Disclaimer: I do not own Utena
A Pirate's Life
Captain Tenjou rarely shouted or become enraged. In fact, the crew could only remember a few times when she had in the long time which they had served under her rule on the ship. However, at the very moment an adequate term to describe her right now was…well as Ruka usually remarked in reference to Juri's temper whenever it flared, "Spitting mad. I pity the sorry fool who incited her anger."
Ironically, the dark blue-haired man was the one who was incurring his captain's wrath at the moment. The formerly neat pub was virtually deserted. It was looked like a tidal wave had smashed into it as well what with the tables and chairs lying in splintered heaps, broken glass littering the floor and windows that were shattered with panes of glass hanging from the beam. It was for a 'good reason' as Ruka, Shiori and Briggs tried to explain to their furious captain who wouldn't let them get a word in edge-ways.
"I thought I told you three not to make idiots out of yourselves!!!!!" Utena roared. Her eyes were flashing with lethal venom and face contorted into a terrifying mask and even though she was shorter than Ruka and Briggs, seemed to loom over them. "We'll be lucky to still stay in this place with the trouble you've created!!!!"
"Captain, maybe you should-" Juri stressed the word from where she was watching the scene unfold; that is from near Shiori.
"And you, why didn't you make sure this didn't happen?" Utena snapped to Juri.
"Wait, leave Juri out of this." Shiori said angrily.
"Utena, you've yet to hear their side of the story." Wakaba tried to calm her down.
"They'd better have a damn good one to explain why five people were sent to the infirmary nearly dead," Utena snarled, glowering at the trio in question vehemently. "I mean, you weren't even looting or plundering anything for god's sakes!"
"Captain Tenjou. If you would please just relax I will explain everything," Ruka finally managed to get in, his hands up in front of him in defence.
"Alright, let's hear what you have to say." Utena commanded harshly, arms crossed over her chest.
"You see…we had just settled into seats here when a pirate approached us." Ruka began.
"He was a funny one, lookin' pretty bruised and beaten up. We figured he'd been into a lotta skirmishes cos' he had scars all over the place and a glass eye," Briggs added.
"Aye," Ruka agreed. "He was drunk and rambling about something about being marooned and a power to revolutionize the world and how sorry that bastard Captain would once he took his revenge and so on. Anyway, it was just the ranting of a drunkard. Most of it was incoherent at any rate so we couldn't tell one word from another. We ignored him but he kept on babbling and to tell you the truth, I don't think we were the only ones who wanted to shut him up."
"He was scarin' everyone in the pub." Briggs muttered.
"And then?" Juri prompted, her eyes flicking to Shiori who was starting to look visibly upset.
There was a pause in which Ruka seemed hesitant, an unusual thing for the man which caught Utena and Wakaba by surprise. "Then another man came, a fellow pirate I wager, and spoke to him so quietly we didn't hear but it seemed to calm the man down. Then Shiori decided to…well," Ruka avoided Juri's eyes at what he said next. "Tease the first one. She left us to go with them and Briggs and I thought she would be fine. Then the next we thing we hear are gunshots coming from Shiori's pistol and the two pirates were fighting with each other. It was an all-out brawl and everyone panicked. By the time this place had cleared out the pirates were nowhere to be seen. Before you ask, it wasn't Shiori who fired the shots."
"Shiori, did they do anything else to you?" Utena asked, expression softening as she turned her gaze to Shiori.
"They tried to rape me," Shiori whispered.
Wakaba bit her lip. Personally, she thought the girl was asking for it if she did something like that but Utena gave her compassion as did Juri although hers was a lover's compassion more than anything else.
"Those bastards, if I ever see them I'll make sure to have them pay." Juri swore, standing and taking Shiori in her arms comfortingly.
"That explains the mess in here I guess." Utena sighed heavily. "I'm sorry for wrongly accusing you, especially you Shiori."
"Hmmm, it seems they left something behind." Ruka mused, spying something that was very out of place in the chaos that was the pub. He knelt down to pick it up, intrigue plastered all over his face.
"Captain, I think you would like to take a look at this," He said, feeling something hard beneath the cover.
Utena walked over to the taller man, staring at the tome he was holding out to her in puzzlement. "What…?" Utena took it.
It was battered, dark green and thick with the edges torn. Its leather-bound spine was hanging on by a thread and the gold engravings that had been inlaid upon the edges had dulled distinctly.
"That's weird, for a pirate to keep books." Wakaba said.
"Open it." Ruka told Utena.
She did and something fell out, making a sharp jingling noise as it contacted with shards of broken glass before rolling to a stop near Utena's heel. It was a ring.
"How did that get in there?" She leaned down, picking it up with her thumb and finger and straightened, scrutinizing it with piqued fascination.
"It's strange. The ring looks like it belongs somewhere else, not in this tatty old book." Wakaba voiced.
It was valuable, that was she was certain of. The silver used for it was fine and smooth, genuine and the attention to detail paid on the geometric engraving of the rose on the top of the round stone had not been in vain. Oddly enough, it was flawless with no scratches or damage done to it in direct contrast to the battered book it had fallen out off. Utena gazed at it, entranced. Deep inside something…something nagged at her mind, calling her to claim it. Utena's brows lowered, discontent crossing her face.
"We can get some good money for that," Briggs exclaimed, eying the ring with excitement.
"No." Utena wasn't sure what had made her decide so quickly or even consider the option but the word out of her mouth before she knew it.
Five pairs of eyes snapped to her in shell-shock. "No disrespect Captain but are you insane?!" Juri was the first to say.
"Utena, that ring could be bring us fortunes to last months, maybe even a year!" Wakaba cried, making to snatch it but she dodged out of the brunette's grasp and slipped it on her ring finger.
