Fly Away

Chapter 40: I don't have a title for this one

"Why are you learning to stitch anyway?" Rin set down her needle.

"Because it's fun!" Souji grabbed her wrist and showed her the mutilated tips of her fingers:

"Poking your hand full of holes is fun?"

"That's just because I'm bad at it. You should see what Miss Suzuki can make and she doesn't even bleed all over hers!" Rin protested, a smile tugging at her lips.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had made a friend."

"And what if I have?" Souji dragged her into his lap and tickled her until she shrieked.

"Well, I"m going to get jealous!" She struggled her way free and, fighting for breath, she snickered:

"You're in for it now!" Rin tackled the offending man to the ground and attacked. She had him rolling on the fool laughing. An inhuman shriek tore through the night. Rin's shoulders tightened. She rolled off Souji who was already getting on his feet, blade by his side.

"Crap," She swore. "let's go."

Spear in hand, Rin leapt in the direction of the sound. They ran into Sannan and Toshi.

"Rin, Souji! With us!" Rin leant over to Sannan and asked:

"What in the hell is going on?"

"We aren't sure. That's what we're trying to figure out."

"Sounded like a furie to me."

"That would be my guess as well." They burst through the door, into Niimi's study. The man was crouched, picking up papers. He licked his lips nervously and stuttered:

"What can I do for you?"

"Cut the crap! That was a furie wasn't it?" Toshi growled. Souji loosened his blade in its sheath.

"Do you want to die?" Rage boiled in RIn's veins; she would claim this snivelling coward's blood the moment she was allowed to. He'd put them all in danger and hadn't even had the decency to warn them.

"What's all this ruckus? In the middle of the night?" The little bastard hid behind Serizawa.

"I was just experimenting." The tension in Toshi's muscles left Rin wondering whether he would lop off Niimi's head then and there.

"Who did you test it on?"

"The ronin Serizawa-sensei brought in today." Sannan, so rare to lose his temper, exploded:

"Niimi-san! How could you? Without even consulting us!"

"I- I did it to advance our research! Plus it wasn't a complete failure this time!"

"Never the less, you've put us all in danger and let loose a monster that will kill anything it runs into. How would you answer this?"

"How could I?"

"I will no longer hold my peace is you sneak something like this behind our back. Never forget that breaking the code is punishable by honourable suicide." Toshi was livid. The vice-commander and his captains stormed out. In the yard, they found the rest of them. Toshi roared:

"Men, spread out! We're hunting a furie."