Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Le Maree Della Guerra (The Tides of War) ❯ An Unexpected Encounter ( Chapter 6 )

XxXxXxXxXx

Le Maree Della Guerra (Tides of War)

By: Melissa Norvell

Movement 6: An Unexpected Encounter

XxXxXxXxXxXx

“That was exceptional as always,” Nagi complimented the sage as he walked off of the battlefield.

“Nice job,” Ketzel gave the octopus a thumbs up and a toothy grin, “it's always good seeing you tear people up on the battlefield.” He came there looking for an action-packed fight and that was exactly what was delivered. It was worth it to come along with the Seventh Infantry to see such a grand battle.

“Isn't that what you should be doing?” Doku reminded him in a cold voice about his own tasks. That shark was only here to avoid his usual chores by goofing off with the girls…or spending time with Angla. Either way, it disgusted him to the core.

Ketzel sighed in irritation. Why did he have to remind of him that? He was having fun. “Not you, too.”

“Problematic,” the octopus turned his nose up at the shark. He didn't have time for such idiocy.

“It's just easier doing this,” Ketzel held out his hand, giving himself excuses. “Besides, Angla asked me to come with her.” That's right! He couldn't just deny his sweet, precious, Angla. To do such a thing was sheer blasphemy.

Doku walked up into the bleachers and took a seat by Ketzel, much to his disgust and watched to see what was going to transpire below.

“You want Angla to lay waste to that assassin, don't you?” Ketzel eyed him slyly. He knew that Doku liked to see the blood fly. Not to mention, who didn't want to see hot women going at it and rolling around in the sands of the sea? That was every male's wettest fantasy.

Doku said nothing. He didn't even as much as acknowledge the shark's presence.

“Lady Angla is going to beat her,” Rin was confident of that.

“But, what if she wins?” Dokuro wondered if Percuss just might be the underdog in all of this. She didn't think it was wise to automatically assume the assassin would lose. Besides, they hadn't seen her true abilities to know what she would have been like in battle.

“It's doubtful,” Rin really didn't believe it. Angla was one of the strongest female denizens of the sea. If someone was stronger than her, she'd be shocked. “Look at how bad she's wounded.” Being beaten like that gave her no chance for survival, especially if she couldn't heal herself. Percuss was as good as doomed.

“I think she did pretty good against Doku,” Saxa didn't want to rule her out yet. There was something special about her. Not just anyone could hold their own against the sage.

Dokuro climbed out of the top bleachers and headed down, sitting by her brother. The female octopus noticed that her brother was silent, more silent than usual. Not many people could read the stoic sage's expressions and feelings, but Dokuro knew him like the back of her hand. “Are you alright, Doku?”

“You should worry about Percuss,” Doku noted as he looked to her, and then looked back to the arena below them.

“I just hope you rest. You lost one of your tentacles,” her worried, red, uncovered eye glanced down to the bleeding nub where his tentacle had been ripped off. Blue blood oozed from the wound and dissipated into the ocean water.

“I'm fine,” Doku ignored her concern.

“Even though it doesn't hurt, it still makes me sad. It's a part of your body.” Dokuro was well-aware of how the octopus body worked. She felt many of the same things as Doku, and she could not feel pain but because of that factor she felt that she had to watch out. Nothing in her body could warn her that she might die unless it was a pulsating or numb sensation.

“I don't care too much,” Doku dismissed her yet again, “it will grow back.” It wasn't a life-threatening wound and it would grow back in three days if it didn't become infected. Doku knew how to take care of himself.

“But-“ she was cut off.

“I'm fine,” her brother pressed, “fighting her was fun.” There was a strange hint of amusement in his voice that caused the female octopus to arch her eyebrow in question before she changed the subject.

“Remember when you fought Lady Angla? You said that if she defeated you, then you'd join her Seventh Infantry with me.” Dokuro reminded him of a defeat that he would have rather not recalled. Even to this day, it's a little embarrassing to admit that he was beaten into joining an all-girl's squad. He frowned as nostalgia flooded his senses.

“I didn't enjoy that fight.”

“Because she beat the hell out of you,” Saxa smiled at him and folded her arms over her well-developed chest.

Doku's frown deepened even more. Why must they keep shoving his failures in his face? “Even with my alchemy, I couldn't combat her. I couldn't match her. It was embarrassing.” Oh, how he wished this conversation would be reverted to another subject.

“I always kind of wondered,” Saxa placed a finger to her lips in thought, “are you a lonely person deep down inside?” Doku wasn't exactly social. In fact, he was usually alone and did his own thing. It was a little worrisome that he seemed so content with it. He had the whole Seventh Infantry to talk to, but even in their presence, he was quiet and most of the time the denizens forgot he was there. It was a little sad when she thought about it.

