YAY! I was able to post something today! After that hiatus, my work was taking so much time to get back into a rhythm. Luckily, we're almost done with this story. Some stories in this series I plan on rewriting are Catori's story Spirits, Urian's story Modeling under Snow, and Hollis's story Claws of the Phoenix. If there are any characters who you want me to write a story for, gimme a holler.

Past Will Pass

Katja's back slammed hard against the cage wall. The manacles around her wrists clanged to echo into the farthest reaches of the ship's hold. As Clint and Rogue held her body up so high her feet didn't touch the floor, she had to keep a look of shock on her face. Her hands wrapped around their clothed forearms as she flailed her legs.

"Ye damned wench! Thought ye'd be safe, eh?" Clint snarled between his clenched teeth. The look in his eyes was wild, believable. Katja nearly felt a shiver of nerves run through her chest at just how realistic his acting was. The hand reaching behind him was poised for an attack.

Flashing a grin, Katja gasped, "What're you gonna do, pirate? Hit me? I bet you hit like a little old lady." Her leg kicked upwards. She hiked it nearly flush to her face before laying it on Clint's shoulder. His surprise was far from fake when she twisted her torso. Using leverage from his neck, Katja spun herself out of their grips.

Rogue's hand was torn from Katja's body. Grabbing him by his mantle, she continued to twist against Clint's shoulders and put Rogue into an armbar. She hung in the space between them, but as soon as Clint opened his mouth to point out the thighs around his neck, she thrust him against the bars.

Her body flowed down, and she grabbed the cloth at Rogue's lower back. In a semi circular motion, she flipped the dragon slayer overhead and against the bars.

Chaos ensued.

The captured mages writhed in their cages. They beat against the bars and screamed for release. Their metal housings rocked back and forth as shrieks cried out, "It's Poisoneva!"

Katja's demon alias rang out in the air around her, and she tried not to wince as insults were hurled her way.

"Strangle the bitch!"

"It's her fault we're in here! Kill the filthy slut!"

Feigning a punch to the abdomen, Clint forced Katja's body to double over at the impact. "And I thought I had a fan club," he murmured into her tanned ear.

Two hands locked around Clint's shoulders. She charged with powerful muscles flexing. "I never wanted it to be this way," she hissed. He was just about to ram the cage again, but Rogue grabbed Katja with a grip on her dark brown hair.

Jerking her backwards, Rogue flung Katja to the ground. Cheers abounded, and Katja's Time Out Box Rattled.

Ignore it.

With his hands around her shoulders, Rogue asked, "You think this will bring the guards?"

"It has to." Running her leg between his, Katja shoved her knee into Rogue's gut. The manacles that had been holding him slapped the metallic cage, and Katja grinned when light pooled into the hold.

"The fuck is this!" roared from one of the slaver's lips.

Rogue grabbed Katja after gaining his footing, and Clint lunged forward from his knees. They went according to plan, plastering Katja's body to the cage. Her head hit with more force than was intended, but it was enough to get the guards charging to their cage.

Get the one with the keys, Katja reminded after one look at Rogue's red eyes. It wasn't his place to be here. It was hers, and she was going to see him back to Lancet.

As soon as a flash of silver caught her attention, Katja's hand stretched from the cage. Bare hands locked around bare skin. Poison slid down the man's skin from her sweat, and just to hasten the effects, Katja let her claws rend the man's flesh.

His hissed curse was soon cut off when Katja tossed stolen keys towards Rogue. The slayer easily unlocked their ragtag team. As soon as he was released, Rogue's mouth demanded, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

"Viper's Fangs!" Katja chanted before coating her hands back in black gauntlets. She opened poison reservoirs with the flip of a switch before shredding a man's vest wide open. Blood leaked from four deep gashes, and Clint stepped forward to withdraw the man's rapier before he hit the deck.

"Well, that went better than expected," Clint snickered. He flashed his teammates a grin before turning towards a ladder. More slavers were descending on them. "Shall we be off?"

Sting was impatient. He sat cross legged on the foretop of a pirate ship, and his eyes never wavered from the view dead ahead.

Sparkling waters and gentle waves belied the truth of the situation. Somewhere on this vast sea was Rogue. He was out there without his team, without Sting. They were called the Twin Dragons because they worked together. Sting should have been with him.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Sting stared at the water. He knew Rogue was okay. It would take more than some mage kidnappers to take him down, but that wasn't the problem.

