Aomine trudged behind Midorima, glancing down to Momoi every few minutes as they wandered through Akashi's home. Mibuchi Reo had greeted them warmly at the door, telling them that Akashi was waiting for them in the war room and had left them to find their own way. It wasn't as though they hadn't been to Akashi's home plenty of times, it was always that Akashi had met them at the door and walked them himself. Aomine was slightly worried that the King of Pirates had not come to welcome them, but Momoi didn't seem worried so that settled him a little more than he would have been. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that Murasakibara was sulking, no doubt because Akashi had demanded that the Lords of the Ship be left behind. That meant this meeting was more than just serious, it held information that Akashi did not want everyone to know of. Still, Himuro may as well have just come along considering Murasakibara would just tell him everything anyway.
Kise was at the lead of the group and he pushed the door open with more zeal than Aomine could even muster for the whole day. He seemed to dance into the war room, followed closely by Midorima and then Momoi (Aomine held the door open for her) before Aomine followed after her. Akashi was standing at the head of the table, a golden coat trimmed with red sitting comfortably on his shoulders as he watched the group with his strange, mismatched eyes. Kise seemed to shrink under his glare as he took his place at the very end of the table near the door, standing behind his chair happily waiting for the rest of his companions to find their seats. His own coat was black with gold trimmings, more fancy compared to the others and in very good condition as well. The coat was probably Kise's most prized possession.
Midorima's coat was a vivid emerald green with black trimmings and buttons. Although he was usually immaculate with all his clothing, the coat was old and had seen many days. There were markings of restitching along the hem from a careful hand and the few splits along the fabric itself had a lighter, lime coloured stitch. Murasakibara's was in very good condition, looking almost the exact same as when Akashi had given it to him. The royal purple had faded though, and there was a stain that looked suspiciously a lot like chocolate on the left pocket and he was missing one of the silver buttons. Aomine and Momoi's were probably in the best condition, other than Akashi of course, and Aomine knew he had Momoi to thank for that. When he had first been given the coat he hadn't wanted to ever take it off, but Momoi had refused to let him wear it unless it was in a meeting with Akashi and the others.
Aomine's was the dark navy blue that matched the mark of his ship and his eyes. The buttons were gold and the jacket itself had gold trimmings, the fabric soft and gentle against his skin. It was probably his most prized possession and he fiddled with the cuff links occasionally as he shifted on his feet behind his chair. Momoi was wearing hers now, over her pretty dress. Her jacket matched the colour of her eyes and was trimmed in silver. Her buttons, unlike everyone else, was embedded with small pink jewels that Akashi had discovered on one of his early escapades and had not cared for. Aomine let his eyes flit towards Akashi and he grimaced slightly as his eyes trailed over the one chair that was empty, a light blue jacket stained with blood lying over it's back as an honour and a reminder.
Kuroko Tetsuya's jacket. He had been a very close friend of Aomine's and probably the one person who was the least a pirate. The poor lad had just had an expanse of bad luck that had brought him to Akashi's door, the son of a sailor who had everything taken from him to the point where there was nothing left to be taken. He hadn't been the first Pirate King under Akashi, but he was the one who everyone adored without question. That was until Lord Kagami crossed paths with the Kuroko's Ship, The Phantom, and left little to nothing behind. Aomine couldn't help but notice that everyone else was avoiding the empty chair as they themselves sat down.
"Welcome, my friends," Aomine winced slightly as he tore his eyes away from the jacket up to Akashi. He couldn't bare to look at the only thing they had left of their beloved friend. "I hope the trip here was pleasant for all of you. I am please to see you alive and well."
"Why did you call us here, Akashi?" Aomine demanded, his voice wavering slightly. He thought he would be able to handle sitting in this room, but it was too strange not having Kuroko sitting across from him. He had to keep reminding himself that he wouldn't be able to look ahead, kick the younger blue haired man in the shin and pull a face as Akashi was giving them information. Even Kise had shuffled uncomfortably, his golden eyes flickering towards the jacket and his demeanor suddenly very sullen.
"Is it necessary to get straight to the reason you are here? We are all friends..."
"I would appreciate not looking at that," Midorima cut off Akashi as he nodded solemnly towards Kuroko's jacket. Everyone was nodding unhappily in agreement, which was probably the only reason that Midorima had not had his head ripped off for interrupting Akashi. Akashi looked between the Pirate Kings before raising his eyebrows. He walked slowly from his seat, he been the only one to remain standing, to walk behind Kuroko's chair. He placed one hand on the torn and bloodied jacket, looking around once more.
