Captured!: Chapter 2

-:-

"Come on, T.K! Wake up! Breakfast is finishing soon and Captain will be making call!"

Takeru only groaned under the demand, rolling over onto his belly and tucking his head under a pillow, attempting to drone out the incessant pleading. He grumbled something foul under his breath, absently swatting away the persistent hand that kept shaking his shoulders.

"Dammit T.K, if you're late again Captain will have me thrown off the ship!"

The nineteen-year-old finally yanked himself up into a sitting position, releasing a loud and heavy yawn that he did little to cover. Large, heavy hands reached up and absently rubbed the remaining vestiges of slumber from his eyes before they fluttered open, revealing the vibrant cerulean blue depths beneath.

He shifted his gaze towards the source for his abrupt awakening, a slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

His companion in question, Daisuke Motomiya, had been his closest confidant of the Captain's second son since before the young blonde could recollect. Daisuke was but the mere age of six when his father had taken the job as ship cook and 3rd rank soldier. Being T.K was the only one near his age, one year his junior, they had become quick friends.

And ever since, the dangerously mischievous pair has yet to be seen apart from each other for more then a few seconds (though that was damn near impossible, what with being on a ship half the time.)

"So early in the morning Daisuke and you're already annoying me." Takeru mumbled with a wry grin, drugging his hands through his unruly mane of golden-blonde locks. The blonde nearly doubled over at his friend's sour expression.

"I should just let you sleep in and get your own behind in boiling water, ya know. I don't even know why I bother with you sometimes!" The twenty-year-old shipmate snarled, pivoting his heel and making his way towards the exiting stairs.

"Oh you know you love me, Daisuke!" T.K called teasingly as he finally rose from his bed and groggily began to dress for the day. He paused momentarily, however, when the twenty-one-year-old stopped in his vengeful trek and spun about.

"I'd love to kill you," Daisuke commented with a smirk, a laughing twinkle coming to his deep amber-brown depths.

"Does that count?"

-:-

Takeru released an airy sigh of satisfaction and he happily smothered his fifth breakfast scone with slabs of melting butter. Once properly frosted, the blonde took a large but neat bite from the pastry, reveling at its taste but keeping an ear close enough to what was happening about him.

His eyes narrowed slightly onto the tall, brawny figure situated at the center of the deck; his father.

Captain Hiroaki Ishida was an unnervingly tall man, a short-cropped mane of dark russet brown topping the seven foot figure. His expression was perpetually shielded, foreboding even, burly and icy that gave no inclinations as to anything else but unshakeable command.

"But Captain Ishida…" One exceptionally brave shipmate fared, rising to his feet though his frame was trembling with quaking fear. He gulped heavily as his surly Leader pinned him with a narrowing stare, hellfire banking his dark glinting depths.

"No 'buts', Hirata." The dark-haired male snapped, turning about fully to glare onto his addresser. The unfortunate soul, as well as the rest of the gathered subordinates, visibly tensed and leached back slightly, uncertain as to what their Commander was going to say.

Or, even worse, do.

"I do not entertain even the faintest idea of weakness. Every single one of you have been schooled and trained, by me and that is precisely why we are the single most feared and admired league of rogues. So do not attempt to upbraid me, Warrior, for you can easily be replaced."

Captain Ishida lingered slightly, his dark eyes sweeping over the crowd gathered about him just for further emphasis before finally spinning his heel, retreating to his respective quarters.

Takeru only shook his head a little, seemingly unfazed by his father's overzealous speech as he drizzled on the sweet maple syrup onto his bowl of warm porridge. He turned slightly, to retrieve the proper feeding utensil for such a dish before returning to the rest of his meal.

The blonde scowled heavily, somewhat irked, as he saw his warm cereal wolfed down by his long-time companion.

"Can't you get your own, Daisuke?" The nineteen-year-old muttered with a sneer, snatching a near-by bowl and beginning to spoon in the still simmering oatmeal. The elder male only offered a wide and shameless grin, the porridge smearing his lips and chin.

