His sword clanged to the ground, the cutlass just out of his reach as he was forced to his knees.
"Drop your weapons," the guard standing above Crow ordered, pressing his sword close to the pirate captain's neck for emphasis. In front of Crow behind the guard, stood Toyo and Zen surrounded by a group of armed guards with weapons poised to attack. All three of them were already in bad shape. The battle had not turned in their favor after Seto and the girls escaped up the stairs. The noise of their battle with the first two guards they encountered had made the guards within ear shot come running. Quickly outnumbered, the fight went downhill from there to where it was now.
The two crewmen hesitated, eying the guards with disdain before they glanced worriedly in their captain's direction.
Their weapons clattered to the ground.
In a rush of bodies, Zen and Toyo were forced to the ground in the same position as Crow, and their hands were bound. The blade still pressed against his throat, Crow sneered at the guard as he motioned for one of his men to restrain the purple wearing teen.
"Where is the rest of your crew?" The guard asked.
"Dunno what you're talking about." Crow answered with a smirk that was quickly replaced with a wince as the blade bit into his skin.
"Where is the princess?" The guard growled. This time the pirate didn't answer. Livid, the guard pressed the sword harder against the pirate's neck until, in the faint glow of torchlight, the outline of blood running down the blade was visible.
Suddenly it was pulled back and Crow was hauled onto his feet by another pair of guards.
"Take them back to their cells; make sure they are as far away from each other as possible. The rest of their group must have made it upstairs," the guard said, casting his eyes to the two, bleeding, unconscious guards that had been standing guard by the stairway. "Search the entire plaza. I don't care what you do with them when you find them, but make sure you bring the Princess back alive."
Crow felt panic hit him like a blow to the chest as he was dragged away. He struggled fruitlessly against the guards holding him.
Seto.
The hall they entered ended in a dead end. Up against the back wall, Mar was standing defensively in front of the Princess with his arms stretched out as if to completely block any attacks that came their way. However, as far as could be told, he was completely unarmed unlike the three guards that stood blocking any sort of exit they might have had. As it was, they had no escape and their capture seemed almost inevitable.
The Princess was the first to notice them sneaking up behind the pack of guards, her eyes wide; with fear, surprise, or both Seto wasn't quite sure. It seemed that her already desperate grip on the merchant's back became tighter when she saw them, which only made Mar tense up ready to attack the guards. He seemed to have not noticed them yet, but neither had the guards. Silently, the trio came up from behind the group with their ill acquired weapons in hand. Finally, when they got close enough, Ren and Seto raised their 'weapons' ready to attack.
Mar took this moment to notice them and look surprised. The guards looked at each other puzzled before they began to turn their heads back. Seto and Ren took this moment to attack and slammed their respective weapons into the two closest helmeted heads.
Ren's was effective enough in knocking out the guard, though the lily statue suffered a large crack upon impact, and it was unlikely it would be able to take another hit like that. Seto's butterfly net only served to disorientate the guard with the loud echo caused by the strike to the somewhat hollow helmet. The third guard that had not taken a hit quickly composed himself from the surprise attack and drew his sword, swinging it immediately at Seto's head.
The maroonette reacted quickly, raising the butterfly net to block the blow. The blade nearly cleaved through the wooden shaft, shattering the wood almost completely upon impact. The guard pressed his weight against Seto causing the sword to sink deeper and deeper into the handle. The teen was almost sure that if he didn't do something soon that the butterfly net was going to snap and that blade was going to land straight in his chest.
In his moment of panic, something then… clicked in Seto's brain. He suddenly felt relaxed.
Seto collapsed his knees suddenly, causing the guard to fall forward. In a single, swift movement, the blue clad boy wrenched his improvised weapon free of the guard's sword and rolled away. The guard stumbled, nearly losing his balance due to the sudden momentum, and swung behind him blindly as he regained his balance. Seto barely dodged the blade as it swung close to his torso and raised his 'weapon' to counter attack.
Fully facing him now, the guard blocked the attack; further splintering the butterfly net's handle. The guard pulled back and struck forward again. This time Seto countered him and deflected the blade along the length of the butterfly net. The guard pulled back once again, and stared at Seto with a mixture of confusion and anger, like he couldn't believe he hadn't cut the boy down already. Foot over foot, they circled each other for a moment, their eyes locked on each other and watching for sudden movements. Foot over foot, until the guard made a sudden lunge forward, his sword aimed directly at Seto's gut.
The maroon haired boy jumped back, though not quickly enough as the tip of the sword just barely scratched the fabric of the shirt he had on. Having the opening he needed, Seto came in close to the guard and flipped the butterfly net around to the hilt before stabbing it downwards. He managed a hit on the edge of where the shoulder pads ended, where the skin of the man's neck started.
For a moment, the man simply looked dazed, his eyes wide and unmoving, until he collapsed to the ground in a heap.
Seto panted, the broken net still clasped tightly in his hand as he tried to regain his breath and his composure. He had no idea what had just occurred, or if he should be worried about it or thankful. Shaking himself out of his thoughts Seto knelt down next to the guard to check his pulse, relief flooding him as he found that the man was just unconscious and not dead. Carefully, he slipped the sword out of the man's hand for later use, gripping it in his other hand.
The boy turned as he heard the other guard crumple to the ground, Mar kneeling in front of the body with a sword in his hand and Ren standing behind, the lily statue broken completely in two and a triumphant look on her face. Seto couldn't help but smile at that a little.
Glancing around, he noted that the Princess had barely moved from her spot at the end of the hall, though she had collapsed to her knees where she had been standing. Seto had to muse (in a voice that sounded suspiciously Crow-like) that she wasn't used to so much excitement. Suspiciously he looked around for the other member of their group, only to find with a scowl that Sai had not moved either.
Turning to face her, he flat out said "You could have helped, you know." On his face was an uncharacteristic glare.
She stared at him for a few seconds, an eyebrow rising appraisingly, and replied with a simple "I didn't have anything to fight with."
Seto immediately opened his mouth with a retort. To tell her that she had had plenty of time to pick something up before they came into the hallway. To tell her that there were dozens of items around her that she could have grabbed and used. So many things he could have said raced through his mind that he could have said, but he stubbornly closed his mouth against them, his fists clenching around the weapons in his hands. This was not the time or place, he reasoned, to get into a fight with someone he was supposed be allying with. He was finding that since they'd arrived in Merchant City, it was never a good time for anything.
