AN: Yes, I know, it's been a while. But between end of the year school parties (2 kids, 2 different schools), migraines, a sister visiting from 2 states away, and WOW... I'm sometimes ashamed to admit I spend more time playing it than writing... This took some time writing... I'm am still working on the others... slowly but surely... and I'm working on a Kamen Rider OOO fic (not the one I attempted posting before)
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for being patient. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.
And before anybody says anything... hehe... as the title suggests... things aren't what they seem.
Kaizoku Sentai: Gokaiger
Things Are Not What They Seem – Part III
She didn't know what exactly happened. It wasn't processing in her brain fast enough. Just… one minute, they were gathered around the round table, the chest full of Ranger Keys, AkaRed explaining that it was probably enough to find the treasure they sought after. Then, they were surrounded by Gormin, weapons firing. And Basco… the bastard just stood there in the middle of it all, one of those smug grins on his face. That grin he always got when something was going his way.
No, it wasn't possible… He wouldn't…
"Basco…" Her voice was hardly even a whisper as shock had her frozen in place. Even the gunfire wasn't enough to move her. It was a good thing the Gormin had poor aim, even in such close quarters.
"What is this…?" AkaRed placed a hand on Scarlet's arm, attempting to pull her back behind him for protection, but she still couldn't move. Her eyes remain locked on Basco as AkaRed finally took hold of both her shoulders. But she was still frozen, rock solid as a statue.
Basco simply gave a snarky smile as he picked up the chest and began to walk away.
"Why?" Marvelous gripped the railing with such force, Scarlet could hear the wood cracking. Or maybe that was her heart breaking. She couldn't be sure which it was, her chest felt like it was on fire. She had to make a very conscious effort to keep her breathing steady. It was much harder than it should have been.
No, this wasn't possible. Yeah, Basco was a self-centered bastard, even childish at times, more than a little greedy. But even he wouldn't go this far, right? She'd known he was a loner, had been all his life. He hated taking orders, but he knew that if they didn't stand together against Zangyack, they wouldn't have gotten this far. And it was AkaRed's leadership that made them stronger, stronger against Zangyack. He hated them more than anything, right? She knew that he hated sharing, especially where she'd been concerned. She'd known that he'd been jealous of the attention she'd given Marvelous since his arrival, but Basco should have realized that it was always his bed she returned to at the end of the day. What happened with Marvelous was just a little harmless flirting.
There was no reason for this betrayal. Basco was a lot of things, but he wasn't this selfish. He wouldn't side with the very people he hated against his friends… And he might have said he hated AkaRed, and constantly bickered and bantered with Marvelous, but they were his friends, weren't they? They were family… And what about her? They weren't -in- love with each other. That had been established from the beginning. But still, she cared about him. She thought he'd felt at least something, with as possessive of her as he had been…
She hadn't realized she stopped breathing until she heard the gunshot that sent Marvelous down the stairs, gasping in a breath as she finally came out of her thoughts and was able to make herself move.
"Marvelous!" She ran after him, helping him to his feet, careful of his now injured arm, thanks to Basco. She shot a glare up to the other man as he rested his gun on his shoulder.
"Basco…! Why…?!" Her voice cracked with emotion as she screamed at him.
"To obtain something… you must give up something… And I'm giving you guys up…"
She couldn't believe how easily those words came from his lips. They weren't rehearsed, they weren't forced. They fell so natural. It was painfully apparent he'd been planning this for some time. How long had he strung them along, being friend, brother, lover…? And why had she not seen any signs of something amiss? She prided herself on her ability to read people, it was like a sixth sense. She was never wrong about people. How did Basco deceive her?
Because he played on her emotions… Her need to be with someone… She had confided in him a fear in which he used perfectly against her…
"Hurry!" AkaRed's words cut through her thoughts as the Galleon shook violently. She hadn't even heard his orders to run she'd been so absorbed in her thoughts. She hadn't completely come out of them until Marvelous took a hold of her hand, pulling her along with him. All she saw of their captain was a streak of red as he rushed at the traitor.
She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let her captain make that sacrifice because of her mistake in judgement. And she sure as hell couldn't let Basco waltz out of there with the keys they'd shed blood, sweat, and tears to get. If the treasure was indeed as powerful as AkaRed had believed, then someone like Basco didn't deserve that power. There was no telling what kind of damage he could do with it.
About halfway down the hallway, she made her decision. She pulled her hand out of Marvelous' grasp as she came to a stop.
