Attention! Please read!
So I never post AN before a chapter because I don't like them, however this time it was important I do so. In this chapter there is a seeming discrepancy of ranks. I say seeming because the ranks are exactly what I meant them to be. The way the military hierarchy will work in my created world is different than how it is run in the real world. The actual system will take too long to explain so I opted not to put it in, as it wasn't really relevant to the fanfiction.
However the amount of kind souls reaching out to me through reviews on this has prompted me to write this Authors Note. Yes, a lieutenant is still a lieutenant and a captain is still a captain, but there are different rules in play according to the ship and fleet. Again, too complicated to be relevant at this time, so I ask that you, my lovely readers, take it for what it is. Sorry if you find it irritating or if it detracts from your enjoyment of the story, that wasn't my intent.
Chapter Fifteen
"I've worked on military training ships damn near my whole life. I have seen some of the stupidest shit in my time, and while this doesn't come close to that, I still find myself having to ask: What in the hell were the both of you thinking? You're trained from the beginning that if you got a bone to pick with a teammate, you beat the ever loving hell out of each other on the mats."
The sleep deprived lieutenant growled at the two standing at attention in front of him from behind the desk he was seated at. His eyes moved from one stoic face to the other. While neither showed any signs of breaking their bearing, Lieutenant Hudson couldn't help inspecting the damage on their faces. Judging from the looks of things, the fight clearly fell in favor of Captain Taisho, who only had a bruise creeping over his left cheek.
Captain Wolfe, on the other hand, looked as if he had had a fight with a mallet and lost. Miserably. The scabs forming on Taisho's fist denoted that the young man had, indeed, beat the hell out of the other.
"Deciding to pick a fight, in the public showers, in the middle of the night, naked as the day you were born, is not what I would have considered a good idea."
Both continued to stare directly ahead somewhere over Hudson's shoulders. Scowling down at the report on his screen, he quickly scrolled to the end and rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Seeing as the both of you are scheduled to ship out sometime in the next two days, and you haven't damaged anything other than yourselves, your punishment will be light."
Clasping his hands in front of him and looking from one to the other, Hudson suppressed an amused smirk as he heard a wheezing breath come from Wolfe's broken nose. "Neither of you are permitted to seek accelerated healing for your injuries. The both of you will have to rely on natural healing for those improvements to your faces. The both of you will also be in charge of cleaning the shower room in the morning, am I clear?"
Though both had noticeably stiffened upon hearing their sentencing, they none-the-less snapped to attention and saluted at the end, awaiting their dismissal.
"Go on, get out of here before I add more. The janitor will be waiting for you at 0600 for the clean-up."
Both exited the office, neither acknowledging the other and ignoring the stares they were getting from the night shift posted along the corridors. Entering the barracks near silently, both collapsed onto their bunks, ignoring everything, and in desperate need of sleep.
"It's rare for you to be the one to call me." Inu no Taisho raised a brow, eyeing the Eastern Fleet Commander, Mateo Perez. "Must be pretty important."
Perez let out a light chortle as he reclined in his chair, hands folded comfortably over his large stomach.
"What? I can't call on an old friend?" His voice was low and full of laughter, but his eyes were sharp. Inu no Taisho kept his expression neutral, knowing the best way to deal with the elderly civilian was to wait him out.
Letting a puff of air out, Perez sat forward, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. So there is indeed a reason for me calling you up." He paused and frowned, staring down at his desk. "It has been suggested by the council that I should retire."
Inu no Taisho scowled, his mind reeling at the news. Was it possible that the council had caught on to his suspicions? While it was true that Perez was certainly getting on in years and due to retire; the timely "suggestion" from the council had his battle tempered instincts sitting at attention.
Perez allowed his long-time friend the time he needed to get through his thoughts. He himself was filled with suspicion at the council's "words of advice". He had felt that long time tingle in his joints when he had gotten the sudden call from Jeffery Holton, the face of the council. The man's obnoxious attitude and sarcastic turn of phrase had only made the older commander want to punch the twit.
"What do you make of it?" Taisho finally asked, bringing Perez out of his memories.
"I think it's a load of bullshit." Perez snorted, picking up his mug of coffee and taking a sip, as if to wash away the bad taste in his mouth. "Holton called early this morning, all smiles and false sincerity."
"Hmph. Little snake. How the hell'd he manage to get that position anyway?"
