GOING BOSTAL
4. A Walk in the Dark (part c)
Sobbing. Crying helplessly. Pleading, begging, screaming... and still it never stopped. The pain and the degradation and the dry touch of his hands on her searing skin. How long had she been crying? How long... how long could she keep crying before she broke? Already she just wanted to succumb; she just wanted Clancy to let her down and lie her on the bed... She'd do anything, if only he'd just stop hurting her. Oh, please... if he would just stop, just for a while...
Exhausted and trembling convulsively, she hung from the rope, her feet limply brushing the deck. Her breathing was fitful, and her body felt like ice – except where the switch had cracked like frostbite across her skin. So cold. So... so tired.
"I think soon we'll have done enough for one night," Clancy said, gently wiping Kana's brow. She sucked desperately at his wet fingertips as he placed them in her mouth. "That's a good girl," he said, encouragingly, as she burst into tears again, baffled by the warm feeling of thankfulness that welled up in her stomach at his touch. He dipped his fingers in the jug again before tracing her lower lip with them, letting the water trickle down her chin. She sobbed bitterly as his damp fingers rubbed her right nipple. Her entire body was aching, but it was the particularly sensitive parts that hurt the most. "Good, Kana," he murmured, stroking her face gently. "Another couple of days and you'll be ready."
She couldn't look at him. The concept of time had abandoned her completely. Two... days? Hadn't she always been here? Wasn't this all she knew or could ever expect to know? Clancy, her tormentor.
Clancy. Her... salvation...
A loud thump from the hatch behind her made Clancy look up, frowning. "What the devil is Brink doing out there?" he muttered to himself, setting the jug aside. "I told him I wasn't to be—"
The hatch flew open with a loud bang, letting in the gusting wind off the harbour, its cold touch scouring Kana's ravaged skin. She screamed, twitching on the rope, as Clancy straightened up, looking aghast.
"Kana!" a voice roared, as loud footsteps echoed down the steps into the cabin. "You bastard! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
There was a brief flash of steel, and then Kana toppled onto her knees as the rope around her wrists fell to pieces. Someone swept past her, driving cold air in his wake, and came to a halt in front of Clancy.
"Tell me why I don't cut you to pieces right here, you bastard."
"Well, I—" Clancy's words were cut off by a muffled blow, driving him to his knees. Kana knelt on the deck, bracing herself weakly on her trembling hands as the cold wind gusted around her, fluttering her hair like a heavy curtain.
"You know what?" the intruder said, harshly. "I don't think I care what you have to say. I think I'll just gut you here and now. What do you say? Huh?"
Clancy groaned again as the black-clad intruder's foot slammed into his temple, knocking him down. Kana looked up, panting. The... the newcomer looked familiar. He...
"Oniichan?" she whispered to herself, struggling for recognition. Is it... is it really you?
"She's... she's worth a lot of coin!" Clancy protested. "Even you must see that! If you'd just let me—"
"My Kana's not a thing to be sold!" Kurai-sama screamed, kicking Clancy in the ribs savagely, again and again.
'My... my Kana'? Is... is that what Oniichan really...?
"I'm sorry!" Clancy howled, his voice harsh and ragged. "You can have her back. I—"
"I don't give a fuck how sorry you are!" Kurai-sama snarled. His katana flashed in the lantern light as he raised it above his head. "In fact, I don't give a fuck about hurting you anymore, either! I just want you de—"
"No!" Kana screamed.
Kurai-sama turned around, the katana still held high, an uncertain expression on his face. "K–Kana?" he asked, puzzled.
"Don't kill him!" she blurted.
He regarded her unsteadily, rage struggling with bewilderment on his face. "Why?" he asked, finally.
She propped herself up on her arms, holding her gaze with his as she strained to keep herself upright. "Hasn't... hasn't there been enough pain tonight, oniichan?" she asked, shaking.
His expression darkened. He tore his eyes away from hers and turned back to Clancy, who was still on hands and knees in front of him. Kurai-sama lifted his katana—
And then his left foot slammed into Clancy's head, knocking the slaver senseless.
"Oniichan..." Kana dragged herself up into a kneeling position as Kurai-sama turned around, the katana falling from his limp hand. He wavered unsteadily, then toppled limply to his knees. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch his shoulder, and he looked up at her, his eyes wide and staring.
"I found you..." he whispered to her, blankly. "I... I found you."
Mutely, she drew him forward, wrapping her arms around him. His head sank down onto her shoulder, and she felt his shoulders tremble as he started to cry, helplessly. She bent her head to his, holding him close, as her tears fell to mingle with his.
"Oniichan..." she mumbled, almost deliriously, letting her eyes close. "My oniichan."
"Oukami-sama! There! On the ship!"
"I see it, Chiisai-chan," Oukami-sama panted as the two of them sprinted down the dock, heading for the third ship on the left. Through the driving rain, Anna could see a faint glimmer of light from somewhere towards the back of the ship.
Kana-chan. Kurai-sama. Are you here? Is this really happening?
Oukami-sama leaped over to the deck of the ship, then turned around and held out his hand to her. Gathering her courage, she jumped across into his arms, bowling him over in a tangle of arms and legs. For a moment, Anna had a bit of trouble figuring out which part belonged to which person, but they finally sorted it all out and climbed back to their feet. Oukami-sama drew his longsword, held a finger up to his lips, and started across the deck towards the open cabin hatch. Hesitantly, Anna followed, struggling to keep her footing on the slippery decking.
The hatch was wide open, and there was no sound coming from within. Oukami-sama slipped around to the far side of the open doorway, while Anna crept up to the near side, next to the stairs that led up to the open deck at the rear. Cautiously, they both peered around the edge of the doorway.
Anna wasn't sure what she'd been expecting to find in there, but it sure wasn't this. Kana-chan was crouched on the floor, completely naked, with Kurai-sama in her arms. And they were both crying. Kana-chan's skin was all red and sore-looking, but the look on her face, even with her eyes closed, was one of bliss. She looked like she was holding the most important thing in the world to her.
Kana-chan, Anna thought fondly, as she looked at the two of them. You found it. You worked it out. I'm... I'm happy for you.
And then, as Oukami-sama moved forward into the doorway, she reached out, putting her small hand on his arm. He paused, looking at her curiously. "What is it, Chiisai-chan?"
"Let's just... leave them alone for a while, Oukami-sama," she suggested, softly. She glanced down into the cabin again, at Kana-chan and Kurai-sama: wrapped in each other's arms, huddled together like two lost children. Oukami-sama followed her gaze, his frown gradually easing.
"That's probably a good idea," he said, after a moment.
"Oukami-sama." She tugged at his doublet, pulling him over to her side of the doorway. And then she wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her head sink blissfully to his chest. He folded his arms around her, and gently stroked her rain-soaked hair. Holding her close. Protecting her. "You're so cool, Oukami-sama," she mumbled happily.
"You know what, Chiisai-chan?" he asked, as she lifted her face and he bent down to kiss her gently. "Sometimes you're pretty cool too."
She grinned up at him delightedly. His long brown hair was hanging limply, straggly and wet, but his expression was calm and kind, and she loved it when he kissed her. And he was kissing her again now, his arms tightening around her as she stood on tiptoe in his embrace.
And it was wonderful.
Kana sat on the bed, with Kurai-sama's cloak loosely draped over her shoulders. Her skin was still tender and sore to the touch, and her hands wouldn't stop trembling, but she felt warmer now. She felt warmer with Kurai-sama there.
He was crouched over Clancy's unconscious form, binding the slaver's wrists behind his back with what was left of the rope. Tugging at the knots and nodding to himself in grim satisfaction, Kurai-sama started sorting through Clancy's pockets.
"Hello," he murmured to himself, with a soft whistle, as he shook the contents of Clancy's purse into his open palm. "Quite the big spender, aren't we, Mister Clancy? I'm sure we'll find a good use for these funds, thank you very much." He tucked the coins into a pouch on his belt, then looked up at Kana questioningly. "What do you think we should do with him, Kana?" he asked. "I'm all for just leaving him here to rot, but if you think we should hand him over to the Council..."
"It wouldn't do any good," Kana said, bleakly. "He has connections; at least, that's what I think he said. Even this ship isn't his – it used to belong to one of his competitors. He's dead now, of course, and no-one made much of a fuss about it."
"He... talked a lot, did he?" Kurai-sama asked, hesitantly, as he got to his feet. "While he... while he was..."
"I don't want to talk about it." Kana shuddered, pulling the cloak tighter around herself. "I... I want to forget what happened."
"I understand." He sat next to her on the bed, reaching out to take her left hand. His eyes were warm and sympathetic. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better," she admitted, squeezing his hand feebly. "I..." She hesitated for a moment, looking across at him. "Oniichan," she whispered, softly. "When you said... when you said 'my Kana', you meant your 'slave', didn't you? That's... that's the only reason you came after me... right?"
He just looked at her in the flickering lamp light, his expression almost pained. "Kana..."
"You don't have to say anything," she said, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry, oniichan. It... I shouldn't have asked you that."
She caught her breath abruptly as his fingers gently brushed her cheek, and his low voice burned his words into her heart with a slow searing flame.
"You're not a thing to me, Kana. You're not a possession. Kana. You're... you're precious to me. Can't you understand that? Can't you see that I lo—"
"Oniichan..." She turned to him, throwing her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. His eyes went wide with shock as her tongue slipped into his mouth and she flicked it around wildly, hoping to distract him. Or herself.
Don't say it, oniichan. I'm your slave; that's all I can be. You... you're not supposed to have feelings for me. You're just meant to use me – like Master Sardul or Mister Clancy. That's how it's supposed to work...
But she was crying now, crying tears of joy and gladness as he returned her kiss, his hands sliding up to push the cloak off her shoulders, lightly caressing her sore back. His left hand stroked her hair, coming to rest at the back of her head as the kiss deepened. And his right hand hesitantly drifted around to touch her breast, making her flinch involuntarily at the pain.
He paused, withdrawing his hand. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ka—"
"No," she murmured, softly, her lips still pressed up to his. "It hurts, that's all."
"Oh," he mumbled. "I... I forgot. I'm sorry. I'll—"
Deliberately, she reached down to take his hand, guiding it back to her breast. And then, when it just sat there, unmoving, she drew back a little, looking wistfully at his confused expression.
"But I don't care," she told him, quietly. "I want you to touch me, oniichan."
Kurai-sama groaned, closing his eyes. "Touch you, don't touch you... I just wish I knew the rules! It's never straightforward with you; it's never obvious! I..." He paused, his brown eyes opening again and staring into hers, their gaze impassioned. "I just wish I understood you, Kana," he finished, wretchedly.
"Oniichan," she whispered, her heart aching at the look of torment on his face. She brought her hand up to cover his on her breast, wishing she could give him what he needed. Wishing she could be someone different... Taking his hand, she moved it gently over her skin, brushing his limp fingers against her nipple. "I... I'm sorry. I'm not a typical teenage girl. I'm... I'm not like Anna-chan..." She fell silent, quiet despair seeping into her heart. I can't make you want me. I... I'm here naked with you and I... I... oh—?
"No, imouto-chan," Kurai-sama said, tentatively, as his hand tightened on her breast, sending a shock of pain and pleasure through her body. "No, you're not..."
She sighed profoundly as his lips brushed against hers again, hovering against her skin with a feather-light touch.
Oniichan... if only you knew... how fast my heart is beating... she thought. And if only you knew... how much I want you inside it...
That night, back in Compost... they hadn't been slave and master. Kurai-sama hadn't been using her. He had... They had... They'd loved each other. That wasn't right, was it? That wasn't how it was supposed to be. A slave wasn't meant to fall in love with her master – and a master most definitely wasn't meant to fall in love with a slave! And wasn't that all she was? Just a slave?
But...
"Oniichan," she whimpered, as their lips broke momentarily. "Please... love me."
"You know I do," he whispered, fiercely.
She blinked at him, eyes wide. Did she? Did she really know—
But it didn't matter anymore. His hands were all over her now, stroking her ravaged flesh, making her body tingle and hum at his touch. She kissed him harder, abandoning herself to him, giving herself over to an emotion without questions or doubts or flaws. An emotion that could only be expressed in wordless moments like these, where he touched her, and she touched him... and her fears were completely silenced.
As they sank down on the fur-covered bed, she surrendered her heart to him. She gave herself up completely. The interior of the cabin began to blur into a vague haze: the furs; the lantern light; the dark ceiling beams; Oniichan's face...
"Oniichan..." she whispered, almost deliriously, as her consciousness started to fade. "Onii—"
Next: A matter of care