“I am solitary,” Doku wasn't bothered by his aloof and silent nature. Most octopi lived alone. They were shy and silent creatures. To him there was not a need to socialize much, it's the way he had always been, and the way he would remain. His sister was an exception to the rules, an oddity of nature.

“Why do you feel that way?” Saxa wanted to probe his mind. Doku mystified and fascinated her at times. He was the type of man who held a great presence, but said very little. He was like an imposing, iron wall.

“I'm an outcast. That's how it was meant to be.” There was no point in trying to fit in only to hurt them all later by making that mistake. Doku had his reasons for not forming a bond with anyone. He wasn't someone that wanted to be known, or wanted a vast amount of friends. Although he was a resident of Nautica and served on the royal court, he felt a sense of detachment from it all.

“Hey, we all admire you a lot,” to Saxa, he was no outcast. Sure, the guy was a little weird, but there was no reason to drive a wall completely between them.

“What was running through your head when you joined?” Dokuro was a little curious. He did join the infantry for her. The gesture was kind in its own right, considering most males would feel like they had their masculinity stripped from them if they had to do such a thing. It meant a lot to her that her brother would do such a thing.

“Nothing,” Doku's reply was simple.

“I thought it would have been deeper than that,” Saxa was a little disappointed.

“I thought I would win. I was confused more than anything as to how I lost,” there was no time to have anything go through his mind beyond that. The fact that the grand high sage was defeated by the princess was baffling on its own.

“That seems to be how you feel a lot,” Saxa noted a pattern in his personality.

“Before I was here, I lived alone with my sister. That was a solitary existence. Being around so many people is strange. It's against my nature.” It was as he had stated prior, octopi weren't social creatures and coming to Nautica wasn't something he had done voluntarily. To be thrown into something like it was a huge culture shock to the normally silent and shy octopus.

“This kingdom is a confusing place,” Saxa even thought that the way they lived in Nautica was odd. It took her a while to get used to it when she came to live there.

“I'm not right, mentally,” Doku gave them a warning. They would probably dismiss it, but he wasn't kidding.

“You're formed by your environment, not your emotions. Do we confuse you?” Saxa asked. Someone so introverted would probably stay in a constant state of confusion if they had to deal with people as much as Doku did. After all, it wasn't like introverts had a special way of talking to people or dealing with them. Doku did an alright job at talking to people, but he could be cold and condescending at times.

“You want my opinion?” Asking for such a thing was going to get her nothing but brutal honesty.

“You can't blame yourself for stuff you can't control,” Saxa didn't see why he was being so hard on himself. Was he always this self-critical?

“I don't care about controlling you. Feelings are formed from the choices you make in life. I chose the darkness.” There was no way that he was going to turn back now. Doku knew that the road ahead of him was dim, and the longer time passed, the darker it would become. To live in the sunlight was foolish for him.

“That still has to do with the people you're around. I mean, it could be a mixture of both. From the way you act I think people don't understand you and you don't understand them.” In fact, when the lionfish thought about it, Doku's obscurity was unique to him, and the fact that he was an introvert made people obscure to him. Saxa thought she was onto something with that logic.

“I had to fight or die. I chose to fight. I regret nothing.” He wouldn't let himself wallow in any more regrets than he had to. Doku had enough inner turmoil to begin with.

“I can't fight you on that one,” Saxa shrugged, “I heard you and Dokuro were nearly eaten by sharks. Is that true?” She remembered Dokuro mentioning something to that effect when she entered the Seventh Infantry. Her experience was horrific, but maybe Doku could explain the situation from his point of view.

“We were,” Doku told her, “Our mother died taking care of us. She exhausted herself and gave us her all. It was in her nature. I took care of her. When the predators came, Dokuro was attacked and I protected her. She paid the price and lost her eye. She isn't the only one without scars.” It was a subject that he would have rather not spoken of. Even now, violent flashbacks assaulted his senses and the sensation of teeth on his flesh reeled through his mind. Doku never wanted to see the inside of a shark like that again.

“Is that why you wear that long coat?” Saxa pointed to the red garment of clothing that went to his knees, lined in gold trim. It made him look like something that popped out of a Victorian book.

“I wear it because I like it, but it does cover my scars. I nearly died in that shark's jaws. I'm shocked I could regenerate as well as I did.” He didn't have magic back then, so he had to rely on his birth-given abilities to heal himself. As a result, Doku had many scars, especially on his upper arms and mid-section. He wore four layers of clothing to keep them hidden from the world. Such appalling things weren't meant to be seen by anyone's eyes.

“That's terrible that someone so young had to go through something like that.” Saxa couldn't imagine nearly getting eaten at the age she was, much less at Doku's age. He must have been scarred for life.

“Everyone has sorrow, but nonetheless, there are those who had it worse than I have. Oro's life is far worse in comparison. Even if he is a shark, I pity him.” That was all there was to it, really. Looking at that scarred-up shark made him happy for the scars he had. At least he wasn't covered from head to toe with them.

