I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!

Chapter Seven

Terror's Weakness

"You're not seasick, are you?"

Liza turned at the voice, giving its owner a smile. "Aww, are you worried about me, Ryu?"

The man gave a sigh and leaned against the railing beside the tall woman. "Considering that we're all on the run from the law, Mugen nearly died two days ago due to dicks from his past, and Reiko has currently locked her death glare upon anyone who approaches you, should I not be worried?"

"Point proven," Liza turned back to her right and continued gazing across the horizon. "What can I help you with? There's a reason you came to me. What, finally ready to admit that you have a thing for Spectacles over there?"

Ryu frowned at her. "Would you stop that? I'm not attracted to men, dammit!"

Liza's reply was just a small smile, leaving the man's suspicions to grow even more. There was something wrong with her; both her and Reiko.

It had all started almost a month ago. They ran into a duo that Mugen had known growing up. Pirates; and they wanted Mugen's help. Liza had, surprisingly, tried to convince the young man not to get involved and to just ignore them but Mugen's stubbornness won in the end, resulting in his getting very badly hurt. Liza had disliked that, a lot more than they had thought, and had left the group for a day while Mugen rested under Ryu's watch.

Mugen was awake when she had returned and, well, knew what she had done.

"You killed her, didn't you?" His voice was cold and demanding.

Liza didn't even glance at him, her eyes closed as she took a seat by the window in the rundown house they had taken shelter in for the alst few days. "So what if I did?"

His fists clenched tightly. "You shouldn't have done that!"

"And why is that?" She kept her gaze outside the window. Ryu and Fuu were just outside with Reiko, all listening in; then again, she expected that. "As I recall, she's the reason you're in the condition that you're in."

"She wasn't yours to kill, dammit! She didn't-"

"Didn't what? Deserve to die? Such trivial banter. That girl played you, her brother, and that official like a damn fiddle and you all fell for it. Anyone that's in my way is mine to kill and she got in my way. If you can't accept that, then I would part ways here and now if I were you."

That was basically the last words that Liza and Mugen had exchanged for nearly a month. The blonde was still her flirtatious self, this was true, but she barely gave Mugen a glance anymore and he didn't say a word to her. Not long after that the group had a little quarrel and ended up separating for a bit in a huge forest and Liza and Reiko had disappeared like smoke to stay hidden from the officials that were combing the area for a mysterious archer. The duo reappeared as soon as they were out of the clutches of the officials and their journey had taken them to a boat as they continued on their trip to Nagasaki. Reiko had been watching over Liza like a hawk since they set foot on the said ship and it was a bit concerning. This was the first time in three days that he had found Liza awake and alone on the deck of the ship. Reiko must have still been asleep. It was just breaking dawn, though, so that was normal.

Ryu had approached Liza because the woman had held a rather…distraught look on her face. It made his stomach twist in knots.

"What's bothering you, Elizabeth?"

"What makes you think anything is bothering me?" She replied, staring out over the sunrise as the light hit the blue waters. She felt that the ocean was so calm and carefree; it made her sick.

"Because I know you."

"You've only known me fore five years, remind you."

"Okay, so I know more than most. I know that there's something wrong with you; Reiko, too. You can't hide it. Is it because of Mugen?"

She gave a snort. "Please." Giving a sigh, she leaned down to place her chin on the hands that sat on the railing before her. "Its just…close to the anniversary."

Ryu closed his eyes, trying hard not to wince. The Anniversary of the destruction of Noriko Castle. Had it already been six years? Any time he thought of it, he felt sad for the two women he knew. They would always be outlaws, wanted for execution. They were the only women that eh had ever heard of being on the Shoguns Wanted list. Then again. They had slaughtered hundreds in that Castle, either by their own hands and by setting it on fire. He was surprised that they had gotten onto this ship to Nagasaki as easily as they had.

It wasn't often that things turned in their favor; he had to accept it while he could.

"There's nothing I can do about that, but maybe when we return to land I'll take the two of you out. Just the three of us, just like the old times."

Liza gave him a wide grin, turning to face him again. "Reiko would like that. She's been especially moody as of late, I'm afraid."

"Who's been moody?"

The cold voice made Ryu stand up straight and Liza turned to face their friend, leaning her arms and back against the railing.

"Why, only you are worthy enough to be the subject of our praise, Rei."

The said woman, looking like she had just awoken, gave the other woman a blank stare as she pulled her hair over her left shoulder, getting ready to pull it up into its usual bun.

"I still can't believe you dragged us on a ship," The woman frowned, moving up to Liza's other side. "I'm surprised you even suggested it."

