PART I: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8; PART II: Chapter 9 -

+ DOREDORE ADVENTURE PART II +

+ The Spark of Dawn +

+ Chapter Twelve +

As Yamato and Mimi stood at the forecastle, Taichi had been nearby leaning against the wall just outside of his quarters, able to hear every word between them. He caught sight of Jou sitting behind a couple of barrels as well as Koushiro near the ladder to the dining room. Taichi knew that neither of them could avoid listening to Yamato and Mimi's conversation.

That was the first time that Koushiro and Jou had heard about Yamato's father. Taichi had already known about him - he was Yamato's best friend in Taiyou Town, after all. It would have been a surprise to their schoolmates then, and of course, their crewmates now, that Taichi was actually good at keeping secrets, even with his loud and boisterous personality.

But it was a secret Taichi knew was worth keeping. He had figured that much about a pirate's life, given that he wanted to become one, and he knew what it meant for Yamato to protect his younger sibling, just as Taichi would for Hikari.

Furthermore, Taichi knew that Yamato would have killed him if he let the secret out before Yamato did it himself; and if Yamato wasn't able to, there was one other person who had been in on the secret - a fellow schoolmate-turned-thieving pirate - and she would've killed Taichi in Yamato's stead.

It was she who had been sitting near Taichi all along without him noticing.

"Secret's out, huh?" Sora said casually, making Taichi jump in his spot.

"He-!" Taichi stopped himself from shouting further and lowered his voice. "How long have you been here?"

Sora held up her now empty dinner plate and stood up. "Since I left the dinner table. You'd better work on your self-awareness and your surroundings, captain."

"You don't say? On my own ship? In the middle of nowhere?"

Sora took a step toward him. "What if I jumped out and attacked you?"

Taichi moved closer and gestured toward her hands.

"What? With that fancy, porcelain dinnerware? Choose your weapons wisely, woman. You don't want to break them and anger my chef."

"Me? Knowing her, she would blame you first!"

"...That's a fair point."

Sora paused before she thought to argue more. The sudden smirk on Taichi's face threw her off. "What are you smiling about?"

"You're back to normal."

Sora groaned under her breath. She couldn't decide what irritated her more: his words of arrogance or the fact that he was grinning at her for some reason.

That was also when she realized how close their faces were to each other.

With a scoff, Sora walked past him and avoided his stare, as well as the warmth in her cheeks.

"Where are you going?" Taichi asked.

"Away from you," she replied, stomping her way around him and through the door of his own cabin.

"Hey, wait a seco-"

Sora slammed the door in front of Taichi's face.

"Really?"

Before he pushed the door to follow Sora in, Taichi looked over to Yamato and Mimi, who were now sitting together quietly. Yamato rested his forehead against Mimi's as he closed his eyes with Mimi comforting him. Taichi couldn't tell whether or not Yamato was crying, but he knew that what he had just revealed had long weighed heavily on his mind.

Where the Yami Crew ended up, Taichi had no idea. That crew was a rough one to go up against at the beginnings of Taichi's adventure, but somehow, Taichi managed to survive. One thing was certain - Taichi sure as hell never wanted to have to deal with them again.

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"Captain Kuro?" asked one of the Yami pirates.

Kuro sighed and lifted his foot with a long stride forward over the two fallen Marines, carrying on through the silent dockyard and toward the center of town. It was there in Taiyou, years ago, where his own throat was nearly sliced. He had been looking for his old partner in crime who had disappeared from the mighty seas, and he had discovered that his partner escaped to this quiet dump of a town where he married his longtime sweetheart and became a blacksmith.

"Be on your guard," Kuro commanded. "Remember the plan."

On the night that he and his crew ravaged this town, Kuro knew that his old partner Hiroaki, along with Hiroaki's beloved wife Natsuko, truly didn't have to die. It bothered Kuro to know that Hiroaki was so adamant to refuse his wishes, and that both Hiroaki and Natsuko had to die by his sword.

But Kuro also knew that Hiroaki didn't have to steal his diamond for himself, a diamond that was as beautiful as the ocean. It was a gem of deep blue that sparkled like small ripples in the water against the sunlight. A diamond unlike any other, one that was worth more than all the gold in the world combined.

Hiroaki had refused to reveal where he hid the diamond, even on the verge of his death; and just as Kuro committed his murderous deed, he was met with another reveal that stood before him: Hiroaki's adolescent son who greeted him with the strike of his sword.

