Ahoy, maties! Apologies for the tardiness, me computer be actin' like an ol' timer! I'll ask that ye kindly forgive the typos. I'll go over it when I have time this weekend.

Enjoy!

Kingtown docks

The afternoon has just begun and yet Pegasus has already managed to assemble a fleet of navy ships to go and scout the open waters. The timing is impressive to say the least. The young baron gives him credit for that much. But it's still far too slow. Those cursed pirates could be anywhere by now! He stands still on the docks staring at the boats bringing supplies the ten ships getting ready to depart from the harbor but his toes won't stop tapping. Just when he thought things couldn't get work, the message from Roland arrived. Mokuba has sneaked onto the Bleu Eyes that much was for sure and somehow ended up on the Golden Whale. He can't confirm that, but the gut feeling made his insides hurt.

He has gone over it in his mind time and time again. Who would do this? Who was capable of convincing four pirate crews work together? No. Not convincing. Manipulating. The person leading the operation picked the Golden Whale ship as a specific target. Why? Research had been done beforehand. They had to have known about his unbeatable defense. For pete's sake, two ships out of three have been sank. They were expecting that. Even Pegasus was surprised.

'Whoever you are, scumbag, just wait until my hands on you.'

"You are even more distraught than I thought if you are here this early, Lord Kaiba." He wipes around just as the admiral, followed by two soldiers reach him. "It'll take at least another half-hour for the whole fleet to be ready."

"Can't you speed this up? We've already wasted far too much time waiting around."

"Even I can't pull off this sort of miracle, dear baron," replies the one-eyed man with that same amused tone as ever. "Patience is the key to many…"

"It's gotten worse!" he snapped. "There's a good chance my brother also ended up on the Golden Whale."

Pegasus' smile finally faded. "That is troubling, indeed. What in the world have you done to offend the god of misfortune like so? In any case, my point still stands. The ships still need time."

Curse it all! Who knows how far that bloody rogue ship was? He takes a couple of deep breath to prevent his heart from exploding in his chest. He's not completely out of leads. His battle ships had greatly damaged the Gambler. They can't have gotten far in that state. In fact, they wouldn't have gotten the time to reach another coast. Meaning they have to have stopped on this one to repair their vessel.

"Including your triplet battleships, that makes ten ships in total. We'll scatter in groups of two into the northern open waters. We'll also send scouts to the port-towns where pirates are known to stop."

"Leave the coast scouting to me."

Unsurprised, the admiral shrugs and relays orders to the two soldiers. While he does that, Seto realizes that his left hand has reached inside his pocket and is clenching the little piece of jewelry. How long has it been? Seven or eight years maybe? Back when he'd saved her, she was wearing nothing but night wear and that bracelet. It's nothing special; braided brown threat with two small round tainted-gold colored stones surrounding a bigger one. She cried so much when she lost it playing in their garden with Mokuba. He found it immediately but he wanted her to forget. He wanted her to focus on a future she could have, not a passed reduced to ash. So he kept it with the intention of getting rid of it. But the tears she shed over it had made it seem like a crime. So he told himself he'd return it when she would finally give up on her senseless quest to return to her home. She never did. So there it is, still with him. He fiddled with them when he was alone and deep in thought. The faint green glow the little stones emitted when reflecting the light always had him curious about who had made it.

"Since we have a while longer to ourselves," says Pegasus, pulling him out of his daze, "how about you make good on your promise? Tell me more."

Seto bites his lips together in frustration. There it is. He was a fool to think the maniac would forget. No matter how much of a brilliant man Pegasus is, there is no denying that absolutely infuriating tendency to pry or his sickening fetish for rare things. Still, this information is a cheap price to pay for his help.

"There's nothing to tell," he says, crossing his arms on his chest and looking out to the sea. "She was my father's ward. By proxy she became mine."

"Always so secretive. I could've guessed all of that. What are her colors?"

It takes everything he has to keep the acid-coated words he wants to spit at the nosy nobleman on his tongue.

"Black, magenta, blond."

The one-eyed man chuckled before letting out a loud sigh. "It sounds positively hideous. I can't wait to see it."

He admits that when he first heard of the Shayee, he couldn't imagine how such a strange mix of vivid colors could be considered pleasing to the eye. Yet he never thought Yugi's hair to be strange on her. The Shayee wears her colors well. Still hearing this from this man's mouth makes him clench his fist.

"How old is she?" continues the nosy man.

"Sixteen."

"Marrying age? I can't think of searching for a suitor for her as an easy thing. Unless your plan is to keep your bird in a cage," he mocked, before suddenly regaining a serious face. "You said sixteen? Would that not make her four during the unfortunate incident? Interesting."

"What is?"

"Do you not find it strange that a toddler somehow survived the massacre? It did happen on their Island. Where has your father acquired her exactly?"

Both his hands twitch at the question. In fact, that uncomfortable sensation invades his hands and arms for a moment. The pain from that day is still vivid in his memory. And yet, it was nothing compared to the screams of the little girl he saved, burned in his mind forever. The face his father made when he saw what he'd brought home also was. The bastard nearly beat him to death that night before realizing that he could use her somehow.

