[AN] I know the summary is somewhat... lacking but personally I don't like summaries. I find that they have a tendency to spoil the story. This fic is pretty simple, you really don't need a huge summary to understand it. This is my first real fic so I hope you'll read and enjoy it!
-Crow :]
"Get up! Rise and shine!" An all too familiar voice destroyed the peaceful quiet below the decks of the Aoi Doragon.
There was warm sun hitting his face through the planks in the ship. It promised a day of nice weather. That almost made waking up a welcome occurence. Almost. The sleeping man cracked open his dark crimson eyes to see Jounochi's always enthusiastic face only inches from his own.
"Ah!" The sleeper exclaimed, unable to hold back his surprise. He almost fell from the hammock he had been sleeping in.
"Good." Jou greeted with a smile, "You are awake Yami. Seto wants us up on deck. You can help me wake the others." Yami rolled his eyes at the mention of their shipmates.
Jou took a step back and Yami nimbly jumped from his hammock, careful not to hit the one hanging below him, which currently contained a very tempermental and cranky albino. His best friend.
Yami placed a hand on Bakura's shoulder and shook him lightly. The white haired man groaned loudly.
"Come on! Five more minutes!" he groaned and rolled over, avoiding Yami's gaze.
"Bakura I am not your mother." Yami said patiently.
"Oh really 'cause you sure look like her!" Bakura snapped back.
Yami sighed, "If you get up now you can help me wake Marik and Malik.."
Bakura sat up straight instantly at the mention of his favorite prank victim, Marik. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You know that's the best part of my day." Bakura smiled evily.
Jou facepalmed. "Well at least he's awake. I'm going to wait above deck and out of the attack range of... you know who." the stairs to the above deck of the ship creaked as the blonde exited.
Bakura stood up and rubbed his hands together devilishly. He tiptoed over to where Marik and Malik were sharing a hammock. As if they would wake up if he stomped his feet... They had slept through hurricanes before.
Bakura gripped the edge of the hammock and unceremoniously dumped it over onto the floor. Then he quickly stepped back-
-just quickly enough to avoid Marik's flailing limbs which came inches to taking Malik's head off. The two rolled around awkwardly on the floor for a moment while Yami tried to hold in his laughter. After he recovered from the shock, Marik directed an angry glare towards Bakura which was happily returned.
Malik broke the staring contest "Seriously guys?" he yawned loudly, "Why do I have to suffer because you want to torture him?" Marik looked at him indignantly but said nothing.
Bakura was about to add his opinion to the conversation but Yami cut him off.
"The Captain's got an announcement. We're supposed to be up on deck."
Marik tried to continue his angry pouting but eventually he started laughing. Malik and Yami joined in and Bakura smiled. Yami and Bakura offered the two a hand and helped them up. They all went above deck.
A beautiful Caribbean sun warmed Yami's features as he left the dark interior of the ship. For a moment everyone was silent and the only sounds heard were the flapping of their skull and cross bone's flag and the squaking of some sea gulls in the distance. Oh a pirate's life is definitely for me... Yami thought happily as a warm breeze blew his bangs from his face. Not like he knew any other life. He had been part of the crew of this ship since he was sixteen. He ran away from his family for reasons he didn't talk about. That was seven years ago.
No regrets. He thought. All around them crystal clear water shone with the light of the sun. Though Yami was surprised to see a spec of land in the distance. They weren't due to make port for a few days. They must just be passing it by. Jou walked over and joined them.
"Looks like no one was fatally injured this morning!" he joked, "Seto should be out any minute now."
"Men at attention!" they heard a voice as if on cue. Captain Seto emerged from his quarters from underneath the helm of the ship.
The five quickly got into a line. All of them went into a salute, well except for Jou that is. He stood with his arms crossed disobidiently across his chest. Jou never really listened to what the Captain said. Calling him Seto was just the starting point. The Captain hated his first name and no one called him by it...
except for Jou.
Yami had oftened wondered why the Captain was so... forgiving towards Jou's insubordination. He had eventually come to the conclusion that the Captain simply didn't want to lose a ship-mate. The crew they had was already small and Jou was a good worker... when he wanted to be.
