AN: I have no excuses for such a late update, and I'm really sorry for making you guys wait so long. Hopefully I'll get the next one up sooner. This chapter is very dialogue heavy, and frankly much lighter than I thought it would be. And FINALLY we get some Lelouch-Suzaku interaction although it's a bit tiny. Don't worry there will be more in the later chapters. All the random harbors and cities you see are imaginary. They only exist within the realm of my imagination. Trust me you don't want to go there.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Scandalous
Chapter 4: Oh the Stupidity!
"Stupid is as stupid does." —from Forest Gump
There was something to be said about insanity or perhaps stupidity would be a better word. It was a wretched disease, a curse from God, an unfortunate accident, and so on and so forth.
Whatever it truly was hardly mattered at the moment. What really mattered was that it obviously crept up on Suzaku and instilled itself inside her mind because there was no sensible explanation as to why she was sneaking onboard the Black Knight like a stowaway (disregarding the fact that she really was a stowaway at this point).
As soon as she saw the pirate, she ran to her father's cabin and borrowed a pair of trousers and a loose shirt. She tied it with a quickly fashioned belt and tied a bandana over her head.
By some miracle she was able to sneak off the ship with the other pirates just as Lelouch gave his signal, and hope onto their boat undetected.
So far.
And now looking back on her hastily (and stupidly) made decision her plan had neither logic nor actual planning behind it. Honestly what was she thinking? "Excuse me Captain but I would very much appreciate it if you would give me back my locket and in return I will give you back your watch and you can drop me off at the port and we'll go on our merry ways and part as unlikely acquaintances. Hurray".
Ha! As if.
She should just chuck herself overboard and save the captain the effort. So here she was hiding behind some large barrels as the crew swept in and the Black Knight set sail once more, all the while praying to God that she manages to find a way out of the ship.
She watched sadly as the HMS Erasmus was pitifully swayed in the water as a black smoky smudge rose in the air. It was too late to just jump off and swim there. There would be a good chance that she would be eaten by one of the many deadly sharks in the water who were attracted to the floated corpses or the crew would be alerted from the resounding splash.
It was unfortunate that in her moment of carelessness (and again stupidity) she wasn't really in tune with her surroundings and realized too late that a man had gotten behind her. His large hands were digging into her shoulder, and she was forced to turn and face a tall man, with spiked brown hair and a deep scowl on his face.
"A stowaway." He growled. The pirate grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the center of the deck. The other pirates made way and circled around him. He threw her to the ground and turned to the crew.
"So what shall we do to a stowaway?" he called.
A cacophony of noise erupted.
"String 'im up!"
"Sell 'im!"
"Take 'im in the hold!"
"Throw 'im to Davy Jones!"
Suzaku lay their shivering with terror. She was in a pirate's ship, dressed in fine (and obviously not very conspicuous) cloths, surrounded by pirates, and weaponless. It certainly couldn't get much worse than this.
It almost seemed that the Fates had heard her when an odd green haired woman came up. Suzaku regretted her thought immediately, and proceeded to mentally curse the Fates. The well bosomed woman bent down and pulled her bandanna off. Suzaku's long hair came down, and the crew started the murmur.
The woman paid them no heed and shouted, "Get me some light!"
One of them men scrambled over with a lantern and the woman held it up to her face close enough so that Suzaku could feel the heat from the flame.
The woman scowled and shoved the lantern to the nearest men who yelp in surprise. Then she hoisted Suzaku up carelessly and smiled dangerously at her. "Looks like we got ourselves a noble lady in our rowdy midst boys."
The men whistled and hooted crassly.
"A little lady aye?"
"Why don' we take of 'er cloths and really see what's under them?" a man suggested perversely.
The other men shouted with approval.
"Yeah tell 'er to take it off!"
"Bet that girl's made from some pretty fine stuff!"
The woman rolled her eyes at simple-minded idiotic men and shouted, "Shut up you bunch of horny nitwits! She ain't here to be yer damn wench!"
There was a chorus of complaints, but a quick glare from C.C. shut them up.
She glared at them once more for good measure and said, "Now I'll be taking the girlie to the captain."
"For 'im to 'ave fun?"
"Shut up Tamaki or I'll throw ya to Davy Jones!" She shouted at the same man who found Suzaku. "As I said, I'm gunna bring her to the captain and see what he'll do with her, and I don't wanna hear any of you bastards complaining about it aye?"
"Aye." The men grumbled.
"Good, now get back to work you mangy dogs!"
The men grumbled once more, but soon trudged to their places.
The woman nodded with approval then she dragged Suzaku over towards the captain's quarters. Once they were inside she stopped and smirked knowingly at Suzaku.
"You're a little far from home now aren't you?"
Suzaku turned away from her gleaming golden eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about." She denied obstinately.
The woman chuckled. "Well say what you want. We all know who you really are."
