[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 11:
Green Fire Part 3 of 4
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1/2, Neon Genesis Evangelion,
Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these stories. And I'll
put them back when I've finished with them.
C&C , MSTs are welcome
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
As they rode along, Asuka looked at Wondergirl and Ice Princess in
the unteasled shirts and Levis they'd bought the morning following the
meeting. She shook her head, and continued to make notes in her journal.
----------------------------------------
>From the Journal of Asuka Soryu Langley
Wondergirl and Ice Princess look completely out of place,
Wondergirl is too pale, and Ice Princess's few callouses are from holding a
weapon, not from working. At least I'd been able to get them to stable
their horses. My and Raccoon's personas might have been able to afford
such fine animals, but with the cover of them being Amerind servants,
they'd never ride anything so exotic.
I am glad Raccoon hadn't lost his eye for good horseflesh. While
our mounts looked like a mixed bag, mine and Raccoon's Arabian/Morgan mix,
Wondergirl's Appaloosa, Tendo's and Saotome's mixed, Spineless's Palomino,
they were all first-class horses.
The revolver managed to surprise the others, I reminded Raccoon
about their skeet shooting on the carrier. Wondergirl admitted she'd been
trained with guns, so both of the `gunmen`, us, had insisted she too be
armed. A Schofield revolver, a cavalryman's weapon, it gave her a rate of
fire exceeding my Colt, and Raccoon's LeMat, because of the break-open
action. The little practice we'd gotten in, showed Wondergirl was a
passable shot, up to moderate ranges. Raccoon's marksmanship was just
frightening, especially with the stock attached.
Although I'm the fastest draw, partially because of the Colt's
shorter barrel and better balance, partially my own reflexes. Horseface
decided he wanted to be the horse's other end, he wanted to match my fast
draw. Boy was I glad I managed to find some blanks, after Horseface shot
himself with the blanks three times, he wanted nothing more to do with
guns.
At least we didn't have to kill him to make him learn his lesson,
this time.
----------------------------------------
"Are these stupid dreams going to continue indefinitely?" Tendo
asked as she wiped her forehead, from the dust and the heat, actually
Wondergirl translated.
Asuka thought how weird it was hearing Wondergirl actually
complain about something, she'd translated not only the words, but Ice
Princess's tone, like a recording. "You don't like being attacked every
night?" she asked.
Otherwise, silence reigns, I don't know, it was clear to Asuka,
that neither did anyone else. She didn't want to think about last night's
dream. As confusing as it had been, being ripped out of it that way had
been painful. She glanced around, no one else seemed eager to comment on
Ice Princess's assertion, even Raccoon and Horseface were quiet. What did
they experience? Asuka wondered, A pleasant insanity that you had to
master? She shuddered at the memory, it had gone from bad to worse, to
tolerable and then even memorable to . . . gone. Kaji's departure had been
like a knife in her heart. She remembered Kuno's fumbling attempts to
console her, the only one who'd even recognized she was in pain. She
despised him when they first met.
She glanced at Raccoon, Kuno wasn't the first: the honor-bound
madman who never gave up, even when everyone else did. It was unfair, she
considered, Still, the way the others were acting . . . they _were_ just
dreams after all. Figments of our worries and the madness of a Great Old
One. It's not as though those people could possibly exist.
She sighed, But it was kind of fun. A no-holds-barred battle of
wits against that pack of obsessive morons. And I won. She looked at her
fellow pilots, and wondered if it had been as bad for them. Spineless can
get depressed about burning toast. But Ice Princess, Raccoon and even
Wondergirl were shaken. They're all made of sterner stuff than that.
Horseface . . . "Who knows if he feels _anything_," she whispered.
"They're hardly attacks," Shinji translated her reply for
Horseface and Tendo, "More like tests."
Asuka noted Shinji's reaction to that, made a note to investigate
later.
"Yes," Raccoon added, "But who's doing the testing, and why?"
"It shouldn't be one of our enemies," Ice Princess, through
Wondergirl, tells us.
"Not necessarily," Raccoon corrects, "They may assume this is an
attack. Put us in deadlier and deadlier confrontations, and they don't
have to face us in our EVAs. Maybe the next will be something from
Japanese history."
"This _is_ Japanese history," Spineless tells us, "Right after the
American Civil War, the Mikado was trying to make diplomatic relations with
Washington."
