Author's Note: A faster update this time around as we approach the last 4 or 5 chapters of the story (my best guess). I hope you enjoy Ichigo's realization of what the power of the Talisman really is, and what he must do to wield it! Will Ichigo ever be able to return home to London? And what of Hisagi and the Vincent? I promise you'll find out soon!-Lex
Chapter Twenty-One: Seaworthy*
Rukia and Ichigo scrambled up on deck, swords drawn.
"What took you so long?" Hitsugaya stood, arms crossed, scowling.
Ichigo looked up and saw that all the sails had been raised. Struggling to hide his surprise, he said, coolly, "What's the rush? It's clear you didn't need our help."
Hitsugaya ignored this, then motioned to a group of sailors sitting bound and gagged near the shrouds. "Rukia, ready the helm. Kurosaki, help me get them below decks. They'll make good hostages."
Ichigo looked at Hitsugaya, his face suddenly hard. "No hostages. We release them, here and now. We can put them in the launches."
Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo could see the man – barely more than a boy, really – who had introduced himself as Jones. He looked terrified.
"Release them," Ichigo said, his eyes once again fixed on Hitsugaya's.
"You're a fool, Captain," Hitsugaya replied, angrily. "You know what the Commodore is capable of – you've witnessed it firsthand. We will not harm them, but they could be useful if…"
"Release them," Ichigo repeated, cutting across Hitsugaya, his expression unchanged. "It will not serve us well to act with the same ruthlessness as our enemy."
Hitsugaya looked at Rukia.
"Captain Hitsugaya," she said, clearly torn between her duty to Hitsugaya, technically her superior, and her loyalty to Ichigo, "I understand your concern, but Ichigo is right. It does us little good to use the same tactics as the enemy here."
Ichigo saw Jones squirm slightly, his eyes wide, pleading.
"If you do not agree to release them, then you might as well tie me up and toss me below along with them," Ichigo said. "I will not help you."
Hitsugaya scowled once again. He was clearly exasperated, but he knew that they could not hope to recover the ship without Ichigo's help.
"Have it your way," he said, his voice cold. "It's your death, too."
Ichigo turned to the men on deck and caught Jones' eye, then looked away. The sailor was plainly relieved. Ichigo sighed. He knew that letting the men go after allowing them to overhear his exchange with Hitsugaya was tantamount to signing his own death warrant.
"It's not as if they can hang you twice," he thought darkly, shaking his head as he and Hitsugaya began the task of moving the men to the launches. "What difference will it make if there are more good men who can tell the tale at my court-martial? My fate is sealed."
Twenty minutes later, Ichigo and Hitsugaya joined Rukia back on deck, having transferred all the Navy men to the launches at the side of the ship and sending them drifting back towards the docks. Hitsugaya, still angry with Ichigo for insisting the men be released, made a point of noting several times that they were now left with no launches in which to escape, should the ship go down in a fight.
"What next?" Ichigo asked, looking at Hitsugaya. He would allow Hitsugaya to give the orders – for now. Still seething from locking horns, the two men stood on opposite sides of Rukia, the tension in the air palpable.
"It's nearly sunrise," Rukia said, exasperated with both men. "We need to weigh anchor."
It took them only minutes to pull up the anchor. Hitsugaya, using something similar to the blue rope he had created to get them safely aboard, easily turned the winch that normally required a half-dozen men. The enormous anchor now released from the mucky bottom, the ship began to drift slightly.
"Not enough wind," Ichigo said, "although we're fortunate – it's coming from the right direction."
Hitsugaya, who hadn't said a word since their disagreement over releasing the men, glowered at Ichigo. Then, with a movement clearly designed to achieve the maximum effect, he lifted his hand and the sails began to fill. Ichigo, stunned at how simple Hitsugaya had made it look, forced his jaw shut again and wondered if he would ever be able to control his powers as easily.
He looked down at his hand to where the Talisman had joined with his own body and sighed. What use was it to know that he possessed great power if he had absolutely no idea how to use it? And if Hitsugaya, perhaps the oldest living Druid on Earth, had little idea of how the Talisman might be wielded, how would he, a complete novice, ever hope to learn to control its powers? That thought, and the fact that he still felt dizzy and slightly weak, did little to improve his mood.
The two men walked back over to where Rukia stood, making small adjustments to the helm, gently urging the ship onward through the now fog-covered water at the entrance to the harbor.
"There's a large shoal to the left of the entrance and along the shore," said Hitsugaya, pointing out the starboard side and towards the mouth of the harbor.