A sense of unease crept into Suzaku from the woman's penetrating gaze. It was as if she could stare right into Suzaku's soul and rummage through her thoughts.
"Oh you seem ill at ease." She mused. "Well, don't you worry your pretty little head." C.C. gave her a wide amused smile. "I don't bite."
But Suzaku didn't doubt that she did far far worse.
"My name is C.C. by the way." She said with an outstretched hand.
An odd name for an equally odd woman. Suzaku thought.
Suzaku took the hand and replied, "Suzaku."
"Hm the Japanese bird of summer am I correct?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
Suzaku honestly couldn't see what was interesting about her name. Then again she really didn't know what to think about the odd woman.
"Well, now that that's done I must take you to the captain's quarters." She said flippantly.
Ah that's what she was afraid of. She highly doubted the captain would be pleased to see a stowaway on the ship.
C.C., of course, seemed to see the discomfort in Suzaku's stance and threw her a wide grin. "Don't worry you might fetch a fine price in a brothel if everything doesn't work out." C.C. said. Comforting wasn't a word she seemed to understand well. Either that or she just loved to see people squirm. Suzaku was betting on the latter.
"I hear that green eyed girls are on high demand now. I never really knew why until now." she continued with her ever wide sadistic smile.
Suzaku kept a calm face and looked forward.
C.C. smirked "Hm no wonder you caught his interest."
Before Suzaku could question her C.C. had threw open the door and shouted, "I found the rat!"
If the captain was surprised he didn't show it. Then again he might be already used to her unannounced visits.
The captain was just as Suzaku remembered him. Tall confident devilishly handsome and half-naked.
Let it be known that Suzaku was not staring at the man's toned smooth and illuminatingly pale chest. She was a unorthodox but nevertheless proper lady.
"I don't recall giving you permission to enter." The captain said as he smoothly put on the pristine white shirt, leaving it unbuttoned so they could still see his firm pale chest.
"That's because you didn't." C.C. replied cheekily.
The captain didn't even bother to reply and just sighed exasperatedly as he strode across the cabin towards C.C. and Suzaku.
He didn't bother to tilt her face towards him and just tutted her as if she were a naughty child. "Honestly what were you thinking?" he said.
The obvious answer was: she didn't.
But Suzaku didn't say it out loud (how embarrassing would that be?), and instead kept her gaze to the floor.
C.C. smiled with amusement. "I'll leave you two then." She said and threw a mischievous wink at Lelouch, which he blatantly ignored.
Currently Suzaku and the captain were at an impasse. Suzaku wouldn't look up at the captain because it would be too mortifying, and she suffered enough humiliation for one day, and the good captain wouldn't make her because he was just too amused with the cute obstinate expression on her face.
Minutes passed, and while the captain was amused with Suzaku's obstinate stance, it was much more fun to converse with her and see the various emotions flicker in her eyes.
"Come in." he said.
Suzaku glared and stood her ground obstinately. "Like hell I will."
The captain smirked, "It wasn't a suggestions my dear kitten."
With a quick motion Lelouch scooped her up in his arms and carried her into his cabin.
Once her initial shock passed, Suzaku started struggling against his firm grip. "Put me down." She demanded.
Lelouch shrugged, "As you wish." And plopped her onto the bed in an undignified heap.
Suzaku shouted a string of curses as she fought against the soft sinkable cushions and made her way up to a decent sitting position. By the time she wrestled herself out of the plush bed the captain was seated next to the bed with a suspiciously thick box in his hand and an equally suspicious smile on his face.
Suzaku glared and tried to flick some stray curls from her face. The captain merely smiled at her as if she were an entertaining cat (she seemed to completely ignore his endearing nickname for her).
"Are you quite done?" he asked smugly.
"For now." Suzaku retorted.
The captain didn't seem care either way. He merely shrugged and placed the box on the bed.
Suzaku eyed the box suspiciously, "What is this?" she asked.
"Clothes." Was the answer.
"I don't need any." She said.
"I hardly think those baggy clothes are a proper attire here."
"And what would be proper attire here?" Suzaku asked with a frustrated huff.
The captain's lips twitched up, "Open it and you'll see."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Can't be much worse than letting those baggy pants fall in the middle of the ship." the captain said. "I know some of the men can be quite…perverse."
"Can't be more perverse than you." Suzaku alluded.
"Hm touché Lady Suzaku."
Suzaku smiled tauntingly, "Why thank you Captain…" It was then she finally realized she didn't even know the captain's name, and a few seconds later she realized that she never told the captain her name.
She looked at him disbelievingly, "How did—I never—you!"
Needless to say, Lelouch was thoroughly enjoying the woman flounder like that. Her mussed hair and flushed cheeks were rather endearing, and she looked like a cute kitten puffing itself up and trying to look threatening.
"Are you always this articulate?" he teased.
Suzaku glared and cleared her throat. "You just caught me off guard." She said with a flush on her cheeks. "But I hardly think it's fair that you know my name and I don't know yours."
