To Sail the Spanish Main...
By: Daferge...
"Tenchi Muyo!" and characters were created by Hiroki Hayashi and Masaki Kajishima, and is the property of AIC/Nippon Television, Geneon Entertainment and FUNimation Entertainment.
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( The Caribbean, early 1700s... )
" Land ho... "
The first officer of the Lady Funaho lifted his spyglass to his eye and scan the horizon...
Almost dead ahead was land and trees, the end of a four week voyage...
The officer sent one of the sailors down to inform the captain...
If that was The Corcos as their new navigator estimated, then they had just shortened their voyage from England by over a week and the world had just gotten a little smaller...
Just beyond lay Tortuga and the passage between French Santo Domingo and Spanish Cuba to the English island of Jamaica and their final destination, Kingston...
It also meant he owed the navigator five shillimgs...
He wondered if the navigator would take Spanish Reals, after all, silver was silver...
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" SAIL HO... "
THIS was not something the first officer wanted to hear...
" WHERE AWAY?... "
" OFF THE STARBOARD BEAM... "
Turning to his right he raised his spyglass again...
It appeared to be a 3 masted Schooner, with no colors showing...
Not good... Not good at all...
Although the Lady Funaho was larger and probably even out gunned the Schooner, the schooner was faster and had a shallower draft ( meaning, SHE could go where the Lady couldn't... )...
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His concentration was suddenly broken...
" I see we have company... "
Turning, the first officer discovered another ships officer, tall and with a full white beard standing there...
Minami Kuramitsu, the Captain of the Lady Funaho...
Looking in the direction of the Schooner, his hand was out...
The first officer handed the captain his spyglass...
Using the glass, the captain spent some time observing the Schooner...
" Humm... "
The captain lowered the glass...
" They've hoisted the parlay pennant... It seems they wish to talk... "
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The first officer was alarmed...
" Do you think that wise, captain?... "
The captain smiled...
" Perhaps not... But if that's who I think it is, better not to get HER mad... "
The first officers eyes widened as he looked back at the Schooner...
There was only one Schooner on the whole Spanish Main under a female captain...
The Jamaican Demon, one of the few Privateers left, under Captain Ryoko Hakubi...
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It was amazing how quickly the crew moved to slow the ship when the identity of their GUEST became known...
The two ships now sat a very short distance apart and a longboat brought their GUEST across...
The figure that climbed aboard was wearing a red waistcoat over a white shirt with puffed sleeves, loose black breeches tucked into tall black leather boots, a wide red waist sash, a leather belt with sword, topped with a red bandanna failing to contain her silver hair...
Captain Kuramitsu, smiled...
That's Ryoko alright...
His second thought was that it might be best to get things going before most of his crew started begging to join Ryoko's...
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" Nice to see you again, Captain... "
Ryoko smiled, Captain Kuramitsu had good reason to move things along, these were still very dangerous waters, even with most of the pirates gone...
" Nice to see you too, Captain... How's the family?... "
Captain Kuramitsu smiled, he knew who Ryoko was asking about, his ONLY family, his grand-daughter Mihoshi...
" Fine... She been working for Governor Azusa... "
Ryoko's eyes widened...
" And Kingston is still standing?... "
Captain Kuramitsu smiled, Ryoko had always teased Mihoshi, but was one of her best friends...
It was another voice that answered, a rather loud one...
" YES, KINGSTON IS STILL STANDING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH... "
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Ryoko's eyes shut tight and she sighed...
Of all the ships passing through, why did she have to be on this one?
Slowly turning, Ryoko came face to face with a young lady, decked out in a basic, but elegant dress, dark hair and a very determined look on her face...
Ayeka Jurai, the Governor of Jamaica's oldest Daughter, an old acquaintance of Ryoko and Mihoshi...
Ryoko grinned as she turned to face this new challenge, it had been a while...
" What?... I interrupt your beauty sleep... Princess?... "
Ryoko couldn't resist tossing in her old nickname for Ayeka...
As Ayeka was about to reply a soft voice interrupted them...
" Now girls!... "
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Both girls turn to face an elderly, gray haired gentleman in priest robes...
" Let's get along, OK?... "
Eyes down, both replied as one...
" Yes... Father... "
Captain Kuramitsu smiled, Father Katsuhito Masaki, a humble priest, had known ALL the girls, most of their lives, he also knew ALL of their parents...
His grandson, Tenchi Masaki had been a source of conflict between these two for years...
Father Masaki turned to Ryoko...
" I assume you didn't catch our attention out here without a reason?... "
Ryoko and Ayeka smiled, Father Masaki didn't mince words...
" Yes... One of my crew was tossed from the mast earlier today, breaking both an arm and leg... As you appear to be headed back to Kingston, I was hoping you might take him with you... "
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Father Masaki looked at Captain Kuramitsu, who smiled and nodded...
" I believe we have room... "
Ryoko smiled and leaned over the rail, waving to someone below...
A few minutes later a hand appeared on the rail, followed by a very young boy...
Ryoko help the boy, with a bandaged right arm and leg up onto the deck...
Trying to stand up, the dark haired boy smiled...
" Seina Yamada!... "
The boy looked up to find Father Masaki looking at him and shaking his head...
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Every one was looking at the young boy...
Ryoko looked at the boy, then Father Masaki...
" You know this one... "
Father Masaki smiled and nodded...
" When the navy wouldn't take him last year, he decided to ran off to sea... No one had heard from him since... "
As he looked at the boy, the boy's eyes went to the deck...
