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Culmination	By : Croik Category: +G through L > Guilty Gear Views: 2646 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Guilty
Gear, its characters and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being
used in this fanfiction without permission. This fic is rated R
for violence and sexual content, and it contains yaoi
material.

Culmination
Chapter
11

At
last all the supplies collected by the Jellyfish pirates had been sorted and
stored, and all at once the dozens of youths stampeded into the dining room for
a well-deserved brunch. Ky didn�t each much, seated near the back of the room as he
watched the lively antics spreading from table to table. Testament was proving to be quite the center
of attention, and Bridget as well; he was happy for them both to have been so
readily accepted, and relieved that the anxious stares in his direction had
ceased once he and Youn joined them. He was fairly certain the man had given some
signal to the children to indicate his negotiations had been successful, and
that was the reason now for their hospitality towards him during the meal. The food was simple but refreshing, and soon
everyone was clamoring outside again, eager to engage in that day�s activities.

By
then, Ky was feeling somewhat dazed. He followed Dizzy into the kitchen, looking
for something to keep him occupied, and was more than satisfied with the task
of cleaning up after breakfast. The
cooks, now one woman stronger with the addition of the Jellyfish�s chef Leap,
were already preparing for lunch. Not
feeling quite that industrious he excused himself once the breakfast dishes
were finished, taking it upon himself to explore the House a while. The children were spread about everywhere,
listening to stories from the crewmembers or simply running about. A large group had gathered around Johnny in
the lobby as he shared with them some harrowing tale of thievery and
adventure. It sounded suspiciously like
an incident involving an attack on a trade convoy over Spain earlier that
year. Though Ky
did his best to pass silently he caught Johnny�s attention, and both paused,
meeting each other�s gaze. The pirate
lifted his hand in an almost sheepish wave, and Ky nodded silently, his smile
grim. It was the closest to an apology
either of them were prepared to offer just yet.

Eventually
Ky wandered outside. True to its
Mediterranean climate the air was warm and dry, and he deeply breathed in its
clear, salty scent. He shed his sandals
by a small shrubbery near the House as he ventured across sun-heated sand. It really was beautiful here, free of distant
rubble or scarred landscape. Not far
from shore several of the children�including Bridget�were pouncing about in the
water, and their laughter rang back to him as if from some distant memory. Watching them now, it was nearly impossible
to think that he had ever been so careless or so free. His childhood memories were those of study,
training, battle, and loss. His parents
and his comrades, his ideals�so many things lost to an era these children would
never have to experience, tucked away in this tiny paradise of theirs.

Ky
lowered himself to the beach, folding his arms over his knees as he continued
to watch their tireless play. He was
happy. So happy that his body ached as
he leaned forward to press his face into his sleeves. And if not for fear of the children spotting
him in such a state, he would have wept.

*****

Testament
wasn�t quite happy with the assignment he had been given. He had been enjoying himself, reclined on the
beach with his feet stretched out to catch the barest edge of surf against
their soles. But Bridget was not to be
deterred, and with a sigh of resignation he removed the child that had made
herself a comfortable seat of his lap.
Pushing to his feet, he stretched�they had been out there for some time
now, enjoying the water and sun. When he
turned he was surprised to see that during that interval Ky had not moved from
when he�d first arrived. Frowning
slightly, he approached the seated man.
�Ky?�

Ky
flinched a little, as if drawn from some deep thought, and slowly raised his
head. Testament hadn�t expected to see
the expression carved into his face; it caught him off guard for a moment as he
realized how deeply this place seemed to be affecting the man. �Um�Bridget wants to make sand castles,� he
reported obediently. �You�ve been
requested.�

Ky
blinked up at him, as if having not understood what was being asked of
him. After a moment he smiled
slightly. It was fake and shallow,
almost painful to look at. �Thank you. But I think I�ll have to decline.�

Testament
stared, trying to determine how to best handle this situation. Normally he would have accepted the response
and slipped away, but something in Ky�s blue eyes made him stay. Ky of all people deserved to be among these
children�it was the peace he had created that gave them this life, and it
didn�t seem fair that he shouldn�t enjoy it with them.