Sai blinked at his sudden silence, her single eye watching him before she smirked and commented. "Besides, you seemed to have it pretty well handled. Against a trained guard, at that."
"I know!" Seto jumped, hearing Ren pipe up off to the side of them "Seto, where'd you learn to fight like that? I never knew you knew how to do that stuff." The silver haired girl commented with a frown.
"C-Crow's been…teaching me." He answered slowly, hating that he was lying to someone he considered his best friend after Crow. The truth was Seto didn't have an answer for her. He had absolutely no training when it came to weaponry and usually he was either lucky or clumsy with a weapon at best. But this fight was different, and he had no idea what it was. His body had moved of its own accord and seemed to rely only on his reflexes. It felt as if he'd had a weapon in his hand his entire life "He wanted me to be able to protect myself in case something ever happened a-and he wasn't there." He finished explaining, even though it made his heart feel heavy in his chest.
This answer seemed to satisfy the silver haired girl and she nodded, turning to look at Mar, offering him a hand up. "You alright?" she asked.
Thankful for the help, Mar stood and hung the sword in his belt. "I'm alright. Thank you Miss," he said with a small bow. His attention was quickly deferred to the end of the hall as he rushed over to kneel by the princess. Ren nearly rolled her eyes.
"Are you alright?" He asked softly, helping the blonde to her feet. She was the same as Seto had seen her hours ago in the throne room, wearing the exact same dress. Her hair was messier now and the dress was wrinkled, probably from running from the guards.
The princess nodded, a smile gracing her lips as she said to the trio "Thank you, if you had not arrived when you had…"
Seto shook his head, not wanting to hear it "You don't need to thank us, really." He told her, giving a smile of his own. This seemed to catch the girl off guard for a moment as if she'd been expecting a different reaction. After a moment she relaxed and smiled back.
"The passage out was around here somewhere," Sai cut in, her voice somewhat grating on Seto's nerves as she walked over to join them.
Mar gave a nod, indicating with his head the dead end they were at. "It's right here," he said.
Ren frowned. "Why didn't you just use it when the guards cornered you?" She asked as the merchant walked over to the wall, running his hands over it as if searching for something.
"And let the guards follow us through?" He asked, his face brightening as he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pressed his thumb against the wall until a small square of it gave way beneath his touch. There was a loud click and a small panel of the wall close to the floor opened up before them.
Seto stared at it dumbly for a few seconds until Mar noticed. "What's up?"
The maroon haired boy blinked and let out a small, self conscious chuckle. "I guess when I heard 'secret passage' I was expecting s-something more…dramatic?" He said with a small laugh, scratching his head.
Mar laughed too. "Nope, nothing like that. How would you expect to hide it?" He asked, holding the door open as the princess got on her knees ducked her head through. Mar followed soon after, followed by Ren.
Seto hesitated, a sick feeling erupting in his stomach and chest. He turned back to look the way they'd come, searching around as a worried expression came to adorn his face. Where was Crow? And Toyo and Zen? They'd only been facing two guards, Seto hadn't realized it, but he'd expected them to have caught up by now. The sick feeling in the pit of stomach started to curl as he found himself worrying…what if something had happened? What if they needed help?
Seto found himself taking a step forward in that direction, but a sudden annoyed sounding voice caught him off guard with a "Where do you think you're going?" and he stopped.
Turning back he glanced at the voice's owner, seeing Sai standing in front of the panel glaring at him, tapping her bare foot against the carpet.
"The others should have caught up by now…" He responded, his concern evident in his voice. "W-What if something happened and they need our help?"
The dark haired girl rolled her visible eye and stalked over to where Seto stood, grabbing him by the sleeve of his shirt and pulling him in the direction of the secret passage. "They're pirates. They can take care of themselves, " she said shortly, letting go of his arm and shoving him towards their exit "They probably just got lost along the way or stopped to pick up something valuable, but Zen knows how to work the door. We need to do as your captain says and get the heck out of here."
And Seto found himself, once again, holding his tongue, though this time not from saying angry words. Their friends hadn't even made it up to this floor from what Seto could see, and it was almost as if he could feel that something was wrong. His white vision didn't extend to the dungeon below them, but he had seen what looked like guards appearing out of nowhere from the direction they had come. As it was the number of guards around them had increased again, which worried Seto to no end.
Sai sighed irritably, grabbing Seto again and pulling him, dragging him through the opening and closing it before the boy could even voice a complaint.
The small passage expanded into a stony, wet tunnel after a few minutes of walking. It was pitch black and they ended up setting fire to the hilt of the butterfly net to use it as a torch to use as a guide. The way it was splintered across the middle probably meant it was useless for fighting now anyhow and the wood was dry enough to burn, and Seto had a sword to use now anyways. Their procession was now moderately armed, three of the five of them equipped with swords; himself, Mar, and Ren who had re-appropriated hers off of the guard she had knocked out much like Seto had.
The tunnel was covered in moss and other various types of plant life that thrived out of the sun in these sorts of places, and Seto had to wonder when the last time anyone had been down there. The chill in the passage distinctly reminded him of the dungeons back in the plaza, which made him think of Crow, which set him off worrying again.
Thankfully, no one else in their little group seemed too apt to speak either, so he was allowed to indulge in his thoughts and his worries in peace until they came to a ladder at the end of the passage. Mar took the burning butterfly net and snubbed it into the ground, effectively putting the fire out until only faintly glowing embers were left. Single file they made their way up the ladder carefully and opened the hatch at the top, filling the small passage with light from the moon.
Sai was the last out of the broken down aqueducts, and by then, Seto was already surveying the area. "Where are we?" He asked curiously, not recognizing where they were. Certainly it wasn't an area Crow and he had managed to get to while they had wandered the city a few days ago.
"We're in the Large Crystal district," Mar answered. "Kind of a shady place, but probably safe for now…" He trailed off, as if not trusting his own words to that regard. It was quiet all around them and the moon high in the sky indicated that it was getting well past midnight.
"We should probably find one of these buildings to camp out in for the night," Sai said, beginning to walk forward.