" His family's been worried... As well as a number of young ladies in town... "
He looked at Ryoko...
" I guess he signed on with you... "
Ryoko was now looking at the boy again...
" So?... "
" He's only 14... "
Ryoko's hand had moved to Seina's collar, which she grabbed...
" 14?... "
Seina thought about saying 14 and a half, but from the look in Ryoko's eyes decided not too...
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A hand gently touched Ryoko's shoulder...
" Ryoko... "
It was Ayeka...
It was Father Masaki who spoke up...
" Did Seina ever get his sea legs?... "
Ryoko looked puzzled at Father Masaki, he just smiled back...
" Did he perhaps happen to remind you of a certain young lady we all know?... "
Ryoko looked at Seina, the Father, then Seina again, her eyes widened...
" Mihoshi?... "
Father Masaki smiled and nodded...
" Let's say, compared to Seina, Mihoshi has only GOOD luck... "
Ayeka giggled as Ryoko's jaw dropped...
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Ryoko turned Seina and looked him in the eye...
" Would this by any chance explain what happen to that group of raiders who captured you last week?... The ones who's boat blew up under them?... Is THAT how you got away?... "
Seina's eye went to the deck...
A hand reached over and removed Ryoko's hand from Seina's collar...
Taking Seina's hand, Ayeka motioned to two nearby sailors...
" Would please you take him down to my cabin until we can find some place to stay?... "
Getting the nod from their captain, the two slowly led Seina below...
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As Ryoko turned to go, a hand came to rest on her shoulder...
She turned to find Ayeka standing there, a look of concern on her face...
" Please, be careful... "
Ryoko smiled and nodded...
Captain Kuramitsu spoke next...
" Has there been any sign of him?... "
Ryoko knew who he meant...
" A number, several days before we hear, more before we can check it out... I keep in touch with Nagi Katsumoro, she may be after the reward... But she wants him just as badly... She had friends in Port town... "
Captain Kuramitsu continued...
" Your 30 gun Schooner isn't exactly a match for the Soja... That's a 50 gun, Ship of the line, built for battle, that Kagato commands... "
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At the mention of Kagato, every thing seem to freeze...
Several years before, he'd been the first officer of an English Ship of the line ( the most powerful type of sailing ship of the time ) anchored off Tortuga when word of peace back in Europe arrived...
Not wanting to return to England broke, he'd killed the captain and led the crew in a bloody mutiny...
He was convinced that he could be more famous than Henry Morgan and had set out to prove it...
Since then they'd taken and sunk ships, raided and sacked towns or even whole cities...
Nationality meant nothing, English, French, Spanish, Dutch, who ever...
Captain Kuramitsu's family was at one of those town, Mihoshi had been visiting Ayeki and Sasami, when the Soja sailed into Port Town, guns blazing...
Usually they left no survivors, but every so often some one survives...
While visiting a backwater port, Ryoko and her crew had discovered the freshly slaughtered townsfolk, men, women AND children...
There'd been one survivor, a young girl and her pet monkey...
Ryoko's mom, Washu had taken the girl, named Minagi, in and Ryoko had acquired a little sister and a mission in life, to see Kagato's head mounted on a piling at Kingston Dock...
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Ayeka took Ryoko's hand and they looked into each other's eyes...
" Don't take any chances... Washu and Minagi miss you... "
Ryoko smiled back...
" Any one else?... "
Ayeka sighed...
" Yes... Tenchi worries about you too... He believes that if he were doing his job, you wouldn't be out here, doing it for him... He also doesn't have any one to horse race with since you left... "
Ryoko laughed...
" Tell him I'm alright and will try to get back soon... "
Ryoko thought for a moment...
" And what's that little sister of yours doing?... Still getting into trouble?... "
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Ayeka sighed...
" Not as much without you around, as an example... "
Ryoko laughed...
" She and Minagi spend their spare time out exploring the ruins in old Port Royal, looking for all that treasure you told her about in your stories... Even that little monkey, Ryo-ohki causes her share of mischief... What trouble one can't get into, one of the other two can... "
Both Ayeka and Ryoko chuckled...
"Is Lady Kiyone still keeping an eye on them?... "
Lady Kiyone was like Ryoko, she didn't quite find a Ladies life all that interesting and all though most people referred to her as Sasami's Governess, she was really more of her bodyguard...
Ayeka sighed...
" Oh, yes... It's the only reason mother lets her out of the house... "
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It was time to go, Ryoko turned to rail...
Ayeka spoke again...
" Any thing else you need?... "
Ryoko thought...
" We are a little low on water and food, away from land of late... We've had to tighten up to make do... "
Ayeka nodded and called over a sailor...
" See if we have a couple of kegs of water to spare... "
Captain Kuramitsu nodded to the sailor...
" Also see if we have any livestock left below... I believe we were over stocked for this voyage... I believe we can spare it, fresh supplies will be load at Kingston... "
The Captain nodded and the sailor left...
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After the supplies were loaded on the longboat, Ryoko said her good-byes and returned to the Schooner...
Ayeka and Father Masaki watched as the Schooner slowly disappeared into a low fog...
Ayeka considered what she would tell her father, Washu and the others...
She knew that she'd have to tell Tenchi, he'd been very worried...
Sasami, she'd deal with when she came to it...
Under her breath, she said a prayer for Ryoko and her safe return...
Father Masaki smiled as he barely heard Ayeka's prayer, he added one of his own...
Go with God, Ryoko...
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