"What does that have to do with what we're talking about?" Asuka
demands.
"The environments have been somewhat familiar," Spineless replied
quietly, "Like this one."
"We have to do something to prevent this from continuing," Asuka
told them, "Getting out of the brown air of Tokyo into the fresh air and
the sunshine is one thing, but this is getting ridiculous. I don't want to
be something's play thing!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Raccoon asked.
Asuka paled at that, Yeah, you and Spineless aren't exactly in any
condition to do anything, are you? Asuka thought, That's got to be tearing
you up, isn't it, old friend? Well, we'll protect _you_ for once. She
smiled at him, and treasured his confusion.
The argument continues, but no conclusions can be determined.
----------------------------------------
Dramatis Personae
"Are you sure of this information Raccoon?" Wondergirl translates
for Ice Princess.
Asuka listens idly.
"Sure? No. It's as reliable as I can make it," Raccoon replies,
he turns in his saddle, "They're in a hurry."
Asuka watches Ranma and Nabiki turn as Shinji translates. Raccoon
pulls a telescope, while she removes her own small set of binoculars.
"Buffalo Soldiers, black cavalry. Best soldiers in the American
Army," Raccoon tells the rest of them.
"They're coming straight _at_ us," Ice Princess adds through
Wondergirl, "Not towards us."
Asuka turns to the others, "Ride!" They spur their horses, hoping
to tire out the cavalry's mounts before their own mounts tire, or to get
across the border before the cavalry catches them.
"What's he doing?" Asuka watches Horseface dismount.
"Holy . . . Oh God! I'll get him," Raccoon turns back to pick up
Saotome, who seems amazed that his horse is outrunning him.
"Keep riding!" she yells to the others.
Asuka keeps glancing back, watching Raccoon catch up Horseface's
mount, and ride back to the martial artist. He quickly dismounts, gets
Horseface by the belt and shirt collar, and throws him back aboard his
horse. Then Raccoon runs back and remounts at a gallop.
Just like I taught him, Asuka thinks proudly, she watches them
close in, Horseface looking put out about getting thrown around like a sack
of meal, Someday, Saotome, nobody's going to be around to save you. What
are you going to do then? she wonders, Get you fool head bashed in or
chopped off, that's what!
Raccoon's attaching the stock to his pistol.
Two other cavalry squadrons closing in, and a third group in the
distance, she notes, This could be worse, but not easily.
"Monacon," Raccoon tells her.
"You realize that those two groups are closing in on the bandits,"
she yells back to him over the sound of hoofbeats. And the cavalry must
think we're stragglers, she thinks. She estimates that Monacon's group
will cross the border before the cavalry, Too bad. And calculates that
their group will cross the border ahead of their pursuers, We'll still have
to get through the cavalry ahead.
Asuka is undecided about fighting the Army soldiers, We can get
the treasures from Monacon's group after they're dead, except, after
scanning the group through her binoculars, I don't see anything like a
sword. She watches the cavalry shoot some of Monacon's men off their
horses. Less bounty, but less to go through to get the treasures. Then the
cavalry opens fire on them, that decides for her and Raccoon. She draws
her rifle, and aims for the horses. She sees other officers' horses going
down as the bandits and her group head across the stream that marks the
border.
Without officers, those men aren't willing to take the risk of
crossing the border themselves, Asuka watches Spineless pull one of the
unhorsed bandits on behind him, as they ride out of the trap.
Once it's clear the U.S. Army isn't pursuing, the combined group
slows down.
"They got six of them," Raccoon rides up to her, "Their horses
followed us. As long as they weren't carrying anything on their persons."
"Take a look at our `battle-hardened veterans`," she replies. Ice
Princess and Horseface seem terrified at having been shot at. Spineless is
nervous, Wondergirl is unaffected.
The man who Spineless picked up, dismounts, one of the bandits
leads a horse to him.
Monacon, Asuka thinks. Looks at Raccoon, He's thinking the same
thing: only Spineless . . .
"Why are you here?" Monacon demands, looking over the group from
atop his horse.
"You got there ahead of us," Raccoon tells him, "There was an
armored strongbox on that train, it's full of jewelry and special papers,
for the U.S. Government. You try to blow it up, or smash it open, you'll
destroy half to all of it."
Asuka and Shinji exchange glances, they're silent, I appreciate
your chutzpah, Raccoon. But you and I should be glad Ranma doesn't
understand English.