Perez took another sip and his eyes twinkled. "The same way they all do, I suppose. One shmuck in politics picks the most annoying actor he can find and plants ideas of idolization in the idiot's head."
Taisho snorted and reached for his own mug, taking a sip before grimacing and looking down at the stuff in it. The gritty texture told him that Izayoi had again put some sort of vitamin powder into his coffee. As if the hot liquid would melt that stuff down. Setting it as far as he could away from himself, he laced his fingers together and met Perez's gaze.
"So, what do we do?" He asked, more curious than really worried. Perez may have been nearing seventy, but the old man was wily.
"They're giving me a month to find a candidate appropriate for replacing me."
"Any come to mind?"
When it came to a change in leadership, the balance of the three factions must always be considered. Depending on what faction the commander was, his second and third followed in accordance. Perez was a civilian, as such it was his duty to find the best candidate from the civilians within the Eastern Fleet.
"As far as I know, my first: Roana Casteel and my second: Dominic Baratta are keeping their positions, so the only choice is in the civilian faction. The council will be choosing their own candidate within the week. They probably already have someone in mind, sly bastards. The election is already scheduled two months out."
Taisho raised a brow, still awaiting the answer to his question. Perez let out a chuckle and shook his head once more. "A politician by the name of Adriana Cortez."
Taisho scrunched his nose in disdain and sat back. "A politician, Perez?" He asked eyeing the old man speculatively. "Are you sure you haven't lost your mind?"
"I've been watching the girl for a while. She'd be a breath of fresh air for the fleet."
"Ambitious?"
Perez quirked his lips and nodded to his personal screen set in front of him on his desk. "Already sent you her information, as well as what I could dig up on her background."
"Are you actually looking for my approval? Or just a second opinion?"
"Though you may not believe it, old dog, I truly value your thoughts." Perez paused and let out another sigh, suddenly looking his age. "This also concerns the threat of this traitor we are trying to ferret out. It hasn't escaped my notice that the council is now trying to conveniently disrupt our conspiring."
"Hardly conspiring if the threat is very real, Perez."
"It wouldn't take much for the council to write us off as crazy kooks incapable of governing our own fleets, Taisho."
"Is that why you've decided to back down without a fight?" Taisho asked quietly, carefully watching the tired visage of the Eastern Commander.
"Hn. It is easier to concede the battle to win the war." Perez answered just as quietly. "I'll notify Hall and Moreau sometime later today. Look over that report and let me know what you think."
Without formally ending the conversation, both commanders cut the communication line. Taisho sat back in his chair, absently reaching for his mug of coffee as he contemplated his next course of action. His thoughts cut short as he sat up and spat the coffee concoction back into the mug. His wife's sudden need to make sure they were healthy was going to kill him, he decided, glaring at the tainted brew.
Hakaku was standing in his bathroom, glaring at his gravity defying hair, when his door opened and his older brother came in unannounced. Ginta flopped onto his bed unceremoniously, kicking his shoes off as he did so.
"No, please, Ginta. Go right ahead. I don't mind you busting in here so early in the morning. And by the way, how are you?" Hakaku spoke to himself sarcastically, eyeing his unmoving sibling in the mirror.
"Ngh. Hakaku." Ginta groaned out, his face plastered to his brother's pillow. "Too early in the morning for sarcasm."
Giving up on his hair for the moment, he turned to give his brother his full attention. "Well, what brings you here?"
Ginta turned his face so an eye was on Hakaku and lifted his chin slightly so his mouth wasn't full of bed linen. "Did you get the same message as the rest of us this morning?"
Hakaku's brows scrunched and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the counter behind him. "Yeah. Training was cancelled. What of it?"
Ginta sighed and levered himself up, turning to sit on the edge of the bed. "I didn't get it until I was already suited up and ready to go. Your room was closer than mine, so..." He trailed off and shrugged, flopping back onto the bed. "What the hell was it cancelled for anyway? My message didn't have any details."
Hakaku shrugged himself and headed over to his closet. Ginta continued as if he had answered. "Shot a message to Ayame, asking what the hell."
As if on cue, Ginta's screen chimed and lit up. Hakaku shifted through his clothes, trying to find a shirt that didn't have as many stains as the last.
"Oh man. Wolfe and Taisho got into it."
Hakaku snorted. "Don't they always? What's so different about this time?" He asked absently as he pulled out something gray and inspected it.