Seto frowned, not moving. "Wouldn't it be better to go back to our ship for the night?" Seto asked.
Sai sent him a look, was silent for a brief few seconds before— "If you hadn't noticed, we just broke out of jail. And we helped kidnap a princess. Do you really think it's smart to go back to your ship right now and put the crew in danger?" She asked testily.
Seto flinched slightly at her tone, hanging his head marginally. Sadly, because he hated to admit it, Sai had a point. Really, she had a great point, and Seto had to agree with her, but part of him just wanted to go back to the ship, to feel the familiarity of Crow's bed and wake up in the morning somewhere comfortable and familiar for the first time in days. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't help it.
"…So are a lot of these empty?" He asked finally, raising his head to address Mar, who was looking at him in what seemed to be sympathy. Again, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he looked at Mar and the Princess, holding hands and standing close. For the first time he really felt Crow's absence at his side and the familiar hand in his…
"Pretty much all the houses in this area are abandoned," Mar was explaining. "Some of them are used for hide-outs by traders, but I'm sure we can find one that's out of use right now," the merchant said cheerily.
The group mostly went silent again after that, splitting off to look for a suitable residence to set up in for the night. Besides Mar and the Princess, the rest of their group was not in a talking mood for various personal reasons. Seto knew his and found himself not really wondering about Sai's, but he had an inkling about why Ren had been so quiet since they'd entered the passage, so he sought her out to see if his suspicions were correct, though it almost felt odd doing so.
Since they'd left Garnet, he and Ren had not been alone in each other's presence. On the ship Crow was nearly always with him, or Toyo and Zen were with Ren or himself, or they were together with the whole crew. The maroon haired boy had a nagging feeling that they had begun drifting apart since joining the pirate crew and he secretly felt guilty for it. Although they had not met under such great conditions, in the two months he had been paying off his debt to her cat he felt as if they'd become friends of a sort, at least he hoped that much.
A quiet, lilting voice broke through his musings, although he could not quite understand the words that were drifting into his ears. Seto could tell with ease that it was Ren, her singing voice familiar in his ears as he drew closer.
"...love, and tomorrow we will meet." She was sitting on what looked like part of a collapsed building, her silver hair nearly shimmering in the moonlight as she swung one of her legs off the edge. She looked almost picturesque in an odd way Seto couldn't place and he was stunned when he caught sight of her.
Walking up behind her, he climbed clumsily up the rubble and gently touched her clothed shoulder. Ren nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to look at who had caught her out this time of night, and looked shocked when she saw it was just Seto.
"...You touched me," she whispered out, a frown making its way to her face as if she were not quite sure what to make of the situation.
"I didn't want to startle you," he replied, confused by her reaction, even though his plan to not catch her off guard with his presence had failed.
"You never touch anyone," she elaborated, the shocked look on her face lessening as she continued to speak. "Aside from Crow, that is." Seto visibly blushed at the implications of those words.
"I-I haven't heard you sing in awhile," he said in a rush of words, trying to change to a different less embarrassing topic, as well as one that would require less explanations than the one that Ren had started. "I forgot how pretty your voice was."
If Ren took notice of the purposeful change in their conversation she didn't show it, instead glancing back at the moon. It wasn't a full moon that night. Seto was almost half sure that in his time in the dungeon, the full moon had passed already, but it was still bright enough to light up the darker parts of the city to a degree.
"You only sing...w-when you have a lot on your mind, Ren," he commented quietly, glancing at her sideways as she tensed. In a flash her eyes were on him and she was scowling.
"That isn't true," she denied.
"Y-yes it is," he told her with a small, almost knowing smile. "Remember back in Garnet when the shop was in danger of getting shut down when business was slow? Or the night after Vulture attacked the town?" The silver haired girl flinched at that memory, the death of Hazel becoming fresh once again in her mind. "I heard you singing. And Zen said that the first night on the ship he heard you singing."
Ren's eyes lost their intensity as she looked away, quiet as she let the words sink in. A slow smile came to her face and she made an odd sort of noise. Seto frowned at her worriedly, and blinked in surprise when she broke out in humorless laughter.
"When...when did you get so observant, Seto?" She asked after a moment, catching her breath. She wasn't looking at him, but instead at her lap where her hands fidgeted.
Seto smiled calmly despite the fact she couldn't see it. "I've always been observant, Ren," he answered.
Ren's lips quirked up in the vaguest sort of smile. "I know. You've always been good at telling what people are feeling, huh?" She asked, though it wasn't a question she was expecting an answer to. She knew the answer, and she shot Seto such a knowing look it almost made him feel guilty. "...Do you think they're ok?" She asked quietly, asking the question that seemed to have been weighing on them both since they'd escaped from the plaza.
Seto hesitated under her eyes. He didn't need to look at her fire to see how worried she was. He could see it plainly by looking at just her. After a moment he shook his head helplessly. "I really don't know," he admitted, for the first time during the conversation looking away.
There was a beat of silence.
"You know, while you and Crow were breaking into the plaza, me and Toyo were wandering around the city sightseeing?" Ren started saying. Seto turned back to glance at her, frowning as he wondered where this was going. "He showed me everything in the city almost, and he bought me lunch, and he got me a book from one of the vendors after I demanded he get it for me..." She said with a small laugh, enjoying the memory. She sobered quickly, and continued quietly. "A-And you know what? I never thanked him...I never thanked him, Seto!" Ren's voice broke.
Seto sat there stunned. Of all the things that Ren could have said, that wasn't one he had been expecting. Later he was sure he would note that this was the first time he had seen her break down over a human being and not one of her cats. Ren was always so strong, he'd be lying if he said he'd seen her vulnerable very often.
Hesitantly, he reached over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, careful not to let their skin brush. He hadn't put his coat back on after they'd gotten out and was only in the blue shirt Crow had bought for him, and was regretting it slightly. The maroon haired boy didn't want to almost literally shock her, not when she was like this. But she really seemed like she needed the comfort, so he was going to have to risk it.
Ren tensed at the sudden contact, no doubt shocked that Seto was touching her again, but relaxed in his arms and set her forehead on his shoulder, just letting him hold her.
