Once again. I'm going to start this, four weeks later, it gets updated. Great. Aren't I so punctual? Well, I think that it might be up sooner, I'm working on it a lot now. But how many times have I said that before it came true?
-
"Entering Mid-Ocean area. Get straight and we'll reach Valua in no time."
Vyse nodded, his stomach churning. He was trying to figure out if something he'd eaten hadn't agreed with him. He couldn't find a reason behind the headache that was beating at the inside of his skull, though. He groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes.
Fina looked up, noticing the gesture. "Are you okay, Vyse?"
Vyse smiled, looking back at her. "Of course. I think I caught a cold in the Lands of Ice, though. I'll take some medicine later."
Hans looked at him. "Cap'n, you'd better keep your health up so that you aren't sneezing all over Enrique when you see him."
Vyse chuckled, looking back to the skies. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."
'You say that every time,' Aika thought bitterly. 'Why won't you just admit the truth?"
"Cap'n, maybe we should stop by Sailor's Isle on the way. We need to restock on a few supplies.
"Supplies? Like what?"
"Like a kettle!" Aika interrupted, smirking. Vyse shrugged, looking at his bandage.
"Maybe you're right... anything else we need?"
"Um, running low on cannon ammo, and Osman probably wants to sell what she's gathered. Best to stop."
Vyse inhaled slowly, letting the breath out in one large sigh. "Okay. Changing course to Sailor's Is-"
Groaning, Vyse sank to his knees, his fingers still gripping the wheel. He panted heavily, turning a sickly shade of white. He blinked a couple of times, futilely trying to clear his swirling vision. If only the room would stop tilting this way and that.
"Vyse! Are you alright?"
He blinked, regaining some of his composure. He stood, rubbing his head. "I'm fine," he said, knowing exactly what his body was trying to tell him. 'Why here? Why now? It's too risky, I don't have a plan for this.' He smiled slightly at Fina, who was still gazing at him with concern. "Serious. I just need some fresh air, that's all. Lawrence, please take the wheel."
Vyse walked past everyone, trying hard to ignore their glances. He only made slight eye contact with Aika, who had remained frozen when Vyse collapsed. Subtly, hardly noticeable to any of the others, he bumped into Aika before continuing on his way. Aika turned to look at him, but he didn't look back.
Aika waited until the door had closed completely, looking back at her gears. Vyse had bumped into her, didn't he? Was it an accident? 'No,' she thought. 'He looked straight at me. No matter how sick he was, there was no mistaking that'
Fina sighed, looking at Aika. "He's hiding something again."
Aika nodded, still slightly distracted. Lawrence looked over his shoulder at the two, his expressions stoic as usual. "Since when does a captain always have to share his motives?"
Aika looked at him. "Yeah, but it would help if he told his friends what's going on, wouldn't it?"
Lawrence shrugged, looking back at the skies. Hans laughed a bit. "I think what he's trying to say is that Vyse has more freedom than any of us do. He is the one that's calling all the shots, he can keep things to himself if he wants to."
Fina frowned, looking at her gears. "Still..."
Aika put on a false smile, convincing to anyone that hadn't known her for many years. "No use worrying about it, might as well let Vyse get on with what he's doing. I'll be right back, okay?"
Fina tilted her head, confused. "Where are you going?"
"Just have to use the privy, that's it. Back in a few!"
She ran out of the room, looking like she was in a good mood. As soon as she was out of hearing distance from the bridge she stopped running, her good mood disappearing. 'What am I doing?' she thought. 'Maybe it was just my imagination, it does tend to get away from me sometimes. Should I just go back'
Before she could make up her mind, she was there; the lowest deck. And, just as she thought, Vyse was leaning against the rail, looking into the water. He looked up, noticing her arrival. "Hey," he said dully, as if he was bored or distracted.
"Hey," she went over to him, leaning with her back on the rail. "Are you feeling better?"
"A bit."
