Other Fan Fiction ❯ Black Roses ❯ Beloved Nuisance ( Chapter 18 )

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

It was early morning when the group sailed away from the island that held Knothole Glade. They had left the former captain of ‘their’ ship on the shore, after he had spent the last few weeks below deck drinking himself to oblivion. He had been conveniently forgotten until that morning when Mathiues had been overseeing the loading of supplies. Unluckily, the captain was fairly sober when they left him.
The captain angrily watched his ship sail away from him, noting the direction and memorizing it. Then, he set off to inform Lady Grey, his employer, of her son and husband’s treachery.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Evange had found that the captain’s cabin was a somewhat better place to spend his days than the deck. Which now caused Leah to fervently avoid the cabin, instead constantly staying on deck with her fellows.
Mathiues was occupied with his captain position, occasionally humbly asking assistance from the much more traveled Gladiator. And during the times when he wasn’t needed, Gladiator stood at the railing and gazed into the depths of the sea.
His thoughts clashed with one another, causing the hero headaches that he did nothing to erase. Memories of his past rose from the dark corners Gladiator had pushed them into. Old images swirled through his mind, his childhood family, the first woman he had married, Lady Grey and their son, Evange.
Do the gods hate me so much that they continue to curse me? Why torture me through my family? Are they such cowards that they don’t come after me themselves?!
The hero continued to torture himself with painful memories, wanting nothing more than to feel the pain he had already inflicted on others. Leah had noticed Gladiator’s somber mood and, after much consideration, walked to the hero, determined to at least make the man stop moping.
“Gladiator, sir...” There was a brief nod from Gladiator as Leah addressed him and then silence. The girl quietly cleared her throat, searching for something to say.
“I’ve heard you went through many trials to gain Lady Grey’s hand.”
“I suppose so, Elvira was a demanding woman and continues to be so.”
“Oh...”
The conversation rapidly died and Leah didn’t fail to notice that Gladiator’s mood hadn’t improved a bit. She was startled when the hero started a more serious topic.
“You’re on a quest to save your friend. Have you realized that everything could go wrong and you could end up with innocent blood on your hands?”
Why is he telling me this? Does he just want to spread his depressing mood to me or something?
“Er, well, I think I’ll be able to do the right thing-”
“There’s no guarantee of that. Believe me, there isn’t.”
I began with ‘good’ in my heart and look what I’ve done. Look how much I’ve been corrupted. And with no one to blame but myself.
“Oh... Well-”
“Girl!”
Again, Leah was interrupted, this time by Evange’s irritated voice. Hesitantly, the girl turned towards Evange, hoping he didn’t want something from her.
“You haven’t visited me all this time, won’t you come here so we may enjoy each other’s company?”
Strangely, Evange didn’t follow the ‘request’ with a wink or even a smirk. It seemed the boy had tasted a bit of seasickness this time around, holed up in the airless cabin that rocked continuously. Leah shrugged at Gladiator and made her way to Evange’s cabin slowly, not eager to enter the boy’s lair alone.
If he even suggests anything I’m throwing him into the water and leaving him! He can swim after us if he wants to.
Mathiues watched the brief exchange until Leah disappeared into the cabin from the corner of his eye. He would’ve liked to stall the girl but knew that it would’ve been hopeless.
When we reach land, my dear, I’ll prove my love to you any way I can. I won’t let that monster have you.

~~~

Evange settled himself on a chair in the cabin, closing his eyes momentarily, completely ignoring Leah as she walked in. The girl gave Evange a warning glare that wasn’t noticed before turning her attention to the cabin itself. It was plain, without any human accents, utterly drab.
I guess the captain must’ve not spent a lot of time in here. Or he was incredibly boring.
“Are you planning on standing there the whole time?”
The boy’s eyes had slid open slightly and he now watched Leah.
“What do you expect me to do?”
As soon as she said it, Leah bit her tongue, wanting to take back the question as soon as it left her mouth. Evange only held his hand out to Leah, impatiently waiting for her to cross the room and take it.
“I’m not going to jump you, just get over here.”
The girl glared but came to Evange, refusing to take his proffered hand. Evange rolled his eyes before grabbing Leah’s arm and hauling her almost into his lap.
“For someone who’s supposed to like me, you don’t show your adoration much. Have you changed your mind about me?”
Leah tried to smile, “Of course not. I’ve just been enjoying the view outside.”
“It’s just water. And you should still have some time to see me.”
You jerk, why don’t you try coming to see me if like me so much?! ...I’m not your slave and I don’t even like you!
“Oh, er, sorry. I’ll come see you later, okay?”
Another forced smile appeared on Leah’s lips as she tried to pull away, but Evange only brought the girl closer, glaring. As he opened his mouth to say something, a rough wave hit the ship, causing several things to happen at once. The first of these being Evange violently turning his head away, trying to keep from being sick. The second being Mathiues seeing what he thought to be land, which caused the ship to suddenly become noisier, drowning out any sounds that might come from the cabin. The last event pushed the air from Evange’s lungs, literally.
Leah’s legs had slipped out from under her and she had fallen forward, into Evange. Evange took deep breaths, trying to fill his lungs while forcing away the nausea, a faint sound that was barely heard over the commotion coming from outside.
“...Are you okay?”
Leah was tentative in asking the question, especially when having to look up at Evange from his lap. Her voice seemed to startle Evange, him only just realizing where Leah was.
“Evange?”
The girl pulled on her arm, still being tightly clutched by Evange, an uncomfortable look on her face.
“I’ll be fine in a moment. But I’m a bit hungry for something sweet, right now.”
Evange leaned down, tightly placing his free hand on Leah’s face. As for Leah, she desperately wanted to pull away, feeling more awkward than ever.
“I-I can, er, find some chocolate for you, maybe... But you have to-”
Abruptly, all noise from within the cabin ceased. Evange had claimed Leah’s mouth, hungrily pressing his lips to hers. His hands strayed from their original positions, roaming the girl’s body with fervor. Almost as quickly, Leah had pushed against Evange’s chest as hard as she could, unbalancing the boy and causing him to fall from his perch.
“You pervert! Stay away from me!” The outburst came out as a shrill cry as Leah tried to push herself to legs that were shaking violently from anger.
Why did he do that?! Why is he such a freak?!
“I knew it,” Evange laughed bitterly, glaring at Leah. “You don’t like me. You’ve been protecting that Guild reject all along.”
“Maybe I just don’t like you jumping all over me like you said you wouldn’t!!!”
“I didn’t jump you, I kissed you. I had no intention of taking it any further than you wanted.” Evange’s face darkened, “As someone who was supposed to like me, I thought you wouldn’t mind a kiss.”
“Well I did mind!” Leah finally managed to lift herself to her feet, glaring at Evange before turning on her heel and starting out the door.
“Maybe you should watch that darling lover of yours, he could very well find himself dangling over the water by a noose.”
The girl clenched her fists, quietly closing the door and stomping away to vent her anger at the endless waves that separated her from Kuyo. No one noticed her come out, all busy with their own agendas for the moment.
That jerk... I can’t believe him. He wouldn’t really kill Mathiues, though, would he?
The girl blew out a breath, angrily glaring into the distance.

