The waves of the sea splashed against my ship, the smell of salt burning through me; I happily inhaled it, "It's good to be back on the water," I was talking to myself, no one else was ever on the Kuroi Akuma. (cur-oy, ak-oo-ma)
My own ship, and quite literally only mine. I'm the captain, first mate, and crew. Of course, there's always competition on the water to keep me company. Looking out at the sea, I saw another ship.
'Whose waters have I drifted into this time?' Territories are established between us, no one but our own kind would ever guess it though; as the claimed areas are ever changing and randomized. Being a nomad of the ocean though, I don't care much about crossing any lines. The ship had to belong to another pirate, only they would come out here where there appears to be nothing. I would know, I'm out here.
"Well, I haven't had a good fight in a while…" I mused silently for a second, "And what a shame it would be if I were to let my skills drop a few levels due to a lack of practice…" I smiled at the thought of a battle, hoping that it would be worthwhile before I even knew if it would come down to a fight.
The ship got closer and closer, moving quite fast for a calm day with no wind, but still tediously slow for my patience. I went below deck, mostly for fun. The ship was too far away for anyone on it to have seen me yet. I figured that I should sneak up on the people, when they were on my deck, who would soon be on my ship.
It's not just for fun though, I have a real reason for going below the deck. I can watch them board the ship and seek out any weaknesses, which are always easy for me to spot for some reason. Fighting was woven into my blood. If it turns out that there are too many of them, or they could over power me in battle, I'll stay hidden… Well, sort of, it's more like I'll loot their ship while they search for me on mine; then I'll sneak back to my ship without them finding me. It's always been a favorite little trick of mine.
I was still thinking about ways to get onto the other ship if I had to, in many different scenarios, and about attack plans if I could attack. Mainly attack plans though, because I haven't had anyone come onto my ship who I couldn't best in battle, not since I was just starting out as a pirate that is. I heard footsteps on the floor above me.
'Odd, not many of them, is it one? No, definitely two sets, but not more than that,' I thought to myself.
The sound of feet hitting the ground was heavier than it would have been if there was a woman. Men always step harder, while females tend to be lighter, and quite often, quicker. I slowly made my way over to the back end of the berth deck, there was a hole in the wood there big enough for me to look up from and see most of the ship's main deck. I could see two men, a shorter man with a red cap, and a taller man with a black coat, he was a captain.
You can always tell a captain apart from the crew. They almost always seem to emit a form of supremacy that the rest of the crew respects, almost fearfully. This man, he had it. Even more so than most, but me being a captain myself -and a prideful one at that- I decided to go and meet these newcomers formally.
I ducked back down and went to the middle of the lower level, these men didn't give off a bad vibe, and maybe they were just checking it out. They weren't stealing anything, and my ship has many interesting "trinkets" that I'd acquired over the years. I walked up the small amount of stairs, opened the hatch that lead to the deck, and stepped out. My hand instinctively went towards the sword hanging at my side, and I rested it on the handle.
The captain turned to look at the direction that I came from, and then the shorter one turned as well. As soon as the first one turned to face me I hid a devilish smile that tried to curve my lips; he studied me, trying to see my shadowed face under the hood i was wearing. I knew exactly who I was dealing with, and if I played my cards right, I could have myself a good fight, and a lot of fun.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here," I could hear the smile in my tone.
I loved my voice, it kept my secret hidden from others. A secret that only my death victims ever got to know, that way they would know just who had lent them over to death's gates.
"You must be half mad to smile like that and still know who you're dealing with Mate," the other captain said to me.
"You could call it whatever you want, I prefer to call it aberration, but call it madness if you will," I looked at the man facing me.
I know I didn't look like much to him, not very muscular, a bit on the short side, skinny, but he was probably thinking I was just plain crazy. The fact that he had called me mate meant one thing to me, my secret was still safe.
"You know why I'm here, don't you?" he asked me, kind of like he actually thought I was stupid for being here.
"If I had to guess, I would say it's because these are your waters. I would apologize, really, but I'm not sorry. So, am I right "Hook" or do you prefer Killian?" my hand twitched on my sword, anxious to start a fight, I was losing my patience too fast.
"Ah, call me whatever suits you, it doesn't matter. Now, I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you a chance to leave with your life," he waited for me to respond.
"Leave with my life, huh? Well, as tempting as your offer is, I would rather leave with dignity. Besides, I've been waiting for a good fight to come my way," I smiled and pulled my sword out of its sheath.
"If it's a fight you want," Killian paused as he pulled out his sword, "I'm happy to deliver." He tried to pull a cheat move and thrust the blade forward towards my heart, taking a step forward simultaneously, before the fight had actually started.