“Oro put up with hell in life, but so have you. It's unfair to compare your struggles.” Rin didn't think he should look at it like that. It was hard to tell whether he was downing himself or just apathetic towards the subject. It was an odd reaction, but maybe he suffered from blunted effect. The both of them had bad lives, but in different ways.

“I can say nothing about that attack. I feel nothing towards it.” In all honesty, Doku for the majority, felt numb. He was void of most feelings. The octopus preferred that he handle the past as he was. It was better than letting it affect him to the point of insanity.

“Sorrow might be the only thing you do feel outwardly,” Rin noted. “I think you treat people harshly because you don't know any other way.” Due to his inability to properly communicate with people, Doku might feel it was necessary to do such things.

“You can't see light when you grew up in darkness. I am fine with that.” The octopus didn't want help, nor did he care much about treating people a certain way. Doku was happy as he was.

“Being here taught you a few feelings, right?” Saxa was still worried about his state of being. She wanted to think that Nautica made some sort of improvement on him. “So, that's good. You're really smart, so you can learn.”

“I don't care to learn.” It wasn't that he refused to, but rather he found it pointless. Doku didn't want to change.

“I guess some things can't be taught,” Saxa sighed a little. Why did he have to be so damned stubborn and stuck in his ways? “I guess I really don't see you acting like the Orca King, beating people up and acting evil.” In fact, such a thought was truly frightening.

“I've never met King Isatsu. I have heard things about him, however. He seems insufferable.” The infamous Orca King had quite the reputation in Nautica. Doku had presumed it was true. Most orca were insufferable on their own, and if this man was their king that made matters worse. He was the asshole of all assholes.

“I can't see you being like Ketzel, either,” Saxa noted as she continued to look thoughtful. It was kind of fun imagining Doku with different personalities.

“Hey!” Ketzel took offense to that statement.

“And being like your sister would just be weird,” the lionfish continued.

Dokuro furrowed her eyebrows. “How am I weird?” That wasn't a very nice thing to say at all.

“No,” Doku was quick to shoot that down. He could never be like her, not in a million years. It wasn't that she was strange or bad in some kind of way, but she was his polar opposite - friendly and outgoing, talkative and kind. Those were things he couldn't achieve if he wanted to.

Just then, a thought ran through Saxa's head of the coconut octopus with a wide smile on his face, holding baskets of sea anemones as he skipped through brightly colored coral fields and laughed in childlike bliss. Her face morphed into one of displeasure. There was something about that sight that was so abnormal it uneased her. It was even creepy to some extent. “No, you're not allowed.”

“I'd never do that,” a bead of sweat ran down Doku's face. Why would she think of such terrible things?

“I do think you should forge your own personality. You'll see that you can do that someday. You just need the right person.” Saxa wanted the best for him. Acting so miserable must not have been fun in the slightest. Doku seemed to have four moods: forlorn, gloomy, existing and anger so frigid it put the polar ice caps to shame. None of those were positive emotions at all.

“I don't wish to be anyone other than who I am,” there was nothing wrong with him. This was his true nature. Doku hated the fact that they were treating him like he was suffering from some sort of disease.

“You always take what I say so personally. Are you traumatized, Doku?” There wasn't a need to get so defensive about it. It wasn't like she was forcing him to change or anything.

“I'm unsure,” the octopus looked a little thoughtful. Doku then stared into her eyes, and the fact that he had such a piercing stare unnerved her. “Do you know what it's like being in a shark's mouth?”

Saxa felt the inward stab from that remark. “I've been chased before, but I just poisoned them with my quills. I don't think you mean that in quite the same way. Clarify.” At least, she hoped he didn't mean it in such a cold way. This was a miscommunication of feelings. It had to be.

“Do you know what it's like to feel insidious emotion? Hatred stronger than that or Accord? Enough to make it their duty to kill you? If they didn't succeed the first time, they would try a second? There are those who are like that in the great, blue sea. No one should wonder why I'm cruel.” Doku had his reasons, and his situation made it no matter. The sage knew that things would only get worse from this point on, and as long as he was being hunted, it was important that he not let his guard up.

“It must suck,” Saxa frowned. She didn't quite understand everything but she knew that whatever shark Doku had killed would have relatives that would kill him if they saw him again. “I've lived here my whole life, and even so I don't understand it completely. I do think it confuses you when people get mad at you.”

“I don't understand their reasoning. Even if I try, I get ridiculed.” In those cases it was better to just not talk at all. Silence was his best defense to everything.

“If you don't understand something, you can always talk to me.” Rin offered her company and what advice she thought she could offer. It wouldn't be much, but she felt a need to help Doku. The white dolphin admired him a great deal.

“Why me?” Doku didn't quite understand.

