I decided to make 2 chapters instead of 1, so this is the second to last one, really. I didn't want to leave you all hanging longer then necessary for me to finish the entire thing :)

Enjoy ~


Chapter 8

The room glittered in the firelight. Stacked against the rock walls of the small cavern were piles and piles of gold and silver objects. Coins were strewn across the sand as they dripped from their overflowing chests. Trunks of silk and other fabrics were balanced on the coins and sand. A few statues dotted the golden landscape of treasure, along with several pots and barrels that lay unopened. Amu stood with her mouth open in awe. The fire glinted off the gold that lay everywhere. Her eyes turned to the piece in her hand. Ikuto approached her slowly.

"Where are we?" Amu finally managed to ask.

"This is where my father kept all his treasure," Ikuto replied, "only my family knows about it. I used to come here when I was a kid with him a lot." Amu watched him as he looked at the mountains of gold in silence.

"Ikuto!" Yoru cried. The charas struggled with the violin case for a moment before Ikuto took it from them. Amu's charas sighed in relief and collapsed on the sand.

Ikuto walked over to a patch of sand that was free from treasure in the center of the cavern. He sat down and pulled the case into his lap, flipping open the latches and pulling out the wooden instrument. Amu walked over and sat down nearby, watching the way the boy beside her examined the instrument with a careful eye.

"What are you looking for?" asked Amu.

"Water," Ikuto stated, "if the violin gets wet, it's ruined." He turned to look at Yoru. The chara cringed for a moment, but his fears were unfounded. Ikuto rubbed the cat chara's ears and ruffled his hair.

"Good job Yoru," he said. The cat purred contently as Ikuto put the violin back in its case.

"It must be important to you," Amu stated.

"What?" Ikuto asked.

"The violin," Amu stuttered.

"Not really," Ikuto shrugged, looking away as he said it. Amu hugged her knees to her chest.

"But with all this gold, if it got ruined you could just buy another. But you want to keep it safe, so it must be important." After a moment of silence, Ikuto looked back at Amu.

"It belonged to my father," Ikuto explained, "just like this cove and the ship."

"The ship?" Amu asked. Ikuto nodded.

"Easter's ship," he stated, "was originally my father's." Amu watched as he turned away again, staring at the flames as they burned along the walls.

"Ikuto?" Amu said, though it sounded more like a question. He turned back to her; his eyes filled with a deep sadness that matched the music Amu remembered hearing that one night on The Guardian.

"What happened?" asked Amu slowly.

"He disappeared," Ikuto explained bluntly. Amu only nodded. Yoru flew in front of Ikuto's face and tried to comfort him, but the blue haired pirate only ruffled the chara's hair again. Amu's four charas sat together on her knees, each silently watching. Amu felt the silence that weighed between them then.

She had never known loss, only joy and happiness. She had been lonely, but it felt shallow now compared to what Ikuto had gone through. He had expressed his feelings so well through the violin and the music he played that Amu felt she had a grasp, as small as it may be, on how he might feel. She wandered if that was why he kept this violin so close despite what he said, because it let him deal with these emotions and connected him to his father.

"Will you play something?" Amu questioned. She felt her cheeks flush slightly, and she hoped she could blame the firelight. The two of them sat for a moment, surrounded by the glittering treasure, before Ikuto moved to open his violin case once more.

"AH-CHOO!" Amu sneezed suddenly. She sniffled a few times and rubbed her nose before sneezing again. Ikuto pushed the violin aside, forgotten for the moment as he stood. He dusted the sand as best he could off of his wet pants and began rummaging through the chests amongst the treasure.

"What are you doing?" Amu asked as a full body shiver shot through her.

"Looking for new clothing," Ikuto replied, "we're both wet. You'll catch a cold. I'm sure my father won't mind." He picked up a lacy corset, raised his eyebrows in confusion and then tossed it aside. Amu shivered in her thin pajamas and rubbed her hands down her arms to get warm.

"Here," Ikuto stated. He tossed a white dress in Amu's direction. She caught it, staring at it before turning in Ikuto's direction. He was stuffing the dresses he had not chosen back in the trunk. She saw him open two others before pulling out clothing that he could wear.

