Episode X: Now Leaving Shar: Part II

The brown Watao pirate ship, the Juiju, landed near the southern outskirts of Daser City. The wind was blowing gently across the desert. Yan exited the ship, his long white hair flowing behind him. He silently walked across the sand-covered roads to a bar called "Last Chance Gulch" and sat down right at the counter. The bartender noticed that he was blindfolded. With a brow quirked, he asked him what he wanted and Yan simply requested red wine. The bartender wondered why he would order wine at a bar, but didn't care because he was going to pour him the most expensive one he had in stock. As soon as Yan heard the wine fill the bottom of the glass, he seized his hand.

"I don't like being tricked. Give me the red wine behind you instead." Yan said. The bartender froze. He moved the glass away, pulled out another, and poured him a glass of the cheaper red wine that had been sitting on the shelf.

"Are you really blind or is this some kind of gimmick?" the bartender said, in a bit of a bad mood now. Yan didn't answer him and instead took a sip of his drink. Yan then begin to reminisce, recalling a memory from twenty years ago…

Yan lived in a grand home in the Silk District on planet Watao. He was about six years old, walking to the park near his house. His father was away on a business trip and his mother was visiting a sick friend of hers, so he was left alone for the day. Yan, dressed in a silver, silk robe and wooden sandals, entered the park, immediately heading for the swings. He ran through the sand, excitedly, and sat down, gripping the chains hanging the seat. Suddenly, he was pushed off of the swing, falling onto his face. He wiped at his light blue eyes, tearing up as he tried to get the sand out. Behind him was a larger kid, grinning down at him. Yan slowly rose to his feet, only to be pushed down again by the larger kid. Yan turned himself around to sit on the sand and look up at the kid.

"Wow! You look like you have the eyes of a demon!" The larger kid said. Yan bit his lip.

"A demon?"

"Yeah! You should be cast away with the New Year!" The larger kid laughed. Other children at the park stopped playing to watch the scene. Yan looked around to see everyone looking at him, starting to pant. A little girl screamed.

"He has demon eyes!" She cried.

"N-no! I'm not a demon!" Yan cried. Suddenly, he felt his right sandal being yanked off. Yan looked at his foot and then up at the larger kid, who was now dangling his sandal.

"I'll take this! Run home now, demon! To hell!" The larger kid said. Yan scrambled to his feet and began to run, but the larger kid followed him, hitting him with the sandal until he left the park. Yan kept on running until his other sandal broke. He took it off and held it, running home barefoot.

When he came home, his mother was waiting for him. His mother looked at him, realizing that he was dirty and holding one of his sandals in his arms. His mother bent down, looking concerned.

"What did you do?" She said. Yan's eyes fell.

"I went to the park… The other kids called me a demon…"

"I told you to never go to the park alone!" She cried. She then gently wiped some sand from his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Yan. How about you take a bath and I'll make you some mooncakes?" Yan's eyes filled with tears. He ran upstairs and ran straight to his room, locking the door. He sat on his knees and reached under his bed, pulling out a book with the title of "Dark Watao Magic." He flipped through the pages, reading. His mother came knocking at the door, but Yan didn't answer. She decided she would leave him be and leave a plate of freshly baked mooncakes at his door. Yan read the book, deep into the night, until he fell asleep at sunrise.

That day, his mother was away again. Yan changed out of his dirty clothes and exited his room, walking past the plate of mooncakes. It was hot outside and he was barefoot, but he didn't care; he wanted to go to the park. Yan looked around, not seeing the bully he saw yesterday, and let out a sigh of relief. He then sat down on a swing and began to swing back and forth. He smiled and kicked his feet in the air. Suddenly, he saw the larger kid enter the park. He panicked and jumped off the swing. The larger kid spotted him and immediately began chasing him. Yan was fast, but not fast enough to escape. The larger kid cornered him against the fence of the park.

"Die, demon! You don't belong in this world!" The larger kid said. "I see you don't have any shoes, so I'm just going to have to beat you with my hands!" The kid laughed as he approached him. Yan began to nervously chant to himself. The larger kid froze. "What are you babbling about?"

"Banjiyuu, minen da shin shien…" Yan said over and over. Suddenly, his hands began to glow.

"You really are a demon!" The larger kid said. He then went to punch Yan when suddenly, long, hair-thin strings came out from his fingers, wrapping around the larger kid. They bound him tight, strings squeezing his neck. Yan moved his fingers, making sure that his fist wouldn't move any further. The larger kid's face began to flush red until his head suddenly dropped. The strings retracted, releasing him, and the larger kid fell to the ground. The other children had been watching, horrified. Yan looked around him, looking scared. Just what had he done? A kid screamed.