"Fair enough." The captain replied. He swept his arms across his torso and gave her a mock deep bow. "Captain Lelouch Lamperouge of the Black Knight."
He kissed her hand and smiled mischievously, "At your service my lady."
Suzaku flushed and tore her hand away.
Lelouch chuckled, "How prudish of you Kitten."
Suzaku glared, "Better than being uncivilized like you."
Lelouch waved his hand as if to dismiss her comment, "Au contraire my dear, we are wild yes, but not uncivilized. There is order, even if it is a little loose." He gave her a dashing smile and bowed once more, "Now if you excuse me I have urgent business to attend to." He threw on his coat and walked towards the door.
Just before he left he looked back at Suzaku who still had a pink flush on her cheeks and still stubbornly glaring at the captain.
Lelouch smirked, "I would put the cloths on if I were you."
"And why's that captain?" Suzaku spat.
Lelouch gave her a sharklike grin, "Because if you don't I'll make you walk around the deck naked."
He closed the door before the pillow hit him, but he could still hear the muffled curses Suzaku spewed at him.
Lelouch chuckled. She was just too amusing.
-0-0-0-
"You know what I miss Ohgi?" Tamaki said to his companion.
Ohgi sighed and against his better judgment and common sense decided to humor Tamaki. "What?"
"That one brothel Yashino took us to."
Ohgi shifted awkwardly, "Well maybe you can go there once we get to Mercados."
"Yeah just think of all we can do there." Tamaki sighed with a dreamy look on his face. "But the damn ship is taking its fornicatin' time." he complained.
Ohgi raised a brow, "Fornicating? When did you learn such big words, and isn't that a bad word?" Not to mention that it didn't make any sense in the context of his sentence.
"Damn hell no Ohgi." Tamaki retorted, "I heard it from the priest."
"You go to church?" Ohgi asked with surprise.
Tamaki rolled his eyes. "Hell no! Why the damn fornicatin' hell would I go to church?"
"Well you said that you heard a priest."
"Oh yeah, I saw 'im when we were doin' that stake out in Bermuda 'member?"
Ohgi took a minute to rifle through his memories, "Oh yes I remember."
"Yeah, well just where I was standin' was the priest all fornicatin' preachy and whatnot, and then he said fornicatin' and all the crowd just gasped in horror." Tamaki laughed, "Damn it was funny. One ol' gal even fainted."
"So why are you using it if it's so bad?"
"Ah Ohgi don' you know?"
Ohgi didn't and shook his head.
"Well my momma always said that if the damn Bible's got it then who are we to say it's not allowed?"
Ohgi nodded. Strangely it made sense, in Tamaki logic.
"If God used it than we can fornicatin' use it too." Tamaki proclaimed loudly.
"I'm glad you think that Tamaki."
Ohgi and Tamaki jumped and immediately whirled towards the distinct voice.
"Captain!" the two saluted.
"Glad to see you're working hard." Lelouch said with his usual impassive face.
The two sailors flushed. "Sorry Captain. We won't let it happen again."
Lelouch waved the apology aside. "Yes yes no harm no foul I suppose."
"Was there anything you needed Captain?" Ohgi asked.
"Yes, we need to change course."
"To where?"
"The Cove."
"The Cove?" Tamaki stupidly repeated.
Lelouch sighed, "Yes Tamaki The Cove." He hoped to God that Tamaki wouldn't ask a stupid question.
"But why are we going to The Cove. There are a lot of dangerous pirates there."
"…"
"…"
Suddenly Lelouch felt like shooting someone.
"Tamaki" he said slowly as he prepared to ask for almost the impossible, "Think for a minute." And perhaps somewhere in the very dusty empty confines of Tamaki's mind laid a very very very very very small flickering flame.
But it's doubtful.
…
…
…
"Oh we're pirates too!" Tamaki laughed. "Aw that was fornicatin' silly of me."
That wasn't silly; that was pure idiocy at its finest.
Lelouch held back a tired sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just set the ship on course." He said exasperatedly.
Tamaki gave him a goofy grin and a quick salute. "Aye captain."
Lelouch nearly cried with joy as Tamaki left. Really he had no idea why he dealt with such idiocy. Maybe it would have just been easier to "accidently" leave Tamaki on a remote island. People did it all the time.
Lelouch shook his head. No now was not the time to be thinking morbid sadistic thoughts of offing one of his crew members.
"Question Captain." Tamaki called, "Where exactly is The Cove?"
Now would be the time to think of offing his crew members.
Lelouch rubbed his forehead and headed towards the wheel with Ohgi dutifully following behind him.
"Sir, if I may ask…" Ohgi started. "Why do we need to go to The Cove?"
"Whatever else would we go there for?" Lelouch said.
Ohgi shifted uncomfortably. "Information?" he answered hesitantly.
Lelouch nodded "Yes, information and more importantly people."