"What was wrong with the other ones?" Amu asked as she held the dress up to her body but being careful not to get it wet, "I'll ruin this one. It's white and really lacy."

"None of the others would fit you," Ikuto stated. He pulled out several pairs of identical beige pants, all that looked like they would fit almost too snugly before adding, "that was the smallest one; the others were all made for," he paused to choose his words carefully, "bigger women." Amu got what he meant but still fumed; she was still a kid, of course she did not have womanly assets yet. She was distracted by Ikuto once more at the trunk.

"What are those?" Amu asked as she watched Ikuto pluck another piece of clothing out of the trunk.

"I'd rather not explain," Ikuto stated, burying the item under other clothing. He finally found a simple white shirt and piled the rest of the clothing back. He turned around and Amu saw he was also holding a large bolt of fabric, the material probably from some exotic location far away. At her confused look, Ikuto explained.

"For a blanket. It gets cold at night, even with the fire," he said, "you should get changed."

"Not in front of you," Amu panicked. Ikuto grinned.

"I'll close my eyes," he said.

"I don't like liars," Amu glared.

"You mean you don't trust me?" Ikuto asked innocently. Amu sneezed again.

"I won't look," Ikuto said. He closed his blue eyes and even turned around so his back was to her. Amu hesitated for a moment before she peeled off her salty ocean wet night clothes and dried off as best she could before slipping the stolen, white dress on. She did have to admit that she felt better being out of her wet clothing.

"Ok," Amu stated quietly. Ikuto slowly turned around, his blue eyes drinking in every detail of her changed appearance.

"Your turn," Amu said rather hurriedly. His gaze lingered for a moment longer until he began unbuttoning his wet shirt. Amu blushed redder then she'd thought previously possible and spun to stand with her back to him.

"No peeking," Ikuto laughed.

"As if I would," Amu snapped. She put her hands to her face to try and stop the redness from spreading. After a moment Ikuto informed her he was finished. He was dressed in the beige pants from before with a new white shirt. Amu had not seen him grab the blue and gold jacket though, or the high black boots.

"Do you like it?" Ikuto asked, smiling at her.

"The jacket might be a little much," Amu replied.

"I meant about your dress," Ikuto laughed. Amu flushed again and Ikuto replied to her original statement, "the shirt alone was too thin." There was silence as the two of them, each dressed like old time pirates from a classic storybook, stared at each other.

"You look like a real pirate now," Amu finally stated, "more than before." Ikuto opened his mouth to say something, closed it, hesitated for a few seconds, then looked Amu in the eye and said,

"That's what I will be," Ikuto explained. His voice was soft at first, "A real pirate, like my father."

He sat down on the fabric that he had spread on the sand. He did not pat the spot beside him, inviting Amu to join him, but he did not need to. She took her spot beside him, gathering the great dress around her as she did.

"Tell me about him," Amu prompted, "your father. Tell me about him. He's important to you." Ikuto looked at her with an intense gaze, and she thought he would refuse, but he did not.

"My father," Ikuto began, "was a great pirate. He was famous around here for his amazing feats of piracy and getting so much treasure that he and his crew did not know what to do with it all. He was a great violinist as well. I knew him for ten years before he disappeared." Ikuto paused in his story. After a moment, he began again, his fists clenching at his sides.

"He wanted to set off on an impossible quest across the ocean. He didn't say why. The night before he left, he gave me the violin, the Dumpty Key was inside the case. I didn't think anything of it at the time," Ikuto explained, "he told his crew and they, for all the years they'd followed him, told him they wanted no part of it and voted not to go. My father tried to convince them otherwise, but they seemed to have other ideas. They did not want him to leave them and rumors of how to stop him from taking them on what they called a fool's errand surfaced. But my father left before they could stop him, vanishing into the night. He left without naming a new captain to the ship, without telling my mother, Utau, and I, and without a thought as to when he'd return. For abandoning his crew, his ship, his family, his responsibilities, many sailors who knew him thought him a coward. He lost his honor, as much as that's worth when you're a pirate, and became the subject of ridicule for leaving everything he had to chase whatever adventure he had dreamed of." Ikuto paused in his story again. Amu wondered if he had ever spoken the entire story aloud before.

