Disclaimer: Umi doesn't own Rave nor the world and its seas and the birth of pirates.
Author's Notes: I don't know what made me touch this again after so many years. Maybe it's because it reeks of my early days as a fanfic writer. But oh well. This one isn't really a rewrite, since I'm just fixing stuffs. But it is a better read compared to last time. I did grow, a lot, as a writer.

Also, I'm not even sure if I'll be, well, reviving this like what I did to Isle Fractions. If I end up dropping House of Harts, then that means I'm reviving this.

Surgeon General's Warning

1. It all started with an ass.

"Oi… Haru…"

Musica clutched onto the tiny sailboat's edge for dear life as he glared hard at his captain's back. It's not usual for him to suffer sea-sickness, but the air of the sea they're sailing on just didn't smell right. It's making him nauseous. He doubted he'll keep this up for the next five minutes.

"Just when are we going to land?"

"Maa… around a few more days, I suppose. I see no land." Haru said, turning around to check on his first mate. Musica sighed, and looked down at the sea forlornly. It has been nearly a week already, tagging along with this kid who had been on his journey in becoming the King of the Sea. "You sure you don't want me to help you?"

"No! Last time I let you help me, I nearly died!"

"That's mean!"

"Whatever," he grumbled, before sliding onto the boat's floorboards. It's been three days already since he'd join this weird kid on his so called journey to go to the end of the world and become the King of the Sea by obtaining the legendary Stellar Memories. He'd only tag along because of the promise of the Stellar Memories.

And that he had thought Haru was some kind of huge, famous and powerful pirate captain. He didn't think of the chance that Haru might just be a wannabe pirate (it's the latest global trend, actually) who sails the great ocean in a rundown sailboat.

Almost embarrassingly, he could remember that day he'd met the kid. It was three days ago, on the streets of Hip Hop Town…

*

The town was bustling with life as usual. Musica walked down the streets, scouting left and right for any signs of a beautiful lady. He was past a goldsmith's boutique when his eyes landed on the most beautifully shaped ass he had seen in two days time. It's not that he constantly checks people's bottoms, (he always consider the top first, for your information) but it's just those cute, pert bottoms were raised, the owner bending a bit too much from the waist.

He gulped and nodded to himself. Even though he had sworn to never take minors (well, it's impossible for someone with such delectable hips to be over legal age, right? Look at the size and the tender shape!), it wouldn't hurt to flirt with them, right?

Striding casually, he leaned a hand on top of the bended back… and got his face punched the moment he opened his mouth to speak.

The punch was painful, that he admits grimly to himself. But the punch, coming from a beauty, was even more painful to his manly pride. Holding his dear, bleeding nose tenderly, he glared at his attacker and was about to speak, when he noticed that the beauty was quite thin for someone who has a rather round ass.

His anger was washed away as dread coursed through him. No, the kid wasn't just thin; the kid was a he.

"What the hell are you thinking, you jerk?! Trying to steal from a kid! You really got no shame!"

The kid called him a jerk. Okay, fine. That being said towards a guy who broke up with a girl because she wasn't well-endowed made sense. But a thief? Him, Hamlio Musica? That's just plain baseless and unreasonable.

And then he remembered the kid shouldn't really be accusing him of thievery when it's quite clear that he wanted to grab some flesh. But oh, well. No harm done in not knowing the truth.

Deciding to play along, Musica cleared his throat and glared at the kid; a crowd was already gathering around them.

"Hey, isn't that that playboy from the pub?"

"You mean Old Man Galean's boy?"

Crap. Grumbling, he frowned at the kid and jerked his down to the right. "What do you say we talk this over with some ale at the pub? My treat."

*

"Musica! I see something!"

Feeling suddenly awake, Musica quickly scrambled up to the boat's wooden seat made of a plank and stared with wide eyes at the distant shadow of land Haru's finger was pointing at.

"An island!"

Grinning to himself, he slapped Haru's back as the boy jumped to the air with joy. Finally.

*

He had ended up telling the kid the truth. He could remember Old Man Galean constantly telling him countless stories about liars, of intestines being stuffed down their throat or tongues cut out or karma biting them in the ass as punishments. And even if he's already well past that age to believe an old drunkard's story, he couldn't help but just play safe.

"Listen, I'm sorry, alright?"

Haru grumbled softly under his breath. He's glaring angrily at him, and Musica's not sure if it's because of the orange juice he had ordered for the kid, or if it's that he was taken for a girl. Probably the former, he thought.

"I swear I'll do anything, okay," He offered as a consolation, not really knowing just crazy idea ran through the kid's head. "Let's just pretend nothing happened today, alright?"

Besides, the kid was just a kid. It's not like the kid could do anything frighteningly wild. And if the kid decided to ask for money, he'll just shove the kid into Old Man Galean's fireplace or bash that face with a hammer. It's not like a blacksmith's workplace was limited to forging only.

He raised an eyebrow at the kid when the latter began shaking his head wildly, as if in an internal debate. Weird, that kid really is.

"Hey, kid…"

"Haru. Just call me Haru."

Musica nodded and kept his stare. The boy was looking at him with eyes that seemed to be set on a certain goal, and now that he's thinking about it, he's starting to worry for no real reason.

"So, now that we've settled the matter, I think I should be going…"

"Wait."

Musica froze in mid-stand. He blinked and blinked again, until he saw the boy grinning. This boy must be one those freaks with bipolar disorders.

"You said anything will do, right?"

Yeah, he definitely was. Innocent boys who usually get mistaken for a girl don't grin devilishly like that.

His grin widening, Haru pointed his finger at Musica who jerked back at it, as if it's poking him. "What do you say in being a part of my crew?"

Somehow, Musica couldn't keep count of his blinks anymore. He did feel the sudden slacking of his jaw as he stared dumbly at the kid. Then he pointed at himself and let his head tilt the other side. He lost it.

Musica almost snapped his head off his neck when Haru suddenly grabbed him and dragged him out of the pub, running on a breakneck speed. Next thing he knew, he's aboard on a small ship that had seen better days, sailing to the west carrying what seemed to be a sack of stuffs he didn't bother to identify.

Then it dawned on him just what had really happened: a sixteen year old pirate-wannabe had just kidnapped him.

*

"Hey, Musica, do you think they got good food over there?"

"Is that all you could think about?"

Haru pouted at him. "I'm hungry! We haven't eaten anything for days already! And I'm sick of eating raw fishes too!"

Musica shuddered at the memory. Raw fishes… He swore he won't be able to stomach another meal of it anymore. Suddenly, his head jerked back, world turning upside down as Haru yanked real hard on his ponytail. Yes, he has one.

"Come on! I need food!"

"Stop pulling my hair!"

With a sigh, Musica pulled his hair out of the kid's grasp. "There seems to be port there on the east. Let's just sail there first and see what we can do. We need to reload on our daily needs… Haru?"

He turned to the left, then to the right. Then across him and there, he found Haru swimming to the shore. He blinked once, then twice, then thrice—

"HOLY CRAP! HARU, GET BACK HERE!"

And that was, like they all say, how it all began.

TBC