A/N: There is a change in style here, which is why I cut it up to begin with (no more flashbacks). Please enjoy!

Part II: Heart in Hand

And I am alone, so don't speak
I find war, and I find peace
I find no heat, no love in me

My body's weak
I feel my heart giving up on me
I'm worried it might just be
Something my soul needs

Is you, lying next to me
And it's you, lying next to me

- Flesh and Bone, Keaton Henson

"I love you, Natsuki. Remember that."

The last words Shizuru had ever spoken to her.

The words Natsuki never responded to.

And now the words that would hang over her, black and terrible.

Natsuki had never been very good at introspection.

She tended to abandon feelings in general—there was a reason people had seen fit to call her the Ice Queen.

In the wake of Kanzaki's last visit, her insides felt like they had been hollowed out.

There was nothing left but a heart that didn't want to beat anymore, a useless organ that couldn't say those three words when they mattered most.

Kanzaki must have ordered her jailors to continue the beatings. They did so almost reluctantly; in the time she had been here, she had managed to make small talk with several of them.

Sure, she didn't have Shizuru's skill with people but then again—

Natsuki shifted gingerly on her cot so she wouldn't disturb a broken rib.

—she didn't have Shizuru, period.

Time crawled on.

Her days were only separated by the small pockets of time in which she managed to sleep. She had never tried to keep track of how long she had been there, fearing it would drive her mad.

But for all she knew, maybe she had already gone mad. Could one see their own madness or would she one day find herself trying to eat her shirt like nothing was wrong?

The thought made her chuckle more than it should have.

The jailors were in a good mood that day. The navy had just hauled in at least five members of some pirate ship and they entered, snarling and resisting every step of the way. Threats were made, violent promises verbalized in thick detail.

Natsuki managed a pained smile. These new guys were going to be hard to break.

Natsuki started to sing again when her throat finally healed. She was surprised to find that one of the new prisoners had a remarkably strong voice—in another life he could have been a famous singer.

Today's number was a personal favorite. "…And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum!"

The man with the nice voice added, "The devil himself would have to call 'em scum!"

People came in at different times, their voices mixing together harmoniously. The song didn't even seem to bother the guards for once—Natsuki could have sworn she saw one tapping his foot in time to the music.

It was…almost a happy moment. Natsuki stopped singing abruptly and soon the others fell silent, perplexed as to why she had stopped.

Was it so wrong for her to have a moment of happiness? If not, why the hell did she feel like she was going to be sick?

Natsuki swallowed the nausea best she could. "One more time now!" She shouted, clanging her plate against the floor.

Her fellow prisoners hooted in response and the singing recommenced. "Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones…"

Being a captain meant making sacrifices. Even if she had no ship, no crew, she was still a captain. She didn't want to sing anymore—it was making her feel clammy and weak. But if songs made the others feel stronger, more united, it was her duty to continue on for their sake.

Even if the only thing she could hear was Shizuru's sweet voice in her ear.

There was a storm raging outside. Every time a bolt of lightning flashed, a wave of thunder shook Natsuki to the bones. She was lying on her stomach, slowly flexing her weak hand in front of her.

Heavy rain used to be one of Natsuki's favorite things. Of course sailing in it was no easy task, but it was when she felt closest to the heavens.

After a particularly bright bolt of lightning, the prison itself seemed to quake. The other prisoners muttered to themselves, starting to become agitated. A guard yelled something and the building shook again.

Natsuki bolted up as fast as her injuries would allow. This wasn't just a storm—it was an attack.

She caught herself against the cell's bars and peered out. Guards were running by with swords drawn and above her she could hear cannons being rolled into place. The swords told Natsuki that whoever was attacking was already on shore.

A gun went off near the prison's entrance and the sound nearly deafened her. Several more shots followed and soon people who were definitely not guards rushed by her, the sound of keys jangling in their hands.

Natsuki's hand jerked out and grabbed one by the shirt, slamming her against the bars. "Get me out of here," she hissed. "I can help."

The woman looked into her eyes and hesitated. Natsuki's grip moved to the back of the woman's head, pressing her even tighter into the bars.

The woman quickly fitted keys into the lock until the correct one was found. The door opened—the sound of which Natsuki had previously associated only with beatings and whippings—and she stepped out of the cell with a shaky breath.

After letting go of the woman, she asked, "Is Kanzaki here?"

The woman shook her head with a grin. "No. That's why we are." She ran to catch up with the others before Natsuki had a chance to thank her.

