A/N: Storm's Helm Sunday!
I don't own Fairy Tail!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 30: A Child's Worry
25 Years Earlier
"Ya really shouldn't be causin' so many problems, Duke," Cheyenne said as she walked up to the table and took a seat next to the man. Though, she still wore a playful that was aimed at him, "Teachin' her curse words so early on."
"Better she learn them now from someone she knows than some random stranger," Duke answered, "Who knows what she could be learning from those weird sailors!"
"What do you think you are?!" Regina snapped, attempting to pull her daughter away from Duke.
He easily moved Cordelia around to keep her just out of her mother's reach, "I am a well known and dignified mage! I am no hardened and heartless sailor!"
Finn let out a huff of a laugh, "Dignified my a-"
"Finn!" Regina shouted before smacking him upside the head harder than she had to Duke.
Cordelia laughed at the sight of her father getting into trouble.
"Looks like your daughter knows a good show when she sees one!" Duke said before letting out a roar of laughter.
Regina huffed at both men before looking over at a still smiling Cheyenne, "I honestly don't know how you put up with him all the time."
"The same way ya put up with Finn," she answered, "He always looks so grumpy and yer always smilin', so I don't know how ya do it."
"But he's such a peach! I don't know how none of you see it!"
Duke let out another roar of laughter at his best friend being called a peach while Finn simply dropped his head into hand with a sigh.
"You better not be laughing at our love!" Regina shouted, narrowing her stare at Duke.
"No, no, nothing like that," Duke said, still having trouble at not laughing at Finn. He finally let Regina swipe Cordelia away from him as he leaned back in his chair again and put an arm around the back of Cheyenne's, "It really seems that the love of a good woman has changed you too," he said, looking over at Finn.
"You're really one to be talking," Finn grumbled. Though, a smirk played at his lips as he looked between Duke and Cheyenne.
"I guess you have me there," he said before turning his attention on Cheyenne, "How are you feeling this morning?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry," she said, "What's on the agenda fer today then?"
"Well, I was thinking about taking a mission if Guild Master Peach over there will let me go," Duke said with a smirk, his smiling growing when Finn glared over at him.
"I suppose you haven't been on a mission for at least a month now. Maybe getting out of the guild will be good for you…and for my nerves," Finn said, "What mission did you have in mind?"
"I'll talk to you about it in your office."
"I see. Well then, let's go look over it now that way I can get your a-" he started until he received a glare from his wife, "So I can get you off the guild for while," he quickly corrected himself.
Duke nodded and stood with the guild master, kissing Cheyenne on the top of her head before leaving to follow after Finn. Once the two men were out of sight, Regina set her sights on Cheyenne.
"So when is the wedding going to be?! And you have to tell me what kind of cake to make for you!"
Cheyenne laughed softly at the woman's questions, "The weddin' probably won't be fer at least another year, so we have a while ta figure everything out. Besides, Duke and I both agreed that we just want a simple weddin'."
"Awww, but I was so excited to help you out with everything."
"Ya can still make the cake, Regina. And help me with some of the plannin', but we just don't want ta be makin' a big deal out of it," she said with a smile, the woman seeming to glow, "We have other things ta be focusin' on anyways."
Regina finally let a soft smile grace her face, understanding the message in the woman's words, "I know you do. I really am happy for the both of you. As much as I give him a hard time, Duke really deserves to be happy with you after everything he's been through on the guild. And I hope he makes you just as happy too."
"He does."
"Good. Because the first time he doesn't, I'll knock him out!"
Cheyenne laughed at her declaration, "I'm sure you will."
. : + : .
"Are you sure about this mission?" Finn asked, reading over the details of the mission in front of him again.
"You think I can't handle it or something?"
"You know that's not it," Finn sighed, "You're one of the S-Class mages in this guild and I know what you're capable of. It's just that…"
"It's just what?"
"This mission…it's in Barracuda's territory."
"And?"
"Duke," he said in a hard tone, "You know how things are right now. The Big Three were taken down barely a year ago and things are shaky right now in every direction on the seas. Why do you think I've been keeping the guild in Burningham's territory?"
"Because you tend to be overly cautious nowadays?"
Finn sent the man a flat stare before continuing, "Because the Murdocks and Burninghams have been on good terms for a long time. We're more like family friends, so it gives us protection in his waters while things are still in chaos."