"I can open it without damaging the contents. I also have
contacts that will let me sell the papers back to the Japanese government."
Asuka keeps her face expressionless, Okay Raccoon, I'm ready to
jump out of my skin. What's your next trick?
"What will it cost?" Monacon wants to know.
"Half of what's in the box, for my people, or equal shares of
everything. Your choice."
Asuka watches Spineless and Wondergirl exchange glances, neither
intends to translate any of this for Horseface or Ice Princess, They'd go
into hysterics. They aren't the only ones.
Monacon agrees to equal shares, "But you get paid, when everybody
gets paid. Even if you have to wait an entire month."
"Agreed," Raccoon tells him, earning a glare from Asuka.
"We should have discussed this beforehand," Asuka tells him.
"When we have the luxury of preplanning," he replies, "Otherwise
we'll have to improvise, both of us."
Asuka frowns at that.
Spineless translates, as Monacon rides among the pilots. "Odd
group," he stares at Horseface and Ice Princess.
"They're Sioux, from Canada, chased there by the 'pony soldiers',"
Asuka tells him, "They don't speak English, or Spanish."
Monacon nods, then stares at Spineless and Wondergirl, he fingers
Spineless's shirt. "And him?"
Don't faint Spineless, she silently implores.
"Cheyenne," Raccoon tells him, "They're no friends of the
Apaches."
Monacon chuckles at that, he turns his horse, "Keep up, we won't
wait for you."
The bandits start out.
"What exactly are you doing?" Asuka demands from Raccoon, she sees
Spineless has ridden close enough to hear the answer.
"Monacon's partner isn't here: even money, he has the sword,
that's our primary target. You agree?" he waits for her and Spineless to
nod, "None of the band have it."
Asuka agrees, "I haven't seen it. But next time tell me your
plans, _beforehand_!_ Even if I disagree, at least I'll know what you're
doing." Spineless drops back to tell the others.
"What are you two whispering about?" one of the bandit `sergeants`
demands.
"Whether I can really open that strongbox," Raccoon tells him,
"And whether we can trust you. Or the Apaches trailing us."
The man spins around, laughing when he doesn't see anything.
Asuka knows Raccoon wasn't joking, they'd both spotted Ranma
watching - something - they couldn't see anything. But if Ranma sees
something, it's there.
Spineless told the others what had occurred. A warning glare from
Ice Princess kept Horseface from screaming.
----------------------------------------
"We're making common cause with these . . . " Ranma finds he lacks
the vocabulary to adequately describe them. Nothing he could think of was
bad enough to actually _be_ an insult. They _were_ filthy, unkempt,
undisciplined, stupid, smelly, evil barbarians, even by their own society's
standards.
"The sword," Rei reminds them.
I think she's actually enjoying this, he watches her return to
Shinji's side. They separate. Ranma glares at the two English-speakers,
Raccoon thinks we all have to dance to his tune, he grimaces, At least that
part of the dream is accurate. "So why don't _you_ suggest something?" He
quietly chides himself, then glances around. He still could occasionally
spot a single man following them. He couldn't make out any details. If it
was just one man against fifty of them, he had to be pretty sure of
himself, or he had a _lot_ behind him. Or he's incredibly stupid, Ranma
thinks. He sees a different lone man riding towards them.
Monacon raises a hand, calling a halt.
Evidently this is where we're going to camp for the night, he
watches the others start dismounting.
Am I glad my`character` can ride a horse! Ranma thinks, I can't
believe I could be so stiff and sore from a day of just sitting on a horse.
He is jealous, Raccoon and Asuka don't have any problems, They must know
how to ride horses for real. None of the bandits seem to have any problems,
while someone seems to be stabbing him in the thighs with every step.
One of the bandits swaggers up to Nabiki and Rei, says something
that makes the other bandits in the group laugh. Ranma had heard laughs
like that among the middle schoolers, when they were talking about girls,
usually in a way the girls wouldn't like to be talked about.
Shinji takes Rei's hand, he looks calmly at the man.
Not daring them to start anything, he smiles, But claiming
possession, then frowns when Nabiki takes Raccoon's hand, and glares at the
others.
Speaking of claiming possession! Damned Raccoon! he thinks, Fine,
see if I care!
Monacon collects a few horses, his ally, and rides off.