"I don't know," he lies. "My father never shared that information with me."

"Well Gozaburo was mysterious even to his own family I suppose. He never went into detail about how he ran his business with anyone other than close associates. It seems everything about him was secretive. Including his death, wouldn't you say?"

Nosy bastard! Throwing him his darkest glare, he hopes he backs off. All evidence to the contrary. Pegasus is looking back at him straight in the eyes, that taunting smirk decorating his face.

"What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing, I assure you. I'm simply stating facts. You and your father went on one of his discreet business trips when he disappeared, isn't that so? There ia surprisingly little information on the nature of his death. Though a lot of rumors go around."

"Only fools listen to rumors."

"True, but wise are the ones who listen and can distinguish truth from mere gossip. Truth is so hard to determine. That's what makes trust priceless."

That look he gives him is different now. He's on the hunt for information but as usual, his true goal is indiscernible. That's the kind of snake this man is. But if he thinks he can get the upper hand on Seto Kaiba, he's sorely mistaken. He knows nothing. Nothing at all.

"Mind your tongue, Pegasus," he says, unblinking. "Or mark my word; you will regret it."

Finally, the admiral seems to react to his words and shrugs before looking away. His smirk returns however almost instantly as he gazes upon his fleet.

"I do agree that some things are best left buried. Your father is a prime example of that; always running around chasing legends. In the end, that fixation was probably his undoing," he still adds.

The one-eyed man takes a aged pocket watch and checks the time for far too long. "Do you know what made the Shayee so special? After being raised alongside one, you might know something. Do you believe them to be no more than a small people with strange hair?"

"She's nothing special."

Again an obvious lie. Yugi is no strange creature with inhuman abilities, but there's no denying that incomprehensible link she feels with the ocean. Even as a child, before she could even speak, she always looked in it's direction. She knew how to swim the moment she first jumped in the water. It didn't take a genius to Pegasus didn't need to know that. In fact, he didn't need to know anything about her.

"There are many legends surrounding the first masters of the sea," continues the admiral, putting the watch away. "Some think they were blessed by God. Others, that they weren't mortal in the first place. That of course turned out to be false. In the end, they died like anyone else."

"Get to the point," he snaps, tired of this conversation.

"I'm saying that there had to be a reason for them to die. Tell me something. Have you ever heard of something called orichalcum?"

"Poke in. Poke out. Pull. Cross it. Poke in. Poke out. Pull. Repeat. Poke in. Poke out…"

I can hear Maria's voice in my head. Sewing is one of the many skills the chambermaid has taught me back at the Kaiba home. Never in my life have I thought I'd one day be using it to fix up pirate clothes and shoes. The room where they've locked me up on the first lower deck is filled with a ton of ripped clothes and shoes. My first hour here —I assume since I have no way to tell the time— was spent separating the pieces of clothing that needed fixing and folding the ones that weren't. Now, sitting on the floor, my hands are moving the way Maria taught me but I barely pay attention to my work. What's Moki doing right now? They have no wounded since they didn't participate in the actual attack. Have they just locked him up somewhere? Or are they making him do some other task? Using him as a powder monkey? Are they tormenting him? I look at his uniform that I found and folded with the rest. They must've found him something new to wear.

"Start relying on yourself…" I mutter, repeating the last words the captain spoke to me before having me sent here to put my 'lady-skills' to use.

'I can't just sit here. But if I don't do what I'm told, they'll take it out on Mokuba…'

That man really is a snake. Why is he so interested in me? He's a pirate, he should want to sell me for profit. Instead he sounds like he wants to keep me in a cage. Superstition maybe? Growing up in the outside world, I heard loads of ludicrous stories about my people. Among them, I recall there was one that assured Shayee hair brought luck. I shake my head at how ridiculous that sounds. Why keep me alive if all he wants is my hair? I stop sewing for a moment and bring a hand up to my head. My hair feels dry. A long sigh escapes me and I let myself lie on the wooden floor. The gentle rock of the ship tells me the sea is still calm. Unlike before, my heart can't match its peacefulness. Tears sting my eyes again. No one is here to see me, so I let them out but refuse to let out a sound.

"Seto… I don't know what to do."

"You're better than this," replies his voice in my head. "Pull yourself together."

I want to. I really do. But how? If it was just me, maybe I'd have a better chance. But I'm not. I don't know how long I stay there. Then, I hear the key being inserted in the door and spring up quickly wiping my tears. The door violently swings open nearly making my heart jump out of my chest. Tristan enters that same cold expression on his face.

"Get up. We've got a job for you. Bring your needles. Move it."

Reluctantly, I do what I'm told and grab the wooden case of needle and thread I've been given before following the pointy-haired man out. To my displeasure, he leads me back onto the main deck. As expected, the moment I step out I feel eyes on me. I never thought I'd miss my wig so much. I keep my head down and follow the pirate to the foot of the foremast where Joey is holding a large white sail. I look up and see that the fore-royal sail is missing. So that's why they needed the needles.