"You think we can't protect ourselves?"
"That's not what I mean. But it's helpful to have that backup in case something goes wrong."
It was now Duke's turn to send Finn a flat stare, "Even when the Big Three were in power, we still had to be careful into which territory we sailed. It's not like we haven't ever had run-ins with Barracuda before. He's not all that bad of a guy, so long as you don't do anything to cross him."
"Look, until Burningham and the other three captains can work out the Libertatia Pact, then I would prefer you to stay out of Barracuda's territory in the south. Find a mission in western waters instead."
"Barracuda will be part of the Libertatia Pact when it's worked out, so I should be fine."
"Barracuda is getting old, Duke. Someone will probably be taking his place as soon as the pact is completed. I don't want you making enemies with someone right before they're to come into power."
"Burningham is getting old too."
"Yes, but he already has his son, David Burningham, picked out to take over. We know David and we've made a strong bond with him along with the rest of Burningham's crew. We don't have anything like that with Barracuda and his men. I don't want to take any chances of putting us on someone's radar before this pact is made."
"You really should trust me more."
Finn was silent for a long moment, staring at Duke in that time before letting out another heavy sigh, "Why do you want to take this mission so badly?"
"It's the highest paying mission we have right now and you know I need the money," Duke answered.
"You know that you don't have to worry so much about that. You're part of the guild, my nakama. I'll make sure to help you when you need it."
"I know, but as a man, I need to be able to take care of my family," he said, "Besides, this should be a fairly simply mission, even with the high price on it. All I have to do is go onto an island off of Midi, find the man with the bounty on his head and then turn him into the Navy. Piece of cake."
Finn was quiet again as he thought over things. He knew how stubborn Duke could be, and with how his current situation was with Cheyenne, Finn also knew that Duke wouldn't be taking no for an answer this time, "Fine. You can take this mission, but make sure to do this one alone. The more people there are, the more likely it is to cause problems."
Duke smiled in response, "I was planning on doing this one alone anyways. I would have to share the reward otherwise."
"And make sure to not cause a scene either. Go in there, get the guy and then leave. Understood?"
"Yes captain!"
"I mean it, Duke," Finn said, keeping his hard tone, "Don't take any chances on anything. It may seem like an easy mission, but sometimes the simplest of things can cause the biggest disasters."
"You worry too much," Duke said. Though, this got no reaction out of Finn other than a continuous, unamused stare, "But I get it. I'll be careful."
"Good."
"Take care of Cheyenne for me while I'm gone then," he said, his smile returning as he snatched the bounty sheet and mission sheet from Finn's hands, "And if anyone tries anything while I'm gone, knock them out for me!"
"Why is it that you and Gina always resort to knocking someone out?"
"Easiest way to get things done and to make a point!" Duke said, laughing as he exited the office.
Finn rolled his eyes in response. Though, once the door closed, he could only feel a sense of dread wash over him. He had briefly thought about going to stop Duke from going again, but he never felt his legs move him towards the door. There would be no stopping Duke now that he had his permission to go on the mission, but Finn just couldn't shake the feeling that things would be better off for everyone if he had just put his foot down for once against his best friend.
. : + : .
"Are ya sure about doin' this alone?" Cheyenne asked, frowning at Duke as he prepared a boat for his mission. He had thrown a pack into the boat for his trip along with carrying a long and heavy steel staff on his back, "I could go with ya still."
"You're staying here," he huffed, pulling the last rope necessary as the boat dropped down into the water. He then turned to face Cheyenne with Finn, Regina and Cordelia in the background.
"Ya know ya never sound that tough ta me even when yer tryin'," she laughed at him.
"Fine," he said, stepping up to her, "I need you to stay here. Please. I won't be able to focus on anything if you come with me."
"Why? Because I'm such a looker?" she teased.
"You know why," he said, brushing a rough hand against her cheek.
"Aye, I know," she smiled softly, "Still doesn't stop me from worryin' about ya though."
"I know, but I'd be more worried if you came with me. So just stay here and wait for me this time."
"Fine…this time I'll be waitin' fer ya."
"That's my girl," he smiled before moving in to kiss her on her forehead. He then moved to look at the others in the background, his smile growing wide, "You better give me that baby doll for once without a fight, Regina," he said with his arms open wide.
Regina puffed her cheeks out in irritation at his comment for a moment before giving in and handing over Cordelia to him.