It was the blade of that sword that missed the slicing of Kuro's throat, but it did not miss tearing up the left side of his face that was now decorated with an eyepatch. That moment left him no doubt that Hiroaki's son would grow up to become the multi-wielding swordsman on the crew of the most sought-after pirates the world over.

Kuro desperately wanted to get back at Yamato; not only for his lost eye, but for the lie Yamato had told about the diamond's location, which led Kuro and the crew into near capture by the Marines' highest ranked soldiers.

He knew that Hiroaki did well in keeping secrets, and Yamato was no different. However, there was one of the Ishida family secrets that Kuro recently discovered - one that he caught wind of from former members of the Hagu Crew a few months back - which was what brought him back to this forsaken town.

Kuro was tempted to raid the DoreDore out of sheer fury, but he knew that it would take more than a simple dueling of swords to get Yamato to talk. His ultimate goal was to force Yamato to give back his cherished diamond by taking the one thing that he had left Taiyou Town to protect-Kuro's last hope.

His first move was to head to the blacksmith shop.

Heading there was deja vu to Kuro as he snuck his way through the city and easily bypassed the Marines. To think the town would have learned to strengthen their security after the damage he and his crew had done the last time they showed up. As he surveyed the surroundings closer to his destination, he let out a laugh.

His crew watched him as they followed him, dumbfounded.

"I would have thought better of this town had we been attacked earlier on!" Kuro cackled, ensuring that his voice echoed loud enough for the whole town to hear. "Don't tell me the Marines are just as dim-witted and weak-willed as they've always been! This is way too easy-"

Shots fired suddenly right in front of Kuro and his men, and a few behind him yelped in fright. He turned to see that one had fallen backward and a few others jumped out of the way from a few bullet holes that smoked from the ground.

None of the men were hit, but Kuro narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area quickly and looked up toward the roofs of the buildings. There, he spotted two men in Marine uniforms, each taking cover and keeping aim with their rifles.

"You'd better think twice before taking another step," came a voice from a young Marine with spiky, burgundy hair who waltzed into view. "My men won't miss the next time."

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As soon as they heard gunfire, Takeru and Hikari turned to each other in surprise. Nothing good ever came from that sound.

"Oh, no…" Hikari uttered under her breath. She tried to hide her growing dread, though she squeezed at Takeru's hands in front of her. "Takeru, I know that shot…"

"Yeah," he replied darkly. "The Marines would only be firing for one reason."

They both knew that a shot would never be fired unless it was ordered by a commanding Marine officer, and an officer normally wouldn't shoot unless there was serious trouble - 'trouble' usually being synonymous with 'pirates'.

Cursing under his breath, Takeru felt anger bubbling inside him. How could he ever see a pirate for good when they've done more harm than good in his eyes? Whoever this pirate gang was this time, he was not going to let them do any more damage to this town - not if he could help it.

"Takeru, Look."

Takeru turned to the direction in which Hikari motioned him to see. Small groups of townspeople hurried through the streets with hushed voices and frightened faces. A handful of Marines were scattered through the crowd directing them to leave as quietly as possible. It was then he knew for certain that Daisuke and his Marines were dealing with pirates - most likely, dangerous ones - and based on the behavior of the Marines in front of him, Daisuke might have already expected the pirates' appearance.

"Did Daisuke tell you about this?"

Hikari shook her head. "All I know is that he might be in trouble."

Among the crowd, Takeru noticed one two of the Marines quickly approaching the blacksmith shop. As vigilant as they appeared while watching over the townsfolk and their surroundings, Takeru knew how they would react the moment they saw Hikari.

Without warning, Takeru pulled Hikari up the steps and through the door of his shop, leaving the door open by just a crack to view what was going on outside. Hikari gasped and opened her mouth to protest, but Takeru put his finger against his lips as he watched the suspecting Marine stop a few feet away from the shop. A few moments later, the Marine continued his walk.

"What are you doing, Takeru?!" Hikari hissed.

"Listen to me," Takeru whispered. "If the Marines see you, the first thing they'll make you do is follow this crowd to safety. Daisuke would want to make sure of it, since he is your personal guard. But safety isn't the route you want to take, is it?"

