Disclaimer: I do not own Utena
The White Rose
Anthy knew something was unusual the minute she stepped out into the streets. People were hurrying up the street in haste. Children, adults, young girls and young boys, she saw at least ten of them running along the streets from the window while she was getting dressed for the day. What could be causing such a stir? She wondered.
Nobody was getting married, divorced, no scandal or proposals, no huge dilemma had occurred in the town of Ohtori.
"Anthy, are you ready yet?" Her father called, knocking on the door.
"Almost father," Anthy answered.
"Good because we have just received an important call from Spain. Akio has come back from his trip and he will be here in two hours."
Anthy's fingers fumbled on the lacing of her dress.
"Anthy, did you hear me?" Her father asked after a short moment of silence.
"Yes, yes father. Sorry, I was alarmed," Anthy responded hastily. "I'll be out soon."
She waited until his foot-steps had faded away before sinking into her bed. Of course that was what it must have been, why everybody had been rushing just then. They wanted to see the only son of the governor, now a well-learned man of the world instead of an awkward teenager, and greet him from his long journey. So popular was he that the town would be waiting such a long time beforehand. After all, it had been seven years since the residents of Ohtori had seen their beloved son. Anthy sighed, tickling Chu-Chu playfully as he scrambled up onto the bed next to her.
"Seven years...have you changed Akio?" Anthy murmured quietly.
It wasn't Akio though. Anthy received the shock of her life when she caught sight of the ship anchored to the docks while riding to Armand Kellington's house that day. Excitement lit up her face. She halted the driver of the carriage politely much to her shocked father's dismay and hurried out. The crowd, too curious about the ship, didn't notice her at first but when she curtly requested passage through their attention ranged to her, allowing her easier movement through.
Upon reaching the front of the crowd, she saw the flag waving in the morning breeze and gasped, eyes widening. White…it was pure white bearing a pink rose with two silver swords crossed over it. One word played in her mind: Pirate.
"Geeze, I didn't know we'd bring in this much of a crowd." Wakaba said in awe as she peered over the edge of the ship railing, scrutinizing the residents with unmasked interest.
"You'd think by their faces they ain't ever seen a pirate before," Gabrielle snorted, brown eyes flashing. She leant on the railing with crossed arms, regarding the residents with disinterest.
"Maybe they haven't. They're landlubbers after all." Wakaba murmured. "Wow, look at their clothes!"
"So where are we again?" Shiori questioned idly from her position sitting on an upturned barrel, inspecting her nails.
"Somewhere called Ohtori Town I think. I don't know. Utena's checking it out now."
Wakaba said thoughtfully, glancing over her shoulder at where the pink-haired captain was listening to an amused-looking Ruka showing her where he had been sailing roughly on the map after she had retired to her cabin yesterday.
"I see. So if we back-track then we can pick up where we left off," Utena said thoughtfully.
"Or we could just stay here," Juri suggested, striding up beside the shorter woman.
"Hmmm, Juri's right Captain. At this point we're stocked with enough food and water from those last merchant ships? And we have gold and silver to spend." Ruka pondered.
"I suppose," Utena replied slowly.
"Then perhaps we can have a look at this town. See what it's like, whether there are any good landlubbers around to have a good roughhousing with and of course, looting what we can." Ruka grinned at the last part and those who were close to the three looked at the Captain eagerly.
Wakaba ran to Utena, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her briefly in sheer excitement and enthusiasm. "Can we go Utena? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeassssssssseeeeeeeeee?" Wakaba stretched out the last please in a begging whine, her face an inch away from Utena's and a puppy dog expression on her face.
"Alright, alright, we'll go." Utena laughed good-naturedly, used to the eccentric behaviour which followed Wakaba's common bursts of excitement.
Wakaba released a squeal of delight and threw her arms around Utena in an overwhelming hug which caused the Captain to stumble back a little with the force of it.
The crew, also used to Wakaba's behaviour, smiled or chuckled. Juri was chortling, Kozue just looked mildly irritated and Shiori was watching the scene with an unfolding smile. Gabrielle was shaking her head and Briggs was grinning.
"Um, I have a question."
Utena looked over Wakaba's shoulder at the speaker in confusion. Everybody else's attention snapped to the teenager. Kozue was glaring at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What if, pray tell, this Ohtori place doesn't accept us?"
