YYF14: Okay, thank you to those people who reviewed! I would have updated yesterday, but I felt like it needed more, so I added in a bit- I think you guys'll like the end of the chapter, but I'll make more notes on it later. Oh, just one more note- Jack is a little bit nicer here than I think he usually is, but we've seen in the movies that he can be a good guy, so I wrote him as the scenes played out. Ok, now that I've got all that out of my system, you guys can read.
That evening, as the festivities were ending, and the island was starting to cool down, Jack felt like something was missing. He scanned the group, and realized that Koenma was gone.
He told Gibbs that he was going to take a walk, and then proceeded to try and find footprints in the sand. He located some and started to follow them, asking himself why the boy just had to get lost when they were all trying to have a good time with no worries.
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Koenma woke, feeling strong arms around him. He tried to get away, but his struggles were in vain.
"Calm down, mate, I'm not gonna hurt you."
Koenma growled and pulled away again, this time coming free. Even though he couldn't pull himself together enough to form a coherent thought, he could still remember that Jack had done something he hadn't liked.
He stood and tried to walk away, but stumbled and fell after not even three paces. A hand was offered to help him up, but he ignored it and stood again, swaying slightly.
"Leave me alone." It was more like a plea than a demand, Jack noticed.
"You feeling alright, mate? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine."
As if to contradict what he had just said, he slipped on the wet sand and fell again. This time he made no motions toward getting up.
"I'm not even that clumsy on land, mate," Jack said. "C'mon, let's get back to the Pearl. Don't you want to talk to Will and Elizabeth? They just got married an' all."
Koenma sat up, a hurt look on his face. That was just reminding him that they had someone to love and he didn't. It wasn't fair.
Jack noticed his expression and frowned. "Did I say somethin' wrong, or do you just have something against married people?"
Koenma murmured something that Jack couldn't hear, his expression turning dejected.
"Okay, bad subject. Still, we need t' get back to the Pearl. And if you can't walk on your own, I'll help you."
Koenma glared at him, but after failing to stand, sighed resignedly and took Jack's extended hand. The walk back to the Pearl was made in silence for the first few minutes, until something occurred to Jack.
"Is this about the compass, mate? You've been acting weird ever since you looked at it. What'd it show you that scared you?"
"…I can't tell you."
Even though Jack really wanted to know what was wrong with the boy, he decided to keep his mouth shut for once. There was something odd in how the boy was acting, and since he had no doubt slept in the rain last night, he was probably sick.
By the time they reached the Black Pearl, Koenma's breath was rough and uneven. Jack was starting to worry. Thankfully some of the crew were still up and about.
"Anamaria!"
Said woman turned from what she was doing to face Jack. "Aye?"
"The boy's sick. Get some more blankets for my room. He's staying with me tonight."
"Aye, sir."
Anamaria left, and Jack turned his attention back to the boy who was now clinging to him to stay upright.
"We need to get back on the Pearl," Jack told him. "Can you walk?"
Koenma shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. He was so dizzy, his words wouldn't make any sense at all, and then he'd be embarrassed…
Shut up, it's that stupid compass' fault! If I'd never looked at it, this wouldn't be an issue! Why does this have to be so stupid… Why should I care if I get embarrassed in front of the captain?
Suddenly, he couldn't feel his feet on the ground, and his vision was blurring too much for him to see anything. He eventually gave up, and closed his eyes. It was so cold…
A shiver passed through his body, and he desperately tried to find a source of warmth. Fortunately, the closest warmth was right next to him.
Jack frowned when he felt Koenma move closer to him. Only a short time ago, the boy hadn't wanted to be anywhere near him. Maybe the boy was sicker than he had originally thought.
He lay the boy down on his bed, then looked up at Anamaria, who was watching them from the doorway.
"Will he be alright?" she asked softly.
"I'm pretty sure. He just slept in the rain last night, so I'm not too worried."
"Slept in the rain?" Anamaria repeated incredulously. "Foolish boy… D'you know why, Jack?"