"I'm sure they're fine," he murmured quietly, making a silent wish that his words were true. "They are vicious pirates, after all," he said with a small smile, thinking of his and Crow's conversation earlier.
Ren let a small giggle at that and lifted her head to meet his eyes, a look in them he couldn't quite place. "You've changed a lot in the past couple of months, Seto." She told him, almost fondly. The sudden observation caught Seto off guard and he floundered mentally for a reply before Ren set her head back on his shoulder, adding quietly, "I think they're good changes, though."
Again, Seto was left at a loss for a reply to her words and fought to find one. After failing miserably he let out a tired sounding sigh, giving up and letting silence fall between the two of them.
In the quiet under the moon, they stayed close and enjoyed each other's presence.
They walked back to the secret entrance to the palace after a little while, finding a very miffed looking Sai standing there along with Mar and the Princess.
"You two find anything?" Mar asked as Sai began to open her mouth. She shut it with a nasty look on her face. "I think we found a pretty good place, if not, but it's good to have options."
Ren and Seto both shook their heads, since they hadn't actually looked around for a place to stay like they had been supposed to.
With a nod, Mar motioned them to follow him and he began walking, holding the Princess's hand as they walked. Sai cast Seto and Ren a small glare before following, and the maroon haired boy had to think it was because they had arrived back later than the rest of the group.
Ren and Seto trailed behind, and Seto found himself whispering "Do you know anything about her?" It had occurred to him that maybe, hopefully, Ren might be able to tell him something about the girl. Or at least something he didn't already know.
The silver haired girl gave a small shake of her head, whispering back. "I don't know much. Zen mentioned that she knew about the treasure Crow's after, but he didn't say much else."
Seto blinked. Sai knew about the treasure? He wondered if that had been mentioned while they were in the dungeon and he hadn't been awake enough to catch that part of the conversation. He added that to his list of suspicious coincidences that the dark haired girl seemed to be a part of.
"Hurry up, you two!" None other than Sai herself snapped at the two of them as she, Mar and the Princess halted in front of a single story building made out of light colored stone, with two broken windows and a beaten up door that looked like it was about to fall off of its hinges.
As they got closer, Seto noticed that the Princess seemed very hesitant to enter the building.
Seto entered after Sai, looking over the room curiously. It was completely barren save for the moon light coming in through the windows. There was a very large scorch mark on the walls in one corner that indicated that someone had once used that corner to keep a fire, but other than that the single room building looked barely lived in. It was almost unsettling.
And to be honest, the stone floor beneath their feet did not look like it was very inviting to sleep on. Seto had slept on stone before in his travels, and had slept on stone the past two nights, but it wasn't something he really wanted to make a habit out of. Maybe having a bed since he'd moved into Ren's shop and joined Crow's crew had spoiled him a bit, but he wasn't looking forward to the night ahead.
Ren came up next to him, and the look on her face told him that she was sharing his sentiments. "Well, we might as well try and get some sleep," she said. Her voice already sounded tired. "In the morning, me or Seto'll go tell the rest of the crew what's going on. From there, we can plan on what to do."
And with that, Ren walked in the room and set herself up facing one of the walls. Seto walked that way as well, fiddling with part of his bag before he sat down close to the silver haired girl. He opened it up and pulled his coat out before setting it down next to her. Ren rolled over and gave him a curious look, which then turned thankful as she pulled the bag beneath her head to use as a makeshift pillow. The maroon haired boy folded up his coat and set it on the ground, planning on using it in the same fashion.
He didn't check what the other three members of their group were up to, though the rustle of fabric allowed him to assume they were also getting settled for the long night ahead of them. Seto curled in on himself with a small shiver, wishing he was back on the ship in Crow's bed. Thinking of that made him think of Crow, and how worried he was about the pirate. Finally, he was able to make himself stop thinking about him, and he forced himself into a restless sleep.
That morning as planned, Ren and Seto made their way to the Black Wing's ship, slipping through the crowds unnoticed.
Seto was tense when they arrived at the docks, unsure of how the crew was going to react to the fact that because of him their captain and two of their crew mates had been left behind fighting armed guards while he and Ren had escaped.
Much too his shock, the crew took the news surprisingly well, though they looked a little grim about it. Oki explained to them that whatever situation they got themselves into, they were going to have to get themselves right back out of. He said this, giving Seto a somewhat pointed.
"Especially in a place like Merchant City, there isn't much we can do," Oki told them, his voice apologetic. They'd offer any help that they could, but the pirates weren't going to storm the city without their captain's permission. Seto was silently thankful for that, but also upset that there didn't seem anything else that the crew could do. He was ecstatic over the fact that the crew had forgiven them so easily, though.
"Of course they did," Ren said after he mentioned this as they got off the ship. "We're part of the crew too, you know. They were probably happy we made it back safely."
Seto hadn't thought of it like that, but Ren's explanation made him happy enough, so he didn't give it any more thought.
Arriving back at their make-shift hideout, Mar told them that there had been no sign of Crow, Toyo, and Zen since they'd left. He recommended that a few of them go into town and listen for any news that might help them out.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Seto found himself asking, catching the merchant off guard as he re-arranged their swords in the fire marked corner.
"Why would I leave?" Mar asked frowning, his single eye watching Seto with some confusion.
"W-Well, you got the Princess…" Seto said, feeling almost bad for bringing this topic up "Wouldn't it be s-safer for you two to leave and stay out of all this t-trouble?"
Mar looked at him surprised. "Well of course that would be safer." He said, a frown creasing his face "That was the plan before your friends got caught up in this. I'm not about to just leave when it'd be my fault if something happened to them."
It was Seto's turn to look surprised, and he flushed with embarrassment over the fact that he hadn't even thought about why Mar might have been staying. Of course Mar was going to help them out. He was just that kind of person.
"I'm sorry. I r-really shouldn't have asked that…" Seto apologized, to which Mar replied with a shake of his head, walking over and ruffling his hair. Seto had to fight not to flinch away from the contact.
"Do not even think of it, good sir," Mar said, his voice slipping into the familiar tone of the voice he used when he was running his shop. "You have a lot on your mind right now, I won't take anything you say personally." Mar flashed him a smile and pushed him towards the door, ordering that he go out into town like Sai and Ren had already done and sweep around for information, since he and the Princess couldn't be seen in town for obvious reasons. The three of them were harder to spot in a crowd though.
