It was situations like this that dragged up all of Ikuta's fears. His fears of not being able to protect the ones he loved. The fears of not being good enough. The fears of once again losing what he held dear to him. That dagger, pressed to Hisui's throat causing little droplets of blood to run down his neck, staining his shirt red, glinted at Ikuta. It was mocking him, showing off its gleaming blade, glittering in the sun. The man behind Hisui shifted once again. He had hunched over so that his face was partially hidden by Hisui's head. The hand that wasn't holding onto the dagger was clutching onto Hisui's shoulder, a silent gesture for Hisui. It's message loud and clear. ~Do not move.~
Hisui, surprisingly, seemed more confused with the turn of events rather than afraid. His already large eyes seemed to have widened even more. One hand was loosely wrapped around the wrist with the dagger in it. The other one didn't seem to know what to do as it stayed by Hisui's side, twitching as if it wanted to take action but couldn't. Ikuta tightened his grip on his sword, his jaw clenching with anger and frustration. He needed to get Hisui out of there.
"One more step and I'll slit his throat," the man growled. His voice was gravely and almost weak. It barely broke a whisper but it seemed as if the man had put all his strength into saying those few words. Hisui's eyes widened, seeming to have grasped his situation once those words were uttered. Ikuta took a few deep breaths, trying not to lash out. He released his grip on the sword and straightened up. The man jerked back when Ikuta made these movements. Hisui let out a squeak as he was jerked back with the man. Ikuta tried not to pay this too much attention. Right now, just getting Hisui out of this situation was his only goal. He continued to move slowly, raising his hands, looking the man straight on. He hadn't even had the kid for a week and already Hisui was in danger. Ikuta should have protected the kid better. And now he was being frightened, attacked by someone he had never met. Ikuta would make this up to Hisui. He wouldn't let him regret staying on the ship.
"We mean you no harm. Just let Hisui go," Ikuta said gently but firmly. The man sucked in a breath. Ikuta was about to ask what had happened when the man straightened up. He was taller than Ikuta, towering over Hisui in every way. The dagger fell from his hand, landing with a soft thump on the damp sand. The other hand stayed put, gripping onto Hisui's shoulder and probably bruising. The man stepped out from the shadows, dragging Hisui with him. As he continued to step forward slowly, his face was revealing.
"Ikuta?" he asked, his face finally coming into full view. Ikuta lowered his hands and stared at the man for a second. The face that was in front of him was a face he never thought he would see again. It was impossible. He couldn't be standing here in front of Ikuta.
"It can't be," Ikuta gasped. He stumbled back as the weight of the situation hit him. He began laughing, running a hand through his hair. The other pirates were whispering among themselves, all trying to see if the image in front of them was real or not. "I thought you were dead!" Ikuta cried. The hand that was still on Hisui's shoulder let go. Hisui took this chance to stumble to the side, out of the reach of a man who had held a knife to his throat. Though, Ikuta seemed to have forgotten about that bit as he ran up to the man.
"I'm not dead. I've been waiting for you. Took ya long enough," the man said, laughing like Ikuta has said the funniest joke in the world.
"I can't believe it! Theo!" Jean cried, running up to hug the man. The man, Theo, lifted Jean up, laughing all the while. Hisui ducked behind Ikuta and peaked out from behind him. They were acting strange. It was as if the hostage situation hadn't happened at all. The rest of the crew had surrounded "Theo" and were all smiling and laughing.
"Ikuta, who is he?" Hisui whispered. One of his hands was gripping Ikuta's shirt, causing it to wrinkle again. Hisui didn't care. He just wanted to get as far away from this man as possible. There was something off about him. Before he could bring up this fear to Ikuta, the man pushed him out in front and laughed.
"You don't have to be scared, Hisui. This is Theo. He used to work on the ship with us," Ikuta said, smiling down at Hisui.
"I was the only one who could carry everyone back when they were drunk," Theo said, laughing loudly. Hisui nodded, but his body seemed incapable of relaxing.
