Responses:
firecat79: ….We shall see.
Peachcandy: Umm, there's more to the story….
Viridian: Eh, I'll try, but I apologize beforehand if anything in later chapters offends you…
To all other reviewers: Thank you very much for your interest. It is very encouraging.
Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.
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Chapter 2:
Running
Kamio Akira shielded his eyes against the cold, salty spray as the deck of the small ship rocked beneath him. The rough linen sail billowed as a gust of wind hit him, tugging at the flaps of his black vest and sweeping through his deep red locks. He had stolen the narrow, sturdy vessel from the navy base where he had been spying, but they had caught on to him and forced him to flee. It was about time he returned to his crew with his report at any rate.
As the speed demon turned his attention to setting the ship on course for the cave-riddled shores of the island where his companions had been hiding out, his mind drifted back to the boy he had helped escape from the base before he left himself. The boy with the emerald hair and unusual, golden eyes.
He wondered what had become of him. He hoped he had found somewhere safe to stay. Once his job was done, he promised himself that he would go looking for him and find out.
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"They've found us!"
Eiji's excited and frightened voice snapped through the entire house like a whiplash, shattering the early morning calm. All but bouncing off the walls, his large eyes were sparkling with worry and impatience. "Get up! We have to go! Now! Nyaaa! They'll catch us! They're already on their way here!"
"What's all the shouting about?" Momo asked groggily, stumbling into the common room. "Who's coming?"
The acrobat clucked his tongue. "The navy! The police! Nya, we have to hurry!"
Just then, their came a rapid pounding upon the front door and a rough voice was yelling. "In the name of the peace, we demand you open this door at once!"
Swearing loudly, Momo spun and dashed back into his room to grab his sword. There was no time to pack. They would have to leave whatever they could not grab. With a pang of regret, he recalled all the apples they had found in the pantry.
Seizing the fire iron from the rack beside the fireplace, Kaidoh hammed the metal rod into either side of the doorframe.
"That'll buy us approximately three seconds," Inui stated calmly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I suggest we depart."
They started for the back door just as the front one caved in, splintering as an axe was wrenched from the wood.
"I'll hold them off," Fuji offered before turning and making a swift gesture in the air.
There was a flash of light and the soldiers that had spilled into the common room stumbled back, screaming as they clutched at their eyes.
"What about me?" Ryoma asked, following him from the back room.
"Come with us," Eiji urged, hurrying him after the others. "We could always do with another teammate."
Teammate. The word tasted strange on his tongue as he stumbled after his new—companions? There was no time to ponder this new development. Bullets rang past their ears as they sprinted down the alley that ran behind the house. Their pursuers' momentary blindness had worn off and they were back on their tails.
Whatever happened, Ryoma did not want to be caught. Again.
The street outside was in total chaos. Policemen shouted for order as mothers fled indoors, herding their children before them.
"We'll just blend in," Eiji whispered under his breath, straightening and trying to appear casual.
"There they are! Quick, they're escaping!"
Sighing, the redhead grabbed their new companion and bounded ahead. "Or not."
Down the street they sprinted—and nearly ran headlong into a navel officer's broad chest. The man pulled back his lips in a snarl and they dove for it.
"This way!" Oishi shouted above the ruckus, running for the wooden fence separating the public from the merchant docks.
A dart nicked Momo's heel as he reached the top of the pile of old barrels that acted as a sort of staircase up the fence and he yelped, tumbling head first out of sight. Following Eiji up the makeshift ramp, Ryoma paused at the top to send the barrels rolling with a heave before dropping down to rejoin his new crew.
"Go, Ochibi!" the redhead cheered, clapping him on the back.
Momo opened his mouth, but his sentence turned into a gasp as an arrow buried itself in the ground at his feet. Almost immediately following, a full volley began to whistle down around them, the lethal stakes slicing through clothing and missing serious injuries by a fraction of they ducked.
Yanking an arrow from where it had pinned his leggings to the dry earth, Kaidoh hissed in irritation, taking off towards the old ship that sat between two, luxurious galleys. Swinging up the rope that hung down from the side of the ship, he hastened to raise the anchor as the others clambered aboard. Oishi was the last to ascend and pulled the rope up after him.
"Hold on," Inui muttered, steering the ship out into the bay. "We're not out of the hot water just yet."
This ominous statement was punctuated by an explosion of water as a flaming missile struck the surf to the right of the prow.
"Nya! They're shooting at us!"
The air filled with the acrid scent of smoke as other missiles followed the first, only just missing the main mast and plunging into the ocean accompanied by sheets of icy spray. His rectangular spectacles glinting in the sunlight as he stared intently ahead, his hands upon the steering wheel, Inui frowned. "At this range, there is a seventy-five percent chance that one of those missiles will set us on fire. In the case that that should happen, we have a fifty percent chance of making it out of this alive, and no chance at all of saving the ship."
Momo groaned. "You know, sometimes, there are things that we really don't want to know. At least then we can hope."
Gazing back towards the docks where the navy had begun to load their cannons, Ryoma frowned skeptically. There was something strange about the ship, but that was not his current concern. "How do you expect to outrun anything with this decrepit vessel? The boards look like they're practically coming apart."
Eiji grinned mysteriously. "That's where you're wrong."
Stepping up beside them, Fuji tapped the railing with one finger. The entire ship shimmered and seemed to fade away, leaving a sleek, sturdy vessel built of mahogany. The sails that had previously been ragged and patched now shone gold-touched white in the sunlight, stark against the black flag that flew proud and ominous above it all, stamped with the crossed bones and grinning skull of the greatest menace to modern society ever to sail the seas: pirates.
A slight smirk found its way onto Ryoma's face and he crossed his arms. "Mada mada dane."
Behind them, the last shells hit the waves, erupting violently and filling the air with tiny droplets like misted crystal. Finally, as the ship sailed smoothly out into the open sea, Momo turned to raise an eyebrow at Eiji. "Ochibi?"
"Yeah." The acrobat grinned, ruffling the dark green hair of their newest addition. "He's shorter than Fuji!"
Batting his hand away, Ryoma scowled.
Hiding his smile behind his hand, Fuji laughed softly. "Welcome aboard."
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Far beneath the roiling tides, deep within the heart of the ocean's depths, hovering at the center of a crystal chamber, a gemstone as clear as water shone with a brilliance that flickered as though seen through a wall of vapor. Pulsing as though in time with the beating of a heart, tiny rainbows reflected amidst the stalactites and stalagmites, radiant and yet eerie.
After all these years in hiding, the Guardian had been awakened.
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TBC
AN: Thank you for reading and please review!