Duke lifted her above him slightly, the small girl squealing in laughter as she was lifted up high, "You make sure to give everyone a hard time while I'm gone. You got that?" he said, smiling up at her. She answered by reaching her arms out towards him, causing him to lower her closer towards him until her hands were planted on either cheek, "You're really gonna be a heartbreaker someday with those big blue eyes," he smiled softly at her. Though, his eyebrows furrowed when he saw the usually smiling baby in front of him frowning at him, her eyes almost seeming to focus on him in worry. It was an odd thing to see on her face as he didn't think that a baby could understand the concept of worrying, "You be good now, baby doll," he said, trying his best to smile at her again.
Finn stepped up this time to take his daughter back, the two men having to struggle for a moment as Cordelia didn't seem to want to let go of Duke. Eventually Finn got her loose and pulled her away from Duke. He stared down at his daughter for a moment, seeing the same frown on her face as Duke had. It made Finn rethink his decision of letting Duke go on the mission again since his daughter even seemed to feel wary about it. It was odd to see Cordelia so serious, as if she knew something bad was going to happen and being frustrated that she couldn't say anything about it.
"Are you really sure you want to go on this mission?" Finn asked when he looked back up at Duke.
Duke stood in silence for a moment as he looked between Finn and Cordelia. Finally a smile broke out across his face, "Of course I'm sure! And stop looking so grumpy all the time. You're beginning to teach your daughter bad habits!" he said, gently poking Cordelia on her cheek. The small girl grabbed onto his finger, her tiny hand wrapping around it tightly as if she was trying to reach out to him one last time to get him to stay, "Things will be fine," he added as he pulled his hand away from Cordelia.
"If you say so," Finn sighed, "Just make sure to remember what I told you in my office."
"Aye, I'll remember," he said before turning back towards Cheyenne one last time. He pulled her into a hug, which she happily returned, "Take care of yourself while I'm gone."
"I'm a big girl. I'll be just fine," she smiled at him. He returned the smile before kissing her fully on the lips, "Just make sure not ta be gone fer too long."
"Of course not, love," he said before giving her one last hug and moving towards the edge of the ship, "I'll be back as soon as I can and as a richer man!"
"Just don't do anything stupid!" Finn called out as Duke jumped over the side of the ship and down into the smaller one.
"I heard you the first hundred times, Guild Master Peach!" Duke shouted back up with a bark of laughter.
"Come back safe an' sound!" Cheyenne shouted down to him, "I'll be waitin' fer ya!"
"You got it!" he said with a wink before he took off in his boat, Cheyenne staying at the edge of the ship to watch him go.
Finn looked down at Cordelia when he heard her let out a small noise of disappointment. He saw that she was still wearing a frown, staring at where Duke had just been moments ago, "You think it was a bad idea to let him go too, don't you?" he asked quietly. Cordelia looked up at him at the sound of his question with her wide and oddly worried eyes. Finn felt the dread from earlier hit his stomach again at her stare, but there really was nothing he could do now, "Let's just hope that we're both wrong about all of this, yeah?" he said, though it didn't shake the dread he felt or the worry from his daughter's eyes.
. : + : .
On a large warship that had been stolen from Pergrande Kingdom at some time or another sat a crew of pirates that went by the name of the Sawtooth Pirates. It was currently the largest crew of pirates within southern waters, the captain having enough power to control all lower level crews of pirates that called those waters home. Said captain currently sat in a plush, black velvet chair that had been stationed at the head of the ship along with a small table next to him that held his drink for the afternoon.
This man was named Barracuda. In his glory days, his hair had been jet black and his build had been large and muscled. Now his long hair had been silvered with age and while he was still quite a tall man, his frame had also become much leaner over the years. Though, he was still known as the strongest man in southern territory and his crew respected and feared him for it. No matter how many years passed on the ship, whatever Barracuda ordered, the crew followed it, mostly out of respect for their long time captain, but because they also knew he had the power to kill them if he had wanted. They knew this from seeing it first hand countless times for crew members that had tried to betray him or overthrown him.
He was currently wearing a wide-brimmed, black hat that he kept pushed down slightly to cover part of his face. He had on black, circular sunglasses along with a heavy black coat. Though, the coat was currently thrown over the back of his chair, leaving him in his usual dark red, long sleeved shirt, black pants with a black, leather belt and a pair of narrow, black boots. His silver hair was left loose, long strands of it floating up in the wind as he read over the paper in his hands.
