Between the Devil and the Deep
A Rurouni Kenshin Alternate Universe Fic
by Gemini
Rated R for language.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Sony and Lord Knows Who Else. Notably absent from this list is me. I don't own them, I just like using them for my own twisted purposes.
Still for Moonspark, who now wants me to write a lemon. You perv!
:)
Chapter 8: Of Blood and Fire
Saitou took several deep breaths, hoping that one of them would quell the
homicidal urges that currently were threatening to overtake him. Tokio was
always telling him to take several deep breaths before reacting, lest he
repeat the unfortunate incident that had kept him from rising above the rank
of Captain. Of course, he reasoned that he had had every right to be upset
when his former commanding officer flirted shamelessly with his wife at a
Navy banquet, and it was his commanding officer who bore the responsibility
for forcing Saitou to break the man's leg all those years ago. But that was
neither here nor there. His current problem was that Commodore Shishio had
ordered one of his men to fire a warning shot off the port bow. The commodore
had not informed Saitou of this decision, prompting the captain to take many,
many deep breaths before going below to have a little chat with the Commodore.
Shishio was reluctant to leave the cannons, but Saitou was insistent, although
politely so. The two men retired to a more secluded place on the ship to
talk. Saitou took several more breaths before beginning.
"Commodore, why did you order my men to fire?" He asked, putting a slight
emphasis on the word 'my'.
Shishio smiled. "Well now, Captain, it seems to me that just sitting here
won't get us very far. Think of it as a pre-emptive strike."
Saitou gritted his teeth, sorely tempted to pull his sword on the Commodore,
but well aware of the fact that Tokio would be less than amused if she heard
about it. He hid the action in a grimace that attempted to be a smile. "Commodore,
respectfully, I think perhaps it would be best if I was the only person giving
orders on this ship. Neither of us would want my men to get conflicting orders
or become confused. They're used to doing things a certain way…"
"Your way, I take it?" Shishio's smile vanished.
"If you like." Saitou replied carefully.
"What I'd like, Captain, is to eradicate the pirate menace once and for all.
Capturing the infamous Kami Kaze and her crew would certainly send a message
to all the other brigands that His Imperial Majesty's Navy will no longer
tolerate their presence on our seas." He cracked his knuckles and smiled
slightly. "What I'd like is to take the head of whoever is now the captain
of that ship and hang it on the bowsprit for the world to see."
"I see." Saitou said quietly, a little alarmed at the glint in the Commodore's
eye.
"I'm glad. Now, let's go take care of this, Captain. I'm through waiting."
"If it's a fight they want, I'll be glad to give them one." Kaoru said quietly. "Sano, get below decks and tell Chou to get ready to spark the cannons."
"Aye, captain!" Sano saluted her, to which she rolled her eyes, and ran
back down below decks.
Kaoru took a quick walk around the gunwalls to be sure that the men on the
deck were also ready to fire. "Load up those six pounders, boys and get your
lights ready! We're about to show these bastards what it means to take on
the Kami Kaze!" She yelled. Her men cheered.
"Captain, they're opening up their cannon doors!" Kamatari yelled from his
position at a nearby cannon.
Kaoru smiled wanly. There was no time for fear, no time for regret. She promised
herself that she would feel all those emotions and more, as soon as this
battle was done. Taking a deep breath, she yelled out, loud enough for Chou
to hear below decks, "FIRE!"
There was a few seconds of silence and then the roar of the cannons as they
fired. Black gun powder hung in the air, an annoyance for the men on the
deck, a real problem for the men below decks, where the smoke and powder
hung so thick in the air that it was difficult to breathe. They were used
it, though, so they barely noticed their own labored wheezing as they reloaded
their cannons and prepared to fire again.
An answering roar came from the Miburo and the Kami Kaze shook as she absorbed
the impact. Kaoru braced herself on the main mast and shouted orders, straining
to be heard over the roar of the cannons and the chaos of battle.
While the situation on deck was manageable, things below were not going so
well.
"Captain, the bilge is taking in water!" A man so covered in soot as to be
unrecognizable, gasped his news, water dripping from his blackened clothes.
"Get Soujiro down there and have him patch the leak as best he can." Kaoru
replied evenly, feeling a twinge of fear in her belly that she did not acknowledge.
"We have to make it through this battle." The man nodded and ran back down
below decks.
Another blast from the Miburo hit the deck and several men were knocked back,
and unconscious. Debris flew everywhere, raining wood, nails and twisted metal
down on the deck and its crew. Kaoru barely managed to dodge a hunk of one
of her cannons and received a bloody gash on her arm from the jagged edge
of it.
"Take the wounded to the galley and get back up here as soon as possible!"
She yelled, cradling her injured arm. Several of her crew gathered up the
wounded and headed quickly below decks. They were immediately replaced by
more sailors, who fired on the Mibruo with renewed purpose, hoping to avenge
their fallen comrades.