Takeru saw the sparkle in her eyes knowing that she wanted to fight. He knew that she wanted to get rid of trouble where it didn't need to be; furthermore, she wouldn't have forgiven herself if anything happened to her own guard.

"Besides," Takeru added, "that route toward the gunfire is the same as your escape plan, isn't it…?

Hikari's heart sank at Takeru's sullen expression. Not knowing whether he would be part of that plan pained her, but she knew he must have been debating in his head at that very moment; yet, the fact that he still intended to guide her in the right direction gave her the reason why her hair comb was meant for Takeru, and only Takeru.

She drew herself toward him to kiss his pouting lips, her own forming a smile once she pulled back.

"Thank you, Takeru."

As he smiled back, a thought occurred to him.

"Wait here," he said, and he turned and hurried to the back of the shop, disappearing from Hikari's view. He returned to her with a folded piece of yellow parchment, its folds and creases apparent as he unfolded it before her. "It was my father's."

Hikari observed the masses of land drawings scattered on the parchment. "It's a map…"

Although it was smaller than most of the islands drawn, Hikari immediately spotted the one where Taiyou was located. The town was circled in black, but also scribbled over with other colors. She couldn't ignore the stray lines and squiggles all over the rest of the map in black, blue, red, and green ink.

"It's… colorful."

Takeru laughed to himself. "That was my doing. Father was so upset when he found out at first; he yelled at me, and I ran to my brother crying like a baby."

Hikari noticed the way his eyes lit up as he stared at the map, and held it delicately in his fingers.

"Father apologized in the end. He let me keep it, and even encouraged me to keep drawing."

Hikari giggled. "Really? Why's that?"

"He said that his story on this map was over, and it was up to me to create my own with it."

Then, Takeru folded the map in halves until it fit the palm of Hikari's hand. "You should hold on to it. For now, at least."

He was still hesitant in giving her an answer. He knew it as he pressed the map into her hand, and Hikari knew it as she stared at his troubled gaze.

"I'll keep it safe," she said. "We should head out now, anyway."

Takeru made sure his two swords were on either side of his belt, and he watched Hikari put the map away and check for her own sword as well. He then lifted his palm to meet her cheek as his answer to her question danced on the tip of his tongue, but his inner demons held him back.

"Let's find Daisuke," was the best he could muster. Hikari nodded, and together they made their exit from behind the shop and toward the dockyard, hidden from the Marines patrolling the street, and Takeru promised himself that he'd give his answer to Hikari as soon as the situation calmed down.

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Kuro growled at Daisuke as a few more Marines appeared behind him with their swords held up.

"We've been hearing about you," said Daisuke with his hands on his hips and a knowing stare on his face. "Kuro, was it?"

"It's 'Captain Kuro,' you Marine scum," he snarled.

"Oh, really? What is it with you pirates and your semantics? Is the title really that important?"

"Wouldn't you know?"asked a pirate who lurched in front of Kuro towards Daisuke. "We know who you are, 'sergeant'! Not even a high rank! Nothing but dirt under our boots!"

An officer jumped forward from behind Daisuke. "You take that back!" he yelled, but Daisuke held his arm out to stop his officer from moving further.

Daisuke knew that this could get out of hand quickly. He knew that Kuro knew the same as he laughed under his breath. Sure, that comment touched a nerve for Daisuke, but he knew that lashing out of anger would only make things worse for him and his men.

Instead, Daisuke thought about his next steps as he adjusted the pair of odd spectacles that he wore as a headband on top of his head. Just as he pulled on the rubber strap above the back of his neck, he caught sight of more of the pirate crew hiding in the shadows of the others, one of them with a pistol aimed at his men on the roof.

With a smug smile forming on his lips, he knew exactly what to do.

"Easy there, buddy," Daisuke said to his officer, lowering his hand toward his sword's hilt on his belt. "It looks like these pirates know how to talk big, just like yours truly. But if there's anything I've learned, if you do that, you're gonna have to own up to it." He then turned to the leader of the Yami Crew and flashed a grin. "Isn't that right, Kuro?"

Kuro snapped in an instant, boiling with anger. "IT'S CAPTAIN KURO!" he roared. "ATTACK!"

Daisuke immediately hurled himself away from Kuro's hard swing as the swords from both pirates and Marines sprung into action. Keeping his eye on the pirate in the shadows behind others, he swung his arm up just in time for his sword to intercept the shot of the pistol, with the bullet ricocheting against his blade.

