A/N: Sorry for the looooonnng time of not updating. But hopefully a longer chapter will make it all worthwhile. (It's nearly 20 pages O.O) So anyways, don't expect updates to be close together... for me writing a chapter takes time... especially with other stuff to do. But please enjoy chapter 2! Hopefully this fic can get off the ground soon...
And one last note... I suck at making up names... please don't laugh... and I'm REALLY sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors that I make... I should have prolly paid more attention in English when we talked about all that stuff if I was planning on writing fics. I really do try to proofread.
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Chapter 2: This World is So Big and I'm So Small
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Aika and Fina both spun around as the man ran past them.
"He's stealing that woman's bag! Hey you! Stop!" cried Aika. A well-aimed throw of Aika's boomerang landed the thief on the ground.
"Go cupil! Get him!" ordered Fina. Cupil transformed into a large club smacked the thief just as he was trying to get up after falling down from Aika's throw. Aika and Fina ran over to him. The thief stood up, blood oozing from his nose, and threw the bag aside.
"Ha!" he said, "You call that a throw? You can have you're little bag back, lady, beating up these two will be much more satisfying..." The woman scrambled to grab her bag, then backed away apprehensively.
"Get out of here," Aika told the woman, "Leave this little punk to us."
"Ha!" said the thief, "I'm Jenviro, a high-ranking member of the Thief's Guild. I've stolen many valuable items and have taken out all who stand in my way. And you two think that you can beat me!" He smirked confidently.
"I don't like this guy, do you Fina?" asked Aika, and Fina shook her head.
"Not at all. Stealing from innocent people is wrong," said Fina.
"Stealing from innocent people is wrong!" mocked Jenviro in a high-pitched voice. Aika gritted her teeth.
"This guy is really getting on my nerves," she said, "Okay, Jenviro, or whoever you are, we're Aika and Fina, the Blue Rogues, and we're gonna be your downfall! It is a Blue Rogue's job to defend the weak, and not only are we gonna defend them, we're gonna kick your ass!" Jenviro smiled, and as fast as lightning withdrew a thin cutlass.
"Come and get me then!" he taunted, going into a defensive stance.
"Don't mind if I do!" shouted Aika, heaving her boomerang at the thief. Jenviro was ready this time, and easily dodged the boomerang. Catching Aika off guard, he charged at her. Aika yelped, and try to dodge out of the way. She didn't totally miss the blade though, which had cut a small sliver through her arm.
"Aika!" cried Fina, "Are you okay?"
"Just fine, Fina!" said Aika, grinning. She reached out her hand and grabbed the incoming boomerang, and the swiftly caught the back side of Jenviro and knocked him in the head. Fina quickly came in here. Cupil fired himself at Jenviro again. Jenviro fell over, and Aika caught him by the back of his shirt.
"Let go of me, you stupid girl!" said Jenviro, struggling in Aika's grip. The Blue Rogue was strong though, and held the thief.
"Well Fina, looks like we've caught ourselves something!" said Aika grinning. Jenviro glared at both of them.
"You two will be sorry! When the Thief's Guild gets word of this... oh, you two Blue Rogues won't know what hit ya!" shouted Jenviro.
"Hmmm, Fina," said Aika, "I specifically remember this place that Sailor's Island built to put all the bad people like this guy they caught... what was it called again... oh yeah, JAIL!" Jenviro squirmed some more. By this time, many people had appeared on the scene. Men had showed up to take care of the thief. Aika handed over Jenviro to a buff-looking man.
"Thank you very much, young ladies, for taking care of this ruffian... he's been causin' a lot of trouble lately, haven't ya Jenny?" The man gave Jenviro a shake. The thief had decided that there was no use getting away, and was merely glaring around at everybody. He was then taken away by some more men.
"Well, you two sure did take care of that quickly," said the one man, studying the two girls, "Wait a second! You two are the famous Vyse the Legend's companions, aren't you? Wow, I never thought that I'd meet you two out on streets! You have our most utter thanks!" Fina blushed, and Aika tossed away the formalities with a wave of her hand.
"We just like doing what's right that's all. I'm Aika and this is Fina." The man then smiled at them.
"And I'm the jail master of Sailor's Island. Say, I couldn't talk you two lovely ladies into letting me take you out to dinner?" Aika smiled and blushed.
"Actually, we really have places to go... maybe some other time..." said Aika. The man looked slightly put off, but smiled back.
"Okay, I understand. See you girls around sometimes." And then he walked off.
The girls stood there for a few moments for no particular reason.
"I guess Vyse is kinda late," said Fina.
"Well, he never did exactly tell us when he would be here," Aika pointed out.
"True," said Fina, "Hey Aika, while we're waiting, how about we go watch the sunset?" Evening was setting in, and Fina always loved watching sunsets.
"Good idea, Fina. It'll give us something to do while we wait for Vyse."
They sat down on a bench nearby. The sun was just beginning to set, and all different colors were spraying across the sky like strokes of a paintbrush. Both Aika and Fina remained silent for a few minutes, watching the sunset.
"It's really beautiful, huh," said Aika.
"Yeah," said Fina, "But it looks nicer if you sit on the lookout tower of the Delphinus and watch it. Especially in the Upper Sky when there is nothing else around but miles upon miles of sky, and the sunset seems to spread in every direction." Aika looked at Fina for a moment as she said this.
"That was very... poetic... artistic... or whatever you would call it," said Aika.
"Romantic?" murmured Fina, not knowing why. Aika just looked at her for a few moments more.
"Yeah. Romantic. You need to say that to some guy on your first date. Well, he would probably want to say it to you... so maybe not..." Aika's voice trailed off, "It was beautiful though." Fina didn't say anything, but kept her eyes on the sunset.
"Remember when Vyse said that he wanted to sail all the way to the sunset?" asked Fina.
"Yeah," said Aika, fond memories darting across her brain, "He's something, isn't he? Hasn't accomplished that yet, has he?" Fina had decided awhile ago not to burst Vyse's bubble by telling him that it was impossible to say into the sunset.
"No..." said Fina, smiling slightly, then asked, "Wonder when he's gonna get here?"
"He may be kinda late I think. Maybe we'll be here for a few more hours. Never count on Vyse to be on time," said Aika, "Until then... we can just relax I guess." There was silence for a few minutes, and then Aika spoke again.
"We sure showed that thief today, uh Fina?" asked Aika. The sun was halfway down by now.
"Mmmm hmmm..." said Fina absently mindedly, watching the colors in the sky with a far away look on her face.
"We make a pretty good team," said Aika, grinning to herself, "We can kick some serious butt even without Vyse helping us! In fact, we can fight just as good by ourselves! Maybe even better."
"You really think so?" asked Fina, still not thinking about their conversation completely.
"I know so!" said Aika, "Fina, you 'n me make prolly one of the best teams! Two person team that is!" Aika paused for a second then, thinking.
"Fina?" she asked.
"Mmm."
"Fina, pay attention to me!" said Aika. Fina snapped, and then looked at Aika.
"Sorry. What do you want?"
"S'okay," said Aika, "Anyways... wanted to ask you something just now..."
"Yeah?" asked Fina.
"Fina... how would you feel about... about... going on an adventure by ourselves!" Aika blurted out.
Fina sat there, slightly surprised for a minute at this totally random question.
"What do you mean Aika?" she asked.
"I mean ditch Vyse!" said Aika, and began to eagerly explain her plan, liking it more every second, "Think about it Fina. We DO make a great team. We're tough girls. We can survive on our own. We're great Air Pirates too. We could easily leave this island before Vyse gets back, which probably won't be for awhile anyways, and go off by ourselves! We'll have the time of our lives!"
Fina was still slightly surprised by this sudden idea, and had to stop and think for a little bit before she answered.
"Aika, are you sure that's a good idea? Leave now? Don't you think we should wait until... until..."
"Until when?" asked Aika, "We'll never get a better chance to ditch Vyse than this! And don't worry!! Vyse will be fine without us!"
"But Aika," said Fina, "We don't even have a ship!" This seemed to be a definite setback, but the redhead thought for a moment and came up with a plan.
"No problem!" she said, "We'll just go on down to the Sailor's Guild. People who run ships always go down there looking for sailors-for-hire. I'm sure that we'll find somebody who will take us!"
"At this time at night?" asked Fina, "And then what do we do once we get on the ship? Going wherever our captain wants to go isn't exactly what I call an adventure, unless that captain is somebody like Vyse." Aika was obviously getting annoyed by now at all these details Fina was pointing out.
"We'll find somebody before Vyse gets here! We won't though if we sit here all night talking. Once we get on the ship, we'll just leave once we get as fare away from Sailor's Island as we get, get ourselves a job, and get a little ship for ourselves. Remember, like we did that one time in Nasr... now are you in or not?"
Fina sighed, but nodded.
"Guess I'm in," she said, "I still don't know how we're gonna pull it off."
"Good!" said Aika, grinning in triumph. She stood up and grabbed Fina's arm, then began to run off.
"Now come on!" said the Air Pirate, "We've got so much to do and so little time to do it! First we have to get our selves disguises..."
"Disguises?" asked Fina, "You never said anything about disguises..."
"C'mon, Fina," said Aika, "You saw that man who took that thief away... it will be no fun if everyone is treating us like THAT! We just have to look a little different, and hopefully they won't recognize us..."
"Aika, are you sure about this..." Aika pulled Fina off down towards the shops on the island.
