Disclaimer: no, i don't own
Warning: not for Rikkai lovers. Some Rikkai spoilers. OOC. Additional pairing: slight MomoAnn. I’m evil.
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Chapter 2: Devil land
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Of all the possible missions he could be sent to, it just had to be something like this. Something so deliriously frightening, so rashly suicidal so... so .... deliciously adventurous? Wait, back track. Where did that come from?
It's too stuffy here, he decided. Even if the air conditioner is blasting at full force into his face. The seat is too tight, he added. The straps are cutting into his shoulders. His mouth is too dry. His legs are cramped...
The list is far from over.
Arg. He's been in this wretched jet for too long. This whole confusing situation just keeps getting worse and worse—and they haven't even reached their destination yet! Life is not good, Momoshiro Takeshi concluded silently.
"Momo, are you still sulking?"
Dammit! He's only a scholar! A scholar is meant to stay at home! Studying! Not dragged into some hot-oven cockpit to do –as his senpai would like to word it –absurdly senseless mayhem! And anyway, how would he understand? He always goes on these ridiculously psychologica—
"Momo! Snap out of it!!!"
...speaking of the devil
Momo twirled in his seat to face the pilot. "Look Eiji-senpai, can't you just let me have a few more moments to myself to reminiscence my short life before I die a gruesome and bloody death?"
Pause.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!! Bloody death? Momo, have you been watching those movies again? Didn't I tell you that those are only special effects? Honestly." Kikumaru Eiji risked a moment to peek at the youngster.
"I have every reason to worry! Why send a person with no experience in space combat to an important mission like this?" He covered his face with his hands. "What in the world was Tezuka-buchou thinking?"
"Thinking what a big mistake this was," Eiji mumbled.
"A scholar is not supposed to be involved in acts of war," continued Momo, oblivious to Eiji's earlier comment. "A scholar is supposed to be spending precious time pouring over manuscripts and such to gain the knowledge necessary for—"
"Ah, Momo! I can't believe stuff like this is coming out from you! You think nobody knows your escapades with that short sword you have hanging in your bedroom?
"What?! That's for decoration! How dare you!"
"Uh-huuuuh. And how would you explain the uneven hedges in the garden, hmmm? Only a saw can cut through hedges that thick...or a sword." Eiji smiled evilly. "Oh, come to think of it, wasn't it Oishi who caught you slashing at a helpless little shrub the other day?"
"An illusion entirely on his part." Was the curt answer.
"Right. And what about that pistol you have underneath your pillow?"
"How do you know about that?!" By now, Momo's voice had rose to a sharp screech.
"Secret, Momo, se-cret!" Eiji tilted his head to wink at the flustered other. Heck, even he was shocked when he first learned that Momo would be coming. The cook, on the other hand, he understood. Well, he wasn't in any position to complain anyway. Tezuka was one of the best people to rely on when it came to something like this...now that Fuji could hardly walk let alone talk.
He narrowed his eyes. They'll pay for that. Oh yes.
"Well, going back to the earlier topic, Momo" he said in a quieter voice, suddenly serious. "You don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt. There won't be any of that happening on this trip. Everyone's counting on us to return home safely."
With the kid. Momo added silently as he watched the gray planet grew larger on the screen.
---
If there were anything he could want at that moment, it would be to get the hell out of here. How exactly did the brat stand this type of living environment (let alone stay alive) remained a mystery to him. The air reeked. The entire land was practically blasted flat and was devoid of color. Everywhere he looked was blood and carnage. Flies swarmed in to feast on the dead and hoards of rats rampaged like sheets of fur.
Dear God, this was sickening.
He roughly hauled the brat up by his arm. Well, he would've dragged the smelly thing by his collar except it ripped and in the process, leaving the runt shirtless. For what reason the higher-ups wanted this... boy so badly was beyond him, but as long as he got the job done, that was all that mattered. He jerked the body again.
"Men! What are you waiting for? Get the plane ready!" He barked. Did he always have to tell them what to do?
"Yes, Captain! Right away!" The soldiers scrambled into action.
He watched them go with a bored expression. God, any slower...
"Jackal! Come in! Jackal!" The communicator on his wrist sprung to life. "The enemy is entering the atmosphere! Haul your ass up NOW!!!" For a moment, Jackal Kuwahara stared dumbly at his communicator. What? But how? Didn't they lose them in that warphole? He saw them disappear! How could they...