More
than that�Testament didn�t like it. He
wasn�t sure why, but he found himself crouching down in front of the officer,
his tone serious despite the ridiculousness of his request. �Please come build a sand castle. There have been threats to bury me in the
sand if I can�t get you to come over there, and they outnumber me.�

Ky
stared at him, clearly baffled, and then�he laughed. They were both equally surprised to hear it,
and Testament felt something like pride swell in him for having coaxed such a
reaction. He offered a hand, and this
time Ky accepted and was helped to his feet.
�All right,� the officer replied, smiling as both turned back toward the
group of children.

�Ah,
good job, good job,� Bridget clucked as the pair approached. He and several others had already set into
making the foundation of what could prove to be an impressive sand castle
indeed. �This is gonna be the moat, and
the drawbridge, and the prison tower.
You guys can work on that.�

Testament
rolled his eyes, though he knew Bridget didn�t mean anything by it. Without protest he and Ky set to work
alongside the children, devoting themselves whole-heartedly to the task,
ridiculous as it seemed.

As
was only natural, not even half an hour later the architectural venture lay
unfinished as Bridget and the others charged back into the water for another
swim. Ky was nearly dragged in after
them, until he reminded them of his yet injured back; the prospect of salt water
on healing wounds was not a pleasant one, and saved him from enduring the
playful splashing that Testament had suffered all morning. At last the shore was peaceful again, safe
from their antics, and Ky and Testament sat together as self-appointed chaperones
to their play.

�It�s
something, isn�t it?� Testament said lightly, leaning back on his hands as he
watched them. �I�ve�never been around so
many children, like this.�

�I
haven�t for a long time,� Ky admitted.
He rested his arms easily on his knees once more. �Not since my school days. But these�are still a little much for me.�

�That
man Youn must be brave to put up with them all the
time.�

�I
can�t even imagine.�

They
were silent for a while, just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Out in the water Bridget was pulling one of
the smaller children onto his shoulders for a chicken fight, and several other
pairs followed suit. It was a little
strange seeing the boy in a bathing suit with his chest uncovered; there were
times Testament almost forgot Bridget was, in fact, male. �That Bridget seems to be having fun, at
least,� he commented idly.

Beside
him, Ky hummed thoughtfully. �Somehow,
he seems even more genuine than before.�
He paused. �I wonder if he really
is lonely after all�?�

Testament
straightened, and his eyes flickered briefly to Ky�s profile. �You�.�
He frowned down at his feet. �You
overheard that? The other night on the
ship�.�

Ky
flinched a little as well, and when he spoke again his voice had lowered
somewhat. �Um�yes. I didn�t mean to, but�.� There was another short pause, and at last Ky
seemed to rally his courage. �Are you
really going to leave the ship?�

Though
he should have expected him to ask, Testament was still ill equipped to answer
such a question. �Eventually,� he
replied evasively. �I think.� He sighed.
�If you overhead, then you already know why I can�t stay with them.�

�Are
you sure you�re not overreacting?� Ky asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

�I
heard what Dizzy said about me, and she�s right.� Testament shook his head slightly, letting
his hair fall enough to cover his face.
�Besides, the last thing the Jellyfish pirates need is another famous
Gear among them. Especially now, knowing
this place depends on them�it would be selfish of me to put them in danger.�

They
were simple arguments to make, reasonable arguments, and yet each word sent
more of that nameless cold into Testament�s stomach. Raising his gaze to the frolicking children
only made it worse when he realized he would have to leave here. �Maybe Bridget was right,� he said quietly,
smiling ruefully to himself. �Maybe when
Dizzy left�I was lonely.�

�Then
maybe it�s time you got out into the world again,� Ky suggested easily. He chuckled.
�Bridget could give you a makeover.�

Testament�s
smile deepened sincerely at the thought.
It certainly was something, to think that Ky was suggesting he should be
around people again. He reasoned it was
only being with the children, so carelessly, that was suppressing his usual
prejudice, and yet he was irrationally pleased.
�When he did you he made you look like me. I can�t imagine what he�d come up with for
me.�

Ky
laughed again. �That�s true.�

Testament
tilted his head back, meeting Ky�s eyes.
�I liked you better as a blonde,� he declared.