"I don't see how it can't. I mean, it's free public land," Utena said assuredly, rubbing the back of her head. She seemed oblivious to the glare that Kozue was giving her.
"We're pirates. The last two places who hadn't heard of pirates before didn't take to us kindly," Kozue said bluntly.
"Uh, well if that's the case then we'll just have to hurry back before any of us get hurt." Utena said firmly.
"Kozue, are you satisfied now? We would like to get the townspeople to stop staring at us now." Juri demanded with a dangerous note in her voice.
The blue-haired girl had nothing else to say and at any rate Juri's voice was indication enough that she was bordering crossing the line.
The crew of the White Rose descended the ship and were welcomed with stares. Utena wondered if they truly had seen pirates before. She understood their fascination come to think of it. Utena and her crew were dressed in a way that was drastically different from theirs-vests, hats, sashes, loose pants, a few had bandannas, some loose trinkets here and there visible to public eye, worn boots and shirts, not to mention the fact that they were carrying swords visibly and additionally, hidden from public eye, pistols or firearms of some sort which included Shiori, Ruka, Kozue, Gabrielle and Briggs. There was also a high-class refinery about the clothing the townspeople wore, something which their scruffy clothes lacked.
"Well I'll be off to find a pub, coming Briggs, Shiori?" Ruka said. Utena could already see the young man's eyes on the females in the audience and she warned him, "You three had better not get drunk again Ruka, or do anything vulgar. I don't want to have to enforce violence when I can avoid it."
"Of course Captain Tenjou. We'll behave ourselves," Ruka said brusquely and weaved seamlessly into the crowd.
"Like hell they will," Juri muttered underneath her breath as Briggs gave Utena a nod and Shiori a demure smile before following Ruka.
The crowd didn't seem to be lessening but having noticed the swords, kept well away. As the rest of her crew drifted away to do their own business except for Juri and Wakaba a little girl, about eight years old, dashed from the crowd up to Utena. The pink-haired captain smiled warmly, kneeling down on the ground to the girl's eye level and took her hand.
"Hey, is there anything I can do for you?"
The girl didn't seem to be interested in speaking much though and shyly reached up to touch Utena's pink hair, extreme curiosity creasing her youthful features.
"Oh, you want to see how my hair is like?" Utena chuckled ruefully, knowing how much her unusual hair colour and twin braids decorated with exotic colourful beads attracted the attention of young children.
"Elizabeth, get away from her!" An elderly woman cried; rushing out from the crowd and pulling the girl back. The woman threw a terrified look Utena's way before hastening to go.
Utena stood up, her smile fading. "Don't worry about it Utena," Juri said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, they just don't understand." Wakaba flashed a beaming smile and added, leaping on Utena's back. "Anyway, you'll always have me Utena-sama, your bestest best friend in the whole wide world!"
The smile returned at the brown-haired girl's words and she turned her head a little so she could see Wakaba. "I guess I'm lucky huh?"
"I think I'll go join Shiori and the others. Lord knows what they're up to," Juri said grimly. "I'll be seeing you two love-birds later." Wakaba waved bye, snuggling closer to Utena while the Captain pleaded with her eyes to not be left alone with a hyper-active Wakaba. Juri winked at her and sidled into the crowd which was starting to thin out now although a significant amount of people remained.
"Everybody back to your businesses now," An authoritative voice barked out suddenly.
Everyone jumped. Then the pistol shot rang through the air and then another and another and another. The crowd broke into mass hysteria, running. Shock crossed Utena's face followed almost instantly by anger. She recognized the sounds of those shots as easily as a pianist to a piano.
"No way," Wakaba whispered, sliding off Utena and staring at her best friend.
Utena's eyes, usually so earnest and gentle, were filled with rage. Her hands were bunched into fists. Someone screamed. Utena whipped around towards the direction of the noise, her hand instinctively snapping to her sword. She saw a flash of purple hair disappear beneath the ocean waters. Wasting no time she bolted to the place where the young woman had fallen and performing an exquisite dive, she too disappeared beneath the waters with a SPLASH and only the hat floating adrift.
"Utena-sama!" Wakaba was at the edge of the shore, anxiously staring at the churning waters.
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Author's Notes: Akio wasn't going to play a big part originally. I was going to have him be off on a business trip or something like that but I re-considered after a while. Oh yes, and I did base Utena's hair-style a bit on Jack Sparrow's:D with the beads.