Ginta shook his head, still reading over the novel his partner had sent him. "Wrong Taisho. Kouga and Sesshomaru got into it."
Hakaku whirled around, the gray shirt clutched in one fist. "Kouga and who did what?!"
Ginta was starting to grin as he kept reading, scrolling down periodically. "Yeah. Ayame says that late last night the two started brawling…" He trailed off, his eyes getting comically wide before he threw his head back and howled in laughter. "Oh, God! They fought in the showers! Naked!"
Hakaku sat heavily on the bed and hung his head into his hands between his knees. "Oh shit. Kouga, you dumbass."
"She says that Wolfe's face was smashed to hell." Ginta relayed as he typed back a quick message, asking for a picture.
"Please tell me that Taisho is in a similar state." Hakaku moaned, already knowing it was improbable. "I'm the one that's going to have to deal with his bitching later."
"No clue, apparently Taisho wasn't in the barracks when they woke up. Kouga was already dressed and heading out when Inuyasha spotted him."
"Oh man. Please tell me Kouga didn't get into a fight with Inuyasha."
Ginta glanced to the picture of exasperated despair his brother had fallen into. "Nah. Kouga brushed him off. So naturally, Ayame managed to track down a soldier that worked the night shift. Got the dirt from the soldier." His screen chimed again and he glanced down to continue reading. He let out a low whistle and Hakaku looked up from the floor.
"Part of their punishment was; they aren't allowed to get accelerated healing."
Hakaku's shoulders drooped and he rubbed his free hand over his face before standing from the bed. "Wonderful."
He took off his shirt and replaced it with the one he had decided on wearing for the day. Ginta shot another message to Ayame then looked up at Hakaku.
"Where are you going? We don't have anything scheduled for the rest of the day."
Hakaku returned to the bathroom and scowled at his hair once more. "I'm gonna head over to the learning center's linking pods." He answered absently and Ginta hummed, laying back on the bed.
"Have fun with that. I'm going back to bed."
Giving up on his hair entirely, Hakaku stomped over to his bed and grabbed Ginta by the ankle, dragging him off of his bed and toward his door. "Yeah, fine. But not in my room. Go to your own, lazy-ass."
Ginta stood from the floor, rubbing the back of his head that had bumped onto the floor when he was dragged from the bed. "So cold, Hakaku! Can't I just take a nap…?" The look Hakaku shot him had him sighing and putting his shoes on.
Hakaku opened his door and pushed his brother out in front of him before turning and locking his door with the scanner. Turning back to his scowling sibling, he rolled his eyes.
"No way in hell. Last time I let you stay in my room, I came back to you 'having fun' with Jenna from the R & D lab."
"Was that her name? Always thought it was Kendra…" Ginta mumbled thoughtfully, a grin stretching his lips as the memories came to him.
Hakaku rolled his eyes and started down the hall to the lift. "No, it was Jenna. Kendra was that chick from the tech labs on our last ship." He paused as a thought hit him. "You didn't…with Kendra…?"
The grin on Ginta's face got bigger and Hakaku grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "In my room?! You asshole!"
Ginta shrugged him off, still smirking. "It's not my fault your room is always closer when the time comes, little brother."
"You disgust me." Hakaku grumbled, trying not to think of the fact that he had slept in that bed. Ginta laughed and whacked him on the back.
"That's just the jealousy talking. Don't worry, bro. One day you'll get to-"
Hakaku pushed Ginta into the wall and stalked the rest of the way to the lift, getting on and pressing his desired stop before the idiot could get on. His laughter followed him all the way down, making him grit his teeth. Why was his brother such a man-whore? He bemoaned to himself, relaxing slightly as the door opened again and he found himself in the middle of the commerce sector.
The learning center was on the far side of the commerce sector, situated on the fringes between commerce and residential. His destination, the linking pods, were located inside a small office at the very edge of the residential sector.
Hakaku and his brother had grown up in a civilian environment, always surrounded by technology and research. His father, having been a civilian R & D scientist, had always encouraged, and in some cases demanded, his children to tinker with stuff. Their mother, however, had been an instructor at their ship's learning center.
Ginta had strongly taken after their father, constantly tearing things apart and trying to put them back together in new ways. Hakaku remembered the time Ginta had disassembled the control panel in the shower and switched the temperature gauge. The higher the temperature, the colder the water. Their mother had not been amused.
