Hi everyone! So sorry for the long absence. I caught a very bad flu and then midterms happened. Not the best combination to find inspiration or the time to write. Anyhow, I'm back on my feet and will reprise the weekly posting rate as best I can. Hope ya'll are ready for an adventure, me hearties!
Enjoy!
The pirates load us on a boat along with some of the merchandise. I guess we're part of it now. I hold my still aching arm. The burn of the alcohol died a while ago, but the memory of it makes my wound throb painfully.
"Are you alright?" whispers Mokuba, who's sitting beside me, holding my good arm with two hands.
"I'm fine, don't worry," I say.
I'm unable to fake a smile anymore. We've reached a dead end. What now? Even if Seto manages to find the Whale before it's completely dismantled, we'd be long gone. On a ship that no one has seen during the attack. At this point, the pain and the situation keep me from thinking of another escape plan. But I have to find something. Otherwise, we really are going to die.
The pointy-haired pirate, the giant and four others climb in with us. Others lower the boat into the water, and four of the men start rowing in direction of the Millennium. Thankfully, other than occasionally glancing at us from time to time, they don't seem to pay anymore attention to us than they have to. Something surprises me though. They all look… young. I mean, barely older than Seto. I turn around to look at the Millennium. It's smaller than the Bleu-Eyes. It only has two masts and is made of dark wood. The sails used to be white but turned beige with age, though they still looked clean. It's the type of ship that's meant for speed. Like most pirate ships are.
We get closer and Taylor suddenly stands up and calls out. "Oi! Joey!"
Almost immediately after, a man steps onto the edge of the ship. He's also young and has a large mass of blond hair.
"About time! I was really gettin' bored," he shouts back. "What took y'all so long?"
"Get over it!" replies the pirate. "We've got the tribute. Get the ropes down here. We only got one hour and Bakura's already on his last nerve."
The one named Joey disappears inside the ship, more orders are shouted and as we reach the Millennium, rope ladders are thrown all along the side to allow us in. The pirates direct our boat towards one and Taylor —or Tristan I guess— stands up and grabs it.
"Alright, you two on your feet. Get up there."
Again, Moki and I exchange uncertain glares. I stand up first and grab the rope ladder. It's higher than it seems. I put a foot on the first wooden plank and try to pull myself up only to let go immediately when a sharp pain shoots through my right arm. Curses. Even a little pressure hurts horribly.
"Use your left arm, idiot," he says. "I'll stabilize the ladder as you climb. Move it."
Painful vibration still circulate in my arm but I clench my teeth and try again. Climbing an unstable rope is a lot harder than it seems. Thankfully, there's no strong wind to make it worse. I climb and climb, using only my left arm, but about two thirds up, it burns with exhaustion. My fight with the captain, the stress of the situation and the loss of blood all factor in. I pant and slow down but if I stop now, I'll just fall. I'm almost there. One more. I reach up to grab the edge of the ship only for my hand to slip. I gasp in horror but a large hand closes on my wrist, keeping me from tumbling back down. I look up and find myself face to face with the blond man from before. For a few seconds he doesn't move and just stares at me, his eyes wide with shock.
"Shiver me timbers," he finally says. "I'm gonna need some context for that one."
In a swift move, he places his free hand under my right shoulder and pulls me onto the ship's deck with worrisome ease. My headscarf isn't hiding much as I can feel locks of my hair loose on the back of my neck. There's no real point in hiding it anymore, but it's uncomfortable to have it on display for everyone to see.
"I can't believe my eyes," says the man named Joey. "Where in Davy Jones' name d'ya come from?"
I don't answer and look away. He doesn't seem nearly as threatening as the others. His eyes are lit up with curiosity. But he's still a pirate. I can't drop my guard. Moki doesn't take long to follow after me, and then Tristan steps onto the main deck.
"Ya wanna tell me what's goin' on?" asks Joey. "Where d'ya find 'em?"
"Rats on the ship we captured. Long story short, the captain wants them. I'm pretty sure the runt's our new medic."
"What am I supposed to do with 'em? I got my own job to do, ya know."
"Just watch them until the captain gets back. He shouldn't be long. I gotta go before the albino decides to wear my skin. Oh, and no touching. Counting on you, first mate!"