Aika started to babble, already feeling uneasy. "The others in the bridge say that you just need freedom to do what you want, though I wasn't sure. I mean, a pirate is naturally free, isn't he? Just because you're captain, I would think that you'd have less freedoms because you have to be the leader of the others. Sure, it's an honor to be a captain, but remember the times when it was just us traveling around? Times were harder then, but overall, I think that it was one of the best times of our journey-"
"You know what would make me feel better?" Vyse interrupted. He kept his eyes downcast, trying to hide the pain in his eyes.
Aika stopped, surprised. "W-what?"
Suddenly, Vyse wasn't even a hair's width away from her. He leaned down a bit, his lips level with her ear. "You," he said, his voice low with passion. "It's you I want more than anything, that I've wanted, and will always want. Say that you'll be mine forever." He allowed his hands to travel freely on her body. "Tell me that you feel the same."
Aika moaned, her breath coming in heavy pants. "Vyse..." She could feel her body react to his hands, taking delight from it. She permitted Vyse to play with her a bit more. 'He's so good,' she thought. 'When did he learn how to do this'
Vyse grabbed her chin gently, lifting her face up. She closed her eyes, preparing for a kiss. She could feel Vyse getting closer and closer, could feel his warm breath.
Then, suddenly, it was over. Aika opened her eyes, confused. Vyse was standing three feet away from her, looking away. She blinked and was about to ask why he stopped when the door opened. Fina didn't look too surprised to see them there. "I thought so. I knew you didn't have to use the privy, you went after him."
Aika blushed, trying to calm her heart. "Uh, I, er, sorry?"
Fina gave Aika a perplexed look before turning back to Vyse. "How do you feel?"
He smiled. "Much better now. I think it must have been something I ate."
"You're having bad luck recently, aren't you? First the burns, now this... Everyone's worried about you. I'm sure Urala has some recipes that would work wonder for a sick stomach."
"Great." He stood beside Fina, grinning. "I'll definitely need something for my stomach, it feels like I swallowed a slug." He looked at Aika, smiling. There weren't any secret messages being shown by his eyes, no sparks or anything. "Going to come with us?"
Aika gasped, taken back. "Uh, sure," she stammered, falling into place beside them. She didn't know whether to get close to Vyse or stay far away, deciding on a happy medium.
Vyse cursed silently to himself, feeling his headache fade away. 'This isn't fair,' he thought bitterly, keeping his face pleasant looking. 'I swear by the name of the moons, this really isn't fair'
-
Fina lay awake that night, her mind racing much to fast for her to fall asleep. She had seen the gazes Vyse had sent Aika when he thought no one was looking. They were brief, no longer than a second, but their meanings were clear. Fina hugged her pillow tightly, burying her face in it. Aika had seemed uneasy around Vyse, and pretended not to see the looks he sent her; it was obvious she had, because every time he looked at her she became a bit flustered. 'Does that mean that Aika doesn't like it?' Fina thought, confused.
'I bet she does. She's liked him for a long time, too'
'She's your friend, she wouldn't do something like that'
'All's fair in love and war'
'Fina, get a grip on yourself. If there was something between Vyse and Aika, she would tell you. Stop worrying and trust your friends, they wouldn't mislead you like that'
'You can never be sure'
Fina lay down, forcing herself to not think about the subject. Aika stirred in the bed beside her. "Fina, are you alright?" she said, her voice groggy from sleep.
Fina smiled, realizing that Aika couldn't see the expression in the dark. "I'm fine, I'm having a bit of difficulty falling asleep."
"Try hot chocolate..." Aika moaned, falling back asleep. Fina frowned, wondering how she'd get hot chocolate when the kettle was currently disabled. She shrugged it off, closing her eyes. Sighing, she started counting sheep, hoping that the age old technique would work.
-
Enrique smiled, watching as The Gypsy docked. 'I'm going to see my companions again,' he thought. 'And my wife'
He had been missing Moegi terribly throughout the few weeks she had been gone. It had been hard to focus on the work that needed doing. His mind kept wandering back to her lovely smile, the way she looked at him, how she said his name.