Jack suddenly seemed very interested in the floor and chose not to answer.
Ana glared at him suspiciously. "Jack Sparrow, if you don't answer me-"
"Alright, alright, it might be my fault that he's sick."
Ana rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "What did you do to him, Jack?"
"I joked about something I really shouldn't've, and he got scared and left. An' now this happened. He's been actin' really weird since I showed him the compass." Jack muttered the last part, but Anamaria caught it anyway.
"You showed him the compass, Jack? D'you know what it pointed to?"
Jack shook his head. "He didn't tell me, but I think I'm starting to get a clue. I won't say 'till I'm completely sure, though, so don't start askin'."
Anamaria seemed about to persist, but a moan from the bed distracted them both. Koenma sat up, rubbing his head. He didn't open his eyes, and just sat there for a moment, confusion crossing his features.
"I don' rememer a bed," he mumbled, his words a bit slurred. "'S warm, though… Jack? Are you there?"
"Aye. You doing all right?"
"…Don' thinso. M' head hurts… 'S isn' my bed…"
"I know. It's mine. You're stayin' with me while you're sick."
Koenma bit his lip and nodded. Jack noticed the nervous look on his face, and sighed.
"Don't worry, mate. I was just joking earlier about what I said, I didn't really mean it. Besides, even if I did, you're sick. Wouldn't that be kinda rude, anyway?"
Koenma smiled slightly. "You have a point… 'M sorry…"
He lay back down and opened his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on Jack.
"D'you know what the compass showed?" he asked softly. "I heard you a minute ago, an' I think you do…"
"Well, tell me if I'm right!"
"It pointed to…" Koenma paused, and a strange expression crossed his face. "'S just not fair… Will and Elizabeth, they love each other!"
"Yes, and what's the problem with that?" Jack asked, now completely confused. There was complete silence for a moment as Koenma thought something over, then he blushed.
"The compass showed me a person, an' I realized that I liked the person, but they won't like me back," he said in a rush. "I have to be near them all the time, and they won't like me, and Will and Elizabeth…" he trailed off, closing his eyes again.
Ana noticed the contemplative expression on Jack's face.
"What're you thinking of, Jack?"
"I was right," Jack said slowly. "It was me, wasn't it?"
Koenma's eyes filled with tears, and he turned away from Jack. Silence reigned for a moment, then the sound of cannon fire filled the air. Jack and Anamaria left the room, hurrying to the deck.
"Who're we under fire from?" Ana demanded of Gibbs once they had reached the deck.
"I'm pretty sure it's the crew we got the boy from. The ship looks familiar."
Thankfully, the other crew had only shot once, most likely to get their attention. The ship pulled up to the Pearl, and some of the crew jumped over. As they made their way over to Jack, Ana, and Gibbs, swords and pistols were drawn from both sides.
"What are you here for?" Ana demanded.
"After you left, the captain realized that he rather missed the boy, and now he wants him back," one of the crew members said, grinning. "An' he also said that if you weren't willin' to just give 'im away, that we were supposed to take 'im by force," he added, his grip tightening on his sword.
Ana noticed a strange expression cross Jack's face- almost like he had decided something, and was determined to do it.
"We're not giving the boy up without a fight," Jack said in a relatively calm voice. Ana could tell, after listening to the various expressions of her captain, that he was getting almost angry at the thought of relinquishing the boy. The same feeling he would get when someone would threat to take away the Pearl. This was getting interesting.
"So be it," the other pirate growled, and chaos ensued.
YYF14: Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter. One little thing about the story that doesn't really matter? The "wet sand" bit earlier- I would just have said sand, but I was listening to "Wet Sand" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and that got me to write it. Doesn't matter, but I wanted to say it. (I took the CD from my brother- that's why I'm kinda proud of that.) ANYWAY, about the next chapter- I will try to get it up ASAP, but I'm usually lousy at fighting scenes, so be prepared for either not many or ones that are a bit off. Just saying. See you guys soon, and review if you wish!