"Okay," said Aika, "We're gonna need some completely different outfits..." Aika turned suddenly into a shop, randomly grabbing some clothing and paying for it with the leftover gold. Then she hurried out and pulled Fina over to the weapons shop.
"Well, if it isn't Vyse's two lovely ladies," said the shopkeeper, "And what can I do for you today?"
"Two cutlasses please!" ordered Aika.
"Two cutlasses?" exclaimed Fina and the shopkeeper at the same time.
"Yep, that's right," said Aika, "And be quick about it, we're kinda in a hurry here." The shopkeeper shook his head.
"If you say so. Don't know why you two lovely ladies would want to carry cutlasses around..."
"Just give 'em to me!" said Aika, getting impatient.
"Okay, okay... here... two regular old cutlasses," said the shopkeeper as Aika grabbed them from him and slapped the gold down on the table, "And you be careful with them, too!"
"Don't worry! Me 'n Fina know how to use them, right Fina?"
"Well... er..." said Fina as they walked out of the shop, "Aika, why do we need cutlasses?"
"All part of the disguise. The boomerang is my trademark, and Cupil is yours. And besides, cutlasses will make us look tough. And I'm sure that we could get the hang of them easily!" said Aika. Fina didn't say anything.
"Now come on," said Aika, still holding Fina's arm and leading her down another path, "We can change er... over here, in the dark... or something..." They turned into a dark corner. Aika pulled out two different Air Pirate outfits, and handed one to Fina. They both undressed and dressed quickly in silence.
"Now," said Aika, as they stepped out in the light to see how they looked, "You look just fine... but I gotta do something with my hair..."
Aika untied and loosened her braids, throwing her long, orange hair back. Fina could feel a little shiver run down her spine as the last rays of the sun caught Aika's hair as she tossed it back. The different colors of the sunset glinting against the already amazing color of Aika's hair was really a very... beautiful sight. It took Fina's breath away for a moment, until Aika looked over at her, and Fina blushed, glad that the growing darkness could hide her face, and looked away.
Aika was fumbling with her hair, and Fina looked up again to watch her.
"What do you think of it in a ponytail?" asked Aika.
"I..." said Fina, her voice rather soft, "I like it any way you have, Aika." Aika threw Fina a rather puzzled look.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, "Well, does it look good like this?"
"Ummm... yeah Aika... yeah," Fina turned away again, unsure of what had just come out of her mouth a few seconds ago. But Aika DID have nice hair, and it ALWAYS looked good in Fina's opinion...
"A ponytail looks just fine, Aika..." murmured Fina.
"Good," said Aika, "You're hair I think can stay as is... but I did promise you that I would try and do something with it, didn't I?"
"Aika you really don't have to," said Fina hastily, blushing some.
"No Fina, I insist... tell you what, once we get settled on our new ship, I'll find some time to mess with it, okay?" said Aika. Fina continued to blush, but nodded.
"Okay," said Aika, finishing her hair, "Down to the Sailors' Guild we go!"
They ran off down the street. Fina found it very awkward trying to run with a cutlass at her side, and wondered how Vyse managed to carry two of them around.
Aika came to a skidding halt just before the Sailors' Guild, and Fina nearly ran into her.
"What is it?" asked Fina.
"Fina!" whispered Aika as if she had just realized something, "Cupil! You need to get rid of Cupil! People will recognize you!"
"Oh..." said Fina, and looked at Cupil by her side, "Cupil... you know what to do, on my arm..."
Cupil gave Fina a rather indignant look for a moment, but, giving a little grumble, he shaped himself into a bracelet on Fina's arm.
"Okay!" said Aika, giving Fina a thumbs up, who gave a slightly exasperated smile. Both girls then turned and walked into the Sailors' Guild.
Aika walked up to the desk (Fina noticed that she was having a little trouble with the cutlass also, which was slightly too large for her), and rang the small bell on the desk. The master of the Sailors' Guild appeared from behind a curtain, set down the book he had been looking at, and leaned over the desk to talk to them.
"And what can I do for you lasses today?" he asked.
"We were wondering if you er... had any openings for a couple of sailors," said Aika, "Umm... preferably for a ship that is leaving soon."
"Well," said the Guild master, "Normally at this time, all the ships have either left or are moored here for the night... but..." he consulted a sheet that lay on the desk, "It just so happens we have a ship that leaves tonight... awfully funny," he mused, "Vice Cap'n of the ship can by this mornin', said he was spending the rest of the day here, but was leaving at dusk, and was hopin' to find some new deckhands..." The Guild master peered down at his watch and added, "He's late."
"We'll take the jobs!" said Aika, "Me and my friend here... er... Mina, are two quite able bodied workers, isn't that right..."
"You'd better tell him that," said the Guild master, pointing behind them. Aika and Fina spun around to see a man standing in the doorway.
"I see you've found me some new sailors," said the man. He was dressed in Air Pirate's clothes and had a long, curved sword at his side.
"Not exactly what I expected," said the man, surveying Aika and Fina, "But I'm sure the captain will like them. You two look like you can take care of yourselves too."
And indeed, even Fina looked quite tough in her new outfit. Aika was wearing a tight black tank-top, green pants, a pair of brown boots that reached her knees, a large black belt where her cutlass hung at her side, and a pair of navy blue leather gloves. She had also gotten a new pair of goggles that were strapped around here head in the usual position. Fina also kept the same style of clothing on her head with her blue bandana, but now wore a white shirt and gray jacket, long blue shorts, brown belt for her cutlass, and pair of small navy blue boots.
"Well," continued the Vice Captain, "So you two are willing to take the job?" Aika and Fina both nodded.
"Very well," said the Vice Captain, "I am Arvelon, Vice Captain of the 'Airwave'. And your names are?"
"Mina and er..." Aika paused for a moment, and then blurted out the first name that came to mind, "Bellena." Arvelon nodded.
"Well then, if you would like to just leave right now, we can discuss your pay with the Captain when he returns," said Arvelon.
"Yeah, we're ready to go as soon as possible!" said Aika. Arvelon waved his hand and walked out the door, telling them to follow him, and Aika and Fina hurried after him.
The Airwave was quite a large ship that was moored on the docks.
"How are they going to take off in this darkness?" Fina whispered to Aika. The light had been fading fast since the sun when down.
"Dunno, they must have a lighting system, like the Delphinus," Aika whispered back.
"Vice Cap'n Arvelon!" came a voice from above, and a rope ladder was thrown down. Arvelon, Aika and Fina quickly scurried up the ladder.
"Any news?" Arvelon asked the deckhand who had dropped the ladder once they got up.
"Well, Cap'n ain't back yet, if that's what yer askin'," said the deckhand.
"Very well then," said Arvelon, "Tell them down in the control room to take off, heading west. We should meet up with our Captain shortly. Tell them I will be there in a few moments." The deckhand disappeared inside the ship, and Arvelon turned to Aika and Fina.
"You two can just get a good night's rest, and get settled in your quarters. Have you already ate dinner this evening?" he asked.
"Yes sir, we have," Aika lied. She didn't know about Fina, but she was quite ready to just relax for the rest of the evening.
"Good..." said Arvelon, and turned to another sailor on the deck, "Gecele! I need you to do something for me!" A young female Air Pirate can running over to them.
"Yes, Vice Cap'n Arvelon, what do you need?" she asked.
"I need you to take our two newest crewmembers, Bellena and Mina down to the deckhand's quarters. Make sure that they get situated," Arvelon instructed to his crewmember.
"You've got!" said Gecele, "C'mon, Bellena and Mina, I'll show you where us gals sleep!"
It took a nudge from Fina before Aika let out an 'Oh!', and hurried after Gecele, realizing that she was talking to them.
Fina had to admit that the Airwave did have very nice living quarters. Almost as nice as the Delphinus. In fact, they seemed strangely similar to that of the Delphinus, almost like they had been modeled after it...
"Here's a bunk for you two," said Gecele, gesturing to an empty bunk in the corner. Aika threw her stuff on the top bunk and Fina put hers on the bottom.
"So... old Arv picked you two up at Sailors' Island?" asked Gecele. Aika nodded.
"Hehe, I think old Arv was looking for a couple MALES, to tell you the truth," said Gecele.
"Why?" asked Fina.
"Well," said Gecele, "The Cap'n... well, he's a very interesting fellow... anyways, you'll meet him tomorrow at breakfast probably, and you'll see why Arv didn't want anymore girls aboard this ship." Aika and Fina exchanged glances, wondering who this captain could be.
"So anyways, where are you two from?" asked Gecele.
"Born 'n raised on Sailors' Island! We've been sailing around for most of our lives," said Aika so assuredly that it made Fina think that she had actually PLANNED this made-up response.
"So you've sailed a lot, huh?" said Gecele, "With this one you wouldn't think it," she nodded to Fina, "So tiny and petite... but then again, I'm sure that you can use those big cutlasses of yours pretty well, so you must be a lot tougher than you look."
"Er... yes," said Aika.
"Well, I suppose I'd better get back up on deck," said Gecele, "I'll see you two tomorrow morning. For now you can just get situated and everything... there's drawers to put your stuff in over there, and the bathing room is just down the hallway on your right... the girl's one has a little redhead gal on it..."
"Redhead?" asked Aika, slightly curious.
"Yeah, the Cap'n... he's obsessed with this redhead girl... never seen her," Gecele paused for a moment, looking at Aika, "In fact, the girl on the door of the bathroom looks kinda like you, come to think of it. Just her hair is braided." Gecele shrugged.
