BitterSweet Encounters

"Whatever. I'll leave you to your reading." Melanie said harshly, kicking away from the frame and walking swiftly away.

She stalked down the hallway, turning at seemingly random points. Of course, they weren't random at all. Melanie was going down a path to her secret room. One that not even the captain knew of. another left, then a right and she was standing in front of a wall. She tapped one of the bricks, and a door opened. She stepped inside an the door closed.

Kaito barely heard as Maleny left, he just siped his tea and read his book for what seemed like a while.He stopped to light himself another smoke when suddenly his door opens with a light "Creeeek" and Kaito turns towards the door. "Miss...Lieutenant?" He asks before a large fist connects with his face almost sending him off his chair.

Before he could shake the stars from his eyes however he was punched again even harder sending blood across the white pages of his book and knocking him into the deck sending his cup to the floor where it shattered but goes unheard. Then with a final groan he is hit with something metal sending him into darkness's clod grasp as he falls to the floor and is dragged away.

Inside her hidden fortress, Melanie was completely blocked off from the rest of the world. No sound could penetrate the thick walls, and no attack could knock it down. This was why she loved coming here, no one could find her and she was in complete solitude. It was the one and only place she could let down her guard and just relax. 

She walked slowly into the middle of the room. It was large, with a tall ceiling. It was round like a dome, with only one piece of furniture that Melanie hadn't brought in herself. A crystal chandelier that hung from the exact center of the ceiling. It had been amazing when Melanie had discovered it, and completely void of furnishings or decorations except the chandelier. 

But as she visited it more often, she brought in her own things. It had become her home away from home. It was nicer than her assigned room. A bed had been crudely made and shoved in the corner. Melanie had dragged in the pieces bit by bit, and the built it inside the hidden room. Though being the horrid carpenter that she was, couldn't seem to build it quite right. 

A couch sat to the side. It seemed to slump, as though the weight of the world rested on it. But really Melanie just laid on it a lot. A small, personalized den den mushi rested on a small table next to the couch. It's shell was made of metal and it was color black. 

Melanie sighed, plopping onto the couch and gazing up at the tall ceiling. It seemed so unreachable up there, with a slightly swinging chandelier and the slight twinkling sound that came from the crystals.

It had been hours now since Kaito's kidnapping, and ever since he had regained consciousness he had been tortured. So far they had beaten his body causing a few ribs to break but lucky his lungs were undamaged. His left hand had been put in some sort of vice and badly broken his face was a bloody and bruised mess. Now they were working on pulling the nails from his right hand. But even now Kaito did not scream, did not beg them to stop, not that it would of helped as he was gaged and bounded tightly to a metal chair.

He heard what sounded like some sort of blade being taken from its sheath. "I think I'll take one of those white eyes of yours.." A voice sneered and footsteps starting to approach him. Meanwhile the Base was in a frenzy, one of the lower ranked Marines had found Kaitos room a bloody mess and had reported it to the higher ranks. Now everyone was rushing around shouting order and looking desperately for the missing Commander.

Melanie picked up one of the den den mushis, a projector one. She watched screen, a few surveillance snails had been strategically placed around the base, so Melanie could watch what was happening outside her fortress. 

It seemed the base was on panic mode, marine soldiers were rushing about with their weapons, searching for something, or someone. Sighing, Melanie stood, setting the snail phone down. She strode swiftly and gracefully towards the secret entrance. After checking to make sure no one was outside the wall, she pushed it open and stalked into the hallway. Lucky her, a marine soldier was just turning the corner!

"Hey, you there!" she called. The seaman saluted before rushing off again. 

"No wait, what's happening?" she asked. 

"Commander Kaito has disappeared! The alarm was sounded a while ago, where have you been Lieutenant?" 

"Never mind that." Melanie retorted, running off in the direction of Kaito's room. Damn. Jack's even more of a bastard than I thought. Will I have to save Kaito's dumb ass? I shouldn't even care. But this is my base. I don't care if Jack's the Captain, he never does jack shit. The soldiers respect me more than him anyways, I can't let him run around and do whatever he wants.


She rushed around corner after corner, finally turning to face the entrance to Kaito's room. Furniture was knocked over, and there were bloodstains on the floor. "Shit." she muttered before swiveling around and whistling a short tune. Soon, Sari came flying towards her, landing on her shoulder. 

"No Sari." Melanie whispered to the bird, "I need you to do something. Remember the blind Commander? I need you to find him." the raven nodded, taking flight around the corner. As a cyborg bird, Sari could send transmissions to Melanie. 


Sari skirted around corners, flying faster than a speeding bullet, yet still had time to look and see. She saw bloodstains on the floors, heard noises, voices, until BAM. She slammed right into a wall. The bird picked herself off, shaking her head in quick recovery. The wall hadn't even scratched her metal head. The sound of metal hitting metal sounded through the base, marine soldiers had to place hands to their ears in fright. On the other side of the wall, a man dropped his weapon. The other men in the room had to cover their ears as well, but the blind man bound to the chair couldn't stop the sound. 

The room exploded into a blur of shapes as the vibrations shook the room allowing him to see at lest 4 men in the room with him and what looked like his sword and cane against the nearby wall. "What the hell was that?!" yelled one of the men who moved besides Kaito to look out a secret hole. Kaito sprang into action. He slips his broken hand out of its binds freeing both of them before hitting the man in the ribs hard enough to send him to the floor before freeing himself quickly.

Sari cawed, drawing attention to herself while simultaneously sending a video message to her master. 