"The ship fell into one of the lower crewman's hands. He's still the captain today. Using his influence in the failing merchant company called Easter, he took command. But he was not my father, and the crew grew to dislike him even after they had abandoned my father in his quest. The captain ended up replacing the entire original crew with men he could trust from the Easter Company. All the sailors I had grown up with were no longer to spend hours with killing time on board the ship. The captain was only interested in riches though, and sought out my father's treasure. He demanded us to tell me where it was, but since he had gotten rid of the entire crew, who only knew it was hidden somewhere on this island and had promised my father to keep his secret safe, only my family could share the secret. My mother was in no mood to speak to anyone about my father at that point. Utau was too young to remember our adventures to this cave and I would never tell him. He thought he was owed payment for being a part of the crew and wanted the treasure that you see around you. He's-" Ikuto stopped himself, seeing the tangent he was following and redirected himself. Amu listened patiently.

"I was supposed to inherit the ship when my father decided I had become enough of a true pirate to do so," Ikuto said, "but even though that ship had been my father's and his father's before that, it could not be mine without my father announcing it. Jealousy can drive men to evils beyond normal terms. Jealousy brings with it hatred. The captain hates my father, and as long as I'm still around to remind the captain of him, he won't think of even letting me dream that that ship is mine. He took everything my father left for me, everything except his treasure, his violin, and the Dumpty Key. But those are enough for now. I'll get the ship back and restore my father's legacy. When I get the ship back, I'll go looking for him."

"What?" Amu questioned suddenly.

"I know he's alive," Ikuto replied, "and I'll find him." The boy pirate's face held such determination at that moment that Amu could not help but stare in awe. Ikuto looked at her, breaking her gaze. He chuckled, and as she turned away, he reached for his violin.

"You're going to play?" Amu smiled.

"Just for you," Ikuto nodded. He flashed a mischievous smile her way.

Ikuto stood and set the violin on his shoulder just under his chin. The music that filled the cave once the bow glided across the strings was mesmerizing. Amu laid back on the blanket and closed her eyes, listening to the rise and fall of the melody. Ikuto played the unknown tune with such emotion; each note was not only a note, but a physical expression of what he felt. Amu smiled. The song had started out mournful, but grew more powerful as it continued.

When Ikuto stopped several minutes later, Amu was nearly asleep. She felt her charas nearby on the blanket that the fabric had become. She listened as Ikuto clicked the violin case closed and sat down again. Amu snuggled deeper into the blanket and relaxed, until she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and pull her closer. Amu tried to get away. Her heart raced in panic.

"What are you doing?" she nearly shouted.

"Trying to sleep," Ikuto replied, he snuggled closer to her, "you're warm."

"Get off!" Amu commanded.

"So mean," Ikuto mumbled. Amu felt him pull one of his arms away and then saw the remainder of the fabric settle over the two of them. The arm was then replaced around her waist. Amu attempted to pull away again, but discovered that if she moved too far from him, there would not be enough fabric to cover them both.

Amu sighed and gave in. She felt her heart slow in her chest and Ikuto's warm breath on her ear, ruffling her hair. The five charas were curled up together as well, just under the corner of the blanket by Amu's head. Amu felt Ikuto's heartbeat, slow and steady, at her back and the heat from the fire on her face as she curled up in Ikuto's arms and drifted to sleep.

The two of them woke up the next morning, or what they felt was the next morning since they had no sun to judge the time with. Ikuto explained to Amu he wanted to move on and put some distance between them and Easter.

"The longer we stay here, the more chance Easter has of finding you," he explained, he added "and my father's treasure.

"They'll be looking for you as well," Amu said as she lifted her still damp pajamas from the rock she had laid the clothing the night before. She would not be putting on still wet clothing, even if that meant she was stuck in the white dress for the duration of the day.