Natsuki went the opposite way, towards the entrance, and grabbed a dead man's sword and pistol. She hurriedly checked the pistol (empty, damn him) before sticking it in her pants. A few quick practice thrusts with the sword told her that while she was weak, her mental exercises had kept her skills sharp.

Whoever was in her way would have a sorry time.

Natsuki rammed her elbow into a navy man's temple before teetering slightly. One of the lashes in her back had opened up and her right hand felt like it was on fire.

She had finally made it outside to find most of the guards already dead—whoever was responsible for the prison assault had a skilled crew, though she did have the pleasure of killing the man responsible for her whippings.

Natsuki took a gasping breath. It was her first taste of fresh air in what seemed like forever. In front of her was the harbor, the one she could barely remember arriving in.

Oh, how she wished she had enough time and manpower to scuttle the quietly docked ships. Instead she forged on towards the pirate's ship at the far end of the island. If she couldn't stow away on it, she would have to bargain best she could for passage to the next island. Her only goal was to make it back to Windbloom and track Shizuru down from there.

The pirate ship seemed silent but Natsuki knew better. She quietly made her way up the gangplank, sword extended in front of her.

Once she was on the ship, a creaking sound was heard coming from her left side. She backed a few steps away and braced herself for an attack.

Instead, a man with a fresh-looking 'x' shaped scar on his cheek emerged from the shadows with his hands in the air. "You must be from the prison," he remarked almost casually. Natsuki resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Where else would she have come from?

But something about him seemed familiar. "Songbird?" She wondered out loud. The man raised an eyebrow and Natsuki elaborated, "You're the singer, right?"

His eyes widened. "You were the ones who led the songs!" A happy grin spread across his face. "I was wondering if you'd made it out. I'm Masashi—"

Their meeting came to a halt when Natsuki heard footsteps coming up the gangplank. She whirled around to see who it was.

Immediately a man with a slight build came in close to her—too close for her sword to make a difference. A dagger was pressed against the wrist of her sword hand. "Drop it." He ordered quietly, dangerously.

Natsuki did as she was told and the sword clanged against the deck. Satisfied, the man stepped back. When he did, Natsuki whipped her hand to the back of her pants and grabbed the pistol. Even if it did had gunpowder in it, there was a chance it wouldn't have fired due to the rain. Still, Natsuki pointed it confidently at the man, ignoring how it strained her arm.

A flash of lightning illuminated him—his long, dark hair was tied at the base of his neck save for two strands that framed either side of his face.

"Hold on!" The songbird stepped between the two of them and tilted his head towards the other man. "I'm sure we can work something out, Captain."

Natsuki's hold on the pistol was weakening but she kept it raised. "Captain?" She echoed. "Please, let me join you, at least until you next dock." From there, she was sure she'd be able to catch another ship.

The man frowned. "You're a walking skeleton and I have no way of telling if you have experience at sea. You'd be a hindrance."

"I'm the Ice Queen." She countered with as much confidence as she could muster. "I've been held for a while but I assure you, I can help."

"Impossible," he dismissed her right away. "Her execution papers were signed over a year ago."

That long?

The thought made Natsuki lose focus and in that instant, the captain quickly came across Masashi's side and twisted the pistol out of her hand. Natsuki wrenched her hand away, narrowly avoiding her finger breaking against the trigger guard.

Disarmed twice in as many minutes. Had she really gotten so rusty or was the man just that good?

"A liar and not a very good one at that," he remarked coolly. "Should I kill you now or just leave you behind?"

Masashi spoke up again. "Wait, she might be telling the truth. This was the prison the Ice Queen was held, was it not?"

His captain scowled but didn't let his eyes trail away from Natsuki. "True, but that doesn't mean anything now," he addressed Natsuki, "Do you have any evidence?"

It was a reasonable question but Natsuki felt cold dread wash over her. This wasn't going well. "I…don't." Natsuki admitted through clenched teeth. "They took all of my belongings." She took a breath and tried another approach. "Just let me do deck work, then. I can do anything asked of me."

"I'm sorry but I can't bring you with," the captain murmured. His eyes quickly ran up and down her body. "You've not only soiled a good pirate's name but I can see that you're injured in several places. Honestly, I'm surprised you're still standing. Food and space are only for the productive members of my ship. You would be neither."

Natsuki felt her stomach drop. "Please—" There was no way she could commandeer the other ships available; they were simply too massive for a single person to manage. If this man wouldn't let her aboard, she would be stuck here. Kanzaki's last words, You will rot in this cell, seemed to be prophetic after all.