In town there were no rumors about the Princess's supposed wedding that would have taken place today, or any rumors about pirates in the King's Plaza. Their break-in was the talk on the street it seemed, but all of the stories were vague and didn't tell Seto much of anything useful.
Seto went back to the Large Crystal district when it got later, and together with Ren and Sai they discussed what information they had gotten.
All in all, they found nothing of use. Spirits dampened in that aspect, again no one slept well that night.
The second day, the city was abuzz with the news of a trial that was taking place in the plaza.
"Seems there was a break-out o' sorts in the dungeons." A vendor Seto stopped to talk to was telling him. "D'ay got three of 'em. Three pirates it looks like. Bet we'll see them hanging by tomorrow," the man said with a laugh. Eyes wide, Seto took off running, the laughter still ringing behind him and echoing in his ears even as he got farther away.
This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening.
Seto burst through the door of their hide-out with enough force that the door finally fell off its hinges "They got caught!"
The sudden outburst caught both Mar, the Princess, and Sai (why was she there?) off guard, and he took a minute to catch his breath before he continued. In hind sight, he shouldn't have run all the way from that shop to here. "T-They got caught…a-and they're being tried today, a-and they're going to be hung tomorrow, a-and…" Seto stopped himself, feeling his throat tighten.
Ren came running through the door next. "Guys! Toyo, Zen and Crow! They got -"
"Captured. We know." Sai stepped in, her voice sounding far too calm for Seto's liking. "I was wondering when you two were going to hear about it and come running back here." She said with a sigh.
"Don't act so calm about it! We need to do something, or else they're all going to die tomorrow!" Ren nearly shrieked. The silver haired girl clenched her fists, attempting to calm herself down. Seto felt much the same.
"What do you expect to be able to do?" The eye patch wearing girl asked. "We can't break back in there to save them. They're probably going to be under heavy guard after we escaped. And tomorrow there's going to be guards everywhere. There's no hope in trying to save them."
Seto clenched his teeth together, once again biting back angry words. "There's always hope," he ground out, lifting his eyes to meet Sai's. She blinked at the determination she found there. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to try my hardest to save them, even if it is hopeless. It's what they would have done for any of us."
Seto turned to look at the Princess, a plan forming in his mind even as he began speaking. "Princess, if there's any hope in us saving them, we're going to need your help though."
Crow flinched slightly as he was brought outside, having nearly spent nearly the last three days completely underground his eyes weren't accustomed to the sun light. They'd brought him up for his trial the day before, which had gone just as expected. He was not given anyone to defend him, and he had not been given a chance to defend himself. The King sentenced him to death by hanging. Crow had to assume that Toyo and Zen's trials hadn't differed much procedure wise.
The pirate captain wasn't exactly scared as they exited the plaza, the boom of voices awaiting his death nearly giving him a headache after being in near complete silence for so long. Sure, he wasn't happy about it, but Crow had figured that as a pirate this was going to be the day he died one day anyways. It was either that, or in the midst of battle. Honestly, Crow had been hoping for the latter option, because that would have been an awesome way to die.
Really, the only thing that was still bothering him was not knowing what had happened to Seto. The guards that had come maybe twice over his three day imprisonment had refused to speak to him or answer any of his questions. The guards at his sides right now were much the same. It had nearly strangled him with worry the first night alone in his cell. He wouldn't mind being hanged so long as Seto had gotten out of the plaza alright. Really, in the past few days, Seto had been on the fore front of his mind more than he'd wish to admit.
Seeing his ship still in port as they entered a small circular area where the gallows sat, Crow swore he felt his heart drop to his feet. Limply, he let himself be pulled towards his imminent death, and stood stoically once he was brought up the stairs to the platform. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Toyo and Zen standing off the platform. He was going to assume that they had come to the same conclusion as he had upon seeing the ship at the docks. That their friends had not made it out of the plaza.
The purple clad pirate lifted his head as the noose was placed around his neck, seeing the King himself standing in from of the platform, the smug look on his face looking almost as if it had been painted on there. Simply being there was probably supposed to have been what told Crow that he had lost this one, and he was almost tempted to tell the King that he was a little late in breaking his spirits.
"Crow, Captain of the Black Wing pirates, you are here today facing death for all of the crimes you have committed against my Kingdom and your numerous crimes and other sins. Do have any last words you wish to leave behind in this world?" The King asked, his voice alone silencing the entire crowd around the gallows.
Crow opened his mouth, if only to make his lasts words in this world completely sarcastic and rude to this King, but a familiar voice rang out, silencing his words.
"Tally ho!" The crowd turned to look immediately at the arched entrance that they had all come in, and gasped at what they saw there.
The King's face soured. "Move out of the way!" The King ordered, and the crowd parted before the pirate's eyes, landing on what the crowd had been so shocked to see. By the way the King stiffened, he hadn't been expecting it either.
Standing there beneath the arch was a boy, who looked no older than Crow, possibly even younger. The shadows being cast on his face from the arch made it somewhat hard to tell; as did the incredibly familiar, obnoxiously large hat he was wearing. He was wearing all black, from the long black dress shirt that puffed out at the sleeves and collar, to his slacks, the boots on his feet and the gloves on his hands. In his hands was a sword. A sword that was being held to the Princess's throat.
"You filthy scum!" Called the King enraged "How dare you?"
"Anyway I please, your Majesty," the figure said, his voice sounding bored as he walked out of the shadows. The sunlight caught a deep blue feather atop his hat, made his purple eyes glint and light up his odd, maroon colored hair.
"Seto…" Crow breathed out, relief flooding through him.
"And the way I dare as I please, is with a bargain," Seto said, with such bravado that Crow almost had a hard time thinking it was the meek, quiet boy he'd fallen for. "The pirates for the Princess. Doesn't that seem fair?"
"That is most definitely not a fair trade, young man." The King snarled out, taking a menacing step in the teen's direction. "I make a point to not make deals with pirates."
Seto brought the sword closer to the Princess's neck, and a flash of sympathy, that Crow was sure only he noticed, went across his eyes when the Princess winced.
"Is that your final answer, your Majesty?" Seto asked.