"Rogue's taking over a pirate ship without me!" Sting roared out. His legs jumped on top of the wooden length he'd been stewing atop. Clenching his hands in fists, Sting snarled in the direction of the sea. "That damned traitor!"

Beneath the masts he was stalking, Yukino let out a breath of air. The feminine of the Polterom sisters was sitting on the main deck. A small table had been brought out, and both women sipped hot tea.

"He's so jealous," she sighed with a sense of good humor. The light grin on her lips said a lot. She was fond of the dragon slayer.

"Reminds me of my sister," Winry mentioned after setting her tea down. To Winry's left, Catori was punching the air. The shirt she wore read, "Pansexual pirate gets all kinds of booty." She'd chosen it specifically for the day's pirate ship adventures.

Grinning at Winry, Yukino asked, "So, you and Catori really are Bickslow's little sisters? Catori I can understand but you seem…"

"More civilized? I guess. It was a situation like this that caused Bickslow to be separated from us."

"Slave shipments?"

"Oh, yeah. We were on a ship to escape the country when it was attacked by the Navy years back. Bickslow was found by pirates sent out to retrieve survivors, but Tori and I swept back up on shore. We never thought we'd see our brother again."

"That's why you took up working for the Magician's Alliance—to make sure no one was ever separated from their friends and family again."

"Exactly. Tori and I work together, so that no one has to deal with that kind of heartbreak. We never knew if Bickslow was dead or overseas. After the years, we assumed dead. His grave is in Wolfrun. He'll be the second person in our family to have two funerals," Winry laughed, morbid Polterom humor flashing.

"Second person?"

"Yeah. The first was our mom. Her soul was dispelled from her body when she was taken hostage. Our dad carried her around in a necklace before putting her soul back in her body. Since the soul never dies, we had a funeral for her flesh."

"Crazy. What's it like to see the dead—to see souls?"

"It's not that strange. It's kind of—"

"Ship on the horizon!" Catori and Sting screamed in unison.

Heads popped up as the search and rescue team looked to the dot Kenwae's ship was fast approaching. Thanks to his Mer Magic, he could control the currents moving the vessel. They'd caught up with the ship faster than any other vessel could.

Standing from the table, Yukino narrowed her eyes. "Is that… fire?"

"Just had to hide behind the gunpowder," Katja sighed as Clint beamed with those perfect teeth.

"The barrel was just so nice and perfect. Needed a hole in it." Clint kicked a man in the back. He was sent directly into Rogue's awaiting shadows before he was flung out of the ship. Good. Less weight for when they sailed this baby back to Lancet.

"Has anyone seen…" Her words faded out when silver eyes glinted from the captain's quarters. "Lucian." With a voice little less than a growl, Katja lunged. Her claws were at the ready until a red head entered her line of sight.

Curly red hair. Emotionally disarming freckles. Her Time Out Box didn't even threaten to break. It completely exploded inside of her head.

Dropping to her knees, Katja stared. A ghost from the past was rolling into view. He looked exactly the same except for one thing—the wheelchair.

"T-Trevet," she wheezed out. The waterworks were already starting. The dam she'd built up on her emotions broke. Emotional floodgates crumbled as tears streamed down her face. She knew that man, and she knew why he didn't have use of his legs. Her. It was her.

"Good to see that you haven't forgotten me in all these years," he hissed, voice full of disdain.

Suddenly, everything made sense to her. The reason Lucian had kept from killing her. The reason she was being sold instead of murdered. It was Trevet's doing. He wanted his revenge—just like all the others.

A swath of black swept across the floor, and Katja stared upwards. Rogue. He was standing in front of her like he wanted to protect her? Why? He had no clue of the punishment she deserved. Whatever Trevet had in store for her was warranted. She'd stolen his legs, his life. He deserved his revenge.

Not able to get a leash on her emotions, Katja's voice broke. "Wh-at do you think you're d-doing?"

"I promised your brother I'd protect you. Who is this guy?" Rogue's dark head shifted towards Trevet.

"The first guy I ever—" She choked on her words.

Strangely, Rogue nodded. Did he know? Had Sven told him something? No. Sven would never betray her like that. Not about something like. He would to protect you, Katja's mind broke in.

Gauntlets dug furrows into the deck of the ship, and Katja gritted her teeth to hold back her tears. She was going to kick Sven's ass if she could ever get her Time Out Box locked up.