“If you can't fix it, then I'll try to help it.” Rin wanted to give him something back. He had given her so much.

“I see,” the octopus replied as he glanced back towards the arena below.

Percuss was sitting on the bottom bench, trying to rest. Her body stung, and her ripped flesh pulsated with pain. Light blue eyes watched at blood ran down her arms. Doku had done considerable damage to her and it left her wondering what was to come. How could she fight against someone else? Panting heavily, she could feel the blood welling up and soaking through her clothes. This was bad. “Man…I need to rest for a while.”

Beside of her, Angla took off the armor, made of horseshoe crab shells. Percuss couldn't help but stare as she made a startling conclusion. A form was revealed from beneath the shells. The anglerfish had a slim body, curvy and lean but that wasn't Angla's defining feature. The Fish King wasn't even a king at all; the once perverted guy possessed a healthy set of breasts.

`Wait…' Percuss could hardly believe it.

“You're…a girl?”

“I am the daughter of King Orzo,” Angla turned to the battered swordfish. “Did you think I was male, even after all you've heard?” She thought that it was pretty laughable in all honesty, especially since Oro had defined her gender long ago.

“This whole time…you were…” the shark was right. She should have listened to Oro.

“You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?” Ketzel couldn't believe that anyone would mistake his lovely Princess Angla to be a man. What a joke!

“I feel like an idiot,” the swordfish was really embarrassed. “I thought you were some pervert with a harem.” She even felt bad admitting that to the princess.

Angla walked over and sat by the assassin, her red lips twisted into a smile. “How amusing, I am very much a woman.”

“Simpleton,” Doku remarked.

“I'm not sure if I feel better or worse about this,” while it did put her at ease about being around her and the squad of mostly women, it also brought up questions. Just how strong was this woman? Was she going to face her in battle next? This meant that there were four sub-kings, two women and two men. Also, the fact that she was the daughter of the Great Sea King made her especially uneasy.

“How could you think that she was a guy? Lady Angla is the most beautiful predator in the sea,” Ketzel clasped his hands together as he shot an affectionate gaze to the anglerfish.

“Are you her mate?” Percuss noticed the feelings he had for her and was a little curious.

“Disgusting,” Doku didn't even want to think about that possibility. It made him want to vomit.

“No,” Angla was quick to answer, earning her a hurt look from the cat shark.

“Then…” Percuss' gaze shifted to the coconut octopus who held no emotion towards her accusations.

“Eh?” Dokuro blinked. “You think Doku is-“

“I'm flattered, but no,” Doku cleared up her accusations.

“Why settle on silver when you can have platinum?” Ketzel asked as he slid a hand sensually down his chest and cast everyone a seductive glance.

“No,” Doku and Angla both had sharp tones to their voices and glared daggers into the cat shark's soul, causing him to slump over dramatically.

“At least that explains why he's here, anyway,” Percuss could feel perspiration bead through her forehead. Well, that was awkward.

“He always follows me,” Angla noted. Ketzel was more like a stalker that anything else. It wasn't like she minded, but Ketzel had a special kind of devotion that she couldn't shake. She had to give him props, he never gave up.

“He has a crush on you,” Percuss replied. She hadn't even been there that long and she could tell that Ketzel's feelings ran deeper than simple adoration.

“It's more like an obsession,” the anglerfishes' tone was less than enthused, “a really unhealthy one.” Ketzel needed a hobby besides hanging out with her.

“I see us having a nice future together,” Ketzel was quick to rectify his behavior. “We can have children and live as monarchs of the kingdom.” It played out in his head perfectly. He would become a mighty king, snubbing out all those who told him he could never amount to anything. Beside him would his regal bride, a strong, feminine beauty with looks that could render anyone speechless.

“No,” Doku's disapproval cut through his visions like a knife.

“You can be the mother I think you'd be great at being,” the cat shark continued, ignoring the octopus and his cynical views. “It's too bad we wouldn't be able to have a child together.” They would definitely have to adopt. Being two different species was truly saddening. Then again, Angla's family was two families that were brought together, so if they could do it then so could he!

“What? Are you barren? There are things you can do to help that.” Saxa missed the point and just thought he had trouble producing sperm.

“No!” Ketzel shouted at the top of his lungs, his whole face was red. He couldn't believe that she would say anything like that to him!

Brunhilde and Nagi couldn't help themselves. They giggled at Saxa's statement.

“I'm not barren!” Ketzel's face continued to glow like a stop light.

“How do you know?” Brunhilde poked fun at him.

“It's not funny!” Ketzel retaliated, now becoming angry that they kept laughing at him.

“You react as if it's true,” Doku noted, adding fuel to the already raging fire.

“I'm leaving if all you're going to do is make me into your comic relief.” He had enough of all of their crap. Ketzel wasn't going to stand there while they pointed and laughed. He'd had enough.