"Anyways. See you."
"Bye!" chorused Aika and Fina together. Gecele exited the room.
"WELL," said Aika, "Looks like we've got some time on our hands, seeing as we don't exactly have much stuff to unpack or anything... hey, I know! I said I'd do your hair, didn't I?"
"Aika, really, you don't have to..." said Fina.
"Come ON Fina, I want to!" said Aika.
"Well, okay..." said Fina. Aika grabbed her bag back off the top bunk, rummaged around a bit, and then pulled out a brush and a few hair ties.
"Okay, Fina, here, sit between my knees," said Aika as she sat down on the lower bunk, and Fina propped her shoulders against bed.
"Alright then," said Aika, "Let me see what I can do with this..."
Carefully, Aika untied the knot on Fina's bandana and removed it, allowing Fina's hair to spray across her lap. Fina's hair had grown slightly longer, but it still only reached to about her shoulders.
"Let's see here... what can we do..." pondered Aika, "I'm good at braiding hair, how about that?"
"Okay," agreed Fina.
"Alright!" said Aika, and began combing Fina's hair.
It felt nice, thought Fina to herself, having someone comb her hair like this. Whenever she combed her own hair was always a pain and a bother to fix it up nice, but when someone did it for you it was so relaxing. And Aika had just that right kind of tenderness, just the right touch to make Fina totally forget all her troubles and drift off into daydreams.
Fina's head fell back onto Aika's lap softly as Silvite relaxed. A small smile crossed Aika's lips, and the redhead continued to brush her friend's hair. Fina's hair had a nice, silky touch that just slipped through your fingers. Aika ran the brush through Fina hair until it shined.
Then, carefully, Aika parted Fina's hair and began to braid it. Fina came out of her slight nap by the gentle tugging on her headd.
"Am I pulling to hard?" asked Aika.
"No," said Fina quietly, "Your doing a wonderful job."
"I always love having somebody do my hair," said Aika, with a slight wistful tone in her voice, "Not that I ever had many people do it for me... when your best friend is Vyse, you don't spend a lot of time messing around with your hair. Vyse's mom did it for me sometimes... Vyse was always impatient though, and kept asking if we could go out and play yet."
"Didn't your mom ever help you with your hair?" asked Fina.
There was quiet, awkward silence in which Fina suddenly realized what she had said.
"Oh Aika I'm so sorry!" she said, whipping around to look up at her friend, "I... I forgot Aika... I wasn't thinking... I'm so sorry... I hope... I..."
"It's okay Fina," said Aika. She was smiling, though Fina couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness in her seemingly happy eyes at the mention of her parents.
"And you messed up your braids silly," added Aika, "Now I'm going to have to start them all over again.
"Oh... oh," said Fina, "I'm sorry..." Reluctantly, she turned around again and allowed Aika to continue.
They sat in silence for a while longer. Fina didn't know what to do, she felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable about bringing up the touchy subject of Aika's parents. Fina groped for another topic of discussion.
"So... Aika... exactly how... did your parents die?" asked Fina.
Damnit. THAT certainly wasn't what she had been going for.
"Well," began Aika, "It was quite a while ago so I don't really remember that much. There was a big attack by Valua on a group of Air Pirates that we at Pirate Isle were very good friends with. So of course we had to rush in and help them out."
Aika let out a small sigh.
"I remember the night before the Albatross was set to leave,. I begged my parents to let me come along, but they said it was too dangerous. Rumor had it that a small fleet of the Valuan ships was attacking the Air Pirates, so it would certainly be very dangerous. The Albatross left early the next morning, and I waved to my parents, having the utmost confidence that they would return back with everyone else."
There was another pause here. Fina waited for Aika to continue.
"My mother's dead body was returned to me when the Albatross came back, badly damaged, but victorious. But my father had plummeted to his death in battle. All I received was his favorite bandana, the colorful blue and gold one I gave him for his birthday. It had fallen out during the fight, and was stained with blood and torn in some places."
"My mother was returned to the deep sky also to rest in peace. I was told my parents died bravely. The Valuans supposedly boarded the Albatross, and our crew was outnumbered. One sailor told me that my father was last seen trying to take on 10 soldiers by himself before he fell to his death, and my mother trying to fight and heal everyone else. She was too late to save herself though..."
Aika's voice drifted off into silence.
"Did she ever do your hair for you?" asked Fina, "I mean, before she died, did she get the chance?"
"Yes," said Aika was a small sigh, "I remember when I was very little, she taught me how to braid my hair. That's why I've worn my hair in braids ever since."
There was another long silence, and then it was Aika's turn to ask the questions.
"What was your mother like, Fina?" asked Aika, "I mean, you Silvites do have mothers, don't you?"
"Oh yes," said Fina, "But we Silvites are raised slightly differently than Arcadians. When we are born, we are given to a foster mother, a Silvite whose job it is to look after and raise the younger Silvites. My real mother was a very amazing lady. She was very beautiful, kind, and intelligent, but I never really got the chance to know her. I more consider my foster mother as my mother... she was wonderful, and raised me well I think."
"That's kind of sad though," said Aika thoughtfully, "That you never really got to know your real mother. Why did the Silvites set it up that way?"
"The Elders thought it was the best, most efficient way to run things," said Fina softly.
"I'm sorry Fina," said Aika gently.
"It doesn't really matter anyways," said Fina, "I love my foster mother so much, and I really do miss her." There was a content sort of smile on her face.
They talked for a while longer about things that they used to do with their families, and what their parents were like. Finally talk gave way to silent thought, and Fina stared up at the ceiling.
"There, done," said Aika suddenly, jerking Fina back to the present once more, "Hope you like it."
Fina felt the top of her head and could feel two neat rows of braids.
"Wow, thanks Aika!" said Fina, "It's wonderful!"
"Well, you really can't say that yet... we'll have to find a mirror or something so that you can look at it properly," said Aika, "But we can do that in the morning. You're hair shouldn't be too messed up by then."
"Thanks again though," said Fina, "Aika..."
"Yes?"
"You're mother taught you well."
There was a silence in which Fina turned around to get up and noticed what looked like a tear forming in Aika's eye. But Aika quickly brushed it away, though not without suppressing a quiet sob. Fina, feeling awkward again and hoping that she hadn't upset her friend too much, tried to talk about something different than parents this time.
"Well, I think I'll wash up for bed now," she said.
"Good idea. Where did Gecele say the bathrooms were again?" asked Aika.
"Right down this way," said Fina, pointing, as they stepped out into the hall. They walked down the hallways, and stopped outside the wooden door that had the face of a redheaded pirate girl in pigtails.
"You know," commented Fina, "It really DOES look a lot like you."
"Yeah," said Aika, "It's really kinda freaky."
They pushed open the door and headed inside. It was a rather nice bathroom accommodation. Toilets and sinks were on one side, with shower stalls on the other. In the middle, stacked on one wall, was an assortment of towels. There was also a small pile of dirty clothes scattered here and there as well has equipment to wash them. Aika and Fina quickly used the toilets and washed up, then headed back to the sailor's quarters.
"Hope you get a good night's rest!" said Aika, climbing up to her top bunk, "I'm sure you're gonna need it, as we're probably gonna be worked pretty hard tomorrow. I have done true sailor's grunt work in ages!"
"Yeah," said Fina, getting herself situated in bed. It felt weird, being somewhere else. She was so used to sleeping either on the Delphinus or in her room on Crescent Island. It was strange, all of a sudden being in a totally different place. This morning, she would have never guessed she'd be spending the night on a whole new ship as the member of that ship's crew. Come to think of it, this morning seemed like ages away. So much had happened between the time they had woken up and Vyse had dropped them off and right now. And suddenly Fina became aware of her own exhaustion, and fell asleep into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
Aika, however, lie awake a good while longer, past the time when the other sailors arrived and fell asleep also, staring up at the ceiling. At about two o'clock in the morning Aika stirred. She reached for her bag at the foot of her bed and pulled out a long, bright, blue and gold bandana. Aika brought it close to her, and finally, the redhead dozed off.
* * *
As a the Airwave floated almost lazily from Sailor's Island, another ship, the Delphinus, sped a breakneck pace towards it. Vyse, in the control room, gritted his teeth.
"I didn't know this would take so long!" he said, "We were supposed to be there hours ago!"
The treasure-hunting crew had, however, returned victorious. A large gold statue of an old Nasrean Air Pirate stood in the middle of the control room, surrounded by many other treasures. Domingo, still as eager-faced as when they had found it, was hopping around madly examining every part of the statue.
"Who would have known this old guy would have so many things guarding his tomb!" said Domingo, "It took forever to fight 'em all off without Aika and Fina." Domingo was now examining a very elegant crystal goblet. Next to him was Don, who was also wading through chests of gold.
"How much do you think this could sell for?" asked Domingo, "I'm thinking about 5,000 gold. Maybe more. It is a rare artifact you know..."
"Domingo, I don't really care about this stuff now!" said Vyse, irritated, "I told you, Aika and Fina are waiting! They're probably worried sick by now!"
"Don't flatter yourself Vyse," said Domingo, "They're probably happy that your not there yet. They're probably having the time of their lives and we're gonna have to drag them aboard."
"You really think so?" asked Vyse, relaxing a little.
"I know so Vyse. Don't freak out so much," said Domingo.