He smiled slightly when he came to a decision about the papers in his hands, the crooked smile showing off sharpened teeth, "Oi! Madmartigan!" he shouted.
A young man with dark hair and eyes came walking up behind his captain, wearing his own black hat and black coat. Though, his boots were much heavier in appearance and his body frame was thick and muscled.
"Yes, Captain?" he grunted in reply.
"I have a job for you."
"What is it?"
"This man," Barracuda said, handing over the bounty sheet to him, "I want him for our crew. He would make a good addition."
"And you want me to go get him?"
"Smart boy. I knew there was a reason I chose you as my apprentice and the next in line after I retire."
Madmartigan nodded in reply, "So what makes this man so special that you'd go out of your way for him?"
Barracuda looked over his sunglasses at the young man, showing off dark and dangerous red eyes, "Do you doubt my decision?"
"No sir," he answered, "I'm simply curious."
"Smart boy again with a response like that," he said as he covered his eyes with his sunglasses again, "I am preparing a better crew for you once the Libertatia Pact is completed. The pact will signify that we really are the strongest crew in the south and I want the crew to continue to be strong after you take over. This man will help you with that. Trust me in my decision."
"I do, sir."
"Good," he said, picking up the glass of dark, red wine next to him, "Now, leave for your mission," he added, waving the young man off, "Oh, and Madmartigan," he said in a sly voice, the crooked smile returning to his face, "Don't disappoint me. Make sure to bring that man back here. You know how I get when I'm disappointed."
"Aye, Captain," Madmartigan answered, feeling a chill run up his spine at the sound of his voice and the sight of the pointed teeth shaped into a smile. He quickly took his leave of the older man to start his mission, silently hoping that the pact would be finished soon so he could finally take over the crew and not have to see that smile any longer.
Storm's Helm Question Corner!
Today's question comes from reven228 for myself (and a few chosen mages):
If you could be in any anime world, which would you like to be in?
Watson: Talk about a loaded question! There's so many!
Ace: We'll you're gonna have to pick one.
Watson: But how is that even possible? I've recently been re-watching Trigun, but that makes me so sad even if it would be cool to meet Vash in person! What would you pick?
Ace: Super easy. One Piece.
Watson: I suppose part of your inspiration did come from Zoro. You're even a bit stupid like him too!
Ace: Hey! My sense of direction is way better than his!
Watson: Or so you think, haha! Hmm, let's see here. There is always Saiyuki, mainly because that one means a lot to me. It was the first manga I ever read and I even have a tattoo inspired from it!
Mia: More like you just want to be all around those men!
Watson: You're one to talk! You'd probably pick Ouran High School Host Club or Peach Girl or something like that!
Mia: Howl's Moving Castle, thank you very much! Have you seen how gorgeous that man is?!
Watson: Until he eats your heart or all your bacon burns! Haha! And what about our lovely guild master?
Cordelia: Black Rock Shooter.
Watson: How can you even pick that when I haven't even seen it?! It's impossible!
Cordelia: You've seen the AMVs! It's close enough! You know how badass those chicks are! And you've seen those guns! I want them! I want them right now!
Watson: Still! You should pick something like- *suddenly stops as everyone in the room looks over as the five S-Class mages walk on stage dressed as Super Saiyans*
The Five S-Class: *take fighting stance, each pulling hands back* Kaaaaa-meeeee-haaaaa-meeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Watson: *sweat drops* I…uh…I don't know how to respond to this…
Nanami: Now for the Spirit Bomb! *the five begin to lift their hands in the air*
Watson: Get out! *kicks group off stage* But in all seriousness, if I had to pick something instantly, it probably would be One Piece, mostly because that's what I've been reading recently. Plus, I mean, how awesome would that be?! Such an action packed life! And having a close crew like that! But I think Saiyuki would make a pretty close second for me since that is my favorite anime/manga. Anyways, I'll see you all next Sunday!
A/N: And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Credits
Barracuda - MyDearWatson
So there's the first big chunk of the flashback! I really enjoyed writing it and it ended up turning out to be longer than I thought it would, so I definitely had to break it up into sections. And I had wanted to write more for this section, but I think all the set up was nice, so I left it how it was. Plus, I started to get sad towards the end of Duke's section, so I figured it was better to stop before I made myself too sad for the night, lol.
