A/N: This was originally just a one-shot posted at "The King's Closet", but because someone wanted a second part to this and somehow it turned out longer than I thought, I'll be separating this into a short multi-chapter story of its own. Enjoy~
A ship has moored.
The watchman ran up the trail, delivering the message to the rest of the community. Excitement swept through the people as they heard the news. A ship was good luck. It meant more gold, more food and on occasion, women.
The people consisted of an array of rag-tags, from ex-prisoners to lonely sailors. As long as they sought the freedom of the seas, free from the fetters of society, they were welcomed into the family.
"My good men, we have guests to entertain tonight," the leader of the group announced, strolling through the mess of people. He plucked a chipped wine cup from a hand, raising it and taking a hearty swig. It wasn't excellent wine, more like a diluted cup of fruit juice to be precise, but it was all fine because they have new loot tonight.
The leader was none other than the infamous Sinbad, pirate king of the Seven Seas, a man as much a legend as reality. His name was passed around during dark nights to scare children to bed, echoed in taverns and bars to captivate local whores and uttered with vengeance amongst nobility who feared him.
But in reality, the rumors preceded his being. While Sinbad sailed the Seven Seas when he was still a mere cabin boy and was a smooth talker, he no longer traveled far once he earned his title as king of pirates, much less engage in constant sexual activities other than the occasional romps to satisfy a man's need.
There is a common misconception that pirates sail in large vessels, closing on hapless ships in the middle of the ocean and firing canons without abandon. But those were really just romanticized notions weaved by an overly active imagination. Because any decent pirate should know, sailing in the open ocean is as much risk for a pirate as it is for normal ships. There is always the danger of running out of stock whilst traveling, or being sunk to the ocean bed due to inclement weathers. And if these are not problems enough, there is always the issue of hiding and maintaining a large ship.
No, Sinbad may be an adventurer, but he was no fool. Rather than sail mindlessly on the seas, he had a base on a remote island, fringed by jagged coral reefs. The currents in the nearby waters were strong, constantly carrying to them smaller mercenary vessels that were inexperienced in navigating the area. The advantage of the current was that it wasn't strong enough to swing a large royal navy off course, so they wouldn't be expecting any unwelcomed military visitors. Mercenary ships, on the other hand, were notorious for their fragile builds, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if one or two went off course into unchartered areas and met their demise. Given the natural advantage, Sinbad's family was able to loot freely without being detected.
When a ship was brought off course by the waters, they usually come first to the island, believing that it was a safe haven. However, the open bay – the most easily accessible area for a large ship since other parts of the island were sharp cliff faces – was deceptively shallow. Once the ships moved into the area, they were almost always immediately grounded. The reefs were sturdy enough to paint holes in the bottom, forcing the ship to stay anchored for a few days at least.
That was when Sinbad's crew went into action. They wait until the dark of night before striking. Sometimes, when they were in a hurry, they would row their small rafts and sampans to the ship's flank, scale the side and attack the crews. In this aspect they were merciless, slaying any and everyone on the ship.
Except women. Women were good to have for a few nights, entertaining the deprived men. Sometimes if the woman proved to be of good use, she was added into the family as well. That was how Yamuraiha and Pisti came to be part of the bandits.
On occasions when the pirates were bored, they would toy with the crew members on the ship, thoroughly scaring them before slaughtering everyone. It all depended on the mood of their leader.
And today, Sinbad was feeling rather playful.
~oOo~
"Is the hull leaking?" "Get me more boards!"
Ja'far watched the crew mates scurrying about, trying to fix the mid-sized hole at the ship's bottom. He was a bodyguard and scribe of some sorts, sent to watch over his client's precious cargos. A strong gale had steered their ship off course, pushing it into unruly waters. The bay they spotted was lined with hard reefs, scrapping and damaging the bottom before they even neared its shore.
He casted a glance at the darkening sky. At this rate, they would have to stay the night.
The notion was quickly affirmed by the captain, who announced that the evening was too late for them to make any formal repairs. The fading light made it hard to see anything.
"Will we be staying on deck or going ashore?" Ja'far asked. He didn't fancy staying in the stuffy cabin more than necessary, but the island didn't seem inviting either.
"We'll stay aboard. This island isn't safe. I have heard that ships steering in these waters never come back all the time."
Just peachy. Ja'far snorted. It was bad enough that they were behind schedule due to the storm (Heaven knows how uptight his client was about the shipments), but getting stuck in potentially dangerous waters just topped the cake. There was nothing he could do about it though. "I see. I'll return to my cabin and have my dinner there. Call me if anything arises."
~oOo~
"You know the game," Sinbad said to his right-hand man. He hooted into the night and was immediately answered by several calls. His men were ready.
The pirates trailed into the water, clenching their daggers between their teeth as they swam towards the ship. When they reached their destination, some began clambering up the sides whilst others set about dismantling the rudders and spare boats, making escape impossible. So skilled were they that they hardly made any sound except the sound of dripping water as they slip in and out, which was inaudible above the din of waves.
"I don't like this place, it gives me the creeps."