Rukia nodded and adjusted the ship's direction once more. Ichigo watched her manipulate the ship with pleasure, noting her skillfulness in navigating such a tricky passage. He noted with some sadness that a sailor with such skills would have be entirely ignored by the Royal Navy simply because of her sex – she was far more talented than most of the officers he himself had observed through the years.
"She's one of the best," Hitsugaya said, noting Ichigo's admiration. "Urahara taught her well, but she's also got excellent instincts, especially in battle." Rukia smiled, pleased that the two men were no longer at each other's throats.
"I'll climb up top and take a look," Ichigo said, grabbing a brass telescope from a small table next to the wheel, "it's hard to see anything from the decks." Rukia nodded, and Ichigo made for the crow's nest.
The sun was now at the edge of the horizon and the sky was a brilliant fuchsia and orange. It took Ichigo only a minute or two to reach the high platform, and he found himself smiling to himself as he did so. As captain of the Vincent, he rarely had reason to make such a climb – in fact, the crow's nest was one of the most detested duties aboard his own ship. Up here, more than several dozen feet above the main deck, it was usually extraordinarily cold, and even the most seasoned sailor would be hard pressed not to get sick in rough weather. This morning, however, the calm waters and beautiful sunrise made Ichigo smile serenely. It had truly been far too long since he had last been at sea.
He put the cold spyglass to his right eye and looked out over the waters beyond the entrance to the harbor, scanning the horizon from left to right and back again for any other ships. At first, he saw nothing – the dim light making it difficult to make out the familiar shape of a mast or sails. Then, as they moved past the harbor entrance, he saw something at the farthest reaches of his vision. A ship, no doubt, with two, perhaps three masts. Her sails were not raised. He quickly climbed back down the mast, stashing the spyglass in his belt.
"What did you see?" Rukia asked, seeing Ichigo's haste in descending from the mast.
"A ship at ten o'clock, on the horizon," he replied, with concern. "No sails."
"It wouldn't be my men," Hitsugaya said, stating the obvious. "Even if they had been able to make good headway, they would have the sails raised."
"Ichimaru," Ichigo said, as if the name was poisonous. "Or, if we're luckier, the Vincent. At this distance, both ships would appear the same."
"If it is Ichimaru, but his sails aren't raised," Rukia said, still focusing on the horizon, "we at least have a little time before they can give chase."
Hitsugaya nodded, but he was obviously concerned. With the shoal to their starboard, they would have to follow a very narrow channel between the mainland and the reef. Any unfriendly ship would know where they were headed.
"Can you give us more speed?" Ichigo asked his companions – he had no idea what to do to fill the sails.
"Aye," replied Hitsugaya, "but if it is Ichimaru, and he is one of us, he will know immediately that we are here."
"He'll know soon enough, anyhow," Ichigo said darkly. "They've probably already spotted us. There were no other big ships in the harbor. They'll know it's the Soul Warrior, for sure."
"Take the helm, Kurosaki," said Hitsugaya, motioning Rukia to the forward mast and taking his own place at the aft.
Ichigo grabbed the wheel just as the ship began to pick up speed.
"Harden her up, boys!" Rukia shouted with a grin. "She still has a knot or two to show for it." Ichigo looked at her and she grinned back. "She beat the Vincent in the storm, with half the men you had."
She laughed and ran with Hitsugaya over to the ropes, pulling the mainsails in. The wind Hitsugaya had created blew harder still.
"There are several small islands at three o'clock," Hitsugaya said, slightly breathless from the effort. "You should be able to see them once we clear the shoal. We can at least put them between us and the other ship – it'll give us a bit more distance in the end."
Ichigo nodded, adjusting course to point at the islands.
The sun was now almost directly at their backs. Ichigo knew that they were now clearly visible to any approaching ship.
"Time to ready the cannons," Ichigo said to the others.
"Cannons?" Rukia asked, surprised.
"I don't intend to sink Ichimaru's ship," Ichigo explained, assuming that she found his suggestion to run contrary to his earlier actions in protecting the Navy guards from harm. "Still, it may come in handy to slow them down. Where is the gunpowder stored?"
"We don't carry gunpowder," Rukia replied, as if no self-respecting pirate ship had gunpowder for its cannons.
"No gunpowder? Then how do you fire your cannons?" Ichigo was stunned.
"We've never fired them," she replied. "They're just for show. A little disincentive for Navy ships or other pirates, you could say."
Ichigo looked dismayed, but Hitsugaya merely shook his head as if Ichigo were a particularly dull child who needed everything explained it overly simple terms. "Druids don't need cannons, Kurosaki," he said. "Our weapons are far more powerful."