"Got it."
Tristan salutes with a sign of the hand before heading back down to the boat. I look around. Pirates are pulling in the stolen goods and transporting them down to the lower decks. But nearly all of them glance our way. My hair sticks out like a torch in the night. I reflexively bring my hands up to stuff it back under my headscarf but the moment I try, pain shoots through my right arm again and I wince.
"Well, guess it's pointless to tie ya up again," states the first mate. "Ya two aren't gonna give me trouble, are ya?"
When he says that, his eyes change and the easygoingness of him disappears for a few seconds. It feels like being a rabbit watched by a wolf. Neither of us replies and he seems to take that as the correct answer.
"Let's move ya out of the way," he says pointing at the staircase leading to the quarter deck.
He tells us to hurry and I lead the way, with Moki close behind. Once there, I sit on the wooden stairs and pass my hand on my face. How did we get here? I wasted the only bargaining chip I had, got my arm crippled and now, we're being kidnapped by pirates…Mokuba sits next to me, staying close. I can feel his hand shake. Tears of frustration sting my eyes and I bite my lower lip to keep them in. I can't see a way out. The more I think, the more my head hurts. The pirate leans his back against the edge next to us and still stares curiously.
"You two rats got names?" he finally asks.
Is he seriously expecting us to engage in small talk with him? It appears so. We can't get comfortable. Comfort makes you lower your guard. I never thought that all those things Seto taught me would one day come in handy. Now, these teachings resurface on their own according to the situation in which I need them. Despite that, I'm still incapable of doing anything. I want to slap myself. It'll probably irritate him to be ignored, but I'm sure he understands that he's not aloud to hurt us. At least not yet. But to my surprise, he continues calmly.
"Ya know, if the cap'n sent ya to our ship, it means ya'll be here for a while. Unless ya're fine with me callin' ya whatever I feel like, ya might want to exchange names here."
"We won't be here for long," assures Mokuba, frowning at him. "My brother's going to come for us. You can be sure of that!"
"Moki, stop," I whisper, worried.
I've never seen either Seto or Mokuba scared before. I'm guessing anger is the default emotion that takes over the youngest Kaiba when everything turns to a nightmare. I doubt the pirates will tolerate that back talking for long. But again, the first mate continues with the same tone as before.
"Trust me, lad. Ya'll be here as long as it pleases the man. Still is better to have somethin' to call ya. The name's Joey Wheeler by the way, first mate of the Millennium. Ya'll be seein' a lot of me."
I hesitate but then figure he'd learn our names quickly enough. Maybe I'll learn something too if I talk to him but I have to be careful with what I say.
"I'm Yugi. He's Mokuba."
"Ya're really a Shayee, ain't ya lass? Where in the world d'ya crawl out of?"
"What are you going to do with us?" I ask, answering with a question more relevant to us.
He shrugs. "Ain't got a clue. The cap'n ain't exactly an open book. If ya want a piece of advice though, I don't suggest gettin' on his bad side. But from the looks of ya, ya already have."
I follow his eyes. He's looking at my bandaged arm. How is he so sure that the captain was the one who's done this to me? He couldn't have seen it from here and yet he seems so sure. These pirates are weird and I'm not sure that's a good thing. It means they're unpredictable.
'Seto will have noticed. The attack was too unorthodox, it wouldn't have escaped him. He'll find us. If anyone can, it's him.'
A pair of feet appears in my field of vision and pulls me out of my daze. Joey is standing a foot away from us now, and leans forward as if to get a better look at us. I reflexively put a hand in front of Moki.
"W-What are you doing?"
"Ya two don't smell alike." Did he just say smell? "Lad, ya smell like a landlubber."
"What's that?" I ask.
"Someone who's never been out to sea," explains Moki.
That's not wrong but can he really know that by smelling us? It's both absurd and impossible! Unless living on the sea sharpened the sense of smell, which I doubt. But then why is it so accurate?
"Ya," he continues looking at me, "smell like the rest of us."
"Quit acting like a filthy mutt, Joey. You'll scare our guests," says that deep voice that makes my heart jump.