Hakaku, however, had had no interest in machinery and gadgets, but he had learned alongside Ginta. When the both of them had been tested and designated as psychic's, it had come as a great shock to everyone. As far back as any could remember, and according to the records kept on ship, there had been no sign of psychic ability in either branch of the family. Not even by militaristic standards. Being the first had opened up many doors for the both of them.
Ginta's first choice in careers had been psychic technology and engineering. Hakaku…hadn't a single clue what he had wanted to do. On the day he, and many other psychic's, had linked for the first time, Hakaku had found something he was interested in. It wasn't so much the link itself, but the process that occurred during a link.
His interest in the psychology behind how a link worked had him studying many different dissertations written by all sorts of psychic researchers throughout the years. He began to experiment during his linking sessions with the military volunteers, always asking before he tried anything. Though he wasn't the best of the class, his patience, curiosity, and passion for linking had caught his mother's attention.
During his final year of learning, his mother had asked for his help in a class. Not knowing exactly what was in store, he had hesitantly agreed. Taking him to a pod room with several other older psychics, she had finally explained. The psychics in the room were volunteer veteran battle-links, and they were going to link with a beginner military class for the first time.
She had gotten permission from the higher ups to let him join in, monitored by the techs of course. Linking with a beginner had been vastly different than a veteran. Just getting the younger soldiers to open up had been interesting. So much so that he had decided on his secondary job after that first volunteer link.
Ginta and Hakaku had nominated battle-link as their first choice, both designated to the Poseidon, much to their relief. Ginta had immediately signed onto the R & D division labs, and Hakaku had registered himself as a volunteer link at the learning center.
Which was where he found himself, outside the learning center pod room. Entering through the automatic doors he smiled at the psychic seated behind the reception desk.
"Oh, Kaiyo! You're just in time! There is a class of military cadets waiting to take their second round of testing. We were just about to send messages to any psychic on call."
Hakaku grinned in anticipation. "Alright! Let me get suited up. You mind notifying the pod tech?"
"Not at all, thanks for coming in. I'll set you up in room two."
Hakaku nodded and headed toward the small locker room situated in the back, already anticipating his day ahead, and putting his partner's issues to the back of his mind.
Sango let out a sigh as she got out of the showers in the locker room and headed over to the clothes she had hung up. Though the simulation had been postponed until later, she had decided to train anyway. Her muscles ached in the way rigorous exercise always caused and her mood was decidedly better than when she had first entered the training rooms.
Pulling on her usual shirt and sweat pants combo, she thought over the drama of that morning. Being woken up by Inuyasha's loud shout had been jarring, but not necessarily unexpected. What had her thoughts stumbling, however, had been Kouga's mashed face. Finding out it had been done by Captain Taisho had been surprising at first until Ayame had weaseled the information out of a nervous nightshift guard.
Shaking her head at male stupidity in general, Sango swept her damp hair up into a high tail and tied it off neatly, swinging her training gear bag over her shoulder. The reason the two had fought in the showers was pretty obvious, after all Kouga's jealousy had been building for days now. What had Sango curious was exactly what was said to actually provoke ice block Taisho into the fight.
The captain had been a solid wall the whole time she had known him, not responding too much to the digs made by the other two males on their ship. But in the past two days, Taisho had successfully beat the shit out of the both of them, with nary a scratch on himself. That was pretty interesting in and of itself, however mix in the secret training he was apparently doing and Sango could admit she was dying to know.
An idea had been percolating all while she had been going through kata in the training room. There was only one person she could really ask when it came to the stoic captain. A smile tilted her lips as she picked up her slow pace back to the barracks and her screen.
She would just have to give Kagome-chan a call.
Placing her hand on the scanner by the door, she impatiently waited for the door to open. She paused in entering the room when she caught sight of Kagura and Ayame. She thought for sure the both of them would have been off doing…whatever it is they do when they aren't training. Taking slow and measured steps to her bunk, she tried to keep her emotions buried.
Who knows how the two females would react if they knew she was about to get in touch with Captain Taisho's psychic. Setting her things down she wondered if it would be suspicious if she took her screen and bolted from the room. Picking up her screen, she nearly jumped a foot in the air when an arm slid around her shoulders.
A red ponytail flicked in the corner of her eye and Sango cursed the fact that she was now in Ayame's clutches.