"Load some chain shot! Try to take out their masts!" Kaoru ordered, her voice
cracking with strain. She was answered with the roar of a dozen cannons and
the groans of two ships under heavy fire.
In the galley, more and more wounded were coming in. Hiko and Yahiko worked
to bandage up the minor cuts and bruises while Megumi, with Kenshin's help,
dealt with the more seriously wounded.
As they worked on a sailor with bad powder burns on his face and chest, the
men from the deck came in, carrying their wounded.
The other patients immediately began asking about the battle on decks.
"Captain's got them on the defensive." One stout man answered proudly. "She's
got those bastards shaking in their boots!"
There was a collective, though muted roar of approval and Kenshin couldn't
help smiling a bit as he gently worked some salve onto the sailor's burns
before wrapping it with a soft, clean length of cotton.
The Kami Kaze shuddered violently and for a moment, everyone froze in mid-action
as they listened to the sounds of the ship. After a long minute, they determined
that the ship had held through the latest assault, and movement was restored
as though it had never stopped.
Kenshin and Megumi worked quickly, dispatching the burned man and moving
on to one with a large, ugly gash on his forehead.
"I'm going to have to stitch this up." Megumi murmured. Without needing to
be asked, Kenshin immediately handed her a needle he had sterilized with
alcohol and some thread. She gave him a fleeting smile and went to work. The
sailor flinched and bit his lip, but did not say a word as she sewed his
forehead back together.
Suddenly, it was eerily quiet. The cannons stopped roaring, the Kami Kaze
floating placidly, as though it were not under attack. Everyone went still,
exchanging nervous glances. Then, the ship seemed to jerk and loud yells and
the crack of rifles filtered down from the deck.
"We're being boarded!" One of the men exclaimed. Chaos broke out in the galley
as those who could leave, did.
"Where are they going?" Yahiko asked, clearly bewildered by the mass exodus.
"Up top, to defend us." Hiko grunted. His eyes were dark with worry. "What
kind of psycho would board a heavily armed pirate ship without
subduing it first?" He asked rhetorically.
Kenshin frowned, wiping his bloody hands on his hastily donned smock. "I
know who." He said quietly.
"I said not yet!" Saitou yelled angrily. "They're still too strong!"
Commodore Shishio ignored him and watched with satisfaction as Saitou's
men threw their grapples over and hooked the Kami Kaze like a fish. The men
put all their strength into pulling the two ships closer together, and when
they could see the whites of their enemies' eyes, they knew it was time.
"Board that ship, men! Show them how strong the Imperial Navy is!" Shishio
commanded.
With an answering yell, the men began swinging over onto the pirate ship,
ready to fight to the death.
"Goddamn you, Shishio. You've sent my men to the executioner!" Saitou growled,
grabbing the hilt of his sword in rage. "I'll see you court marshaled for
this!"
Shishio turned and raised an eyebrow at the captain. "Are you opposing me?"
He asked.
"You are goddamn right I am!" Saitou spat.
"Very well." Shishio gestured for two of Saitou's men to come forward. "Take
the captain to the brig and put him with the other traitors."
The men hesitated, unwilling to oppose the Commodore, but equally unwilling
to put their captain in the brig.
"The captain is under arrest for mutiny, men. Take him below or you will
join him." Shishio said angrily.
"Mutiny? This is my fucking ship!" Saitou managed, his voice hoarse with
fury.
"I am the ranking officer here, captain, therefore it is my ship. Your failure
to follow my command makes you a mutineer." He turned to the men and drew
his sword. "If you do not take the captain below to the brig then I will
slice off a finger for every minute you stand there!" He said, pointing his
sword at the two sailors.
Given his reputation, the men decided to believe him and reluctantly took
their captain into custody. "I'm sorry, sir." One of the men whispered to
Saitou.
The captain's eyes were narrowed and his face livid with anger. "I swear
on my honor, Shishio, you will pay for this." He hissed.
"And that makes another charge, threatening your superior officer. Keep it
up, captain, and I'll see you hanged." Shishio replied evenly, his anger having
faded into smug satisfaction. Finally things would be done his way!
Saitou clenched his jaw and wrenched his arms away from his men. "I don't
need you two to hold me up." He managed. Stiff with rage, he made his way
below decks to join Aoshi and the other pirates in the brig.
The deck of the Kami Kaze was in chaos. The shouts and screams of men,
the ring of steel against steel, the crack of guns filled the air.
Kenshin had hastily discarded his smock and had found himself a sword. But,
as he stood on the stairs leading below decks, he could not force himself
to fight. He was, after all, a captain in the Imperial Navy. Those Navy men
fighting on the deck could have been his own sailors. He lowered his sword
and backed away, feeling sick with conflicted emotions.