"Captain, I got the brat." A woman's voice called out. "He was in the very last cell but it doesn't look like much harm came to him." The captain motioned towards Masashi to watch Natsuki before turning around to greet the newcomer.

Up the gangplank came a woman with short red hair, pulling a young man behind her.

Natsuki fell to her knees and started convulsing with laughter. She curled in on herself, clutching her stomach as the sound washed over the other pirates.

Masashi knelt down next to her, looking alarmed. "Are you alright?"

Natsuki had wondered what it would be like to go mad and now she knew—apparently she would see hallucinations of her friends. Because there was no possible way Nao was here on this ship.

She heard her figment of imagination utter a low curse. "Natsuki?" She asked in a hushed voice. "Is that you?"

The captain looked between them in confusion. "You know one another?"

"This…this is the Ice Queen. She's alive." Then to Natsuki, "You're alive."

Natsuki's head swung up to look at her, an off-kilter smile on her face. "Is that what you'd call this?" She shuddered suddenly when she felt another lash open up on her back.

Her vision was starting to get dark around the edges but that didn't really matter—what good were her eyes if weren't working properly?

"Natsuki? Natsuki!" Nao's voice seemed both closer and further away. It melted into the thunder and rain until there was nothing but a dull roar in her ears.

Natsuki dreamed of rain, of blood, of her sword going into countless naval officers.

They were good dreams.

She dreamed of Shizuru taking care of her, wiping her brow with a cool cloth and feeding her soup. Her hands wandered to the sides of Natsuki's face and caressed the skin under her fingertips.

Those dreams made Natsuki wake up gasping.

The ground was rocking. Natsuki opened her eyes to be met with a single lantern swinging haphazardly on its hook, illuminating the room in random patches of soft light. In one moment, she saw a mirror, in the next a small wooden desk. The captain's cabin, then.

A door was opened, casting sun into the room and making Natsuki screw her eyes shut in annoyance.

"You're finally up!" A familiar voice remarked. Natsuki opened her eyes to see her former first mate grinning at her.

"Nao?" Natsuki asked cautiously, "Is that really you?"

A troubling edge to her smile emerging, Nao poked Natsuki in the ribs. Hard.

Natsuki stiffened and let out a low growl. "I guess that answers my question. So that just leaves a thousand others left to ask."

Nao perched on the edge of the bed and any humor that had been present started to fade. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Let's get started then."

She had been gone for four years, Nao had said. Nearly half a decade had gone by in that hellhole. When Nao showed her a mirror, Natsuki couldn't recognize the woman with the haunted eyes and sunken cheeks staring back at her.

Fumi, the ship's doctor, informed her that her right hand would have permanent damage and limited mobility for the rest of her life. The lashes on her back would heal but feeling might be lost and the scars would always be there.

On the plus side, Fumi was happy to point out, "You're alive, aren't you?"

Or so they kept saying.

Natsuki reluctantly gave the cabin back to the captain when she was well enough to walk on her own. Her sea legs had taken their time reappearing, which hampered the process—four years was the longest she had been without water beneath her.

The captain introduced himself as Akira and in the light of day, Natsuki saw that he was more feminine-looking than she first thought. But despite his slight figure and quiet voice, his every order was obeyed without question.

Nao must have been joking when she said Akira had sailed all the way to the prison in order to retrieve his cabin boy. It was absurd to think the young man with the warm violet eyes and occasional coughing fits was worth the trip, even if other crewmembers were imprisoned there as well.

Natsuki thought that until she went down to the galley late one night. After she limped down the steps, she saw the two of them in a rather intimate embrace—Akira's hands were settled on the cabin boy's sides, while the younger man had his arms wrapped around the captain's neck. Their lips met in sweet, tender kisses.

Oh.

Well.

That explained a lot.

She decided to go to bed hungry that night.

Natsuki was dueling with Nao when the redhead brought up the one thing Natsuki was hoping to avoid.

Nao parried Natsuki's attack and said, "You haven't asked me about Shizuru. Not once."

"Damn!" Natsuki barely avoided being impaled on Nao's sword. "Let's stop for a moment."

They sat down and Natsuki grimaced. "Don't bring her up again."

Nao looked bewildered. "Why? You have to be curious."

Natsuki pressed at her forehead with the base of her palm. Her eyes settled on the plank of wood beneath her boots. "Commodore Kanzaki told me everything," she said in a low voice, "Windbloom is gone and so is she. There's nothing to ask."

