69. Conquer

Rei

"No, no, no," I said firmly, "No. No. Absolutely-- fucking-- no."

The seas were raging, a violent storm, a typhoon out in the middle of the sea-- and Squalo was gotta freaking jump into it from this already dying helicopter?

I'd miraculously built up the courage to even voice my desires to go to Japan, but now I wanted nothing more than to go hug Lussuria or something. Lussuria was the only one that didn't look like he was trying to kill me all the time.

The helicopter was shaking, shuddering terribly-- another second in here and it might just lose hold on its pieces.

"Then you can stay here and die for all I care." Squalo spat. Opening his box weapon, he let the shark dive down ahead-- then with almost zero hesitation he jumped down after it.

I gasped-- he just left me in an instant. In another moment he would be far and jumping down after him would be pointless. 

The seas raged. Even the strongest swimmer in the world would be unable to brave it.

I gulped-- and hesitating, I took a step back.

Once you hesitate, you've failed. 

The Varia lackey-- he was a small man, who piloted the heli to the best of his ability even in this ridiculous storm, just because a higher-up asked for it-- he was much, much braver and courageous than I believe I can ever be.

"Sir," he was speaking in a raised voice, through the communications device. "I understand that you're younger now and is much less capable than we now think of,"

I turned to him curiously.

"But there's one thing you always tell us foot soldiers." he raised his voice, "You told us that once you've chosen a path, you're supposed to face the arduous consequences yourself."

was he encouraging me? A varia soldier-- encouraging a weak, cowardly, burdensome child?  

A Varia soldier-- one of the merciless. They'd taken their none-existent emotions out from the heart they've no longer used-- just to encourage me?

I bit my bottom lip-- and held in a pained cry. I had to do this, I reminded myself, I have to do this. There's no turning back. "Brothers," I whispered, "please-- please watch over me."

Holding a breath and throwing myself out of the copter before I could think another second, I felt myself falling. My eyes squeezed shut, my mind was plague with thoughts.

Agony, agony, agony and agony.

Trapped under current and bound by broken limbs.

Forsaken air in a bottomless vacuum of liquid--

I didn't feel the exploding pain on my back that signaled my fall onto the surface of the sea. Instead-- something rough hit my back-- not very harshly at all-- a rough, coarse surface--

My eyes snapped open as I saw the Rain Shark right under me-- the animal had leaped out of the water to receive me. Squalo was riding it, a hand clutching the back fin. He scooped me out of the air by the hood of the Varia coat I wore, and Squalo yelled something I could not hear.

The next second, we were underwater. We stayed in sea for only a second or two before we surfaced again-- drawing another high arc, as if Alo was a dolphin instead of a shark-- and dove right back down into the water. 

I couldn't catch the timing to breathe. I knew I had to calm down and, like what Squalo told me, just trust in the shark-- but I couldn't.

The shark was diving and surfacing every span of a second-- I could do nothing but hope it would end soon.

My throat burned and my chest ached. My lungs screamed for air-- I kept thinking of Drew. 

Of that long moment. Of the struggle. Of the choking. Of the begging. of the pain.

Of the end.

But I bit my lip hard, clutching the shark's fin desperately, desperately-- and made no sound.

I thought I'd heard a tut from Squalo-- then at the next jump, Alo crashed into something solid. The sudden impact flung me off its back, but Squalo caught me before I hit anything. My eyes snapped open-- and I gasped.

Squalo dropped me-- unexpectedly he did not throw me-- onto the deck of the boat-- where  staggered and fell to my knees, clutching the side of the boat and doubling over.

Breathing in and out heavily, quickly, in very short pants-- I was unable to focus and I could feel my heartbeat in a constantly rising, rapid staccato. My head ached and spun, my eyes were dizzy, and I was half-vomiting. 

A man I didn't recognize ran over to me-- I didn't have the energy to register his face nor voice, I just noted he wasn't Squalo--

He was saying something, maybe-- but I still couldn't catch my breath, my head was splitting itself open, and my heartbeat was all I heard.

I'm not very sure when I blacked out. 

-

-

"Are ya serious, mate?" one of the men reprimanded Squalo, "He's got freaken' phobia and you brought him into a typhoon??"

The storm was over and in calm seas, the boat was travelling at full speed toward Japan. Although Squalo was well-known for being impatient, he understands enough to not be unreasonable and ridiculous like his idiot spoiled brat of a shitty boss.

"He asked for it!" Squalo snapped back, "Why is it my fault?!"

That fisherman had quite the gall, Squalo could acknowledge. It was rare for anyone to still be so daring if Squalo threatened the with a sword-- but Squalo really needed to get back to Japan as soon as possible,  so he pushed back plans of murder for now. 

There were three men on this boat excluding the newcomers, but one was steering and the other was looking after the sick. The last one was here, fishing with Squalo.

Fishing, yes. With Squalo.

"He hyperventilated the moment he landed!" the man scolded Squalo again, "what would you have done if he died??"

"That would just mean he was weak!" Squalo yelled back, commencing the official screaming battle in the middle of the ocean, "It serves him the fucking right!"

"Have you no humanity, boy?"

"I lost that before I was a fetus!!"

-

"Are you really alright now?" the middle-aged man asked worriedly to me. 

Below deck, I was sitting up on a makeshift bed of a dry mat and a thin blanket. The Varia coat draped over my shoulders, I sipped slowly on a cup of water I was offered. 

My head was still a little numb and my chest ached. Moving too much was dizzying, but nothing I couldn't handle. 

"I'm alright," I decided to assure, giving the older man a smile, "Thanks."

The older man was unconvinced. "You still look pale and tired.  You should really take a longer rest until we reach land. It must've been hard travelling with that ridiculous barbarian-like man, right?" 

Barbarian, I chuckled. "It's alright. It's partially my fault, anyways." I told him, "I told him I wanted to come along, even when I knew this would happen. I'm a burden on him. I'm really lucky he's been looking after me." 

"No more of that, boy," he ushered me quickly, probably dismissing my previous lines, "You had a panic attack. You need all the rest you can get. I don't like the idea that you'll be in that man's care after we reach Japan, so I want you to at least make sure you're in top shape."

He lay me back down using a bag as a pillow for my head. Pulling my jacket over my chest-- he patted me on the head as if to lull me to sleep. "I have a child your age, y'know." he suddenly said, "You've got a long life ahead of you, so don't waste it out here."

A child my age? I mused, he does act like a father.

I cracked open a smile--

and let myself sleep.