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Gunslinger Girl created by, registered, and copyrighted to Yu Aida, Media Works, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Gunslinger Girl. ADV hold the copyrights to the English version of Gunslinger Girl. This work of fiction is not intended for any commercial purposes but was created for the entertainment of the Author and Fans of Gunslinger Girl.

No copyright infringement was in any way intended.

Between the Lines written by Jino Turtlegod

M Rating. For mature readers only. Some scenes, themes, language, and situations are not suitable for younger readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Fish

"Fishing?" Claes asked with the tone of a child who had just been told that her best friend was being taken to the candy store and she was not invited.

"Yeah," Triela answered as she took a piece of expensive carbonfiber tubing and tried to fit it with another piece in the hope of coming up with the overpriced fishing rod that the instruction sheet promised (though the damned thing did not make any sense either in Italian, French, or German and the illustration didn't look like a fishing pole). "Mister Hillshire is giving another attempt to teach me The Wonders of the Great Outdoors."

"Must be nice," Claes commented as she took the pieces from Triela and began assembling the fishing pole with the same absentminded precision that the other girls have when stripping down their weapons.

"Wow! How did you do that?"

"I'm not really sure. Must have read it from somewhere," Claes said as she gave the fishing pole a practice swing which was so natural and precise that it made swishing sounds with each pass.

Triela looked at the blissful look on her friend's face and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "So... um, do you want to come with us?"

Claes stopped her perfect casting practice and looked at her friend, "But I'll be intruding into your alone time with Mister Hillshire."

Triela gritted her teeth in annoyance. Did everyone really think that she had 'that' kind of relationship with her handler? She wished! Triela retraced her previous line of thought and palmed her face mentally. She blamed the conditioning for such frivolous thoughts. "No, you're not intruding into anything."

"Is that a hint of disappointment in your voice?" Claes teased. It was a momentary lapse in judgement – you do not bite the hand that feeds you.

"Do you want to come along with us or not?" Triela growled.

"Yes!" Claes replied as she ran out of their room to her private library to get the fishing gear that was stowed there (one of the many mysteries of that room that Claes knew she would never solve – especially the mystery of why there were two sets).

000

At the camping ground by the river Hillshire looked at the assembled campers with his usual poker face. This was what happened when your partner asks your permission to include her friend in the fishing trip in front of the other people at the office. Claes, Angelica, and Rico were fine since he knew the girls needed a treat now and then. Henrietta and Guiseppe were okay since they were friendly with the other fratello. What he was having second thoughts were for Priscilla and Olga – the little incident about being manhandled to the office floor may have been forgiven but not forgotten -- OK, so he was still a little peeved about it. He knew the two women were just tagging along as they had overheard some of the girls having a bit of a bragging contest about their handlers while having cake in the cafeteria – like kids with 'my dad is better than your dad' kind of thing. Since the Petra-Sandro fratello's cover was that of lovers Petra had been ahead of the other girls (with Henrietta obviously, and dangerously, jealous). Triela had then calmly put down her teacup and silently placed her left hand palm down on the middle of the table. It was said (if you listen to the rumor mill at the office) that the diamond on her wedding ring had sparkled malevolently. It had sent Henrietta and Petra away crying. Hillshire made a note to keep out of the way of the Angel of Love and the Russian. And another note to have a talk with Triela about being mean – Guiseppe and Sandro had glared at him all through that day.

"Okay, we'll be fishing here," he said as he gestured towards the riverbank. "Please don't go too far if you want to fish alone. The adults will finish setting up camp, I think Claes can show the girls how to fish."

"I don't know anything about fishing," Claes noted.

"Oh, just wing it then," Hillshire said cryptically as he and the others began setting up camp.

"Hokay..." Claes said as she lugged her gear towards the water's edge. She looked at the eager faces of the other girls and she felt a little overwhelmed. She took out her rod and gave a brief demonstration on how to use it, a bit surprised at herself that she knew more about fishing than she thought. She especially liked the wide-eyed look the others had when she put the wriggling grub on the hook. "... and then you cast like so. Now everyone bait your hooks."

"And this is supposed to be fun?" Triela asked as she eyed the can of grubs suspiciously.

"It's easy," Claes said with a grin as she caught Triela's wrist, applied a little force to make the resisting girl open her palm so that she can put a single wriggling grub on Triela's now open hand. It was to Triela's eternal shame that she screamed like a schoolgirl.

"What happened?" Hillshire asked as he hurried to his partner's side.

"Victor..." Triela pleaded to her handler with tears in her eyes as her body froze, the grub still wriggling on her palm which Claes kept open with a judicious application of force. The effort of subduing another scream could be seen on her face. Hillshire just arched an eyebrow. He took Triela's pole and the grub from her palm and baited Triela's hook for her. Triela, Rico, and Angelica all winced as Hillshire speared the poor grub.

"I don't think I can hurt a grub," Angelica said with a bit of worry.

"Oh, that's okay Angelica," Claes said as she pulled out a tin from her fishing gear. "I had Mr Hillshire also buy some fish roe for those too squeamish for the grubs."

"YOU WHAT?!" Triela screamed at Claes as Hillshire smirked and placed the pole in her hands. "You mean I didn't have to handle those disgusting things?!"

"They're not disgusting, they're cute," Henrietta remarked to everyone's surprise. The girl giggled as she baited her hook, a big grin on her face as she watched the grub wriggle on the hook. She cast her line, the plop as the hook entered the water broke the strange stillness that had frozen everyone at the riverbank. Angelica and Rico chose the fish eggs, warily eyeing Henrietta as the girl was still giggling to herself.

After all the girls had their lines in the water, Triela asked the obvious question: "And then what?"

"You wait for a bite," Hillshire said at her side.

"How do you know –"

Everyone stared as Triela's pole jerked. Surprised, Triela heaved on her pole and in doing so slipped on the treacherous stone covered riverbank. Hillshire caught her by the waist before she fell into the river.

"That's how you know you have a bite," Hillshire said drily. Triela just settled back against her partner and waited for another bite. Hillshire circled his arms about Triela's waist and rested his chin atop Triela's head. Angelica and Rico were both red to their ears but knew enough not to comment about the fact that Triela was using her handler as a leaning post. Thankfully, Henrietta was lost in her own world as she imagined the little helpless creature that would soon be wriggling at the end of her hook, its lifeblood gushing out to the waters and then how she will present its bloody carcass to her dear Guiseppe – to each their own image of Heaven.

Claes had a small knowing smile on her lips as she made a sidelong glance at her friend and roommate – at least one of them had already bagged a fish.

OWARI

Omake

Claes found the current state of affairs quite shameful. Here she was surrounded by a group of killers who had in the past not only seen blood, but also various parts of the human anatomy in various conditions after the application of varying degrees of force (usually lethal) – and the hardened killers were shuddering and whimpering like babies.

Claes raised the bloody knife with a blood and guts stained hand and looked at the assembled group of so called assassins. She asked with all the sarcasm and derision that she could muster: "So, who wants to gut the next fish?"

It was no surprise that Henrietta raised her hand.

000

Author's Note:

Chapter 36 of the manga is an eye opener. Adult Triela is hot!