Again, Ichigo felt like a dolt. He had once again underestimated or simply not considered the possibilities. He turned and looked out again at the horizon, ostensibly to check to see the position of the other ship. In truth, he simply did not want to see Hitsugaya gloat.
"They're raising their sails," he said, almost distractedly. He put the spyglass back to his eye and felt another wave of dizziness come over him. His fingers tingled slightly, and he felt his heart pound in his chest.
"It's getting worse," he thought. This surprised him; he had expected the Talisman would become easier to tolerate, not more difficult. He rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose; it would not help anyone if he were less than focused for the possible battle they faced. He stopped rubbing, pinching the skin on his nose, his eyes shut.
"Anchors aweigh! Hard about!"
Ichigo opened his eyes. "Did you just say something?" he asked, looking at Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "No," he replied, warily.
"I thought I heard someone shout," Ichigo said. This time, he felt a sharp stab in his left eye socket and forced his eyes shut once again.
"Harden her up! We'll never catch them before they reach the islands at this rate!"
Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he stared off the bow of the ship. "That's Ichimaru's ship, the Gallant," he said.
"How can you tell at this distance?" Rukia asked, adjusting course slightly as they caught a slight gust from the east, and the sails luffed slightly.
"I…," Ichigo hesitated, "I heard Ichimaru speak."
Hitsugaya looked at Ichigo strangely. "You heard him?" he said, incredulously. "At this distance?"
Ichigo frowned. Hitsugaya's attitude had once again stretched him to the limits, and he struggled to keep his temper in check. "I know what I heard," he said, "and, frankly, I don't give a damn if you believe me or not."
"Ichigo," warned Rukia, "it won't help us if you two get into fisticuffs."
"I'm tired of his attitude," Ichigo heard himself say. It was as if his mouth had a mind of its own. He felt his anger rise and realized he was clenching his fists so hard it hurt. He was an officer of the Royal Navy; he had learned to control his temper over the years. So why was he finding it so hard to do the same now?
"Ichigo."
Ichigo blinked hard. Zangetsu! He had nearly forgotten about the sword spirit.
"You can slow them down."
"I don't know how," Ichigo complained, feeling more frustrated than ever. He wanted explanations, not possibilities.
"You have wielded the Talisman before, your soul will remember," Zangetsu replied.
"My soul?" Ichigo nearly shouted in his mind. "But…"
"You will not hear your soul speak if you do not take the time to listen," the sword spirit replied, calmly.
Ichigo took a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with him, anyhow? He had commanded his own ship; he had been able to calmly and rationally approach difficult situations. He had risked his life countless times and come through it unscathed. Why now did he feel as though he would explode with anger. Why did he feel so overwhelmed?
"It is the stone, Ichigo, which disturbs your peace," Zangetsu answered. "I can feel it as well. You are trying to control it. You are holding it back."
"Of course I want to control it," Ichigo snapped, all the while watching Gin's ship drawing closer. "Weapons are meant to be controlled."
"It is not simply a weapon," Zangetsu replied. "It is nearly as old as humanity. It has its own life. It is alive. It lives and breathes. It feels."
"Alive?" Ichigo had heard the Talisman described as something created from the flesh of his ancestors, but he had never considered the object to be a living thing. "You mean, like a soul?"
"It does not feel exactly like a soul," explained Zangetsu. "But I sense that it is struggling to be released. It is struggling against you, and you against it."
Was this the reason Ichigo felt uncomfortable in his own skin? The thought of relinquishing control over the Talisman was a frightening one. It felt as though he would be swallowed by it, although he could not explain it. He had spent a lifetime learning to control his temper, to project the confidence required of a naval officer.
"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted, waking him from his reverie. Ichigo looked a saw that Gin's ship was nearly upon them.
"How did they…?" he began, but one look at Hitsugaya provided him with the answer. Gin was one of them – a Druid or, more likely, one of the Druids who had broken away from Ichigo's descendants. If Hitsugaya could create wind, so could Gin.
"Ichigo," called Zangetsu. "You can defend the ship, but you must let go."
How did one let go of something? How could he call the Talisman's power?
"Kurosaki, I need you on the foredeck!" shouted Hitsugaya. Ichigo ran forward. He could see it up ahead to starboard – a dark reef that stuck out from under the waves in a least a dozen places. If they struck the reef, the hull would breach and the ship would sink. He knew better than to think Druid powers could make a reef simply disappear. He look to port, and saw Gin's ship. They needed at least fifty yards to clear the visible part of the reef. They needed to head directly for Gin's ship or the reef would rip through the Warrior's hull.
"What do I do?" Ichigo asked, seeing the desperation in Hitsugaya's eyes.
"We can try to move the ship," Hitsugaya replied.
