people need to ask any of the esteemed members of the board any questions, it will come as no surprise."

"And on who's authority," the Vice Minister continued, "are you carrying out this investigation?"

"On my own."

"You did not seek approval from your superiors before proceeding? You're aware that your department is concerned with nothing more than confinement, and any necessary investigation should be made by the marines themselves?"

"In special situations, Vice Minister, individuals in other departments may step in when necessary. I felt there was a conflict of interest in allowing the marines to conduct this investigation. And given the compromised integrity of the marines, there are some sources who will only correspond with me or my men. I'm sorry if this undermines your authority, but I had little choice but to carry on as I did."

"And you didn't think to warn me beforehand of your... actions pertaining to this? This is my department."

"This is my warning, sir. As of yet, there is no official investigation. However, in the interests of justice I trust that all of you will be perfectly willing to cooperate should I or any of my men require your assistance. Are there any questions?"

The Vice Minister chewed his lip in thought, clearly frustrated, but took his seat. A woman sitting in the back of the room spoke up.

"Which of us may expect to be questioned? And when?"

Hannyabal shook his head. "I apologize, but I have no way of knowing. Such things will be determined in the course of the investigation. And while justice is our first and foremost priority, we will do our best to inconvenience you as little as possible. Is there anything else?"

No one else said a word, and Hannyabal relaxed somewhat. This went a lot smoother than he'd envisioned. "Then on that note, ladies and gentlemen of the board, I move for adjournment."

He raised his hand in support of his motion, and 'aye' echoed throughout the room. With no objections, everyone gathered their things and stood to depart.

There was a knock at his door and Arlong raised a brow. Who could that be? And why would they bother to knock?

"This is Security Adviser Rhia. I've come to discuss a few things with you."

Arlong snorted, half in amusement, half in disgust. What could she possibly have to talk about?

"Arlong of the East Blue, can you respond?"

The fishman rolled his eyes, "Yes."

"Please state your current location."

"In bed."

"We're preparing to enter your cell. Please be aware that any aggressive behavior on your part will result in immediate and painful consequences."

"Hmph. Whatever."

"I need your acknowledgment of the situation, prisoner."

He had to take a deep breath at the word prisoner; she was really on a power trip. "I understand, ma'am," he snapped sarcastically. If she had a problem with his attitude, she didn't mention it.

The heavy door came open and the familiar brunette entered, flanked by two guards armed with shock prods. They both looked tense and jumpy, and Arlong had to really suppress the urge to jump up and shout boo! at them. He'd probably be the only one to find it funny, and he's was kind of sick of being electrocuted.

"How are you feeling?" The woman asked, crossing her arms and looking him over.

"Never better," he answered defiantly.

"Really..." she looked around the dimly-lit room, until her eyes settled on his waste-bucket. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Take that outside," she ordered. The guard to her left covered his nose and mouth with one hand and lifted the bucket with the other.

"You have quite an opportunity for someone in your position, you know," she began, leaning against the wall.

"Is that so?"

"First, though, let me ask you a question. What is your opinion of Marine Captain Nezumi?"

Arlong frowned. Now what did he have to do with anything? "I've never heard of him."

"Oh, no? That's rather generous of you to say, considering."

"Considering what?"

"You're aware he claims to have single-handedly incapacitated you and your men, apprehended you, and brought you here?"

He did, did he? "If that's what he says, how can I argue with a man of the law?"

Rhia inspected his face; he was clearly enjoying messing with her. He wasn't taking the situation as seriously as she'd like- not that she really expected him to play ball in the first place, but still. He had an inherent mistrust of humans, so approaching him with an obvious hidden agenda was only going to get her snarky comments and a self-satisfied smirk. All right then. She'd lay all her cards on the table and see where it got her.

"I'm going to say this very plainly," she left the wall to approach him, crouching just a couple feet from where he sat. She had to look up to see his face while she balanced on the balls of her feet like this, but she wanted to make him feel like they were on somewhat even ground. "I don't like Captain Nezumi. I don't much care for you either, but that's not the point. He's guilty of accepting bribery from you, and I want him held accountable. Unfortunately, I don't have anything qualifying as 'proof'."

Arlong raised a brow. This conversation was getting more and more interesting.

"You are the proof I need. I need you to testify about any and all dealings you had with Mr. Nezumi."

The fishman, who'd managed to keep relatively silent for most of her speech, threw his head back and laughed derisively, causing Rhia to scowl.

"You actually think I'd work with you to... to... shahahahahaha!"

He carried on like that for some time, and the Security Adviser let out an exasperated huff of air waiting for him to finish.

When he was finally done, she started up again.

"Assuming you're quite finished..." Arlong had a hand covering his mouth, nothing but the utmost mirth reflected in his eyes, as he signaled for her to continue. "I don't expect you to do this for nothing, however. I'm willing to deal."

Arlong managed to stifle his amusement enough to ask, "What do I get?"

"Whatever you want, within reason. So long as I think it's worth the trouble. Keep in mind that your testimony is only worth so much."

Arlong thought on it. "And if I asked to see someone?"

"It would depend on who the person was, and the nature of the visit. You would only get five minutes."

"Fifteen."

Rhia wasn't sure how to respond to his audacity. "The offer is on the table. Take it or leave it."

"What difference does ten minutes make?"

"You tell me."

It was Arlong's turn to scowl. "Fine. I want to see my sister."

Rhia was surprised. She wasn't aware he had a sister, and she hadn't pegged him for a family man either way.

"Give me her name and location. I'll run it by my boss for approval first, and if there's no problems then we'll contact her."

"Just so we're clear," Arlong stated in a not-so-fast kind of way, "You don't get what you want until I know for a fact that I'm going to talk to her. I want to see her face before I say anything. Deal?"

Perhaps out of habit, or simply because he thought it would bind her more firmly to her word, he held out his hand. And though she wanted to point out that if – for whatever reason – they couldn't get in touch with her, he would have every right to choose an alternative form of recompense, she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. Something about his look told her that he would accept nothing less than the prescribed terms, and that if she was serious about her offer she would find a way to make it happen.

And so, she took his hand.

BOOM! Longer than the first! Only by a small margin, but sometimes it's the little victories that make it worthwhile.

See you next chapter.

-Louisia