Walk in the Rain Part 6

It was time to stop running. If she was going to be true freedom, she was going to need to turn around and face the wolves that chased her. She had to fight them herself, but not using her fists, she had to use her cunning. There was no other way, in a face-to-face battle with any one of them, she would be killed. The city was ripe with fear that night, and there were many angles in which to approach it. She simply had to follow the bread crumbs they were laying down, and bring them to light.

Nikk opened the newspaper and read with a very dim streetlight over head. Slobbering Stanley did indeed have the slobbering problem, his body had excessively active saliva glands and this made him very unpopular in the female crowd; wetness. Mayor Mann Affar, sweating problem; stench. A man with several hundred million belli in crooked gains, or at least that's what she could gather in the limited time she had to search his heavily guarded office. No money stolen, and no ransom calls to the Marines, who would be willing to pay a great amount under the table for the return of one of their most favored cash cows. Yes, excessive bodily fluids was a connection, but the Marines were missing a piece of the puzzle, namely Miko Nikk.

Nikk was originally going to be named Anne, so her siblings jokingly gave her the unofficial middle name. Each of these kidnappings were a double meaning. Something that her deductive mind was so finely-tuned to pick up on. Anne, Stan, Mann, and that left one other X-Factor.

Nikk: Hmph [Folds up the newspaper and begins to walk casually down the street toward where she heard the loudest ruckus.]

---

Fil used his gigantic, powerful arms to pick up an entire 30x30 wooden pallet that was leaned against a wall, and brought it straight down toward Usagi. She watched as the pallet came down toward her, and merely pointed her sword to the side of her, and began to spin.

Usagi: Itoryuu: Bunsuun Maru! [Cut a perfect circled hole in the pallet and jumped up with the round plug and kicked it straight for Fil.]

Directly after Fil blocked the attack, his chest was struck a mighty blow, blood bursting from a huge slash in the middle of it, from his left side to his right shoulder. The next instant, Usagi appeared behind him and walked away from him, sheathing her sword.

Usagi: ItoryuuIai: Narabi. [Fil fell.]

It was then that Usagi turned to Red Dog, and then her eyes widened as she looked over his shoulder to see a little girl sitting on the steps of a nearby building. Chio stood beside Usagi and saw the little girl when her gaze pointed her out.

Chio: [Whispers] Who is that?

Usagi: [Whispers] I don't know, but I didn't hear her come in, and something tells me she could have avoided detection if she wanted to.

Red Dog Dan didn't know what to make of the two pirates, he had four other henchmen, but he knew that none of them would stand even a little chance against them. That was when he saw that they were looking behind him. He turned to see the little girl on the steps, reading a small book of poems called "Never The End."

Red Dog Dan: Hey! This is no night for little girls to be here. You need to go home and have a warm glass of milk or something.

Nikk: [Turned the page and kept reading with no light to shine on the page. At length, licking her thumb and turning the page again. Then looks up at Dan] No.

This flabbergasted the Red Dog Bounty Hunters and even caused Chio and Usagi to cock an eyebrow and glance at each other.

Red Dog Dan: Wh-What! Listen little girl, we don't have time to babysit you! Why are you reading a book in a place like this?

Nikk: [Picked up the soda beside her and took a small sip, then gave a small belch, turning the page again, then looked up at Dan with no expression what-so-ever.] You're going to die.

Red Dog Dan: GAH! Don't say that so casually! What the hell are you--

Nikk: You're the next one who's going to be kidnapped [still reading, turned a page].

Red Dog Dan: Wh-wh-what! You dare insult me like that!?

Usagi: [Whispering] That does make sense, he does have an excessive amount of blood with being so big.

Nikk: You're on the right track, Swordwoman, but that's not why he's going to be kidnapped.

There was a long pause, none of the Red Dogs heard what Usagi said.

Nikk: Red Dog Dan wets himself constantly.

Red Dog Dan: GAH! Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh [Beads of sweat ran over his face and his cheeks went flushed.]

Both Usagi and Chio's faces went berserk with surprise, and all of the Red Dogs' eyes turned to their leader.

Red Dog Dan: How could you possibly kno-- I mean [Looking at his gang] uuhhh

Nikk: You have a catheter running under your pants. [Flipped another page]

All eyes went to Red Dog Dan's pants, they were black, so none of them even noticed, nor could they see it then.

Nikk flipped another page.

Red Dog Dan: [Face completely red with anger and embarassment] You got a lot of nerve coming out here, and making wild accusations! I'm gonna have to teach you some manners, little girl! [Raised up his axe, and charging straight for her.]

Both Usagi and Chio took their fighting stances, ready to stop him, but then both of them noticed that their surroundings went completely black, even blacker than before. That's when Nikk shut her book and stood up straight.

Nikk: Osore...

Just as Red Dog Dan was closing in on her, she moved her black and red bangs out from in front of her eyes, which were two gigantic, black, hollow spaces that gazed directly at him, and slowed his charge at a tremendous rate. He was stopped dead in his tracks as she opened her mouth, and white ooze began to gush out and spilled onto the ground. Her mouth opened extremely wide and let out a large white glob of what looked like pus.

The ball of white slime began to move, and as it did Red Dog Dan dropped his axe to the ground and began to take steps back. That was when it took form into a small goblin-like creature, its eyes opened to gaze at the retreating, large bounty hunter. It was then that it showed its black, filthy teeth. With no warning, the little monster darted straight for the large man. All of his conscious crew bolted away from the alley, but he took no notice as the thing came at him. He held up his arm in defense and it splattered all over him, and even the blob began to move on him, causing him to panic.

Red Dog Dan: AH!! GET IT OFF OF ME! GET IT OFF OF MEEEE!!! AAAHHH!!! [Falling on his back and struggling]

Chio and Usagi were speechless... both of them looked in awe as the white pus dissipated, leaving only a quivering Dan on the ground curling into the fetal position.

Nikk's black surroundings went away, and her form returned to normal as she stepped up close to the shaking man whose catheter was obviously burst and over-flowing on his legs.

Usagi: Umm...

Nikk: Nikk

Usagi: Yes, Nikk... would you like to come with us? I think we may have a few things to discuss.

Nikk nodded.

---

Rinji woke up very late that night, and wondered how long he'd overslept. He seriously needed a new alarm clock, as the last one fell on the ground and broke a very much needed gear. He crawled out of bed, and chapped his mouth, his breath was rancid, and he was in much need of some water. He straightened his pajama shirt as he headed toward the bathroom, and saw a light come on in the main hall.

He opened the door to see Chio carrying a very large man over his head who was passed out, hog-tied and gagged with a handkerchief. Usagi stepped in after him, followed by a little, pale white girl wearing a black trench coat who had black and red hair covering her eyes. All of them stopped to look at their captain, who was still sleepy eyed, and  in his kitten pajamas.

He gazed at them for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and then looked back their way.

Rinji: So... what'd I miss?