HE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES [Open]

[fatherofcute]

Characters: Maes Hughes and the occupants of the Winding Way
Content: Ah....those that knew Hughes was "dead", finding out that he's alive again?
Setting: Anywhere on the Way
Time: BACKDATED to sometime before the children were rescued from Grita.  ((I'm so lame for not putting this up sooner. orz))
Warnings: Anything you might bring with you?  Angst

Comments

[drinkitlovelife]

As it happened, a little pink bunny-creature was hopping up the steps, dragging a suitcase nearly as big as she was. She didn't see him at first, muttering to herself about "really tiring work ~miru" and "they'd better be grateful ~miru" and "why would he even ask me to put cannons on a baseball bat ~miru". It was obvious when she did, though. The little fluffball dropped her suitcase, gaped, and immediately started flailing about.

"GHOST ~MIRU."

[fatherofcute]

Hughes startled a bit and turned to see. Oh! There was the first victim person to see him. "Ghost? You mean me? Hahaha! I'm no ghost." He managed to leave off the "not anymore". "It's really me, Milk." He grinned.

[drinkitlovelife]

"I bet Stupid Watanuki did some creepy ritual to bring you here to haunt me as revenge for stealing all the peanut butter cups ~miru--"

She stopped and blinked a few times at what he said, shaking.

"...really ~miru?"

*so needs a more serious smile icon for him*

[fatherofcute]

"Really," he answered softly, crouching down and giving her a genuine grin. He chuckled again. "And Watanuki isn't to blame."

[tiny_tinker_toy]

Rikku had been avoiding the deck for a while now. After finding Hughes like that...she really just couldn't bring herself to go up there.

But she had no choice today, and it was a nervous Rikku that went up to find the stupid helmsmen to give them their stupid instructions. Really, why couldn't they do it themselves?

She was so busy complaining about them mentally that she didn't notice when she ran into someone. "Ack, sorry!"

[fatherofcute]

Hughes had just been standing up on the deck, enjoying the fresh, open air. A...nearly dramatic and startled gasp escaped him when a body knocked him forward a few steps. He spun to face the new person...and grinned. "Rikku."

[tiny_tinker_toy]

"...Aren't....y....you're supposed to be dead!"

Rikku froze when Hughes turned and she got a good look at his face. She'd seen him. She knew he was dead. She found the body.

Why was he not dead?!

[fatherofcute]

"Heh, yeah, I know. But a favor was called in and I was gotten some help. And none too soon." He could tell she was seriously disturbed, and in a way he could take no amusement from. "I'm okay now, though. Not even a mark to show for it. See?" He tilted his head, and touched his neck where the wire had bitten into it, sure enough, not even a hint of a mark.

[daughterofchump]

If it had been possible for Zeetha's dark skinned face to lose color when she saw Hughes, it would have done so. She could feel the blood drain, a cold shock to the extremities as her heart skipped a beat. Her hand moved automatically to the handle of her long blade, she drew it even as she backed up, hesitating to attack for once. She kept her eyes steadily on him, having to believe she was not hallucinating. Was this a fetch? She did not think so, she'd never had a lick of magic, no amount of personal attachment could give her that ability.

The vision was ghastly, shaped exactly like him, like a horrible twisting of all her wishes. It was an agony to see, since Zeetha knew from experience not to trust things like that. It was another good reason to burn bodies, dead was best left dead. What came back wearing a body would not be what you knew. In fact, it might not be the body at all, but a creature that borrowed the appearance of the dead.

[fatherofcute]

Hughes stood on the deck, hands in his pockets and head back gazing at the clouds. That itch between the shoulder blades crept up on him, that feeling of being watched. He straightened a bit, bringing his head down to look ahead of him, then slowly turned to look around. The movement was nonchalant, as though he was unaware of being watched.

When he turned he spotted Zeetha, long blade out, and a look on her face as though she were facing a...something. Hughes didn't think she could be frightened by a monster of spirit, she was too strong for that, fearless in so many ways. And yet, her face was drained of color and the uncertainty was clear in her eyes.

He pulled his hands from his pockets putting them up a little to keep them within her sight. A grin spread across his face. "Mommy!"

[daughterofchump]

"Stay back!" Zeetha ordered, holding her ground although she wanted desperately to back away. She didn't want to have to live through the feeling of cutting through something with his body and his face, even if that was a cowardly wish. She would still do it of course, in order to protect the ship, but for her own comfort she wanted to feel fully prepared and understand what was happening. She already knew this was something that would be giving her nightmares for a long time to come.

"If you come any closer I'll cut you down."

She didn't use the word kill, she had no idea what this was, if that was even possible. For all she knew her swords would have no effect on it, if it were not corporeal.

[fatherofcute]

He had no doubt she would, assuming him to be something or someone other than who he appeared to be. He really couldn't blame her, not really. So he stayed right where he was, hands up and open in surrender, and keeping that grin on his face, even if it had become a bit uncertain. "I won't move."

He hoped she'd give him a chance to explain before taking action, especially since miss Inoue had just left and he'd hate to have someone call her back. Not to mention what Ichigo would do to him if he died less then a day after being revived.