3rd Treasure: Dreams

Arthur had left Kiku in the state room without so much as mention of the previous night's activities. It was really quite frustrating the way he seemed to be brushing it off like it was nothing. Kiku's mind couldn't leave the scene alone. It kept replaying over and over again in his mind's eye and that wasn't even the worst of it. He wanted more.

There was a vase of roses sitting on the secretary desk. They were fresh, which meant they must have just been put there. Kiku plucked one from the vase. Its aroma was overpoweringly sweet so close up. Kiku sadly looked at its red petals so reminiscent of blood. He had seen so much bloodshed in his country lately. He picked some of the petals off and let them fall onto the table.

Kiku suddenly felt weak in the knees and sank into the chair at the desk. He dropped the half-picked rose and wrapped his arms around himself. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"Why…? Why do you make me feel this way?" he murmured. "You are just a pirate…nothing more to me…so why?"

The shaking eventually subsided, but Kiku still felt drained. "Maybe I just need some fresh air…"

He stood and pushed open the double doors of the captain's stateroom. The deck was lively with crew and the sun glinted off the metal riggings in the sails. Kiku had to shield his eyes from the glare when he tried to look upward. A voice called to him from across the deck.

"HEEEYYYYY! KIIIKKKUUU!" Alfred was waving energetically at him near the prow of the ship. He jumped down from the rope rigging and came running towards him.

"You finally came outside!" he said. "That's good. I was afraid you'd be stuck inside that stuffy room until we got there."

"Where are we going exactly?" Kiku asked.

Immediately Alfred snapped his mouth shut. He had a very sheepish look on his face. "Uhh…I'm not supposed to say…cause Arthur told me not to…sorry…"

"It is alright. I thought your brother had sent you down to help the cook?"

Alfred's eyes narrowed and his lip went out again. "That miserable old bat had the nerve to tell me I was unneeded and then he threw a ladle at me! I've been hiding out here since." He grabbed Kiku's hand and pulled him towards the rigging.

"Come on! You promised you'd play with me and I've got something really neat to show you!"

"Ah, alright, alright! Do not pull me so hard, I am coming!"

Alfred dragged Kiku over to the main mast and started climbing the rigging like a monkey. He looked impatiently down at Kiku.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?!"

Kiku hesitantly followed Alfred up the ropes. They were not taught and swayed in the wind and his weight as he climbed. The mast was a good thirty feet tall, a dizzying height especially when there was nothing between him and the ground. Alfred wasn't having any trouble at all. His feet were firm in their footings and he scurried up the ropes like an expert.

"Almost there!" he shouted back at Kiku. The wind was little more than a roar up here. Alfred grabbed the rungs on the crow's nest and hauled himself into the little wooden box. Kiku barely managed to get himself into it. His heart was pounding from the terrifying climb. He fell against the sides, breathing hard. Heights and he did not get along well.

"Come on, you've got to see this!" Alfred tugged on his arm, point out to sea. Kiku shakily got to his feet and peered over the side. He gasped at the sight.

Stretched out before him was glittering blue water as far as the eye could see. A rugged coastline was just visible on the horizon. Kiku completely forgot his fear and drank in the vista.

"It is so beautiful…"

"I come up here whenever I'm feeling homesick…," Alfred stared out longingly at the sea, the wind rustling his hair. For being only eleven, he certainly looked grown up. "One day, it'll be me out there…I'm gonna make a name for myself. I won't just be Arthur Kirkland's little brother anymore…"

Kiku stared at Alfred, taking in his words. He returned his gaze to the ocean waters, remembering his own brother. Not so long ago he and his brother had parted ways…and it had not ended pleasantly. Kiku put his hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"That is a wonderful dream. But can you promise me something?"

Alfred turned his blue eyes on Kiku, curiosity radiating from them. "What is it, Kiku? You're so serious all of the sudden…"

"Promise me, that even if you do become famous, you'll never forget the relationship you've had with your brother. Whatever happens between you two, remember that bond. Can you promise me that?"

"…I-I promise…Arthur's done so much for me already, how could I forget him?" Alfred's face changed to a dubious look. "Even if he is the biggest prat in all the world."

Kiku blinked at Alfred's words then started laughing. Alfred seemed mad at his giggling.

"What? It's true though!"

"Hehehe…well, I suppose it is, but I have not known your brother long enough to call him that myself."

A sharp voice shouted from below the crow's nest. Kiku and Alfred looked down to see a man waving up at them.

"That's Arthur's first mate…" Alfred said. "I wonder what he wants…"

It took some persuading, but Alfred finally managed to get Kiku to climb down. He jumped off the ropes and looked up at the burly man.

"What's happening?" he asked. The man's response was to grab Alfred around the neck.