"Yes, Katja. The first guy you ever killed. Sorry to say that you didn't finish the job very well. It was thanks to you that I had the pleasure of waking up inside of my own coffin. The doctors must not have realized their diagnosis was wrong when I was sent to the morgue." Trevet wheeled in closer before bracing his hands on the arms of his wheelchair. Katja recognized the hate in his eyes—the hunger. He was starved for her torment. Shame he didn't know just how badly she hated herself.

"It wasn't on pur-purpose!" Katja gasped out. She was trying to get a hold on herself. Tough luck with that.

"No? Then, why haven't you stopped killing since? Lucian's family? Various villages? Or have you forgotten your own past since becoming King Isaac's whore?"

"Katja's not a whore," Rogue snarled. Shadows twisted around Katja's body. She watched in amazement as they danced and played on the deck.

He doesn't know the truth. He doesn't know what all I've done, and I don't want him to know. No one needed to know what Katja had been forced into doing for so many years. Especially not anyone Katja wanted to impress.

Part of her still clung to that girly fantasy—the playful realm where she'd been born normal. When Isaac had given her a position in the light and when the princess had become her friend, Katja had thought normal was within her grasp. It wasn't. Her poisonous skin would always be reminder of that. She was broken, a broken doll everyone wanted to throw away.

Swallowing her tears, Katja grabbed the back of Rogue's mantle and tugged. When his red eyes shifted back to her, she shook her head at him. "You're wrong, Rogue. I'm a murderer. Lucian's family. Trevet's legs. I took them all."

"Ah, so you do remember," Trevet snickered. He looked like he was enjoying Katja's turmoil too much. "But you don't want him to know. Do you? You don't want all your new friends to know how your whored your magic out to murderer. You don't want them to know just how much blood you have on your hands."

"I never wanted to do it!" she shrieked. Forcing herself back on two wobbly legs, Katja took a step. "Do what you want with me, but leave them—and the people in the brig—out of it!"

"Katja!" Clint and Rogue yipped out, but she threw her hand up.

"No. Trevet and Lucian are my sins. This is my fault, and I deserve their punishment." She took a nervous step, holding her thoughts back. Her Time Out Box had split apart. Memories of everything she'd been forced to do flooded her brain, and there was no going back now. It was time for her to pay for the evil she'd done.

Giving her a thoughtful expression, Trevet admired Katja. He looked like a cat that'd been given a mouse to play with. "I supposed that releasing them would be the right thing to do, but you seem attached. No. It's too easy, and I have a better idea." He looked towards Rogue and Clint. "Don't move."

"Wha—" Their voices were cut off. Katja gaped in wide eyed horror as they were frozen behind her. Trevet's Persuasion Magic was working, and it was stronger than it'd ever been. They didn't writhe in his hold. They just stood their with their mouths gaping—not able to move them thanks to Trevet's command.

Immediately, Trevet's men moved in behind them. When swords were held at their throats, Katja whimpered, "Dont. Don't do this, Trevet! Take me! I'm the one you want."

"Ah-ah, Kitten. You stole my legs. You stole poor Lucian's family. We're just getting the revenge even you said we were due. Once I'm through with everyone you love, it will finally be your turn. But don't rush it. By the gods, we all know you never rushed our deaths. Lucian told me his parents writhed and screamed for hours before you finally got enough information from them."

He wasn't wrong. Gathering intel for Gatlin had been one of the biggest parts of her job. The Time Out Box and a steel wall of mental fortification had kept her sane. Now, those placeholders were out of place.

Katja took a step forward. Fear pumped cold blood through her veins. Her body produced even more poison as she looked for a way to save them. One look at Trevet's steely resolve said there wasn't a way.

It wasn't until her eyes caught a ship on the water that she found a lock to put on her Time Out Box. A pirate ship! It had to be Kenwae with reinforcements—with her brother!

Letting a coldness cross her skin, Katja straightened her back. She couldn't put up a wall now. They'd seen her fear.

"Then, at least, let them have a fighting chance. I gave my victims that much," she stated, voice cold yet oddly laced with emotion.

Cocking a red brow, Trevet adjusted in his… wheelchair. Her heart winced at the fate she'd made for him. "Fine, but we do it my way. If you kill one of them, I'll let the other one."

Katja reared back. Well, there went that plan out the proverbial window. Chewing on the inside of her lip, Katja watched as Rogue and Clint were released. Clint's eyes were narrowed on her gauntlets. Rogue clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Very well then. Get on with it."

Casting Trevet a hate filled glare, Katja realized one thing at that moment. Trevet was as much of a silver tongued snake as his magic. He was just like her former master. Dance, Monkey, dance.