"Well, it was the fastest route to Nagasaki," Ryu told her. "If we went on land, we'd take four times as long to get there. I'd rather be there in a week, not five months."

"It wouldn't have taken us five months, you know," Liza replied.

"With how easily sidetracked these others gets, it might have taken longer."

Liza paused for a minute before giving a frown. "Touché."

Reiko shook her head as the usual banter was tossed between the other two and she stood there, half listening, and half lost in thought. She didn't like being stuck on this ship. She wanted this ride to be over with and back on solid ground again as soon as possible. She also wanted to just ditch the other trio but now that seemed to be impossible. It was like fate kept bringing them all back together so she had just decided to accept it, despite the taste it left in her mouth.

"The first thing I want when we reach land again is a nice, hot bath," Liza was now saying, stretching her arms out above her head. "And some sake and dumplings or any type of food, really. Something really, really sweet! Ooh, maybe we can find a cutie somewhere that'll-"

"Is that really all you think about?" Ryu sighed, clapping hands over his ears. "Good Lord, and they say men only think about it constantly!"

"Well, I can't help it? Maybe you're just still a virgin. Oh my god, you are, aren't you?"

"Liza, I am not having this conversation with you."

"You are! Oh, that's so cute! We should fix that! Ooh, I know! We-"

All words came to a stop as Reiko dove to the right, Ryu to the left, and Liza ducked to the floor just in time. A sword came up from behind them and got lodged in the wood. A group of men, other passengers on the ship that had stayed to themselves since the voyage started, all held swords now, one of them wearing a jacket, ranking him as a high official of the Shogunate.

Liza wasted no time in sweeping the legs from their attacker out from beneath them and grasping the sword from the wood as Reiko and Ryu both took done another pair of their attackers before regrouping, taking swords of their own, to the tall blonde that was happily smiling at the six remaining men.

"What have we here?" Liza was saying. "Is that really any way to try and capture a lady's heart now, men?"

"Just as playful as I was told," The leader commented before clearing his throat. "You must do something about your appearance, Elizabeth Rush," Liza frowned at the man using her full name. Ryu could get away with it every now and again, but she was only comfortable with Reiko calling her that. "If not for that blonde hair of yours, we never would have known that we were sailing with the infamous Terror Sisters."

"That name again?" Liza hung her head. "Seriously, can't you think of anything better to call us?"

"That's not the issue at hand here right now, Liza," Ryu hissed from her right. The crew of the ship had all given them a wide birth, stopping to stare at the events happening on deck. His worries were with the other trio of their part downstairs, though. Fuu would freak out, yes, and he had no doubt that when the commotion really started that Mugen and Jin would get dragged into this…well, at least Mugen would.

"I don't know how you've run for this long, but I'm now here to put a stop to your evil ways."

"Evil ways?" Liza glanced at Ryu. "Are we evil?"

"Your reputation speaks for itself, you know," The man replied as the official continued to make this great speech. "This guy really likes to hear himself talk, doesn't her?"

"Don't they all?"

As the last word escaped Liza's mouth, Reiko shot forward with the blade in her hand, slicing down one of the men. Blood splattered everywhere but the leader parried Reiko's next blow, starting the fight across the deck of the ship.

Liza had to admit that these guys were a lot harder to kill than the previous ones that had come after them. They had come prepared with pieces of armor on underneath their clothes, making it easy for them to block her blows when timed just right. She was impressed; but it also annoyed her.

They had clearly been ready to fight till the death this time, but confident that they were going to win. Ryu knew that it would be better to just cut all ties with the two women like he should have five years ago but his honor as a man, and desire to protect women, kept him from doing so. He normally didn't like getting involved with fighting the officials, Reiko and Liza happily taking care of them quickly, but today was different. There were too many for the duo to take on their own in such close quarters. There weren't trees or anything they could use for cover or anything else.

There was a cry of pain, dragging both Ryu and Liza's eyes over to Reiko. The leader that she had been fighting had struck true. The older woman's back was against the railing of the ship, a sword piercing through her left shoulder as he blade had been tossed aside. The glare she wore as she stared up at the man above her would have turned any normal person to stone.

Liza shouldered the bastard she was fighting out of the way with a roar and went to charge right at the leader of the enemy, but movement brought her to a stop. Jin had appeared, Mugen right behind him. The bespectacled samurai had forced the leader away from Reiko and began to duel him himself. Mugen, wielding Liza' Naginata, slammed the point into the deck of the ship and swung around the handle, kicking the other men in the face as he went before releasing it and landing on his feet with a grin, grasping his own weapon now.