The captain of the Millennium is back on his ship, slowly making his way to us. My survival instincts kick in and I stand up, followed by Mokuba. Though blood has stained the side of his coat, he shows no sign of pain in his movement. Was my strike really that pathetic? The satisfaction on his face when he looks at us sends shivers down my spine. The first mate doesn't seem to take offense to his words and grins.
"Ya can talk, Cap'n. Ya met 'em less than an hour ago and the lass is already bleedin'. Ya're back early."
"I left Bakura to wrap things up over there. He should be done fairly soon."
"Lemme guess, he's ticked."
"Don't get on his nerves if you don't want to lose an eye. You can go back to work. Once the merchandise is loaded, prepare the crew for immediate departure. And tell the master gunner to get ready."
Throwing a salute sign at his captain, the first mate leaves to go assist with the tribute's transport, leaving us alone with the demon. Mokuba's hand tightens on my arm.
"Now," he says, looking at us, "shall we get down to business?"
He brings two fingers to his mouth and wolf whistles looking up at the mainmast. At first I don't see anything but then spot someone standing on one of the tops. Quickly and with incredible agility, the person jumps down, using a loose rope to break his fall. Once on the ground, he runs to us. Holy, he's even younger than the others. Barely older than Moki if I had to guess. He's skinny, and his thick chestnut hair is even messier than my own. But one feature of him sticks out more than anything. He has no left hand.
"Ye called, captain?" he asks before seeing us. "So these be the rats ye picked up? Couple o' new powder monkeys? They look like a couple o' lordlings, if I say so meself."
"Focus, Jaden. Take the lad with you and find him some appropriate wear. Then show him around the infirmary."
He seems confused. "He's our new medic? He be no bigger than a sprout."
"I never said I'd help you, pirates!" snaps Mokuba.
The chestnut haired boy looks at him stunned while Atem seems anything but impressed. And the irritation is beginning to show on his face.
"There are many rules on my ship, but for now remember this one. Anyone who refuses to work will be punished. I didn't measure your worth to let you rot in a cage." He pauses for a moment and his smile returns. "Here's a thought. If you break any of my rules, step out of line, try to escape or disobey orders, the punishment will go to the other one. You understand that much, don't you lordling?"
Just like that, he's crippled our attempts at escaping before they even began. Keeping us separated also serves the same purpose. No matter what we do, we're only digging ourselves deeper into the ground. He has no need for ropes or pistols. His words are all it takes to figuratively tie us up. Mokuba clenches his teeth, defeated and helplessly repressing the anger inside.
"Good," says Atem before turning to Jaden. "Take him."
"Aye aye, captain," replied the youth. "Come on then. I'm guessin' I don't have to drag ye."
Mokuba throws me an unreadable look before reluctantly letting go and following the young pirate. My insides shift uncomfortably. Who knows what could happen while we're separated? How could I face Seto if anything happens to him? My body follows my thoughts. I reflexively take a step to follow him but Atem snatches the wrist of my good hand.
"How about you and I pick up our conversation while the boys get acquainted?"
Curses. I grit my teeth and watch as the two boys reach the entrance leading to the lower decks. I have to give him something to protect himself.
"Mokuba!" I shout and he turns back. "Quoi qu'il arrive, ne dis rien sur ton frère!"*
In the Kaiba business, speaking multiple languages is a strong asset. Seto speaks six and he'd insisted that Moki and I learn at least French and Spanish. I never thought it would come in useful for me, since he kept me hidden. Now, I can't thank him enough. The way Moki looks at me tell me he understands but he gets dragged into the inside of the ship before he can answer. Atem's amused snorting brings my attention back to him.
"Already testing your boundaries, are you love?" he says. "Not very wise. What did you tell him?"
His hand holding my wrist burns my skin. The sensation slowly spreads to the rest of my arm, like it's going to devour me. I yank my hand out of his grasp. My pulse beats furiously through my wounded arm.
"To stay on his feet," I lie, unable to hold his crimson stare.
I don't know if he believes me or not, but he scoffs. "You truly believe that brother of his will find you?"
I don't say anything for fear of giving too much away. He's picked the wrong person to play cat and mouse with. If anyone can find us, it's Seto. With a sign of the head, the Millennium's captain tells me to follow him and walks up to the quarterdeck. I reluctantly follow the tug of the invisible leash he has on me. He takes a spyglass out of his coat and looks in direction of the Whale. He then hands it to me with a satisfied smile.