"Say, Taijya…Kaze and I were wondering…"
Kagura smoothly slid to her feet and approached the other two girls. "If you could get a hold of Taisho's partner; Higurashi." She finished for Ayame and Sango scowled looking down at her screen.
"The both of you already tried to hack into my screen, didn't you?!" She accused in a low tone. Ayame giggled nervously and removed her arm from Sango's shoulders. Kagura, smirk still on her face, shrugged a shoulder.
"Yeah. Great security you got on that thing."
Sango let out a sigh and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah. I was just about to call her." She glanced at her fellow teammates. "Exactly why do you want to talk to her?"
"Pft! To get the skinny! The low-down!" Ayame scoffed tossing a pigtail over her shoulder. Kagura turned a sardonic eye from the redhead and met with Sango's serious eyes.
"Just want to ask if she knows what happened between the two." Her expression was mischievous but her tone was solemn.
Sango brought the screen up and scrolled through her contacts. Ayame, watching over her shoulder quirked a brow when she stopped on an unidentified number. "You don't have her programmed in your screen yet?"
"It usually does it automatically, so I never have to. Kagome-chan's link is the only one where I've had to input it all myself."
Kagura turned to peer over Sango's shoulder at the screen as well. "She must have a block on her link…though I thought only high level personnel are supposed to have that."
Sango shrugged her shoulders and pressed the call button. "Well, she is a botanist before a battle-link. Maybe she has high level clearance?"
Ayame raised her brow even higher. "A high level botanist? For what?!"
Sango shrugged again, glaring at the redhead. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! We'll just ask her when she picks up."
The three returned their gazes to the screen, waiting impatiently for it to connect. The icon flashed for a minute more, before a message sprang up.
"Your call could not connect. The other party is currently not accepting calls at this time. Please try again later."
"Aw, damn." Ayame muttered already turning on her heel to leave the room, Kagura following behind at a slower pace. Sango stared down at her screen in disappointment for a moment, wondering if the psychic was training with Taisho. Maybe that's where the other captain had been all morning? Why than was their own simulation training canceled?
So many questions and no answers.
Kagome let out a long sigh of bliss, softly patting her hair dry with her towel. Because yesterday had been a flurry of activity, she had decided last night that she would sleep in. Waking up 1100, she had slowly gotten up and took a long shower, her only thoughts revolving on what she wanted to eat as soon as she got dressed.
Looking in the mirror, she decided to make things easy for herself and swept her mid-length hair back into a low tail. As she entered her room, a flash caught her attention and she turned her head to see it was her screen. Walking slowly over, she picked it up to realize that someone had tried to get ahold of her.
"Why would Sango be calling?" She mused out loud as she hit the redial and waited for her to pick up. A gruff male voice and a battered face was not what she had been expecting, however.
"Yeah? The hell ya want?!"
Kagome's mouth hung open in shock as her eyes locked with a lighter shade of blue than her own. Snapping herself out of it she shook her head slightly and swallowed back her nerves.
"Uh, sorry! I was trying to call Sango Taijya. Um, is she there?" She paused in expectation of an answer, and fidgeted slightly when the man on the other side of the line just stared back at her. Was her screen frozen? Checking the numbers at the top she was relieved to see them still ticking by.
Her eyes swung back to the bruised face in front of her. Maybe he had damaged his hearing by whatever had happened to him? "Are you alright? You're face looks awful, shouldn't you go to med-bay…?" Seeing there was still no response, Kagome got irritated.
"Hello?! Are you ok?!" She was shouting down into the screen now, her eyebrows lowered and her mouth twisting down into a frown. His eyes looked glazed and his mouth was hanging open slightly. Did he have a fever on top of whatever else had happened to him? She waved her hand rapidly in front of the camera on her screen, relieved when he finally seemed to snap himself out of whatever he had been in.
"Uh…oh…um…sorry, what were you saying?" His voice was slightly hoarse and he had to clear his throat, bringing his hand up to his mouth.
"I was trying to get ahold of Sango Taijya. This is her screen, right?"
The man blinked and lifted his hand up to his head. "Uh, yeah. She…she just left and it was on her bunk."
Kagome raised an eyebrow, eyeing him closely. "So you just answered it? Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"
Mr. Bruised Face had the grace to look guilty as he rubbed the back of his head, ruffling the high tail of dark hair. "I guess. It was just making so much noise and I was trying to catch a nap." He mumbled out apologetically and Kagome felt a little bad about her accusatory tone.