“Oh come on, we're just poking fun at you.” Saxa didn't see why he was so offended. Ketzel was just taking things out of context. It was a harmless joke, nothing to get so mad about.

“It's not funny,” the cat shark retorted. “It's rude and embarrassing, and it's not even true. I'm sick of your mouths and I'm sick of being made fun of by jerks like you.” He glared right at the octopus. Doku might not have made the joke, but his comment was the worst.

“Jerks?” Doku couldn't understand why he was looking at him. Saxa made the initial stab.

“You did deserve that,” Saxa's additional comment earned her an emotionless look from the octopus.

“Shut up,” the sage dead panned and continued to glare.

“So sorry I have hopes and dreams. I'm better than all of you, especially some emotionless octopus.” Ketzel was determined to shove the fact that he superior in every way right in Doku's face. He was a shark; he could have easily eaten that little cephalopod in one bite.

“I think it's nice that you have a goal,” Dokuro smiled, in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“I'm tired of being treated like trash,” Ketzel wasn't done with his verbal assault yet. “I was trying to be nice and that joke went too far. The only real reason I'm here is because Angla told me to come. I barely made it out with my life.”

“You're a good friend,” Angla noted. Maybe if she gave the cat shark a compliment he would calm down. He was starting to make a scene.

“You're all stupid,” Ketzel glared them all down with a scowl on his face. “You might be royalty but you don't control me. I thought I made that clear on the ship.” He wasn't in the mood for taking anyone's shit anymore and he was going to let it be known.

“I'm still the daughter of the Great Sea King,” the anglerfish noted. Nothing Ketzel could do was going to change that factor.

“The world is full of complaints. This is senseless. I'm leaving.” Doku arose from his seat and began to walk down the row of bleachers. “I will not stay here and fight with you. Everyone has their own agenda. I could deal with your arguments, but it doesn't mean I enjoy them.” That blabbering shark was giving him a headache. All he wanted to do was watch the spars but he was making that unbearable.

“Don't leave!” Dokuro arose and turned, shouted down at her brother who had already made it to the bottom of the bleachers. “I don't treat you bad! You're my brother! I treat you with respect!” Her words begged him to stay, to see that there was something good there, someone that wanted him there.

Doku stopped and turned towards the stands. “I demand respect, but you, Dokuro, you should resent me.”

“What?” The words shocked her to the core. Why would her brother say such a thing? Her body froze, bones locking up as she stared vacantly ahead.

“Its better that way,” Doku turned his back to her. “I'm the reason you're missing an eye.” If he hadn't have hesitated, if he had reacted sooner, then his sister wouldn't have such a debilitating weakness. She wouldn't have to cover the side of her face with her hair to avoid the stares.

“What are you talking about, Doku?” The female octopus had tears in her eye. “I want you around, more than anyone…I want you around…”

“You and I are two different beings,” Doku spoke, his back still turned to his sister. He couldn't bear to look at her. “As I have said before, you are missing an eye because I waited…not hesitated, I waited for the right time to attack. You had to take damage so I could get you away. I watched you suffer so that I could get the upper hand.”

It wasn't as if he wanted it, but there was a tactical way to get around his nemesis, and in order to do that Doku had to wait for the right time to come up and deliver a critical hit to the shark. However, that meant that he had to rely on Dokuro living until he could deliver that finishing move. It wasn't because he was too afraid or that he didn't know what to do. Even as a child, he had an uncanny ability to keep his cool despite the situation. Everything he had done was calculated. Everything he had done was on purpose.

“No,” she refused to believe it. Dokuro's voice trembled with disbelief. “That's not true. You saved me in the end…you protected me….” So what if she had to suffer? They both did. Dokuro refused to believe that her brother would have left her for dead.

“Reality is harsh, as am I. What good have I done?” As far as he could tell, Doku was a burden more than something that benefitted any of them.

“You saved her,” Nagi spoke up. “Even if it's not being the hero that you wanted, you still were a hero.” Doku couldn't just dismiss that like it was nothing.

“You taught me to be tough. That's why I'm here. I wanted you to be here because I look up to you. You're so strong and smart. I want to be a fighter like you.” All of her life, she had viewed herself as the weaker of the two. While her brother gained strength and power as a sage, she still relied on him. It was just like their childhood. If she wasn't so weak she would have done better. If she wasn't so pathetic, she wouldn't have lost her eye. Ever since that moment, she wanted to be brave and strong like her hero.

“You stayed here, even though we're all girls,” Saxa knew that had to be something to be admired for. “You put up with us. That takes a lot.” Surely he had to feel like the odd one out around all of them.

