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The sheer face of the cliff stretched down and down until it finally touched the ocean's edge. Kasumi shivered as she watched the waves break against jagged gray rock. It seemed so long ago that she'd fallen in, but it had barely been any time at all.
“See anything?” Marco called out.
Kasumi shook her head. “Not unless we want to sprout wings, anyway.”
Technically, they could fly if they really needed to; the flock of worm-like dragons Zeus's (former) soldiers used as steeds were huddled together at the base of one of the larger rocks, resting and waiting for their masters' orders. But there was a difference between 'can fly' and 'can fly long enough to cross an ocean', and the beast-soldiers had let them know in no in no uncertain terms that there was no chance of making it across on such tiny beasts. They needed to find another way.
Ron snorted. “Yeah, about that. Becoming kings sounds nice and all, but it be even nicer if we already were kings. That whole 'inner power' mumbo-jumbo doesn't do too much for me.”
“All this from the guy who had to get rescued twice?” Marco smirked as he brushed a hanging piece of hair away from his face. “Shit, if I'd known you were gonna spend so much time complaining, I wouldn't have bothered busting that machine.” He'd always had an imposing smile, but the way the scar across his nose and cheek stretched with his grin made the expression look positively demonic. Kasumi could feel her cheeks heat up at the sight of it, and she quickly ducked her head to hide her blush.
Ron scowled and lazily flipped his middle finger at Marco, then yelped as Katherine landed behind him with a disapproving squawk.
“Christ! Give me some warning here. I didn't get this far to die of a heart attack.”
Tim giggled as he leaped down from his spot on Katherine's neck. It had to be at least an eight-foot fall, but he dropped without any sort of hesitation. He landed in a bestial crouch, letting his left hand take the brunt of his weight, before quickly standing up to grin at them. “Hey!”
Kasumi smiled. Tim, at least, seemed to be getting the hang of the changes to his body pretty quickly—she had to admit she was a bit jealous. She still hadn't really begun to think about just what all this meant for her; processing everything would have to wait until they were all safe. “Hi, Tim. Did you find anything?”
“Um.” He scratched the side of his head. “Sort of? One of Zeus's guys—or our guys now, I guess?—says he think he knows a way.”
Kasumi glanced over. Sure enough, a group of the strange soldiers had gathered around a section of the cliff, pointing at something far below and gesturing among each other.
“I hope it's something waterproof.” She couldn't stop imagining riding one of the eels that had killed the Senator through the ocean spray. It wasn't the worst picture her brain had ever conjured up for her, but it came pretty close.
Marco smiled, a little softer this time. “No kidding. Feels like we've spent more time swimming than walking these past few days.”
Ron sighed as he started in the direction of the soldiers' gathering. “I think we're just gonna have to get used to it. If any of you feel like growing gills, let me know.”
They made their way across the craggy bluffs together, Tim bounding ahead of them and Katherine half-walking, half-hopping behind. The soldiers turned, almost as one, as the five of them approached, and one of the larger beasts made a respectful sort of gesture at them.
“Greetings,” the largest one grumbled. His voice was a low rumble, so deep and hoarse it nearly hurt to listen to. “We believe we've found passage.”
“Oh?” Marco stepped closer to the cliff edge.
Kasumi trailed close behind. It wasn't as though she was worried; she trusted him not to fall. But—still. It was easier to keep an eye out for him, just in case.
(She'd watched him get thrown over the edge by Zeus's soldiers. It would be a long, long time before she'd be able to forget the sound his body had made when it hit the ground.)
“Oh shit,” Marco said, sounding more annoyed than actually shocked. “This is really our best option?”
The soldier closest to them shrugged—the human gesture shouldn't have surprised Kasumi, but the way they looked and acted now made it easy to forget. “If you wish, we'll continue looking. However, we do not have many other routes to explore. This is most likely the safest possibility.”
Kasumi stepped carefully towards the edge and—keeping one hand on Marco's arm—leaned over to look down below. “Ah!”
Her heart began to pound wildly. She could feel it in all the way down to her fingertips. Kasumi's first thought was to run, grab a weapon, do something to defend herself—but the monsters at the base of the cliff weren't attacking, They weren't even looking particularly hostile at all, in fact. If anything, they seemed almost enthusiastic, more like puppies that giant octopus-dragons.
“Tim won't like this.” Neither would Ron, actually. She couldn't decide whether Katherine would care at all; she didn't seem all that capable of holding grudges, but there was always the possibility that she'd make an exception for the creatures that had caused her creator's death.
“You ran into these things before?” Marco asked.
It shouldn't have been funny, but an awful sort of humorless laugh burst from her throat.
He glanced over at her, something like sympathy in his gaze. “That bad?”