"Guns, hold your fire!" Daisuke yelled out, watching his men on the roof disappear from sight. "Swords, don't let these boneheads into the city!"

Daisuke fought alongside his men, swords clashing against swords as the pirates persisted their way across the docks. The Yami Crew were burly and strong, which Daisuke felt each time their swords thrust against his. They also played underhandedly, something that Daisuke realized immediately as he ducked underneath the swing of a pirate's fist. Luckily, this was a fighting style that Daisuke knew all too well, and he forced his own fist back into the pirate's stomach, forcing them off of the dock and splashing into the water.

But even as Daisuke persevered, he saw his men wearing down with each attack, and he saw them being punched in the face, thrown about, and kicked to the ground, one by one.

"You're no match for us, pipsqueak!" Kuro yelled, and Daisuke barely threw his sword up in time before Kuro's blade struck his face.

"I know what you did to this town, and I won't let you ruin it again!" Daisuke said through gritted teeth. "Not on my watch!"

Kuro chortled and lowered his sword. "How about we make a deal? We end this fight right now, spare the pyrotechnics and leave peacefully, on one condition..."

'Whatever it is, I won't allow it!' Daisuke thought to himself, and it took every ounce of him not to blurt it out.

"Which is?" he asked instead.

"Give me the blacksmith boy."

If there was something that Daisuke couldn't restrain himself from blurting out, it was his bursting fit of laughter.

"What?!"

Perturbed, Kuro eased his grip on his sword and rested his arms until they fell to his sides. "I don't see the humor in this!"

"The blacksmith boy? Takeru Takaishi? You came out- all this way for-"

"Shut your trap!" Kuro raged as Daisuke continued his pointing and laughing as he let it all out. The sounds of slashing swords slowed to a pause as the remainder of the Marines and pirates stopped fighting in their confusion.

Daisuke heaved deep breaths from laughing so hard before he began to calm down. "Oh, man! I'm just surprised you'd want him of all people. He's got nothing to do with pirates, nor does he want anything to do with them!"

"You don't say…?" Kuro shot a quizzical stare to Daisuke who was convinced with his own words. It was then that Kuro realized that Yamato had kept his secret long and well.

Daisuke furrowed his brows at Kuro's sudden change in expression, as though he hid something behind the slowly forming smirk on his face. But Daisuke still had his sword in his hand, and he remained alert for whatever came next.

"Don't try to fool me, Kuro," he said with the pirate captain's brow twitching at the address. "You might have something up your sleeve, but Takeru won't surrender that easily."

"He's right."

Daisuke recognized that voice immediately, and it was no surprise to him as he turned to look that Takeru was smart enough to figure out what was happening at the docks, and that he would show up with his sword raised at his side.

It shouldn't have been a surprise to him that Hikari showed up beside Takeru, armed and ready with her own sword; but he still felt the dread knowing that he would have to prepare himself to be chewed out by the Governor's wife once she found out.

"Well, I'll be…" said Kuro, intrigued by Takeru's appearance. Observing his dirty blonde hair resembling Yamato's, as well as his blue eyes that shined as bright as Natsuko's. "Just the boy I was looking for. I assume you heard all that you needed to hear?"

"That you were looking to take me with you?" Takeru kept his sword high, staring straight into the captain's pitch black eyes and observing his pirate crew surrounding him. "I'd die before leaving this town with a-"

Takeru stopped before he mentioned the word, but guilt reached him either way as he watched Hikari take the sting that showed from her frown.

It wasn't what he intended.

"With a what?" Kuro teased. "A lowly pirate like me? You really don't know anything, do you? You're the same naive boy as when we last met."

Daisuke sensed the distraction between Hikari and Takeru, but he was also getting impatient the more he heard Kuro speak. Daisuke flung his arm and pointed his sword at the pirate captain. "Alright, Kuro, cut the crap, will ya?! Enough of this stupid 'I know something you don't' game! Tell us what you want or just shut up and-!"

The fist of a pirate hit his face before he knew it was coming. Daisuke fell to the ground in shock, but immediately felt the full force of a swift kick against his stomach.

"Daisuke!" Hikari cried, running toward him, but two pirates blocked her way to him with their swords threatening to strike.

"Cheap... shot…" Daisuke wheezed.