"Like Rukia did, when I first chased her?" Ichigo said, understanding dawning.
"Yes," Hitsugaya replied.
"They will still be able to follow," Ichigo said and, judging by the look on Hitsugaya's face, he knew he was right.
"It will buy us a little time," Hitsugaya answered.
For a moment, Hitsugaya's face seemed to fade in and out of Ichigo's vision. He grabbed a set of ropes to his left to steady himself. The dizziness had gotten worse, although the seas were calm and the boat barely rocked.
"Let go, Ichigo." Zangetsu once again, more insistent this time.
Ichigo looked at Hitsugaya. "No," he said. "We don't need to move the ship. I can stop them."
"Exactly how do you propose doing that?" Hitsugaya said, scowling.
"I…," Ichigo hesitated. "I'm not sure. I just know…"
There was a huge explosion several yards off the portside of the ship. The once calm sea rose, and the boat heeled starboard. Several crates which had not been properly lashed down slid, hitting the side rails hard. One of the rails broke and the crate fell overboard.
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, fearing for her safety.
"She's fine, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya shouted, as Ichigo ran. Ichigo, ignoring the other man's shouts, ran to the cockpit. One of the crates had broken the railing next to where Rukia stood, fighting the wheel to keep the ship from the reef. The crate was inches from her, precariously balanced between the remaining rail and the wheel.
"Are you alright?" Ichigo yelled, reaching her and pushing the crate free. It slid a few feet away, and stopped.
"I'm fine," she snapped, her eyes narrowed, clearly irritated that he had left his position to check on her. "You and Captain Hitsugaya need to get us some room to maneuver, or they won't be any ship left for us to hold onto."
Another wave of dizziness hit him, and he doubled over, vomiting on the deck. Rukia knew better than to ask if Ichigo was seasick. Her angry expression was replaced by one of concern. "Ichigo," she said, catching his elbow as another wave hit them, her other arm holding the wheel steady.'
"I'm fine," he said, coughing.
"No, you're not," she shouted, angry again.
"Kurosaki!" yelled Hitsugaya. Ichigo looked forward and saw the Gallant. She was no more than two hundred yards away. There was another explosion as she fired a second shot across the Warrior's bow.
"They won't risk sinking the ship. They need me alive," Ichigo thought, as he watched the approaching ship. "For now, at least."
He had to do something. Despite the wake from the explosion which threatened to knock him off his feet once more, he forced himself to block out the creaking of the ship and the crashing of the wake against the bow.
"Show me what to do. Do what you will with me, but help me protect them!" he thought, desperately.
For a moment, he felt nothing but dizziness. Then, in quick succession, he felt the same pain as he had in the cave when the stone had joined with his body. He felt a tingling sensation in his arms. His hands grew hot and he felt heat radiate from his chest.
Rukia stared at him and he knew his eyes were blue once more.
"Ichigo…," Rukia began, her voice trailing off.
Ichigo smiled. "Don't worry, Rukia," he said, his body now surrounded with a white-blue light. This felt right. It was as if he knew what he must do – as if he had known it all along.
He raised his right hand towards the water and closed his eyes, visualizing the shallow, rolling waves. He could feel the water in his mind, just as he could feel the location of the reef. He sensed Gin's ship nearby, felt its hull cut through the water. He could feel the souls of the sixty-three men aboard Gin's ship as though they were tiny beacons of light, and he could feel the souls of his own shipmates. He felt the tiny spark of life within Rukia and he reached out to it instinctively and smiled.
He opened his eyes and reached out to the water as if trying to call it to him. The waves leapt away from the Soul Warrior, barely rocking her, but hitting the Gallant's bow more than ten feet in the air. The Gallant reeled from the blow and, as Rukia and Hitsugaya watched in silent wonder, the Gallant began to move across the surface of the water away from the Warrior, as if pushed by an enormous hand.
Rukia turned the wheel hard, missing the reef by only yards. Ichigo knew their keel would not touch the sharp coral beneath the waves; he could sense it as clearly as if it were before his eyes. He could feel the ocean, teeming with life, from the smallest creatures beneath the sand to the dolphin and sharks. He could feel the coral and the fish that swam about it; he could feel the plants that clung to the sandy bottom and even the plankton that were buffeted about by the current.
And in that moment, he understood why the orange-haired boy from London, who had had no seafaring experience, would have been so drawn to the ocean all his life. This was the power of the Talisman: the power to manipulate the seas themselves and to sense every living creature within or upon them. This was his power. And, in an instant, he found that remembered every bit of it.
*Seaworthy: Certified for, and capable of, safely sailing at sea.