"But we all know why he's freaking out!" said Don, a mischievous grin creasing his face.
"Yup," said Domingo, joining in too, "So which one is it Vyse?"
"Which what?" asked Vyse.
"Oh c'mon, don't act like you don't know what we're talking about!" said Don, "Aika or Fina? Which one is it?"
"Or is it both?" asked Domingo, "You know Vyse, you can't be in love with both. You're gonna have to choose one sooner or later."
"Guys, can we REALLY not talk about this NOW," said Vyse, exasperatedly, "I'm trying to pay attention here." Domingo and Don, however, ignored this.
"I think Aika," said Domingo, "She's obviously the one he likes best, and Aika likes him too."
"Nah man," said Don, "Fina definitely. Silvite girl's got the innocent thing goin' on. Aika's loud and obnoxious."
"But does Fina like Vyse also is the other question," said Domingo, "You really can't tell with her."
"Oh course you!" said Don, "Fina obviously likes him."
"You know," said Domingo, "BOTH of them can like him. I think that's it. And if Vyse likes both of them also... he's got himself in quite a pickle, that's for sure!"
"Haven't you guys heard?" a voice spoke up from the back. It was Lawrence, sitting in the Captain's chair. The helmsman had taken to sitting here recently when he was not on duty. Vyse had said it was fine, as he never sat in it, and it 'kept dust from collecting!'
"Vyse," continued Lawrence, "Is currently dating that old friend of his from Pirate Isle... Luke the Raider."
Vyse suddenly froze at the wheel. Lawrence, while usually silent, had also taken to speaking up from time to time. It always seemed to be the most embarrassing things too, and the most embarrassing moments. Vyse had also discovered that Lawrence was damn observant.
There was a stunned silence while Lawrence's words sunk in.
"Ewwwwwwwwww Vyse! You're not..." said Don, going more red than usual. Vyse too, had turned a rosy shade of pink as he quickly thought of something to say to defend himself. He turned around and starred daggers at Lawrence. The helmsman stared calmly back, the same indifferent look he always had upon his face.
Damn him, thought Vyse, he must get so much pleasure out this, even though he doesn't show it!
Suddenly, however, the room was filled with a booming laugh from Domingo.
"Well this certainly explains a lot!" he said, "We should have known all along! Vyse was never especially good with the ladies. Yeah, I saw you up there with Aika, that night she gave you that peck on the cheek and you totally freaked."
"You were watching us!" said Vyse, now turning so red that the tips of his ears were scarlet, "But we were way up by the Council Room!"
Domingo taped his telescope stuffed loosely into his belt.
"Hey, what's the point of being a lookout if you can't have some fun every once and awhile?" asked Domingo.
"Speaking of lookout," said Vyse, "Don't you have a JOB to be doing?"
"Nah, Tikatika is on duty tonight," said Domingo, "And besides, he's got way better vision than me even with my telescope. He probably saw freeze solid all the way done to your toes when Aika kissed you!"
"Well, you know what they say, two pairs of eyes are better than one!" snapped Vyse. His face burned even redder from embarrassment and fury. The Blue Rogue captain turned on the other two in the room.
"And you two," said Vyse, but here he faltered, "You can... you can go... uh..."
Don now let out a laugh. His initial disgust had given way to amusement also.
"Can't think of anything, can ya?" he said, "Guess you're stuck with me 'n old Larry!"
"Yes," said Domingo, "Exactly the kind of companionship you like, no?
Vyse, having no idea's on how to respond to this, gripped the wheel even tighter and let out an irritated "Argg!!" Domingo chuckled merrily to himself.
"So, how long have you been dating Lukey-poo?" he asked, "Isn't he... I dunno... a little young for you?"
"Cradle robber, eh Vyse?" asked Don.
"He is only two years younger than me, for your information!" snapped Vyse.
"Ooohhhhhhh!" shouted Domingo and Don together, and Vyse cursed, realizing how stupidly he had just fallen into THAT trap.
"So you admit it, eh?" said Domingo, "You ARE dating Luke!"
"DON'T YOU HAVE A JOB TO BE DOING!!" bellowed Vyse at the top of his lungs, trying to drown out the laughter.
"Sure thing, Cap'n," said Domingo, and exited the room, Don following behind him.
"Yeah Vyse, I'm out of here too, 'cause three pairs of eyes are better than two!" said Don. The door shut behind them, and Vyse relaxed at the wheel a little, glad for the piece and quiet, and that THAT embarrassing ordeal was over. Now all that remained was Lawrence, who seemed very content in keeping quiet.
It took a few seconds for the stupidity of his action to sink in.
"Oh no!" shouted Vyse when he at last suddenly realized what he had done, "With those two loose, the fact that me'n Luke are dating will spread through the Delphinus like wildfire!" Panicking, Vyse left his post at the wheel, and ran out the control to catch Domingo and Don before too much damage could be done.
The Delphinus swayed dangerously, but luckily for Vyse, Lawrence was still in the room, and the adept helmsman ran to the wheel and quickly tilted the Delphinus back on course.
"Idiots," he muttered to himself.
The Delphinus soon reached the docks of Sailor's Island, and Vyse exited his ship, dragging Domingo, Don, and Lawrence along with him. Vyse knew Lawrence wouldn't say anything; after all, he had been keeping the fact of Vyse and Luke seeing each other a secret for who knows how long now. Vyse wasn't exactly sure how the solitary helmsman had found out, and he didn't especially want to know.
Domingo and Don were complaining loudly, asking why they couldn't stay on board and inspect the treasure some more.
"Now, we have to find Aika and Fina," said Vyse, ignoring their complaints, "I don't see them anywhere around here, so how about we head off to the spa place?
"Whatever YOU want to do, Cap'n," said Don, and Vyse, holding Domingo in one hand and Don in the other, dragged them off down the street. Lawrence followed dutifully behind them.
They were greeted by Katrina and Celyna, who were just closing up for the night.
"Hello," said Katrina, "How my I help you gentleman?" Her eyes flickered over the strange scene before her.
"Err, yes," said Vyse, "I was wondering if Aika and Fina are still here. We dropped them off earlier today and now we're back to get them. Problem is, we can't find them anywhere."
"Ah, you must be Vyse," said Katrina, and the Blue Rogue nodded, "Aika and Fina did stop by here earlier today. Lovely girls... anyways, they left quite a few hours ago. I assumed you would have picked them up."
"Well, yes, we are running slightly... late," said Vyse, "Anyways, thank you for your help... we'd best be going now... gotta look for those girls."
"Pleasure meeting you and your... crew, Vyse," said Katrina, "And good luck finding them!"
An hour later, however, Vyse nor Domingo, Don, or Lawrence had found any sign of the girls. Only a clerk at the clothing store and the weapons shop had mentioned them.
"Yes, those girls came in here a couple hours back," said clothing clerk.
Vyse assumed Aika and Fina had just gone on a shopping spree while they were waiting for him, but the fact that they had been to the weapons shop and bought cutlasses confused him. Vyse was almost absolutely sure it HAD to be to other girls in the weapons shop. Aika and Fina didn't use cutlasses after all.
Eyes itching from tiredness, as it was getting very late and Vyse had had a long day, the young Blue Rogue entered the Sailor's Guild, figuring that while he was here he might as well cash in his information on the Nasrean Air Pirate's tomb.
"By the way," said Vyse as he collected his rather hefty sack of gold, "Did you by any chance see two girls, one with orange hair and the other with blonde hair, come in here today?"
"As a matter a fact I did," said the Guild clerk, "Yes, only a little while ago two girls walked in here... yes, one of them did have long orange hair and the other shorter blonde hair. Oh, and they were carrying rather large cutlasses, I remember that, looked like two pretty tough girls. They asked if there were any ads for sailors needed. I told them that there was one ship who was planning to set sale this evening and was looking for new crewmembers. And then Vice Captain Arvelon came in and hired them. Left just about an hour and a half ago."
That had to have been Aika and Fina, thought Vyse to himself. Everything about the new clothing and cutlasses fitted together nicely, except for one part of this story.
"Why would they run off and do a thing like that?" asked Vyse to himself out loud, "Why would they want to join another crew?"
"Maybe they were getting tired of sailing around with Vyse the Legend," chuckled the Guild clerk.
"Tell me, which ship did they go off with?" asked Vyse.
"Why, I believe it was the Airwave," said the clerk.
"Thanks..." said Vyse, and he left the counter, his face all of a sudden turning quite pale.
"What is it Vyse?" asked Don.
"Yeah, what's wrong? Who's the captain of that ship?" asked Domingo.
"I heard about this a few months back," said Vyse, "He's... back... he said wanted to become an Air Pirate, so now he is... he's the Captain of the Airwave... oh my I hope Aika knows!"
"Hope Aika knows what?" asked Domingo.
"Yeah Vyse, quit speaking in riddles," said Don.
"The Captain of the Airwave is... Vigoro!"
* * * * *
*Gasp* Yes folks, old Vigoro's back!! Kinda disturbing how he has Aika decorations on his ship... o_O Anyways, you'll get to see what old Viggy is like next chapter.
And... sorry about the end part and branching away from the Aika and Fina storyline... this last part was written for my own amusement, because as we all know, Vyse is gay. LoL. And I've always liked Luke the Raider. He's like a... very very very obscure character. And he and Vyse would look very cute together! Yay for VysexLuke!! I seem to like very obscure and weird pairings in SoA... now if only there were more Skies shounen-ai...
