Chapter 1
Years and years ago, before our time; before electricity: when pirates ruled the seas and oceans. There was a ship feared by all and name spoken by none. Its name was The Fire Phoenix, with a crew of cutthroats, thieves and murderers as ruthless as any crew on the seven seas. The captain of this ship was as bad as all of them put together. Some say he would kill thousands to see if his blade was shape enough. Eyes as red as blood itself; his hair two shades of blue; one navy, one light grey blue. - Four blue triangles, two on each cheek made him look like a tiger. He could be as fierce as that sometimes. Around his neck swayed a white scarf. He wore a jet-black tank top with dark navy blue bandages on his arms that ended just below his elbow. His legs were encased in black trousers, which were covered at the bottom by brown boots with two buckles upon each. On his thighs he had two coils of leather which were adorned with buckles. His name was Kai Hiwatari.
The story starts with Kai sitting in his cabin on the Fire Phoenix, his legs in their brown boots dangling over the arms of a throne-like chair, staring at a tiny hole in the cabin roof. The hole was no bigger than a pinprick and was letting in a stream of light. Kai followed the light with his eyes to the hole and frowned at it for a moment or two.
"TALA!!" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the gloom.
"You…" Tala coughed to stop a laugh. "Bellowed, Kai?"
Kai diverted his gaze to Tala. He frowned: his blood red eyes staring coldly. Tala was wearing navy blue ripped trousers with black boots over them. His 'white top' was the only thing that was covering his upper body (actually it was more of a grey colour now and was ripped all over the place). His black fingerless gloves were ripped at three of the fingers on one hand and two on the other.
"This ship is falling apart," Kai scowled, bringing his legs off the arm of the chair. He sat with his legs on the floor and arms folded. Tala stared at the pinprick of a hole for a minute then back at Kai, trying very hard not to laugh.
"It's…" Tala coughed in an effort not to laugh, "A pinprick Capt'n."
"I don't care, I don't want any light getting into this room," hissed Kai sounding like an angry snake, ready to strike.
"Right Capt'n, I'll fix it," sighed Tala, rolling his eyes.
Tala picked up a small pin from Kai's table and then, standing on tiptoes pushed it through the hole.
"There Capt'n; You going to do your rounds now?" asked Tala looking at Kai.
"I think so. Better see if those twits are still working. They might be slacking off while we've been in here," smirked Kai, getting to his feet.
Tala opened the door and they walked out.
"Capt'n coming!!" someone yelled from the mast.
Everyone stopped and saluted Kai. Kai nodded and stared out at the water for a bit while everyone else worked.
"You know what Tala, I think I need a new slave," said Kai abruptly looking at Tala. "A good strong one."
"There's an island over there we could see if there's anyone good there," said Tala pointing out at an island some ten miles away.
"Set a course for the island," smiled Kai staring out at the speck on the horizon.
Tala yelled out orders to the crew and they all ran to their posts. As they went to work, a girl stopped what she was doing and looked up, her red eyes staring at Kai before getting to her feet. Her white long hair, streaked with black covered part of her face.
She wore a dark green corseted gypsy top and brown ripped trousers with jet-black leather boots up to her knees.
"You will not imprison others as you did me," she hissed.
Kai turned to face her in surprise.
"Oh, and how so, Beast?" said Kai glaring horribly at her. "I can imprison anyone I want and choose."
"Really?" she muttered. Suddenly she drew out a knife and ran at Kai, slicing at his chest. Kai jumped back and dodge so he was behind her. He hit her on the back of the heads knocking her out.
"Take her to her cabin," said Kai turning to Tala.
Tala obeyed and carried her to her cabin.
Ash opened her eyes slowly, moaning a bit. Ash thought she was seeing two suns at first but, 'Wait,' she thought. 'That can't be right.' Ash blinked again. The suns were parting and something was coming into focus. A 19-year-old boy was staring back at her smiling.
"You're awake," he said grinning at her.
"Snore Rei sno," grunted Ash closing her eyes again.
"So, what did you do?" asked Rei sitting down.
