Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Into The Void ❯ Why I Screw Up ( Chapter 18 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: MellyN

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Into the Void

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 18: Why I Screw Up

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"Hey, Satanic Porcupine!" Sari called out to Udo, who replied with a noise of question and directed his gaze to the girl. "Since you're up, why don't you cook?"

"Okay."

Soon after he agreed, Hisamichi, Loreli and Zidane screamed 'no' in unison in freaked out tones. If there was something that they did NOT want, it was for Udo to come ten feet within the radius of any stove, much less cook.

"Why?" Vincent asked harmlessly. He didn't see the problem with Udo cooking. "What's wrong with him cooking?"

"I heard he blew up the stove once," Hisamichi said meekly.

"He did," the bald man justified the claim.

"Well," Yaritza looked around, "I suppose it's a good thing that they don't have stoves here."

"So he can't blow it up. How hard can cooking over a fire be?" The spunky girl figured that since it wasn't mechanical then he couldn't cause any harm. Loreli eventually agreed but told her that she had given her fair warning if she insisted on letting her boyfriend cook. Udo agreed and told everyone that he would go to the market and fetch something for all of them to eat. He soon left the room casually and upon hearing the door shut behind him, everyone began to continue their conversation.

"Should we run?" Hisamichi asked.

"Not yet, wait until he actually starts the fire," Loreli replied.

"You guys act like he's detonating a bomb when he comes back," Sari thought they were being a little too overdramatic. His cooking could be that bad.

"You don't understand," Loreli sighed.

"He can't cook for shit," the scar-faced man informed.

Only a few moments after he had made the comment was made, the spiky-haired man re-entered the small dwelling holding a package from some sort of deli. It was wrapped in white paper and a small corner of it had been soaked in blood. A semi-freaked out and disturbed look crossed Sari's face.

"Uh, what is that?" She pointed to the package. A part of her didn't want to know what it even was but she was going to eat it after all, so she might as well be warned.

"Human flesh," a small playful smirk crossed Udo's face.

"What!?" The spunky young woman yelped as Vincent went wide-eyed behind her. Agata arched an eyebrow.

"Well, haul it on over here. I'm hungry!" Zidane replied with a puff from his lit cigar.

"You're kidding, right?" Ionna was not going to eat human flesh.

"About Zidane eating or about the human flesh?" Sari asked.

"Probably both," Loreli responded as Udo held the bloody corner of the package above him and let the blood drip onto his tongue. The aqua-haired girl glanced at Loreli and asked her if she kissed those lips. Udo's girlfriend nodded in response as Zidane remarked that he hadn't seen the two of them kiss yet.

"They're…going out?" Bosnia had no idea that they had been boyfriend and girlfriend. Ionna answered in affirmative.

"Yeah but don't look so freaked out, they're both freaky. Loreli's pretty but freaky," the bounty hunter commented as Udo walked over to the woman in question and wrapped a strong arm around her. He commented that she was gorgeous as his velvet tongue ran up the girl's soft cheek. This caused her to flush as she could feel the tongue trailed lower down her jaw and found its way into her mouth, exploring every inch as she kissed him back. The man moaned in pleasure and laid his leg across his mate's lap, not seeming to care about anyone who had been looking at them.

"Uh…That's too freaky and friendly for me," Sari decided to make her presence known.

"Why me?" Vincent asked. "Why don't I ever get any women? Women love me…I think…"

"That's confident."

Ionna sighed as a sorrow-filled gaze hit the floor. "You mean Agata, right?" The black-haired woman said in defeat. She had to come to terms with the truth sometime. Even though she was fond of him, he truly only wanted one thing- and that one thing wasn't her.

"Huh?" The brown-haired man then wrapped an arm around the defeated woman, causing her to gasp at his sudden tough, so strong and protective. He was definitely the type of man she could see herself with. "Hey, you can love me," he smiled at her.

"But you'll still love Agata…" Ionna knew it was true. She loved him even now and yet he only saw the sergeant.

"I'll have to love you both."

Red eyes narrowed and a frown plastered itself on the woman's face as she called him a jerk and pulled away from his grasp, walking out of the room.

"God…You ought to be smacked," Sari scowled. Vincent truly was clueless as to how she really felt. Udo excused himself and walked into the kitchen to begin cooking. Zidane glared at the clueless bounty hunter.

"What did I say?"

"Um, you're blind," Yaritza frowned at his obvious stupidity.

"I'll say," Rubio agreed.

"You miss what's right in front of your face," Valentino told him.

"What did I miss?" Vincent really was confused at why everyone was against him all of a sudden. Was saying what he did to Ionna really that bad?