“You helped me in a lot of ways. I think the way I do because of you. Because of yours story,” Rin trailed off and placed a hand over her breast. “I was always protected because of my coloration. If you could stop a shark being only a fry, then why couldn't I, an albino dolphin toughen up? You do a lot of good things.” Rin had always thought him to be a great warrior, a powerful sage and a wise team member. Anyone who could overcome such odds and still keep going was strong in more ways than she could think of.

“I am not what you think I am,” Doku didn't think she needed to admire him for something like that. Rin was only going to be crushed in the end when she figured everything out. “I should have died.” There wasn't a day that he lived where he didn't regret not being swallowed by the shark.

“Doku, stop being ridiculous,” Brunhilde could see that he was clearly just taking their comments as negative. That was counterproductive and he wasn't allowing himself to be helped.

“Yeah, stop acting like a piece of crap,” Ketzel added. Didn't he realize that his friends were actually trying to help him? What a douche!

“The way Doku feels isn't crap. He just feels differently than we do. It doesn't mean we shouldn't take time to listen to him.” Angla could understand his pains about the past. He probably suffered from many different mental afflictions after going through something like that.

“He's whining,” Ketzel argued as he put his balled fists to his eyes, rotating them to mimic crying. “Wah! No one likes me! I can't take jokes and I'm cold and a bastard.” He false cried as Doku turned, staring a hole in his face.

“Ketzel, you have no right to talk,” Angla scolded him. Ketzel was being brash and his vision was clouded by anger.

“I've heard all I need to hear,” and with that, Doku walked off and exited the training grounds.

“Good!” Ketzel shouted after him and stood in the stands, cupping his mouth with his hands. “Go crawl back into the dark hole you came out of!”

“Don't!” Angla shouted with a sharp tone, enough to make Doku pause in place and glance over his shoulder. “There's no reason for you to go away.” She then turned to the cat shark in the stands. “Ketzel, Doku didn't do anything to want your action.” This whole thing was out of control and she was going to put an end to it. Hopefully, it would be a peaceful one.

“He made fun of my fertility,” Ketzel thought it was a big deal. It wasn't funny to tell him that he couldn't procreate, or make fun of him for that matter and act like he was less of a man because of that.

“It was a joke,” Angla pressed. Honestly, Ketzel needed to lighten up.

“Are we done here?” Doku asked, before turning as he walked off again. He had enough, and continuing to talk about the matter only resulted in more arguing. There was no sense in trying to talk to the obnoxious shark. After all, he was a shark that was enough to make Doku disdain him.

“Wait! Doku!” Angla called out, but this time he refused to stop walking.

“Go ahead! Leave! No one likes you!”

“Ketzel!” The princess' sharp retort cut through him like a knife, causing him to flinch and utter the word `ick' in rebuttal.

Oh well, at least Doku was gone. That's all that he cared about. Now he could actually have fun and watch his beautiful ladies battle in peace. Getting reprimanded was worth it.

XxXxXxXxXx

Doku walked back up to the castle grounds and decided to cut through the royal gardens. It was always nice there and the aesthetics took away from the feeling of war. It was kept in astounding condition, littered with tables and chairs made of shells and the occasional branch of coral, patch of anemone or other sea foliage adorned areas of the garden. There were also great statues, dedicated to the founders of Nautica spread out.

It was a nice place to get his mind off of the chaos that was going down in the battle area. Finally, he was able to sigh in relief…or at least, that's what he thought.

Sitting at one of the tables, dressed in his familiar scheme of dark blue, gold and black was the Orca King. He seemed to be alone, drinking from a tea cup. In the center of the table was a tea pot with wave patterns on it. The orca looked like he was enjoying his lonesome tea party, reclined back in his chair with one arm dangling over the back of the seat and his legs crossed casually.

Pale, blue eyes caught sight of the octopus entering the garden. “Who's that? Why are they in the Spiral Gardens? Only royalty can come here.” Could it have been part of the castle staff, perhaps? They did dress quite extravagantly not to be someone of class.

Doku approached the orca, looking down on him. “I didn't expect anyone to be here.”

Isatsu simply smiled, displaying his hellish teeth, “surprise.”

“An orca,” Doku decided to keep the conversation, “a rare sight.” Usually, the orca hung around the Deep Sea, where they were free to hunt and kill. This one he'd seen before. Isatsu just roamed around Nautica and King Orzo let him…for whatever reason.

“We're allies,” Isatsu noted. “We don't really live here.” Like the rest of the orca, he resided in the Deep Sea.

“I see,” the octopus replied, “then I can assume you must be the Orca King.”

“That's me, yes,” the orca introduced himself.

“What are you going here, alone?” Doku wasn't sure he wanted to know, but right now Isatsu was the only company he had. He was also the only person who hadn't annoyed him…yet.

“I'm getting my mind off of things. When you're here, you can bask in the rays of the dinoflagellate orb. It's nice.” To the orca, it was like being near the water's surface. It had a homey feel to it, and compared to the hell that was going on in the meeting hall it took the restlessness he felt away.