"I tried to kill Kai again; No biggie," smiled Ash.
"By the way you've got a punishment as soon as Kai gets here. I told you not to do it again, but you didn't listen," he sighed.
There was a knock at the cabin door. Rei went to open it. Rei was Ash's master. He wore a knee length sleeveless jacket which was red, the back bearing a crest of a tiger. He had no top on but belts with buckles covered his chest, which was a six-pack. He wore dark blue trousers; the left was cut off to below his knee. The other leg of the trouser had rips everywhere. He wore a bandage on his right arm and his left arm bore a sweatband. He wore a ring on a chain round his neck.
"Oh Capt'n." Kai pushed his way into the cabin and went over to Ash.
"It's time for your punishment," smiled Kai evilly. "Tala, - take her."
"Kai, don't. She's not going to do it again. She didn't know what she was doing," said Rei feeling as it someone else was making him talk. He couldn't just let Ash get hurt again.
"Do you want to be punished too?" asked Kai sneering at Rei.
Rei hung his head.
"I didn't think so, so shut up," spat Kai narrowing his eyes.
Tala took Ash out to the deck and tied her legs and hands together and attached a rope from the side of a ship and pushed her over the edge of the side of the ship. Ash swung for a bit, all the blood rushing to her head as she looked down at the sea. They were starting to near the shore.
"Oh come on Ash," begged a small Neko-jin boy bouncing up and down tugging on an 18 year old girls arm.
The girl had long brown hair tied back in a red ribbon. A purple one sleeved top covered her chest as it rose and fell as she carved planks of wood. Ripped finger-less gloves were protecting her hands from the rough bits of wood. The girl was wearing SHORT shorts, and half a blue dip-dyed skirt, which was tied, at her hip. She didn't look like the kind of person you could easily win a fight against – the bloody bandage on her arm proved that. A scar on her cheek went from the top of her cheekbone down to the edge of her jawbone. She had a sword in her belt and a pouch of five or six daggers that rested to one side. She had a blue choker round her neck.
"I can't," sighed the girl called Ash. "Mariah will kill me."
"Please!!!" Begged a boy sitting on her knee with his friends clustering round her.
"If I skip work again Mariah with have my head," chuckled Ash.
"We won't let Mariah get you," they all begged, giving her "The Cat Eyes".
"Play with us this once," pleaded a two-year-old Neko-jin girl.
"Oh, alright… ALRIGHT!! You win; just don't give me that look!" Ash said reluctantly getting up, pushing the boy off her knee.
"YEAH!!!!!" they all squealed jumping up.
"So what…?" but Ash was cut off by a voice coming along the beach.
"Skiving work again, Natasha?" said a girl with pink hair in a long ponytail. She wore short brown boots and long baggy trousers, evidently worn for a long time. Her dark pink top was more of a bra with puff sleeves. Circling her wrists, were two white lengths of cloth. Her pink cat-eyes flashed in the sun. Her sword in her brown belt glittered in the sunlight.
"Yes, I'm going to play with the minis, Mariah," said Natasha defiantly turning to her.
"No wonder no boy wants to go out with you," sighed Mariah walking towards Natasha as the minis surrounded their big friend protectively.
"Well maybe I don't want a boyfriend - by the way I saw you and Li kissing behind the rose bush last night but you're welcome to join us if you want," smiled Natasha as the kids smiled too.
"Oh please Mariah," begged a young Neko-jin girl running up to Mariah and hugging her.
"What are you playing then?" smiled Mariah exposing her fangs.
"Peter Pan!!!" squealed one of the boys jumping up.
"Ash, you're Peter Pan," said a boy pointing at Natasha (otherwise known as Ash by the kids or "minis" in her case.)
"Alright," agreed Natasha with a smile.
"And Mariah you are the evil Captain Hook," said another boy pointing at Mariah.
"What about you kids?" asked Mariah, giving them a look.
"We're the lost boys."
"And girl," piped up the youngest and only girl.
"Have at thee, Capt'n Hook!" yelled Natasha drawing out her sword and displayed a wolfish smile.
