WHAAAAAAT? I'm actually still capable of completing a story?! SINCE WHEN?!
And speaking of which: YAS, FIRST MAGI FIC, YAAAAAAS. I've been rather obsessed with this series for months, so I'm glad to finally work with it in a story! This fic actually began as a gift as part of a Secret Santa event over Tumblr, but because I liked the idea so much I decided to expand on it, and here we are (six months after the fact, of course, but that's to be expected).
I should also point out that I can't completely take credit for this story, or at least the idea behind it. It was heavily inspired by a Japanese legend centering around a deity called Ryujin. (No, you're not allowed to Google the myth to get spoilers for this story. XP)
Hnngh...I'm not sure how well I like this chapter. I feel as though it's a bit rushed. However, as always, I would love to hear any comments or criticism that any of you have. You don't have to be nice about it, so long as you speak your mind.
Finally, I'll tell you all now that chapters of this story will be posted weekly-and this time I can actually keep that promise, because all the chapters have already been written! So I hope you look forward to that.
Hmm...I feel like there's more to say, because I usually babble more, but I guess that's now what you're here for anyway. So without further ado, please enjoy!
Stealing a glance at the water, he thought he spotted it, briefly catching the brilliance of the noonday sun.
Instantly, he dropped his work and raced to the ship's starboard side, straddling the edge of the deck so as to scrutinize the section of sea directly below. The ocean's surface undulated like wind-blown silk, rising and falling in rhythmic motion. The water this day, as on all fair-weather days, seemed to be jewel-encrusted: The crests of the waves reflected the light and made it appear as though diamonds studded their tops, gems that disintegrated back into the darkness of the depths almost as soon as they formed. Alibaba was not chasing after these fools' jewels, however; instead, he sought the sleek flash of obsidian skimming the surface.
Everyone had mocked him when he would speak of a great scaly form rising from the depths. At first, he had tried to defend what he had seen, but gradually he came to the conclusion that, perhaps, this creature was not meant to be viewed. And so, over the years, he had kept a private mental record of his sightings of the beast. In addition to getting the rare momentary looks at its serpentine black form, Alibaba had caught glimpses of its fan-like tail and, at one point, even got close enough to see its massive eye.
No such luck today, though, it seemed. If the great animal had been there a moment ago, it had already disappeared once again.
"Um…so do you need any help, sir?"
Alibaba jumped back immediately at the sudden voice. There was no time for him to prevent himself from slamming back into the barrels which he had been packing before he had gotten distracted. They all toppled and slammed to the floor of the deck, as did his tender rear end.
As he groaned in frustration, Alibaba's second-in-command hurried to his aid. "Are you alright, sir?" In spite of her carefully preserved stoicism, her lips twitched with the threat of an amused smile.
"Don't call me 'sir,' Morgiana...and yes, I'm fine, thanks!" The grimace on his face told otherwise, but he managed to hoist himself to his feet anyway. "See? Fine...really."
Morgiana nodded and began picking up the spilled goods. "So...what were you doing up here?"
Oh, just tracking down a sea serpent, like any old Tuesday. "I, ah...just thought we should start preparing for the storm that's coming."
"Storm?" She glanced up. "But the sun's been shining all day..."
Alibaba chuckled. "Yeah, but I think that's gonna change. Just a feeling I had..." It was not a feeling, not really. He had simply learned over the years that sightings of the black beast were always followed by rain. "Do me a favor and tell the others to make sure the goods are secured. It's gonna get choppy."
Alibaba had never had trouble falling asleep with thunder before. He had long ago learned not to fear the storms that lashed the lands of his youth. The rumbling filled his mind with white noise and drove out any other troubling thoughts.
Not tonight. On this night, the patter of the rain penetrated him, and the wind howled. Thoughts clattered around in his mind like spilled marbles skittering across the floor, too loud for him to sleep.
After tossing in his hammock for what must have been over an hour, with a grunt, he rose and proceeded to the upper deck. There, he could hear more clearly the wind that caused the main mast of the ship to creak and moan. Great droplets fell on him, but he didn't care. In his frustration, all he could do was stare into the starless sky until, hopefully, he would become tired enough to finally sleep. And there was the groan of the wind again.