She nodded. “It was… um. They can transform, sort of, and they move a lot faster than you'd expect. They're the reason Katherine—this Katherine—is hurt so bad. We almost didn't survive.”
Marco winced. “If I hadn't left...”
If you hadn't left us locked in that room— Kasumi wanted to say, but she bit down the retort. He'd had no way to know that there would be monsters nearby capable of tearing through concrete. He'd had no reason to trust the girl on the videotape, the one who wandered through Level 4 at Zeus's side.
“It's over now,” she said instead. “Just don't go running off again and we'll call it even, okay?”
He laughed quietly at that. “I'm not sure where I'd even run to on this little rock.”
Kasumi pressed her hand against the side of her mouth, trying not to grin too widely. Marco had laughed before occasionally, when he was talking to Ron or to the Senator, but then it had always been a joyless, mocking sound, just another way of intimidating them all. This was so much more genuine, so much more open. “If anyone could find a way, I'm sure it would be you.”
“Hey! What's down there?” Ron followed cautiously behind them, taking care to avoid both the loose rocks and the soldiers standing nearby. Apparently becoming part monster hadn't actually made him any more comfortable around the rest of the soldiers.
Not that Kasumi could really blame him—being Medusa herself didn't make her any more excited about the prospect of so much as touching the octopus monsters, let alone riding one.
“Kasumi says you're not gonna like it.”
He peered out over the edge, then immediately recoiled. “Fuck, seriously?”
“Oh, wow!” Tim darted between their legs to join them in looking out over the edge, fearlessly bracing himself against the salt-soaked rocks and leaning so far out that Kasumi was surprised he didn't topple in immediately. Behind him, Katherine squawked angrily and plucked at the rags of his torn shirt, dragging him back to safer ground.
“Aww, come on!” he whined. “I was being safe, Auntie, I promise.” He brightened almost immediately, looking over at the soldiers. “Are we going to ride those guys?”
Ron snorted. “You're honestly excited about this, kid?”
Tim nodded. “We're friends now, right? It'll be cool—they seem like they could go really fast in the water.”
Kasumi had to admit she was a bit jealous of Tim's ability to forgive and forget. There was something endearing about the way the boy viewed the world. “Well,” she said, “If Tim's not worried about it, I don't think I have much of a leg to stand on.”
“Ugh.” Ron slumped into himself, rubbing at the bridge of his forehead wearily, but didn't actually put up a complaint. That was probably the best they'd get out of him, all things considered.
“You are willing, then?” The soldier nearest them asked.
“Looks like we are,” Marco replied. “How are we going to get down there, though?”
It was one of the steepest parts of the cliffside, and unless Kasumi had missed something during their exploration of the castle, she didn't think there were any convenient routes through the ruins that would let them out at the bottom of the cliff face. “Maybe they could meet us at the other side of the island?”
“Nah.” The female—the one who'd captured Kasumi once before—stepped forward and grinned wolfishly at her. “There's an easier path down.”
“Oh no,” Ron said tiredly. “Don't tell me--”
The largest soldier nodded. “Don't worry about walking. We're more than strong enough to carry you down.”
“Awesome!” Fangs flashed in the corners of his mouth as Tim grinned widely. Katherine made an unhappy noise and smacked the back of his head with one of her wings.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Auntie.” He turned to them once more. “Auntie says she can take me down. I'll meet you at the bottom, okay?”
With that, he was clambering onto her back excitedly. Before any of them—soldier or human—could think of a response, the two were already taking off into the sky.
Ron watched her circle above. “She couldn't've taken me..?”
Kasumi laughed. “I think she had a hard time of it the last time she tried carrying you.”
“What Kasumi means is that you almost broke her in half,” Marco said, grinning smugly. “Come on, we'll be fine. You're not afraid of a little drop, right?”
Ron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Fine, whatever. But if one of them drops me I'm blaming you.”
“It will be very safe,” A pair of the largest soldiers broke off from the main group, heading towards Marco and Ron. “We're used to this terrain.”
Marco climbed easily up onto one of the shoulders of one, and Ron—with a bit more hesitation—followed a moment later. The two took off towards the edge of the cliff and, almost faster than Kasumi could track, disappeared over its edge.
“And, um,” Kasumi stuttered, suddenly nervous. It was just her now, alone among a crowd of soldiers. Knowing they were allies now was one thing, but actually feeling it was another. “Can I...”
“Don't worry!” The female soldier flashed a thumbs up and a toothy smile at Kasumi. “You're with me.”
“O-okay.” Kasumi slipped her arms around the soldier's neck and let herself be pulled off her feet. The soldier wrapped Kasumi's legs tightly around her furred waist and let her hands hover lightly over them to keep her steady.
“Ready?”
