A/N: Finally Chapter One is here! I thank everyone who reads my story and I thank Blacksilo again for editing it. Feel free to give any opinions after reading. Now, enjoy!
Chapter One
Captain Tousen spotted the only two women of his crew slashing away at the soldiers defending the ship they boarded. It didn't take long for the crew of Benihiko to secure the passenger ship and start demanding for its valuables.
Tousen stepped up to the group of people huddling at the centre of the deck.
"Out with all yer goods or we'll whip yer backs red until ye do!" he threatened.
The scared travellers hurriedly brought out their gold and money while the pirates collected it. Meanwhile the captain of the Benihiko turned to the two women near him with a large smile.
"How are me Crimson Blades doin'? Ye were excellent t'day!"
"Captain, just call us Scarlet and Ruby like you always do. Why Crimson Blades when in front of others?" Momo rolled her eyes at her captain's newfound name for the duo.
"But Scarlet and Ruby are variations o' red, so why not crimson? Tis much fitting for ye ladies adept at killin'."
Momo sighed and Rangiku just smiled while saying, "Thanks for the compliment Captain Tousen."
They each grabbed a bag and filled it up with the stolen goods and carried it back to their ship, leaving earlier than the others.
"That nickname is seriously annoying me," Momo muttered.
"Relax Ruby, this is helpin' you, ye know? Get famous for yer skills and people will search you out," Rangiku patted her friend's shoulder.
"…I know…"
On the ship, Rangiku and Momo returned to the room they both shared over the past few weeks. Rangiku threw herself on the bed while Momo gently sat down on hers and checked her equipment.
Since Rangiku was the only female on board and had a cabin to herself, Momo naturally became her roommate. The men became a rowdy bunch when they first heard Momo would join them but behaved themselves when Rangiku appeared. The sexy beauty was a desired, yet feared existence. She was the quartermaster of the ship. As time passed, they also got used to the Ruby Princess and became more comfortable around her.
#####
It happened a month later when they came across another pirate ship while plundering a merchant vessel. The enemy ship was large and in no time at all, the Benihiko burst from the cannon balls and Captain Tousen's ship sunk.
"Rangiku, hurry up! We need to get a dinghy before the Benihiko sinks!" Momo called out to the strawberry blonde woman staring at the retreating enemy ship.
Momo became impatient and started dragging her friend to an untouched boat she found. She pushed Rangiku into it and hopped on herself before slowly letting the boat down. Once it touched the water, Momo grabbed the oars and started rowing like mad to get away from the ship. Rangiku was still frozen behind her from shock.
Only once Momo determined that they were far enough, did she relax and stop rowing.
"Fuck those bastards!" Rangiku yelled at the top of her lungs at the retreating vessel once she recovered.
"Calm down Scarlet," Momo tried to convince her partner to think calmly again.
"They could've at least left our ship partly intact Ruby!" Rangiku's head whipped around in protest.
Momo sighed, "At least we secured a boat while most of the crew got slaughtered or drowned or are drifting around somewhere right now. I am happy enough that we didn't sink with the current of the ship."
"We're shipwrecked Momo!" Rangiku objected with frustration.
"I'm pretty pissed off as well Rangiku," Momo's tone hardened as she let her anger slip into her voice.
Rangiku closed her mouth. She knew better than to anger her friend.
[Even though Momo was always the calmer person between us two – I know I changed as well, but when I'm with her, my own level-headedness disappears. I revert back to my old self.]
They didn't talk for an hour after that and instead started rowing to get somewhere. The sun shone mercilessly upon them as their thirst made itself known.
"Ugh… why did our ship have to get sunk in the middle of nowhere?" Momo complained.
She was lying on her stomach and gazing over the boat rim into the deep blue water. They had stopped rowing after a while, since it only drained their energy.
"Not t' mentions that we don't have water or food," Rangiku added, "I'm getting thirsty an' the sun's being a real bitch today. Why today of all days?!"
The furious woman had also laid down in the meantime and her arm hung loosely over her face to shield it from the intensive sun rays. Bored with having to do nothing while the heat built up on her head, Momo sat up and looked around for any sign of land. However, all she could see was the azure water of the ocean.
Momo sighed at the hopeless situation.
"Either we'll dehydrate or jump into the water and let the sharks get us," she concluded.
"Stop talking bull girl. We'll somehow make it. I ain't given up yet," Rangiku optimistically said and got up as well.
"Maybe you are right," Momo smiled at the strawberry blonde.
Three hours later…
"I give up‼" Rangiku cried out, "I want to drink something! This damned saltwater! This damned sun!"
Momo didn't have any energy to reply and just ignored Rangiku's outburst.
Six hours later….
"It's cold!", Rangiku shivered and rubbed her exposed arms.
"We are too lightly clothed Rangiku," Momo's body also trembled with each night breeze.
"At least yer wearin a shirt! Yer arms are covered – mine are bare!"
Momo sighed and Rangiku sighed with her.
[How are we gonna survive this?]
Two days later…
Rangiku woke up from a violent shaking.
"What is it, Momo?" she grumbled and rubbed her eyes.
"A ship! Rangiku, it's a ship!" Momo replied excitedly while pointing behind Rangiku.
"Huh?" Rangiku barely comprehended the dark haired girl and followed the pointing arm's length.
