I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!
This Chapter is basically just to give some depth to Reiko and Liza. Hopefully you guys don't find it boring.
Chapter Four
Trust
"What's wrong with you?"
"That woman is the problem."
"Which one?"
"Which on do you think?!"
Ryu gave a sigh as Mugen growled at him. "What did Reiko do now?"
"She's putting herself between Liza and me."
Ryu blinked. "Wait, you were serious in wanting Liza?"
"You can't let a piece of ass like that get away; especially when she's willing to give it. I'm starting to believe that she was right when she told me you were gay."
"I'm not gay," Ryu gave another sigh. "And Liza flirts, a lot, but I seriously doubt she'd actually sleep with you. I've known her for five years and she's only ever slept in a room with Reiko."
"That you've seen," Mugen replied. "Besides, I told you what happened in the last town."
"Yeah, you told me, but I seriously doubt it."
Mugen glared at the man beside him. "You really piss me off, you know that?"
While Reiko and Liza happily had enough money to take care of themselves, the others had to pawn off Jin's glasses to get some cash. Fuu kept getting hit on in the restaurant they were eating at; until Ryu put a foot in the guys ass and sent him outside.
Liza and Reiko wasted no time in leaving the others while they ate. Liza announced they were going shopping, leaving Fuu here with the three men of the group. The moment they had left, Mugen had begun to talk about Liza, making Ryu frown.
"Don't get involved in her game, Mugen." He told him. "I don't know what Liza's playing at but I doubt its something good. It could get dangerous."
"I'm an outlaw," Mugen replied smoothly. "Danger is my middle name."
Fuu glanced at him. "Is it really?"
Mugen smacked a hand to his face. "Moron."
Ryu gave a sigh as he continued to eat. ~I really should have gone after the girls.~
Reiko gave a sneeze, pausing in front of a shop down the street.
"Are you getting sick?" Liza asked, raising a hand to her friend's forehead.
"I'm fine," The older woman shook her head but gave her friend a side look. "Are you sure that you want to travel with them? We could take off right now and go back the way we came since we know where they're heading now."
The blonde laughed. "I understand your feelings, Rei, but this could turn out to be really fun! Besides, screwing around with them is entertaining."
"You mean like what you were doing with that man a few nights ago?"
Liza paused in her steps and leaned over, leveling her face with the shorter woman. "Is that jealousy I hear?"
Reiko crossed her arms and turned her head away. "You're hearing things."
"There's no need to hide things from me, you know," Liza wrapped an arm around Reiko's shoulders and let her grin grow wider as the Japanese women knocked it off. "You really need to know how to show more affection in public, Rei. We can't keep hiding it in the bedroom, you know."
Reiko gave a sigh and shook her head. "You're lucky you're endearing."
"Aren't I?" Liza placed a hand over her chest with a huge grin and struck a pose before hurrying after Reiko when she started moving again. "So, what's the plan?"
"There isn't one," Was the answer. "I just wanted to get away from...that."
"Oh? You mean that guy trying to pick Fuu up?"
"That's part of it, yes," Reiko led them to a small bridge that sat in the center of town and watched as people bustled around, buying and talking and doing their normal routines. Liza took a seat on the benches by the bridge and Reiko followed suit, watching everyone. The sun would set soon. "Are you not annoyed by this? All their complaining and stupidity?"
"It's rather comical, really. Then again, I find a lot of things funny, considering...our situation." Liza answered truthfully. "Listening to something like them and getting involved with it is a way of escaping the thoughts in my head. You should try it some time."
"And was what you were doing with Mugen a way of escaping too?"
Liza glanced at her companion. '"You ARE jealous."
"I'm concerned. You know I don't like it when you...let them close to you like that."
"I would have stopped things before it got too crazy."
"Are you sure about that?" Liza's playfulness was gone and her blue eyes turned to ice as she stared at the other woman. Reiko turned her head away. "Never mind."
Liza's cheerfulness returned to her face as her smile spread again. "Besides, you know that you're the only one I'll ever share a bed with, Rei!"