"Hey!" Liza's eyes grew wide. "That was my attack! Stop stealing my moves, dammit!"

Mugen gave a grin. "I just wanted to try it out. Don't get hostile now."

The woman couldn't help herself and chuckled; it was nice to hear him talking to her again. With a crack of her neck, Liza grasped her Naginata and pulled the weapon free, placing herself in between the enemy that remained and Reiko.

"If you want her," Liza growled, her Naginata held at the ready. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Reiko!" At her name, the woman turned to watch as Fuu slid to a stop before her, a towel in her hand to try and get the bleeding to stop. "Just leave this to them! It'll all be over soon."

"You and the other two should not get involved," Was the older woman's reply, her eyes trained on Liza as the young blonde fought. If anything were to happen to her-

"But, we're friends, aren't we?" Fuu's question made Reiko return her gaze to her and she gulped under those cold grey eyes. "At least, that's how I see it. We have to look out for each other the longer we travel together, don't you agree?"

Reiko didn't reply, unsure how to, and turned back to watch the rest of the fight.

"You're seriously pissed." Mugen commented to the woman beside him as the last official fell.

"Of course," Liza answered as she dislodged her Naginata out of the skull of the poor bastard beneath her. "I owe Reiko my life. If not for her, then I would have died a long time ago. I refuse to let these bastards take her from me."

Mugen watched as Ryu and Jin exchanged words before Ryu moved to talk to the captain of the ship. From what Mugen could see, the Captain was afraid, not hard to believe after watching the bloodshed that just happened, and he gave a sigh and rolled his shoulders. "Dammit, now I'm hungry; starving!"

"Same here. I can't wait to get off this damn ship."

"We should be careful to keep your identities hidden," Jin commented as Reiko stood up again. Liza gave a frown. "We knew that getting on a ship could be perilous; we shouldn't make it again."

"Yes, sadly we're more wanted that you guys…it's always me that gets spotted first," Liza sighed. "Damn my good looks."

Mugen gave a laugh. "I have nothing against them." He teased.

"Say that too loud and Reiko'll have your hide," Liza grinned.

Mugen leaned forward, matching her grin. "I welcome it."

"If you don't knock it off, I'll be the one you have to be worried about," Ryu grunted, moving back to the group. "I've got the Captain to continue on to the next port; we'll have to get off there. It's not Nagasaki, but it's closer than what it would have been if we hadn't gotten on the boat in the first place. He said he'll keep you two secret, but I doubt it. The moment we make port, we get the hell out of the town and into the forest again."

"I agree," Reiko nodded, favoring her left shoulder where Fuu had done her best to patch it up. "How far is the next port?"

"Two days."

"We'll have to have someone on guard at night while the others sleep," Reiko sighed, hanging her head for a moment. "Two, just in case."

"Agreed," Jin nodded.

"Liza and I can take first shift tonight," Mugen grinned. "Right, Li-"

There was a grunt that cut Mugen's words off, followed by a loud crack, which was then followed by a splash over the side of the ship. Reiko felt hot air blow past her face and her eyes widened. The cracking sound had been a gun being fired. If it had been any more to the right then she would have been shot in the face.

Everyone whipped around, only Fuu able to see what had happened.

"It was one of the officers," The young woman cried. "He was trying to shoot Reiko and Liza tackled him. They both fell overboard!"

That explained all the noises. The others seemed to calm down for a moment.

"It's a good thing that it's not a repeat of Mugen's event, am I right?" Ryu chuckled.

Everyone but Reiko nodded in agreement. Instead the oldest of them all began to panic and rushed for the edge; she would have dove in had Jin not grabbed her.

"Elizabeth!" Reiko struggled against the samurai. Jin was careful of her left shoulder but still held her tightly. "No! Let me go! I have to save her!"

"She wasn't shot!" Fuu tried to calm her down. "Liza's strong; she'll fight the currents!"

"No, you don't understand!" Reiko tried to pull away from Jin, but he was too strong. The woman turned to look at him and for the first time he saw an emotion other than anger and distrust.

It was fear.

"Elizabeth can't swim!"

"She can't swim?" Fuu raised a brow. "But Japan is surrounded by water."

"Let me go!" Reiko broke free from Jin's grasp but another form had beaten her over the railing.

"Mugen!" Jin's voice called out as Ryu's form followed the other man into the water.