"Oh, sorry for that, I guess. Um, not that it's any of my business, but shouldn't you go get checked out by a medic? Your face is seriously beat up. What happened to you anyway?"
Kouga froze as the angel on the other end of Sango's screen asked about his face rather bluntly. He had completely forgotten for a few moments that he was all bruised up from Taisho. When he had entered the deserted barracks a while ago, he had been relieved that no one was around to ask any more questions. He had had to deal with stares and gossiping whispers all morning and it was getting to be rather annoying.
Knowing that he had gotten his ass kicked in the showers by Taisho had been bad enough, but having to wear the proof on his face for everyone else to know had been a whole new level of shame. When he had gotten to the shower room to serve his punishment, he had been angry that the prissy bastard had already started, and the only sign he had even been in a fight was the small bruise over his cheekbone.
His knuckles didn't count either, that was more like a badge of honor than shameful. Neither of them said anything to the other and Kouga had been steaming by the time Taisho had finished his "side" and left the latter half of the showers to him. Naturally, it had a corner where some sort of strange mold was growing in the corner and the damn janitor wouldn't let him leave until he had scrubbed it all off.
Finally leaving the showers, hours after his punishment had started, all he had wanted to do was lay down. He had noticed Sango leaving the barracks ahead of him and heading to the mess hall. Probably for lunch, he absently thought, and deciding he would nap while everyone was out. Just as he had been lying down to sleep, an annoying chime had sounded out through the barracks.
If it had been a regular chime, he could have ignored it. However, the thing let out a series of chimes, like they were tumbling over themselves to get out of the screen they were coming from. Letting out an exaggerated huff of annoyance, he had rolled off of his bunk and stomped over to the screen. Swiping his finger over the acceptance icon, he had immediately unleashed his bad temper.
Locking eyes with startled sapphire, his thoughts scattered. Voluminous black fringe framed the delicate face that those eyes set in. Feeling strangely numb, he couldn't help but to stare at the beautiful girl on the other end of the communications line. Her pink lips were moving and the muted sounds told him she was speaking, but for the life of him, he couldn't seem to snap out of it, until a certain word reached his ears.
His face…? What about his face…? Her hand flashed across the screen in a frantic wave and he was abruptly ejected from Lala-Land. Oh, right. Shit. Taisho had beat his face in. God he must look awful! And he had just been staring at the girl like a conked out zombie!
Hiding his mortification, he shook the lingering fantasy from his mind and faced the girl again.
"Ah, well. This…isn't as bad as it looks. Besides, a real man bears his battle wounds proudly!" He mentally smacked himself as the words left his mouth. A real man?! The hell was he saying?! "This is just proof I can take anything!" Please, someone stop me! He thought desperately as he continued the ridiculous rambling.
Her raised brows and slightly widened eyes said it all. She clearly thought he was an idiot. "And you should see the other guy!" Who isn't even hurt, you dumbass. Clearly he needed help if he was now ridiculing himself in his head.
The girl's brows lowered and she cocked her head to the side. "So you were fighting? This wasn't from a mission or anything?"
"Tch. Those alien bastards couldn't touch me!" His chest puffed up with pride.
"So one of your training partners beat your face in?" Her tone was nonchalant and had his chest deflating.
"Well…"
"You know; it's not cool to fight with your fellow soldiers."
Kouga winced and rubbed the back of his head again. "Ah, yeah." His tone was sheepish as he glanced up at the girl in time to catch the smile she flashed him. His heart stuttered and he felt as if Taisho had punched him in the gut.
"As long as you know. You should try harder to get along, right?" The girl glanced over the top of her screen and then let out a low curse. "Sorry, I have to get going. The cafeteria will be closing soon, and I am starved. Do you mind letting Sango-chan know I called?"
Kouga found himself nodding stupidly before jolting with a realization. "Wait! What's your…" She smiled again and the line cut off. "…name." He finished lamely and stared down at the blank screen. Setting it down on Taijya's bunk, he tottered back over to his own.
He may not know her name, but Kouga was pretty sure he had just fallen in love.
Kagura impatiently tapped her foot. Her crimson orbs slid over everyone assembled than out to the rest of the area, looking for those that had yet to arrive. They, meaning her team and their ship's crew, were currently gathered in the remodeling hanger that had held their ship. The only ones left to arrive were Inuyasha, Sango and Kouga. Ayame had met up with her outside the mess hall, and Captain Taisho had already been in the hanger when they had arrived.