~~~

Evange was sprawled on the bunk in the cabin, trying to close off the rocking world around him without much success. Sleep wouldn’t come to him, he dreaded the dreams that might come with it, anyway. Still, anything was better than this never changing hell.
It had been several days since the boy had called Leah into the cabin. Mathiues had been disappointed to find what he had thought to be the island they were heading for was only another piece of land belonging to the island that held Knothole Glade. The ship sailed past, the ghosts working as diligently as ever while temperatures grew colder on the sea. While the temperatures dropped, the waters also grew rougher, neither of those factors improved Evange’s mood.
That stupid girl... How could she not want me?
The boy glowered and shut his eyes as tightly as he could, trying to push down his faint pain.
Fine, I don’t need her, she’s a nuisance.
Evange’s expression softened and he cracked his eyes open, but didn’t see the cabin. Autumn leaves now fell around him, crunching under his small feet as he ran to someone sitting by the road. The person’s face was unimportant, forgotten long ago.
There was a small fish in his small hands, found dead on the shore by him. He proudly presented it to the person, one of his various childhood nannies.
“You’re such a nuisance.” The nanny’s words were sharp and frigid.
Evange turned on his side in the bunk, frowning. The boat continued to rock and sway.
He’d wanted for someone to take as much pride in his find as he had. He had wanted to present the fish to his mother, not realizing the fish was half rotted and smelt something awful. The little boy wanted to show he wasn’t a dead weight.
A strong wave hit, making the ship lurch in such a way that Evange was left struggling to keep the few contents of his stomach down. There was a faint thud on the door of the cabin, followed by voices that Evange tried to ignore.
Be quiet! I don’t want to hear your disgusting voices, anymore!
The boy clenched his teeth, the pang of loneliness from his heart overcoming his nausea, and silently extracting a small green bottle from a pocket.
I refuse to listen to your voices. I’ll make my own silence.
With a quick movement, the contents of the bottle slid down Evange’s throat. It calmed him and made his eyelids feel heavy.
Now I won’t have to hear you...
The empty bottle slipped out of the boy’s gloved hand, producing a hollow sound as it hit the floor.

~~~

This chapter is very short, but I figured that this was a good enough place to end this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner...
Criticism is welcomed with open arms, my writing is definitely far from perfect. :P