So... thanks for the comments people!! Let's spread the AikaxFina luuuuvvv... and a special thanks to Muse02 for wanting to link to my fic on her SoA website!!
And one last note... I suck at making up names... please don't laugh... and I'm REALLY sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors that I make... I should have prolly paid more attention in English when we talked about all that stuff if I was planning on writing fics. I really do try to proofread.
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Chapter 2: This World is So Big and I'm So Small
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Aika and Fina both spun around as the man ran past them.
"He's stealing that woman's bag! Hey you! Stop!" cried Aika. A well-aimed throw of Aika's boomerang landed the thief on the ground.
"Go cupil! Get him!" ordered Fina. Cupil transformed into a large club smacked the thief just as he was trying to get up after falling down from Aika's throw. Aika and Fina ran over to him. The thief stood up, blood oozing from his nose, and threw the bag aside.
"Ha!" he said, "You call that a throw? You can have you're little bag back, lady, beating up these two will be much more satisfying..." The woman scrambled to grab her bag, then backed away apprehensively.
"Get out of here," Aika told the woman, "Leave this little punk to us."
"Ha!" said the thief, "I'm Jenviro, a high-ranking member of the Thief's Guild. I've stolen many valuable items and have taken out all who stand in my way. And you two think that you can beat me!" He smirked confidently.
"I don't like this guy, do you Fina?" asked Aika, and Fina shook her head.
"Not at all. Stealing from innocent people is wrong," said Fina.
"Stealing from innocent people is wrong!" mocked Jenviro in a high-pitched voice. Aika gritted her teeth.
"This guy is really getting on my nerves," she said, "Okay, Jenviro, or whoever you are, we're Aika and Fina, the Blue Rogues, and we're gonna be your downfall! It is a Blue Rogue's job to defend the weak, and not only are we gonna defend them, we're gonna kick your ass!" Jenviro smiled, and as fast as lightning withdrew a thin cutlass.
"Come and get me then!" he taunted, going into a defensive stance.
"Don't mind if I do!" shouted Aika, heaving her boomerang at the thief. Jenviro was ready this time, and easily dodged the boomerang. Catching Aika off guard, he charged at her. Aika yelped, and try to dodge out of the way. She didn't totally miss the blade though, which had cut a small sliver through her arm.
"Aika!" cried Fina, "Are you okay?"
"Just fine, Fina!" said Aika, grinning. She reached out her hand and grabbed the incoming boomerang, and the swiftly caught the back side of Jenviro and knocked him in the head. Fina quickly came in here. Cupil fired himself at Jenviro again. Jenviro fell over, and Aika caught him by the back of his shirt.
"Let go of me, you stupid girl!" said Jenviro, struggling in Aika's grip. The Blue Rogue was strong though, and held the thief.
"Well Fina, looks like we've caught ourselves something!" said Aika grinning. Jenviro glared at both of them.
"You two will be sorry! When the Thief's Guild gets word of this... oh, you two Blue Rogues won't know what hit ya!" shouted Jenviro.
"Hmmm, Fina," said Aika, "I specifically remember this place that Sailor's Island built to put all the bad people like this guy they caught... what was it called again... oh yeah, JAIL!" Jenviro squirmed some more. By this time, many people had appeared on the scene. Men had showed up to take care of the thief. Aika handed over Jenviro to a buff-looking man.
"Thank you very much, young ladies, for taking care of this ruffian... he's been causin' a lot of trouble lately, haven't ya Jenny?" The man gave Jenviro a shake. The thief had decided that there was no use getting away, and was merely glaring around at everybody. He was then taken away by some more men.
"Well, you two sure did take care of that quickly," said the one man, studying the two girls, "Wait a second! You two are the famous Vyse the Legend's companions, aren't you? Wow, I never thought that I'd meet you two out on streets! You have our most utter thanks!" Fina blushed, and Aika tossed away the formalities with a wave of her hand.
"We just like doing what's right that's all. I'm Aika and this is Fina." The man then smiled at them.
"And I'm the jail master of Sailor's Island. Say, I couldn't talk you two lovely ladies into letting me take you out to dinner?" Aika smiled and blushed.
"Actually, we really have places to go... maybe some other time..." said Aika. The man looked slightly put off, but smiled back.
"Okay, I understand. See you girls around sometimes." And then he walked off.
The girls stood there for a few moments for no particular reason.
"I guess Vyse is kinda late," said Fina.
"Well, he never did exactly tell us when he would be here," Aika pointed out.
"True," said Fina, "Hey Aika, while we're waiting, how about we go watch the sunset?" Evening was setting in, and Fina always loved watching sunsets.
"Good idea, Fina. It'll give us something to do while we wait for Vyse."
They sat down on a bench nearby. The sun was just beginning to set, and all different colors were spraying across the sky like strokes of a paintbrush. Both Aika and Fina remained silent for a few minutes, watching the sunset.
"It's really beautiful, huh," said Aika.
"Yeah," said Fina, "But it looks nicer if you sit on the lookout tower of the Delphinus and watch it. Especially in the Upper Sky when there is nothing else around but miles upon miles of sky, and the sunset seems to spread in every direction." Aika looked at Fina for a moment as she said this.
"That was very... poetic... artistic... or whatever you would call it," said Aika.
"Romantic?" murmured Fina, not knowing why. Aika just looked at her for a few moments more.
"Yeah. Romantic. You need to say that to some guy on your first date. Well, he would probably want to say it to you... so maybe not..." Aika's voice trailed off, "It was beautiful though." Fina didn't say anything, but kept her eyes on the sunset.
"Remember when Vyse said that he wanted to sail all the way to the sunset?" asked Fina.
"Yeah," said Aika, fond memories darting across her brain, "He's something, isn't he? Hasn't accomplished that yet, has he?" Fina had decided awhile ago not to burst Vyse's bubble by telling him that it was impossible to say into the sunset.
"No..." said Fina, smiling slightly, then asked, "Wonder when he's gonna get here?"
"He may be kinda late I think. Maybe we'll be here for a few more hours. Never count on Vyse to be on time," said Aika, "Until then... we can just relax I guess." There was silence for a few minutes, and then Aika spoke again.
"We sure showed that thief today, uh Fina?" asked Aika. The sun was halfway down by now.
"Mmmm hmmm..." said Fina absently mindedly, watching the colors in the sky with a far away look on her face.
"We make a pretty good team," said Aika, grinning to herself, "We can kick some serious butt even without Vyse helping us! In fact, we can fight just as good by ourselves! Maybe even better."
"You really think so?" asked Fina, still not thinking about their conversation completely.
"I know so!" said Aika, "Fina, you 'n me make prolly one of the best teams! Two person team that is!" Aika paused for a second then, thinking.
"Fina?" she asked.
"Mmm."
"Fina, pay attention to me!" said Aika. Fina snapped, and then looked at Aika.
"Sorry. What do you want?"
"S'okay," said Aika, "Anyways... wanted to ask you something just now..."
"Yeah?" asked Fina.
"Fina... how would you feel about... about... going on an adventure by ourselves!" Aika blurted out.
Fina sat there, slightly surprised for a minute at this totally random question.
"What do you mean Aika?" she asked.
"I mean ditch Vyse!" said Aika, and began to eagerly explain her plan, liking it more every second, "Think about it Fina. We DO make a great team. We're tough girls. We can survive on our own. We're great Air Pirates too. We could easily leave this island before Vyse gets back, which probably won't be for awhile anyways, and go off by ourselves! We'll have the time of our lives!"
Fina was still slightly surprised by this sudden idea, and had to stop and think for a little bit before she answered.
"Aika, are you sure that's a good idea? Leave now? Don't you think we should wait until... until..."
"Until when?" asked Aika, "We'll never get a better chance to ditch Vyse than this! And don't worry!! Vyse will be fine without us!"
"But Aika," said Fina, "We don't even have a ship!" This seemed to be a definite setback, but the redhead thought for a moment and came up with a plan.
"No problem!" she said, "We'll just go on down to the Sailor's Guild. People who run ships always go down there looking for sailors-for-hire. I'm sure that we'll find somebody who will take us!"
"At this time at night?" asked Fina, "And then what do we do once we get on the ship? Going wherever our captain wants to go isn't exactly what I call an adventure, unless that captain is somebody like Vyse." Aika was obviously getting annoyed by now at all these details Fina was pointing out.
"We'll find somebody before Vyse gets here! We won't though if we sit here all night talking. Once we get on the ship, we'll just leave once we get as fare away from Sailor's Island as we get, get ourselves a job, and get a little ship for ourselves. Remember, like we did that one time in Nasr... now are you in or not?"
Fina sighed, but nodded.
"Guess I'm in," she said, "I still don't know how we're gonna pull it off."
"Good!" said Aika, grinning in triumph. She stood up and grabbed Fina's arm, then began to run off.
"Now come on!" said the Air Pirate, "We've got so much to do and so little time to do it! First we have to get our selves disguises..."
"Disguises?" asked Fina, "You never said anything about disguises..."
"C'mon, Fina," said Aika, "You saw that man who took that thief away... it will be no fun if everyone is treating us like THAT! We just have to look a little different, and hopefully they won't recognize us..."
"Aika, are you sure about this..." Aika pulled Fina off down towards the shops on the island.
"Okay," said Aika, "We're gonna need some completely different outfits..." Aika turned suddenly into a shop, randomly grabbing some clothing and paying for it with the leftover gold. Then she hurried out and pulled Fina over to the weapons shop.