I jumped back in more than enough time to be safely away, "Now, way to fight like a pirate Hook. No ridiculous rules then?"
I was thrilled at the prospect of a fight, but my head was strangely clear. My body moved without me thinking, like a river flowing with the current; this was my sole purpose for breathing. I swung the blade at my enemy to the right; he parried the blow, but not quite quick enough. I slit his side, I could see his blood on my sword. The smell making me want to see more, a smile splayed across my lips. Hook faked a left, and ended up behind me, but before he could strike me with his sword I made a quick turn on my heel. Our blades clashed, sparks flew, Hook was actually trying; I could see the concentration on his face.
He was trying to figure out ways to best me, playing a thousand different possibilities in his head in a matter of seconds, he was a fighter, that much was sure. I made a dart to the left, almost uncatchable by the human eye and turned so that I was facing his back, he attempted to face me as I had done earlier, but my blade was at his throat before the movement was completed.
"Drop your weapon," I said coldly, my voice smooth. Killian dropped his sword and it clanged on the wood as it hit the ground, "Good," I pushed his blade away from us with the toe of my foot
Kicking the back of his legs, he fell down on his knees in a prisoner-about-to-be-beheaded kind of way. I walked in front of him, my sword still at his neck, his friend must have gone back to the Jolly Rodger while we were fighting. I looked down at him, it was a good fight; my blood was racing, and my heart roared in my ears. He did somehow manage to cut me below my right eye, guess I hadn't noticed it during the fight. It would leave a scar, but that kind of worked for me anyways. He looked up and studied me for a while, then he suddenly smiled, I pressed my blade down harder, almost breaking skin. I knew that smile.
"I knew there was something off about you," he was still smiling, I pressed my sword up under his chin, forcing him to stand.
"What was your first hint? I did just beat you in a fight, and I could kill you right now," I said it like a warning, telling him that his next words should be carefully thought through, he'd figured out my secret, and I didn't just let people just live after that.
"Have you ever killed a man, Love?" he laughed, he didn't think I had, but that's not what I was focused on.
"Yes, and I could do it again in a heartbeat, Mate," putting emphasis on the last word, my voice was ice cold now, not a hint of my previous smile in it.
"Have you ever killed a man, Love?" he laughed, he didn't think I had, but that's not what I was focused on.
"Yes, and I could do it again in a heartbeat, Mate," putting emphasis on the last word, my voice was ice cold now, not a hint of my previous smile in it.
I could see the shock cross his eyes, "Come now Love, let's not be rash," he valued his life at least.
I pulled off my hood, revealing long hair. There was no point in wearing it now, "Call me Love again, and the Jolly Roger loses her beloved captain."
"Ah, so you are a woman," he laughed, "And to think you bested me in a fight."
I pushed my blade deeper into his throat, causing blood to spill, "Just keep talking your life away," I snarled back at him.
"What if I offer you a deal?" he asked.
"There's something you should know about me, Hook. I've never let anyone live after they've found me out, and I wouldn't want you to go around telling people about me when you go get drunk with a bunch of other loud mouths tonight. Are you sure you're willing to make a deal with someone who wants you dead?" I smiled, but the humor was missing.
"Then why don't you come with me? Keep my mouth in line…" he trailed off, smug.
I'm not daft in either sense of the word when it comes to Hook, he's rather an infamous character among the women who fall for him, and a famous one among those who don't. Either way, all he is to me is trouble. Having a bunch of pirates come after me because I'm the only female out on the sea, just because Killian couldn't keep his mouth shut while he's drinking, didn't exactly appeal to my interests. I couldn't kill him though, his crew member had seen my ship. If he died at my hands, no doubt others would try to find me.
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you can forget it now, but I'm also not foolish enough to let you roam around at night with my secret in your head, and rum in your blood. So I'll be keeping an eye on you. I will not join your crew, I will not work for you, and if you ever so much as touch me in a way that I think is overstepping your boundaries, I'll slit your throat on the spot, I don't care where we might be, got it? In return, you won't lose your pride… or your life," I looked for his answer.
He hesitated before responding, "Alright… Mate," saying it like it was a word that didn't belong, "then I suppose we should be going, I've somewhere to be," he agreed to my requirements, and I lowered my sword.
"My apologizes for that gash," he indicated to the spot where he had managed to cut me, then he turned and left for the Jolly Roger, and I readied the Kuroi to follow.
'Like I care about a small cut' I seethed myself, irate that I had to trail him like a lost puppy because I decided to show mercy and not take his life.
Kuroi Akuma: The girl's ship. The name means Black Devil.
Daft: silly; foolish or/and infatuated with.
Aberration: A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected.