Vermillion

By Blackheart Syaoran

AUTHOR: Sorry for the wait, but I’ve been busy with the new console launch and paying off my bills for it and its games. I also needed to read some Final Fantasy game scripts and plot analyses, from which I’ve drawn some idea, including the direction this fic will take from this chapter onward.

Enjoy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 2: The Job

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Mimiru was having the nicest dream about pineapples when Tsukasa, snoring like a foghorn, rolled over so that he was now on top of her.

I never get to enjoy anything, she mentally growled.

Forcing herself awake, she slid out from underneath the young man and got dressed. Fortunately for the pair, they’d managed to find one of the poorest inns Mac Anu had to offer, and promptly secured a room.

Thanking the gods that her husband slept like the dead, she slipped out of the inn and made her way through the early-morning streets of the city. Very few people were roaming about, and the shops were mostly closed; it was six o’clock, after all.

It took her nearly ten minutes of nonstop walking, but Mimiru finally reached her new place of employment, a small café that reputedly served the best noodles in Mac Anu.

She knocked on the counter a few times before the curtain blocking the rear of the café parted, a chubby man with a handlebar mustache coming out to greet her.

“Ah, the young lady from yesterday!” the owner smiled. “I was hoping you’d be here early enough to practice.”

“Practice what?” Mimiru asked, though she already had a rough idea. She dreaded the job of being a waitress, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Arm-wrestling.”

The man’s words caused the Heavy Blade to stare in total disbelief.

“WHAT?”

Nodding, the owner explained, “Normally, I run this place like any other café, but in the summer I get a little extra money by managing an arm-wrestlers’ tournament. Any age and gender can sign on, and it really is a sight to behold.”

Her cheek twitching in a threatening manner, Mimiru asked, “You want me to serve drinks to a crowd of sweaty arm-wrestlers?” The very thought filled the young woman with incredible dread.

The owner burst out laughed, and Mimiru felt relief flow through her veins. “Heavens, no! I’ve got a few girls already working for me to help with the tourney. I want you to be the bouncer.”

As if punching sweaty morons was better than gripping their hands in competition. “You’re joking, right?” she asked, a note of pleading in her voice.

“Afraid not. My regular bouncer busted his kidneys in a cage match during some street fighter tournament, so I really need the help.”

“Wouldn’t asking some macho guy to do the job be better? I’m just a girl.”

“Ah, but therein lies the victory I seek.” At her confused expression, he said, “If you were a macho man, then a fight would almost certainly break out. But when some drunken or power-crazed malcontent starts to stir up trouble, all you need to do is shake your moneymaker and the problem is solved.”

Now her lip was twitching. “Gee, I’m sure I’m doing women everywhere proud by shaking my moneymaker.”

“Oh now, don’t be like that! I’m desperate! I’ll pay you a nice amount of gold, plus the entry fees of any hoodlums you handle!”

Well, when you put it like that… “All right, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

The man almost gave her a hug, but she stopped him in time.

“Thank you!” he gushed. “Thank you so much! The tourney just isn’t complete without a bouncer to keep the peace!”

Whatever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By ten, a crowd easily a hundred strong was milling in, out, and around the café. There were only a dozen tables, and all were being used by contestants. The waitresses the owner had mentioned were hurrying from the tables to the counter and back, switching empty tankards for full ones.

All in all, Mimiru felt like she was the only person with a personality that wasn’t on a par with an idiot’s. Granted, not everyone present was an idiot, the owner being one of the exceptions, but the majority of the people in the café were either muscle-heads or pea-brains.

Just think of the money, Mimiru reminded herself. It’s only for the money. Tsukasa won’t care as long as he’s got food in his stomach.

There was a sudden clamor, and the young woman found herself getting out of her chair by the café’s entrance.

Apparently, one of the contestants had gotten a little victory-high, and had socked his latest opponent in the face.

“Yeah, I won!” the man was cackling. “I’m so going to own this tourney!”