"But this is the very reason I called you. I have heard news of Lord Kagami having left the safety of Losang for Paja to wed. On the open sea, perfect opportunity to get a little bit of revenge, wouldn't you say?" Akashi's grin was grim and excited at the same time. Aomine's body stiffened as his fingers curled into tight fists. Kise's golden eyes seemed to darken as he licked his lips, the taste of revenge almost too sweet to pass up. Even Murasakibara looked interested, but there was something else in his features and, gathering from the look Akashi had given him, he was not allowed to partake in this trip. Hell, Momoi looked like she was ready to draw her blade and slit some throats as her smile dimmer, her eyes flickering to the blood staining the once pretty light blue.
"How are we meant to intercept the ship going from Losang to Paja? There are many different routes to be taken," Midorima's voice broke into their thoughts and Akashi let out a wry smile. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small square of paper. Gently he opened the folds, laying the map down onto the table.
"My informant told me they will be taking one of these two routes." As he spoke Akashi moved his finger along the map. He first pointed to the Open Seas, a large expanse of water that separated Losang and Paja. There was no way only one ship would be able to stay on watch. The second that he pointed at was from a higher port in Losang, one that cut across a smaller expanse of water and then resulted in the ship having to travel down a deep but very narrow river.
"You'll need three ships to cover the Open Seas, that's if Midorima allows it," Momoi noted, glancing to the green haired Captain. Midorima was in charge of the Open Seas and the small Islands that dotted around it, although by the expression he wore as he looked to the map the answer was already a yes. Akashi nodded, glancing around to the Pirate Kings.
"Ryouta, Shintarou and Atsushi will cover the Open Seas. I wish for you, Satsuki, to take the Elnora and cover the river route. I do not wish for Daiki to go with..."
"I'm going," Aomine snarled, which was something that he had never previously done to Akashi. The King of Pirates lingered his gaze on Aomine for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"I suppose telling you no will not be sufficient."
"Kuroko was my best friend!"
"Was being the key word Daiki, is it guilt or anger that drives you to want to confront Lord Kagami?" Akashi challenged. Aomine opened his mouth before closing it again, trying to think of which reply would be best to give. Neither, he realised. Akashi didn't want him to go but at the same time hadn't really been expecting him to just sit back and let the others handle it. Aomine crossed his arms over his chest, glancing in the direction to Kuroko's jacket. What was it that he wanted?
He wanted Lord Kagami to pay for what he did. Kuroko wasn't a threat, he had never been a threat to anyone really. He had the title of Pirate King yes, but in all his memories of his friend Aomine could not think of a time the sweet bastard actually deserved to be called Pirate. He was against the law yes, but not like the others. No, Kuroko had been an officer in the navy until he had been ordered to traffic slaves. Kuroko had attempted to refuse but was forced to undertake orders. It wasn't until he was in open waters that he willingly disobeyed and allowed the would be slaves to escape, branding him against the law. That was just the way Kuroko worked, he would over run the slave runners boats and set them free. How could that have warranted being shot to death and then having his beloved ship incinerated on the water and blood of his crew and family?
"I want Lord Kagami to pay by my own hand," Aomine hissed back. Akashi raised one eyebrow before turning to Momoi, the pair sharing a rather unreadable expression before Akashi side. Aomine was honestly surprised the King of Pirates was going to relent about the situation, but then again he didn't really have a choice. Aomine Daiki was going to trade swords with Lord Kagami, whether he permitted it or not.
"Dai-Chan, I don't think you should actually come," Momoi persisted as they slowly walked back to their ship. Midorima and Takao were a few steps ahead of them, Takao chattering mindlessly about finding Lord Kagami and what may happen. Midorima seemed very disinterested in what his first mate was prattling on about but his green eyes were heavily focused on Akashi's orders. Even Murasakibara was surprisingly quiet and carried no interest in the lollies Himuro was attempting to offer him. Kise was quiet as well, his thumb running along his lips as his brows pulled into a frown, his golden iris' thick with thought. All of them wanted to be the one who captured Lord Kagami, all of them wanted his head.
"Don't be stupid Satsuki," Aomine muttered as Kise and Kasamatsu pulled away from the group, heading back to the inn to sleep. Murasakibara seemed to want to return to his ship but Himuro tugged him back, making the purple haired giant follow him as they trailed after Kise and Kasamatsu. Midorima and Takao looked like they had no intention of returning to the inn, much like Aomine and Satsuki. They very rarely stayed anywhere that wasn't on their ship. Midorima not returning was a surprise, but Aomine didn't really care.