“It is,” Doku smiled a little and agreed. “I can here to do the same.”

Good. Someone who was there who just wanted to relax. This was good.

“Problems, huh?” Isatsu took his lips from his tea cup, sitting it on its decorative plate.

“Society is problematic,” the octopus took a seat in the adjacent chair. He might as well entertain the king. It would be rude not to.

“Try being the guy everyone thinks is a traitor.” At least Doku didn't have his problems. Right now, Isatsu didn't even want to be near any of those idiots and their flying accusations with no solid proof.

“Are you?” Doku stated at him.

“What do you think?” Isatsu leaned forward, placing his forearm on the table and leveled him with his own, serious stare.

“I am indifferent,” Doku never knew who was right and who was wrong in war. It was best to take precautions, especially around orca.

“Do you care about Nautica?” That was an obscure question, even stupid when the octopus thought into it. Why could Isatsu ask him something like that?

“I like living here but it confuses me. I like being able to keep myself from predators. Not because I can't beat them, but because Dokuro will be protected here.” On his own, Doku knew that his magic abilities could crush most anything that challenged him. It was his sister that was his prime concern.

“Isn't that cute?” Doku couldn't tell if the king was mocking him or not, and he didn't like it. Isatsu always sounded so amused with everything he said. It was as if nothing ever bothered him.

“No,” his response was cold.

“Oh,” the orca laughed a little, “you're good.”

“I don't care if you play this game,” Doku noted. He had a feeling he knew what he was trying to do. The rumors about him being a sadist were undoubtedly true. “You merely want to kill me.”

“Bet your octopus ass I do,” Isatsu casually sipped his drink, as if talking of slaughter were just as comfortable of a subject as talking about the weather.

“I suppose misery is the best company,” Doku took the tea cup on his side of the table and casually sipped from it, then made a disgusted face and spit it out. The liquid dissipated into the water. “Disgusting,” red eyes glared into the tea cup where the liquid stayed, held by magic. “What is this?”

“The blood of my kills,” Isatsu noted.

“How awful,” the coconut octopus felt his stomach churning and lurching sickeningly. He really shouldn't have trusted anything that orca was drinking.

“That's why you shouldn't pick something up and drink it,” the orca teased. Seeing that look on Doku's face satisfied his sadistic delights. Anything that discomforted Doku made his day.

“What creature did this come from?” It was certainly a strange color.

“An octopus,” the orca's response only earned him the hardest glare Doku could muster. If he had lasers for eyes he would have blasted his head off. Isatsu couldn't help but laugh at him again. “Not really. It came from a sea lion that I killed in the arctic.”

“Disgusting,” Doku's mind still wasn't changed as he watched the orca pick up his cup and take another drink. His white lips were stained in red. “What are you-“ He was cut off as Isatsu's pink tongue drug across his lips, lapping up the remaining blood.

“Delicious,” he teased him even more. The orca could tell that it made Doku squirm and that was a well-earned reaction.

“I drank out of that,” Doku noted that the cup he took was his and not his own.

“Did it disgust you?” Surely the aspect of an indirect kiss from him was something he found repulsive.

“Yes,” that was exactly the answer he was looking for.

“Good,” the orca was delighted to hear that response. “I like to see you shiver in repulsion.” There was something about the way Doku expressed distaste for him that fueled him to want to make his life miserable. It would be fun picking at him until his sanity deteriorated into nothing.

“Go rot at the bottom of the sea,” Doku shot. He didn't have time for Isatsu's crap. He didn't come into the gardens to be demeaned and harassed.

“You'd like that, wouldn't you?” Isatsu asked with a sly smile.

“You really are terrible,” the sage had to remind himself that he was royalty. Isatsu really didn't act like it at all.

“Welcome to the trash can, where the biggest trash in the sea sits,” Isatsu was a little too happy referring to himself as trash, “but you're in here, too. You must be desperate for company.” Most people who were talked to him.

“I could care less,” Doku wasn't looking for a conversation, he just happened to find it. There was a difference. “My life was screwed up before I met you. Your purpose in it doesn't make or break me.”

“I have my own way of dealing with stuff,” Isatsu thought his methods to be most effective.

“To kill everything, I have heard.” The orca's methods were nothing short of secret, so if he was trying to imply something then he was wrong. “You brood about everything that happens to you. Heaven forbid a sea slug travel across your shoe. You'd find it and senselessly murder it just to exact your revenge. You'd kill someone who bumped into you, or at least incapacitate them.”

“So what? Why do you care?” Doku should be lucky he didn't incapacitate him. Isatsu was feeling a little playful today.

“Do you think that you're better than me, Orca King?” The question seemed random, but Doku had reasons to ask it.