"Scarlet?"
She stared at Marvelous for a moment in the sea of chaos going on around them. It was the first time she'd actually gotten a good long look at him. And if her sixth sense could be believed, Basco's betrayal having caused her to doubt it, he had the potential to be something great. Sure, AkaRed had told her that when he brought Marvelous aboard, but there was something she couldn't quite describe. If they lived through this, Marvelous could definitely be trusted to help her finish what they'd started. And they would have to make damn sure to get that treasure before someone like Basco got to it.
But first, they had to get out alive… with the keys…
She leaned in, placing both hands on either side of his head, pulling him toward her, and kissed him, full on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, breathless, hands still holding him.
"I have to go help AkaRed… You won't stand a chance with your injury… Basco's stronger than he looks, and if he's been holding back as a part of his charade, there's no telling how strong he really is. You stand a better chance of escaping if you take on the small fries up on deck. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can… Hurry, now."
She didn't even give him a chance to respond as she released him and ran into a wave of soldiers, her saber seeming to do all the work on its own. She didn't do guns, she hated guns. Guns were a cowardly way of fighting. She would if she had to, but she preferred the sword.
She owed it to AkaRed to help him. If she was ever going to repay him for what he'd done for her, it would have to be now. It didn't look like there was going to be another chance.
With the number of soldiers, it was easy to get turned around. Even though she knew this ship inside and out from one end to the other. Shortcuts she would have taken were also packed. It was a wonder she got anywhere at all, but she ended up out on the deck. Everything was on fire, but she didn't feel the heat. She knew she had a job to do, and she wasn't leaving this ship until it was done.
That's where she ran into Basco. She glared at him, gripping her saber tightly. It was everything she could do not to just charge at him right then. But she knew better. She knew Basco was stronger, so she had to be smarter. Rushing blindly into a fight with him wasn't smart. She just had to buy some time while she figured things out. She noticed he didn't have the chest. She only hoped that AkaRed had managed to retrieve it.
"How could you…? We were family!"
The bad part, was that Basco knew how she fought. She realized this a second too late as he fired off a shot to her shoulder, causing her to drop her weapon as she staggered back against the mast. She cried out as pain seared through her arm. Her arm dropped to her side, and she found she couldn't move it, not even her fingers. That single shot had done a LOT of nerve damage, and she was sure that's what he was going for. The traitor's aim was pretty damn good. It always had been. He'd gone easy with the shot he'd fired on Marvelous a moment ago. She sensed immediately that she wouldn't get out of this alive. But if, by some miracle she did, Basco's shot likely took away her use of that arm permanently.
He smiled as he stepped in closer, taking hold of her wrist as she tried to reach for the dagger at her side. He pinned her against the mast, pressing the barrel of his weapon into the open wound, causing her to cry out again.
"It's like I said… To obtain something, you must give up something… I'm obtaining quite a bit by giving up the Akaki Pirates… Even with that red bastard taking the keys back, I'm getting a pretty decent compensation from the Zangyack for handing you guys over… " His voice was eerily calm as he continued to smile down to her.
"But… you hate… Zangyack!" She struggled to find her voice in between labored breaths as she tried to hold on to consciousness. The wound in her shoulder was large and bleeding freely. And the added aggravation from his weapon and the weight that he put behind it made the pain almost blinding. She was lucky to get the words out at all.
"I hate everybody, Love… The only person anyone can depend on is themselves. Everybody lies. Did you honestly expect the old man to share this great treasure we worked so hard for? Up 'til now, we've gotten squat for all our work. All we had was the promise that we could own the universe by the time it was over. I'm tired of working on promises. I could hardly refuse Zangyack's offer. Betray or be betrayed… "
Tears were falling now as the pain completely silenced her. Even breathing took a very conscious effort, which she was quickly losing.
"I thought about taking you with me, Love…" He smiled again, knowing good and well she couldn't respond. Hell, by this time, he'd be surprised if she could even hear him. "Zangyack's offer for you was extremely low, hardly worth the effort. And your know-how about this blasted boat would have come in handy. Not to mention the fun ways we could pass the time…" His gaze drifted downward for a moment before rising back to meet hers.
"But it doesn't look like I'm gonna be getting what I want. And frankly, I'd rather take the bounty for you than lose everything. I can always find other companions. And if Marvey-chan and the red bastard happen to get away, they won't have your expertise to repair or improve the ship. So it's only a matter of time before they lose it. And I'll be waiting."