~Everyone else likes him. He is a fine person. They wouldn't be friends with someone evil,~ Hisui thought to himself. Despite repeating this several times, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. His eyes weren't warm and he wasn't looking at anyone. He was focused on them, but like a hunter focusing on his prey. Hisui couldn't help but image that Theo was picturing what everyone would look like after he had mangled their bodies, hurting them for his own pleasure. ~He held a knife to your throat. Of course you're going to be a little scared of him,~ Hisui thought to himself once again. That was it. That was the reason he was so afraid. Theo had held a knife to Hisui's throat, probably in self-defense, and now Hisui was scared. He was sure these bad feeling that made his stomach twist would go away as soon as he got to know Theo. Theo laughed and took a step towards Hisui and Ikuta. Hisui squeaked and went to duck behind Ikuta again. Alright, it was going to take a bit longer than two minutes for Hisui to get over the knife incident.
"Hisui, don't be rude. He's not going to hurt you," Jean sighed, looking thoroughly annoyed with Hisui's antics.
"Sorry," Hisui said shakily, once again stepping out from behind Ikuta. Ikuta helped him with a gentle push in Theo's direction. Hisui stumbled but kept his footing. Theo smiled at him. No man should be able to show that much teeth. Hisui pushed down his fears and held out a hand. Theo stared at the appendage for a few seconds before grasping it firmly and shaking it. Hisui didn't like how Theo's hands seemed to envelop his own. Or how they closed around his wrist as well.
"Don't be. I really didn't mean to scare you. It's just that, lately there have been some people who have been attacking me. I thought you might be one of them. I didn't even recognize the ship. It's looking good," Theo said running a hand through his hair. Ikuta smiled and stepped towards Theo.
"Yeah. We've gotten a pretty good haul these past few months. We were able to make lots of repairs on the ship," he said. Theo didn't let go of Hisui's hand. Hisui was about to say something, wondering if it would be rude to ask Theo to give him his hand back. Theo looked down at Hisui, flashed another toothy smile, and let go of Hisui's hand, walking so he was standing next to Ikuta. They began talking about the ship and various repairs it had gone through. Hisui took this chance to stand back and observe the situation a bit better.
Ikuta and Theo seemed to have hit it off immediately. Then again, weren't they friends before? It was perfectly normal for Ikuta to want to catch up with an old friend. And Hisui wasn't feeling jealous at all. No he was not. Over the past few months, Hisui had gotten used to being the center of attention. He had wanted to live a normal life and be a normal kid. Normal kids sometimes got pushed aside in favor of old friends. At least, Hisui thought that happened often. He shouldn't be complaining so much. Ikuta had rescued him, let him stay on the boat, and didn't treat him like a possession. Now that Ikuta was moving on, Hisui had no right to complain. This is what he wanted. He wanted to be treated like everyone else.
Deciding that he shouldn't really impede on the reconciliation with the crew and Theo, Hisui left. He walked back towards the beach, kicking rocks out of the way as he went back towards the rowboats.
"Wait," Hisui said, realizing something was off about Theo's story. "If he didn't want to be discovered, why did he have a camp in such an obvious place? And why leave the bracelet out on the beach where anyone would have found it?" Hisui wondered aloud. He shook his head and sank down next to the boat. He watched tiny crabs scuttling back and forth across the sand, snapping their claws at each other. Hisui giggled at the tiny animals and wondered what they were saying to one another. He was reading too much into the situation. Maybe Theo had been attacked only once and didn't have time to move his camp further inland. Maybe Hisui really had startled him. Hisui was just feeling jealous. He wasn't the center of attention and now he was lashing out at a perfectly nice man. Theo was just startled. That's why he held a dagger to Hisui's throat.
Hisui picked up a shell out of the sand. It was rather pretty and sparkled in the sun. A soft pink color blending in with the whites, twirling to create a beautiful shape. This is what he had always wanted. And he was not going to complain about being treated like a normal person.