Takeru shot Kuro a hard stare, his own questions rising. This pirate seemed to provoke him for playing those mind games. What was he talking about, not knowing anything? And 'the same naive boy'? There were only three different pirate crews Takeru had ever encountered in his lifetime. If it wasn't Hagu or the DoreDore, it was-

"The Yami Crew," Takeru muttered in realization through gritted teeth, his confusion turning into rage.

"Ahh, you finally remembered," said Kuro with a toothless grin.

Takeru charged toward Kuro with his emotions thrusting his sword ahead, though Kuro blocked him immediately. "It hurts that you didn't recognize your old friend!" Kuro added with a laugh.

Hikari took a deep breath. It was years ago, at Taichi's ceremony, when the dynamite exploded all around her. Her father had leapt over her on the side of the stage, keeping his hand over her eyes; but through the crack between his fingers, she caught a glimpse of them chasing after Taichi as she was carried away to safety.

Hearing her people screaming and crying and seeing the buildings around her light up in flames… She did not want Taiyou to go through that again.

But as a pirate stood lighting a stick of dynamite before her, Hikari's eyes widened and her instinct was to stop him from hurling it toward the city centre.

"Hikari, look out!" Takeru yelled, forcing Kuro away from him, though Kuro bounced back to spark a duel between them.

Hikari screamed as she elbowed a pirate who attempted to snatch her right arm. She turned clockwise to strike against the other pirate attempting to grab her, but in an instant she was hoisted up in the air.

"Stop this! Please!" she cried frantically as more of the crew ran further into town with dynamite in their hands.

"What the hell do you want with me?!" growled Takeru as he found himself defending more than attacking.

"I want the diamond, boy! The diamond!" Kuro sputtered, their two blades scraped against each other. "Your father stole it from me, and I want it back!"

Takeru fumed, his blue eyes afire. "Pathetic. You're doing all of this just for something that isn't even here. You have no idea what hell I'm going to put you through."

But he swung and missed, leaving him wide open for Kuro to knock him back against the wooden floorboards.

Kuro laughed mirthlessly. "We'll see about that. You're in for a rude awakening, dear 'son of a blacksmith'."

The explosions erupted. Before Takeru could take in the initial shock, Kuro forced his elbow against Takeru's cheek, knocking him further into the ground.

Hikari continued to shout at the ensuing chaos as she hovered in the air, and she jabbed the hilt of her sword against the back of the pirate's head, making him loosen his grip on her and crash into the wood below. She caught sight in the corner of her eyes of Daisuke stirring. The few Marines left standing continued to battle, some of them chasing the pirates that were further igniting the buildings in flames.

She gained her footing and ran toward Takeru, who Kuro lifted over his shoulder, laughing as he walked toward his ship. She tried to move fast and swung at the pirates rushing toward her. Block, twirl, strike. Duck, jab, swing. All she could think about was saving the man who taught her these moves; the man that the Yami Crew was taking away from her. She kept fighting through the docks as the tears in her eyes streamed faster, but the pirates fell at her feet with every step.

Another boom rocked the ground below her feet, and Hikari stumbled and broke her fall with her hands. The hairband in her hair snapped loose, causing her hair to fall, sprawled in front of her face. She turned to see her city burning, and a few Marines had been thrown back from that blast. Her name was being called closely behind her, and she realized Daisuke was on his feet, running after her.

By the time Kuro climbed aboard the ship with Takeru, Hikari jumped up and ran across the docks, ignoring Daisuke's calls, until she noticed the sparkling fuse on a red stick between her and the way to the ship. She turned her heel and ran as fast as she could before she was sent flying from the blast behind her, with her blurred view of Daisuke falling to the ground in front of her before she lost consciousness.

"Wait until your dear old brother finds out about this," Kuro fretted for Takeru to hear.

Takeru was too weak to call for Hikari, or to even respond to Kuro. He felt pathetic for being caught, weak for not protecting her, and dizzy before his eyesight faded. All he could hear were the sounds of destruction in the backdrop of Kuro's laughter. He had always known that only he would be the only one who could save himself, but before his own vision faded to black, for a reason he couldn't explain, he wished that Yamato was there to tell him how.

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A/N: Phew! Hope you're hanging tight because there's more to come! I put a wrench in Hikari's plans... Kuro is the worst!

Next chapter: some Taiora and more Takeru (who definitely needs a hug!).

Thanks for reading. xx