[Episode] A Night Out

Adrenaline was a powerful painkiller. It surged through Yumiko’s veins, courtesy of her hammering heart. The open wound felt numb enough that she could keep moving. Her gaze darted towards the roar. Reflex guided her hands to her blade, ready for another fight... Until she recognized Sir Ryoichi. He was... a little bigger and hairier than she recalled. Sharing a similar curse herself, she quickly put the two and two together, of course, but the shock was still there. This was the first she learned of it. ...Or the first time the topic came up, rather. She was not the type to pry into other people’s lives.

Despite the bear man’s unsteady performance, the weasel woman stayed put. While a motherly sisterly worry bubbled beneath the surface, she restrained herself. Her fingers wrapped around her other arm, gripping so tightly it hurt. Interfering with another warrior’s fight was an unforgivable offense. The difference in power was meaningless before honor. She had faith that the Petty Officer would see this through... Even if it killed him! The same faith applied to the unconscious Marines scattered about. To die in the line of duty would’ve been a most honorable end indeed. ...But she would still rather not allow that to happen. If things turned bad, she stood ready to cast her own honor aside to protect her precious comrades. ...Most of whom had simply passed out at this point. She just didn’t realize it.

Yumiko’s attention shifted onto the prisoners, who were scampering away from the fallen bear. Their crawling was cut short by a stern comment. “Please do not try to escape. I do not wish to cut you down... But if I must, I will.” While she remained polite enough, she clearly didn’t grant them the same level of respect as her comrades. In her eyes, they were criminals and cowards, of which the latter was worse.

Soundlessly the red coloration continued to seep across the pale green kimono. The swordswoman returned the sheathed blade to her waist. Every breath stung all the way down to her stomach. Shutting out the pain, she gripped the stained cloth. Silent sounds of ripping and tearing trailed in the wind. Soon enough, she had several long strips... And an improvised crop top. She wrapped the strips around the wound in several layers and pulled it tight. Calling it first aid would’ve been far too generous. Her medical skills were non-existent. She was simply trying to staunch the bleeding, plugging a leak, as it were. With one last tug of the messy knot, she decided it would hold until she could see an actual medic.

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Total: 4546

With one last trade of blows, the battle of bulky boxers came to an end. The ground trembled as they fell, one after another. Much to Yumiko’s immediate and immense relief, her fellow Marine emerged victorious. She knew the subtle difference in breathing between living prey, unconscious prey and... Well, no matter. Brushing any grim thoughts aside, she marched over to the winner. “Well done, Petty Officer. Thou hast brought honor to thy unit.” She offered a helping hand, seeming utterly oblivious to the difference in sheer size and weight. True enough, if he accepted the offer, he would find that her best attempt to pull him back onto his was... uh... lacking. Sure, she may have been strong for someone her size, but not that strong.

After the Commander had gotten the Petty Officer back onto his feet, she shifted her attention onto the downed soldiers. Some looked almost peaceful in their slumber... While others had puked the poison out of their systems. Her shoulders slumped with a disappointed sigh. Such a shameful display... But they were her comrades nonetheless. She took a deep breath... And let her voice echo across the area. “Aaaattention! Form up!” Quite the lungs she had for a short woman. Unfortunately the shouting got no results whatsoever. The nearest soldier simply turned to his side and mumbled something about five more minutes.

Several awkward seconds crawled by, before the inexperienced leader had to admit defeat. Red coloration started creeping onto her cheeks. Trying to keep a brave face, she cleared her throat. “Ahem, Petty Officer, tie up the two bandit leaders and watch over the prisoners.” She marched over to the boulders. “I shall clear the path.” While her voice held firm conviction, her actions didn’t quite match it. First she simply gave the nearest boulder a powerful push. Nothing happened. It slowly devolved into a strained shove... “Hnnnnngghghghgghgh!” Her sandals slipped and scraped against the dirt as she failed to move the massive rock even an inch. A trickle of red burst from between the bandages, as she strained herself too hard.

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Total: 4895

Stubborn to a fault, Yumiko kept pushing. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and poured every last drop of her strength into it. Despite the growing agony stabbing daggers into her gut, she refused to quit. Against all odds, the massive boulder suddenly shifted. It rolled with a hefty rumble. Little by little, step by step, the mighty roadblock moved. With one last heave, it was forced aside. The path was open. She collapsed onto her knees, basking in the feeling of sheer accomplishment that rode the receding wave of adrenaline. ...Until she opened her eyes and saw the bear standing by her side. The puzzle pieces clicked together. Something behind those cold, green eyes died quietly.

Ah. So that’s what happened...

Fortunately -or unfortunately depending on the view- the Petty Officer provided an accidental distraction... The Commander froze in place. A hint of green painted her features. Her eye twitched and her hair stood up on the end. The foul stench practically slapped her right on the nose and dragged her out of the mental swamp. She gagged and clasped a hand over her face. Scampering onto her feet, she quickly sought some distance. A couple of steps was enough to clear the air enough. The careless movements sent another wave of pain through her body. “Guh, I-I’ll be fine.” She reassured him hastily. While the thought was very kind and all... She dearly hoped he wouldn’t open his mouth again.