From what she could see of the apathetic captain, he had clearly won the fight with Wolfe. The bruise on his cheek was small and she'd bet her next paycheck that it would be gone in a few days' time. Kouga's so lame, she thought to herself, stifling the urge to snort.
The sound of boots on the steel walkway had her eyes meeting with fiery amber. Inuyasha was sauntering with a grin on his face, at least until he caught sight of his elder brother. The grin fell immediately and an expression of utter disappointment took its place.
"What the hell. Bastard Wolfe didn't even do any damage to you?! Dammit!"
Captain Taisho slowly slid a glance towards the younger sibling before returning it to inspect the hull of their ship. "Moron's tend to fight the same." He answered shortly and Inuyasha froze.
"You callin' me a moron?"
Before anyone could respond to his question, there was a loud clatter from the other side and the tail end of a conversation met their ears.
"-asking her name! C'mon, Taijya! Please?!"
"Captain Wolfe. You answered my screen without my permission. What the hell makes you think you deserve to know the name of my friend? She didn't tell you her name so I won't either!"
Kouga let out a loud groan, but was interrupted by a gruff voice barking his and Taijya's names.
"Would you hurry your asses up? Still got things to do before we can leave this tin can."
Kouga frowned as they got closer. "So that's why we were told to bring our stuff. I thought we weren't leaving until the morning after next?" He shifted his bag on his shoulder, as if reaffirming it was there.
"New orders just came in." The ship's pilot, a civilian by the name of Butch…just Butch…crossed his beefy arms over his wide chest and glared down at the smaller captain. "Got some introductions to make too, so keep your yap shut."
Kouga glared, but his mouth remained shut. Though their pilot wasn't military, the man had a way to make you feel as if something bad would happen to you if you disobeyed him.
Satisfied that both Wolfe and the younger Taisho would be silent through his spiel, he turned to the short teenager standing behind him. Kagura blinked as the girl took a step forward, and she realized she hadn't noticed her presence at all.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kaede Higurashi. I'll be your new medic."
The resounding silence that followed her introduction was finally broken by Sango striding forward to shake her hand. "Sango Taijya. Pleased to meet you." She swung her gaze too Butch and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to Jakotsu?"
Butch cracked a wry smirk and shot a glance at Wolfe who had shuttered at the effeminate man's name. "Heh, got called away by his brother…Bankotsu. Working on a different ship now. Besides, Jakotsu's skills as a medic won't be enough for the work we'll be doing from now on."
"Keh. And short stuff here has the skills?" Inuyasha scoffed, eyeing the freckled teenager in front of him. "How old are you, fifteen?"
Expecting a burst of temper, Inuyasha jerked slightly when, instead, the girl turned a cold glare on him and eyed him up and down. As if dismissing him, she turned to Sango and beamed a wide genuine smile. "I've been extensively trained in all matters of healing, including psychic."
Kagura let out a hum of interest. "So, you're a psychic healer? That'll be really helpful."
Kaede shot the same smile to the older soldier, nodding her head modestly. "Though I'm only eighteen, I've already been in the field for two years, and I graduated top of my class."
"Alright, enough chatter! Let's go ahead and board our bird and get the hell out of here." Butch cut in, picking up the large duffle that he owned. Everyone else did the same and turned toward the hatch leading into the ship.
"Kaede Higurashi, right?" Kagura asked on a low purr, directing a smile and her hand to the teen. "Kagura Kaze."
Ayame stepped up behind the two, bouncing to catch the younger's eye. "Ayame Shiro!" She chirped out in introduction and Kaede gave her a polite nod, trying to hide her smile with a polite expression.
Sango blinked as a realization clicked in her head. "Higurashi…you're related to Kagome-chan?"
Sesshomaru stiffened at the mention of his partner's name and unwillingly found himself drawn back to the conversation he had ignored after the initial introduction. Inuyasha similarly had the same reaction though for another reason.
"Oi! You're Kikyo's Kaede?"
Kaede again slid her gaze to the brash soldier, her eyes taking in his appearance once more. Letting out a sniff she turned her head away. "Poor big sister. Forced to be the partner of a moron."
Ayame, Kagura, and Kouga grinned in delight. The girl would fit right in.
xXx
Well, here's the next one folks. Finally getting back out into the real action. Thank you for reading and please review!