"I'll get the rope!" Fuu ran off, leaving Reiko gripping the railing, her eyes searching the water. It was quite calm but none of their bodies could be seen. The seconds seemed to drag on and on, her panic rising until Jin's voice gave out a cry of 'here', and both her and Fuu hurried over. Mugen and Ryu had grabbed Liza, the blonde's hair loose and hanging in her face as the two men tried to keep her afloat. Ryu was the one to grab the rope that Fuu tossed over and he tied it around Liza's waist. With the woman not at risk of drowning now, Mugen climbed up the side of the ship like a damn monkey to help Jin hoist her up. Reiko tried to pull on the rope but her left shoulder throbbed in pain. Fuu softly shoved her aside before grabbing the rope to help Jin and Mugen.

Liza sputtered and began to cough up water, taking deep breaths as Fuu rubbed circles on her back, trying her best to pull all her blonde hair from her face as Jin helped Ryu back onto the ship.

"Liza, you weren't shot, were you?" Fuu asked her.

"Nope! Fit as a fiddle," She joked before pulling a face as more water poured out of her mouth. "The ocean tastes like shit." She rolled over to stare up at the sky for a moment before sitting up against the railing behind her and taking in the view of the two wet men before her. Mugen and Ryu mirrored each other, both of them looking worried over her.

"So, I got two saviors this time, hmm?" Liza smiled. "I guess I owe you-"

Her words were barely out of her mouth before Reiko had slammed into her, holding the bigger woman in her arms tightly. Liza smiled affectionately at the smaller woman before wrapping an arm around her body; Reiko quivered.

"I'm not going anywhere, Reiko," Liza told her. "So, don't cry, okay?" All that did was make Reiko tremble more and she gave a laugh. "I vote we never get on a ship again, agreed?"

"Or someone takes some swimming lessons," Ryu grunted, taking off his shirt to ring it out; he glanced at the blood all over the deck. He had offered to help clean it but the crew had refused it; they were all probably scared of them now. "And next time, let someone who knows how to swim take the dive into the water, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Liza gave a sigh as Reiko pulled back from her. "I'm the one that almost died and yet you're more freaked out. I thought you were the older one, Rei." She winced as the other woman punched her in the shoulder. "God, take a joke!"

Wiping her face, careful of her left shoulder, Reiko turned to face Ryu and Mugen. She stared at the two of them in silence for a moment before bowing lowly to them. "Th-thank you. I...if I had lost her..."

"No worries," Ryu placed a hand on the small woman's head, ruffling her hair. "Just don't keep secrets like that anymore." He gave her a stern look. "If you had jumped in after her, you would have sunk with her. You're strong, Reiko, but she's a lot bigger and heavier than you. You both would have died."

Mugen was shocked. Never before had he seen anything other than anger on Reiko. To see the smile she was giving Ryu right now…she was actually really pretty. Was this really the same woman?

"Ah, damn!" Liza's voice made the vagabond turn to find her standing again, glancing down at her clothes. "I'm gonna have to sit in my room under blankets until my clothes are dried again. I really don't want to get sick right now; ever, really."

"You know, a second body will be able to keep you warm," Mugen gave her a sly grin. "I selflessly offer mine up as tribute."

Liza returned the look. "You know, I'd be willing to take you up on that, but I'm afraid that Reiko's going to be attached to me even more than ever now. She won't let me leave the room without her beside me, I'm sure. I'd offer to let you join us, but I've no doubt she's cut your dick off."

"Probably, so let's save that night for after we get off this ship, eh?"

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Mugen went to walk away but he gave a sigh and turned back to her. "Liza, I…I just…" He rubbed the back of his head, unsure and embarrassed of what he was trying to say. "I'm sorry for being such a douchebag the last few weeks." He finally told her. "And I'm…glad that you're safe."

Liza stared at him in awe for a moment before a huge grin spread across her face. Mugen glanced at it and found that her's was strange, too. It was different than the other smiles that he had seen her give others, himself included. This one didn't have a playful look or feel to it. It was…genuine.

"Thank you for saving me, Mugen, and thank you for apologizing."

~Sing Me To Sleep Now

Sing Me To Sleep

Oh, Sing Me To Sleep now

Sing Me To Sleep~

The Night was quiet up on deck that evening, save for the soft chuckles coming from the stairs that led up to the wheel of the ship. Jin had found himself unable to sleep that night. Ryu and Mugen were on guard duty incase any of the crew tried to do anything but he decided to get up and take a walk. He wanted to keep things silent. That had been the plan anyway, but the soft chuckles caught his ear, making him venture closer to see who it was.

He wasn't expecting who he found.

"Are you sure its safe for you to be out here right now?"

Reiko didn't even glance at the man as he stood over her as she took another drink from the bottle in her hand. "Why does it matter? Now that they know I'm one of the infamous Terror Sisters, the pussies are too scared to come near me, let alone stand up to me." She took another drink. "What about you? You're an accomplice now, you know."