Upon receiving the bird's message, Melanie took off running towards the fallen raven. "Sari, thanks, I owe you one." she whispered before kicking at the wall.

Her strong legs managed to break the thin wall with 8 or 9 kicks. She stood in the middle of the hole she made, hand on hip and a glare shot at every one of the men. 

"And what is this?" she asked sweetly, "Marine soldiers capturing a Marine Commander and torturing him? Shameful." she remarked calmly, leaning against the fractured wall and looking at her black nails.

Brfore was able to get the rather tight knots holding is legs in place, one of the men fliped a switch that sent hundreds of volts electicty courseing through the metal chair and into Kaito's body. The smell of burning flesh and hair filled the air as his body twiched and spasms from the hot pain flowing in his blood stream. He coughed out a large amout of blood before his haed falls to his chest and he stops moving. The tips of his hair blacked from where the heat had burned it. The men in the room frozen unblinking at the sight that they had just seen.

"Bastards!" Melanie snarled "You should pay attention when someone of higher rank is addressing you!" In one fluid movement, Melanie attacked the men, kicking them left and right until they all fell. 

"As for you." she said to the last man standing, hand on her hip and a rather deadly expression on her face, "You shall be reported to MarieJois as dead." she growled, kicking off from the ground and essentially flying towards him. 

She managed to land a strong kick to his face, and blood spurted from his mouth. Before he could react, Melanie hit him again in the stomach.

The man flew back hitting the wall causing it to crack then he falls to his knees then he slowly gets up and unsheathers his sword as he rushes at her clumesly.

Melany easily diverted his attack, and his sword ended up sticking out of the wall. 

"Terrible balance." she noted, swiveling around on her toe and delivering a kick to the man's face. "You need to plan your attack." she said, as though she was a teacher giving a student advice, "You won't get anywhere just swinging your sword around blindly." she tsked, turning on her other toe and back-kicking with her other foot.

The man pulls it out quickly, barely dodging her kicks before stabbing at her,cutting her shoulder deeply. "Will you just Shut up!?" He yells swinging at her face.

"Letting anger take a hold of your mind." Melanie sighed, shaking her head and kicking the man in the groin. She rolled her eyes, ignoring the slight prick of pain in her shoulder. "You have a lot to learn, Captain." she quickly kicked off the wall, did a backflip, and brought her heel down on the man's shoulder. He crumpled to the floor, and she proceeded to strike him in the stomach.

"You Bitch!" He yells spiting up blood as he pulls out a hidden dagger from his shirt sleeve, he then tried to stab it in her side, hoping that it would dig deep into her and lead to blood loss.

Melanie bit her tongue, holding back a cry as the dagger dug into her left side. 

"You're calling me a bitch? That's a laugh." Melanie laughed a strained laugh, clutching the wound. Blood seeped through her fingers, and she lashed out at Jack. 

"You bastard!" she screeched, aiming a high kick at his neck.

Jack flew back from the kick and crash landed into a pile of old crates before he slowly gets back to his feet stumbling. "Hehe...You kick like a girl.." He says before smiling showing a missing tooth.

Melanie rolled her eyes, "If I kick like a girl, then you fight like a child." Melanie shot back, her eyes narrowing. She stood in front of him, glaring down her nose at him, hands on hip. She flipped open her index finger on her metal hand, aiming the barrel at his face. 

"Say goodbye bastard." she muttered, holding her side in pain.

Jack was in shock for a split second before the shot was fired. Then his face (along with most of his brains) Became the newest coat of paint for the walls. His body fly back a bit before landing hard like a rock onto the floor blood starting to pool around him.

Melanie smirked with glee, staring at Jack's innards spreading across the floor and dripping from the wall. She had to prevent herself from stepping forward and tasting the blood, a strange trait she didn't often show. 

With a defeated sigh, Melanie rushed to the crumpled form of Kaito. 

"Mr. Commander, wake up." she said menacingly into his ear.

With a groan Kaito raised his head slowly "That really hurt damn!" He groans as he pulls his blackened hands from the chair leaving small bits of skin behind. He rubs them a bit "Thats gonna scar.." He grumbles, then turning to Melany "Your hurt.." he says frowning smelling her blood in the air.

"You're okay." Melanie sighed gratefully, then wondered why she was grateful. "I'm fine." she muttered, waving her hand dismissively, "Just a little scratch." she smiled, helping Kaito up.

"Sorry about Jack. He's dead now, you should be glad you're blind right now. It's not very pretty."

Kaito nods slowly stumbling a bit. "Never really liked him anyways..." He chuckled then flinched holding his side. "Dammit my ribs..." He hissed in pain

"Don't move." Melanie ordered, pushing him back to the ground, "You probably have a few broken ribs, and if you move, you could puncture a lung." she said sternly. 

"Jack really was a jackass." Melanie muttered. She then turned to the surrounding crowd, and pointed to a random marine soldier. 

"You, go get the doctor." she demanded, then sat next to Kaito. "Don't move." she repeated firmly.

Kaito coughed a bit, the air being pushed from his lungs as he hit to the floor. "Thanks by the way..For..saving my ass.." He says pausing as he flinches from taking a deep breath. "If it wasn't for you and your bird friend I would be short an eye..Not that i would need it anyways.."

Melanie let out a strained laugh at his attempted joke. "Sure sure." She snickered, "hm, I wonder if I'll be promoted because of this..." she thought aloud, gently tapping her lip.

The doctors arrived quickly, moving Kaito onto a stretcher as carefully as possible. They then carried him away to the emergency room, and Melanie walked with them.