Giving a sigh, Reiko closed her eyes. She was nervous about traveling with these people; very nervous. She didn't trust anyone; especially men. Hell, she still didn't trust Ryu and they had been traveling together for the last five years. The only one that she needed was Liza. She was fine with it just being the two of them. She didn't need anyone else.
Opening an eye as her hair fell down her back, Liza was twirling her hair pin in her fingers with a smile.
"You should really leave your hair down more. It makes you look sexy."
"Coming from the one that wears hers up all the time too."
"Mine has style," Liza brushed the side ponytail she had. "Not just a ball on the back of my head. Yours makes you look like an old woman."
"And yours makes you stand out."
"Rei, I'm blonde and nearly half a foot taller than all the women in this country. I can literally use your head as an armrest without much effort. Believe me, it's not my hairstyle that makes me stand out. Besides, I was thinking about cutting it; what do you think?"
She chose her next words carefully. "How short do you want it?"
Liza closed her own eyes this time, her fingers combing through Reiko's hair. "Not that short. I'll never allow it to be cut that short ever again."
She always liked playing with Reiko's hair since she was a child. The two of them had been together since she was twelve and Liza was six, their bond stronger than anyone else they had met; Liza was willing to bet they were closer than anyone on the planet. Playing with Reiko's hair always calmed her down as a child and it had just stayed with her as they grew older.
"Will you sing a song?"
Liza opened her eyes and glanced at the older woman. Reiko was staring ahead of them, her face as blank as it always us. A soft smile spread across her lips. "Which one do you want to hear?"
"It doesn't matter."
The blonde woman raised her eyes to the sky, searching her mind for something to sing before she settled on a song. She closed her eyes and began in a soft, low tune.
"Wait a second, let me catch my breath
Remind me how it feels to hear your voice
your lips are moving, I can't hear a thing
Living life as if we had a choice.
Anywhere, Any time, I would do anything for you
Anything for you
Yesterday, Got away, Melody Stuck,
Inside your head
A song in every breath
Sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep
Oh just sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep."
Liza smiled as Reiko's head now rested against her left arm. The Japanese woman was falling asleep. The older woman hadn't gotten any sleep last night. The group had slept out ion the woods and Reiko refused to sleep with the others there. It was also the main reason why Reiko had left them all behind at the restaurant; it was so she could sleep. Reiko's nights when she did get to sleep were always so restless, even when she was younger, and Liza's voice had always been able to help with that.
"Remember me, no Time cannot erase
I can hear your Whispers in my mind
I've become what you cannot embrace
Our memory will be my lullaby
Sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep
Won't you sing me to sleep now,
Sing me to sleep."
Liza owed what life she had now to Reiko. The older woman had risked everything to save her. Liza had offered anything to repay her but Reiko refused everything. Liza would do anything for the woman beside her, even if she only accepted her singing her to sleep. Reiko was just fine with it being the two of them but Liza wanted her to interact with other people again; she'd learn to like it eventually, wouldn't she?
When Reiko's breathing had settled, Liza stopped singing and just sat there with a smile, unmoving as the older woman slept against her. She just watched as people passed by them, some shooting strange looks at them for several reasons. Because Reiko was sleeping on her and because Liza was a foreigner. She was used to the looks, though. If you were different then you were an outcast; it was simple as that.
"Liza? Is everything okay?"
At her name about an hour later, Liza turned to see that Fuu was walking towards them, a worried look on her face as she watched Reiko. Liza smiled, sure to keep her voice down.
"Yes, she's just sleeping." She glanced around her but the thre men were nowhere to be seen. "What happened to the others?"
Fuu puffed her cheeks out. "Ryu left us to come look for the two of you and not long after Mugen and Jin ran off with some woman from the bar! I can't believe they ditched me like that!"
'You can always stay here with the two of us," The blonde smiled.
Fuu stared at her for a moment. This smile was different from the one the foreign woman wore when she flirted with others. This smile was sweet and calming. Fuu was sure it was because of the woman sleeping against her.
