Here is my new story for everyone. This takes place like right after the first chapter ends, so they haven't even met Leo yet. I hope you all enjoy it. Off we go!
There it was, fading in the distance, that city that had been the source of Hisui's imprisonment. It was now nothing more than a dark mass on the horizon, a grey and brown blob with vague angles and points. Hisui had his chin resting in his hand, staring blankly at the disappearing landmass. Was he really free from ever having to face that humiliation again? Would he really find happiness here with Ikuta?
The town itself wasn't really anything of importance to Hisui. He had never been outside the Governor's mansion. He didn't know the first thing about the town or its people. Though, from his brief experience with the old woman he would guess the people weren't that nice to begin with. But it was still strange to think that Hisui had lived in that horrible place for six months and all he knew was that cage and that display room. Come to think of it, Hisui's village didn't hold a lot for him either. Sure he lived there for most of his life. But there was no connection there. He had no friends, no family, not even a dog to call his own. In a way, Hisui was a stranger everywhere he had been. He had never belonged anywhere. That is, until he met Ikuta.
It was strange to think how quickly his life could change; how quickly his perceptions on the world could change. Before Ikuta pulled him out of that cage and ran through the forest, out into the sea, Hisui thought people were nothing more than greedy individuals, only wanting to use Hisui for money or their own gain. But Ikuta was different, at least he seemed that way. Hisui hadn't even known him for a week so the man could turn out to be a horrible person. But there was something in the way that Ikuta looked at him. It made Hisui feel safe and, if he was being honest, cared for. Ikuta probably didn't care about Hisui like he did the rest of the crew. But in the short amount of time Hisui knew him, he would believe that one day they would be as close as the other members of the crew.
Hisui couldn't help but smile as the city finally disappeared from view. He was free. The sky and the sea stretched endlessly before him. There were so many lands to explore, so many things to discover. He couldn't wait for his life to begin. He couldn't wait for Ikuta to drag him into the world and showed him all he was missing. A shadow moved into Hisui's peripheral vision. He turned to see Ikuta standing there, looking a tad worried.
"Are you alright, Hisui? Are you feeling sick?" Ikuta asked. Hisui shook his head and pushed himself off the railing, so that his body was facing Ikuta.
"No, I feel fine. I just wanted to watch the town disappear. Hopefully I'll never go back," Hisui answered, his voice drifting off for the last few words. He turned his head back towards where the town was. Just thinking about returning to that place made Hisui feel as if he had sank into an ice bath. He shuddered at the thought, hoping Ikuta hadn't noticed. Hisui didn't want the man to think he was weak. After all, he had gotten himself captured almost immediately after Ikuta had rescued him. If Hisui was too much work for Ikuta, there was really nothing stopping him from keeping Hisui on the boat. Ikuta smiled, reaching out and running his hand through Hisui's hair. Hisui let out a squawk and tried to duck out from underneath the hand. Ikuta laughed and let his hand drop, tugging a strand that had come out of the rubber band.
"Yeah, I don't plan on ever going back. Though I wouldn't mind destroying a bit more of that mansion. Who needs that much space?" Just like that, Hisui relaxed. Was it really possible for anyone to make him feel this at ease? Hisui didn't want to argue with logic though. It was probably unhealthy to attach himself to another human this quickly; but Hisui didn't want to think about that either. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this feeling of safety and freedom. Besides, Ikuta and the crew looked at Hisui like he was a person, not a possession. Surely they couldn't be that bad if they were already treating Hisui much better than anyone else ever had?
"Are we going to stop somewhere for food? I heard some of the other men talk about the fact that we were running low," Hisui asked. Ikuta flopped back against the railing of the deck and looked up at the sky. A gentle breeze began to caress Hisui's hair, blowing loose strands across his face.
"Yeah. There's an island around these parts. I don't think it's inhabited, but we should be able to pick up some fresh water and fruits there," Ikuta explained.
"Sounds like fun," Hisui said. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of seeing this new place. The first stop on his adventure. He wondered if it was pretty. It would be fun to poke around the island a bit, see if there was anything of interest. It would also be a chance to prove himself. Living a life of homelessness had led Hisui to be very skilled at picking out edible plants. If he showed himself to be useful in this regard, he would be treated much more like an equal and not just a pretty thing or an annoyance. He wanted to belong. He wanted friends.
oOoOoOo
A few hours later, the sun was high in the sky, beating down on the ship as it stopped a few distance from the island. Hisui had tried to get some sleep, but was so full of excitement that he merely dozed for a few minutes before hopping out of bed and pacing around the deck. In that time he had gotten to know a bit more about some of the other men on the ship. They all seemed nice, each with their own personalities and quirks. Though, Hisui didn't do very much in terms of helping. Everything was too heavy and he wasn't sure how to do things like tie the proper knots. She he mostly stayed out of the way, talking to some of the crewmembers as they continued about their jobs. Hisui spotted Ikuta talking to Dom and trotted over.
"Hey, Hisui, what's up?" Ikuta asked as Dom walked away, shouting something to the men about getting ready to go ashore.
"I was wondering if I could come with you to the shore," Hisui said. He was practically bouncing from excitement. Ikuta looked at him, studying his face. Hisui dreaded hearing that he wasn't allowed, that it was too dangerous. He knew that he wasn't very strong, or good at defending himself. But Ikuta had said this island was uninhabited. Surely it couldn't be that dangerous? Ikuta groaned and ran a hand over his face.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt," he sighed.
"Yes!" Hisui cheered, jumping up in the air. "Thank you, Ikuta!" Ikuta waved at him halfheartedly.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't use those puppy eyes often. They're a weapon and I don't like being taken advantage of," he said. Hisui stopped cheering, confused as too what Ikuta meant. Did he take advantage of Ikuta? He didn't think he did anything to earn Ikuta's wrath.