"Well, if it isn't Vyse's two lovely ladies," said the shopkeeper, "And what can I do for you today?"
"Two cutlasses please!" ordered Aika.
"Two cutlasses?" exclaimed Fina and the shopkeeper at the same time.
"Yep, that's right," said Aika, "And be quick about it, we're kinda in a hurry here." The shopkeeper shook his head.
"If you say so. Don't know why you two lovely ladies would want to carry cutlasses around..."
"Just give 'em to me!" said Aika, getting impatient.
"Okay, okay... here... two regular old cutlasses," said the shopkeeper as Aika grabbed them from him and slapped the gold down on the table, "And you be careful with them, too!"
"Don't worry! Me 'n Fina know how to use them, right Fina?"
"Well... er..." said Fina as they walked out of the shop, "Aika, why do we need cutlasses?"
"All part of the disguise. The boomerang is my trademark, and Cupil is yours. And besides, cutlasses will make us look tough. And I'm sure that we could get the hang of them easily!" said Aika. Fina didn't say anything.
"Now come on," said Aika, still holding Fina's arm and leading her down another path, "We can change er... over here, in the dark... or something..." They turned into a dark corner. Aika pulled out two different Air Pirate outfits, and handed one to Fina. They both undressed and dressed quickly in silence.
"Now," said Aika, as they stepped out in the light to see how they looked, "You look just fine... but I gotta do something with my hair..."
Aika untied and loosened her braids, throwing her long, orange hair back. Fina could feel a little shiver run down her spine as the last rays of the sun caught Aika's hair as she tossed it back. The different colors of the sunset glinting against the already amazing color of Aika's hair was really a very... beautiful sight. It took Fina's breath away for a moment, until Aika looked over at her, and Fina blushed, glad that the growing darkness could hide her face, and looked away.
Aika was fumbling with her hair, and Fina looked up again to watch her.
"What do you think of it in a ponytail?" asked Aika.
"I..." said Fina, her voice rather soft, "I like it any way you have, Aika." Aika threw Fina a rather puzzled look.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, "Well, does it look good like this?"
"Ummm... yeah Aika... yeah," Fina turned away again, unsure of what had just come out of her mouth a few seconds ago. But Aika DID have nice hair, and it ALWAYS looked good in Fina's opinion...
"A ponytail looks just fine, Aika..." murmured Fina.
"Good," said Aika, "You're hair I think can stay as is... but I did promise you that I would try and do something with it, didn't I?"
"Aika you really don't have to," said Fina hastily, blushing some.
"No Fina, I insist... tell you what, once we get settled on our new ship, I'll find some time to mess with it, okay?" said Aika. Fina continued to blush, but nodded.
"Okay," said Aika, finishing her hair, "Down to the Sailors' Guild we go!"
They ran off down the street. Fina found it very awkward trying to run with a cutlass at her side, and wondered how Vyse managed to carry two of them around.
Aika came to a skidding halt just before the Sailors' Guild, and Fina nearly ran into her.
"What is it?" asked Fina.
"Fina!" whispered Aika as if she had just realized something, "Cupil! You need to get rid of Cupil! People will recognize you!"
"Oh..." said Fina, and looked at Cupil by her side, "Cupil... you know what to do, on my arm..."
Cupil gave Fina a rather indignant look for a moment, but, giving a little grumble, he shaped himself into a bracelet on Fina's arm.
"Okay!" said Aika, giving Fina a thumbs up, who gave a slightly exasperated smile. Both girls then turned and walked into the Sailors' Guild.
Aika walked up to the desk (Fina noticed that she was having a little trouble with the cutlass also, which was slightly too large for her), and rang the small bell on the desk. The master of the Sailors' Guild appeared from behind a curtain, set down the book he had been looking at, and leaned over the desk to talk to them.
"And what can I do for you lasses today?" he asked.
"We were wondering if you er... had any openings for a couple of sailors," said Aika, "Umm... preferably for a ship that is leaving soon."
"Well," said the Guild master, "Normally at this time, all the ships have either left or are moored here for the night... but..." he consulted a sheet that lay on the desk, "It just so happens we have a ship that leaves tonight... awfully funny," he mused, "Vice Cap'n of the ship can by this mornin', said he was spending the rest of the day here, but was leaving at dusk, and was hopin' to find some new deckhands..." The Guild master peered down at his watch and added, "He's late."
"We'll take the jobs!" said Aika, "Me and my friend here... er... Mina, are two quite able bodied workers, isn't that right..."
"You'd better tell him that," said the Guild master, pointing behind them. Aika and Fina spun around to see a man standing in the doorway.
"I see you've found me some new sailors," said the man. He was dressed in Air Pirate's clothes and had a long, curved sword at his side.
"Not exactly what I expected," said the man, surveying Aika and Fina, "But I'm sure the captain will like them. You two look like you can take care of yourselves too."
And indeed, even Fina looked quite tough in her new outfit. Aika was wearing a tight black tank-top, green pants, a pair of brown boots that reached her knees, a large black belt where her cutlass hung at her side, and a pair of navy blue leather gloves. She had also gotten a new pair of goggles that were strapped around here head in the usual position. Fina also kept the same style of clothing on her head with her blue bandana, but now wore a white shirt and gray jacket, long blue shorts, brown belt for her cutlass, and pair of small navy blue boots.
"Well," continued the Vice Captain, "So you two are willing to take the job?" Aika and Fina both nodded.
"Very well," said the Vice Captain, "I am Arvelon, Vice Captain of the 'Airwave'. And your names are?"
"Mina and er..." Aika paused for a moment, and then blurted out the first name that came to mind, "Bellena." Arvelon nodded.
"Well then, if you would like to just leave right now, we can discuss your pay with the Captain when he returns," said Arvelon.
"Yeah, we're ready to go as soon as possible!" said Aika. Arvelon waved his hand and walked out the door, telling them to follow him, and Aika and Fina hurried after him.
The Airwave was quite a large ship that was moored on the docks.
"How are they going to take off in this darkness?" Fina whispered to Aika. The light had been fading fast since the sun when down.
"Dunno, they must have a lighting system, like the Delphinus," Aika whispered back.
"Vice Cap'n Arvelon!" came a voice from above, and a rope ladder was thrown down. Arvelon, Aika and Fina quickly scurried up the ladder.
"Any news?" Arvelon asked the deckhand who had dropped the ladder once they got up.
"Well, Cap'n ain't back yet, if that's what yer askin'," said the deckhand.
"Very well then," said Arvelon, "Tell them down in the control room to take off, heading west. We should meet up with our Captain shortly. Tell them I will be there in a few moments." The deckhand disappeared inside the ship, and Arvelon turned to Aika and Fina.
"You two can just get a good night's rest, and get settled in your quarters. Have you already ate dinner this evening?" he asked.
"Yes sir, we have," Aika lied. She didn't know about Fina, but she was quite ready to just relax for the rest of the evening.
"Good..." said Arvelon, and turned to another sailor on the deck, "Gecele! I need you to do something for me!" A young female Air Pirate can running over to them.
"Yes, Vice Cap'n Arvelon, what do you need?" she asked.
"I need you to take our two newest crewmembers, Bellena and Mina down to the deckhand's quarters. Make sure that they get situated," Arvelon instructed to his crewmember.
"You've got!" said Gecele, "C'mon, Bellena and Mina, I'll show you where us gals sleep!"
It took a nudge from Fina before Aika let out an 'Oh!', and hurried after Gecele, realizing that she was talking to them.
Fina had to admit that the Airwave did have very nice living quarters. Almost as nice as the Delphinus. In fact, they seemed strangely similar to that of the Delphinus, almost like they had been modeled after it...
"Here's a bunk for you two," said Gecele, gesturing to an empty bunk in the corner. Aika threw her stuff on the top bunk and Fina put hers on the bottom.
"So... old Arv picked you two up at Sailors' Island?" asked Gecele. Aika nodded.
"Hehe, I think old Arv was looking for a couple MALES, to tell you the truth," said Gecele.
"Why?" asked Fina.
"Well," said Gecele, "The Cap'n... well, he's a very interesting fellow... anyways, you'll meet him tomorrow at breakfast probably, and you'll see why Arv didn't want anymore girls aboard this ship." Aika and Fina exchanged glances, wondering who this captain could be.
"So anyways, where are you two from?" asked Gecele.
"Born 'n raised on Sailors' Island! We've been sailing around for most of our lives," said Aika so assuredly that it made Fina think that she had actually PLANNED this made-up response.
"So you've sailed a lot, huh?" said Gecele, "With this one you wouldn't think it," she nodded to Fina, "So tiny and petite... but then again, I'm sure that you can use those big cutlasses of yours pretty well, so you must be a lot tougher than you look."
"Er... yes," said Aika.
"Well, I suppose I'd better get back up on deck," said Gecele, "I'll see you two tomorrow morning. For now you can just get situated and everything... there's drawers to put your stuff in over there, and the bathing room is just down the hallway on your right... the girl's one has a little redhead gal on it..."
"Redhead?" asked Aika, slightly curious.
"Yeah, the Cap'n... he's obsessed with this redhead girl... never seen her," Gecele paused for a moment, looking at Aika, "In fact, the girl on the door of the bathroom looks kinda like you, come to think of it. Just her hair is braided." Gecele shrugged.
"Anyways. See you."
"Bye!" chorused Aika and Fina together. Gecele exited the room.