"It's just…a feeling I have. Trust me on this," Utena said, meeting her crew-mates' eyes levelly.
"I think that dive in the water might've gone to her head," Shiori commented weakly when the captain left them shortly after.
"Hmm," Ruka picked up the book which Utena had dropped, "Perhaps."
Searing flames coiled into the afternoon air from the burning of another merchant ship as it was raided mercilessly by a pirate ship. The majority of the merchants on board were dead, slaughtered by the crew or suffocated by the smoke inhalation. Either way, the few that had survived the pirates' first barrage of cannons and then their swords, knives and guns, were straddling the water far, far away and weren't looking back at their stolen possessions.
With the Black Rose, it would have been pointless.
Grappling hooks curled around the monstrous ship's railings as the pirates swung back onto the Black Rose, congratulating each other on their prices. Only one, a young man with pale pink hair and dressed in a neat attire of pants, white gloves, a long buttoned-up blue coat and a pair of clean buckled boots wasn't participating in the celebrations. He handed the bags of malt and flour and two bottles of rum to the nearest pirate, and unhooked the grappling hook. As he fished a cloth out of his coat pocket, drying the tip of his rapier swiftly, his Captain landed next to him, roaring with laughter. He pulled one of the few girls aboard to his side, fondling her lazily.
"Mikage, why do you look so bored?" The Captain demanded.
Mikage looked at the green-haired man, wondering how exactly he should voice his exact opinion to him without angering him. Captain Saionji Kyouichii was grinning widely at the spoils he and his crew-men had received from their latest victim and swigging down a bottle of rum in celebration. The Captain was a brash man with a quick temperament and violent, extremely violent. With alcohol in his system his violent tendencies grew even worse and he lashed out more.
"Nothing Captain Kyouichii. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go help carry our prizes downstairs," Mikage said curtly. "There won't be land for quite a while yet anyway."
His Captain didn't answer, too busy drinking down the rum and coddling Aiko. Mikage sighed, looping the grappling hook around his shoulder loosely.
"Captain, shouldn't we be looking for the treasure of Dios?" Mikage asked.
"Later! Once we find a town to pillage because after all, nobody's heard of it besides us." Saionji snorted. "And Tenjou," He muttered in an undertone. "But she's hardly anything to worry about and she won't be looking for it anyway. She's a disgrace to the name of pirates everywhere, like her father."
"I'll be down below if you need me." Mikage said warily, leaving the Captain to his business.
"You're missing out on a lot of fun up here!" The Captain boomed. Indeed, out of the crew of 25 only 10 were bothering to stow away supplies. The rest were busy gulping down rum already or studying the jewellery with great interest.
"I think I'll survive," Mikage replied dryly, disappearing down the hatch carrying two small bags of malt in each hand.
Saionji wiped his mouth with a sleeve, throwing the bottle overboard haphazardly where it crashed into the side of the merchant vessel, shattering on impact. "Off to Tortuga! Hands on deck everybody! I don't want to see a single one of you scurvy dogs slacking off or it's to Davy Jones' Locker for you!!" Saionji bellowed.
The merchant vessel was a smouldering wreck by the time the Black Rose had sailed into the distance.
Resting at the very depths of the ocean directly beneath that merchant vessel the sword of Dios lay undisturbed. Its polished silver spun one weak gleam occasionally as sometimes sunlight managed to penetrate the murky depths. It remained beneath the waters though, holding the spirit of a noble pirate who was slain decades ago. 'Noble' isn't usually a word one associates with pirates but that was the only way to describe the pirate Dios. He was naught but a famous legend now along with the likes of Calico Jack, Jack Rackham and Stede Bonnet but his legacy still lived on through his only child who possessed the same qualities and virtues of nobility and kindness of her father. The spirit within slumbered peacefully, put to rest but something stirred the spectre now. The sword's rusted silver seemed to glow dimly. Dios could not leave this earth, not when he still felt there was pain and those crying out for help in this world nor could the treasure that had been encased within the sacred ruins of his hometown.
"No, please no!" The young maid sobbed, struggling with all her might against the man pushing her up against the dirty brick wall.
He laughed, ignoring her and slapped her mightily, stunning her. "You'll do as you're told my dear and with no fuss. Now be a good girl and let me in."
His hands straddled her legs and he kissed her hungrily, ravenously. Lifting up her skirt, he whispered in her ear. "I'll have fun with you, a virgin."
Tears were flowing down her eyes and she cried out as the man gripped something very private underneath her dress, running his thumb over the sensitive area. His hands ripped the front of her blouse open.
"Please…" The maid managed to get out.
The man suddenly toppled over face-down as someone punched him in the temple, knocking him out cold. Gasping and covering her exposed breasts with a hand immediately, she looked at her rescuer with tearful thanks.
It was the pink-haired pirate, dressed in a leather vest and puffy long-sleeved shirt. She was scowling down at the now unconscious man in pure disgust, holding a long woollen shawl which she threw across her shoulder.
"Th-thank you…" The maid stammered.
The she-pirate gazed at her in concern. "Did he do anything to you?"
"N-no." Warm eyes captured hers.
"That's a relief. Come, we'd better get you back home before anything else happens." She smiled tenderly, extending a hand.
Honestly, the maid was dumb-founded at the young woman's behaviour. It was…it was not normal. Yet she took the hand that was offered.
"Here," She said softly, wrapping the shawl around her shoulders and tying it loosely so that it covered what her torn shirt had revealed. "We'd best get you home."
The maid, though she was a little scared at the thought of the older girl at such close range, was feeling…secure and safe
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Author's Notes: Wow, this one's turned out longer than I intended. O0. I hope I didn't scare some of you away with the last scene but no worries. That's the only thing that warrants my M rating, I swear it.