"Have a look."
I take it frowning. What is he playing at? I look at the giant ship and see pirates taking down the sails and the ropes on the masts.
"By the time Arcana's done fixing his ship, that transporter will be in pieces. Even it's own maker wouldn't recognize him. All traces of our presence will be erased. That includes yours."
'By the heavens, I know it's intimidation so why is it so effective?' I think biting the inside of my cheek. 'Calm down. Don't let him get to you.'
I lower the spyglass. Seto will see through this. I know he will. He'll find this cave, he'll recognize the Whale and he'll find us.
"That won't be enough to stop him," I say.
"Do you know who that ship belongs to?" he asks, leaning on the edge.
"The Kaiba company…" Anyone from Kingtown would know that. It would be suspicious if I pretended not to.
"The man who owns that company is said to be as brilliant as he is prideful. A true genius some say. Still, I'd be surprised if even he could find this place. And disappointed if he doesn't. The chase will be quite boring if that's the case."
While he speaks, his hands clench the edge of the ship and his eyes seem to burn with silent anger. This man… he didn't do all of this just for the tribute. There's something more. The thrill of going up against the one who owns the sea business of the Caribbean, maybe? He's already shown how he enjoys challenges. But it feels different. More personal.
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask.
"If your guardian is significant enough to him, then perhaps that arrogant bastard of a baron will agree to help him look for his missing brother and ward."
A strange tension coming from him reaches me, like a warning shot. No doubt about it; Seto is not in this man's good graces. Which means I was doubly right to warn Mokuba. Suddenly, the tension dies away when he straightens up and turns to me.
"Speaking of, what sort of guardian teaches his lady ward swordsmanship and allow her to cross dress?"
My inside tighten again. I can't let him trace us back to Seto anymore than I already have.
"H-How could you tell?" I ask, trying to deviate the subject. "No one's ever been able to see through my disguise. And you were thirty feet away…"
"I knew the moment you protected the boy. The way you embraced him was quite the motherly gesture. Also, no man I know would drop his only weapon while facing someone about to kill him."
He sounds like he's mocking me and my cheeks heat up. But at least I got him to change subjects.
"What about my exact age?"
"For a start, you do not speak nor act like a child. Everything you do is to protect the boy. Then there are these." He brings his hand to my face and cups my jaw, just like he had on the Whale. "They hurt, don't they?"
I frown in confusion. "My teeth?"
He puts a slight pressure on my jaw and an uncomfortable but quick pain shoots through my molars. Simultaneously, my brain catches up. Those have been hurting for a while.
"My wisdom teeth."
He smiles, happy that I've caught on. "You had to be at least sixteen or seventeen."
Unbelievable. How is it possible to take in so many details when everything around is moving so fast? He was far smarter than I initially thought. Again, not good. Was that why he thought of clashing with Seto as a game? He lets go of my face but then pulls off my headscarf.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"There's nothing left to hide. Not only are you a Shayee, you're also the only woman on this ship. Do you think this silly thing is going to shield you?"
He's not just talking about the scarf. The fact that he has to spell out what I already know makes it worse. The pressure that's been weighting on my shoulders since I was first eye to eye with him crushes me from all sides now. Why can't I move? His hand grabs a lock of my hair and he brings his face so close that I feel his breath on mine.
"Be it your guardian, the baron himself or the entire navy, let them come. It'll make the chase that much more interesting. I wouldn't advise you to get you hopes up though," he finally says, releasing my hair. "I really am quite good at what I do."
"S-So… this is essentially an elaborate game of keep away for you?"
"You catch on quickly."
"You kidnapped us so I could be your bait?"
"No, love. The game is only a bonus. You are something I've been waiting to find for a very long time. You have more worth to me than anything else on this ship. And I'll be damned if I let anyone take you away from me."
The amusement in his voice is gone now. He's looking at me but his eyes seem so far away, lost. Almost sad. He's strange and that doesn't make the fear go away. I don't understand. Pirates aren't supposed to be complicated. They're greedy and would do anything for money. Why is he so different?