"You shall not defeat me, Peter Pan!" yelled Mariah drawing her sword. She made her hand into a hook shape for more effect.
Mariah lunged at Natasha, "Peter Pan" blocked and span into the attack and pretended to hit the evil Captain in the back before drawing her sword towards her body again.
"Ahhh! Curse you, PETER PAN!!!!" yelled Mariah, pretending to scream in pain as she fell to the ground.
"Ha, I have defeated you!" cried Natasha raising her sword in victory.
"Not quite," said Mariah kicking Natasha in the shins. Natasha fell over into the soft white sand as Mariah jumped to her feet and placed a sword at her throat.
"Looks like I win, Peter Pan," smirked Mariah, with an evil laugh.
"NO! LOST BOYS AND GIRL NOW!!!" yelled Natasha.
All the kids jumped on Mariah, toppling her into the sand. Natasha stood up knocking Mariah's sword out of her hand and catching it.
"Do you submit?" asked Natasha as Mariah tried in vain to get the kids off her.
"YYYYEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!" she howled, finally sensing defeat.
As soon as those words passed her lips, all the kids clambered off her, giggling. Natasha helped Mariah up and gave her back her sword. The two girls exchanged a glance.
"That was a good back hook with the leg, Mariah," said Natasha putting her own sword away.
"Ash…there's a boat approaching!" yelled one of the boys, pointing out at a long thin boat with black sails approaching the shore.
"This doesn't look good…" muttered Natasha glancing at her comrade.
The boat landed on the sand and a few members of the crew jumped off it, dashing for the guide ropes, but Kai and Tala turned to another boy with jet-black hair in a red wrap - Rei.
"You coming?" asked Tala, his voice like silk rapped steel.
"I'd better keep an eye on Ash," said Rei jerking his head towards the demon-girl who was now in chains.
"Who? You mean Beast?" asked Kai glancing at her with his crimson eyes.
"I'M NOT A BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!" came her outraged retort. Tala and Kai walked away.
"Kids, go back to the village, NOW," said Natasha, her mouth hardly moving, her throat as dry as a desert.
"But Ash……" they all chanted like deprived spoiled children.
"NOW!!!!" snapped Mariah glaring at them.
"I'll tell you what. Go and dye Kevin's hair pink, ok?" said Natasha crouching down in front of the kids and wicking.
"YYEEEAAHHH!!!!!!!" they all squealed, running off, chattering about who had the dye.
Natasha stood up the smile vanishing from her face to be replaced by a stern, warrior-like mask. The pirates came up the beach swift as weasels.
"Come on Natasha. I don't want to miss Kevin's hair getting dyed pink," said Mariah with a giggle as she turned to walk away. The girls took five steps before they met a wall of thuggish looking guys.
"You're not going anywhere." sneered a cooled voice from behind them. Natasha glanced behind her.
"And why not?" asked Mariah her pink eyes burning as bright as flames.
"We need a new slave or two, and I think we just found them," another voice like silk wrapped steel came from behind the girls.
"Think again," said Natasha jumping over the men in front of her. Natasha was followed closely by Mariah, both landing like cats a few yards away from the wall of thugs. They turned slowly and Natasha drew her sword.
"Mariah, I've got a game for you. The first to knock out ten guys gets ten gold coins and the winner's job done by the loser for a week," proposed Natasha.
"Fine; Good luck, you'll need it," said Mariah as the pirates came closer but two of them stayed back.
Mariah charged straight away but Natasha started carefully, spinning her arms, cautiously keeping the edge of the blade against her wrist. One guy ran at her and was punished. Natasha stopped, pulled back and then ran at a guy in front of her. She flipped back and kicked him twice in the face and drove her feet into the guy behind her. Natasha sprinted forward as she landed and swung her sword across her chest, rolled it round her body and dealt an upper cut to a guy trying to grab her from behind. Natasha glanced to the right and lunged to hit a boy in the stomach before stepping back to draw the blade close to her elbow, flipped, and stabbed a guy behind her. She drew the sword out and rolled the blade in her fingers, blood dripping off the end as she kicked someone else in the stomach. A dagger suddenly flew past her hand, cutting her palm, causing her to drop her sword. Natasha leapt up and somersaulted backwards. Grabbing a dagger from her pouch and throwing it like a boomerang, she dealt swift revenge to the jerk that had dared to try to cut her. She grabbed it as it flew back to her. Kai eyed up Natasha.
