Walk in the Rain Part 12

Walk in the Rain Part 11

''Rinji jumped the cliff, and down the cliff he went until he was at the same level as the rest, his landing caused a huge crater about three times his size, but he stood up as if nothing happened. Then he began to walk toward Eric and Dina, looking at the situation. Then he looked at Nikk, who sat on the railing of his ship, looking even more gloomy than usual. ''

Rinji: So... Eric, I presume.

Eric: Indeed [Bowed a bit with his arms at his side]

Rinji: You put a card on me with a scent that draws lurkers behind me, and then you sic a giant on me in order to keep me away while you sneak in and try to kill my crew. Mewhahahahaha! Trying to exterminate one of the equations to make it easier, is that it? Pathetic! You have pissed me off to a level that I will have to deal with now. Allow me to demonstrate my point.

''Rinji began to charge, his claws out and shining as he approached. However, he was stopped as he saw a man in a gas mask along his way.''

Ricky: Hello. [Held up a hand]

Rinji: What are you doing here?! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?

Ricky: Yep [Sipped on some tea] But I can't let you pass me by.

''While they were arguing, Usagi went to Chio to tend to his burns and wounds. After he got done telling her that he was fine and didn't need any attention, he looked over to their captain bickering with this new fellow.''

Chio: Who is that? [Cringing as Usagi tightened the bandage on his arm]

Usagi: I think asking any questions at this point is irrelevant. We have to focus. Look [She directed his attention back over to Eric, who seemed more than a little irked at them not even paying attention to him]

Rinji: You can't tie me down with your rules! I don't even know you! I don't even know what you look like!

Ricky: It's for your own good. I need to keep you alive.

Rinji: Keep me alive?!? Not that I'm worried about staying alive, but why would you care?

Ricky: You owe me money.

Rinji: What?! Me owe you money? You owe me seven cannons! I brought you the guy who put a bounty on your head!

Ricky: You wrecked my store.

Rinji: YOU DID THAT! I wasn't the one who fired off nine cannons in the middle of a tiny gunshop!

Ricky: You brought those men there.

Rinji: You can't prove a thi--

Eric: SHUT UP! Both of you! I've had enough! If you're not going to hand over my little sister... [He said with a grin, looking over toward Nikk, who looked back at him with the red and black bangs covering her eyes] I'm going to have to show you why you should!

''With that said, he held out his hands and began to emit a strange mist from both of them. Soon it began to fill up the ground around him and began to widen its spread. Rinji took at few steps back as it began to get close to him. He recognized the mist, and remembered what happened to the men who touched it. ''

Ricky: Good thing you didn't approach him. [Pulled out a small metal box with a button on it, and pressed it]

''Two cannons popped out from the ground, and before Eric could even react, they fired at both him and Dina. ''

Eric: GAH! [Flew into the side of the rocks.]

''Dina jumped safely out of the way, and landed on her feet, her eyes quickly turned toward Ricky. With no hesitation, she crouched to an attack position, and lunged straight toward him in perfect form. With lightning fast hands, her hands came out from underneath her black trench coat, with huge lengths of a strange white bandage. She got straight up close to him, and began to wrap one of his hands to his hip.''

Ricky: Hey!! What are you doing?! [Quickly pulled his knife from his belt and sliced at her, making her flip backward through the air and land on her feet.]

''Ricky was quick to cut the bond that held his arm and holster his knife. The two of them faced one another down. After just a moment of sizing one another up, it was Dina who made the first move. She pulled her bandage from her trench coat and swung it around much faster than Ricky expected. ''

Dina: Bondage whip! [With a crack, she quickly whipped the knife from his belt, and made it fly to the ground to the side of them.]

''Ricky didn't even seem to take notice, instead he just stared at her, motionless. The next moment, he crouched, seeming almost embarrassed. ''

Ricky: Bondage? [Rubbing his fingertips together in front of his face]

Dina: Not that kind of bondage! [Face turned bright red.] Bondage Lash! [Whipped another band around at him, this time getting it caught around his arm alone as he blocked it]

''It wasn't long before she pulled him toward her and pulled out another bandage, this time moving with a blinding speed and spun him around in midair. With both bandages, she began to entangle him.''

Dina: Bondage Coffin! [Stopped him suddenly and slammed him onto his entangled feet, standing him up on the ground.]

She grinned and stood in front of him, she pulled out a wavy, snake-like dagger and held it close to him.

Dina: Now then, lets see what is behind that strange little mask of yours. I can't imagine you're much older than a child. [Began to walk up close to him with her hand out-stretched]

Ricky: That could be a very harmful.

Dina: Oh? Does normal air hurt?

Ricky: Harmful for your health, that is.

''Without another moment to lose, the cannister on the front of his gasmask detached and shot onto her chest, sticking to her just below her neck. ''

Dina: What- What is this?!

''Ricky crouched down low, and jumped straight back, rolling away as far from her as he possibly could. ''

Dina: NOO-- [BOOM! Her form disappeared in a sudden explosion, kicking up much dust around her. When the dust finally settled, she lied there, her face a blank expression of unconsciousness.]

Ricky: Do come again.

''Meanwhile, Eric stepped out from his hole in the side of the canyon. Rinji looked upon him as his attention was pulled from Ricky's fight that happened just to the side of him. This was a mistake, however, Eric's fog had already encompassed the rest of his figure, and his image became somewhat distorted. ''

Chio: I have to help him [Got to his feet with a cringe, but Usagi's hand clenched his shoulder, one of the few parts of him that was not burned. He looked at her, and saw her eyes gaze deeply into hers.]

Usagi: Stay with me, we need to protect each other, and Rinji needs to hold his own. Such is the burden of a pirate captain.