"I can take care of myself," He answered her. HE took a deep breath before taking a seat beside her. He was expecting her to move away but she just continued to sit there.

"You're not wearing your glasses," Reiko sniffed, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. "If they don't do anything, why keep them?"

"They're a Memento," He answered her. "Of my master."

"Hmm…" She closed her eyes. "Mementos only make us cling to the past. Sometimes…it's easier just to forget it all."

At her words, Jin saw all those scars on her back in his mind. It wasn't hard to understand why that woman would want to forget everything. He couldn't get those marks out of his head, no matter how hard he tried to.

"How's Liza?" He finally asked.

"Sleeping. Fuu's watching over her…" There was a tremble in her shoulders again; he was close enough to feel them. "I…I almost lost her. I don't…I don't know if I'd be able to go on living without her."

Jin stared at her in silence before glancing away again. "She's the only one that understands your pain, am I right? She…suffered what you had to, didn't she?" Her silence was the only answer that he needed. "I don't know what it is you've gone through, or why you decided to burn down Norika Castle, but you don't have to think you're alone anymore. We're all outlaws now, after all."

Jin didn't understand why he felt the need to comfort this woman this far but he felt that it was the right thing to do. He had seen a different side of her today and he found himself wanting to see just how far he had to push to bring it back out; to make it stay.

"Are there any other weaknesses that you or Liza have other than not being able to swim that we should know about?"

Reiko stared at him. "It's…a secret; not even Liza knows about it," She mumbled, glancing away again. "You have to keep it secret."

Jin nodded, excitement building in his stomach. "What is it?"

She looked back at him, face as serious as possible. "I can't see in the dark."

"Are you-" He then noticed the look on her face. "Was that…a joke?"

She took another drink. "Why would I do that?"

He frowned. There was something strange going on here. "Are you drunk?"

"Don't be stupid," She scoffed. "Drunk and drinking are two different things entirely and I will know when I'm drunken, thank you."

Jin reached out and took the bottle from her hands; she didn't struggle and just stared at the steps beneath her. Sniffing the opening, Jin frowned a bit as Sake hit him. How long had she been sitting out here drinking? She must have gone into the pantry and taken it from one of the crew.

With a silent sigh, Jin took a drink himself before handing it back to her. She gave a snort and took another drink before returning it to him again. Jin, normally, would have stopped her from drinking like this, but after today…he didn't see a problem with it.

"I'm afraid," Her voice began again after another drink. "I almost lost her today and there would have been nothing that I could have done to save her. I would have sunk with her…no, that's a lie." Her voice trembled. "I would have let her go and saved myself. Liza would have sunk to the bottom until she died while I saved myself like a coward. Why…why can't I just keep her safe? She's mine! It's my duty! It's my job to keep her safe!"

Jin was silent for a moment, thinking over her words. Something more than just Norika Castle tied these two women together. Something more emotional, painful.

"Norika fell over ten years ago, did it not? Have you not kept her safe for that long? If I guess correctly, she was but a child. Seven or so? You saved her from that burning castle. You saved her from something. I doubt you really just went on a rampage and killed over a hundred people. You've been protecting her since then. You've done a good job so far, but you can't always protect her. If you hold onto her too tightly, you could ruin everything between the two of you."

Reiko gave a snort. "You say that because you don't understand. The bond the two of us share can never be broken. Liza will always, always be my salut."

He cocked a brow. Salut? That was obviously a foreign word, but he didn't know from where. Was it foreign for child? Was Reiko Liza's mother?

No, that was foolish. Reiko was too young to be her mother, Liza didn't have any of her features, either.

"Reiko, just what happened at-"

His words came to a halt as pressure was applied to his right arm. Turning his head, he was surprised to find that Reiko had leaned up against him, using his arm as a pillow. She had fallen asleep on him. He felt his face heat up. He had slept with women before, yes, but this was Reiko we were talking about. He couldn't lie, he was attracted to her, he admitted that when they split up in the woods and he found himself only able to worry about her safety. He was happy when they were reunited but she had been just as cold as ever; until today. He had seen another side of this woman and his wish had come true. Now he just needed to find a way to keep it.

The silence was broken by a small noise from Reiko's mouth; a little hiccup. His face got redder; it was cute. It got worse as she buried her face further into his shoulder. He moved slowly and pulled her closer against him, careful of her left shoulder.

Jin gave a smile to himself as the warmth spread through the rest of his body.

One of the Terror Sisters couldn't swim. The other couldn't hold her liquor. Who'd have thought it?

I hope you guys like it. Review! :)