She had never meant for the bomb to go off, never meant to draw attention to herself, but it did and she had, and now she was paying for it.
Sumiko slipped away from the dock, bare feet running over the sand, tattered skirt flowing behind her. She hooked her dagger in its holster under her tank top, and made sure she was well hidden as the ship came closer. It wasn't one she recognized, and she frowned. It wasn't one of the slave ships…this was a pirate ship! She eyed the deck, and didn't see anyone on it, so she figured she could dart away before it docked. As she ran, she slipped and hit the sand hard enough to make her necklace fall off, but she couldn't afford to turn back and grab it. Her hands dug into the sand as she lifted herself up, tightening the black, fingerless glove on her left hand.
BOOM!
Shit! Sumiko bolted, running out from under the ramp near the market, closing her ears as people screamed. Fire rose up from the destroyed dock and smoke spiraled up into the sky. Once she had hidden herself again, she watched people come off the ship to examine the damage. The hull had been torched, even though the ship appeared to be made of metal. The mast had collapsed, and there were scorch marks on the ground.
Sumiko frowned, she watched as people made to help the pirates, and she craned her neck to see who they were. She didn't recognize anyone, so she assumed they were a newer crew, stopping by to pick up supplies or something. Scythe Village was a weaponry village, but also had hospitals and markets, where you could find anything you would need if you were a pirate.
Hours passed, and Sumiko hadn't moved from her spot under the ramp. Her body ached from curling up for so long. She was 14, and had grown from the lanky 11-year-old she had been when she first came to the village after escaping from her own. The little niche she'd dug out was too small for her now, and she winced as she crawled out from under it. It was nighttime, and the village had locked up its steel gates, the guards making their rounds. The ship she'd damaged was still docked, and Sumiko walked quietly over to it, looking for the necklace she'd dropped. So many people had been walking around that it probably had been snatched up or ground into the sand.
Tears blurred Sumiko's vision as she came across the spot she'd fallen at, hands digging through the soft sand. She needed to find that necklace. She stood up and looked around again, beaming when a small glint caught her eye as he headed closer to the burned dock. She gasped softly and darted forward, snatching the silver chain up and examining the blue crystal that hung from it. It was undamaged, thankfully and Sumiko sighed in relief as she clasped it around her neck, tucking it into the neckline of her tank top.
She glanced around to ensure no one was outside and she snuck closer to the ship, moving beside the dock to see if she could salvage pieces from the explosive she'd made.
"What are you doing?"
Alarmed, she looked up to see someone at the hull, looking down at her. It was dark, so she couldn't see their face, but she knew it was a male from the voice. She pivoted and took off, sprinting down the beach towards her hovel. Once she'd gotten there, she scrambled underneath and hid. There was no sand underneath, just a layer of rock that she'd covered with a thin sheet. She frowned as she heard footsteps draw near and she clutched her materials to her chest.
"I know you're under there." The voice said again. "Just because you outran me doesn't mean I didn't see you."
Sumiko felt tears burn her eyes and she wiped them away with an angry swipe of her hand before sliding out from the ramp. She stood up and brushed sand from her clothes, pushing her hair out of her face. She looked up to the on who'd spoken.
It was indeed a male, she noted, although a young one. He was older than her, she could tell, and taller. He had black hair that peeked out from under a hat and jeans with strange splotches on them. He wore a yellow and black shirt with a strange face on the front. She met his eyes, gunmetal gray, frowning.
"What were you doing near my ship?"
Her eyes popped. His ship? This guy was a pirate captain?
"I was looking for something I'd dropped earlier."
He raised an eyebrow. "You set that explosive."
"Made it." She amended. "I didn't mean for it to go off."
The teen looked surprised. "You made it?"
Sumiko nodded, shifting to protect the view of the ruined pieces of scrap metal she'd used when making the bomb. The teen's eyes followed her, and she glared at him. "Yes I did." There was a tone of pride in her voice.
He said nothing and turned away, walking back towards his ship, leaving a very confused Sumiko behind.
(The next morning)
The sky was dark, promising more heavy rainfall. Sumiko shivered as the early morning chill from the ocean enveloped her. She opened her eyes, and peered out from under the ramp. That ship was still there, and it appeared as though the crew had been mending it. Most of the scorch marks were gone, and she noticed that it wasn't in terrible disarray. She frowned.
She'd meant to make an explosive that would cause enough damage to sink a ship, but she also figured it was due to the fact that this ship was also made of metal. She turned around and headed into the village, weaving through the crowd as she headed towards the well that was planted outside of the exit gates. People were milling about, and she'd looked around for familiar shopkeepers, even though a lot of the stalls were closed because of the incoming storm.
"Oi, Sumiko!"
Turning, the brunette greeted the older woman who'd called her name.
"Hi, Lana," She said, walking over to the redhead. Lana was a middle-aged housewife who often gave Sumiko clean clothes and food in exchange for odd jobs. Sumiko winced at the older woman's hawk-like gaze as it moved over her. Her clothes were tattered, her hair was a mess and she had soot on her skin. Lana sighed and dragged the girl inside, drawing a hot bath and getting some fresh clothes from her daughter's room.
"I'm fine, Lana!" the girl yelled, but Lana was having none of it, she went to town on cleaning the 14-year-old. Sumiko hated when people touched her, but she knew better than to struggle with Lana. She'd raised 5 kids on her own, and she was a hard-ass, but she had a kind heart.
It took an hour to fully clean Sumiko to Lana's liking. She left the girl to her own devices and headed back into the Inn she ran downstairs. Sumiko grumbled about crazy older woman and pulled the long-sleeved black shirt on, and then jerked the denim shorts up her legs. She frowned at the shoes. She ran faster when she was barefoot, and she never knew when she'd have to flee suddenly. She sighed heavily as she pulled her glove on, covering the ritualistic markings that covered her skin.
She pulled the gladiator-styled sandals on anyway. She wanted to go back to her own village, the one she'd lived at before she'd been kidnapped when she was 7. She frowned severely, crossing her arms and storming out of the inn. Her hair was still wet, the mahogany layers slicked back, wisps of her bangs fluffing over her forehead. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice where she was walking and she suddenly tripped, her shoe catching the edge of a loose cobblestone. She fell hard on her knees, her hands going out in front of her. She groaned in annoyance.
A few people laughed, and a few asked if she was alright. She dusted herself off and stalked off towards the well again, unaware of the eyes that followed her every move…..
Rain had started to fall by the time she'd reached the well, and she didn't even care that she was soaked to the bone, her clothes clinging to her body like a second skin. She peered inside the well, a small grin on her face. The crate was still at the bottom. The well had very little water in it, and she figured the jarring landing she'd hit would hurt as she hopped inside the 20 foot drop. She had a rope to climb out of it, and she made sure it was secure before she actually went into the well.
She grasped the small crate from the dirt, propping it open and digging through the contents. She needed to make another bomb, this one stronger than the last. She held it under one arm and started to climb up the side of the well again. The rain was falling harder now, and she closed her eyes against the water. She tossed the crate out and was just pulling herself over the lip when the rope snapped. She gasped, scrambling for purchase with her nails.
She felt a hand grab her wrist and she looked up to see the same guy she'd talked to last night. She allowed him to help her up and she mumbled a thank you before rushing off with her box.
The teen smirked and followed her…
Rain was pouring down from the sky like bullets, and Sumiko avoided going to her little niche and instead headed towards one of the large trees that line the village. It had a lovely canopy but she was so scared of birds that she didn't live in it, and only went to experiment. She scaled the tree easily, kicking her shoes off.
There was hardly any wetness in the canopy, but the soft tap tap of rain could be heard. Thunder roared in the distance, and the sky lit up every now and again. She opened the crate and pulled out gunpowder, oil and a small jar of barbs she'd cut from fishing hooks. She grinned to herself, humming as she fixed all of the items together. Not only would this bomb explode, but it would send barbs out and hurt whoever they hit.
This will definitely teach them a lesson. She thought to herself, admiring the cube shaped bomb she'd made. She packed up her crate and raced back to her hovel, grinning. She was soaked but the chill didn't bother her, fire had lit inside of her at the thought of revenge and she was happy; until she saw someone leaning against the railings above the ramp.
Her face fell and she walked over to the ramp, pushing the crate under it and tucking something into the small of her back, covering it with her shirt. She stared at the trespasser.
"Why do you keep following me?" she asked, crossing her arms. The dark haired teen smirked and she scowled.
"You really made that bomb?"
Sumiko blinked. Hadn't they discussed this already?
"Yes. And I just made another one." She smirked. "This one is much worse than the other one. This one will hurt." She said, crossing her ankles. She was confused, why the heck was this guy interested in whether she'd made the bombs or not?
For the first time since seeing him the other night, he looked her in the eye. "How would you like a job?"
Sumiko face-vaulted; she didn't take jobs that involved males. Ever. But for some reason, this offer intrigued her. "Why?"
He shrugged. "My crew is in need of a weapon smith, and the fact that you made a bomb that actually damaged my ship, from scratch is amazing. I want you to join my crew."
Sumiko was dumbfounded. She eyed the teen with suspicion. He didn't seem evil or anything, but she knew better than that. She could kill him if he proved to be a threat, so what was the harm? It sounded better to be a pirate than to live off the streets and sneaking around.
She nodded. "I'll do it."
The teen smirked. "Does my new subordinate have a name?"
Sumiko smiled. "Iroseiza. Sumiko Iroseiza."
"Trafalgar Law of the Heart pirates." He held his hand out and Sumiko hesitantly shook it.
What was she getting herself into?