"Father, please!" The Princess begged.
The King looked at her passively, almost like he hadn't heard the words. "That is my final answer, pirate." The King said, turning his back to the darkly clad boy and making a motion to the executioner with his hand. There was barely a pause before Crow felt the platform beneath his feet fall and the loop around his throat constrict his breathing.
Through his watering eyes, he saw Seto dash forward, sword in hand. The Princess was nowhere to be seen. Faintly, he saw the boy through something that gleamed in the light of the sun and gave a shout. "Now!"
The sword cleaved through the rope holding him up and he plummeted down, gasping for air when he hit the ground. There was commotion all around him and when he looked, he saw Ren and Sai also out of their normal clothing and dressed more like pirates, cutting Zen and Toyo free. He blinked when he saw the executioner fall off the side of the platform and looked up through the space where he had fallen. Seto jumped down to meet him, sword back in hand.
The close up view of Seto dressed so dashingly as a pirate would be an image that Crow kept with him for the rest of his life.
"Sure took your time, didn't you?" He asked, nearly teasing.
Seto let out a small laugh. "Is that the thanks I get for saving your neck?" He asked lightly, flipping around the sword to hand it to the pirate.
Crow took it with a grin "I'll give you my thanks when we get out of this mess." He promised; his grin implying much more than his words.
Seto rolled his eyes, but the blush on his face was obvious as he pulled out another sword from the sheath on his side. Crow noticed then that he himself was handling one of the swords that the plaza guards carried.
"So, what did you have planned after you pulled that fancy sword trick and got me down?" The pirate asked as they emerged out from under the gallows' platform, guards surrounding them.
"I…I really didn't plan that far ahead." Seto admitted, and smiled sheepishly when Crow shot him a look that said he was now less impressed with this rescue plan. "I figured we'd work it out once we got this far."
Crow rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the grin on his face. "You've been spending way too much time with me."
Crow felt a hand in his. "You say that like it's a bad thing," the maroon haired boy said quietly. Before Crow had a chance to comment on that, they were running. They broke through the group of guards with some resistance and made their way into the screaming crowd, who immediately parted in fear to let them through.
"I can't believe they let you keep your hat!" Seto said, running into a side ally as they got through the worst of the crowd, the guards right behind him.
Crow snorted, fixing his cap before snarking back. "I can't believe that you're wearing that thing on your head. Is that honestly how you think pirates dress?"
Seto laughed. "Not my idea." He pulled them into another corner, and they emerged in part of the city Crow didn't exactly recognize. It was obviously another shopping district it seemed, but it seemed to be on almost the literal edge of town. Crow could see the ocean over the tops of a few of the buildings.
Seto didn't leave him any time to question where they were going or to really look it over, pulling him towards a large, gray stone area that seemed to overlook the sea. Behind them, the guards emerged, and Crow was almost sure that he could hear the King's voice somewhere in the mix behind them.
"Seto, you're heading towards a dead end!" Crow hissed as they climbed the steps.
He was met with no reply, but instead with a seemingly random— "You never finished telling me your story, you know."
Crow blinked, and then scoffed. "You're still going on about that?" He asked as they slowly came to a stop at the top of the stairs. It seemed that the way it was built, it was probably supposed to have been a viewing platform for the ocean that never got finished. The top step was all they had to stand on that kept them from plummeting down into ocean.
Seto pouted at him. "I'm not going on about it, you never finished telling me," he said indignantly, almost unaware of the guards and, in fact, the King arriving at the base of the stairs.
"Is my story really the last thing you want to hear?" Crow nearly snapped.
"Yes." Well, that was a blunt and to the point answer. Crow almost sighed.
"Where was I at, anyways?"
"You just got your name," Seto said, a slight smile coming onto his face for reasons Crow wasn't sure he was aware of.
"Well, the rest of the story is pretty straight forward after that." He grumbled, listening to the guards and their noisy armor as they hurried up the stairs to apprehend them. "I became a pirate and Captain Raven became sort of my new dad, and I ended up first mate under him. We raided and pillaged and did numerous terrible things before…" Crow stopped, taking a breath. "…Before he got killed in a confrontation with another pirate ship. I became captain after that, and a few months later I met you." Crow looked at Seto, smiling at the look on the maroon haired boy's face.
The moment was ruined when Crow found that there were now several swords pointed at them, and he lifted his own to push a few back.
The King came up through the group, the look of rage on his face barely contained as he scowled at them. At Seto in particular.
"You, you aren't a pirate by any means," he stated darkly "I could tell from your mannerisms a few days ago."
"You're right." Seto said, his bravado from earlier coming back as he talked to the King. Crow wondered if he'd rehearsed this at all, because he doubted under normal circumstances that the maroon haired boy could be this calm. "I'm no pirate."
"Then why are you risking your life for this wretch?" The King asked. "Surely you realize that by doing this you have sealed your fate to death just as he has. Your life can't be worth saving some pirate."
The grip on Crow's hand tightened and Seto took a sudden step backwards, pulling Crow with him. The guards started at the sudden movement. "That's where you're wrong, you're Majesty." Seto said, and the King's façade broke enough to show that he did not understand that dark clad boy's words. Seto smiled at him, a smile that almost made him seem like a pirate himself. "He isn't just any pirate, he's my pirate." With that, Seto let himself fall back off the stairs and into the ocean, pulling Crow along with him, who let out an obscene shout.
As it went, Crow was found he was not faced with the death he was expecting from hitting the water from the height they had fallen. Instead, they landed roughly in a net that nearly gave way after the impact. Crow grunted, fighting to sit up and listened as Seto started laughing.
"That wasn't funny!" He snapped "You scared the hell out of me!"
Seto grinned at him from where he laid in the net, the hat off of his head and his hair an absolute mess. His eyes were shining with laughter. Crow looked away, feeling his face heat up. "I'm sorry, Crow, I didn't have time to tell you about this part."
"Was that why you asked me to finish the story? To keep me from pulling some stunt of my own?" He asked, frowning slightly.
Seto paused, and shook his head. "Kind of. That was part of it. The other part was that you never did finish telling me the story, and I really wanted to know." Seto smiled softly at him, and Crow felt his heart miss a beat. "I told you, I wanted to know more about Crow."