"Joey," calls out Tristan, getting his attention. "I brought her. Sure you shouldn't have asked the captain first?"

The tough looking blond grins back at him. "That's the job he gave her himself. It'll be fine."

"Whatever you say. Don't involve me if he gets pissed off," he adds, walking away leaving me with the first mate.

"Hey again!" salutes Joey after a moment. "Ya've probably guessed, but I need ya to fix this sail."

He holds the large piece of fabric to my face, showing a large cut through it. How in the world did they manage to do that? This is the highest sail on the mast! I realize that he's waiting for me to take it. But Tristan's words ring in my head.

"What's the matter?" he asks. "I thought ya were warned; slackers aren't tolerated here."

"That's not it," I answer. "You didn't ask him for permission to use me, right? I don't want him to use this as an excuse to lash out at Mokuba."

He answers me with complete silence. I still look down and wait for him to get mad, but instead he starts laughing. "Seems ya already forgot, toots. This ol' Joey here's still the first mate of the Millennium."

He did tell me that but it's slipped my mind with everything going on. Somehow, I have trouble picturing this man as a second in command. He seems more the type to answer orders. Never judge a book by its cover. He's a pirate. That makes him dangerous no matter what he appears to be.

"Besides," continues Joey, "the cap'n ain't that petty. Do what ya're told and he won't give ya a hard time."

It's not like I have a choice either way. I take the sail from his and adjust it to hold it right. I then find the most comfortable seat I can on the floor, leaning my back against the mast before getting to work. Fixing a sail isn't the simplest task. The stitches have to be extremely tight as to not let the wind through. This could take a while.

"Poke in. Poke out. Pull firmly. Cross. Poke in…"

"What are ya doin'?"

Of course he stayed to watch me. I'm still a prisoner on this ship. They have no intention of letting me forget that.

"It helps me focus," I say.

"Ya're a strange one, ain't ya, Yug?"

My hands freeze in the air and I raise my eyebrows at him."Yug?"

"It's yar new pet name. I like ya, ya got a good scent. So I decided to give ya one."

My cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Blame it if you must, on my high society education, but having someone suddenly deciding an appellation for me is very uncomfortable. And what was it with this man and smelling?

"Please just call me by my name," I ask.

"Too late!" he snickers.

When did this turn in to a small talk? He's really enjoying this while I can't feel more out of place. It's like trying to avoid a trap. Still, when I think about what's happened on the Whale, this seems like the best option. I suppose I can handle a pet name. It's not nearly as bad as what Atem calls me. But I cannot let my guard down. Not for one second. If he wants to talk, then maybe I can get some information out of him.

"Can you tell me where Mokuba is?" I ask.

He opens his mouth to answer but another voice coming from above cuts him off. "Workin'!"

I nearly jump out of my skin and look up. The boy with one hand from before is sitting on the lowest top of the mast. With the same impressive agility as before, he jumps down landing near us.

"He be gutsy, yer lil' twerp," he says, his good hand on his hip. "I thought for sure he be crying for his mama by now."

My cheeks turn red in shame. Not long ago, I was crying like a child while Moki's been holding his tears since the beginning.

"Wait, you said working?"

"Aye, in the infirmary. Some of us caught a nasty bug from the last meal. He be makin' some medicine for 'em now."

That captain isn't waisting any time at all. Come to think of it, that was the first thing we heard him say to the quartermaster was that he hated waste. Meaning, as long as we kept working like he wants us, they might lower their guard. My thoughts are interrupted when the chestnut-haired boy suddenly crouches down and plants his face an inch away from mine.

"Never thought we'd get a Shayee added to the collection," he says, clearly inspecting my hair color. "A lass at that, too. That's a first."

"Collection?" I ask, scooting away.

"The cap'n's collection," says the first mate, grabbing Jaden by the shirt and pulling him away.

I'm scared to ask. "What does he collect?"

"Strays," they reply in perfect unison.

I know that sometimes, pirate captains collect special types of treasures and collect them. Some go after statues, others jewelry, others paintings…What do they mean by strays? As in stray dogs? Do I count as a rare animal or does the name apply to people for that maniac? If that's the case, does that mean there are other prisoners on this ship? The thought makes my stomach tighten. The more I learn about this man, the more unsettling this becomes.

"What do you call a…"

A strange sensation invades my back. So strange it cuts the words off in my throat. It's familiar and not at the same time. It feels a little like when I sense others staring at me. Only there's no discomfort. On the contrary. It's almost warm. As if I'm being watched from very far away by eyes who want to see me. No. Who want to find me. It doesn't make any sense and yet, I can't shake it off. Dropping everything, I stand and run towards the edge of the ship.

"Oi!" calls out the first mate.

I look at the horizon. Nothing. Not a single ship in sight. The coast is far as well. But clear as day, I sense it.

'Seto?'

Atem's a people collector, Kaiba lies and Pegasus knows more than he lets on. Fine mess we got here... and I'm just getting' started. *insert evil laugh*

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