Nao dropped her sword and slung an arm around the other woman. "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't help anything, but I really am."

Natsuki leaned into her touch for a moment before standing up and offering her friend a sad smile. "Yeah, me too."

"There are many upsides to death, as you might imagine," Akira told her one evening. They were out on the main deck, looking into the vast darkness of the ocean. "Anonymity being the most important."

Natsuki wondered where this conversation was going. She had been on the ship for a few weeks now and whenever she tried to offer her help to the crew, Fumi or Akira appeared to give her a stern look and tell her not to strain herself. Natsuki remembered her first talk with Akira and how he didn't want 'dead weight' on his ship. "Is this your way of telling me to get off at the next port?"

Akira stiffened. "No. It's entirely the opposite." He turned to face her fully. "I wanted to let you know that you can stay on board for as long as you need. Nao told me you'd like to go to Windbloom at some point. While I don't have plans to dock there for a few more months, you are welcome to stay or leave whenever you'd like."

"That's a very gracious offer," Natsuki started. Her grip tightened against the railing. "But I don't think I can accept. I'm…no longer the Ice Queen. Not really."

It hurt her pride to admit that. Her time in prison had changed her more than she ever could have thought. Physically, she might never be in the condition she was before. And mentally something was just…different. She would often wake up shivering from dreams she couldn't remember, a sheen of cold sweat covering her body. The sound of the sails whipping around on a gusty day had her pressing her back against the nearest wall, looking around in panic.

No, she wasn't the same Ice Queen who could disarm a hundred men and pillage a town with ease. She was something lesser now, something weaker.

Akira touched her shoulder and she flinched slightly, momentarily forgetting where she was. "You're right," he said softly, a painful amount of understanding clear in his eyes. "You're not the Ice Queen. She's dead, remember? You're a sailor who is traveling with me for as long as she'd like. My crew is fiercely loyal—the ones who know of your old persona will never say a word. So, what do you say?"

Masashi Takeda, or Songbird as Natsuki (and subsequently most of the crew) called him, enjoyed telling stories almost as much as he enjoyed singing.

Natsuki got the feeling he was trying to impress her with his tales of epic fights on the high seas and his own personal victories (which were becoming more conflated with each story). She didn't mind too much though—they were good stories, after all. Tonight's was a special one in celebration of Natsuki's third month on board.

Takeda rubbed his hands together in excitement as sailors gathered around him. "This is the story of the Red Maiden," he stated dramatically, "whose pure soul was corrupted by the First Navy."

Boos and hisses erupted until he spoke again. "She was once a beautiful young woman, happy and in love with a sailor. They were to be married after he came back from his long voyage. She waited faithfully for his return, first for one month, then another. Eventually a year passed and he still had yet to return. She grew worried and for good reason…the news passed that he had been killed by the First Navy." The boos were louder this time and mixed with strings of curse words.

"Her heart was broken beyond repair—he was the only love of her life and now he was gone. The death changed her on the inside. No longer would she feel anything except a burning hatred for the ones responsible for his demise. She learned how to fight and gathered a crew. The crew was composed entirely of those who had lost people to the navy. She labeled herself a pirate and took to the seas, only she doesn't attack merchant ships or towns. No…her only targets are those who fly the First Navy flags. She's killed enough men to be labeled the Red Maiden by those who fear her."

"Her reputation has grown over the last few years. She's become an ally to pirates and the worst enemy to the navy. She's out here now, on this very sea. If you come across a ship with crimson flags, know you are in the presence of the Maiden. And if you're in the navy, be prepared for a slow and bloody death." Takeda finished gravely. He snapped out of his storyteller persona to give Natsuki a wink.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow at him as the others started to clap. She gave Nao a nudge. "Is all that true?"

Nao shrugged as if she had heard the story a thousand times. "There is a pirate who only attacks the First Navy ships and she is called the Red Maiden. The rest is probably just embellishment."

Natsuki hummed her agreement and listened to the rest of Takeda's stories with rapt attention. But when she went to sleep that night, she couldn't help but have her thoughts drift back to the Red Maiden.

It was a nice break from thinking about Shizuru.

"What do you plan on doing when we get there?" Nao asked her one evening during a break from their practice.

Natsuki didn't know the answer herself. Windbloom was the only place she could call home before she had her own ship and now both were gone. "I just want to look around, I suppose. See if anyone has information about what happened to her."