"WELL," said Aika, "Looks like we've got some time on our hands, seeing as we don't exactly have much stuff to unpack or anything... hey, I know! I said I'd do your hair, didn't I?"
"Aika, really, you don't have to..." said Fina.
"Come ON Fina, I want to!" said Aika.
"Well, okay..." said Fina. Aika grabbed her bag back off the top bunk, rummaged around a bit, and then pulled out a brush and a few hair ties.
"Okay, Fina, here, sit between my knees," said Aika as she sat down on the lower bunk, and Fina propped her shoulders against bed.
"Alright then," said Aika, "Let me see what I can do with this..."
Carefully, Aika untied the knot on Fina's bandana and removed it, allowing Fina's hair to spray across her lap. Fina's hair had grown slightly longer, but it still only reached to about her shoulders.
"Let's see here... what can we do..." pondered Aika, "I'm good at braiding hair, how about that?"
"Okay," agreed Fina.
"Alright!" said Aika, and began combing Fina's hair.
It felt nice, thought Fina to herself, having someone comb her hair like this. Whenever she combed her own hair was always a pain and a bother to fix it up nice, but when someone did it for you it was so relaxing. And Aika had just that right kind of tenderness, just the right touch to make Fina totally forget all her troubles and drift off into daydreams.
Fina's head fell back onto Aika's lap softly as Silvite relaxed. A small smile crossed Aika's lips, and the redhead continued to brush her friend's hair. Fina's hair had a nice, silky touch that just slipped through your fingers. Aika ran the brush through Fina hair until it shined.
Then, carefully, Aika parted Fina's hair and began to braid it. Fina came out of her slight nap by the gentle tugging on her headd.
"Am I pulling to hard?" asked Aika.
"No," said Fina quietly, "Your doing a wonderful job."
"I always love having somebody do my hair," said Aika, with a slight wistful tone in her voice, "Not that I ever had many people do it for me... when your best friend is Vyse, you don't spend a lot of time messing around with your hair. Vyse's mom did it for me sometimes... Vyse was always impatient though, and kept asking if we could go out and play yet."
"Didn't your mom ever help you with your hair?" asked Fina.
There was quiet, awkward silence in which Fina suddenly realized what she had said.
"Oh Aika I'm so sorry!" she said, whipping around to look up at her friend, "I... I forgot Aika... I wasn't thinking... I'm so sorry... I hope... I..."
"It's okay Fina," said Aika. She was smiling, though Fina couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness in her seemingly happy eyes at the mention of her parents.
"And you messed up your braids silly," added Aika, "Now I'm going to have to start them all over again.
"Oh... oh," said Fina, "I'm sorry..." Reluctantly, she turned around again and allowed Aika to continue.
They sat in silence for a while longer. Fina didn't know what to do, she felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable about bringing up the touchy subject of Aika's parents. Fina groped for another topic of discussion.
"So... Aika... exactly how... did your parents die?" asked Fina.
Damnit. THAT certainly wasn't what she had been going for.
"Well," began Aika, "It was quite a while ago so I don't really remember that much. There was a big attack by Valua on a group of Air Pirates that we at Pirate Isle were very good friends with. So of course we had to rush in and help them out."
Aika let out a small sigh.
"I remember the night before the Albatross was set to leave,. I begged my parents to let me come along, but they said it was too dangerous. Rumor had it that a small fleet of the Valuan ships was attacking the Air Pirates, so it would certainly be very dangerous. The Albatross left early the next morning, and I waved to my parents, having the utmost confidence that they would return back with everyone else."
There was another pause here. Fina waited for Aika to continue.
"My mother's dead body was returned to me when the Albatross came back, badly damaged, but victorious. But my father had plummeted to his death in battle. All I received was his favorite bandana, the colorful blue and gold one I gave him for his birthday. It had fallen out during the fight, and was stained with blood and torn in some places."
"My mother was returned to the deep sky also to rest in peace. I was told my parents died bravely. The Valuans supposedly boarded the Albatross, and our crew was outnumbered. One sailor told me that my father was last seen trying to take on 10 soldiers by himself before he fell to his death, and my mother trying to fight and heal everyone else. She was too late to save herself though..."
Aika's voice drifted off into silence.
"Did she ever do your hair for you?" asked Fina, "I mean, before she died, did she get the chance?"
"Yes," said Aika was a small sigh, "I remember when I was very little, she taught me how to braid my hair. That's why I've worn my hair in braids ever since."
There was another long silence, and then it was Aika's turn to ask the questions.
"What was your mother like, Fina?" asked Aika, "I mean, you Silvites do have mothers, don't you?"
"Oh yes," said Fina, "But we Silvites are raised slightly differently than Arcadians. When we are born, we are given to a foster mother, a Silvite whose job it is to look after and raise the younger Silvites. My real mother was a very amazing lady. She was very beautiful, kind, and intelligent, but I never really got the chance to know her. I more consider my foster mother as my mother... she was wonderful, and raised me well I think."
"That's kind of sad though," said Aika thoughtfully, "That you never really got to know your real mother. Why did the Silvites set it up that way?"
"The Elders thought it was the best, most efficient way to run things," said Fina softly.
"I'm sorry Fina," said Aika gently.
"It doesn't really matter anyways," said Fina, "I love my foster mother so much, and I really do miss her." There was a content sort of smile on her face.
They talked for a while longer about things that they used to do with their families, and what their parents were like. Finally talk gave way to silent thought, and Fina stared up at the ceiling.
"There, done," said Aika suddenly, jerking Fina back to the present once more, "Hope you like it."
Fina felt the top of her head and could feel two neat rows of braids.
"Wow, thanks Aika!" said Fina, "It's wonderful!"
"Well, you really can't say that yet... we'll have to find a mirror or something so that you can look at it properly," said Aika, "But we can do that in the morning. You're hair shouldn't be too messed up by then."
"Thanks again though," said Fina, "Aika..."
"Yes?"
"You're mother taught you well."
There was a silence in which Fina turned around to get up and noticed what looked like a tear forming in Aika's eye. But Aika quickly brushed it away, though not without suppressing a quiet sob. Fina, feeling awkward again and hoping that she hadn't upset her friend too much, tried to talk about something different than parents this time.
"Well, I think I'll wash up for bed now," she said.
"Good idea. Where did Gecele say the bathrooms were again?" asked Aika.
"Right down this way," said Fina, pointing, as they stepped out into the hall. They walked down the hallways, and stopped outside the wooden door that had the face of a redheaded pirate girl in pigtails.
"You know," commented Fina, "It really DOES look a lot like you."
"Yeah," said Aika, "It's really kinda freaky."
They pushed open the door and headed inside. It was a rather nice bathroom accommodation. Toilets and sinks were on one side, with shower stalls on the other. In the middle, stacked on one wall, was an assortment of towels. There was also a small pile of dirty clothes scattered here and there as well has equipment to wash them. Aika and Fina quickly used the toilets and washed up, then headed back to the sailor's quarters.
"Hope you get a good night's rest!" said Aika, climbing up to her top bunk, "I'm sure you're gonna need it, as we're probably gonna be worked pretty hard tomorrow. I have done true sailor's grunt work in ages!"
"Yeah," said Fina, getting herself situated in bed. It felt weird, being somewhere else. She was so used to sleeping either on the Delphinus or in her room on Crescent Island. It was strange, all of a sudden being in a totally different place. This morning, she would have never guessed she'd be spending the night on a whole new ship as the member of that ship's crew. Come to think of it, this morning seemed like ages away. So much had happened between the time they had woken up and Vyse had dropped them off and right now. And suddenly Fina became aware of her own exhaustion, and fell asleep into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
Aika, however, lie awake a good while longer, past the time when the other sailors arrived and fell asleep also, staring up at the ceiling. At about two o'clock in the morning Aika stirred. She reached for her bag at the foot of her bed and pulled out a long, bright, blue and gold bandana. Aika brought it close to her, and finally, the redhead dozed off.
* * *
As a the Airwave floated almost lazily from Sailor's Island, another ship, the Delphinus, sped a breakneck pace towards it. Vyse, in the control room, gritted his teeth.
"I didn't know this would take so long!" he said, "We were supposed to be there hours ago!"
The treasure-hunting crew had, however, returned victorious. A large gold statue of an old Nasrean Air Pirate stood in the middle of the control room, surrounded by many other treasures. Domingo, still as eager-faced as when they had found it, was hopping around madly examining every part of the statue.
"Who would have known this old guy would have so many things guarding his tomb!" said Domingo, "It took forever to fight 'em all off without Aika and Fina." Domingo was now examining a very elegant crystal goblet. Next to him was Don, who was also wading through chests of gold.
"How much do you think this could sell for?" asked Domingo, "I'm thinking about 5,000 gold. Maybe more. It is a rare artifact you know..."
"Domingo, I don't really care about this stuff now!" said Vyse, irritated, "I told you, Aika and Fina are waiting! They're probably worried sick by now!"
"Don't flatter yourself Vyse," said Domingo, "They're probably happy that your not there yet. They're probably having the time of their lives and we're gonna have to drag them aboard."
"You really think so?" asked Vyse, relaxing a little.
"I know so Vyse. Don't freak out so much," said Domingo.
"But we all know why he's freaking out!" said Don, a mischievous grin creasing his face.
"Yup," said Domingo, joining in too, "So which one is it Vyse?"
"Which what?" asked Vyse.