"I guess you're too angry at me to hear what I just discovered then."

This caught the youngest Ishida's attentions well enough, dropping the serving spoon from his hold and suddenly leaning into his friend for a better hear. Daisuke only chuckled with a knowing grin (his friend was far too curious for his own good), absently finishing the rest of his oatmeal before continuing.

"My father went down to the lower decks and he was stopped by two guardsmen. They told him a new prisoner was on board!"

The nineteen-year-old felt his brows lift with surprise, settling back into his seat as his comrade proceeded to butter down a particular berry scone. Father hadn't mentioned anything of new prisoners, though, the Captain wasn't inclined to discuss such things to his youngest offspring.

Things of that sort were left in talks to his older brother, Yamato.

Takeru scowled, feeling somewhat wounded in a way. His father was very distant to him, almost to the point of being cold. Yamato often said it was because he could see mother in him a lot and he didn't like to be reminded of her all too often.

Mother had passed while rearing him.

"So it's a deal?" Daisuke inquired just before he shoveled a whole biscuit into his mouth. Takeru wrenched up, derailed from his thoughts and blinking about himself quite curiously, wide-eyed.

"Hmm?"

"You're gonna come with me to go see the new prisoner tonight?" The elder male elaborated in a somewhat frustrated tone, taking a deep swig from his cup of mulberry juice. This caused the lighter-haired boy across him to groan a bit, in his own exasperation as he did his best not to make his nuisance too noticeable.

"You don't remember last time we tried this? The captured broke free and the entire ship had to go up in arms!" Takeru upbraided, sounding a bit like a father than a friend. Daisuke stoutly ignored his companion's sensible rebukes, snatching up his final scone for the morning (though Takeru seriously didn't believe it.)

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

-:-

"I don't get how you talked me into this."

The soft, but still notably vexed remark wafted out from one of the finer sleeping chambers of the water-bound vessel. Soon after two shadowed figures erupted from the room, hunched over slightly in vain attempts to hide their entities.

"You would've gone down there sooner or later; curiosity always gets the best of you." Was Daisuke's biting reply as he quickly scurried along the narrow pathways that lead to the lower decks.

"And who better to guide you on such an adventure but the smooth, suave Daisuke Motomiya."

Takeru only sneered at the comment, quietly following his older companion with gentle steps. The rest of the corsairs were heavily submerged into their slumber, rushed into early bed due to their heavy drinking.

"Ow!"

The blonde halted slightly in his furtive trek and had to cover a palm over his mouth to hinder his laughter. The Cook's son had apparently stubbed his right foot into an unopened barrel of ale and now was precariously hopping about in agonizing pain.

"Real smooth, Dai." The nineteen-year-old whispered over his shoulder, grinning wide and shamelessly as he ambled by his injured companion and proceeded to continue his voyage to the storage deck.

The older boy only snickered, gently massaging the ache from his appendage as he trailed his way after the other boy. The two made it soon enough to the freight holdings, cautiously making their ways farther into the room.

"Who goes there?!" A voice boomed through the otherwise silent room, causing both boys to rear back in surprise. Panic quickly seized them as they saw a lantern slowly flickering to life, sure to reveal their identities.

Takeru swiftly moved himself behind a stack of wooden crates, pressing himself as hard as he possibly could into the boxes, to hide his presence. He turned to his side, to inform his friend that he was wrong (again) but felt his heart bottom out when the boy in question was no where to be seen.

"What are you doing here, Motomiya?!"

The nineteen-year-old winced, head glancing back as his companion was snatched by the elbow and roughly lead away to the stairway. Daisuke was silent under the demands, his head hung low as he numbly permitted himself to be shoved through by the night guard.

The blonde turned back, the torturous poison of guilt beginning to flood his system, when he heard something shift just beyond him. His six-foot frame tensed at the noise, his nerves abruptly shoved to its edge and alarm worming about his belly. It was the prisoner, he surmised or even worse – the other guardsmen.

His father would have his head for this.