Ky
blinked, about to respond; it was just then that Bridget led his posse back up
on the beach, determined to bury Testament in the sand.

*****

The
day progressed as a whirlwind of activity and excitement; the group shared a
lunch of various sandwiches, and afterwards Ky encouraged Testament to join
Dizzy in helping prepare dinner. Testament was hesitant, wary that Dizzy had
been told some of his conversation with Bridget, but he couldn�t refuse her
smiling face. He worked alongside her in
the kitchen, his job mostly that of cutting up vegetables for salad. They even chatted a bit about the children
and some of the things that had gone on when Dizzy was first brought to the
island. They hadn�t shared a pleasant
conversation like that for a long time, and it put him deeply at ease.

After
dinner Ky and Testament met, pulling Johnny aside so they could talk a bit in
private away from the children. Though
the officer and pirate at first regarded each other with some remaining
uncertainty, it was Ky who first broke the silence in offering a worded
apology. Johnny accepted and returned
the sentiments as Testament stood back a moment, grateful for their
reconciliation.

�In
any case,� Johnny spoke up, shaking himself a bit, �Zepp
will be coming to rest just east of Rome two days from now. I�m not sure yet exactly how we�re going to
handle sending someone up there, but�that�s something to worry about
later. For now we can relax.�

�You
still haven�t told us everything Baiken and Anji said in Rome,� Ky reminded him, doing his best not to
sound at all accusing.

�We�ll
have time for that. Right now, I�m damn
exhausted.� He chuckled as he headed
back towards the lobby. �Time to cool
the little brats down before putting them to bed.�

Ky
nodded and watched him leave. Though he
wasn�t exactly pleased with postponing their share of information, he was
equally fatigued, and the thought of a warm bed was especially appealing. He and Testament followed Johnny to the main
room with the children as they scampered about, getting in a few last games while
there was still a bit of daylight.

Seemingly
eons after Ky had awoken on the airship that morning, the sun melted into a
golden horizon, signaling that it was finally time for sleep. This raised another frenzy as the children
changed into pajamas, brushed their teeth and scurried into the large sleeping
room Youn had indicated earlier. �The first night back, most everyone sleeps
in here,� the man explained to Ky as he loosened his hair from its already
tattered braid. �Some of the youngest
children from Mayship�those that were picked
up in the last few months�will be left behind here when Johnny leaves, and some
of the older ones will go with the crew to either become pirates or visit
foreign cities and begin a new life. It�s
something like their last chance to be together with everyone. Kind of like a big sleepover-going away
party.�

�I
see.� Ky, having already changed back
into the pajamas he�d first received from Bridget on Mayship,
watched as everyone ran about to stake their claim on a sleeping area. Even Johnny was there, picking a spot near
the middle�all the youngest children flocked to him, curling under his arms and
against his sides. Though out of place
due to her age May insisted on taking a spot at his right. It was startling how different the pirate
looked, no longer dressed in his characteristic leather coat and hat, his
glasses shed. For the first time Ky felt
like he could really see him, and the pure affection painted across his face as
he welcomed the children against him.

�Will
you be staying with us?� Youn asked with a tipped
smile. He must have noticed how intently
Ky was watching everyone. �There are
plenty of rooms prepared, if you like, but you�re welcome to sleep here.�

�Oh,
I don�t think so,� Ky replied, somehow embarrassed. �I�m�really not supposed to be here, anyway.�

�Don�t
be ridiculous!� a young voice piped up behind him, and Ky wasn�t all that
surprised when Bridget snatched his hand and began to drag him across the
room. �You�re an honorary pirate for now,
so you can be here, too. Come on�Noverre saved a spot for us on the side.�

�But
I�� Ky flushed, daunted by the idea of
sleeping alongside so many young girls�it was hardly appropriate. But then someone was pushing a pillow into
his arms, someone was tugging on his pant leg.
With a heavy sigh he allowed himself to be pulled down onto the mess of
mattresses. Quickly he stretched out on
his stomach so that he was comfortable, and before he even realized who it was
two bodies wriggled up next to him. Bridget
was on his right, giggling and quite proud of himself, one of the crewmembers
on his left�a young teen with short brown hair and a blushing grin.