Flexing her fingers, Katja wasted no time. She pushed her boots off the deck and charged towards Clint. He raised his sword up to defend, but she swiped it away. Getting right up in his face, she whispered, "Siren's Call is close. Stall."

"The siren's…" His eyes drifted off, and he gave a forward jab. When he locked sights with the pirate ship, his grin was quickly displaced by Katja's attack. His body was hauled forward before she threw him into Rogue.

The dragon slayer wanted Katja to cut out this madness.

When Clint tried to scramble from Rogue's legs, he explained, "Stall. Backup's on the way."

"Don't you mean it's already here?" Rogue groaned, trying to get Clint's elbow out of his chest. The slayer's chin lifted up. Lector was flying a yelling Sting onto the ship.

"You dirty traitor!" Sting screamed out when he hit the deck. Lucian attempted to stop the White Dragon Slayer, but Sting plowed a fist into the man's face. Charging right to Rogue, Sting heaved Rogue to his feet. "I can't believe you! Letting them catch you without me being around! I know you think Katja's cute, but this is ridiculous!"

"C-cute! I don't know what you're talking about!" Rogue's face heated up. Grabbing Sting by the collar of his vest, Rogue tried to throw his partner off him. Sting wasn't having it. They tangled into a mass of limbs while Katja and Clint fought the slavers Trevet had sent after them.

"We've kind of got a problem here, boys," Clint proclaimed when his rapier took a blow from an enemy cutlass. Sliding the blade to the tip of his, Clint moved it out of the way. A diagonal slash sent his enemy to his knees. His movement was halted when Trevet's voice persuaded his muscles to freeze. "Will someone handle that childish looking bastard?"

Clint shot Katja a look since she was the only one unencumbered. Her eyes darted away. "It's my fault he's in a wheelchair," she mumbled.

"But it's not your fault that he's a smarmy bastard! Handicapped or not, I'm ready to give the prick a piece of my mind. Git over here and fight me you filthy vegetable!" Clint yapped out like an angry, caged dog.

Trevet looked apt to respond until the entire ship rocked. A massive blast called out from the portside of the ship, and Katja's eyes rounded out when they threw grappling hooks onto Trevet's ship. Ken's Mer Magic was coming to the rescue!

When Catori's purple head popped up from the other side of the deck, Katja heard her cry, "I'll handle these douche dicks! You grab the Moon Mage and Wheelie Man!"

Katja gulped. She didn't want to grab the Moon Mage and Wheelie Man. Her guilty conscious rooted her to the spot as Kenwae and his crew joined the fray between Trevet's men and the slavers.

Swords clashed and gunfire went off around her as they fought to make a path for Katja. They were trying to get her to do her job, but she couldn't. Her legs were frozen to the spot even though a clean shot was between her and her main enemies.

When Lucian's magic reached out to grab the water inside her blood, Katja did nothing to defend herself. She let him move the liquid into her lungs until Sven shot a dart into Lucian's throat.

A hand clamped firmly on Katja shoulder, and Ichiro, the man she'd met in the alley, explained, "They aren't worthy of your sacrifice, Katja."

"But it's my fault."

The hand moved from her shoulder, and Ichiro curled a finger beneath Katja's chin. There was a strange familiarity in his eyes—a fatherly notion. "No. It's Duke Hawthorne's. You were nothing but a tool doing a tool's job. Now, you're a woman. Do your woman's job."

"What's a woman's job?"

"Protecting her family."

The hand beneath her chin disappeared, but when it left, Katja felt as if something lingered. Something inside of her felt changed. When Ichiro turned to crash his fist into an enemy, her eyes widened.

Thick robes that had covered his skin shifted. The flesh she saw was marred with thick scars and engraved runes. Those runes glowed, and Katja breathed, "Like my mother!"

"Katja!" someone—Winry—cried out behind her.

Spinning on her heel, Katja forced her body back into reality. She had a chance at reality. Ichiro was right. She was a woman now. Her job was to protect her family. These people were her family.

At last, a chance to be normal.

Suddenly, cloth shifted at her side. With his blowpipe pressed to his lips, Sven looked down at his shorter sister. "We're human now," he explained. When he shot out a poison dart made from his hardened venom, Sven tacked on, "Well, as normal as two freaks can be."

"Ready to kick our past to the past?"

"I am a strong independent woman who don't need no man. Ain't I?"

"That's the sister I've never known."