Hoshiko's POV
We walked the rather long trek that lead us to the place Yona was supposed to be.
The cliff was worse than I had thought.
The others were confronting Gi-Gan off to my right as I walked towards the "path" that made its way precariously along the cliff face. I knew she was not dead. I could hear her footsteps.
After a short while, Yona came into view. She looked tired, but unhurt. My relief was overwhelming.
"Yona!" Yūn called. He ran to her.
Gi-Gan stepped forward. "Where is the Senjuso?" She asked.
Yona held up her bag. "Its right here." She said, walking to Gi-Gan and handing the bag over.
"So it is." Gi-Gan said as she looked inside the bag. "Did you keep your promise?"
Yona shook her head. "No. A wave came and washed me over the cliff. Jae-Ha had to save me." She looked down, an expression of shame upon her face. "I couldn't do it myself."
"Does this mean you are giving up?" Gi-Gan questioned.
"No." Yona said, her voice strong even as her legs shook. "I go back by myself."
Gi-Gan's expression turned into one of surprise before she began to laugh. "If Jae-Ha had let you fall into the sea I would have thrown him over the cliff myself." She grabbed Yona's chin, making Yona look into her eyes. "Your eyes are red. You've been crying. People like you don't abandon their allies even when in danger. I don't dislike fools like you. Get on the boat."
Yona stared at her in confusion.
"You've been accepted." Jae-Ha said to her, gently.
She began to cry.
Everyone ran to her, Kija complained about their treatment of the princess, and Jae-Ha started a conversation with Hak.
I stood quietly to the side, watching everyone as I always do. As I stared at everyone smiling together, I felt something. A feeling long ago suppressed. Now was not the time. If this feeling was reemerging, my lifestyle had to change.
At that moment, Gi-Gan walked up to my side.
"Why aren't you over there with your friends?" She questioned.
I laughed. "Well, Yona looks swamped with all those people around her. Another would probably be overwhelming." I smiled at her.
"Is that so." She said like a statement.
I continued to smile at her. "How about you? I could see on the ship that you, too, were worried for her."
"Hmph. I wouldn't worry about something like that. Especially for a little girl I just met." Gi-Gan stated, though I could tell she was lying.
"You are a good person, Captain!" I said smiling and laughing as I walked back to the ship.
As soon as I was far enough away, my smile fell, shattering on the ground.

I sat in the crows nest of the ship, watching everyone below me as the real lookout kept his eyes on the sea. As the shifts changed, I remained. The sun began to sink below the horizon while Yūn prepared dinner. He announced its completion and the lookout returned to the ground while I stayed, surrounded by the appearing stars.
I watched the sky fade from the orange of sunset to the navy of twilight, to deep royal purple as the evening turned to night before the purple disintegrated to black. Stars flickered all over, like millions of candles all about to go out. This transition occurred quickly, leaving little time to enjoy the colors before they were all swallowed up by the inky darkness.
"Captain Gi-Gan." I heard Yona's voice from below. "Here's some food."
"Oh. Thank you." Gi-Gan said.
The conversation began with Yūn's many talents before it turned to the Senjuso and Gi-Gan's desire to keep everyone safe.
I respected Gi-Gan for her strength of will and character. There were few people I respected for such a reason. Two of the stood below me.
"There is a challenge." Gi-Gan was saying. I assumed about her desire to disband the pirates, which had been their topic of conversation. "Jae-Ha. Because of his monstrous existence, this ship is the most comfortable for him..."
I understood what she was saying. It would likely be impossible for me to simply go out and get a job. It simply was not probable. Once Yona no longer need my help, what would I do? I did not know.
A voice dragged me from my thoughts.
"Shin-Ah, what's wrong?"
"Boats... There are boats in the harbor." His quiet voice explained.
"How many?"
"Seven." He stated.
"Seven boats?" came the shocked response.
"There are people with weapons on board." Shin-Ah provided.
"They must be preparing for something big. Kum-ji is probably about to make his deal with the Kai empire for the slave. It seems like he also wants to crush us pirates at the same time." Gi-Gan murmured angrily to herself. "Gather everyone together!" She commanded raising her voice.

Yona and Shin-ah quickly left to gather the crew while Gi-Gan returned to the captain's quarters. I lept down from the crow's nest, already thinking of how I would be able to be of use to Yona in the coming battle.

I stood back and watched as everyone filed into the captain's quarters and huddled around the map in the center. I sat just outside the door; my legs tucked underneath me. I listened.

"Kum-ji is probably about to go through with his large scale trafficking deal with the Kai Empire soon." Gi-Gan explained. Yona gasped in surprise.

"He has clients there and it is close to Awa. Judging by the number of ships, he wants to crush the meddlesome pirates who have bothered him all these years as well. Since people on shore will be hurt if we attack at the harbor, we should attack them in the ocean, between Awa and Kai."

"The problem is, though," Jae-Ha spoke up, "that we do not know when the deal will take place, or which ship the women will be on."

"That is true." Gi-Gan affirmed. "He will have people who could be used as hostages aboard. If we attack recklessly, they could get caught up in the violence. However, should we simply stand by, the girls will be taken to the Kai Empire and sold. How do we protect the girls safety?"

Others began to talk about taking down Kum-ji, since he will undoubtedly be there.

I continued to consider Gi-Gan's question. The best answer I could think of was to watch the ships until the women were loaded on, the alert the others as to which ship held the women. The problem with that, though, was then all Kum-ji had to do was mix the ships when they left the harbor. If we could mark the ship some how… But what would be the best way to do that… A way the crew could easily recognise it… I was unsure how to proceed.

"This is the perfect opportunity for us. We will defeat Yang Kum-Ji and the officers who have oppressed us for ten years." I heard something being removed from the wall. "No matter what it takes." The sound of a blade being drawn from a sheath. "We will restore freedom to this town" The blade was stabbed into paper and wood, I assumed through the map. "This time, I, too, will take up my blades. Follow me until the very end, you brats." Gi-Gan finished.

"YES!"

This was her ultimate goal. The freedom of the people. I was glad, truly, that Yona had picked such a person to help, that she had picked such a person that we all could help.

My job was to protect Yona, but still, even if this made that job harder, I was glad.