Only...it wasn't the wind, not this time. He heard a distinctly human voice, a call wild and desperate that just barely rose above the howling of the gale. It was a cry for help.
He rushed to the side of the ship and looked down at the waters, which mirrored perfectly the inky darkness of the stormy heavens. At first, he saw nothing.
Then, out his peripheral vision, Alibaba spotted it: the form of a person, being mercilessly tossed by the heaving sea. The figure seemed to be sprawled out over some piece of jetsam, which kept him barely suspended over the liquid chaos of the breaking waves. The person seemed to lay nearly motionless.
Before he could think, Alibaba's body leapt into action. He watched his work-hardened arms reach for the loose rope lying on the deck, grab it, toss the length of it over the side of the deck in the direction of the figure in the hope that the stranded man would grab on.
By this point, the commotion had led the rest of his crew to wake and come rushing out from below the deck. Olba was the first to reach him, yelling above the thunder and gusts, "Alibaba, what the hell's going on out here?!"
"Somebody's in the water down there! They won't take the rope, so I'm gonna have to get them down there!" He began tying the rope securely around his waist.
"What?! But you can't just jump in! You'll-" But Alibaba had already handed the free end of the rope to him. He jumped over the side and crashed through the open air for a few seconds before the ocean absorbed him. The freezing sea attempted to hold him in an icy embrace, but he managed to surface and started swimming the short distance until-finally-he reached the drowning person.
Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the man and waited for Olba and the others to pull them both up. As they were being dragged from the water, for the first time he turned to look at the young man at his side. His shivering body was naked. Though scrawny, Alibaba could feel the layer of lean muscle on his chest. Even in the dark, he could make out the shape of a young face, somehow simultaneously serious and boyish. Most striking, however, was the pattern of scarring that adorned the left side of his body, ranging from his thighs to the starburst against across his eye. It stood out against his flesh, as stark and jagged as the lightning that sliced the sky.
Alibaba woke up still groggy the following morning. By the time the stranded, unconscious fellow had been taken care of and Alibaba had dried off and the buzz amongst the crew had finally died down, it had already been well into the wee hours of the morning. It seemed to take an age for him to finally drag his weary body from his hammock. When he finally mustered the energy to get up, he found that most of the crew had gathered around the private cabin in which they had placed the stranded man.
Alibaba walked over to Morgiana, who stood a little apart from the action, just outside the cabin door. "Is he finally awake?"
She nodded in reply, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He pushed past the crowd to see the boy he had saved last night, now fully conscious. In the morning light, Alibaba now saw him with far greater clarity. In spite of last night's trauma, he still sat up straight, and there was an air of alertness about him. His smooth, somewhat angular face would have been unblemished if not for the scar. More than anything else, Alibaba noticed his eyes-one the color of the water, the other that of the sky. Both focused in on him the moment the entered the room.
Before either of the men had a chance to speak to one another, Olba intervened. "Can you believe it, Alibaba? Barely a scratch on him after last night! He said his name's Hakuryuu."
Hakuryuu-it was a foreign name, as Alibaba should've guessed it would've been, judging by the almond shape of his eyes and the color of his skin. That, and the way this strange young man stared at him so intently, seemed to lend him an air of mistrust.
"Ah..." He found his tired self scrambling slightly to keep up with the developments. "Well, welcome aboard, Hakuryuu. We're, er, all glad you made it out alright. So...how exactly did you get caught out in that storm again?"
"He says he doesn't remember," Olba responded. "He only knows that you helped him out of it."
"Uh-huh...and how long do you think you'll be sailing with us?"
"He said-"
"I said," Hakuryuu finally interjected, never taking his eyes of Alibaba, "that I'd stay as long as it would take to pay you back for saving my life. I...I really am very grateful for it, and I'd like to help you in any way I can for as long as you'd let me."
Alibaba chuckled, suddenly cocky. "Yeah, well...it was no big deal, you know? Just doing what comes naturally to a guy like me!"
In spite of his apparent confidence, Alibaba still watched the rescued youth from the corner of his eye. There was something practiced, almost mechanic about the way in which he had professed his supposed gratitude. Something in this castaway's tone suggested another motive.