�You�re
kinda cute,� she giggled.

Ky
blushed deeper, and coughed lightly into his hand�he was probably at least ten
years older than her. �Um�thank you.�

A
few minutes later everyone was settled, and Youn
downed the lights. Several of the
windows had been left open, allowing cool sea air and dull moonlight to seep
into the large room. Gradually the murmurs
spreading about began to fade into the distant pulse of waves against the
shoreline. It never became completely
quiet; every once in a while a child would cough, or shift in their sleep, or
murmur something incoherent. Even the
sound of each person�s breath seemed to fill the room.

But
it was a dull, gentle kind of commotion, and Ky felt as if it were filtering
right through him, easing whatever tension remained in his limbs and back. The warmth against his sides, the softness of
the pillow beneath his cheek, even Bridget�s gentle breath against his shoulder
were a kind of subtle intimacy he�d never known; he almost became emotional
again, but he managed to swallow it back.
Johnny must have trusted him terribly to bring him to a place like this,
when a few misplaced words of his could bring it to ruin. And yet here he was, sharing their food and
bed and comfort. It was humbling, and
his last feelings as he drifted off to sleep were that, for just this once, he
had become innocent once more.

*****

Nestled
in the corner next to Dizzy, Testament didn�t sleep for very long. Though he was equally subdued by the calm
atmosphere, there was something about the shifting bodies that made him
restless. He wasn�t used to being around
so many people, and his instinct could not be so easily undermined. Being careful not to wake Dizzy he climbed to
his feet, moving slowly around the edge of the mass of bodies. He wasn�t sure where he might go�maybe just
to the window to catch a breath of fresh air.
But as he reached one of the open windows he paused, following a stream
of gentle moonlight to where it alighted on a man�s profile. His lips parted faintly at the sight of him.

Ky
was stretched out on his side, covered barely by a light sheet and breathing deeply. Bridget lay curled against his back, and
though the mattress was dented in front of the man it appeared the girl who had
once occupied the spot had rolled away in her sleep, and was now draped across
a fellow crewmember. Despite the
movement that had taken place Ky appeared to be sleeping peacefully, his face
arranged in a pleasant, almost boyish expression of content. Testament was somewhat fascinated by the
gentle curl of his lips; Ky had not looked quite so serene in all the time he�d
known him, and he lowered himself quietly to his knees as if to better
see. With the moonlight painting his
pale skin, and looking so calm, the officer was�beautiful. It caused Testament�s mind to spiral back,
remembering all their strange encounters these past several days. Ky�s pain, his gratitude, his determination,
his intensity, his uncertainty, his sincerity�so many different faces and
appearances, and yet none of them fit that which he beheld now. Testament was awed, maybe even envious, of
the gentle, child-like grace his sleeping visage could convey.

Ky
stretched faintly, and slowly his eyelids fluttered open. Even in the dark he could tell how blue Ky�s
eyes were. Testament was too caught up
in the tiny movements; it wasn�t until he heard his name spoken that he
realized the officer was really awake.

�Testament�?�

��Yes?�

Ky
craned his neck back to better see the Gear, watching him questioningly. Testament wasn�t sure what to say or do, and
he shifted indecisively on his knees.
Ky�s lips tilted in a thoughtful frown, and then he smiled. �There�s still room down here,� he offered in
a whisper.