"I can still be useful and respected," Hisui said out loud. He looked around to ensure no one was there to hear him. Once satisfied that the others were still catching up with an old friend, he turned back to the crabs. "I always wanted to be treated like everyone else. Maybe this is my chance to be normal. If Ikuta treats me like the rest of the crew, then I will get my wish," Hisui finished. He smiled at the thought. There was something worth wanting about the idea that he would not be treated as a precious treasure. Then again, that also meant that Hisui would have to work harder if he was hoping to gain the respect of the crew. Hisui's eyes began to water with tears. He didn't know if he could become useful fast enough. What if, now that Theo was here, Ikuta didn't need Hisui anymore. Ikuta said that he wouldn't sell Hisui, but there was still the chance that he could be persuaded by Theo into giving Hisui away. Hisui shook his head. Where were all these negative feelings towards Theo coming from?
Sure, the man held a knife to Hisui's throat, but that wasn't what made Hisui afraid. That didn't help, but it also wasn't the reason Hisui was afraid. It was the teeth, the eyes, the stature. There was something inhuman about Theo. Hisui looked back at the direction of Theo's tent. The sounds of laughter could still be heard.
"They must be having a really good time with their friend," Hisui sighed. No, this wasn't how his life was going to be, hiding away, all alone. Hisui decided a long time ago that he didn't want to ever be alone, unable to let people close to him for fear of what they might do. He stood up and brushed the sand off his pants. He would make friends with Theo and become just as close to the man as the rest of the crew. Hisui would also become a hard worker and do whatever it took to keep him on the ship. Hisui had gotten comfortable in his cage. He just expected everything to be handed to him, save his freedom. Now, now he had to actually work. Now, he had to make himself useful. Hisui smiled and trotted off towards Theo's camp.
Hisui jogged to find all the men sitting comfortably on the ground. Ikuta turned and smiled at Hisui.
"Hisui, I didn't even know you left," he said with a smile. Hisui tried not to let the comment sting him and instead went to sit next to Wood and Jean.
"I thought it would be best to give you some privacy while you caught up," Hisui said quietly. There was no need to alert Ikuta to the fact that he felt left out. Hisui was being overdramatic. Ikuta was a good man and had every right to be friends with whoever he deemed worthy. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him close to a body. Hisui froze for a second, recognizing the smell, rotting and rancid flesh, it was Theo. He let out a loud laugh. It sounded fake and unrealistic to Hisui's ears. Then again, he didn't know the man before. Maybe this is how all his laughs sounded.
"Well, kiddo," Hisui scowled at the nickname. "I think we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later," Theo said. Hisui tried to turn around to look at Theo in the eyes, but Theo wasn't letting up. His arms tightened around his shoulders, keeping Hisui from moving. Hisui's heart began to pound. He felt trapped. Theo's breath making him sick as he tried not to panic.
~This is just your jealousy again,~ Hisui scolded. ~Just put up with it.~ Hisui let out a shaky laugh, trying not to show how uncomfortable he was with the situation.
"What do you mean?" he asked nervously. Theo laughed and began running a hand through Hisui's hair. Hisui couldn't help but wince as Theo tugged roughly on the strands. He wasn't like Ikuta at all. Ikuta had never hurt Hisui. And now this man had managed to cause Hisui pain twice in under an hour.
~It's just your jealousy,~ Hisui told himself again. Theo probably didn't know his own strength. That's why he was hurting Hisui. He didn't know any better.
"I'm going back to the ship with you," Theo said cheerfully.
"What!" Hisui couldn't help but let out the exclamation.
"Hisui, stop treating Theo like an enemy. He's not going to hurt you," Ikuta snapped. Hisui jumped at the harshness of Ikuta's voice.
"I'm sorry," he stammered. "It would be a pleasure to get to know you, on the boat," Hisui said. Theo finally let go of Hisui. Hisui turned and gave him a shaky smile. Theo's eyes glinted once again with that predatory nature that made Hisui want to run and hide.
"I'm sure you'll love it," Theo said. Hisui pushed his bad thoughts away. Ikuta was the kind of person who could see through other's masks fairly easily. He was someone who knew right away if you could be trusted or not. Ikuta wouldn't be friends with someone evil or dangerous. Hisui was just overreacting. It was just a jealous monster rearing its head. Hisui couldn't help but feel upset by this. He had never thought himself vindictive. But here he was, judging a man he barely knew. It was petty and horrible of him. Hisui would suffer. He would suffer the uncomfortable touches and weird looks. Perhaps he was just overreacting. After all, Ikuta would never be friends with someone who was evil.