"She obviously likes you," Loreli tried to point it out to him. Perhaps he needed to be just flat out told that someone was being serious about him.

"I know…all women do," the comment was so casual and yet, arrogant.

Sari was offended. "Would you stop being a pig and listen to reason? You're so full of yourself! She loves you and all you can think of is Agata! Get out of Agata Land!" The girl screamed, then took a pause to catch up her breath. "You're so stupid!" She yelled once more and delivered a swift kick to his butt. "I'm going to go and help Udo cook." She then said with a scowl and stomped off.

"Me too, he needs it," Zidane cracked a small smirk as he followed Sari.

"I'm there," Yaritza wanted to be anywhere but with Vincent.

"I'm going to smoke," Agata pulled out a cigarette. The people around her had seriously caused more stress than even the most incompetent police officer.

"I'll lick my wounds over here," Vincent whined from a far off corner as Valentino took a seat at a wooden table nearby. Rubio sat beside him and stated that he would stay with the assassin. Ryouzonia sat beside of the two men as they all awaited their dinner.

In the kitchen, Udo had the food held over the fire with a long rod stabbed through it. Every few minutes, he would hold it up to his face to see if it was done, then put it back over the flames. Upon seeing the food get close to the sadistic man's face, she told him if he licked her food that he would die. Yaritza asked him if it really was human flesh because if it was she'd definitely pass on the meal. The white-haired man told her that it was really beef from a butcher's shop nearby.

"Okay, because I didn't want to accidentally be a cannibal or something," the ninja commented as the scar-faced man took a seat in a stray chair by the wall.

"Damn, it's hot ever here," he pulled at the high collar of his coat with a gloved finger.

Sari stared at him with an odd expression. She looked at him almost as if he made no sense. "Um…You're smoking, you're by a fire and you're wearing three layers of clothes."

"Forget it," the bald man crossed his arms and gave her a stubborn look. "I'm not taking anything off."

"We don't want to see it anyway."

"You never take anything off," the red-head observed. "Why not?"

"I have to take a leak," Zidane commented before walking out of the room. If there was anything he didn't want to do, it would be reveal the truth about not shedding any layers of clothing. No matter how hot it was, he would not take off any of his clothes and those reasons were personal to him and him alone.

"Ew!! Too much information!" Sari didn't want to know about his urinary tract.

Udo simply watched him leave with a perplexed expression. He knew all too well why Zidane didn't want to shed any of his clothes. Vibrant images of the past began to flood to his senses as he recalled the event himself.

He was only twelve as he walked into one of the dark, dingy rooms of the base to perform an errand. When he stepped into it, he saw a man laying on the ground with a bandanna on and scars, bloody marks, burns, marks where screws had been bored into his body and other wounds that were extensive and covered the majority of his body. He was shirtless and his blood was strewn all over the walls and ground.

"Um…hello…are you okay?" The young boy asked, not sure of what to expect as he took uneasy steps forward. The fallen man was dead silent as he approached his figure and looked down at him. "Oh, you're hurt…Pretty badly too…" Udo bent down to try and assist.

"Get away from me!" The bald-man snapped in a voice filled with pain and rage.

The child didn't even flinch at his harsh tone. "But sir-"

"You Dumbass…You know me," the wounded man coughed up blood. "It's me, Zidane…"

"Zidane-sama…Here, let me take you somewhere to heal." Recognizing him, he pulled him up a little, being as careful as he could not to injure him any further.

"If you take me, you'll get in trouble," Zidane said in a tired, yet kind voice. A child-like had been sat on the side of his face in a comforting manner some of the blood had leaked from a wound and ran onto the small hand.

Udo frowned and his voice became serious. "You're…Who did this?"

"Who the hell do you think, kid?"

"I don't care! I can't just leave you here! Come with me," Udo managed to get the man into his room and prepared to bandage him up, treating the wounds the best he knew how. He was slightly good with medical care so he knew how to flush wounds out, stitch them up and place bandages around them. He was shirtless as he stepped into the room with bandages in one hand and a pail of cold water in the other.

"Did you get tortured?" Udo's voice was low and sympathetic. He received no answer as his friend looked down in shame as the child began to wash him down. The water was chilly against his skin. "You don't have to say anything…Your wounds show it all. No use in you admitting your shame to anyone else."

"I just didn't want any of those damned tattoos."

"Did they hold you down and give you one anyway?"

"…Well…They gave it to me anyway but not in a way you'd expect."

"Huh?" Udo knew that Zidane didn't want an identification tattoo like all of Ibuki's troops had. The man then turned with his back facing the child, who gasped upon the horrific sight. There was a gigantic terrorist sign that had been engraved into his skin with a sharp object.

