The Six Keys

Black Lagoon Part Two

It all happened so fast, I couldn't tell who was shooting at who. I clutched the knife tightly, hearing numerous shouts and taunts from everyone else.

Footsteps drew near and I cowered under the desk. The nearby heavy breathing suggested it was one of Yolanda's men. Closer and closer he came, until he stood over me. He started chuckling. I froze.

"A little Two-Hands!" he sarcastically cooed. "So cute! It would work if you weren't such a pussy, ha! Say your prayers, kid."

He pointed his gun at me but threw his head back as a bullet made its way through his forehead. I turned and saw Revy standing in the doorway and immediately flooded with relief.

"Little Two-Hands, huh?" she asked, smirking.

"Yeah," I said, blushing.

"Look, kid," she started.

"Lillianna," I interrupted, avoiding eye contact when she glared at me for being rude. "You never asked, so I figured I'd tell you...."

"Alright," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Lillianna. I can't babysit you, I'm too busy kicking Eda's ass. I could use a little help though...."

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head furiously. "Nonono. I'm comfortable under this dusty desk, thanks. Besides, you're the Revy! You can take her!"

She chuckled. "Ya think so?"

"I guarantee it," I said, beaming up at her.

"Well," she said, twirling a Baretta in her hand. "A Little Two-Hands needs practice." She stopped twirling the gun, the butt facing me.

"Wow!" I squealed, taking the gun. "This means so much to me! Aghhh, Senpai noticed me! Can we get a selfie?!"

"The two seconds I thought you were pretty alright are gone now," she sighed. "Lock and load, Little Two-Hands!"

We ran out and ducked behind a podium in front of the pews, bullets ricocheting right by our heads. Revy shot multiple rounds but I stayed there, sweating and scared.

"You can't get good by sitting there, dumbass!" Revy yelled over the firing. "Just move for a second!"

I peeked around the podium and spotted a goon taking cover behind a pew. He noticed me too, a confused look overcoming his face as he went, "Mini Revy?"

Taking advantage of his distraction, I fired at him, missing.

"Don't let your nerves get the best of ya, kid," Revy advised. "You gotta relax!"

I nodded and turned back to the goon, taking a deep breath and firing at his shoulder. Revy hopped to my other side to finish him off.

"We gotta move closer to Yolanda," Revy said. "We take her down, we take them all down!"

She ran into the line of fire, dodging every bullet and expecting me to follow.

Meanwhile, Dutch had managed to take out the last goon and was standing off with Rico. Rock and Eda were nowhere to be found. It was just us and Yolanda.

Revy stood and stared at Yolanda. "Bring it on, you old hag!" she growled through gritted teeth.

Yolanda smirked and whipped out her Gold Desert Eagle.

They both leaped all over the room, firing at each other. I felt like my ears were bleeding as Rico started firing his machine gun at Dutch. I felt like I should do something but I stayed in hiding instead.

"Get over here, Little Two-Hands!" Revy ordered, grabbing the attention of Rico and Yolanda, who previously didn't know I was there. I shrieked in fear, running to Revy with Rico firing at me the whole time. I stood by Revy and we fired the matching guns at the opposing pair.

We heard the squeal of tires and turned towards the front doors. "Get in!" Eda and Rock yelled from the truck. Revy and I booked it, followed by Dutch, who was turned around and keeping Yolanda and Rico at bay.

"Eda!" Yolanda howled angrily as we drove away.

***

The serene water sparkled under the pink sky. The Black Lagoon rocked on the water, seeming to sail into the breathtaking sunset.

It was liberating to be back on the ship instead of on the wrong end of a weapon. I knew that this was only anime number three, but I felt like my limits had been pushed too far. I tried just living in the moment and forgetting about it.

The crew, Eda and I sat on the deck. They were all smokong, drinking beer and talking again. Rock was on the ground next to me and everyone else were in chairs, reliving the events of the day.

"You alright?" Rock asked me.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, shrugging.

"I usually just leave the fighting to Revy," he said, laughing a little. "Too stressful for me." I nodded in agreement.

"So," Eda said, no longer wearing her nun outfit. "Where'd ya manage to find a mini Revy?"

"We just found her laying around," Revy explained. "The little creeper knows everything about me apparently."

"Weird," Eda said, sitting next to me and playing with my hair.

"Alright," Dutch said, crushing his cigarette butt under his boot. "Let's dump those drugs."

"How come?" Eda whined, picking up a bag. "This is how I make money. You guys had no business taking this. It's good stuff, too." She pulled out a pocket knife and cut open the bag, running her fingers through the powders.

"What the-" she muttered, pulling out a key. "Good thing I found this before we sold it."

"Wild as hell," Revy said, snatching it and looking at it. "Why would it be in there? Trash." She shook her head and threw it over her shoulder. I crawled over and picked it up and hurried back before anyone noticed.

"I'm ready for some food and rest," Rock announced. "Are we keeping Lillianna?"

"I say we sell the little maggot," Revy laughed, giving me a noogie. "But... I do recall saying that spoiled little brats need training. What do ya say, Little Two-Hands? Ready to use some Barettas of your own?"

"I wish," I sighed, walking to the rails and staring out onto the water. I noticed my hands were fading away and stuffed them into my pockets. "Honestly, you all are so cool, I wish I could be like you. But I have a feeling I'll be gone soon."

"Whatever you say, kid," Revy said, ruffling my hair. "Come join us for food when you're ready."

They all went inside to eat and I stayed behind to take one last look at the Black Lagoon. By the time they were back to check on me, I was gone.

***

Back in the Abyss I stood. I pulled the key out of my pocket and took a look at it. The handle had two Barettas crossed over each other against a black background. I pushed it into the keyhole.

"Halfway done," the voice said. "If you thought that was hard, just wait until tomorrow. Rest up. You'll need it."

I laid in the air, pulled out my phone, and scrolled through the pictures I had secretly taken of Revy.

Author's Note: Wow this took so long I'm awful (╥_╥) Personal issues are gross. But Black Lagoon is over now. Any guesses on what the next anime is? And I follow back, so don't be shy! XOXO