"I'm not being stupid. I'm sure Cookie would agree, I don't think..."
"I'm not going to sit back on this one," Aomine growled, shutting Momoi up. She looked like she had a lot more to say but Aomine already knew she wouldn't. What she would do, however, was run off to Cookie as soon as she was on the ship and let her handle it. Aomine shuddered, unsure of what Cookie would say. Out of all his crew, Cookie was the one person who get away with almost anything. Aomine couldn't bring himself to actually stand against her, after all it was Cookie who saved him and Momoi from a life on the streets when they were children. "And don't go running to Cookie either. I am the captain of the ship."
Momoi muttered something under her breath but didn't say a word. She did glower at her friend for a while before letting out a sigh, running forward to talk to Takao. Midorima looked thankful that his first mate wasn't chattering in his ear but Aomine could see a hint of green that didn't quite match the rest of his eye colour. Envy wasn't a pretty look on Midorima. Aomine wanted to snort, but decided to shove his hands deep in his pockets, letting out a sniff instead. He had been waiting for three years to get a chance at Lord Kagami and now it had arrived Akashi and now Momoi were trying to keep him from it. It wasn't fair, Kuroko had been one of Aomine's good friends.
Aomine winced as he thought to the pale haired, big eyed young man who had been his friend. Aomine didn't make friends easily, he was far too suited to the nomadic, rogue life of a pirate, but Kuroko had made him feel like there was something more to his life than pillaging and robbing people and towns. Of course, that didn't mean Aomine do that any more but the thought made him feel all warm inside. And then that, that dickhead just stole Kuroko away from Aomine like it was nothing. Hell, there was very little left of Kuroko's crew by the time that Aomine and Akashi had arrived. Aomine had always thought he was capable of handling loss and regret with a level head. With the life he lead, death wasn't uncommon, but he was thankful that he had Momoi by his side that day. He couldn't remember much of it, just the blood floating in the water, the ship on fire and Momoi and Cookie both fighting to keep their Captain on their bloody ship.
Akashi had been the one to find Kuroko's jacket floating in the water, soaked in blood and riddled with bullet holes. That was the last thing he remembered, everything else was just a big black pit of repressed memories. Momoi told him later what he had done. He had sworn, threatened and cursed Lord Kagami into the pits of hell before breaking down and collapsing on the deck, sobbing and convulsing before vomiting. His crew had avoided him for a few days, giving him sideways glances and staying well out of arms reach. Cookie had warned them off and Momoi had scolded them if they whispered anything against Aomine. Aomine was lucky to have a crew that wouldn't even begin to think badly about their captain, at least not with Momoi and Cookie taking his side.
"I hear we're going after a lord." Aomine looked up from his bed to see Cookie leaning against the door to his captains lodge. Aomine wanted to scold her for not dressing like she was important. He had tried to buy her nice shirts and trousers and shoes but she always turned them away, settling on cotton instead of silk. She was standing before him in a dirtied once-white shirt that laced around the colour, tawny coloured trousers and heavily worn leather shoes. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes a light silver, and whenever she smiled it was hard not to notice the missing tooth right at the front of her set. She was shorter than Momoi even, not even reaching Aomine's shoulder.
"What of it?"
"I understand Satsuki being ordered to go after 'im, but I don't understand you."
"Akashi thought it would have been better for me to stay, but I'm going anyway."
"Aye, thought ya would. It's that fellow that got Tetsuya, isn't it?" Cookie sniffed as she walked over to Aomine, gently patting his dark blue hair. By habit Aomine bowed his head, letting her run her fingers through his hair and he let out a content sigh. He had no idea what he would do without Cookie or Satsuki. He knew they looked out for him more than either were willing to admit, albeit in extremely different ways.
"Do you think I should have stayed behind then?"
"Nah, I don't. I think ya doin' what ya need to do. Closure and all that, innit?" Aomine looked up to her and smiled weakly. He had been rocked with memories of that day since he began thinking about it and he ended up leaning on Momoi to get back onto the Elnora. He wasn't sure what would happen when he came face to face with the man who had killed their beloved Kuroko, but he knew that whatever he ended up doing was not going to be short and was not going to be kind. He wanted the bastard to suffer, suffer just as much as Aomine had. As Momoi had. As they all had.