"Oh c'mon, don't act like you don't know what we're talking about!" said Don, "Aika or Fina? Which one is it?"
"Or is it both?" asked Domingo, "You know Vyse, you can't be in love with both. You're gonna have to choose one sooner or later."
"Guys, can we REALLY not talk about this NOW," said Vyse, exasperatedly, "I'm trying to pay attention here." Domingo and Don, however, ignored this.
"I think Aika," said Domingo, "She's obviously the one he likes best, and Aika likes him too."
"Nah man," said Don, "Fina definitely. Silvite girl's got the innocent thing goin' on. Aika's loud and obnoxious."
"But does Fina like Vyse also is the other question," said Domingo, "You really can't tell with her."
"Oh course you!" said Don, "Fina obviously likes him."
"You know," said Domingo, "BOTH of them can like him. I think that's it. And if Vyse likes both of them also... he's got himself in quite a pickle, that's for sure!"
"Haven't you guys heard?" a voice spoke up from the back. It was Lawrence, sitting in the Captain's chair. The helmsman had taken to sitting here recently when he was not on duty. Vyse had said it was fine, as he never sat in it, and it 'kept dust from collecting!'
"Vyse," continued Lawrence, "Is currently dating that old friend of his from Pirate Isle... Luke the Raider."
Vyse suddenly froze at the wheel. Lawrence, while usually silent, had also taken to speaking up from time to time. It always seemed to be the most embarrassing things too, and the most embarrassing moments. Vyse had also discovered that Lawrence was damn observant.
There was a stunned silence while Lawrence's words sunk in.
"Ewwwwwwwwww Vyse! You're not..." said Don, going more red than usual. Vyse too, had turned a rosy shade of pink as he quickly thought of something to say to defend himself. He turned around and starred daggers at Lawrence. The helmsman stared calmly back, the same indifferent look he always had upon his face.
Damn him, thought Vyse, he must get so much pleasure out this, even though he doesn't show it!
Suddenly, however, the room was filled with a booming laugh from Domingo.
"Well this certainly explains a lot!" he said, "We should have known all along! Vyse was never especially good with the ladies. Yeah, I saw you up there with Aika, that night she gave you that peck on the cheek and you totally freaked."
"You were watching us!" said Vyse, now turning so red that the tips of his ears were scarlet, "But we were way up by the Council Room!"
Domingo taped his telescope stuffed loosely into his belt.
"Hey, what's the point of being a lookout if you can't have some fun every once and awhile?" asked Domingo.
"Speaking of lookout," said Vyse, "Don't you have a JOB to be doing?"
"Nah, Tikatika is on duty tonight," said Domingo, "And besides, he's got way better vision than me even with my telescope. He probably saw freeze solid all the way done to your toes when Aika kissed you!"
"Well, you know what they say, two pairs of eyes are better than one!" snapped Vyse. His face burned even redder from embarrassment and fury. The Blue Rogue captain turned on the other two in the room.
"And you two," said Vyse, but here he faltered, "You can... you can go... uh..."
Don now let out a laugh. His initial disgust had given way to amusement also.
"Can't think of anything, can ya?" he said, "Guess you're stuck with me 'n old Larry!"
"Yes," said Domingo, "Exactly the kind of companionship you like, no?
Vyse, having no idea's on how to respond to this, gripped the wheel even tighter and let out an irritated "Argg!!" Domingo chuckled merrily to himself.
"So, how long have you been dating Lukey-poo?" he asked, "Isn't he... I dunno... a little young for you?"
"Cradle robber, eh Vyse?" asked Don.
"He is only two years younger than me, for your information!" snapped Vyse.
"Ooohhhhhhh!" shouted Domingo and Don together, and Vyse cursed, realizing how stupidly he had just fallen into THAT trap.
"So you admit it, eh?" said Domingo, "You ARE dating Luke!"
"DON'T YOU HAVE A JOB TO BE DOING!!" bellowed Vyse at the top of his lungs, trying to drown out the laughter.
"Sure thing, Cap'n," said Domingo, and exited the room, Don following behind him.
"Yeah Vyse, I'm out of here too, 'cause three pairs of eyes are better than two!" said Don. The door shut behind them, and Vyse relaxed at the wheel a little, glad for the piece and quiet, and that THAT embarrassing ordeal was over. Now all that remained was Lawrence, who seemed very content in keeping quiet.
It took a few seconds for the stupidity of his action to sink in.
"Oh no!" shouted Vyse when he at last suddenly realized what he had done, "With those two loose, the fact that me'n Luke are dating will spread through the Delphinus like wildfire!" Panicking, Vyse left his post at the wheel, and ran out the control to catch Domingo and Don before too much damage could be done.
The Delphinus swayed dangerously, but luckily for Vyse, Lawrence was still in the room, and the adept helmsman ran to the wheel and quickly tilted the Delphinus back on course.
"Idiots," he muttered to himself.
The Delphinus soon reached the docks of Sailor's Island, and Vyse exited his ship, dragging Domingo, Don, and Lawrence along with him. Vyse knew Lawrence wouldn't say anything; after all, he had been keeping the fact of Vyse and Luke seeing each other a secret for who knows how long now. Vyse wasn't exactly sure how the solitary helmsman had found out, and he didn't especially want to know.
Domingo and Don were complaining loudly, asking why they couldn't stay on board and inspect the treasure some more.
"Now, we have to find Aika and Fina," said Vyse, ignoring their complaints, "I don't see them anywhere around here, so how about we head off to the spa place?
"Whatever YOU want to do, Cap'n," said Don, and Vyse, holding Domingo in one hand and Don in the other, dragged them off down the street. Lawrence followed dutifully behind them.
They were greeted by Katrina and Celyna, who were just closing up for the night.
"Hello," said Katrina, "How my I help you gentleman?" Her eyes flickered over the strange scene before her.
"Err, yes," said Vyse, "I was wondering if Aika and Fina are still here. We dropped them off earlier today and now we're back to get them. Problem is, we can't find them anywhere."
"Ah, you must be Vyse," said Katrina, and the Blue Rogue nodded, "Aika and Fina did stop by here earlier today. Lovely girls... anyways, they left quite a few hours ago. I assumed you would have picked them up."
"Well, yes, we are running slightly... late," said Vyse, "Anyways, thank you for your help... we'd best be going now... gotta look for those girls."
"Pleasure meeting you and your... crew, Vyse," said Katrina, "And good luck finding them!"
An hour later, however, Vyse nor Domingo, Don, or Lawrence had found any sign of the girls. Only a clerk at the clothing store and the weapons shop had mentioned them.
"Yes, those girls came in here a couple hours back," said clothing clerk.
Vyse assumed Aika and Fina had just gone on a shopping spree while they were waiting for him, but the fact that they had been to the weapons shop and bought cutlasses confused him. Vyse was almost absolutely sure it HAD to be to other girls in the weapons shop. Aika and Fina didn't use cutlasses after all.
Eyes itching from tiredness, as it was getting very late and Vyse had had a long day, the young Blue Rogue entered the Sailor's Guild, figuring that while he was here he might as well cash in his information on the Nasrean Air Pirate's tomb.
"By the way," said Vyse as he collected his rather hefty sack of gold, "Did you by any chance see two girls, one with orange hair and the other with blonde hair, come in here today?"
"As a matter a fact I did," said the Guild clerk, "Yes, only a little while ago two girls walked in here... yes, one of them did have long orange hair and the other shorter blonde hair. Oh, and they were carrying rather large cutlasses, I remember that, looked like two pretty tough girls. They asked if there were any ads for sailors needed. I told them that there was one ship who was planning to set sale this evening and was looking for new crewmembers. And then Vice Captain Arvelon came in and hired them. Left just about an hour and a half ago."
That had to have been Aika and Fina, thought Vyse to himself. Everything about the new clothing and cutlasses fitted together nicely, except for one part of this story.
"Why would they run off and do a thing like that?" asked Vyse to himself out loud, "Why would they want to join another crew?"
"Maybe they were getting tired of sailing around with Vyse the Legend," chuckled the Guild clerk.
"Tell me, which ship did they go off with?" asked Vyse.
"Why, I believe it was the Airwave," said the clerk.
"Thanks..." said Vyse, and he left the counter, his face all of a sudden turning quite pale.
"What is it Vyse?" asked Don.
"Yeah, what's wrong? Who's the captain of that ship?" asked Domingo.
"I heard about this a few months back," said Vyse, "He's... back... he said wanted to become an Air Pirate, so now he is... he's the Captain of the Airwave... oh my I hope Aika knows!"
"Hope Aika knows what?" asked Domingo.
"Yeah Vyse, quit speaking in riddles," said Don.
"The Captain of the Airwave is... Vigoro!"
* * * * *
*Gasp* Yes folks, old Vigoro's back!! Kinda disturbing how he has Aika decorations on his ship... o_O Anyways, you'll get to see what old Viggy is like next chapter.
And... sorry about the end part and branching away from the Aika and Fina storyline... this last part was written for my own amusement, because as we all know, Vyse is gay. LoL. And I've always liked Luke the Raider. He's like a... very very very obscure character. And he and Vyse would look very cute together! Yay for VysexLuke!! I seem to like very obscure and weird pairings in SoA... now if only there were more Skies shounen-ai...
So... thanks for the comments people!! Let's spread the AikaxFina luuuuvvv... and a special thanks to Muse02 for wanting to link to my fic on her SoA website!!