The Captain walked up and down the line of pirates, gazing at them each with his ice-blue eyes. He stopped in the middle and turned to face them. He was a good six inches taller than all of them, other than Jou who was still slightly shorter than him.
"Well, as you all know our last heist was a great success." Marik cheered at his words. The Captain waited for him to quiet, "You are at attention Marik. That means you do not speak or move until I say otherwise." he said cooly with slitted eyes.
Yami glanced at the other pirates in the line out of the corner of his eye. Marik had his free hand on Malik's butt and Malik was returning the favor. Yami noticed Bakura flipping the Captain off behind his back and Jou... well he was still being Jou. Of the five Yami was the only one correctly standing at attention. He sighed inwardly.
"Anyway," the Captain continued, "If my calculations with the star charts are correct, and they always are, we will be at our next port of call, Tortuga, in about three days." At this everyone cheered. The Captain didn't scold them this time. Tortuga meant safety and parties. Well safety so long as you could handle the parties. And Yami knew he could handle the parties. "Alright you scallywags, thats all. Go to your stations. Jou don't forget you're supposed to swab the deck to make up for your comments last night." he fixed his icy blue gaze on the blonde challengingly.
"Can I add some comments now and swab them for two days?" Jou replied sarcastically.
"I'd prefer if you at least gave it a day or so in between so they can get dirty again."
"Fair enough." Jou said as he went below deck to get a mop.
Marik and Malik went to go check the sails and the Captain went back to his quarters. Bakura decided to try cannon target practice on seagulls.
My family... Almost perfect... Yami thought to himself. He couldn't hold back his smile. Almost...
Later that night, Yami and Bakura were playing a game of rummy below deck and Marik and Malik were engaging in their usual night time activities. Luckily the ability to mute the two had come with time as Yami had lived with them. Sort of. He took a swig from his rum and drew a card. He laid down a discard from his hand and sighed.
"You're quiet tonight" Bakura observed, "Anything on your mind?"
Yami locked eyes with his best friend. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the two love-making Egyptians.
"Really?" Bakura asked "I thought you could tolerate that by now. I mean they've been together ever since they joined the crew."
"It's not that." Yami muttered. The light from the lantern they were using shadowed his features.
"Then what- Oh no..." Bakura looked at him scrutinizingly, "Don't tell me, you're getting soft?"
Yami thought for a moment but the only response he gave was, "You know me better than anyone Bakura."
"Yami Atemu!" Bakura exclaimed, "You have countless women, and men for that matter, lining up to sleep with you whenever we make port and yet..."
"Something's missing." Yami finished for him. He threw back the last of his rum.
"This is wrong." Bakura said, "Not natural. You're probably just sick or something." Bakura laid down a discard and smiled noticeably. Bakura had never had a good poker face.
Yami shook his head. He then took all of the cards from the pile and laid down his whole hand. He played 8 tricks in total and Bakura hadn't laid down one yet. In laymen's terms, Yami just kicked his ass. Bakura stared at the cards in disbelief. Yami stood up from the table and went over to the supply closet.
Bakura stood to follow him. "Hey I wasn't done with our conversation!" he said as Yami stalked away.
"Well I am." Yami said then he pulled another bottle of rum from the closet and went above deck. Bakura followed him. He sat down where he had a good view of the stars and the ocean. Both were beautiful tonight.
"Yami." Bakura said sitting down next to him. "Brooding is not a pretty color on you."
"Tch... It was just some gossip I told you to disctract you from the game." Yami said unconvincingly. "You love gossip as much as a teenage girl."
Bakura rested a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "'Don't you think you'll know when you find the person you're really destined to be with? Besides you could kick my ass at any game you wanted without distracting me." He said.
"I suppose you're right... And I know you're right about me kicking your ass! You never stand a chance!" Yami gloated.
"Off topic..." Bakura reminded.
"You started it. But... thank you. Some day I will find my true love. I just hope she loves the sea as much as I do. And you know, I bet there's someone out there for you too." Yami suggested.
"Maybe..." Bakura said as he gazed at the stars. "But you know, it is bad luck to bring a woman aboard a ship."
[AN] The boat's name, Aoi Doragon, is supposed to mean 'Blue dragon' (I wonder who named it? :P) but I used google translator so you can be aproximately 93.7% sure that it is wrong. *Sucks at foriegn languages*