He shook his head slightly, preventing himself from getting lost in thought. Hopefully all that would stop when he had Moegi at his side again. He grinned, watching as Aika ran down from the ship, beaming happily. "Enrique!" She threw herself around his neck, hugging him. He laughed, hugging her back.
"Glad to see you, too, Aika."
Fina came down not to long after, the same smile on her face. "It is nice to see you, Enrique. How have you been?"
'She's still as polite as ever,' he thought. "Excellent, though I admit, I have missed sailing a bit. I've gotten so used to it."
"And to think that in the beginning you got sick almost every time we left port."
Enrique looked up, surprised. Vyse had come up without him even seeing it. Enrique's eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Vyse. "Hello, Vyse..."
Vyse's eyes widened. "What's with the strange look?"
"You seem... different," he said.
Vyse cursed to himself. 'Do we have to bring this up every time someone sees me for the first time ever since then?' "Well, I don't feel different. Maybe being captain does that to you."
"Maybe." Enrique highly doubted that the answer was that simple. He cast a glance at Aika, who looked away uneasily. Deciding that the answer would come out eventually, his mind turned to other things. "Where's Moegi?"
Vyse turned to look over his shoulder. "I don't know. Have you seen her, Fina?"
Fina shook her head, her expression concerned. "No. I thought she was right behind me, but I guess she didn't come..."
Enrique sighed, trying not to be disappointed. Fina and Aika rushed to see him, but now his own wife? What a let down.
Aika smiled sympathetically at Enrique. "I'm sure she just had to go to the bathroom or something, she'll be out in a moment."
Enrique nodded. "I understand. She'll show eventually. Right now, you three must be starving! Pirate food isn't always the best. How about something to eat?"
Vyse smiled cooly. "Sounds great. I could use something in my stomach."
"Oh! How about some soup? I'm in the mood for some right now."
The Emperor smiled at Aika. "Sure. But why stand around here and wait? Let's go inside."
Aika smiled, excited at the prospect of food. The three started following Enrique, chatting away like good friends tend to do.
-
"Ilchymis, if what you say is true..."
The doctor nodded to Belle. "I've only run one test so far, but it seems to be the most likely conclusion. Though how they got this technology is beyond me..."
"But there's no way to reach them in time! They probably won't come back forever!"
He winced. "All too true. But we have to think of a way to contact them. They need to know this."
Belle looked down at the ground, her voice falling to a whisper. "I think he already knows."
Ilchymis nodded sadly. "Yes, Belle. I think he knows too."
-
Vyse looked down at the Maw of Tartas, wondering if anything remained of the Yellow Gigas. 'Of course something remains,' he thought. 'How do you properly slay something like that'
He fastened a rope around a nearby rock, and, with the other end of the rope in hand, started to climb down the crater. He stopped once he was in front of one of the stone figures that had been carved into the wall. He braced himself against, keeping one hand on the rope. Eyeing the figure, he drew his cutlass. 'It looks like the same material,' he said, picturing the Gigas in his mind. 'Even if it's not, it's the best I can do without blowing up this whole part of the continent.' With inhuman strength he chopped off a small piece of the rock, catching it before it fell. He tucked it into his pocket, sheathed his cutlass, and started to climb back up the rope.
"Two down, one to go," he said once he reached the top. He reclined in his rental boat, not feeling up to returning to the others at that very moment. He looked at the sky, which was hidden behind it's melancholy black clouds. "One more," he said to the clouds. "And then the games really begin."
-
And cut. I made the mistake of uploading this page before I had finished it. Oops. But then, once I deleted it, I started to write more to the story. That whole last section would not be there if it wasn't for my generosity. Be grateful! :D I really hope I'm spelling everyone's name right. I have a crew listing on my computer, but sometimes the text is hard to read, you know when an 'I' looks like an 'l' and I get so confused and just write something in hopes that no one would notice...... It is the Maw of Tartas, right? Or is it Mar? So confused.... someone just tell me the correct form of it, but I'm not going to change it. It's too minor for my standards.