Crow sat stunned for a few seconds, before he let out a chuckle of his own and fell back into the net, his hand still tightly clasped in Seto's. "So when are we getting rescued from here?"
"The crew should be coming to let us down soon." Seto said, and as if on cue there was slack in the net and it started a slow descent "There's a boat down there that'll get us somewhere safe where the ship can come get us. Zen and Toyo and Ren should be taking care of that."
Crow was quiet for a moment "You planned all this?" He asked, marveling at his maroon haired friend.
Seto blushed. "N-Not all of it, but parts of it." He said humbly.
Crow rolled his eyes a bit at that, but didn't comment on it. They didn't talk the rest of the way down, the only real sound heard coming from above them as they guards shouted and cursed.
When they arrived on flat ground, they waited for the rest of the crew that had let them down out of the net before climbing into the small row boat. They rowed in, almost equally silent, to their destination, but Crow could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that they were glad he was alright.
When they stopped, they were back on the edge of another part of the city that happened to not have such a large incline as it went to the ocean. Standing there waiting for them was Mar and the Princess.
For the first time since they'd reunited, Seto let go of Crow's hand and hurried over to the pair, leaving Crow scowling. The Princess grabbed his hands and held them tight, smiling as brightly as the sun.
"You…thank you so much, for everything you've done," she said.
Seto smiled at her, and the Princess looked likely to swoon at the gesture. Mar bristled behind them and if Crow had not been about to walk over and pull them apart, he would have laughed. "I told you already, it was my pleasure." He bowed his head and let go of her hands, walking past her to speak with Mar. She stared after him, and Crow nearly rolled his eyes. Though he had to admit, with what Seto was wearing, it was kind of hard not to stare.
"Where will you guys be going from here?" The maroon haired boy asked the merchant.
"A trader buddy of mine is letting us stow away on his ship. Right now we just need to get out of the city, but I'm sure we'll find something to do after that." Mar grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "I can't thank you enough, Seto." Seto opened his mouth to decline, but Mar continued. "If it wasn't for you I would have never seen the Princess smile again, so please, just take my thanks."
Seto frowned, closing his mouth. He sighed, giving Mar a smile "You're welcome, Mar," he said brightly. He inclined his head to look around the chicken like merchant, spotting the familiar sails of the Black Wing's ship. He turned to look at Mar. "I guess this is goodbye then."
"We shall meet again," Mar said with a dramatic bow, looking up only to grin at Seto. "One day, I'm sure."
The merchant looked past him to where Crow stood and said "You better keep an eye on him, or someone'll steal him right from under your nose, pirate."
Crow scowled. "Like I need you telling me that, you stupid merchant!"
Mar laughed as the ship pulled close enough to set the walkway down. Ren waved at them from the side of the ship, yelling at them to hurry it up. They hurried up the plank of wood before the crew members pulled it up.
"About time. The guard's ship is going to be after us any minute," she snapped. Behind her stood Toyo and Zen, both rolling their eyes at her bossy nature, but smiling nonetheless.
As they began to set off from the city, Mar's voice reached them. Turning back, they saw the merchant and the princess waving. "Best regards until we meet again! Until then, take care!"
Not long after Merchant City began to disappear behind them, Crow called the group together in Ren's room for a meeting. Or at least, that was his initial plan.
"What is she doing on my ship?" Crow asked, glaring at Sai as she took a seat on one of the benches in Ren's room.
"Well…we really didn't have time to kick her off when we were rescuing you guys," Ren said, shrugging slightly as she sat down at her desk. "Besides, she helped me and Seto save you guys, so I don't see the big deal letting her stay on the ship for awhile."
"I have to agree with Ren on that one," Zen said. "Sai also knows a lot about the treasure. She might be able to help us with finding it."
Crow scowled. While Ren and Zen had a point, he trusted Seto's instincts over theirs. "What's your opinion on this?" He asked the maroon haired boy, who had not yet had a chance to change.
Seto frowned, glancing around the room before he looked at Sai. He was still suspicious of her, and he couldn't bring himself to say he liked her much, but those didn't sit well as reasons for him to turn her away from the ship. "I…don't see a problem with her staying on the ship." He answered. "F-For awhile, at least."
Crow looked at them all for a moment before he gave a nod "Alright, fine. She can stay with us for now." He conceded, waving his hand to clear the subject.
"Anyways! So, what did you call us into Ren's room for Crow?" Toyo chimed in, eying his captain curiously. The rest of the group minus Seto looked much the same, wondering why he had called them; and in Ren's case, wondering why this meeting taking place in her room and not in the captain's quarters.
The purple clad pirate glanced around the room, making eye contact with every occupant. "What we discuss in this room is not to be told to anyone else, not even the rest of the crew. Do we have an understanding on that?" Crow asked plainly, staring directly at Sai as he spoke. There were nods around the room and he waited a moment before continuing. "I'm sure to some degree, you all remember the conversation we had in the dungeons a few days ago." Crow didn't need to explain what he meant; they all knew what he was referring to. When they had discussed the star chart, and Seto had told them he was the 'other lead'.
"Do you finally plan on explaining all this?" Zen asked.
Crow rolled his eyes "You say that like we didn't tell you some of it." He grumbled, but a look from the rest of the group told him that he needed to get on with the conversation. "Do you all remember the raid on Garnet?" He started, ignoring Sai's questioning look and letting Zen explain the basics to her. "That was around when I first ran into Seto, like most of you know. He was weird and so uptight that I couldn't quit picking on him, and he hated the idea of getting touched." At this, he ignored the indignant look on his maroon haired friend's face.
"When we were about to confront Vulture, he was acting all suspicious like he knew something was up, and he wouldn't go follow me so I tried to drag him along." Crow paused, taking in a deep breath "And I found the reason Seto didn't want people touching him. When he makes skin contact with someone, they'll see what he sees."
There was a chorus of confused looks. Crow looked over at Seto, who was fumbling with his hands trying to avoid eye contact. Crow knew this couldn't be easy for him, but they had agreed to explain what was going on. Seto looked up and caught his eye. Crow nodded at him. "W-Well…ever since I can remember, my eyes have been seeing two different things. My right eye sees what you g-guys all see, but my left eye…" Seto swallowed dryly "M-M-My left eye sees a different sort of place, where everything's white, and everyone is covered in a f-fire that sh-shows me what they're f-feeling," he explained shakily.