They looked on to see Eric's visage turn into a strange collage of shapes, before he finally turned into an extremely tall, and skinny man who stood six-foot ten, gazing down with a smile at Rinji.

Eric: I don't know what would make you fight on terms with my little sister, but you are sadly mistaken. She is mine to do with what I will, and if I say she comes back with me, she will, whether it is her decision or not. No one leaves the Skeleton Bros. without my say so. I don't care who comes to their aide.

Rinji: Then allow me to break your winning streak. Mewhahahahaha! Rinji Katai! [With a swoop of his leg, Rinji swiped across the fog, but as it came, the fog dispersed, and there was no Eric.]

Eric: Over here!

''He came up behind the Catman, and with an armored hand, his fist came from the side of the back of his head. There was a ringing in Rinji's ears as his head was impacted, and he cringed. His claw came around with sharp traces across the air, just barely missing Eric's head as he disappeared into the fog once again. ''

Eric: Oh, you are very reflexive, as expected from the feline species. Hehehehe, very good, Catman Rinji.

''Rinji's cat eyes traced around the fog, he couldn't count on his eyes, though. He knew this, but his ears still rang from the previous hit he took. Still, he could hear enough to sense when Eric's foot stepped harder than usual just to the side of him. Rinji put his guard up immediately, and caught Eric's arm in a block. In an instant, Rinji reposted, and his palm went straight into his face, causing him to fly back into the mist. ''

Rinji: Rinji Dama!!! [Whirled his hands around, making a ball of energy, and fired it off, causing the fog to whirl with it, and as Eric was revealed, he was struck, causing him to spin out of control.]

''He took the opportunity and lunged himself straight for Eric, his claws beared and ready to strike. However, Eric gained his senses, and the machine latched to his arms sprayed a bright red mist, like the one he had seen the first night this whole catastrophe started. That was when Rinji cringed, and his eyes began to burn something fierce. He growled, his paws instinctively went to his eyes, but he faught the harsh urge to rub them, knowing that the chemical was resting on his entire fur. ''

Eric: Yes, you are indeed a worthy opponent. This I will admit, but this game is over!

Rinji: You talk entirely too much! [He spread his arms out wide] HAAA!!!!

''His haki errupted! With his energy, he blasted all around him, and the fog spread out with his very willpower. There he was, Rinji could not see him, but he felt his very essence, and his entire presence, but then he also felt another. Nikk stood in front of him, between him and Eric, who stood just in front of him, ready to attack him, but was stopped cold as his fist came within inches of her face.''

Eric: Nikk... What are you doing?!

''She stood there, her eyes just barely visible through her bangs, gazed at him with great disdain. Her gaze turned from him, back toward Rinji. There was a moment, where he swore he could feel the tears well up in her eyes.''

Nikk: Kitty-chan... there is so much you don't know about me. You will forgive me in time, but like the trees leaves grow red, together, we can grow as well.

''Rinji was silent, but after a moment, his eyes squinted open slightly to see her distorted image. Then he smiled.''

Nikk turned to her brother, and her eyes grew wide.

Nikk: Osore...

''The area became black, and even Eric could not distort the vision with his fog. Soon her stomach made a small burst, and blood spurted all over her brother's face. With a shriek, her slim, pale gut burst into a pool of blood that spilled over Eric, causing his eyes to widen as Rinji came forth through Nikk's very body. He was not Rinji, though. He was a gigantic, beastly form. His tiger stripes blackened all over his body with his muscles buldged all over him. His eyes glared, the monster inside tore from her flesh, his whole figure covered in blood, and his claws three times as long, and reaching out at a mortified Eric.''

''One slice, that is all it took. Eric's blood flowed out the side of his head, and his mind blanked out completely,  causing him to fly straight back into the cliff which lied behind. ''

''The image ended, and Rinji returned to his normal form. He kneeled down, his breath panting and his eyes still burning. His foes lied strewn upon the ground, their battleground. Chio and Usagi came to his aide, while Ricky sat a small ways away from the lot of them. He sat in a train of thought, and still trying to struggle his way out of the bandages that bound his arms to his hips, as they were still quite tight.''

''The kidnapped citizens were returned to their proper homes. Usted Island was returned back to it's normal, everyday chaos. All of the Skeleton Bros. were captured, and arrained on charges of piracy, kidnapping, and several counts of murder. Eric was especially charged, and shipped off to Impel Down. ''

Rinji sat in the living area of the ship, reading that morning's paper with a nice hot cup of coffee beside him.

Rinji: Oh, of course, the Marine captured the Skeleton Bros. all by themselves. Of course. Rotten bastards [Crumbling up the newspaper and throwing it perfectly into the trash bin.]

Chio: Meh, who says they don't deserve some credit, I mean they did... do... well they... ummm...

Usagi: They wet themselves enough to scare off the crowd.

Ricky: And they refused the insurance claim on my shop, saying that it was on "suspicious terms."

Rinji: You destroyed it yourself! [Righted himself] Anyway, I would like to say welcome to our two new crewmates. Though, I don't think I know either of them well enough to announce this as such, but still, they don't bother me too much, and I think I can grow to tolerate them overtime. Cheers! [Raises up his coffee mug, and the rest of them raised their assorted drinks, though it was quite the back-handed compliment.]

Nikk: What position do I get on the crew, anyway?

The others looked at each other, their positions were already spelled out, but they weren't entirely sure for her.

Rinji: We'll decide on that on a later date... Right now, the important thing is what lies ahead of us... We are entering what many have named "The New World."

Chio: Yeah, things will not be so easy along this way. We'll need to stick together if we're going to survive. I'd like to think we're ready.

Usagi: We are. [She nodded]

Chio: Are we? [He looked at her, then over to their captain.]

Rinji: Yes, we are.

A Door that Opens