His irrational thoughts and general dread dissipated, however, when he heard a soft and very frightened mewl. All at once he felt himself blink with surprise, thoroughly confused, as he squinted slightly to get a better look in the darkened space.

And his pretty blue eyes rounded, wide and to the size of saucers.

-:-

Hikari bit her lip firmly, attempting to muffle the aching cry that threatened to escape her lips. She had been crying for hours, she believed, however long it was she had been kept in this horrible dungeon away from home.

Away from Taichi.

She felt her tiny person stop dead cold, the sound of someone moving about near by. Her heart had efficiently lodged itself into her throat, properly cutting off any air supply whatsoever and heightening her nerves in such a situation.

Papa had warned her about pirates – and that they do to young maidens when captured. She just hoped it was a story, something to ward her off from wandering too far from home.

Apparently, not.

The brunette remained perfectly still, artfully slowing her breath so it was not noticed by any curious bystander. Perhaps if they thought she was asleep, they'd go away. And much to her dismay, they didn't.

She slunk her head down, forehead clunking quietly onto the tops of her knees as she clenched her eyes tightly closed. If she kept her eyes closed, they'd go away and she'd wake up in her warm bed and Taichi would yell at her for sleeping in and she'd laugh at this stupidstupid dream—

Another shift of air about her and her eyes came flaring open, despite her wishes not to.

The eighteen-year-old managed to shift her eyes just right so she could see the perpetrator without having to lift her head, eyeing him through her peripheral vision.

A boy was leaning heavily against a stack of boxed crates near-by, looking as spooked and frightened as she felt. Maybe he was a stow away, or something illegal of that sort, and wasn't supposed to be on this boat.

Sort of like her.

Either way, he didn't look like one. He was dressed in a fine white tunic, the sleeves long up onto his wrists and tooled in soft blue thread. Dark black breeches encased his lower half, tight and snug, falling onto a pair of…house slippers?

Ignoring the odd foot attire, she took note of how young he looked, probably no older than herself and that he was jarringly good-looking. His features were pale, like porcelain and so beautifully delicate. He looked so innocent, so angelic – and yet there was this virile sharpness to him; that screamed man.

His hair, a brilliant golden color, spilled over his brow in unruly spikes. One particular tendril poked out, refusing to lay tame with the rest of his mane and falling just slightly into his eyes.

Bright, shimmering cerulean blue depths that were currently staring straight at her, jerking her back to the more pressing situation at hand.

-:-

Inside the jailed confinement cage was a tiny slip of a girl, knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped about them with the tightest of grip, as if afraid she'd lose herself if she let go. Her head was nestled snugly atop her knees, ever so and then shifting due to her silent cries.

He could tell faintly that she was wearing a dress, a soft yellow color that probably was more of a brilliant golden shade had it not been put to so much use. It was pleasantly snug about her frame, the sleeves belling and loose only to cinch tightly about her elbows. The skirt, slender and narrow, spilled just to her knees; leaving her delectably shaped calves for viewing.

And then suddenly her head lifted up and her eyes fluttered open, revealing a startling bright ruby red color. So bright they even glowed in the darkness.

What was more catching perhaps, was the heart-wrenching despair that inhabited every inch of their depths, glossed over slightly and puffy from her obvious crying.

"Please don't hurt me."

-:-

I'm sure a might bunch of you are going tar and feather me for ending the chapter here, but, I needed some for the next chapter xD

SugarSpiral: The Dark Ocean series…funnily enough, that's where I got the initial idea for the whole pirate thing (ocean + pirate…yeah o.o, don't mind me and my weird mental connections to things) Thanks for reviewing!

Sunflowers: Oh that's good to know I haven't over-detailed the scenes (the field & strawberry field) to the point of it being rambling. I too was waiting for someone to write something like this, but as you can see, I just ended up writing it myself xP And yes, as you've seen, Takeru has shown up in this chapter xD Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to all other reviewers! KoumiLoccness, Wish I Could Forget You

Review! (Or I'll smite you in your sleep.)