She paused for a moment, willing her heartbeat to slow. The ghost of of old adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She couldn't stop thinking about the last time she'd been held by one of the soldiers, when Marco had…
Kasumi shook her head, feeling her cheeks brush against the soldier's furry nape. It's going to be all right. Shizuka's with me, and Marco's alive. We're going to be okay.
“Okay,” she told the soldier. “I'm ready.”
With a wild, bestial howl, the soldier took off towards the cliff face, then vaulted herself over the edge as if the ground below didn't exist at all. Kasumi couldn't help but laugh as the ocean swirled and spun below her—moving this fast was beyond exhilarating. The soldier never looked down, never so much as hesitated as she leaped from from rock to rock. One moment they'd be so close to the cliff face that Kasumi could feel cold stone brush against the sides of her arms, and the next they'd be so far above the ground she almost expected to see Katherine circling around below them.
When they finally touched the ground once more, Kasumi's cheeks were flushed red and her legs were so shaky she could barely stand. She slipped off the soldier's back, took two tottering steps, and would have fallen over completely if Marco hadn't rushed over to grab her shoulder.
“Careful there.” Marco helped push her back into something resembling an upright position.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. His hand was so warm; she could feel it even through the layer of her jacket. Hopefully he'd assume her blush was only thanks to the ride she'd just taken.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I'm fine. That was pretty fun, actually.”
The female soldier grinned proudly. “Of course it was!”
A nearby soldier snorted. “You were showing off.” She rolled her eyes at him in response before running off towards the shoreline.
Kasumi looked around. The octopodes had gathered near the shoreline, their massive bulk rising out of the shallow water like a miniature archipelago. Enormous tentacles crossed the shoreline in dozens of places, slowly curling and uncurling as the monsters waited.
By now, most of their group had climbed up onto the creatures' backs. Tim and Katherine were perched on top of one particularly large monster and small packs of five or six soldiers had gathered on most of the rest. She, Marco, Ron, and a few of the remaining soldiers were the only ones left still on the beach.
Kasumi tried to walk towards a nearby monster but stumbled once more, grabbing Marco's shoulder to keep herself from falling.
“Sorry,” she said. “I guess I'm a bit more worn out than I thought.”
“Don't worry about it. Everyone's pretty exhausted. Once we're on top of a monster you should be able to rest a while—I don't think we'll be going too fast on top of those things.” Marco grabbed her hand and slid her arm over his shoulder so she was leaning into his weight. “This help?”
“Mm-hmm.” Kasumi ducked her head. The line of Marco's side was pressed against her body, so close she could practically feel every contour of muscle and line of scar tissue. Her hand rested against a rough, scarred patch on the side of his neck; every time they stepped forward her fingers brushed lightly against it.
(That scar had come from the frogs, she remembered, suddenly feeling guilty. From her own stupid screw-up that had nearly gotten them all killed.)
Once they'd made their way to the octopus-monster's side, Kasumi did her best to climb up. It was a surprisingly difficult task—the creature's skin was spongy, soft, and damp, and her own shakiness didn't help any.
Marco scaled its side quickly, with a rough sort of grace, then leaned back over and offered her a hand. A thick slime stuck to her legs and the front of her dress as he pulled her up. Once, Kasumi might have been disgusted, but after all she'd been through it barely even registered.
The view from the top of the octopus-monster was oddly beautiful; the sun had just begun to set, throwing streaks of red and yellow across the waves and the rubble above. Their group had traveled this rocky beach before, but it looked so different from high above that she almost couldn't recognize it.
“Wow,” Kasumi said. She'd collapsed onto her back the moment she was safely on top—she could feel even more briny slime soaking through the layers of her clothes, but right now she was just too tired to care.
Marco sat next to her., letting his legs dangle down the slope of the monster's back. “Pretty amazing, huh?” His face looked a bit red too—he had to be just as out of breath as she was. He was so fit that sometimes she forgot he could even get worn out.
Kasumi nodded. She weighed her options (what if he got mad at her? What if he laughed?) before leaning over and resting her head against his shoulder.
He startled—she could feel his pulse jump under his skin—before settling down. He looked down at her, face so close it filled her vision, and opened his mouth—
And the ground below them started to shake as the octopodes, almost as one, pushed off from the shoreline. Waves dashed themselves furiously against the rocky shoreline as the monsters stirred the water around them into a froth.
“What?” Marco said. “Where's Ron?”
“Um...” Kasumi looked out across the water. “Isn't that him with Katherine and Tim?”
Marco squinted at the figures on the octopus. “You're right. Fuck.”
Kasumi blinked, suddenly confused. “Did he say he was going to ride with us?”
“Yeah,” Marco grumbled. “He did.” He rubbed a hand against his face, looking almost embarrassed. “Guess he thought he was doing me a favor.”