"Oi, cap'n!" shouts Joey from the main deck. "The rest o' the crew's back!"
Indeed, the quartermaster and the few pirates accompanying him are back on the ship. He looks up at where we are and I can swear that death glare is looking straight at me. A cold shiver shakes me.
"Pull up the anchor and get her moving!" Atem shouts back. "We're heading for Beruga!"
"Aye aye, Sir! Ya heard the cap'n, hearties! Get to work!"
A whistle sound rings throughout the ship and everyone is at work to make it move. Orders are shouted from left to write, from up to down… The movement is the same, wether it's on a pirate ship or a transporter, it seems.
Heavy footsteps reach my ears and Jack, the giant from before, steps onto the quarterdeck and goes to grab the helm after silently saluting his captain. Thankfully, Atem's attention moved from me to the main deck. I sigh in relief and realize I'm still holding the spyglass. I look at the Golden Whale again. Arcana's men are already tearing out the planks and dismantling it.
'Even in pieces, Seto will recognize it,' I tell myself.
Something then catches my eye. I can see the canons being moved around on the rogue ship. Why would they be doing that? Then, I see it. The Gambler's flank remains perfectly oriented to shoot down any ship passing through the exit. Arcana clearly wasn't happy to have been tricked by Atem like this. Would he really pass that opportunity? It's a cheap move but they're pirates. No. He wouldn't pass it. I'm sure of it. My heart freezes in my chest as the realization sink in. A hand suddenly lands on my shoulder making me jump.
"Have you noticed?" he asks, taking back the spyglass. "No need to worry. They won't get far with trying to ignite wet powder."
He looks at the Gambler, that overconfident stare never leaving his face. That's clever. Too clever. Everything he's done so far was calculated with devilish accuracy. Even unpredictable factors like Mokuba and I have been immediately dealt with perfect consideration.
As he said, the Millennium passes through the opening without a single canon shot being fired at us. The Golden Whale disappears from my sight and then we're back into the open sea, the sun illuminating the rogue ship.
"The sea doesn't discriminate between sinners and men of honor."
Seto isn't the one who taught me that. I can't remember who did but it's the truth. Only luck will help us now.
The Millennium's sails are let loose and the wind pushes us further into the open sea and away from the coast. It also rushes through my hair, a sensation I usually love. For the first time, I wish I didn't have them.
"Tell me," says Atem, "how much faith do you put in your guardian?"
The muscles in my back tense so much, they feel like marble plates but I force myself to look at him in the eyes. I'm sick of being scared. "All of it."
I regret my answer the moment I see the wolf-like smile he gives me. I don't know how yet, but I've walked right into a trap.
"Lets see just how much of it he deserves, shall we?"
The Captain of the Millennium throws a circular hand gesture at Jack, and the pilot nods before turning the helm. The ship turns until it's right flank faces the coast and the entrance of the cave. It's hard to tell that there even is an opening from here.
"Joey!" calls out Atem. "How are the gunners?"
"Ready when ya are, cap'n!"
I understand too late.
"Open fire!" he orders.
"Wai…"
Before I can scream, a hundred deafening shots pierces my ears like thunder. The pain in my arm isn't enough to keep me from covering them. I shut my eyes too, waiting for the insufferable ruckus to cease. In minutes, it's over. When I open my eyes again, the entrance of the cave has disappeared, crumbled into a pile of rocks. No trace of anything being there before left. No way for any ship to find the cave. My pulse rings in my head, adding to the damage caused by the noise of the canon fire. I stare in horror at the sight. All my muscles give in at once, and I fall to my knees. The tension disappears and the only thing I can feel is my right arm, throbbing in pain.
"No…"
The only hint, the one thing that could put Seto on our path…is buried along with a hundred pirates. I want to scream but even my voice has gone numb. Atem then comes into my line of sight, looking down on me. His voice is the most serious I heard since meeting him.
"We'll see how he'll do against that. As for you, I suggest you start relying on yourself. Sink or swim, that's the law of the sea, little Shayee. No one will do it for you."
*No matter what, do not say anything about your brother. (formal French)
Oh dear, how are Moki and Yugi going to survive on the Millennium, surrounded by weirdo pirates?
PLEASE REVIEW