He pulled back, just a little, enough to pull the gun away, relieving the pressure on her wound so that she breathed a little easier. But she'd lost the strength to try to fight him, and her good arm just went limp when he released it.
He reached up, running his hand through her hair gently. "Beautiful… Wish we had time for one more romp… But I've got somewhere to be, so we've gotta end this now. You should thank me. You don't want to know what it's like in some of those Zangyack prisons…" He pressed the gun against her chest as he leaned in again, pulling her head towards him, taking her lips in a harsh, crushing kiss.
He smiled once more when he pulled away. "And don't worry… Your secret's safe with me… Airi-sama… It's not worth anything when your own family would rather pretend you didn't exist…"
Her eyes went wide as she tried to gasp in a breath… Then he pulled the trigger…
Scarlet screamed as she bolted upright in the bed. Sweat poured down her face. She gasped in a breath once she realized where she was. She'd had that nightmare before, many times, the memory of that night constantly replaying. But it never ended this way. Everything was the same, up until AkaRed ordered her and Marvelous to run. They never separated. Scarlet had wanted to go back and help AkaRed, but Marvelous had talked her out of it.
She wondered about the accuracy of the dream. Would it have happened that way if she'd gone back? If she'd made that decision to go back, would she be dead?
She panted, trying to control her vitals to a more acceptable pace, running her hands through her sweat-drenched hair. The most disturbing part of that dream had been Basco's parting words. Dying wasn't all that frightening. She'd been just as prepared to die that day as she was every day as a pirate. It was her secret that the son of a bitch mentioned… And that name…
Sure, 'Airi' was her given name. But it was one she left behind when she joined AkaRed. She'd left that entire life behind, never thinking about looking back. Basco had been correct in saying the family she'd left behind would rather pretend she didn't exist. So when she left, she made their wish come true by becoming 'Scarlet'. The only thing she regretted about that decision was losing contact with her little sister, who was the only one that would miss her. But then… it was for the better… Her sister would have an important job when she got older, and all 'Airi' had been was an embarrassment to the family.
He was right about that secret not being worth anything. It was still something she didn't want her crew knowing. There was a lot about that past that she kept to herself, including the only man that she'd given her heart to. She didn't just share a bed with him on occasion, she'd given her heart. His disappearance was what prompted hers. But she hated being alone. It was her one fear. It was why she'd been so close to Basco. He had never been more than a 'companion' as he had called it in the nightmare. She hadn't dared give her heart to another, not as long as she knew there was a chance of seeing her love again. But she cared about Basco… She trusted Basco… And he knew she hated to be alone… that she was afraid to die alone…
She sighed, heavily, as she finally managed to calm herself. Regardless of what had happened in the dream… of what could have happened… It didn't happen, because she was alive, living, breathing. That night was the beginning of a long road for her and Marvelous. They'd made a vow that they'd accomplish what AkaRed had set out to do. They owed their lives to him. And Scarlet owed him more than that. She had nothing when he took her aboard. She had the name she had created for herself, but he'd been the one to give her a purpose.
And she was tired of feeling sorry for herself for letting her and Marvelous be betrayed a second time. It was an insult to AkaRed's memory to let Hakase get away with taking what they had worked so hard to get.
She threw off the sweat-soaked sheet as her bedroom door flew open. She rose a brow, watching Marvelous and Joe struggle to get through the doorway, weapons in hand, ready to fight whatever intruder had caused their captain to scream. Apparently, neither one would yield to let the other in first, so they ended up jammed, shoulder to shoulder, in the narrow doorway.
Scarlet was a little embarrassed that her nightmare had caused them alarm, but she couldn't help but laugh as they each tried to push themselves ahead of the other.
Her laugh caused them to freeze, both turning questioning looks toward her.
"Sorry… Bad dream… But I know what we need to do…" She stretched as she stood. Despite the humor of the moment, she was still deeply troubled about the dream. But she wasn't going to let the others see that. She wasn't ready to let the others in on her secrets. There was a part of her, though, that wondered if the dream was telling her that the moment was near that she would have to…
No time to think about that, though…
She put on a smile as she walked over to Marvelous and Joe, taking each of them by the hands, pulling them out of the doorway, with more than a little effort.
"I'm going to take a shower… then we have a job to do… If we're going after Hakase and our treasure, we're going to need some supplies…"