"Hey you little bugger! I see you managed to get back on the ship, even with all the precautions your brother took to keep you off." He looked up at Kiku. "Sorry, Mr. Honda, but the Captain wants to see you up deck. And as for you, Alfred Kirkland, you're gonna help me polish the swords."

"NOOO! I don't wanna! That shit smells weird and it stains my hands green for days on end!"

"Too bad. It's Captain's orders."

The lieutenant dragged a complaining (and swearing) Alfred away towards the below deck stairway. Kiku smiled at the two, remembering a similar situation with his family. He turned towards the stairs that led to the higher deck and started climbing. Arthur stood at the helm, adjusting his grip accordingly. He smiled when he spotted Kiku.

"You know, that's the first time I've seen you smile like that since you got here," he said, twiddling the wheel again. "I like your smile."

Kiku rolled his eyes, his face blanking at the frivolous compliment. "Surely you didn't call me up here just to flatter me, Captain."

"Come now, why so harsh? I've got something to show you, though you may have noticed it when you were up in the nest." Arthur pointed toward the coastline. It was much more visible now and other ships could be seen as well. "Do you recognize that port?"

Kiku squinted at the docks and ships, his eyes suddenly widening. "Th-that is…it is…"

"Yes. The Imperial capital of China."

"Why? I thought…"

Arthur sighed, slightly annoyed by Kiku's denseness. "When I said I wanted to make you happy, I meant it. And if that means giving you back, then I'll do it. I hate seeing the one I love look so sad. It's depressing."

Kiku stared at Arthur, his cheeks turning pink. His opinion of the pirate captain had just gone up. Arthur didn't seem to notice Kiku's wide eyed stare. He was checking his compass. Kiku turned back to the port and closed his eyes, smiling.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The Regent did not dock at the regular piers. Instead, it took a wide sweeping circle around the port and made dock at a small crescent shaped bay on the other side. It laid anchor near the dense foliage, so as not to be seen from the cliff. Arthur had taken a longboat and rowed out to the beach. Kiku was silent as they made their way across the shallow water.

"Is there something you want to say?" Arthur asked. Kiku shook his head. Arthur sighed again. "You know, I hate seeing you so torn like this. If you don't want to go, just say so."

"No! No, that is not it…It is just…oh, nothing. It is nothing."

Arthur shrugged and continued rowing. "Whatever." He was clearly unhappy.

The longboat hit the sand and Arthur jumped out to beach it. After making sure it wasn't going anywhere, he pointed up to the cliff.

"See where that stone is on the cliff? The Emperor should be up there, or at least that's what my sources say. Remember, if you get second thoughts, I'll be waiting here for you."

"I do not have regrets that would make me come back," Kiku snapped. "Sayonara, Captain."

Kiku tromped off into the forest, unexpectedly peeved at Arthur. That man had some nerve to assume he'd come back. He was glad to be rid of him…or so he wanted to say. But he couldn't in his heart.

The cliff, thankfully, wasn't very tall or steep, so the climb wasn't all that difficult. Kiku remembered the bay well; it was a place he and his brother used to play when they were children. As he climbed, Kiku marveled at how Arthur had known exactly where to go. It was almost uncanny. Kiku crested the cliff at last, coming out into thick underbrush.

The stone stood just feet from him. It was a large boulder of granite, worn smooth by the sea winds. Kiku was not alone on the cliff. Kneeling in front of the stone was a man dress in red and long black hair. He was shaking and Kiku could hear him crying. Beside him lay a bundle of chrysanthemum.

The emperor suddenly pounded his fists against the ground. "It's not fair! Why…why did you have to die…? Kiku…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"

Yao did not notice the lone person standing in the bushes just out of sight. Kiku looked at his older brother, his heart filled with pity at his grief. Very quietly he emerged from the brush, walking up behind Yao. He stood there, listening to his sobs. Yao still loved him, even after what Kiku had done to him.

Kiku started to reach out a hand to touch his brother's shoulder, but he hesitated and retracted it. His hands were shaking. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to face Yao. He took several steps backwards and stepped on a twig. It snapped with a loud crack. Yao jumped and turned to look behind him, but no one was there. He rubbed his eyes and sniffed back tears.

"Who…was there? Was…was that Kiku?"

Kiku had turned tail and run away, unable to even speak to his brother. Despite the grief Yao felt, Kiku could do nothing to ease it. He could do nothing…nothing at all. He broke through the tree line and out into the beach.

"Arthur!" Kiku shouted to the figure standing at the water's edge. "Wait!"

"What's the matter? I thought you were going to stay with your brother."

Kiku crossed his arms, blushing furiously. "I was, but then I decided that I do not know enough about you just yet. So I am going to stay a little longer."

Arthur smiled. He had known. He had known from the beginning. He took hold of Kiku's wrists and pulled him closer so he could kiss him. "Well," he said, pulling away briefly. "You've got a lot to learn then."