“Maybe you should calm down, huh?” Mimiru asked, getting into a sultry stance that made her breasts look a little bigger than they were.

“You joking?” the man laughed. “I’m in this thing all the way, and I don’t take requests from girly bouncers!”

Mimiru immediately dropped the Nice Girl Act. Growing up, she’d always been a bit of a tomboy, and not just because she was a Heavy Blade; she preferred smashing heads to sewing.

“All right, buster,” she said in a no-nonsense tone, “now you’re asking for it.”

Unfortunately, just as Mimiru was about to sock the guy, a small glowing orb appeared above the table. For a long moment, everyone in the café stared at the orb, and then the troublemaker said, “Hey, I finally got that glowing death-orb spell to work again!”

It was all she needed to hear.

Adrenaline surging to necessary levels instantly, Mimiru drew her blade and flowed forward, the weapon cleaving through the air and subsequently bisecting the man.

Silence overtook the café once again. The orb flashed and vanished, much to the crowd’s relief, and a second later the man’s halves hit the ground.

“Great, now I’ve got a mess to clean up,” Mimiru grumbled.

“Ahem,” a voice behind her said.

Turning, Mimiru gave a start. At the café entrance, a contingent of Crimson Knights stood, weapons drawn and faces grim. In front of them stood a straight-haired man hefting a bladed staff, his shirt opened to expose his chest.

“Well, I was told to collect a Heavy Blade, but nothing was said about her being a violent young lady,” the man said.

Mimiru’s shoulders slumped as she anticipated what was to happen. “Let me guess,” she groaned, “you’re going to throw me in jail, right?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about jail? I just have to get you to Lady Subaru’s office.”

Mimiru’s spirits sank even lower. “I’d almost prefer prison to her company.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subaru looked up from her report, giving Mimiru an appraising expression.

“I must say, you seem to attract a lot of attention in a very short amount of time.” When the Heavy Blade said nothing, the Crimson Knights’ leader continued. “I know you’re fully expecting to be thrown in prison for cutting a man in half, but since he apparently summoned a dangerous form of magic, you will be pardoned for any lawlessness.”

Still Mimiru said nothing.

Turning to Silver Knight, who stood next to her desk, Subaru asked, “What’s the latest word from the other cities?”

Silver Knight’s face hardened before he answered. “Nothing has changed since the last progress report. Someone is still causing the monsters to become more of a threat.”

Subaru nodded and returned her gaze to Mimiru. “In case you’re wondering why we haven’t dismissed you, our chat is part of the reason. Monsters all over The World are becoming more active, and the city leaders are under the suspicion that a particular individual, or group of individuals, is behind it. To confront this problem, I have been tasked with finding persons with the abilities to handle very dangerous foes.

“I believe you to be such a person, Mimiru. While you were waiting for an audience with me, I was reviewing your criminal transcript from Dun Loriage, which made particular note of your combat skills. I was rather pleased to read that you almost came out of the gang fight unscathed.

“Getting to the point, I need you to agree to sign up with the aforementioned task force and address the growing threat posed by the monsters. You don’t have to do this; I’m asking you to. Not everyone in The World can be a hero or heroine, so I’m hoping you’ll agree to be one.”

“Why?” Mimiru asked, suddenly speaking. “I’m a former convict. Can’t you pick someone with a cleaner record?”

“Your brief stint in the custody of the Cobalt Knights is hardly the kind of punishment to label one a ‘convict,’” Subaru pointed out. “And furthermore, you are something of a local hero for taking out that death-orb man at the café.”

“Then I’ve already got a job!” Mimiru said, trying to use that as a decent excuse to turn down Subaru’s offer. “I’m a bouncer!”

“We can shift guard duties around to remedy that,” Silver Knight responded. “Some of the men are a little irked at spending their nights watching over boring clay pots that even desperate criminals wouldn’t bother with.”

“Well, uh…” Mimiru couldn’t think of much else. “What about my husband? I have to take care of him, you know!”