“I like being the most hated king in Nautica. One day, they'll all tremble before me.” Isatsu was working hard to build up that reputation. When the time came, he would ascend to greatness.

“Think about this for a minute,” Doku held up his finger in a matter-of-factly kind of way. “If I would have put a protest up and insisted that I was superior, then you would have killed me, but now that you said yes to your own question, you should kill yourself.”

Isatsu was offended at that remark. The little fucker set him up for that, and the tactical way he did it was more offensive than the actual comment. “You did that on purpose, you piece of shit.”

“Are you mad because I proved a point?” Doku was pretty amused, only a slight intone of it was laced in his voice. Otherwise, he showed no signs of outwardly being pleased with himself. “I was telling the truth. If I was you, I'd probably act the same way. It's in your nature, after all.” The octopus decided to tack on an additional jab by using the orca's own statement and belief against him.

“Don't pretend to sympathize with me, and then make fun of me. I don't need your shit.” Isatsu didn't like this feeling at all. That octopus was a little smartass. He wanted to rip him apart and make him suffer.

“Now you know how it feels when you pick on others. They don't like being made fun of, and neither do you.” Doku had a point to it all. He hoped that Isatsu got the memo that he wasn't going to cower down to him like everyone else did. If the orca wanted to bite, then he would bite harder.

“Is it your motive to make me mad? I'm fixing to kill you.” Isatsu was only going to give him one warning.

“It's not my intention to make everyone angry that I meet,” Doku felt like this was his theme of the day at this rate. “People don't like what you did to them.”

“I could destroy all of Nautica on my own.” The orca didn't really think Doku knew how integral a peace treaty was with the orca. That octopus needed to watch his mouth.

“That's madness,” it wasn't that Doku didn't believe him…In fact; it was because he believed him that it worried him a little.

“You don't even know my real strength. Let me tell you a story,” Isatsu was going to lay down something that made his significance to Nautica's historia very prevalent. “Long ago, in the first Deep Sea War, I laid waste to everyone in Accord's army. Even so, they all trapped Calypso, Cyra's sister, in suspended animation.”

“You still failed to kill him,” Doku threw his flaw in his face.

“Are you saying you're better than me because of that? Do you know what I went through?” Before Doku opened his mouth, Isatsu expressed his distaste for the octopus' lack of respect towards him. He was a Great War hero.

“That war divided all of the sea creatures and made their govern fall under monarchs.” Doku was aware of the significance of the first war.

“You irritate me,” the more Doku talked, the more he sounded like some know-it-all brat. Isatsu despised those types.

“You bash people who don't deserve it,” if Isatsu wanted to throw around his flaws, Doku would retaliate.

“It's okay for you, though,” the orca mocked, “you're special.”

“I don't stereotype,” Doku argued.

“Don't start that,” Isatsu didn't want to hear that approach.

“I like talking to you,” the octopus still held that small smile. It was kind of invigorating to talk to this man. Somehow, despite his death threats, Isatsu was amusing. The way he got mad over trivial things was funny to him.

“What?” Isatsu was confused. Usually, talking to him was a burden to most people. So why was Doku so enamored with him?

“You actually get to me,” and that was a feat on its own. Doku usually held a good wall against attacks, “you're disgusting.”

“You're beautiful. I want to break you.” Isatsu's voice lowered. He couldn't help but notice that alluring fact about that octopus. Doku possessed feminine features, long, silky hair that was the color of blood and stunning eyes. There would be no greater joy than ripping him up below him.

“You're gay,” Doku berated.

“What?” Again, the orca was caught off guard. What did Doku mean by that?

“I'm male.” Did someone really just mistake him for the wrong gender again? How irritating.

“I'm going to kill you,” Isatsu was a little embarrassed but didn't show it too well. He acted like it was no big deal and the only falter was in his tone of voice.

“It's not my fault that you're ignorant and can't distinguish gender,” the octopus decided to lay into him with another insult. He was quick and cut-throat.

“I'm going to torment you until you die.” Despite this, the orca's voice was playful. The idea of getting his claws on him made his body tingle with anticipation.

“Please don't,” Doku dead panned.

“Oh, I will.” It was a promise.

“You're irritating…and no one usually irritates me.” At least, they didn't irritate him on the level that this king did. There was something about Isatsu, something that could penetrate his usually impregnable barrier. It bothered him on an unhealthy level.

“Welcome to hell,” the orca smiled one of his smart-ass smiles. It repulsed Doku.

“This might not be so bad. I don't mind playing your little game.” After all, Isatsu was a challenge. Even if it irritated and disgusted him, he was determined to get the better of the blackfish that sat across from him. If he wanted a rival, that's exactly what he'd give him.

“I'm going to love tearing you down and making you scream.” The orca's tone was sister and held dark promise for the octopus. Once someone challenged him, it didn't stop until one of them wound up dead.

…To Be Continued