Please review.
-
"Entering Mid-Ocean area. Get straight and we'll reach Valua in no time."
Vyse nodded, his stomach churning. He was trying to figure out if something he'd eaten hadn't agreed with him. He couldn't find a reason behind the headache that was beating at the inside of his skull, though. He groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes.
Fina looked up, noticing the gesture. "Are you okay, Vyse?"
Vyse smiled, looking back at her. "Of course. I think I caught a cold in the Lands of Ice, though. I'll take some medicine later."
Hans looked at him. "Cap'n, you'd better keep your health up so that you aren't sneezing all over Enrique when you see him."
Vyse chuckled, looking back to the skies. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."
'You say that every time,' Aika thought bitterly. 'Why won't you just admit the truth?"
"Cap'n, maybe we should stop by Sailor's Isle on the way. We need to restock on a few supplies.
"Supplies? Like what?"
"Like a kettle!" Aika interrupted, smirking. Vyse shrugged, looking at his bandage.
"Maybe you're right... anything else we need?"
"Um, running low on cannon ammo, and Osman probably wants to sell what she's gathered. Best to stop."
Vyse inhaled slowly, letting the breath out in one large sigh. "Okay. Changing course to Sailor's Is-"
Groaning, Vyse sank to his knees, his fingers still gripping the wheel. He panted heavily, turning a sickly shade of white. He blinked a couple of times, futilely trying to clear his swirling vision. If only the room would stop tilting this way and that.
"Vyse! Are you alright?"
He blinked, regaining some of his composure. He stood, rubbing his head. "I'm fine," he said, knowing exactly what his body was trying to tell him. 'Why here? Why now? It's too risky, I don't have a plan for this.' He smiled slightly at Fina, who was still gazing at him with concern. "Serious. I just need some fresh air, that's all. Lawrence, please take the wheel."
Vyse walked past everyone, trying hard to ignore their glances. He only made slight eye contact with Aika, who had remained frozen when Vyse collapsed. Subtly, hardly noticeable to any of the others, he bumped into Aika before continuing on his way. Aika turned to look at him, but he didn't look back.
Aika waited until the door had closed completely, looking back at her gears. Vyse had bumped into her, didn't he? Was it an accident? 'No,' she thought. 'He looked straight at me. No matter how sick he was, there was no mistaking that'
Fina sighed, looking at Aika. "He's hiding something again."
Aika nodded, still slightly distracted. Lawrence looked over his shoulder at the two, his expressions stoic as usual. "Since when does a captain always have to share his motives?"
Aika looked at him. "Yeah, but it would help if he told his friends what's going on, wouldn't it?"
Lawrence shrugged, looking back at the skies. Hans laughed a bit. "I think what he's trying to say is that Vyse has more freedom than any of us do. He is the one that's calling all the shots, he can keep things to himself if he wants to."
Fina frowned, looking at her gears. "Still..."
Aika put on a false smile, convincing to anyone that hadn't known her for many years. "No use worrying about it, might as well let Vyse get on with what he's doing. I'll be right back, okay?"
Fina tilted her head, confused. "Where are you going?"
"Just have to use the privy, that's it. Back in a few!"
She ran out of the room, looking like she was in a good mood. As soon as she was out of hearing distance from the bridge she stopped running, her good mood disappearing. 'What am I doing?' she thought. 'Maybe it was just my imagination, it does tend to get away from me sometimes. Should I just go back'
Before she could make up her mind, she was there; the lowest deck. And, just as she thought, Vyse was leaning against the rail, looking into the water. He looked up, noticing her arrival. "Hey," he said dully, as if he was bored or distracted.
"Hey," she went over to him, leaning with her back on the rail. "Are you feeling better?"
"A bit."