“He can be provided for while you perform your required duties,” Subaru said. “Please, think of how much good can be accomplished by agreeing to investigate this matter.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” Mimiru asked suspiciously.

“Because I have neither the strength nor the skill to battle legions of adversaries. As a common citizen, you have those attributes.”

“And just where would I be doing your dirty work?”

“All over The World. This is a world-spanning threat, and it needs people with top-notch skills to handle it. Please, will you accept our offer?”

“How can I be sure this isn’t some trick? I have notoriously bad luck with authority.”

“I assure you that this offer is genuine,” Subaru insisted. “You will be well compensated for your deeds.”

Mimiru stared at the blue-haired woman for a long moment, silently thinking over the proposal. She and Tsukasa dearly needed the money, and clearing up any lingering traces of her troublemaker’s reputation would be sweet.

“All right,” she said, “you’ve got yourselves a deal. What do you need me to do?”

Her face showing great relief, Subaru said, “First of all, before you begin any missions, we’ll need to more fully test your skills. After training, everything should be set up enough so that we can begin to better investigate the monster threat.”

“You said that you would set this up as an organization or something?” Mimiru asked.

Subaru nodded. “Yes. It may sound a little silly, but I was intending to call it SOLDIER. Members would be divided into classes, with First Class being the best and so on.”

Mimiru shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too gay to me.”

“Thank you,” Subaru said with a thin smile. “Silver Knight, will you handle the rest of the SOLDIER details while Magi and I move on to the rest of today’s issues?”

“Of course, My Lady,” Silver Knight said, bowing his head. “This way,” he told Mimiru as he moved to the office door.

She followed him out and down the hall. Though she was tempted to ask more about the new job, she resisted, sure that she would receive more information later.

“Is your husband really mute?” Silver Knight asked abruptly.

Mimiru looked at him. “What makes you ask?”

“I don’t believe that someone would truly give up speech, since it’s so integral to life.”

The Heavy Blade shrugged. “Legally, he has an IQ of forty, but people like him because he’s polite.”

Silver Knight only grunted in response, and continued leading her to the building’s lower levels.

“Down here is where we’ll be conduction most of your training, along with any other SOLDIER recruits. It should be very interesting.”

“Gee, can’t wait for it either.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“This stuff is going to come out of my ears if I eat it anymore,” a man with flowing green hair complained.

“Well, what did you expect, letting Mom teach me how to cook?” the boy on the other side of the campfire replied. “You’re lucky we have anything to eat, since you’re lousy at hunting.”

The man sniffed. “I’m a thief, not a hunter; what do you expect?”

“I expect you to try harder when you’re miles from the nearest town and hungry.”

“Times like this that I wish you were a Wavemaster instead of a Twin Blade,” the man said. “You could conjure up some food.”

“I don’t think Wavemasters can do that, Dad.” There was a pause. “Remind me again why we’re out in the middle of nowhere instead of comfortable in our own home?”

The man sighed. “Because the Crimson Knights snatched up my old war buddy Crim and I don’t want to be next.”

“Crim?” the boy said, surprised. “But he’s a hero! Why would the Knights want him?”

“So they can arrest me, no doubt. And if I’m arrested, no one will be around to raise you right.”

The boy frowned. “You’re trying to turn me into a thief like you; that hardly sounds like raising someone right.”

“Better than trying to impress some girl with heroic deeds.”

“Hey!” the boy cried indignantly. “Black Rose is not just some girl! She’s my best friend!”

“Who dates older men.”

“That stupid Komiyan? I could take him!”

“Kite, you’re a fourteen-year-old boy. You don’t know how to ‘take’ a challenger.”

“Then why won’t you teach me?”

“Because I’m busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Sleeping.”

And with that, the legendary outlaw Sora pulled his blanket over his head and shut his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AUTHOR: Perhaps a little short and a little rushed, but a good chapter, yes? Please say yes!

READ N REVIEW!