"He's a demon! A demon!" The children ran from him, running out of the park. Yan looked down at the larger kid's dead body, studying it for a bit. His eyes suddenly widened and he ran home as fast as he could. He then ran upstairs to his room and took a sash from one of his robes. He quietly crept to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, beginning to cry. He then slowly wrapped the sash around his eyes, tying it in the back.

That night, he had been told by the authorities that his mother had died on her way home from a heart attack. His father tried to comfort Yan remotely—on the phone—but Yan rejected it and hung up on him. Instead, he went back to his room, reading the "Dark Watao Magic" book, smiling…

Then came another memory of him when he was twenty. He was bowing before a large pair of boots in the dark. Just then, a pair of hands offered a caster staff to Yan, Yan taking it into his own. A deep voice spoke.

"YOU ARE A PRODIGY, YAN, AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I WILL BE ASSIGNING YOU TO THE SON OF CAPTAIN HEIHOZU , HEIHOZU ERZI."

"Yes, my lord…" Yan said firmly, eyes low.

"HAZANKO HAS FAILED. YOUR MISSION IS TO FIND THE DOLL. GO NOW."

"Yes, my lord…" Yan said, standing up. He bowed and turned to leave…

"Someone's going to die tomorrow." Yan said to the bartender, who was cleaning some glasses. Yan took another sip, savoring it before he swallowed.

That night, the crew of the Aurum was staying in a hotel. Ron, Harper, and Melody were in one room.

"I don't trust you! You better keep your dirty hands off of me!" Melody said, glaring at Ron.

"I'm not interested in children." He said, hands on his hips.

"I'm not a child! You're just a dirty old man!"

"Dirty old man?! You know what?! Forget it! I'm going to bed."

"I want to sleep with Harper. He's fluffy." Melody said, turning to him. Harper cocked his head.

"'Fluffy?'" Harper said, looking down at himself.

"Yes! With all of those pretty feathers!"

"I guess I am…" Harper laughed, letting out a small screech. Suddenly, a pillow flew right into his face.

"Shut up." Ron said, his face down into a pillow. Harper glared at him and then got into the other bed.

In the other room was Harry and Lark, sharing one large bed. The room was dark and they were both lying on their sides, facing each other.

"I was so scared…" Lark said quietly. "I felt like she wanted me like I was some kind of… well, not a person." Harry frowned.

"Sometimes there are people like that… In fact… Well, can I tell you something, Lark? It all came back to me when I shot Pearl. It's why I couldn't say anything right away…" Harry's eyes fell.

"I'll listen." Lark said, taking one of his hands into his.

"You're shaking…" Harry commented.

"I'm sorry…" Lark apologized.

"Don't be." Harry said. He paused and then let out a big sigh. "Lark. I was once like Pearl Hart." Lark's eyes widened.

"I had an obsession with a woman named Melfina. She was the one you saw on Pewter VI—the one that looked like you… I wanted her because I thought she was like me—different from others… And because of that, I thought we belonged together…"

"Is that why you like me? Because I am like her?" Lark said, his throat tightening.

"No… It's more than that…I mean—" Harry blushed a bit. "When I'm with you, I actually feel a connection. There was no kind of connection between Melfina and I, and it was wrong of me to try to think there was one…" Harry's eyes began to tear up. "I wanted her so bad…" Lark went silent. He felt conflicted about everything. Could he really believe him? His tears certainly told him that he was tormenting himself. "Lark… I don't know how you could be kind to me… Especially after what I've just told you… I'm not a good person…" Harry said, tears running down his cheeks. Lark said nothing as he reached up to wipe away one of Harry's tears with his thumb.

"I think… You're different now… and that you deserve kindness, just like everyone else…" Lark said, gently smiling at him. This only made Harry cry harder. Lark then put his arm around his neck and pulled close, burying his nose into Harry's shoulder. Harry's eyes widened and he fell silent. Lark was so close to him now. He could feel his warm breaths falling onto his skin. Harry began to feel a different emotion; sadness had melted away. Instead, he felt "warm." He closed his eyes, squeezing out a couple more tears, and began to fall asleep…

The next day, Melody was marching to the ship.

"March, everyone! We have a long trip ahead of us!" Melody said as she approached the Aurum. "I can't wait to get to Watao! All of you have to try the latest Watao fashions out!" Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the main door to the ship. It was Yan, standing with his staff.

"Give me the boy and I will make your death a silent one." Yan said, walking forward. Ron took out his gun.

"Everyone, get in the ship." Ron commanded.