Nao didn't need any clarification as to who 'her' referred to. She shook her head. "You wouldn't be the first to ask. The Homura's son was also taken. They turned the island upside down with their interrogations," she hesitated for a moment. "Shizuru and Nagi had just gotten married a week prior."

"Is that so?" Natsuki murmured. She was the one who had told Shizuru to get married, so it shouldn't have bothered her. No, she wasn't bothered in the slightest.

Nao sighed. "Don't do this to yourself. You should know that she extended the engagement for as long as she could."

Natsuki stood up and drew her sword, motioning for Nao to do the same. "That doesn't matter anymore, but thanks for letting me know. Now…best four out of five?"

The way to Windbloom was filled with choppy water and slate-gray clouds. An unmarked ship came alongside theirs for a short period of time before splitting off again. Its passing made Akira uneasy and he ordered his men to change to white flags for the rest of the journey.

By then it was already too late.

The ship came near them once more when Windbloom's harbor was just in sight, flying the pale purple and bright white of the First Navy. But instead of passing them again, it opened fire.

The naval ship had made quick work of disabling the rudder of Akira's ship and its crew was in the midst of boarding, closing the gap between the two vessels with gangplanks and grappling hooks.

The normally stoic Akira was flushed from fighting and his eyes glinted dangerously. The enemy had disregarded every law of the sea and now his ship was in danger of being seized or destroyed. Natsuki glanced at him and her heart settled in her chest. She wouldn't let that happen to him.

Natsuki drew her sword and entered the mass of fighting, her sword quickly going into a man Takeda was up against. She moved on, parrying an attack and dipping underneath a man's blade. She pulled out her dagger with her right hand and slit his throat. Kicking him away, she continued on.

She soon lost track of time and moments were counted in the number of those she had wounded or killed. The navy men were surprisingly skillful and seemed to be evenly match for most of Akira's crew.

She eventually found Nao and the two fought shoulder-to-shoulder. "Just like old times, eh?" Nao shouted over the sound of cannons and guns. The redhead used the palm of her free hand to redirect a man's sword hand and grabbed his arm, snapping the bone over her knee and throwing him aside.

Natsuki grunted beside her. "Something like that," she replied, though on the inside she was starting to get worried. The navy seemed to have more people at their disposal and they kept coming on in droves. They weren't interested in Akira's cargo or ship, only in how much blood they could spill. Whatever this was, it wasn't normal navy procedure.

Suddenly, one of the pirates yelled something in excitement but Natsuki couldn't hear what was being said. Soon, the others started cheering even as they fought.

"Let them board, let them board!" Someone close to her shouted. Natsuki turned around and almost dropped her sword in surprise. On the other side of the deck, grappling hooks were being sunk into the wood. The ship responsible was flying crimson flags.

By her side, Nao whooped in amazement. "It's the Red Maiden!"

But Natsuki didn't have time to rejoice. In her line of vision entered the one man she had dreamed of killing for years. He casually sank a boarding axe into a pirate's chest and pulled it out to continue cutting the lines the Maiden was setting into Akira's ship.

Kanzaki. Her blood felt hot in her veins and she started to move towards him as though in a trance. The fighting around her became muffled and the only thing she could see was him.

As if sensing her, he shifted away the moment before her sword would have been buried in his back. The momentum sent Natsuki into the railing but she righted quickly and spun to face him.

His eyes widened for a moment before a vicious smile appeared. "I thought you might be on this ship, Ice Queen," he called out, his smug tone apparent even over the chaos around them. He switched the axe into his other hand and pulled out his sword. "And how predictable. Little birds always fly back to their nests, don't they?"

They circled one another, sizing up the other's weaknesses and strengths. Natsuki made the first move and Kanzaki raised the axe in response. But the axe was heavy and it was clear he wasn't familiar with using it in his non-dominant hand. Natsuki dodged the axe and sank her dagger into the center of the hand holding it, dragging the blade through flesh and muscle until it reached the space between his fingers.

Kanzaki yelled in pain and dropped the axe, blood spraying out of his wound and onto the ground.

Natsuki grinned at his reaction. "Hand for a hand," she said softly. She waited for him to wrap the bloody mess in a strip of his shirt. After all, she didn't want this to be over quickly.

His attention focused back on her, his handsome face paler than normal. His lips settled into a silent snarl and he lunged at her. Pure adrenaline drove him and Natsuki could barely avoid his sword. Still, the grin stayed on her face, infuriating him even more.

His sword carved its way across her arm and side. In return, she managed to slice his cheekbone and into the back of his knee. A cannon blast rocked the ship and both she and Kanzaki lost their balance for a moment.