Probably to bury the treasures, like a pirate. Ranma is amazed
that Nabiki starts helping Rei make dinner.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki burned about the comments made about and to her. The
bandits had wanted to know 'how much' for her and Rei. She'd quickly
realized what they were saying before Rei translated, despite the language
gap. Ranma had been too far away, and was generally too inattentive, so
she'd teamed up with Raccoon. He'd flatly told them, 'The lady isn't
interested,' again she was guessing. Again the white knight, she thought,
Sorry Ranma.
Monacon had laughed that 'Some things aren't worth fighting
about.' Rei had translated that part for her. As if I'm not worth
anything, she thought. Then Rei had started making dinner, urging her to
assist.
She started helping, with poor grace, glanced at the others. None
of the boys was moving to do anything, Ranma had glared and marched off to
talk with Shinji. She wasn't sure what to do next. One of the men grabbed
her, pulled her up against him, she couldn't understand what he was saying,
she smelled the alcohol on his breath. She readied herself to punch him
out, when Raccoon punched him, pulling her to safety behind him, then the
man came at him.
As she moved around Raccoon to join the fight, Rei took her arm,
"We need to keep a reserve hidden." Nabiki considered hitting the man with
a cast iron skillet, Good camouflage, she reluctantly agreed with Rei,
watched Raccoon knock the burly bandit down again and again with fists and
kicks.
Forget this, she hefted the skillet, and froze.
The man pulled a pistol, but Monacon had returned. The bandit
chief stepped down on the man's pistol arm until he cried out. Then
shouted at the man and Raccoon.
Nabiki stepped out of the way, and watched Raccoon withdraw a few
steps, to let the other bandit stand up. So I'm just a piece of meat to be
fought over? she fumed, A pretty bed-warmer, a possession?
Then she had to admit that was how she'd been treating Ranma, like
all his other 'fiances': he was a possession, some_thing_ to be won, not
some_one_ to be wooed. So why did you agree to make Ranma jealous? Better
question, why didn't you define the terms better? she fought down her fury,
at herself, her family and Raccoon.
Monacon pulled a pocket watch, as the other man stood and steadied
himself. That drunk doesn't have a chance, she thought, It was going to be
a murder, with just a semblance of a fair fight.
Monacon gave a command, then flipped the watch open. It started
playing a tune.
Nabiki was shocked by Raccoon, What's wrong with him? Ranma
wouldn't look that thunderstruck if he found out he was pregnant! She
watched Raccoon as the tune played, Good Grief! I don't think even getting
shot will wake him up!
Then the tune wound down, and Raccoon drew and killed the man with
one shot.
Nabiki felt sick, Another killing, how many more. How many before
I . . . have to kill a _human_._
Rather than being angry, Monacon called off the bandits, "The man
was stupid, it just means more money for the rest of us." Rei quietly
translated for her.
The gang accepted this, Nabiki watched Ranma march over to
Raccoon, with Shinji in tow. She was afraid that Ranma was going to start
a fight. Was Raccoon still in a killing mood? she debated whether her
presence would inflame or defuse things. She let out her breath when he
instead demanded, "What Martial Arts did you just use?"
At least he's consistent, she thought, felt relieved at the return
to normalcy, as crazy as it was. Until she saw the bandits dragging their
dead comrade away. I'll never get used to that, she admitted to herself,
Even in dreams.
Ranma got an answer he didn't understand: "Savate and Pankration,"
Rei translated Raccoon's response, "Both are older than many martial arts,
Pankration is 2700+ years old, it's from Greece."
Nabiki was glad the demonstration convinced the bandits to leave
her and Rei alone. Although she noted how many eyes followed her as she
laid out her bedroll near Raccoon's, and Ranma's weren't the most hostile
or interested she saw.
----------------------------------------
Not the Cavalry
Shinji awoke suddenly, in the early morning twilight. He hears
the jingle of spurs and commands in a language he doesn't understand.
Armed men in dirty clothes surround their camp, as motley a group as
Monacon's followers. Only the blue sashes around their waists mark them as
a unified faction, their weapons as mixed as their clothing. Monacon's
bandits are frightened of these other bandits, despite outnumbering the
newcomers close to two to one. None of Monacon's bandits seems eager to
move. Shinji realizes they're being reasonable, no one wants to get shot.
He looks around, wishing he understood Spanish, he can recognize
that is the language of these new bandits, then he might understand what is
happening, and what they're telling everyone. As if the guns don't make it
all clear.