"This is my punishment…" The man said lowly. Even his emotions were vulnerable at the time but he felt he could share his secret with Udo. The kid had been one of his only friends in that hell hole.

"I'll take care of you. Don't worry…Besides…You have the same look in your eyes as I do." Udo smiled.

Zidane's eyes widened. Indeed they had been alike; wearing the same expression of sorrow, even though he had managed to hide his behind a cold façade Udo had sensed it. It was a moment like this that made him realize that he was at least partially human and even, dare he say it, touch his frosty heart.

"What the?" Udo was then snapped out of his painful memories to the smell of smoke polluting the air as Sari held Zidane's arm, trying to keep him from exiting the room. He could hear their voices from behind him.

"It's called 'take off a layer'. You know, at least one layer, like that big coat. You don't need to be so defensive about it," Sari told him with an air of sarcasm. The bald man then ripped his arm away from her and continued to walk. "Sheesh! Touchy!" He could hear the girl's voice get higher in pitch as she was offended by his gesture.

"Do you smell something burning?" Yaritza asked.

Sari sniffed. "What the-?"

"Oh great, the house is one fire. Leave it to Udo to screw it up," Zidane had tried to tell everyone that Udo shouldn't ever be allowed to cook. This is what they've gotten themselves into.

"Are you sure he's burning down the house?" Sari asked. He could have just burnt something in general, not necessarily the house.

Zidane shrugged," either that or we don't have anything to eat."

"Oh that's it!" The girl fumed as she ran into the kitchen. "If you burnt my food I'll kick your ass!"

"Well, I told you not to let him cook," the bald man sighed as he heard the girl ask Udo what he'd done in a loud, high-pitched and offended tone. Udo then replied that he'd burnt the food.

"What?"

"Burnt…the…food."

"I can hear you!"

"Then why did you ask me 'what' twice?"

"Maybe we should throw you in the fire and eat you!" Zidane heard the conversation as he walked into the room. "Sounds nice to me," he agreed.

"Thanks guys…" Udo dead panned.

"Nothing like roasted porcupine," Sari teased.

"Well, hurry up, I'm hungry," the bald man agreed as Udo backed up towards the fire, not aware of what he was doing.

"Hey, I said I was sorry." At the end of that statement flames shot up from behind him as his long coat-tails caught on fire. He cursed and patted his butt furiously, trying to put out the flames.

"Already throwing yourself in are we?" The sarcastic girl continued to tease him as he managed to put out the last of the flames.

"I get the legs," Zidane held up a hand, as if promising himself a portion.

"Too bad it didn't burn me. It would have felt good," Udo remarked with a sadistic smirk on his face as he recalled how wonderful the pain would have felt. "Maybe even scar the skin or make it babble."

"Ugh…" The very thought of it made Sari sick to her stomach.

"But not too badly…wouldn't want to disfigure vital areas," the bald man continued the conversation.

"No, not really, just enough to burn."

"Hmm…So what now?" Zidane stared at the burnt meat.

"I was hungry too," Yaritza whined.

"Hey, why don't we go to the beach?" Sari asked, almost randomly.

"Hey, why don't we jump into lava pits and while you're at it we can escape to the top of Mount Kayukus again," Zidane shot sarcastically. No way was he going to the beach! He would not go to the beach and he would definitely not wear a bathing suit or play in the water.

"The beach?" Udo looked confused. "What the hell is a beach?" He'd heard people talk about them but he's never truly been to a beach before.

"You're serious?" Sari blinked in disbelief as she looked to the man with an astonished face.

"Yes."

"He was raised with terrorists…killing and obedience is all that's required of you when you work there," Zidane informed.

"Let's go then! It would be nice…Uh…but let's buy some bathing suits." Yaritza noticed her inappropriate beach attire. Metal and ninja gear would be more deterrence then an eye appeal.

"Oh hell no," the bald man argued. It would be a cold day in hell when they got him in to one of those.

"You mean like Speedos?" Udo asked. If that was the case then he was definitely not wearing one of those things. He didn't feel like showing off that much of himself and to be truthful he was already self-conscious as it was. He didn't need to give Sari something else to make fun of.

"Screw that shit."

"Oh come on, you don't have to wear a Speedo," the red-headed ninja tried to console the men.

"No but we might make you wear a man-thong," the small girl teased, grinning impishly at them.

"I'd rather get hit in the balls with a baseball bat," Zidane remarked.

"No…I'm not sure I like the beach," Udo looked a little uneasy at his choice of beach attire.