"What do you mean?" Hisui asked, tilting his head to the side. Ikuta shook his head and ran his hand through Hisui's hair.
"Nothing. I was just making an observation," he said, smiling at Hisui. Hisui beamed back at Ikuta. Now that he was going to actually visit the island, he was more excited than ever.
About thirty minutes later, Hisui was in a rowboat with Jean, Ikuta, Wood, and some other members of the crew. Closer to shore, he could see the reefs teaming with life below. Wood and he continued to peek over the edge of the boat, pointing out cool looking fish to one another. Jean even joined in a little while later. The rowboats nudged the shore gently, coming to a smooth stop. Hisui hopped out of the boat and set off towards the woods. He wondered if there were any mango trees he could pick fruit off of. It was mango season after all.
"Hisui!" Ikuta called. Hisui stopped and turned around. Was there a problem? "Don't go running off here. You could get lost in the jungle. It's dangerous. Just stay on the beach." Hisui frowned and sighed. Alright, maybe there wasn't as much freedom as he had originally hoped. But maybe Ikuta could be convinced that Hisui wasn't a danger to himself. If Hisui showed himself to be worthy of Ikuta's respect, then maybe he would be allowed more freedom.
Hisui began walking a little sullenly down the coast, making sure he could still hear Ikuta and the others as he went. He took off his shoes and felt the sand between his toes, kicking it as he continued along. He saw the ship bobbing innocently in the ocean. Even from this distance it looked inviting. Hisui turned his head and stared into the forest. It was only about 100 feet from where he stood. Surely a quick peek wouldn't hurt?
But, there was something about the way it stood there, almost a perfect boundary drawn between the beach and trees. The trunks were thick. So thick that they twisted with one another, forming twisted and deformed trunks. It was also dark. SO dark that Hisui couldn't see past the first row of trees. And, there was an uncomfortable silence about the forest. It was the kind of silence that seemed to just swallow everything up, make it so that your voice got lost in the void. Hisui was frozen, stuck to the ground, looking at this opaque forest. It was calling to him, beckoning him to enter. Hisui turned so that his body was facing the jungle before. Surely just a step inside wouldn't hurt? Something hit the sand with a soft 'thump'.
Hisui jumped, taken out of the trance of the forest. He looked around, trying to see what had caused the noise. He heard Jean shouting about something back where the boats were docked. Hisui blinked a few times, coming back to his senses. It was then that he saw a piece of metal, glinting in the sand. He stepped towards the object, looking to see if anyone was round. He didn't see or hear anything, other than the crew. Hisui squatted down and picked up a bracelet.
"Where did this come from?" Hisui muttered to himself. He stood up and looked around. Hanging on a tree was a strip of cloth. Hisui walked over and picked it up. He peeked around a tree and gasped as he realized what lay just within the forest.
"Hello?" he called out, stepping into what appeared to be a makeshift camp. A tarp was draped between the trees, a fire pit set up off to the side. There looked to be a small bed of leaves under the tarp. Hisui crept in a little more, looking around for the man or woman who lived here. He wondered if he should go get Ikuta. This person probably had friends or family that they needed to return to. They could help take them back. Hisui turned and gave a shout as a big, meaty hand yanked his arm back, swinging him around so that he was pressed against the person who probably made this camp. The hand that had yanked him back quickly moved so that it was now pressing a knife to Hisui's throat.
"Let go of me!" Hisui shouted, trying to not get cut by the knife. He was about to protest some more when another hand covered his mouth. Hisui's eyes watered as the stench penetrated in his noise, burning it and causing him to gag. Hisui continued to struggle fruitlessly, praying that Ikuta had heard him shout and was coming now. Great, he was in danger again.
oOoOoOo
Ikuta grimaced as he watched Hisui's white head of hair disappear around the bend of the beach. He hoped the child wouldn't try to go into the jungle. Something told Ikuta that something would catch the kid's eye and he would go chasing after it. Ikuta didn't really want to waste more time than necessary looking for the boy. He didn't regret his decision to take Hisui with him. It felt like he had something worth protecting for the first time in a long time. But, Ikuta was worried that something would happen to Hisui that he wouldn't be able to stop. He warned to boy about the dangers of traveling with a group of pirates. But, Hisui still decided to be with Ikuta. That thought made Ikuta's heart swell with both pride and fear. Someone trusted him so much once again. But if Ikuta ever let down that trust, he would never forgive himself. He still hadn't gotten over Lisa.
Ikuta pushed the thought out of his head. He didn't need to dig that up again. He had to focus on getting some fresh fruits and water for the boat until they got to a bigger port. Besides, this time would be different. This time, he would keep Hisui safe
Just as he had this thought, Ikuta heard a scream.
"What was that?" Jean asked.
"Let go of me!" the voice shouted again. This time, it was slightly muffled. Ikuta's eyes widened as he realized who was probably making the sound. He felt his heart stop as scenarios began to play out in his head. Hisui was in danger. Hisui was already in danger. He was the worst guardian in the world. But he couldn't dwell on that for long. There was still a chance to save the boy. He couldn't fail him. He wouldn't fail him.
"Sounded like Hisui, come on," Ikuta commanded. The group ran through the direction Hisui's voice had come from. Ikuta hoped that he wasn't too late. He hoped that Hisui was still relatively safe. Hopefully, it was just a rabbit that startled him.
Ikuta skidded to a halt outside of the camp. His eyes fell on Hisui. But Hisui wasn't alone. Instead, there was a man behind him. A giant and imposing man. And this man was holding a dagger to Hisui's throat.