Disclaimer: I do not own Utena as much as I wish I did
The Treasure of Dios
Of Pirates and Princesses
It was pitch-black with nary a cloud in the sky, only the twinkling stars shone vividly tonight. The air was cold and frosty due to the rain which had poured over the country, creating a thin layer of mist that lent the now reticent, sleeping town of Ohtori a ghostly atmosphere.
Anthy Himemiya, 18 year old daughter of the only and current Japanese governor ever to exist in early England, was gazing out at the calm seas of the ocean in profound thought on the two-storey mansion's balcony. Her arms were resting on the railing of the rose-engraved balcony and a thoughtful expression graced the beautiful features of the young woman. For a person of primarily Japanese heritage she was of average height and matched up to most of the girls in England her age. She supposed her height was from her British mother, as well as her light green eyes because her father was only just a little taller than her and when Anthy wore heels she even surpassed him significantly.
An ethereal light, cast by the moon, illuminated her form and lent the waters brilliant sparkles.
As a child Anthy always had been fascinated with pirates and read every piece of information, every single document, book and novel that was available to her. She dreamed of meeting a pirate one day and eventually gotten the idea of standing out here at night time before she had to sleep on the balcony of the mansion she inhabited with her father and her brother, peering across at the seas in some wistful dream of seeing a pirate's ship on the horizon with skull-bones and all. It was a habit really, one she had started at a young age and seemed like some kind of ritual.
"I wonder…" Anthy said softly, propping her head on her elbows. "I wonder what it would be like to be a pirate."
The midnight wind swept through the obsidian night, stirring the roots of the purple mane of hair that rolled in one smooth wave down her back and swaying it gently to one side. A burst of waves lapped silently over the shores of the sandy beach at the back of the house, touching the small rise of rock. Anthy's eyes strayed to the moon, bloated and fat, shifting in and out of view behind mist.
An image of her in a dress dancing on the deck of a ship with a strong, dashing captain under the moonlight appeared in her mind's eye. Yes, the notion of even marrying a pirate occurred to her more than once. Pushing herself off the balcony, Anthy released a small sigh. It would, couldn't ever happen.
Pirates were society's outcasts, lowlifes and she, as a noblewoman, could never marry a pirate.
For another thing she was already engaged to the son of the highly respected local musician Armand Kellington, Mickey and so consequently any other romances with any other person were forbidden.
Anthy's gaze grew soft at the thought of the blue-haired boy. He was endearingly sweet and gentle, probably would make a fine husband when they married-not too far off in the future actually, and he truly did love her with all his heart and soul.
As much as Anthy tried to return his love in equal measure she couldn't. She just simply didn't love him. She treasured him dearly as a friend but as her lover? No. More often than not she felt sympathy and a terrible guilt at her feelings, at what she was doing to the young man.
A yawn threatened Anthy, reminding her of the need to get to sleep. Covering it with a hand, she turned and quiet as a mouse, walked back inside her bedroom. As she closed the glass doors a giggle lighted her face as she saw her pet mouse, Chu-Chu, roll over in his sleep and squeak a little.
"Good night Chu-Chu," Anthy whispered so she wouldn't wake him.
Hopping into bed, she pulled the luxurious rose-embroidered covers up to her chin. So maybe it was an impossible dream, Anthy thought as she gazed up at the ceiling. But Anthy's heart pounded excitedly in her rib-cage every time she heard stories of pirates or tales of pillaging and plundering or the word 'pirates' or anything related to the subject was mentioned. Encased in this dignified, predictable life of hers Anthy Himemiya was starting to find it a little boring. Yet as the winds swirled through the air, whispering through the water and teasing the trees, Anthy soon fell into a peaceful slumber with only the faint ticking the clock punctuating the air occasionally.
"Jesus Christ, we can't see anythin' in this fog." A white-haired crew-man murmured on an old-fashioned yet charmingly rustic ship meandering about the seas not very far away from Ohtori Town.
"The night don't help anything either," Another crew-member, this one a dark-skinned woman with brown eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail and of a tall, athletic build, added in a dark tone without looking at her fellow crew-mate.
They were up on the hull of the deck with the other members of the 10-man crew (including the Captain and Second in Command and First Mate who were not present on deck at the moment) on the White Rose. At the helm of the ship was a handsome shoulder-length blue haired man with a rapier attached to a belt on his side, steering the ship with an easy, laid-back energy but he was also being careful. His eyes scanned the fog in front of him, attempting to pierce through the fog whenever it dissipated in some hope of escaping his navigating in the figurative dark but to no avail. The fog was too misty, too much.
"Briggs, get down to the Captain and report to her about the conditions." He said to the man. "Tell her we're going to have to stop for a while until the fog clears."
"Aye Ruka," The robust man strode past all the others to the top of the stairs.
As he strode past two women who were playing cards on the damp floor the brunette
reached out slyly, tugging his pants. He glanced at her, a knowing smile playing about his lips.
"I'll tell her, don't worry."
Briggs descended the hatch to the Captain and crew's quarters, some relief coming to him as the freezing cold which had gripped his skin up on the main deck disappear into something less. Only moonlight cast long shadows here and there, illuminating the wide hallway haphazardly. It was alright though. Briggs knew where to go. He had been here long enough.
"Capt' ain, it's Briggs here." He reported, knocking on the door.
Two pairs of voices were arguing and they stopped abruptly as he knocked. Then the Captain's voice rang out.
"Come in."
He obliged and wasn't surprised to see Second in Command Juri Arigusawa and First Mate Wakaba Shinohara inside with the Captain who was sitting at the table, clad in her usual attire of stitched-vest over a plain white sleeved shirt, with the feathered pirate hat lying aside on the bottom hammock out of the two hammocks kept stable by pegs and string. The room was neat, very neat.
She was plotting something on the map and looked very tired. Wakaba had her arms around the Captain's neck, her chin resting on her shoulder while Juri was standing on the right side, her hands in closed fists on the table and a disgruntled expression on her face. Upon seeing Briggs her brows furrowed, troubled.
"What have you come for Briggs?" Captain Tenjou inquired.
"Ruka sent me down Capt' ain. The weather ain't right an' he can't see a damn thing in this. He suggests stoppin' for a while 'til the fog clears up."
The pink-haired woman lowered the compass, rubbing her eyes. "Tell him I'll be more than happy to. It won't do us any good to keep on going with this wretched weather. And tell the rest the crew they can go to sleep now then."
She fought a yawn but unbidden, it emerged anyway. Wakaba immediately began fussing over the captain like a mother with a child the second she saw it who tried to reassure the brown-haired girl that she was fine. The fact that her eyes were battling to stay open undermined that fact.
"Yes Capt' ain." Before Briggs departed he said to Juri, "Shiori sends her love to you."
The orange-head's features seemed to soften and she smiled, "Tell her I know. She doesn't have to."
Briggs left, closing the door behind him. Wearily, he ascended the stairs again back into the freezing cold. With the heavy rain that had fell this afternoon coldness had accompanied it, penetrating the souls of the crew of the White Rose with its icy grasp.
Back in the Captain's room, Juri threw her hands in the air in utter frustration.
"Look, why don't we just sail freely until we stumble on some land then?" She said exasperatingly.
"Fine with me, I just want to get some rest after that battle with those pirates," Utena exhaled in relief, leaning back in the rickety chair.
"I still don't know what sort of trick they were trying to pull. I mean to say, they were outnumbered horrendously. It was hard not to kill them," Juri mused.
At this, Utena said quietly. "Juri, don't say that. I never wanted to engage in battle and things…they got out of hand."
She was gazing at the surface of the table, blue eyes darkening. Sometimes life wasn't easy and as she thought back to the battle she and her crew had faced just two hours ago, she hoped she hadn't done the wrong thing.
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Author's Notes: Confession time. I'm not really a fan of romance. Stories where the romance is unpredictable is alright but a full-out romance story I will never write. I know it's kind of ironic considering this story is tagged as Romance BUT romance is by far going to play a second role to the other aspects of this story. Anyway, reviews are always welcome:D. Otherwise, I wouldn't know the quality of my work or how to improve. Oh yes, and I hope the last scene didn't sound too corny.