Testament
blinked. That had not been his
intention�he had been seeking some quiet isolation to better calm himself, and
rationally his disquiet would not be dissolved by returning into the mix of
tossing bodies and resounding human breath.
But he was being welcomed, and he slipped forward, settling himself on
the mattress alongside Ky. The officer�s
smile deepened, moving a bit so that Testament would have plenty of room. Without a word he closed his eyes once more,
and by his appearance was almost instantly asleep.

Testament
rolled onto side. He had no pillow so he
twisted his arm beneath his head, brushing his hair back. Though he wasn�t sure if he would be able to
sleep any better on the other side of the room, at least�he had something of a
better view. A tiny warmth settled in
his stomach as he watched Ky�s breath deepen, his face relax once more into
unblemished tranquility. After several
long minutes he, too, closed his eyes.

*****

Ky
slept later that morning than he had in some time. It was simply too warm here, too comfortable,
for him to want to give it up easily.
Even as the mattress beneath him was jostled by stirring bodies,
whispered voices filling the air, he merely shifted closer to the subtle heat
in front of him. He could tell that it
was old, powerful magic, like the familiar feeling of his own Thunderseal. It had
followed him into his dreams, even, as deep and unmemorable as they were, and
he was convinced that he had just slept better than he had in years.

Eventually
he was drawn awake by a quiet sigh in front of him; warm breath passed over the
bridge of his nose, coaxing his eyes open.
He was startled to find himself staring directly into Testament�s
sleeping face. He only just vaguely
remembered inviting Testament next to him, but he was certain they had not
started this close together. Afraid that
if he moved too much the Gear would awaken and find them in such an embarrassing
position, he remained still. It was
strange how, up close, Testament�s skin was just as flawless as from a
distance. He tried to push those
thoughts aside and force himself to leave, but�somehow he was reluctant. He couldn�t help but wonder if this was how
Bridget had felt when he�d spent the night with the Gear�.

He
tarried too long; Testament�s eyes flickered open as well, and Ky held his breath as he waited for a reaction. Testament seemed equally surprised to find
them so close together, but he got over it quickly. He blinked slowly. �Good morning.�

Ky
gulped, baffled by the sudden tension that seemed to be stretching across the
space between them. He wasn�t used to
staring so deeply into another person�s eyes like this, and it was intimidating. �Um�Good morning.� He shifted back a little, a few strands of
darkened hair falling over his face.

Testament
reached out, and Ky froze as worn fingertips alighted
just barely on his forehead. They moved
back, passing lightly over Ky�s temple and the rise
of his cheekbone; his fingers and toes curled at the brush of coarse skin
against his face. He stared back,
questioningly, into Testament�s bright eyes.

Testament
pulled his hand back. �You missed one,�
he teased lightly.

Ky
blinked, still and silent as he tried to rally his senses back to him. He was jarred to life once more with the
sound of someone giggling overhead. Ky and Testament both tilted their heads back only to see
Bridget watching them with a grin.

�You�re
gonna miss breakfast, sleepy heads,� the boy chided, and with another fit of
giggles turned to scamper out of the room.

Ky
sighed quietly. �I suppose�we should
go.�

�Yes.�

Both
hesitated a moment; at last it was Testament who moved first, pushing to his
feet with a wide yawn and a few stretches.
Ky watched him, still confused, as if suddenly
not knowing whom the Gear was. At last
he climbed off the mattress as well, rotating his shoulders slightly against a
dull stiffness between them. A glance
out the window showed the morning had indeed progressed far without them, and
he turned to Testament with an embarrassed smile. �Did you sleep well?�

�I
suppose,� he replied simply. His gaze
escaped Ky�s with a duck of his head, and he turned
toward the room�s exit, pausing to wait for him. �You?�

�Yes�.� Ky�s fingers
tightened faintly at his sides. �Um�you
can go on ahead,� he suggested lightly.
�I�ll be right there.�

Testament
frowned slightly, but he nodded, and without another word strode from the
sleeping room.