Aika started to babble, already feeling uneasy. "The others in the bridge say that you just need freedom to do what you want, though I wasn't sure. I mean, a pirate is naturally free, isn't he? Just because you're captain, I would think that you'd have less freedoms because you have to be the leader of the others. Sure, it's an honor to be a captain, but remember the times when it was just us traveling around? Times were harder then, but overall, I think that it was one of the best times of our journey-"
"You know what would make me feel better?" Vyse interrupted. He kept his eyes downcast, trying to hide the pain in his eyes.
Aika stopped, surprised. "W-what?"
Suddenly, Vyse wasn't even a hair's width away from her. He leaned down a bit, his lips level with her ear. "You," he said, his voice low with passion. "It's you I want more than anything, that I've wanted, and will always want. Say that you'll be mine forever." He allowed his hands to travel freely on her body. "Tell me that you feel the same."
Aika moaned, her breath coming in heavy pants. "Vyse..." She could feel her body react to his hands, taking delight from it. She permitted Vyse to play with her a bit more. 'He's so good,' she thought. 'When did he learn how to do this'
Vyse grabbed her chin gently, lifting her face up. She closed her eyes, preparing for a kiss. She could feel Vyse getting closer and closer, could feel his warm breath.
Then, suddenly, it was over. Aika opened her eyes, confused. Vyse was standing three feet away from her, looking away. She blinked and was about to ask why he stopped when the door opened. Fina didn't look too surprised to see them there. "I thought so. I knew you didn't have to use the privy, you went after him."
Aika blushed, trying to calm her heart. "Uh, I, er, sorry?"
Fina gave Aika a perplexed look before turning back to Vyse. "How do you feel?"
He smiled. "Much better now. I think it must have been something I ate."
"You're having bad luck recently, aren't you? First the burns, now this... Everyone's worried about you. I'm sure Urala has some recipes that would work wonder for a sick stomach."
"Great." He stood beside Fina, grinning. "I'll definitely need something for my stomach, it feels like I swallowed a slug." He looked at Aika, smiling. There weren't any secret messages being shown by his eyes, no sparks or anything. "Going to come with us?"
Aika gasped, taken back. "Uh, sure," she stammered, falling into place beside them. She didn't know whether to get close to Vyse or stay far away, deciding on a happy medium.
Vyse cursed silently to himself, feeling his headache fade away. 'This isn't fair,' he thought bitterly, keeping his face pleasant looking. 'I swear by the name of the moons, this really isn't fair'
-
Fina lay awake that night, her mind racing much to fast for her to fall asleep. She had seen the gazes Vyse had sent Aika when he thought no one was looking. They were brief, no longer than a second, but their meanings were clear. Fina hugged her pillow tightly, burying her face in it. Aika had seemed uneasy around Vyse, and pretended not to see the looks he sent her; it was obvious she had, because every time he looked at her she became a bit flustered. 'Does that mean that Aika doesn't like it?' Fina thought, confused.
'I bet she does. She's liked him for a long time, too'
'She's your friend, she wouldn't do something like that'
'All's fair in love and war'
'Fina, get a grip on yourself. If there was something between Vyse and Aika, she would tell you. Stop worrying and trust your friends, they wouldn't mislead you like that'
'You can never be sure'
Fina lay down, forcing herself to not think about the subject. Aika stirred in the bed beside her. "Fina, are you alright?" she said, her voice groggy from sleep.
Fina smiled, realizing that Aika couldn't see the expression in the dark. "I'm fine, I'm having a bit of difficulty falling asleep."
"Try hot chocolate..." Aika moaned, falling back asleep. Fina frowned, wondering how she'd get hot chocolate when the kettle was currently disabled. She shrugged it off, closing her eyes. Sighing, she started counting sheep, hoping that the age old technique would work.
-
Enrique smiled, watching as The Gypsy docked. 'I'm going to see my companions again,' he thought. 'And my wife'
He had been missing Moegi terribly throughout the few weeks she had been gone. It had been hard to focus on the work that needed doing. His mind kept wandering back to her lovely smile, the way she looked at him, how she said his name.
