Like for the previous chapter, this one I touched up a bit. ^.^ Thanks!

_.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._.~._

" 'A! Bloody 'ell! Will ye shut your bleepn' trap! I's be tryn' ta sleep!"

"Ach! Ye shut up!" replied a very heavily accented Irish voice.

"w'at ye say to me?" yelled the first voice again

"Are ye deaf an' dimwitted?"

The sound of chains clanking was heard throughout the cargo hold of the ship.

Almost as if someone were straining all their might against it.

Blast it all! Another fight. And it woke me up. better take care of this. "WILL

YOU ALL SHUT THE BLO'Y HELL UP!!"

Silence.

MUCH better. I'd thought that since these men haven't had a drop of rum in

weeks, the fighting would stop. What a fool I was, that only makes them more

disagreeable. BUT I'll be darned if they wake me up again! It's hard enough going to

sleep with all these blasted waves all the time, and the sound of drunken sailors partying

above us on the second level.

Well, no use in trying to go back to sleep. I started to stretch only to have my

arms pulled short by the darn chains and the shackles got tighter. If that was even

possible... I quickly dropped my arms and rubbed my wrists a bit. I closed my eyes and

started muttering to my self on what I'd like to do with those chains.

"Well! Som'uns in a disagreeable mood t'day!" Said a voice near me.

I opened my eyes a bit to glare at them, whoever they were. And saw a pair of

stunning green-blue eyes that looked familiar..

"Who're you?" I asked. Ok, So I wasn't too polite about it, but I wasn't in the

mood to waist my time and patience on trying to be polite. "You didn' sit next ta me

yesterdai'." I stated.

Those eyes blinked and gosh darn it if it didn't get me a bit ticked. Then. The

oddest sound came. puzzled about it for a sec. then...

"WHA'RE YOU BLO'Y LAUFING ABOUT!!" I glared and yelled at this

annoying person.

The laughing sound continued with this girl, for it was a girl, trying to calm down

and stop. Although in MY opinion she didn't try hard enough at all. And all she

succeeded at doing, was getting me even MORE ticked off. I couldn't' believe my

horrible luck.

First: To get caught and thrown on this darn ship in the first place

Then: to get shackled and bound

And: to have to put up with all the same people day after day unless they didn't

make it and were thrown overboard to the fishes.

I though at that one point for a while. I personally stopped keeping track on how

many times the sailors would come down a day to find someone who had died either from

starvation, disease, or some other horrible event. And then to just unshackle them,

sometimes taking off their clothes, and tossing them overboard with no emotion at all. If

you were lucky they might pray a few words if they remembered.

Then my thoughts turned to what kept me up the first night on this blasted ship. It

was the screams of the woman who sat across from me. Her young baby had died and not

more then seven months old was he.. The Sailors couldn't take the babies empty shell

of a body away from her. She just clutched the body to her and rocked back and forth

screaming. For 2 days she just continued this behavior, she even convinced herself he

was only sleeping. Finally after those 2 days. Well, she didn't live much longer herself.

She realized the lie she was telling herself.. and used the chains in her own way...

Those were the first two deaths on this cursed ship. They 'buried' them together.

The sailors were touched. or probably just drunk,. anyway. They sang burial hymns

for the mother and child all through the night.

I was snapped out of my thoughts with a hand touching me. I almost jumped out

of my skin.

I turned my head to see that young girl looking at me.

"err. Ye okae?" She asked leaning over towards me as much as her own chains

allowed.

I grunted. "Ye still 'ere?" I asked annoyed.

She giggled. ACTUALLY giggled as a response.

I raised my eyebrow. "Either, ye tell me whare ye got th' rum tha' made ye so

gigglish. Or a'm Goonna slo'ly skin ye alive using my long toe nails." I told her half

groggily wishing my sleep wasn't taken away from me, and only half knowing I was

talking at all.

Only to be met by a quickly hid giggle.

"Aye dinnea have 'ny rum! An seeing as aye nae likely ta get 'ny soon, cannae

share." She laughed out

"Well then... Shut. Th'. Blo'y. Hell. Up. An. Leave. Me. Alone." I pronounced

slowly and deliberately so she couldn't miss the message.