'She may be a girl but she has strength and witty. She's graceful and beautiful yet dangerous. She'll need to be broken,' Kai thought a sinister smirk curling his lips.
Bryan, Kai's second-mate ran at Natasha who flipped back twice and kicked the bottom of a bamboo shoot, which promptly broke at the bottom. Natasha span it in both arms in front of her and then cart wheeled along the pole, going down on her knees as she blocked a head blow from Bryan. Natasha kicked him in the shins and started to get up, just as Bryan's sword whistled down, and cut part of her ribbon. A few dark strands of hair fell to the sand. Natasha blocked another attack from Bryan. She pushed away, the rest of the ribbon falling to her ankles. Some of her brown hair slipped out of the place were the cloth had been covering. She glanced down at the material, hair falling over her shoulders.
"That was my last wrap. Your going to pay for that," growled Natasha narrowing her eyes.
Bryan smirked and ran at her again. Natasha swung the bamboo-staff above her head and brought it down as hard as she could on Bryan's head, which split the staff into tiny little pieces. Bryan crumpled onto the sand. Natasha shook her hair out her eyes, glancing at Mariah who was kicking a boy in the head. Natasha glanced at the boat and saw a girl in chains.
'She must have been caught by him too. I'll save her after I'm finished,' she thought turning back to Mariah.
"How's it going Kitty Girl!?" yelled Natasha as Mariah turned to her.
"Nine! How about you Tiger?!" yelled Mariah in between breathes.
"Nine!" yelled Natasha picking up her sword.
Kai looked at Tala and nodded. They drew their swords as they ran towards the girls. Tala ran at Mariah and Kai at Natasha. Natasha cracked her neck and stepped into a block. Natasha swung her blade low, trying to cut he's midriff but Kai sidestepped and blocked. Kai aimed his sword at Natasha's head, but metal met metal, as she swiftly brought her blade up to crash with his. Natasha and Kai were face to face now. Natasha's eyes widened as she saw who it was.
"Kai," Natasha whispered, a chill running down her back. Kai took that chance to slice her cheek. Natasha, who was taken of her guard, stumbled back. Holding her cheek, she screamed…
"RUN MARIAH!!!!!" as she half turned to her friend, blocking yet another attack from Kai.
Mariah glanced over at Natasha and tried to run to her.
"NO MARIAH! RUN BACK TO CROUCHING TIGER!!!!!" yelled Natasha as she blocked yet another attack from Kai. The tiger-like Captain twisted his sword to hit her sharply on the head with the handle. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
"NATASHA!!!!!!" screamed Mariah, as she saw her friend fall. Heeding Natasha's warning Mariah ran as she had been told to, not looking back once. Not knowing that it would be the last time she would see Natasha.
Kai caught her before she hit the ground just as Tala started to run after Mariah.
"NO TALA! WE HAVE WHAT WE CAME FOR!" bellowed Kai as he carried Natasha back down the beach to the boat.
"Yes Capt'n," said Tala reluctantly turning back to the ship after Kai.
Kai laid Natasha in the boat and stared at her for a minute.
'I've seen that face before, but I can't remember where,' thought Kai, and touched her face as he sat down. Her skin was silky soft as a rose petal, and the delicate colour of one too.
Rei and Ash looked at the girl. Her face was half-covered with dark brown hair. They reached the ship and Kai carried Natasha through the men who watched with great interest. He took her to the other slave-girl's cabin. He opened the door with a foot and laid her on the bed, smiling as he walked away.
'This slave will prove to be interesting once we break her,' thought Kai closing the door on the sleeping prisoner and locking it behind him.