He shook his head slightly, preventing himself from getting lost in thought. Hopefully all that would stop when he had Moegi at his side again. He grinned, watching as Aika ran down from the ship, beaming happily. "Enrique!" She threw herself around his neck, hugging him. He laughed, hugging her back.
"Glad to see you, too, Aika."
Fina came down not to long after, the same smile on her face. "It is nice to see you, Enrique. How have you been?"
'She's still as polite as ever,' he thought. "Excellent, though I admit, I have missed sailing a bit. I've gotten so used to it."
"And to think that in the beginning you got sick almost every time we left port."
Enrique looked up, surprised. Vyse had come up without him even seeing it. Enrique's eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Vyse. "Hello, Vyse..."
Vyse's eyes widened. "What's with the strange look?"
"You seem... different," he said.
Vyse cursed to himself. 'Do we have to bring this up every time someone sees me for the first time ever since then?' "Well, I don't feel different. Maybe being captain does that to you."
"Maybe." Enrique highly doubted that the answer was that simple. He cast a glance at Aika, who looked away uneasily. Deciding that the answer would come out eventually, his mind turned to other things. "Where's Moegi?"
Vyse turned to look over his shoulder. "I don't know. Have you seen her, Fina?"
Fina shook her head, her expression concerned. "No. I thought she was right behind me, but I guess she didn't come..."
Enrique sighed, trying not to be disappointed. Fina and Aika rushed to see him, but now his own wife? What a let down.
Aika smiled sympathetically at Enrique. "I'm sure she just had to go to the bathroom or something, she'll be out in a moment."
Enrique nodded. "I understand. She'll show eventually. Right now, you three must be starving! Pirate food isn't always the best. How about something to eat?"
Vyse smiled cooly. "Sounds great. I could use something in my stomach."
"Oh! How about some soup? I'm in the mood for some right now."
The Emperor smiled at Aika. "Sure. But why stand around here and wait? Let's go inside."
Aika smiled, excited at the prospect of food. The three started following Enrique, chatting away like good friends tend to do.
-
"Ilchymis, if what you say is true..."
The doctor nodded to Belle. "I've only run one test so far, but it seems to be the most likely conclusion. Though how they got this technology is beyond me..."
"But there's no way to reach them in time! They probably won't come back forever!"
He winced. "All too true. But we have to think of a way to contact them. They need to know this."
Belle looked down at the ground, her voice falling to a whisper. "I think he already knows."
Ilchymis nodded sadly. "Yes, Belle. I think he knows too."
-
Vyse looked down at the Maw of Tartas, wondering if anything remained of the Yellow Gigas. 'Of course something remains,' he thought. 'How do you properly slay something like that'
He fastened a rope around a nearby rock, and, with the other end of the rope in hand, started to climb down the crater. He stopped once he was in front of one of the stone figures that had been carved into the wall. He braced himself against, keeping one hand on the rope. Eyeing the figure, he drew his cutlass. 'It looks like the same material,' he said, picturing the Gigas in his mind. 'Even if it's not, it's the best I can do without blowing up this whole part of the continent.' With inhuman strength he chopped off a small piece of the rock, catching it before it fell. He tucked it into his pocket, sheathed his cutlass, and started to climb back up the rope.
"Two down, one to go," he said once he reached the top. He reclined in his rental boat, not feeling up to returning to the others at that very moment. He looked at the sky, which was hidden behind it's melancholy black clouds. "One more," he said to the clouds. "And then the games really begin."
-
And cut. I made the mistake of uploading this page before I had finished it. Oops. But then, once I deleted it, I started to write more to the story. That whole last section would not be there if it wasn't for my generosity. Be grateful! :D I really hope I'm spelling everyone's name right. I have a crew listing on my computer, but sometimes the text is hard to read, you know when an 'I' looks like an 'l' and I get so confused and just write something in hopes that no one would notice...... It is the Maw of Tartas, right? Or is it Mar? So confused.... someone just tell me the correct form of it, but I'm not going to change it. It's too minor for my standards.
Please review.