"…So that's why you could always tell who was lying in the shop." Ren murmured to herself, feeling like a great mystery had been solved.
Seto continued on without making a comment, trying to finish before he lost his nerve. "B-But people aren't the only things that have fires. Things like the moon and the sun and the stars do, too. S-Since I joined the crew, Crow and I have been making a chart of some weird stars that kinda look like they lead somewhere."
Toyo hummed thoughtfully. "So that's why we've been going east this whole time?" He asked.
Seto blinked at him. "We've been going east?"
"You didn't notice?" Crow asked. Seto shook his head "I figured you knew, since your old man told you to go east."
Seto laughed sheepishly. "I've never been good with directions…so we've been going east this whole time?" He asked, frowning. "Do you think grandpa sent me east because he saw the stars going that way?"
"He might have…" Zen said, filing away the information "Seto, what kind of person was your grandfather?"
The maroon haired boy blinked. "Huh? W-Well…he wasn't really my grandpa, he's the o-one who found me when I kind of...crashed." Despite the looks he was receiving, Seto refused to comment more on that. "He was nice enough and he raised me. He was always looking at sky though and writing things down. We used to stargaze a lot together," Seto explained.
Zen hummed thoughtfully "You know, we might stand a better chance of learning more about what Seto can do if we talk to the person who spent the most time with him."
"M-My grandpa died awhile ago. The last thing he told me to do was go east…"
"You said he wrote a lot of things down, right?" Sai asked "Maybe he was writing about you. Did you ever see what he wrote down?"
Seto shook his head. "I-I never looked. He kept all of his notes in his library. I really didn't think a lot about them."
"Would they still be there?" Crow asked. Seto nodded.
"I don't see why not…" He said quietly. He glanced around the room. "You guys…you're taking this really well."
Toyo blinked at him "What did you think we were going to do? Throw you over board or something?"
Ren rolled her eyes. "I'm just mad that you didn't tell me! I could have made a lot of money off you," she said jokingly.
"I don't really care what you can do, but that little trick of yours seems handy," Sai commented boredly.
"I mean, I don't really get it…" Toyo said. "But you were my friend before I knew about it, and you're still my friend after." The red head grinned. "If you let me see it, that is."
Crow bristled at the comment. Seto smiled nervously "Y-Yeah, I guess that would be fine," he said. Toyo did a little cheer and hopped up, hurrying over to Seto. The dark clad boy took the glove off of one of his hands and held his hand out for his red haired friend to take.
Seto winced at the initial shock and Toyo nearly let go of his hand.
"Wo-woah!" Toyo gasped, staring around the room in wonder "When you said everything was white, I didn't think this is what you meant," he said awed, looking at the people in the room. "Why are the fires all colorful like that?"
"I-It's what they're feeling, or at least I think that's what it means," Seto explained as Toyo's eyes landed and stayed on Ren.
"So…" Toyo pulled him close and whispered in his ear. "What's Ren feeling? I don't understand all those colors!" He hissed.
The maroon haired boy blinked and let out a laugh "She's like she normally is, she's getting mad though."
"Why?" He asked curiously.
"Because I can hear what you're talking about!" Ren snapped, walking over and pulling the two whispering boys apart. "Hmph!" Ren crossed her arms, turning her back on Toyo as he went slack jawed. Zen let out a laugh.
"Alright, alright," Crow said standing up from his spot. "It's been a long day, and we should get some re-" Crow stopped short, his eyes narrowing in on Ren's hand holding Seto's. "What are you doing?"
Ren looked at him innocently. "Absolutely nothing," she said. Crow glared at her, and the giggle that came after was anything but innocent. She turned to Seto. "Does he always get that green when he sees people with you?"
Seto blushed visibly and pulled his hand away, holding it close. "C-Crow's right. We should probably get some rest, especially if we're going to my grandpa's house from here. It's g-gonna be a long trip."
The rest of the room nodded.
"Well, if that's the case…" Ren started. "All of you get out of my room!"
When Seto entered Crow's room for the night, he found himself pushed against the door as it was closed. "H-Huh?"
In the dark of the room, the small amount of light filtering in made Crow's eyes gleam in a way that made Seto's throat go dry. "So, I'm your pirate, am I?" He asked, the sultry note in his voice not going completely unnoticed.
"W-W-Well, I-I mean that isn't, what I—" Seto was silenced by a pair of lips on his. Seto let out a small gasp at the sudden jolt, but relaxed. He was almost sad when Crow pulled away.
"You should dress up in my clothes more often," Crow said with a smirk. "I guess all my coolness transfers to you when you wear them." He lifted a hand and pulled on Seto's collar lightly "And you don't look half bad in them either."
Seto blushed. "C-Crow…"
"I love you, Seto."
The words made the maroon haired boy's heart stop, his brain freeze, and his mouth not work. In the dark he could see Crow's eyes staring into his, awaiting a reply. An answer.
Seto was quiet for a moment, before he hesitantly leaned forward and pecked his pirate on the lips.
"I-I love you too, Crow."
End Chapter
Nooo….this chapter's action scenes were NOT heavily inspired from watching Pirates of the Caribbean, of course not! –cough-
Anyways! With this, we bring an end to the Merchant City arc! Next few chapters are going to be filler for travel until they arrive at their destination. Probably lots of teasing and fluff, nothing you guys probably want to read, right? ;D
But seriously, all together now- D'awww…and the crew took the news well! Sai is suspicious as ever, who knows what she's up to? All of this shall be revealed…at some later point in time, but probably not anytime soon. Seto was certainly cool this chapter in my opinion. I can't let Crow be doing all the awesome things~ He'll be back in his turquoise coat by next chapter, though. Also, for those who don't remember, the pirate mentioned (Oki) was brought up in both Ren's and Seto's journal entries.
Thanks to everyone who read last chapter, and thanks to everyone who also reviewed! As usual reviews are loved, and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
Major Thanks to AYMK00 for beta reading this chapter for me!
Until next time!
~Sleepy ;D
P.S. Not important, but with this chapter, the story is now over 100k words! How awesome is that?