"No! I'm the captain!" Melody shouted, getting into a defensive position.

"Your funeral."

Ron began to shoot at Yan, who began running to dodge his shots. Lark opened the door and the three of them ran inside. Melody observed Ron and Yan silently. When Ron got him far away enough from the ship, he opened his jacket up to reveal his caster staff strapped to his side. Yan took off his blindfold, revealing a pair of light blue eyes with rectangular pupils. Ron took his staff out and swung it, immediately shooting a ball of energy at Yan. Yan slammed the base of his staff on the ground, creating a barrier. The ball of energy bounced off and hit a cactus, causing it to shrivel instantly. Ron cursed.

"I just gotta catch him off guard then!" Ron thought to himself. Yan shot out his own ball of energy, leaving him open for an attack, but Ron made a barrier instead. Ron grinned. Yan made a face and the two of them resumed fighting. Yan slowly made sure to get closer to Ron until he could chant a spell.

"Mingyun de qin xian!" Yan cried. Suddenly, hair-thin strings came out of his fingers and wrapped around Ron, binding him tight. Ron began to make choking noises as the ones around his throat began to press hard against his voice box. "Die quietly now." Yan said softly. Just then, a small voice called behind him.

"Eat my sixes!" The voice said. Yan turned around to see Melody aiming two bronze caster revolvers at him. She shot him, the bullets turning into powder once they hit his back. Yan chuckled.

"Cute." Yan said. Suddenly, the strings coming out of his fingers released Ron and bound Yan instead, slowly squeezing him tight. Melody smiled cockily. "Number six: reverse spell shell." Yan glared at Melody in silence until his own strings squeezed his final breath from him; he fell over. Ron looked at Melody, surprised.

"Well, thanks, Cricket! How did you get those things?" Ron said, eyes on her caster revolvers.

"A gift from dad on Qixi!" Melody said, giggling.

Ron and Melody joined everyone else on the ship.

"Welp, he's gone now, so it's time to go!" Melody said in a chipper tone.

Once they left Shar's orbit, Melody walked around. She blushed when she saw Harry and Lark in their navigation tubes.

"You're both naked!" She cried.

"Yes? And?" Harry said, his voice coming through the speaker on the ship.

"How did you talk without your lips moving?!"

"It's just how it works." Harry said, sighing.

She then sat on the dashboard next to Ron. She was smiling at him.

"I don't think you really meant it when you thanked me earlier." She said, kicking her feet.

"Cricket, don't get cute with me." Ron said, quirking a brow. Melody imitated his face.

"Cricket, don't get cute with me." Melody said, mocking him.

"And get off the dashboard." Ron ordered.

"And get off the dashboard."

"Cricket!"

"CRICKET!" She yelled, beginning to giggle. Ron sighed and then smiled. "So, are you going to see your father on Watao?"

"My father went to join the Kei pirates a couple of years ago. I'm sure he'll be back any day now." She said. Ron's smile left him. He couldn't help but to assume the worst, but he wouldn't tell her that. Suddenly, an alarm went off. A picture of the Juiju appeared on the main screen.

"What the? Who is that?" Ron looked up at the screen.

"They're getting really close…" Lark said.

"It looks like they're trying to send a transmission. Main screen turn on." Harry said, the screen changing to a picture of Captain Heihozu.

"Ha ha ha! Thought you could elude me again, didn't you, Aurum?!" He said.

"Surrender the Aurum and I'll let you all live… just kidding! Ha ha ha!"

"This guy sure laughs a lot…" Harry said.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can take you seriously… especially with that big hair of yours." Ron said, snickering.

"It's a pompadour and very much so a popular hairstyle! Now, hand over the Aurum! And the doll!"

"Why is he calling me a doll?" Lark said, sounding a little upset.

"That's just what the pirates have nicknamed you. Dunno why since you look very real to me." Melody said. She then jumped up, looking as if she realized something. She pointed at the screen. "Wait a second! Heihozu Erzi, is that you?! The coward?" Melody cried.

"How do you know my first name?!" Captain Heihozu cried. "Who are you?!"

"I am Melody Malo, daughter of the famous space pirate Xiaowei! And you are son of Heihozu Fuqin!"

"'Xiaowei?' Who is that?" Captain Heihozu said, sounding genuinely curious.

"Grr! I order you to off this guy!" Melody commanded.

"Sounds like a plan. I like your style, Melody." Ron said, smiling.

"Like you can! If I have to cut you up a bit, I'll do it! You have no choice—I mean—chance to survive! So, make your time! Niyuu, Jiyuu! Prepare for combat!" Captain Heihozu ordered, the transmission ending. Just then, an image of the Juiju appeared on the screen again. Four arms emerged, holding large Dao swords in its hands.