"Any dark places give you the creeps. What you need is some good booze. Listen to them, enjoying downstairs while leaving us two poor souls on deck to eat the wind."
"A mug sounds nice right now."
"Oh yes, and a warm bed as well. It wouldn't hurt for us to go down, would it? No one else but us should be on this island."
"I like your logic there, mate, yes I do."
Sinbad listened closely, trying not to laugh at their conversation and counting up to only two watchmen. Fools, he thought to himself. Two night watches were no match for a group of savage islanders. He motioned for Sharrkan and Masrur to move in for the kill.
The two men nodded, heaving themselves overboard and dropping onto the decks with soft thuds.
"Hey, you heard that?"
"Who is—"
It took no effort at all for the pirates to dispose of the night watches as they scattered to do their work. In no time, most of the emergency items on the ship were broken, save for whatever was in the rooms that were occupied by crew members. Whatever the pirates could take, they took without remorse.
For now though, Sinbad decided to leave the crew mates save the two night watches alive. It would be so much more fun prolonging their scare. Just as they were leaving with their loot, a drunken man stumbled onto the deck.
"-ey, who are you?" Sharrkan slit his throat quickly, but the man fell backward, right back into the crowded room from whence he came. Immediately, there were shouts and scrapping of furniture downstairs as the ship came alive with alarmed crew members.
"Whoops," Sharrkan scratched his head.
Sinbad grinned. "All the more fun." He dodged a man easily, swinging his bag of fruits down on the poor man's head.
~oOo~
Ja'far was looking through the trade records in his room, organizing the orders and making sure that the amount was counted right. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. The small print on the papers was hard to look at under the dim candle light.
Suddenly there was a loud commotion outside. The deck became alight with flickering torches and shadows of men running about. They seemed to be fighting someone.
Ja'far narrowed his eyes as his hand strayed to the pistol by his waist. If they were attacked…
A figure fell backward and broke through his door, skidding to a halt in front of his desk. The man looked up at the scribe-slash-bodyguard and surprise briefly flashed in his eyes before he was up and jumping to dodge a stray bullet.
"What-" Ja'far dropped to the floor as well when the bullet barely grazed over his elbow. Whoever shooting hadn't been looking very well and he was pissed. "What in the tarnation is happening? Who are you and what are you doing here?" He raised his pistol and aimed it at the intruder. Now that he had a closer look, he noted the wild appearance on the other. His shirt was torn along the seams and old, the formerly black fabric having faded into a dirty grey. The man had very tanned skin and long violet hair that was messily brushed into some form of a ponytail. He didn't look like a man of society, though the intelligence reflected in his eyes belied his wildness. Perhaps he had once been a part of society, but broke off for one reason or the other.
The man held up both hands –he was not so detached from society that he didn't recognize a pistol, Ja'far noted wryly – showing no signs of hostility. But there was something about his grin that was unsettling. It was as if he knew he would win this stand down.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ja'far repeated again, inching slowly towards the man but careful to keep a safe distance should the other try anything funny.
"Sinbad at your service," the man – Sinbad – bowed mockingly, removing his bandanna from his head.
That name sounded familiar…He couldn't be that Sinbad, could he? Ja'far looked at the shock of purple hair and smug grin. On another thought, he could be. At least the name of lady killer does seem to apply in this case.
"Why are you here?"
Sinbad retrieved a fruit from the bag by his leg and tossed it around. "Hmm," he hummed appreciatively, "shopping around for some things."
"I say don't move—" Ja'far was cut off for the second time that night when one of the crew members charged in, shouting 'where is the pirate' whilst waving his cutlass around, slicing important documents. If he hadn't been occupied with the stranger, Ja'far seriously contemplated shooting the crew member. Heck, he might just do it after all was said and done.
"It seems my time is up, O fair one," Sinbad took Ja'far's momentarily lapse of attention to jump forward and through the window. But right before that, he grabbed Ja'far's chin and planted a kiss on the white hair man's lips. "We will meet again."
Ja'far stood in stunned silence as he watched the man waltzed through the window and disappear into the night, completely ignoring the conflict going on outside. What was that?
What was that?
Sinbad thought to himself as he made his way back to base camp. The warmth of the man's lip still tingled on his own. He had meant to do something mischievous to unnerve the clerk (was he even a clerk when he had a gun?) who seemed like an uptight person. But in the midst of all the chaos, all he did was left a searing kiss.
Admittedly, Sinbad was surprised by the man's complexion the moment he saw him. He had never seen anyone with such fair skin before, even amongst the gentlemen and ladies that were grounded in the past. They were pale, but none as white as the man before him, and none of them possessed hair that light. To top it off, there was a sprinkle of freckles across his nose, something that was rare not only amongst the mainstream society, but amongst his family as well. He was immediately captivated.
The man had aimed a pistol at him, no signs of fear in his eyes. It was that fearlessness that truly moved Sinbad to curiosity. He needed to know more about that man, how he could withstand a bloodthirsty pirate without so much as a shred of weakness.
Sinbad touched his lips gingerly and smiled. They would be stuck on the island for awhile. There was still chance to meet this mysterious man.