A favor? Kasumi almost asked, but something about the way he was looking out over the water, very determinedly avoiding her gaze, let her know she wouldn't be getting an answer. Instead, she leaned her head back against his shoulder, trying to think of something else to talk about.
“I can't believe we made it. It feels like we were on that island forever.”
“Yeah,” Marco said, a grin pulling at the edge of his mouth. It was a much colder expression this time, like the one he'd worn when they first met. “I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the world is like. We're going to have a lot to do.” A fierce, almost predatory gleam burned in his eyes as he spoke.
Kasumi shivered.
“Well,” she said, holding up a handful of her dress, “the first thing I'm looking forward to is a shower. I feel so disgusting right now.”
Marco looked over at her. The dark edge in his eyes was softer now, but she could still see it burning. “Don't worry about it. You look fine.”
“Do I?” She tried to bite down the smile spreading across her face. Being looked at like that—having Marco look at her like that—was like having an entire terrarium of butterflies dumped straight into her stomach.
A sudden, stupid idea popped into her head. It would definitely get her laughed at, or maybe pushed over the side of the monster, but… this was Marco. If she never tried to say anything—if she just kept blushing in his direction forever without so much as admitting the way she felt—she'd never be able to forgive herself.
Kasumi had never been very good with words. So instead she turned her face towards him and pressed a soft, close-mouthed kiss against the scar tissue covering the spot where his shoulder met his neck. His skin felt grimy on her lips from the days of accumulated sweat and dirt and gore, but underneath it she could feel the warmth of his body and the way his pulse jumped.
Marco went very, very still. “Kasumi.”
Kasumi squeaked, backing up so quickly she nearly toppled over. “I'm sorry! It's not—I didn't mean to make you mad.”
“I'm not mad!” Marco ran his hand through his hair, looking flustered. He seemed almost frantic. “I'm definitely not mad.”
Kasumi's cheeks went hot. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might give out.
“But,” he continued, “Kasumi, I spent the last two and a half years in jail.” He grimaced. “And five years before that pretty much only talking to Zeus. I'm absolute shit at anything close to normal relationships. Just because we worked together here doesn't mean you should be stuck with me forever.”
“Marco. Marco.” She'd never wanted to kiss someone and shake them at the same time before. Today was bringing her lots of new emotions, it seemed. “I'm a viral monster in the shape of a dead girl and I've been alive for all of, what, a week? Our friends are two half-monsters and a bird birthed by a dead woman. Nothing is normal anymore. I don't think we'll ever have 'normal' again.”
“Okay, still—”
“And,” Kasumi said, forcing herself to continue through his protest. It was taking everything she had just to get the words out; if she stopped talking now she'd never be able to say this. “If you don't want to try, it's fine. I understand. But”—she took a deep breath—“If you do, then I'd like to too. I don't care if it isn't normal. I like you.”
Marco took an odd sort of shuddery breath and pressed his face into his hands. Kasumi watched anxiously, waiting for any sign of what he might he might say next.
Time dragged on, slower than she imagined possible. It was oddly like facing down a monster once more: there was that same sense of mixed fear and anticipation, the same thoughts echoing through her head. Be careful. Don't screw this up.. This time, though, it wasn't her life on the line. Just her friendship with Marco.
And, maybe, something more than that.
Finally, Marco looked up. The look on his face was completely unreadable. Slowly, carefully, he pulled her closer and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.
“Ugh.” He wrinkled his nose. “You really are covered in slime.”
Kasumi burst out laughing. “I warned you!” She leaned in and pressed her lips against his chin, his forehead, the scar that split his cheek.
“I guess that was my fault.” He leaned against her, close enough that his hair brushed against her face. He was so much bigger than her—if she wanted, she could easily tuck herself against him and not even come up to the top of his shoulder. It was a nice feeling.
“So then...” Kasumi said.
“I think you're going to regret it.” Marco said. “But, if you want to, I'm willing to try.” He sounded strangely nervous; it wasn't the kind of furious panic she'd heard in his voice when he'd first faced down Zeus, but something something much more mundane.
She smiled. “Trust me. I'll prove you wrong.”
“And now it's back to trust, huh?” A smile tugged at Marco's lips.
“It's a good start.” Kasumi rested her hand on top of Marco's, memorizing the thin lines and shallow pits of scar tissue that covered it. She wanted to feel all of it: every whorl of black ink, every raised line, every half-faded bruise.
She could if she wanted. The thought struck her suddenly: she had all the time in the world. Every moment that Medusa had threatened to steal away belonged to her once more.
“It's weird,” Kasumi said. “I never thought I'd be excited to not know what was going to happen to me.”
“Yeah.” Marco laughed softly. “I know what you mean.” He turned his hand palm-up and threaded his fingers through hers.
Together, they watched the island fade into the distance behind them.