"Yes," Ikuto agreed, "but only to get rid of me. Now that I've left them, I'm a threat to the captain."

Amu picked at Ikuto's clothing when she heard this. She pulled at the fabric that made up the belt he always wore; it was the wettest of all the clothing, and spotted the shiny golden key. She unhooked it from the fabric and walked over to where Ikuto knelt, filling a small bag with whatever he thought they could use without being suspicious.

"Here," Amu stated. She held out the key. It dangled between them on its golden chain. Ikuto stood and took the key, his hand briefly pausing to linger around Amu's as they touched. The moment lasted longer than Ikuto had originally intended.

When they finally parted, Ikuto looked to key and then at his new outfit. He had nowhere to hang the key from, and as much as the pockets on the blue coat were useful, he did not trust them enough to simply slide the key into them.

He settled for looping the key's chain around his neck. The key slid into place under the clasp on his coat, but over the white undershirt. Amu subconsciously moved to touch the lock at her own neck. Ikuto saw her do it and turned to grab the small bag.

The five charas followed the two of them out of the cavern as soon as Ikuto extinguished the flames on the walls, reset the rock and candle near the entrance, and grabbed Amu's hand to guide her along in the dark. They came to the main cave to find it filled with sunlight, but that was not the only surprise that waited for them.

Hundreds of x-eggs were piled in the sand, stacked in crates, and floating the air. Amu stood stone still, still clutching Ikuto's hand in her own. Her shock at the sight was obvious, but she also felt fear at what it meant.

Before them, in the center of the room, the captain of Easter stood waiting. Here he was, in the one place Ikuto had wanted to keep secret. He smiled the grin of a man who had just won a grand prize. Around him, pirates scurried like worker ants to fill the room with stolen eggs.

"Your footprints weren't hard to follow," the captain frowned. He acted disappointed, "but the tide came in and we couldn't follow you until morning." He paused and examined Ikuto and Amu's clothing. The five charas hung close to their owners. Amu saw Yoru's ears tilt back and he hovered close to Ikuto's shoulder.

"It was a good thing we had to wait," the captain continued, "because while you two were-" he paused, raised his eyebrow at Amu's fingers intertwined with Ikuto's, and let them filled in the blank before continuing, "Utau was hard at work collecting all these x-eggs from town. Beautiful aren't they?" He raised his arms to encompass the entire room. Amu could scarcely believe that there were this many children in the town above them.

"She wanted so badly for me not to hunt you down and kill you on spot that she worked through the entire night, gathering all these eggs just to please me. She worked so hard that she passed out right on deck. I wonder if she'll recover, and how she'll react to your complete betrayal," the captain grinned. Amu felt Ikuto tense.

"My sister is not your pawn," Ikuto growled. The captain shrugged and replied.

"But since my old one ran off, I needed a new one," the captain said without regret. Amu was shocked. She had not known Ikuto's sister as anyone other than the blond pirate named Utau who had worked against her, but she knew this was not right. The captain strode towards them confidently. The other pirates melted away into the background as he spoke.

"And now Ikuto, you'll get to see my masterpiece before I run out of useful tasks for you as well," he stated, and then flashed a pirate smile at Amu, "behold, my dear, my master plan to lure out the embryo. You're still the key player Amu. Now, you'll just need to exactly as I say for everyone to get out of this alive."

"Don't do it Amu!" shouted a familiar girlish voice that made tears fill Amu's eyes. Everyone turned to look at the cave's entrance, searching for the speaker. Silhouetted against the incoming sunlight, five figures stood.

"I thought you were dead!" the captain shouted angrily.

"You can't kill us that easily," Tadase said as he stepped into the cave with the other guardians fanning out behind him.


Yeah! The guardians are still alive. Did you really think I'd kill them off? I hope i made everyone happy with Amu and Ikuto's little adventure. So now onto the big finale!

I made a picture (kinda like a cover page) for this story as well. Check it out here :) (remove the spaces or click the link on my profile...)

.com /art/ Shugo-Chara-Pirates-Cover-166861910

Reviews are awesome!