"No…You in a…just no…that's scary…" Yaritza tried to wash her mind of that horrid mental image as Loreli entered the room and asked everyone what had happened. She smelled the burning of her boyfriend's coat tails and noticed that they had been in the kitchen for a long time.

"Jackass burnt our food so now we have to do something else," Sari grumbled.

"Let's go to the beach, sounds nice, eh?" The ninja brought the idea up to the female terrorist.

"Oh yes, it's been a long time since I've been," the girl smiled. The idea sounded fun and they could always eat at the beach instead of troubling Ryouzonia and attempting to burn her house down.

XxXxXx

"I'm not coming out…" Agata's low and unamused voice could be heard from one of the changing rooms by the beach.

"Oh come on, we did," Sari was wearing a two-piece aqua bikini with a frilly skirt bottom.

"Is Vincent there?" Agata wanted to make sure that the area was stalker free before she decided to show the other girls her attire.

"I hope not. It's a girl's changing room," Loreli was clad in goggles, a kimono-type shirt and two piece navy bikini with orange trim.

"If they are, they already saw you naked," Yaritza stepped out in a white bathing suit. She could feel a shoe hit her on top of the head and bounce off. "Ow!" The ninja rubbed her wound.

"You're not helping," the sarcastic girl's face was riddled with irritancy. At this rate, she'd never come out and they'd never even get to the shore.

"Well, I thought if given that piece of information, the rest wouldn't be so hard to deal with."

Bosnia blushed at the thought of someone seeing her nude and looked a bit shy. "I hope no one's in here."

Agata walked out in a simple one-piece, bright yellow bathing suit. "There, I showed you. Can I go back now?" This was humiliating and she can't even remember how she'd even gotten into such a humiliating situation. Giving the bounty hunter another reason to needlessly hit on her wasn't her idea of a fun day at the beach.

"You look really good," Loreli complimented. "Yellow suits you."

"It's cute," Bosnia agreed.

"The beach sounds wonderful. Besides, you all should relax, given the events of the past," Ryouzonia was still dressed in her usual blue attire. She was cool in her bikini-style top and blue fabric that simply covered her front and back. The salty air rushed through her feathers. It was calming and cool.

"I can't get the Capt'n off of my mind," the mint-haired girl sighed.

"Well to get to her, we need a plan of action. This will give us a perfect opportunity to think," Sari informed.

Ionna was still in the changing room. She stared at her reflection and sighed as she glanced over her figure. She wore a two-piece red bikini that was noticeable but not too provocative. A burnt yellow wrap around skirt hugged her hips and ended at her feet with the opening in the front, so that she could easily remove it if she wanted to swim. She wore a red tiger lily tucked behind her ear. "I wonder if Vincent will notice me in this one…I mean, it's bright red but…I saw Agata with a yellow one…I'm sure he'll like hers a lot better…Or maybe he won't even notice me…but that's typical, isn't it? I mean, it seems like you're always trying to impress the one who never notices you. I know how my brother feels now. Every time he's nice, he gets his head shoved into the ground by Rubio…but he's never given up on something important to him, so I guess I'll give it a shot," the long-haired woman's red eyes flashed with determination as she walked out to see the other girls.

"Hey Ionna! You going to take all day?" She could hear Sari's voice grow impatient.

"Sorry…I just don't feel very well," Ionna she stepped out.

"You just need to relax on the beach. You know, let out the tension," Yaritza told her. It sounded like good advice, if she didn't have to share it with the man she loved.

"Wow, you're pretty," Bosnia complimented.

"She'll be turning heads all over the beach. Here's our wonderful lady in red," Sari held out a hand in introduction. It made Ionna smile. Everyone was trying too hard to be helpful and cheer her up. They were truly good team mates. However, the smile only lasted a few moments as she thought of the man. Her red lips turned into a frown and she uttered the phrase 'I wish' as she walked past the girls.

"She's so sad," Bosnia replied.

"Probably because Vincent was such a jerk to her lately, I mean, he's been all googly eyed over Agata," Sari complained then noticed Agata standing behind her. "No offense Agata! Then he's all ignoring her. Agata doesn't even like him."

"No, I don't," the white-haired woman replied, lighting a cigarette. "He's a jerk."

"He's quite…" Yaritza paused for a moment, trying to find the least offending word to describe him. "Dense…"

"You mean stupid!" Sari out right said the most offending phrase.

"Perhaps he just has tunnel vision," Ryouzonia suggested. She knew that people who were in love tended to be blinded to all things around them. It seemed to be Vincent's case as well.

"He's so blind. He doesn't see what's right in front of him," Loreli's voice was sympathetic to both of them. She didn't think badly of Vincent but she definitely could relate to Ionna on my different levels.