"Weapons?" Lark said, eyes widening.

"Shit! Combat mode engage!" Ron shouted, two throttles rising in front of him. "Harry! Gunna need your help on this one!"

"We'll do our best!" Harry responded.

The Juiju approached, ready to attack. The Aurum's grappler arms banged their fists together.

"Come at me!" Ron said, rushing towards them. The thrusters of the Juiju pushed itself back and swung one of its blades in an attempt to cut one of the Aurum's arms with the tip of its blade. It missed, since Harry quickly activated the thrusters to push themselves back in time. The Juiju then rushed at the Aurum, but Lark made the thrusters push the Aurum back out of its range.

"Stay still!" Captain Heihozu cried as the Juiju wildly swung its blades at them.

"What are we going to do?! Lark, we can't keep on running!" Harry cried.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Lark yelled.

"We'll overheat the engine if we keep this up!" Harper warned.

"Then you know what we need to do. Harry, Lark. Let's go." The Aurum made a sudden stop and rolled to dodge the Juiju. The Juiju stopped and turned itself around to face the Aurum. The two of them rushed at each other and clashed, the Aurum grabbing the fists of the Juiju. The Juiju continued to push itself forward, the Aurum struggling to keep them from swinging its blades. Ron was sweating, pushing the throttles hard.

"They're going to slice our arms off!" Melody cried.

"Damn it!" Ron said through his teeth. Lark's eyes widened. Suddenly, both navigational tubes sunk down into the ship. Ron looked back, looking alarmed. "What the hell just happened?! Harry?! Lark?!" Ron then turned around to focus on holding the Juiju's fists. Suddenly, the hands of the Aurum swung the Juiju aside, throwing it off balance. The Aurum then began to turn from gold to white. All of the buttons on the dashboards glowed bright. Ron let go of the thrusters, panting. Just then, the wings of the Aurum opened, showing off some fin-like webbing between each part.

"What in the world?!" Captain Heihozu fell back. He then scrambled to his feet, heading for the escape pods. Suddenly, two waves of bright blue energy formed in front of the wings of the Aurum, and with a flap of the wings, the energy was flung at the Juiju. They both hit the Juiju's engine, causing it to explode. Ron, Harper, and Melody watched the explosion expand. Without Ron doing anything, the Aurum pushed itself back and out of reach of the explosion. Once it faded, revealing the wreckage, Ron, Harper, and Melody cheered. The navigational tubes rose up again.

In the digital world, Harry and Lark were holding hands. They had white halos above their heads, which slowly faded away.

"That was strange…" Harry said, confused.

"That was AWESOME!" Harper cried.

"No matter why the pirates want this baby!" Ron said, laughing. "Can't help but to feel bad for that clumsy pompadour guy!"

"I don't think any pirates know about a ship having a move like that!" Melody said, jumping up and down.

"The ship has changed color…" Lark said calmly.

"Maybe the ship went into some kind of… 'overdrive mode?'" Harper suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, it'll sure help disguise the ship, I guess…" Ron caught his breath. "So, guys, I was thinking… Maybe we should try to find out more about the Aurum on Watao. I learned that this was the planet where the Aurum was built, so there isn't a better place to look. Now that it's doing all these kind of crazy things, I feel like we need to know what it's capable of."

"I'm sure I can help you with that! But there's one thing!" Melody said, looking at Ron.

"What's that, Cricket?"

"Well, the ship may be in disguise, but you should too, and I know just how to do that!" Melody said with a grin.

"And why are you helping us? I just thought you wanted a ride?"

"Because I love shopping!" Melody said, giggling. Ron almost fell over.

Meanwhile, the escape pod crashed on Watao. Captain Heihozu got out, stumbling to his feet. He walked up to a large palace, going inside after a couple of guards spoke with him.

Captain Heihozu was standing in a black room, a single spotlight on him.

"My lord! You must forgive me! They… they blew up my ship!" Captain Heihozu whined, sinking to his knees. A deep voice responded.

"YOU HAVE FAILED ME, HEIHOZU. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING I CAN PROMISE YOU AND THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE YOUR OWN LIFE."

"Wh-what?!" Captain Heihozu said, wiping his snotty nose.

"IF YOU CAN ESCAPE MY PALACE, YOU MAY LIVE. OTHERWISE, I BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN…"

Captain Heihozu immediately jumped to his feet. Suddenly, a ball of energy was thrown out of the darkness at him. Captain Heihozu jumped back, whimpering, and began to run, running out of the spotlight.