Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Pirates or the Yu Yu Hakusho franchises.
A/N: Yeah, yeah, this chapter is shorter and not exactly a quick update. But it works. I like this chapter.
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Later That Night - Tortuga
Compared to the merciless bloodshed and mocking laughter he had been expecting, Koenma found that making a deal with pirates was really quite simple. For pirates they weren't particularly uncivil, though the way Hiei handled his sword was more than enough to make Koenma just a little jumpy. Kurama made sure that no one lost their head and it was only when he was within three feet of him that Koenma felt safe enough to speak.
Said demon had made his way to the bar, leaving Koenma in the unpleasant company of Hiei and Kuwabara. Neither of the two seemed likely to speak, be it to him or each other. In fact, Koenma suspected that the two weren't particularly best of friends, as Hiei suggested with the dark glare he shot at Kuwabara each time he so much as sneezed. As if the mounting tension weren't enough, the sword at Hiei's belt was worn loose enough for the light to glint off the blade, sending shivers down Koenma's spine each time the gleam caught his eye.
Honestly, he was surprised he wasn't already dead.
He opened his mouth to speak, the words dying on his tongue as Kurama returned from the bar. His expression was unsettling; red eyebrows furrowed, lips settled into a thin line. He sat carefully down, green eyes scanning the bar with a dark expression. Once he was satisfied, he returned his attention to the others, leaning forward in his chair and resting his arms on the tabletop.
"A ship went down yesterday morning just off Singapore," he informed them. His green eyes darted around him one last time. "Jones isn't being picky anymore. We've got to be careful."
"Dragging this... land lubber on board will bring us our deaths and nothing more," Hiei growled, his crimson eyes locked on Koenma. "This is a mistake, Kurama. Kill him now and we'll be rid of our curse for free."
"We don't want to make a scene, do we?" Kurama replied, raising a brow. "Besides, we may have use for him yet." His sly smile returned. Kuwabara leaned back in his seat, his own grin playing his lips.
Koenma swallowed and wondered what he had gotten himself into.
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Night had fallen outside the pub. The cold wind was like a blast in the face, biting at Koenma's nose and cheeks. The sky was empty of clouds, the moon and stars twinkling high overhead. Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei turned and headed for the coast, making a casual veer to the left. Koenma followed while rubbing his arms, eyes constantly darting back and forth as pirates leered out at him in a menacing manner he'd quite forgotten since his last visit to Tortuga. Granted, that had been three years ago and he had been promptly surrounded by civilized people.
"Hey, kid."
Koenma lifted his head and realized he stood alone. He looked around to locate the voice. At last his gaze landed on a young woman, her face and other features obscured by the shadows she stood in.
"Yes?" Koenma managed; he sounded surer than he felt.
"Your boat is that way." The woman jerked a thumb in the opposite direction Koenma had been headed.
"Oh, yeah," he replied. "I knew that."
"Tortuga isn't a place for little boys to play. You'd best go back to where you came from."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." His voice was cold as he glared at the woman in the shadows. He was not a little boy.
"And why not? There can't be anything for you here or on that ship."
"I make it a habit not to divulge personal information to strangers."
"And you use big words, too. Charming."
"What do you have against me, anyway?"
"Nothing," she spat, her voice bitter. "They let you on board, didn't they? And you aren't even a pirate. When I had my ship, pirates were the only worthy souls in my crew."
"And, uh, what happened to your ship?"
"Davy Jones."
Koenma froze as he felt what little warmth he had drain from his face and his blood run cold. For a moment he simply stood there, his breath pumping out in small bursts of cloud. Davy Jones.
"A-And what did you do to-to-"
"Have him destroy my ship?" The woman let out a short, harsh laugh. "I didn't do anything. It was the first mate o f my crew that doomed us all."
"You escaped Davy Jones?"
"Aye. His squid was nothing, though it managed to take a piece of me along with it. Why the interest in Davy Jones, boy?"