One of them, the one with the fanciest clothes, pulled Monacon
from the group, another laughs and grabs Nabiki.
Shinji sees Ranma ready to leap. Shinji grabs his arm, "Getting
killed won't help anyone," he tells him, "I don't see any of the others.
Just trust them."
"I can't," Ranma looks heartsick, "I just can't."
"You have to, you can't beat all of them," Shinji urges, Better to
wait. Let the others make their move. "_I_ trust them." They might scare
me to death, he silently admits. "I trust them."
Ranma subsides, the bandits, both groups, relax.
The newcomers toss a rope over a tree limb, while another of their
group makes a small pile of rocks. One of the new bandits ties a piece of
soaking wet rawhide around Monacon's throat, while the rope goes around his
neck, and is pulled tight as Monacon balances on the rocks. Nabiki has her
hands tied to the pommel of a horse's saddle. Another horse-riding bandit
grabs the bridle. The horses trot off, with Nabiki trying to keep up.
"We have to do something," Ranma quietly demands.
"What?" Shinji asks, he worries Ranma's impatience is going to
ruin everything, and get them all killed for no good effect.
The first bullet cut the rope holding Monacon, the choking man
drops to his knees. A second simultaneously kills the leader, a third
splinters the pommel Nabiki is tied to. Then the three snipers begin
gunning down the new bandits. Monacon's men draw their guns and begin a
murderous close-in gunfight. Shinji grabs a gun from a fallen bandit, and
began firing randomly into the air while withdrawing from the enemy.
----------------------------------------
Ranma couldn't bring himself to pick up a gun and kill, or shoot
randomly like Shinji, but equally, he couldn't sit and do nothing. We've
got two people out there, he darted out into the mess, headed for Monacon,
He might be the only one who knows where the sword is, and Nabiki's smart
enough to get under cover.
Ranma dragged Monacon down behind some rocks, after he saw Nabiki
had protected herself the same way. He cut the leather thong from
Monacon's throat, earned a look of silent gratitude from the choking bandit
leader. He watched in horror as the new bandits were annihilated, even
those who tried to surrender.
As Asuka, Rei and Raccoon returned, he followed Monacon back to
the group. The carnage sickened him, especially that none of the three
seemed the least affected by it, Maybe they can treat this as unreal, all
an illusion, he realized, But I _can't_.
Monacon turned to face them, demanded something. Rei's cold reply
seemed to settle the bandit. He collected his lieutenant and rode off,
with a small group of horses. The others began breaking camp, got ready to
ride. Which Ranma was _not_ looking forward to.
"'Why were you out there?' Monacon demanded," Shinji told him,
"'You didn't set a guard,' Ayanami replied." Shinji shook his head, it was
clear he wasn't comfortable with the carnage either. "Rei asked if they
should search the bodies," Shinji added with disgust. "I'm wondering if
she's playing her role better, or if she naturally thinks that way."
Ranma nodded, he'd been thinking the same thing, he glanced
around, Asuka distributed the weapons and ammunition, while Jeff caught up
the dead bandits' horses. The trio loaded what supplies the dead bandits
had, everyone just leaves the bodies.
"How can you do that, Ayanami-san?" Shinji asked in Japanese.
"We need the supplies," Rei replied in Japanese. The group rode
for a few miles, and stopped for breakfast. Ranma wasn't even slightly
hungry.
----------------------------------------
"When are we going after the treasures?" Shinji wants to know as
they unpack.
"Later," Asuka tells him, "When we can win."
----------------------------------------
Nabiki rode near Raccoon, pointing to things, saying the
`Japanese` word and listening to Raccoon's equivalent `English`, trying to
learn as much English as possible. Am I doing this to make Ranma jealous,
to make it up to Raccoon, . . . which may be mutually exclusive goals, or
what? Is that why this is happening? Something is trying to educate us
towards each other? She didn't know, and the idea of one of their enemies
doing that, terrified her. It made no sense, unless it intended to . . .
she couldn't easily think of a way it could be turned against them. The
only way she could turn it against the pilots was so convoluted even Kuno,
or Misato, wouldn't consider it a viable plan. Evidently, all of them had
dreams Sunday night that gave them a feeling of doom, Asuka said they were
tests. Boy! Did I ever flunk mine! Am I passing this one? Is that what
this is, test us and destroy the ones who don't make the grade, and what of
those who pass? Or is it the other way around? Destroy those who 'pass'?
she shuddered, she wanted to ask Shinji or Raccoon about what had happened
to them in the Waking World, but Shinji wouldn't talk about it, and Rei
seemed unwilling to hear the question, let alone translate it.