"Hmm.." She made the sound slowly. "Well. See'ing as ye an aye 're goonae

spend sum time t'gether, we might as well introduce ourselves, eh?"

"I thought I said, I want'd ta be left alone." I turned as far away from her as I

could, seeing as the chains got in the way and all. I promptly resumed my semi-silent

mutterings about those chains in question.

"ACH! Ye're a stuuborn 'un, nae mistaken tha." she continued. Finally an

emotion besides her giggly, giddy-ness came through. A slightly exasperated tone started

to wear the edge of her voice.

"Well, I'll introduce me'self anyways. I'm Molly O'Connal. Pleasure ta meet ye."

she said once again cheerfully.

"Oh no, the ples'ures all mine." I started with a thick layer of dripping sarcasm

when..

"WAIT."

She looked shocked and confused by my sudden outburst. She blinked and looked

at me.

"Did, .. did ya say.. Molly O'CONNAL?" I said slowly stretching the last

name.

She blinked again. "Aye.. tha's wha' I said.." She said slowly as though

trying to figure out why that made me start.

I looked her suspiciously.

"Did. Did ya ever know a young girl who went by th' name of Serena? A small

thing, with long dirty blonde 'air?"

Her eyes widened.

"AYE! I knew a lass such as she! Serena."

"Maxwell!" we both finished at the same time. I turned my whole body to face

her now.

"Ye.ye dun happen te be tha lass. do ye?" She said her eyes still wide, a

hopeful joyful smile creeping on her face.

My dry lip creaked into an enormous smile.

"MOLLY! MOLLY O'CONNAL! Of all th' beat up blo'y places ta see ya! What

in the world 're ya doin' 'ere?" I said. A companionly grin plastered on my face, one only

worn between old and good friends, friends who have been through a lot together. And a

lot we DID go together.

"The last thing I knew of ya. Well, it was when you just left London. Off to make

your' better life." She nodded her head. We both smiled a bit sadly, remembering

together the last time that we saw each other. The time we had to say goodbye.

"Well, it's impossible fur a persun like you an me to make a better life." she

laughed "Leavin' London ." she paused "Well. A bit went on o'course. But all-in-all."

She gestured with her hands showing her shackles. Both on arm and leg.

We both laughed. Bitterly.

"An' why! Tha's sum'thin I could be askin' o'ye me'self!" She retorted. "WHY!

Las' I heard of ye, why. Ye were still at the Maxwell house! 'elping out like a good lass

tha we kno' ye ne'er were!" She laughed, with a teasing twinkle in those familiar eyes

that I now can place.

The Maxwell house. what memories..

I must have wince. She must have seen the tears in my eyes. Must have noticed

the pain on my face. Because she soon stopped laughing.

"Serena. Wha's wrong?" Her voiced sounded worried. She tried to lean over,

knowing Molly most likely trying to give me a hug, but the chains once again reminded

us of their presence. "Wha' happened?" she continued.

I coughed a bit, clearing my throat.

"Nothing. Just,." I coughed again. "It's nothing."

"Serena."

She got no answer.

"Serenity Maxwell."

I looked at her shocked.

Sh-she. she called me by Serenity. No-one EVER calls me by Serenity. And not

just that. She said Maxwell too... and she said it with such a demanding tone. If you

knew Molly even the slightest bit, you knew not to mess with her when she said your full

name. OR when she used a demanding tone. And when they were COMBINED.. I

actually shuddered.

I looked up into her face, into those stunning eyes. The eyes that were looking

into mine, revealing her worry and concern.

"Serena," she started. "What happened to the Maxwell church(*). Why are you

here."

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

(*) Anyone Gundam Wing fans? ^.~ I can't find words to explain that level of cool-ness If you are.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
In case you didn't Notice I would like to point out two things.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ One: Molly's accent is Irish. Her last name is Irish. HEY! MOLLY'S

IRISH! HEHE! ^.^; Sorry about that!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Two: Serena's accent only shows up when she's speaking, and not

thinking as well. Why you might ask? BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO DO IT!

Hehe! Sorry, once again I'll say it. I'm lazy.

Thank you SO much for reading!!! Researching takes QUITE a lot of time, And I appreciate your reading it.
~*~ KokushibyouOni ~*~