Once
he was gone, Ky released his breath in a long
sigh. �What�s come over me?� he wondered
aloud as he shook himself. Now that he
was free of the bed, of Testament�s bright stare, his mind began to clear once
more. He hadn�t done anything, and yet
he felt�foolish. Even more so when he
raised a hand to his face, recalling the touch of worn flesh, the way it had
made his heart skip�just a little�in his chest.

�Foolish,�
Ky repeated to himself, shaking his head again as he
finally headed toward the door. It was
only�these children, making him sentimental, reminding of how long it had been
since he�d known intimacy. Nothing more.

*****

It
had been so peaceful before; a quiet, warm, drifting
kind of feeling, like a hot bath after a rainy day. Like thick blankets and a soft mattress on a
winter night. At least, it was as Chipp had imagined those things to be. In truth he hadn�t had such luxuries in a
long time, making the sensations that much more welcomed.

Presently,
however, he could feel that he had been removed from the soothing
environment. He could only just barely
detect his surroundings�something cold against his back, rough fabric against
naked flesh. His throat was sore and it
was hard to breathe. He was especially
aware of eyes moving over him, and distantly, someone spoke his name.

�Ah�.� When he tried to speak, to question the
perceived presence, he found his lips curling numbly around some obstruction in
his mouth. A cold shudder ran through
him as he at last managed to open his eyes, only to find his sight blurred by
harsh, neon lights. He winced and tried
to turn weakly away.

�Professor.�

�Hm? Oh.�
The voices grew closer, and Chipp could just
make out the silhouette of a person shifting in the light. �You�re awake.�

�Wh�.� But again Chipp found that he couldn�t speak, and instead focused his
energy into awakening his senses. He was
lying on something long and flat, like a table, which was cold to the
touch. He couldn�t move his wrists,
ankles, or legs, though his limbs weren�t responding well to his prompts
anyway. The thought that he had been
drugged sent something cold and bitter into the pit of his stomach.

�You
have an extraordinary tolerance to sedatives, Mr. Zanuff,�
a female voice was saying, confirming his suspicions. He squinted against the light, but he was
only able to make out the shape of her, no characteristics or features. �I didn�t expect you to be awake for this.�

Chipp�s expression hardened. It was
then that he began to remember the robots�their flashing eyes, the charge of
heated electricity that had felled him.
Hissing in frustration he tried again to struggle with little success,
and after a moment set upon trying to gnaw through the plastic tube obstructing
his throat.

�You
shouldn�t do that,� the woman advised.
Gradually her face came into focus, and though he recognized the slim
features and short, red-brown hair he couldn�t place it right away. As if she were something he�d seen in a
dream, while floating so comfortably�.
�That tube is helping you breathe.
Your body is still numb from the drugs�there�s no telling if your lungs
will function without our help.�

Chipp glared up at the woman defiantly, though he did stop; he wasn�t
thinking too clearly, and there was no way of knowing if she was bluffing or
not. His eyes were able to convey his
demands well enough.

�We
received a call from our superior some time ago,� she explained, moving out of
his sight for a moment. He could hear
more people bustling about, a rustle of metal.
�It seems he�s going to need more help to finish what he started. Though we�d been hoping to save you for a
full procedure, we�ll have to settle with something more temporary.� She reappeared, one hand dropping stealthily
out of Chipp�s field of vision. �You understand.�

Chipp squirmed, eyes narrowed and hateful, until he felt the prick of a
needle against his neck, even with his dulled senses. Almost immediately afterwards he felt his
veins begin to burn, and he gasped against the plastic breathing tube. But he couldn�t move, couldn�t even cry out
as the heat collected in his chest, and from there began to spread all through
him. Like the lightning that had burned
his blood that night when the robots found him.

�There.� Chipp could still
hear her, even as he shuddered and fought on the table. �He�s ready.�

Chipp turned his wide eyes on the woman, but by then she had already stepped
back. In her place appeared the figure
of a man. But as he leaned forward Chipp felt a jolt�the face the man bore was one of crude
steel and gleaming yellow, and it was the last thing he saw before being
dragged suddenly into unconsciousness once more.
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Culmination