"The two of you are close," Fuu took a seat on Liza's other side. "I'm almost jealous. I wish I had someone like that."
"What about Ryu?"
"I haven't seen Ryu in eight years. We used to be close like that but...I'm not so sure anymore."
Liza was silent for a moment, just starring out across the water. "You're welcome to join us if you want; I'll even let you use my other arm for a pillow; or my lap if that makes you feel better."
Fuu laughed; there was this woman's flirting. "Not right now but maybe in the future I'll take you up on that."
Liza continued to smile as they fell silent. Fuu snuck another glance at the blonde woman. She had admitted that she was afraid of Liza because of the way she acted but sitting here with her like this now, she was beginning to wonder whether or not all that flirting of hers was just an act. That's the feeling that she was getting, anyway.
"So, are the six of us staying here for the night?"
Liza's question brought the younger woman from her thoughts. "Yeah, I guess we are. I've only got enough money for one room, though, so-"
"Don't worry about that," Liza told her. "I'll get us three ladies a room to ourselves tonight; the boys can fend for themselves. Besides, Ryu's got enough money to get a room on his own."
Fuu frowned. "Are you sure?"
"I don't mind, but this is the only time it'll be for free, alright?" Liza grinned. "Next time you have to pay me for it."
Fuu smiled back. She could tell that Liza was playing this time; the English woman wasn't really so bad after all. "Then I'll take it; I appreciate it."
The two sat there, talking quietly until the sun began to set. A large crowd had begun to gather and there was the sound of someone making beat-box noises; it made Liza's brow twitch. If they came any closer then Reiko might wake up.
"I'm taking Reiko to an Inn," She told the smaller woman beside her. "I'll let the clerk know you're coming so when you're ready you can just ask them for the room. If you hurry then we could take a bath together while Reiko's asleep." She grinned.
Fuu fought a laugh and a blush all at once and glanced at the sleeping woman. "how are you going to get her there? Wake her up?"
"Nonsense," Carefully, Liza gathered the other woman in her arms and cradled her against her body. As Fuu watched in, Reiko's face was so calm as she slept, any signs of her normal scowl gone, leaving a beautiful woman behind. "I'm used to carrying Reiko around. I'm bigger then her so she's never really been heavy to me; especially after all the training with the Naginata I've undergone."
Fuu nodded in understanding. "I'll go see if I can find Ryu before joining you."
"All right," Liza gave a nod before turning from the bridge. "Be careful."
Fuu watched after the two women with a small smile. No, Liza really wasn't scary to her anymore.
Fuu hadn't joined then until late into the night. Ryu had joined Liza for dinner as Reiko continued to sleep in the room next door. Liza enjoyed Ryu's company more than Reiko did and had gotten drunk with him before slipping back into her own room to sleep well after midnight. Fuu had joined them not long after before slipping into a bath. Liza had fallen asleep before she returned.
It had been a long time since Liza had slept for so long without anything bothering her, outside of her dreams and in them. It was already mid afternoon when Reiko pulled her cover off of her,, making her shiver in the coldness of falling asleep with just her underwear and halter top on the night before.
"I don't wanna get up yet, mom," She mumbled into her pillow.
"Too bad. The others have started a commotion in town and I don't want to be here when the law shows up."
Liza grumbled as she pushed herself to her knees, reaching a hand out for her things. She paused when something cold tapped her in the face and she glanced up to see her belt of knives hanging in her face from the tip of Reiko's finger. The older woman looked displeased.
"Ryu gave them to me this morning, saying you left them in his room last night."
"Well, you were asleep," Liza took the belt and stood as she grabbed her kimono from the floor. "I needed some kind of entertainment last night."
Reiko stared at the younger woman for a moment before hurrying from the room, leaving her alone. Liza gave a sigh. She trusted Ryu, knew that he wouldn't betray him like the others had. Reiko refused to believe it, though. It was one of her rather annoying habits; one that Liza was determined to break.
I hope you guys like it. Review! :)