Quick note for those of you that read Thunder Stone! I did not forget about this week's update! But real life took over for a while with work and some other personal things going on, so I was unable to get that one updated on Thursday. I'm hoping to do at least a small update before this Thursday comes around, so we'll see how that goes.
Anyways…I really don't know how I'm gonna be able to write this flashback without feeling sad every time I write a section! Seriously! This part of it didn't even have any of the bad stuff going down and I was already feeling horrible over it! UGH! Why do I do these things to myself?!
Ahaha…clearly I had to vent that out for a moment…
But I think that's it for now, so we'll jump into those lovely reviews!
reven228 - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and that you're excited for the flashback! And the next Black Skull member should be pretty entertaining. Nothing as dark as it's been recently, just a small hint I suppose. And that final clash! I'm so excited myself! Thanks again for your question! It was super fun, especially since I got to answer it too, lol! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Momochan77 - I'm glad to hear how much you like Mingo and Swabbie! They really are fun characters to use, even in more serious moments like that last chapter. But I'm glad you liked Duke in the first part of the flashback. I think he makes for a great uncle too! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
LightandDarkHeart - Glad you're excited for the flashback! Hopefully you were able to get more data for this chapter on what might end up happening! I'm super excited about it all! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Joshua1277 - Oh yeah, Mingo definitely lucked out with having that ability of talking his way out of things. But yeah, Cordelia definitely let her anger get the better of her that chapter, but she still has a lot of her own learning to do. But now into the long awaited flashback! So many things to find out! So I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Benthino - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! And never fear! There are more fights to come very soon! Especially in this flashback! So be looking out for them! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
XLil MEkoX - No worries on the review! Haha, I thought you might like that Zinnia/Swabbie moment! I liked it a lot myself too. (Although, I gotta wonder what Thunder Stone is doing to you, considering everything that's been going on with Tada and Azielle.) But yeah, Mingo really lucked out with being able to talk himself out of the situation for the most part. Though, most of his luck came from Zinnia waking up. And I'm glad you're so excited for the flashback too! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
ThePrinceOfLight - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Oh yeah, Cordelia was definitely on the hunt for payback as soon as she saw Zinnia. Mingo really lucked out. Though, if it had been Daniel…well, he probably wouldn't have been so lucky. And yep! We finally get to go into Duke's journal! So I hope you like how the history unfolds! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Origm2012 - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! But yeah, Mingo really lucked out with his smooth talking and being able to pick up why she was attacking him in the first place. Plus, there was Zinnia sealing the deal with saving Mingo and Swabbie as well. And only time will tell if there are any more decent members or not, haha! But I was really happy to hear how much you liked that fight scene! I was honestly worried if it turned out okay or not, so I was happy to see that you liked it so much! And Dread guessed it with that revolver being based off of Vash's from Trigun, so hopefully that was what you were thinking too. But it's great that the fight made it to the top of your favorites list currently! Haha! And I'm glad to hear how excited you are for the flashback! I'm so excited to finally be writing it! And it looks like the Eli counter gets to keep going up, haha! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
silverhawk88 - Yeah, Mingo really lucked out with Zinnia waking up when she did to end everything that was going on with that fight. Haha, and I think it would take a lot of work from Mac to get Swabbie to do more than grunt…aside from getting him drunk to say random, weird things. And yep, now time for the flashback with Duke and Madmartigan! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
potentialauthor88 - Glad you enjoyed the fight last chapter! And no, Cordelia still has a lot to learn herself, so making a decision on the fly like that and out of anger to attack Mingo made sense for her to do currently, so I'm glad you liked that too. And I'm glad you liked Mingo's abilities too! And now we're at the flashback, so I'm glad you're looking forward to that as well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Dreadburner94 - Seems you really are slowly improving with the reviews, lol. It was still daylight when you reviewed this time! But yep, you got it right with that revolver being based off of Vash's. So many secrets in that journal! And not just the ones revolving around Madmartigan! More to be discovered…eventually! And I hope you liked Nanami as a Super Saiyan this chapter, lol! I keep making myself laugh every time I picture it with her standing at the forefront of all the S-Class men and all of them looking like Super Saiyans, haha! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
That should be it for this time around.
I'll see you all next Sunday!
Yours Truly,
MyDearWatson