"Nothing that has to do with you, I'm sure."
"Try me. Your father was Enma, wasn't he? A fool of a man, that one, but a damn good pirate."
"Who are you?" Koenma had regained some of his confidence, though he wasn't sure how long it was going to last or if it was going to get him anywhere.
"No one of particular interest," the woman responded. "But I suppose there's no harm in telling." She stepped forward into the bright moonlight. There was a green bandana on her head, a stray bit of ginger hair peaking out from beneath it. One eye was covered in a patch (Koenma suspected that there was nothing behind it), the other a shimmering brown. She wasn't nearly as tall as him, though he suspected she was a few good inches taller than Hiei. Her clothes were of the usual pirate garb and it wouldn't take a genius to tell that she had been a pirate for many years.
"I've seen what you look like, though that doesn't tell me who you are."
"Of course. Silly me." Her laugh was fake and cruel. "They call me Mukuro."
"Mukuro?" The name sounded familiar, though Koenma could not recall just where he had heard it before. He suspected it came from one of father's stories, though considering they hadn't even been in the same crew he didn't know why he might have mentioned her.
"There's no sense in keeping the boys waiting," she told him, a light smirk on her face. "Seeing as you're the new kid in town, I'll be nice and show you to the ship."
"What's the catch?"
"Catch? There is no catch." She turned and began walking up the shore, avoiding the waves as they quietly snuck further up the sandy beach. Koenma stared after her a long moment, attempting to decide what had happened, before he took off after her, jogging to catch up with her brisk pace.
He heard the ship before he saw it, the waves loud as they crashed against it. There was the flicker of movement on deck coupled with shouts and laughter. The dock creaked beneath their weight, an almost eerie sensation in the moonlight. Mukuro paused several feet away, gazing up at the ship with an unreadable expression.
"Here you are, boy."
It did not take long for them to be noticed. Kurama strolled over in a controlled, leisurely gait. A curious looked fogged his features as he slowed to a stop before them. Hiei and Kuwabara looked over from the gangplank with obvious interest, though neither spoke a word or made any other indication that they had noticed Koenma and Mukuro's arrival.
"We thought you had gotten lost," Kurama said, unable to hide his amusement. "And it appears we were correct." His green eyes shifted to Mukuro. "I see you've made a friend." Koenma could not help but feel that he was being mocked in some form or another.
"I didn't know you were recruiting, Kurama."
"This is a special circumstance," Kurama replied. "I'm sure you know quite well who this is."
"Who could forget?" Her gaze landed lazily on the now approaching Hiei and Kuwabara. "It seems your crew is growing impatient."
"Our crew," Hiei corrected, crimson eyes narrowing to slits as he stared on at Mukuro. "We co-captain this ship. Can we help you?"
"I was simply returning your lost cargo," Mukuro responded. "Though perhaps there is some way you can return the favor..."
"What do you want?" Hiei snapped. He was growing impatient with the crew whom were growing impatient with their delay.
"To join your crew."
"No."
"I've been captain of my own vessel for nearly as long as your little boat has been out at sea. Why are you so reluctant?"
"We have no need for more sailors."
"There is the option of taking the boy for myself."
"It would get you nowhere."
"And you would be stuck as well."
"We accept your offer," Kurama interrupted. He shot warning glances at both of them. "The boys on board will show you the sleeping quarters and give you your duties." He turned and beckoned Koenma to follow, taking long, angry strides up the dock toward the ship. Mukuro smirked and followed along behind a trembling Koenma, pausing to wink at Hiei.
"It's bad luck to bring women aboard," Hiei hissed, crossing his arms as he stared on in disgust.
"Something tells me it'd be a lot worse not to," Kuwabara answered, looking nervously between Hiei and the ship. There was a pause in which someone on deck shouted "SHIZURU", followed by the shatter of breaking glass.
"Again."