Eager to move somewhere with fresher air, Yumiko forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Now that the path was open and the goal in sight, she was going to complete her mission by any means necessary. Her eyes turned to the snoozing Marines. She steadied herself with a deep exhale. “Forgive me... But this is for thy own good!” A series of painfully blunt smacks echoed into the night, accompanied by startled yelps. Within seconds, the soldiers sprung back onto their feet, more or less conscious. Red, hand-shaped marks bloomed on their cheeks. By any means necessary indeed.

With the forces... reassembled... the envoy could continue their mission. The Commander ordered the men back into formation, with the Petty Officer keeping the rear again. Ahead of them, the local base stood like a rook at the end of a chess board, a powerful piece watching over the pawns. The sleepy guard at the gate rubbed his eyes before believing them as the group approached. When the Commander explained the situation to him in brief terms, he gave her an odd look... But opened the gate nonetheless.

Upon entering the base, the messy group was greeted by a confused night watch. The explanation was, again, met with that same odd look. Nonetheless, they sent a messenger inside. Soon enough, the base commander himself stepped out to the yard. He was a great, burly fellow, standing tall and proud like a mighty oak... And his teddy bear decorated pajamas didn’t hinder the inspiring impression one bit. A man of few words, he remained silent and let actions do the talking. ...Or his personal assistant, when the situation demanded it. The mousy, bespeckled boy was practically cowering behind his leg. He was feverishly checking his stack of papers pinned to a clipboard, while mumbling something about unintelligible.

Yumiko stepped up to the mismatched duo and snapped into a salute. “Sir, Commander Yumiko reporting, sir!” She directed a dramatic, sweeping gesture at the captured criminals. “This one has brought the prisoners as per thy orders! We also encountered and captured the bandits thou warned us about!” As the decorum demanded, she slipped back into her most formal speech pattern. It was practically a reflex at this point.

The ensuing silence was deafening.

After a long, painfully awkward pause, the base commander blurted out a baffled question. “...What?” Equally puzzled, Yumiko stared back. “What?” The silence threatened to return, prompting the base commander to clarify. “Haven’t sent any letters.” In turn, the samurai reached into the folds of her kimono and dug out the proof she held. Anyone paying even minimal attention could see that the paper had been written in crayon. “But... It has thy signature.” The base commander and his assistant stared at the so-called letter... Then back to the samurai... And finally shared that same odd look that had been passed around twice now already. Somewhere, a cricket chirped rather loudly.

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Total: 5630

“I-it’s fake!”

Unable to bear the weight of the awkward atmosphere any longer, the mousy assistant suddenly blurted out the painful truth. He adjusted his large glasses and shakily pointed at the so-called letter. “T-the paper doesn’t have the official Marine insignia.” Yes, because that was obviously the first clue. “A-also... It’s... clearly written in crayon... S-so...” He had been hoping he didn’t actually have to say that last part, but it just slipped out anyway. The reactions of the tired men ranged from stifled snickers to annoyed groans. Only the stern base commander remained silent, seemingly unmoved by this shocking revelation.

Rosy coloration crept across Yumiko’s features. It slowly grew in intensity until she resembled a ripe tomato. Burning shame flared inside her chest. Her eyes flitted between the paper and the boy, unable to tell which one to believe. The letter had seemed so genuine... As soon as the sheer shock released its hold, she dropped down to her knees. “T-this one apologizes for-!” However, her loud apology was cut short by a single word that came down with the weight of a judge’s gavel.

“Enough.”

The base commander faced his guards and aimed a sharp point at the chained bandits. “Men, lock up the prisoners.” While his soldiers went to work without a word of protest, he swept his gaze over the remaining ten men and their leader. “We will take it from here. The rest of you are dismissed.” As he turned his back to them, one more thing was left hanging in the air. “Thank you for dealing with the bandits.” With that, he marched back inside and the mousy assistant scurried after him. He was a fair man... If a little grumpy when his beauty sleep was interrupted.

Yumiko got back up quietly. She dusted her clothes carefully, trying to gather her composure. Her eyes had lost their stern edge as they shifted towards the troops under her command. For the first time tonight, her voice wavered weakly. “A-attention, men... Return to...” However, much to her dismay, she found the men already leaving. One of them glanced over his shoulder and helpfully clarified the situation to her. “Up yours, Commander. We were already dismissed.” His friends nodded in agreement and one even muttered bitterly. “Just you wait until the Rear Admiral hears about this...” Needless to say, there would be nine angry complaints filed tomorrow.

Or perhaps even ten...

Finally the disgraced leader’s stare stopped on Ryoichi. Her lips parted, but no words came out. She lowered her head, dropping her defeated gaze to the dirt. Quiet winds started whirling around her, tugging at her clothing. “I... am returning to the ship...” It was a mere murmur, barely audible to regular ears. For her, there was nothing more left than to lick her wounds. “Enjoy thy night, Petty Officer.” The forming whirlwind grasped her large sleeves and tossed her like a kite high into the sky. Her silhouette soon vanished into the distance, leaving the young man with only the moon to keep him company. What he chose to do with the rest of his night out was up to him.

Tomorrow would be a new day... with a new set of problems.

Words: 539
Total: 6169