"Jackal!!!"
He jammed his finger onto a button on his communicator. "Marui! Weren't you looking at the radar?!!"
"Who in hell cares anymore! Take the brat and leave!"
"Don't have to tell me twice" Jackal muttered as he more or less dragged Ryoma by his skinny arm. The Colonel wouldn't know the cuts were from the metal bits. As long as he handed over this pathetic excuse of a Mahoiun alive, it would be fine.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Jackal fell on his hands as the ground shook. Broken pieces of metal and glass pierced into his palms. He took a quick look at his bloody hands before raising his head. The sight was not pretty.
The Swiftnet laid in pieces. Three large ones to be exact. One of them was smoking. More than half of his soldiers were on the ground.
"Shit!" He cursed loudly and yanked his plasma blaster out from his belt hostler. The bastards were going to get it.
---
"Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaahaaaaaa!" Crowed Eiji happily. "Momo! Momo! Did you see that? The way the plane went—" Dramatic pause. "BOOM!"
"Yes, yes. Eiji-senpai." Said Momo in a tiny voice but his eyes did not reflect any fear whatsoever. Geez. It was at times like this that he wondered why Eiji-senpai was given a license. That and how he could come home alive from doing such reckless acts. He snapped back to attention when he heard the change in noise from the engine.
"Ok, now look after my darling plane while I go beat the baddie and whisk the—."
"—helpless lad away from their evil clutches? How are you so sure that you haven't blasted him along with the plane?" asked Momo skeptically as he felt the plane land.
"Nyaaaa! How dare you doubt my superior vision." Eiji strapped on his gear before pushing the necessary buttons to open the side door. "I'll be back soon. If you feel lonely, talk to Taka-san. Or start writing a letter to Ann-chan about your adven—"
"Eiji-senpai!!! Get out there already and be careful!"
The face that was so full of mirth suddenly hardened. "Don't worry, I will."
---
"Ah, Kikumaru Eiji. No wonder you got past the mother ship." Jackal taunted as he clutched the plasma blaster in front of him.
"Can't say that I'm glad to see you too, loser." Eiji scrunched his nose and allowed his eyes to cautiously roam the area. This place was disgusting.
"Looking for the runt? Don't worry, the trophy's over there." Jackal pointed to a particular leveled area some distance away. The boy laid on his side, but even so, the deep cuts and his malnutrition state was alarmingly apparent.
"What did you do to him?!"
"He was already that skinny when I found him. As for the cuts, well, let's just say I don't regret it." Jackal dawdled on.
"No regret, is it?" Those blue eyes flashed angrily as Eiji prepared a battle stance. "I'll make you eat those words."
Kikumaru Eiji was no amateur when it came to hand to hand combat. So when Jackal came charging, he neatly jumped to the side and made a hard blow to the back of the head in midspin. He watched dispassionately as the other kneeled over and tried to regain some balance.
"Huh... that was pretty good. Of course, they would send the best to retrieve the boy." Jackal staggered to his feet. "Since we are on the subject, how is Fuji? Is he too scared to show up? Sent his friends to do his work?"
He suddenly swung out his blaster and fired.
Eiji dodged the shot and gave a vicious kick to the face. "Shut up."
"Oh. My bad." Jackal continued, hand cradling his swelling jaw while he heavily pushed himself off from the ground. He ignored the stinging sensation shooting up his arm. "I remember now. He was poisoned by an arrow. You know, the venom of the Black Cape Viper is very deadly. Not enough to kill of course, but tortures the victim with the pain of a thousand needles and raging fever that lasts for days on end." He turned to face Eiji. "Tsk. Most unfortunate."
He smirked when he saw Eiji rush up to him again. He pressed the muzzle at an angle to the ground, fired and watched with satisfaction as the jumpy imp was blown clear from the rubble beneath.
Just push the right buttons and they come swarming towards you. Jackel thought with a sneer. What a pathetic race.
Jackal stood straight and pointed the blaster at his opponent. "Ha. You shouldn't take me so lightly, Kikumaru-kun. I wasn't given the title of Captain out of generosity, you know."
Eiji picked himself up and carefully faced his opponent again. What an annoying guy.
"You're so full of yourself. I wasn't made a battle pilot for nothing either."
-----to be continued.