She glanced back at Ranma, who had been glaring at them as they
rode along, but he'd also been listening to the questions and answers, to
learn `English`.
She was also worried that Raccoon had been looking around, when
Ranma started staring at something. From the look of frustration on the
Sixth's face, she doubted Raccoon was seeing what Ranma was seeing, and
with Ranma's irritation, it was debatable that Raccoon would question the
martial artist about what he saw.
So she asked, "Ranma what do you see?"
"Someone following us," Ranma told her, "Are you sure you can
spare the time to talk with me? Your English lessons seem very important,"
he said innocently.
"We have to be able to communicate," she countered, "You should be
concerned that all our talk has to go through Rei or Shinji. Even the most
simple," the defense sounded weak, she beat down an impulse to tease him
about his jealousy.
Instead, she took a different tack, "You might want to watch your
back, you're a pretty boy, and I don't think Monacon is choosy about his
partners."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked.
Nabiki sighed, "He might prefer you wet, but dry wouldn't stop him
from raping you."
Ranma blanched at that.
"That's why, and for no other reason. I'd rather not get
assaulted, because I'm not `attached` to one of the fighters, that's all it
is," she paused, "That's all it is. It doesn't mean anything else." She
watched Ranma's mount drop back. I'm not winning here, she thought. The
idea of making Ranma jealous was becoming a less successful tactic as time
went by. So what _else_ am I supposed to do?
----------------------------------------
Rei noted the reactions of the town's populace as the bandits rode
in, a look of fear and a closed but not slammed door, as soon as the
children were removed from the street. The gray wood doors in the
otherwise featureless white plaster walls, here and there, the plaster had
come away, exposing the brick underneath. No one had made an effort to
repair those blemishes, or add any color to the place, even as graffiti.
She also noticed no people older than about 10 or 12, girls or boys, unless
they were older than 60. She wondered if that was a peculiarity of the
place, or if Monacon's band had depopulated the town.
The strongbox was brought out, and carried into the cantina, a
table was violently cleared, despite the protests of the owner. Monacon
stared at Roku-kun, who brought in a toolkit.
"Open it!" Monacon demanded.
Roku-kun carefully unpacked a drill, wedges, a hammer, and several
vials of chemicals. Rei pushed her way to the front, to carefully take in
his technique. She ignored the pinches and slaps she received, she could
deal with that later.
The drill gingerly attacked the area around the rivets holding the
hinges. A small amount of whitish powder was added, a few drops of a
different liquid. The affected areas smoked slightly.
Then the lock had the same treatment. The bandits waited as
Roku-kun positioned the thin wedges between the lid and the body of the
strongbox. He drove them in, with gentle strokes of the hammer. The snap
of the metal allowed access.
Someone grabbed for the jewelry, Monacon grabbed the man's wrist.
"Wait! We wait until things cool off. Put the lid back on," Monacon
turned to the Second Children and Roku-kun, "Keep the others here. The
division will take place later, when we can actually spend the loot. Then
you can sell the paper and get your cut."
The Second and Roku-kun nodded. Monacon and his lieutenant walked
off with the strongbox, and the small chest containing the gold the
`prince` offered to Roku-kun and the Second. The sword was not in
evidence. Rei wondered about that, she also looked at the bootprints the
pair left as they carried the load out of the cantina. No one challenged
Roku-kun or the Second Children, to follow Monacon.
The groups separated when Monacon and his lieutenant returned.
As she left to find Shinji-kun, Nabiki-kun caught up with them,
"Do you two want to learn some more of the basics of martial arts? We have
a month to wait," Nabiki-kun said.
Rei thought she sounded out of sorts, wondered what had disturbed
her: Did Nabiki-kun need company, need to do something? She and Shinji-kun
exchanged glances, then both nodded.
She wondered what they should do: wait, search, kill all the
bandits and search the place completely? What? She wasn't used to
operating independently, she followed orders to the best of her ability.
Who here gives the orders? she wondered, I am the FIRST Children, but I am
clearly unsuitable to command.
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