"Let's make her forget about that jerk and have some fun," Sari offered.

Yaritza agreed," she needs a good incentive."

XxXxXx

Zidane brutally stabbed the sand with a large beach umbrella and set up a beach chair for lounging. "This is a good place for me to just relax," he said to himself as Udo walked out in red, baggy swimming trunks. His body was lean and lanky and he felt awkward, as if he was in his boxers in public.

"I can't believe you got into those," Zidane's comment didn't help him one but either.

"Shut up, Zidane."

"You look like a half eaten apple with white mold on it."

"At least people won't stare," Udo noticed several other men on the beach wearing similar shorts.

"They'd stare if I wore this ensemble or not."

"Check it out! I'm hot!" The bounty hunter struck a pose with a pink beach towel wrapped around his neck.

"You mean not," Udo observed his girly looking towel as he stabbed his umbrella into the sand.

"Maybe you're hot but your beach towel sure is a pretty shade of pink," the bald man teased.

"It was the last one, get off of me," Vincent complained. He knew he would get it for carrying the pink towel he just hadn't mentally prepared himself with this.

"I wonder how many women said that to you," Udo remarked as the bounty hunter's face turned into one that looked offended.

"Look it's the three fools," Agata pointed to Vincent. "Self-absorbed fool," she pointed to Udo. "Freaky fool," she pointed to Zidane, "and stubborn fool."

"Is you blanket pink?" Sari asked.

"It looks like mine," Bosnia held up a blanket that was a shade of light pink. Vincent's expression then turned into one of annoyance.

"Who needs a towel?" Zidane asked, sitting down in his beach chair. "This is all I need."

"Have you guys seen Ionna? She walked ahead of us and we thought you'd see her," Loreli asked.

"Nope and I haven't seen the fruit cake either," the bounty hunter mentioned.

"What?" Rubio asked in a slightly annoyed tone as both he and Valentino were standing behind him.

Vincent then produced a happy-eyed expression. "Oh…heh, heh…hey fruit-I mean Rubio. I see you brought your boy- I mean Valentino with you," he had that tingling feeling that his face would soon be pounded in by not only one but both of them.

"Spare me. I already heard you call me a fruitcake," Rubio frowned.

"I haven't seen Ionna. Guess she didn't come over to this side of the beach," Udo tried to change the conversation to a level-headed subject that no one would get offended at.

"I'm here," Valentino's sister replied in a sad voice as she strolled slowly up to the group, looking a little self-conscious. She noticed that Vincent was also present, and it didn't help her situation any.

"Hey, hey! Look at that sexy maiden there!" Vincent complimented.

"You mean Agata, right?" Ionna looked defeated. She knew what would come next.

"I didn't see her until now but since you mentioned it…"

Rubio, Valentino, Zidane and Udo all looked annoyed. He was back to his old ways again.

"She does look pretty hot."

"Why you…" Sari growled.

"But I did mean you, Ionna."

"What?"

"Yeah, you're the sexy one in red, and Agata is the sexy one in yellow. You're hot and she's sizzling!" He smiled brilliantly. Valentino's eye brow twitched; even he was annoyed by the difference in compliments.

"This is pretty sweet huh?" Hisamichi walked up and paused, looking around at everyone's expressions. "Do I even want to ask?" He wondered out loud and then caught sight of Sari's bathing suit. "Wow…you look nice, Sari." The red-head blushed meekly.

"Hm?" The girl snapped right out of her angry face. "Oh…thanks…"

"Your welcome."

"Whatever…" Ionna sighed and walked off to sit by herself.

"Jerk," Sari muttered and followed her.

"And you people call me stupid," Rubio spat, and then left after them.

Agata casually puffed on her cigarette and looked at him.

"Did you have to be so mean to her?" Yaritza was already feeling bad about it and just when Ionna was getting better he had to go and say that to her. "She actually likes you."

Loreli sighed. "Poor Ionna…I know how she feels. I'm going to go and cheer her up." The ex-terrorist silently walked away and followed Rubio and Sari.

"I'll never understand them. Why are they so touchy?" Vincent complained. Everyone seemed especially irritated by him. It was as if he always had to be on his toes around them.

Udo sat on the ground, "because you're a jerk, Vincent."

"Why can't you guys back me up for just this one time?" The bounty hunter was feeling really cornered and defensive. Even the three men who were with him seemed irritated. What was their problem anyway?

"We don't like you, Vincent," Zidane told him and the bounty-hunter sighed.

This was confusing. Was he really that much of a jerk?

To Be Continued…