Kanzaki recovered first and his sword twisted against Natsuki's until it slipped from her hand. His sword plunged into the muscle of her left shoulder and tore its way through to the other side.

Natsuki's breathing stopped for a moment and her body froze as blood trickled out of the wound. A smile returned to Kanzaki's face and he tried to pull the blade out of her—only to find her hands on top of his, pushing the metal further into her body with an agonized scream.

Natsuki stopped when she was just inches away from him. Her wrecked, broken, ruined hand still grasped her dagger and in a jerky, upward motion, she sliced into the middle of his stomach until the steel met his sternum.

His grip on his sword slackened and he looked down in astonishment. He dropped to his knees and Natsuki followed him down. Her shaky hand dropped the dagger and the ship shook again, throwing her against him.

One of her hands landed somewhere sticky and warm. Natsuki lifted her head and saw that the hand was buried deep in his chest.

"I can feel your heart, Kanzaki," she whispered wonderingly. The organ beat lamely in response, the moments between each palpitation stretching out longer and longer. Red spittle leaked from between his lips and he convulsed once before becoming still.

Natsuki pulled her hand out of him, a sickly sucking sound accompanying the motion. The hand, from the tip of her fingers all the way to her wrist, was covered in blood and gore. Natsuki felt bile rise in the back of her throat and she vomited next to his body.

Even after her stomach was emptied, she felt ill. The fighting around her was waning thanks to the Red Maiden's crew. Natsuki stared down at the blade in her body, dreading what she was about to do.

"I fucking hate the navy," she muttered as she grasped the hilt. Gulping in as much air as she could, she gritted her teeth and pulled. The sword came out of her almost as smoothly as it went in and more blood oozed out of the wound. "Nice sword, though," she gave a pained laughed and stoppered the wound with a miraculously clean handkerchief she found in Kanzaki's jacket.

The thrill of the fight was still singing in her veins and had numbed her pain to a bearable degree. She put two dirtied, bloodied fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. "First Navy!" She exclaimed loudly, lifting Kanzaki's sword above her head. "Your commodore is dead! Surrender now or prepare to be killed."

Around her, the navy men slowly dropped their weapons and raised their empty hands. Cheers went up and from the other side of the ship, Akira came over to her. It looked like he had barely taken any injuries and he didn't even appear to be out of breath. "Well done, Natsuki," he said quietly, pride apparent in his voice. "But we should meet our saviors."

Natsuki followed him to the bow of the ship. Pirates all around her raised their fists to her, happy words and praises spouting from their mouths. For the first time in years, Natsuki felt like the Ice Queen again.

Nao found her and gave her a pat on her injured shoulder, eliciting a hiss from Natsuki. "Ahh, sorry," Nao said, sounding thoroughly unapologetic. She bounced up and down in excitement next to her. "We're actually going to meet the Maiden. This is unbelievable."

"I thought you didn't care for her," Natsuki remarked, climbing the steps to the upper deck.

Nao gave her an insulted look. "Are you kidding? She just saved our asses. I'm already half in love with her and I don't even know what she looks like."

"Looks like we'll know soon enough," Natsuki said in anticipation.

The three of them came to a stop in front of a woman in a bright red jacket with black trimming. Her back was turned to them and she was giving a blonde haired woman instructions. The blonde gave a quick salute and rushed past them, an air of importance radiating from her.

The woman in red turned around slowly and Natsuki found herself staring at her knee-high boots. She was wearing one of the nicest pairs she had ever seen, all clean, black leather despite the fighting. Tucked into them was a pair of dark brown pants that clung to her long legs. Natsuki's eyes traveled further up and her gaze caught on the woman's white blouse, which was marred with specks of red. The shirt was tight along the bottom and looser along the shoulders, teasing the tops of her breasts. Her warm chestnut hair hung loose past her shoulders.

Natsuki, her heart beating painfully fast, finally looked upon the Maiden's face. Full, pink lips. A straight nose and soft, smooth skin. Piercing red eyes that were looking at her in absolute shock.

"Oh my god," Nao breathed, "this is impossible—"

Natsuki's legs gave out and her palms hit the deck. Distantly, she could feel her shoulder flare in agitation.

The beautiful voice that had haunted her for almost five years now rang clear as a bell. "Natsuki? Is that really you?"

A/N: Yep, I'm evil. But the next chapter (and final part, I swear) is all ShizNat. Be sure to check out the song used within the chapter, the source of it might amuse you.