"It's better not to watch." Somehow, Hiko had snuck up behind him. Kenshin,
startled, turned and stared at his former captain. "I always stay below because
I want to go out there and fight, but I don't know who for." Hiko explained
gruffly.
Inexplicably, the fighting on the deck began to lessen and finally still.
Confused, both Kenshin and Hiko looked around to see what had stopped the
fighting. Or, whom.
The answer stood on the railing, towering over everyone on deck, still holding
on to the rope he had swung over on. He was dressed in his full military
uniform, looking imposing in navy blue and gold. Commodore Makoto Shishio
had boarded the Kami Kaze.
"I am looking for the captain of this ship!" He yelled. The men all stared
at him, silent. "Well? Where is the captain? Or is he too cowardly to face
me?"
"I am not afraid of you." Like Moses before the Red Sea, the men on deck
parted before a young woman dressed in men's clothes, her left sleeve was
shredded and bloody and she held a large, imposing sword in her right hand.
Shishio snorted. "I return your sentiment. Now, tell me little girl, where
is your captain?"
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "I am right here." She replied haughtily.
Shishio laughed out loud. "Wait, are you telling me that the feared captain
of the Kami Kaze is a…girl?" He guffawed and hopped onto the deck, taking
a few steps towards Kaoru. He peered at her for a long moment and then grinned.
"I know who you are. You're a spitting image of your mother." He stepped
closer. "But you have your father's eyes. Interesting, very interesting."
Kaoru merely raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.
"So Tetsuro Kamiya's daughter is captain of this ship, eh? How many of your
men did you have to fuck for the privilege?"
Kaoru's men bristled at the insult and Sano, along with several others, stepped
forward, swords drawn. "I'll teach you to have some respect for the captain,
you bastard!" Sano growled.
"Sano, stand down." Kaoru said calmly. She didn't seem to be particularly
insulted. "The Commodore will learn about respect soon enough."
"So you know who I am, hmm? Well, well. My reputation must have preceded
me." Shishio smiled.
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Did you come aboard my ship to stand around and preen
or did you have something in mind?"
"Well, I had a mind to challenge the captain of this ship, but I don't fight
girls." Shishio sneered.
"Neither do I." Kaoru replied. "Now really, Commodore, I grow weary of all
this talk. Do you intend to fight or are you just full of hot air?"
Shishio's eyes narrowed. "You should know your place, woman." He growled.
"My place? It's right here, on the deck of this ship." Kaoru smiled slightly.
Shishio frowned. "Perhaps it would be beneficial for me to show your men
just how weak you really are."
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing." Kaoru replied evenly.
Scowling, Shishio drew his sword and leveled it at Kaoru. "I'll go easy on
you, little girl, just so the fight will last longer than two minutes."
She chuckled. "Underestimating me will be the last mistake you ever make,
Commodore." She raised her sword and smiled. "Now, let's stop all this blustering
and see just how much of a blowhard you really are."
Shishio's scowl turned feral and a manic glint lit in his eyes. He was through
talking. His grip tightened on his sword and his eyes narrowed a split second
before he charged.
There was a loud clang as Kaoru blocked his first strike. The real battle
for the Kami Kaze had just begun.
Glossary of terms:
(Courtesy of A Pirate's Glossary of Terms)
Six pounders – Cannons
Bilge - The lowest part inside the ship, within the hull itself which is the first place to show signs of leakage. The bilge is often dank and musty, and considered the most filthy, dead space of a ship.
Chain Shot - Two cannonballs chained together and aimed high in order to destroy masts and rigging.
Grapple (also grappling hook, grappling iron, or grapnel) - An iron shaft with claws at one end, usually thrown by a rope and used for grasping and holding, especially one for drawing and holding an enemy ship alongside
A/N: In the last installment of BTDATD, I promised a surprise. What was the surprise? Kaoru fights Shishio! I know I was surprised! (Sorry if you got your hopes up for something else) Kenshin, for once, just stands there. Whether or not he will sink to his knees and begin crying and begging Kaoru to stop will remain to be seen. But don't worry people, Kenshin will get his moment.
And Saitou being sent to the brig! That was a surprise as well! I swear, sometimes I think this story just writes itself. I've been having these blackouts lately. When I come to, the chapters are written and, strangely, I'm naked and covered with mud. Weird. Anyway… there will be more with Saitou, Aoshi and Co. later.
This story is not over yet! Kaoru will kick more ass! Kenshin will be wishy-washier, Hiko will stay sober, Saitou will smoke many, many more cigarettes…all this and more in the next installment of As The Pirate Turns, er…I mean, Between the Devil and the Deep!
A/N2: Don't forget! This Friday is National Talk Like A Pirate
Day! Join in the chantey and grab a bit o'grog, me hearties!
www.talklikeapirate.com