When she saw the ship, she thought that she must have been dreaming and rubbed her eyes for good measure again. When the picture of the ship did not disappear, she allowed herself to also believe and hoped swelled up.
"Oh my god, it's a ship!" Rangiku squealed and hopped on her seat.
"Wah! S-stop Rangiku!" Momo cried out in fear as the small boat shook dangerously.
Rangiku also noticed the sway caused by her and immediately kept still until the boat stabilized.
Once it did, Rangiku immediately turned towards Momo, "Start rowing!"
Momo didn't answer and immediately grabbed the oars and the women rowed like crazy. Unfortunately for them, the passing ship was getting further and further away from them. Exhausted, Rangiku and Momo halted their actions.
"We need to get their attention on us!" Rangiku gritted her teeth in frustration
"Sure, but how?" Momo replied sarcastically.
She obviously knew that herself and definitely did not need it pointed out.
Rangiku thought about it for a moment, "How 'bout we scream?"
Momo shook her head, "Our voices won't reach that far."
"Just waving 'round won't help. Their lookout mightn't be doing his job."
"Right."
"Then what do we've got us?"
"We have our weapons and clothes. Nothing else."
[Weapons and clothes….]
"…"
"…"
[Weapons….]
"I think I've got it!", Rangiku suddenly yelled, surprising Momo.
With an enquiring gaze, Momo looked at the blonde woman.
"Give me your gun," Rangiku requested and Momo wordlessly gave it to her.
Rangiku examined the pistol before pulling the trigger without another word. A loud gunshot rang out from the gun pointed at the sky. Momo cried out in shock and Rangiku closed her eyes from the recoil.
"Rangiku! Why didn't you tell me that you were going to shoot the gun?!" Momo protested as she held her ears.
"I thought you understood when you gave it t' me!" Rangiku retorted and returned the gun.
She immediately jumped up and started waving towards the ship in the distance.
"Come on Momo!" she urged her friend to do the same.
Momo reluctantly stood up and waved her arms at the ship, hoping that they would notice them. Just as when it seemed that the ship might turn away from them, it's body changed direction.
"Oh my god, they've seen us. They're comin'!", Rangiku exclaimed excitedly.
Her smile widened and she impulsively hugged Momo. Momo, caught up in the tall girl's pace, hugged back and squealed in delight.
#####
Rangiku and Momo sat on a box in the middle of the deck, surrounded by a bunch of seamen. Their previous smiles had faded from their faces.
"It's a fucking pirate ship!" Rangiku spat out dissatisfied to her partner.
"If they are one of those no-good ones…" Momo felt disillusioned.
Rangiku took her best friend's hand and clasped it tightly, "Let's just hope for the best."
Momo agreed, though she was filled with unease.
Their exchange went unnoticed by the surrounding men who made space to let a tall man through.
"Heya girls, whatcha doing all 'lone on tha wide sea?" the man greeted the duo with a wide mocking grin.
His face was casted in shadows by the hat he wore. He placed his hands on his hips as he waited for a response, but none came.
"Ahaha, I guess I should introduce mahself first," the tall man laughed.
He took off his hat and silver hair dangled out as he gave a bow.
"Mah name's Captain Gin Ichimaru," he presented himself with an unchanging mocking smile on his face and plopped his hat on his head again. "Welcome aboard the Ashen Spear."
Rangiku gasped and Momo wiped all emotions from her face. Confusion spread on Rangiku's face.
[W-what is he doing here?! Shouldn't he be on a journey…? Wait… pirating involves journeying… is this what he meant that time?]
Meanwhile Momo's face had become slightly pale as fear coursed through her veins – the fear of being exposed.
"Gin…" Rangiku whispered.
"That's right," the man nodded.
"…Ichimaru?" Rangiku finished saying the name uncertainly.
[This man is obviously him, but that name… Ichimaru? I've never heard it before. An alias?]
Beside Rangiku, Momo shivered when she heard the name but managed to calm down after a while. Rangiku had not noticed until a moment ago.
[I wonder what's wrong with Momo. I'll ask her later.]
"May I ask," Momo finally spoke up, "Why did you rescue us?"
The man who named himself Gin chuckled at the question:
"Ta get ya valuables of course."
Momo frowned at the answer as did Rangiku.
"We don't have much on us," Rangiku scoffed, "Why pull us on board when you could've just pulled us up and taken our stuff and left us there again?"
"That's my decision to make – not yours."
"Then are you going t' send us back t' the kingdom?"
"We're pirates – not a charity organisation."
"Says the guy who fished out two girls from the sharks," Rangiku couldn't help but retort at the shameless remark.
The grin on the man's face stayed the same but he stepped forward and grabbed Rangiku's chin, lifting it up to him. Rangiku was forced to look at him and she frowned. The man's eyes had stayed as slits the whole time. Even now Rangiku couldn't make his iris' colour out. His attitude had riled her up.
[This isn't Gin.]
"Now listen' up wench," he calmly spoke but his tone had become low, "I ain't gonna spend mah free time arguing with ya landlubbers, so ya better listin' to what I say. Ya bring out all yer belongings and we'll let ya go, how 'bout it?"
Rangiku wrenched Gin's hand away from her face as she snarled back at him, "I ain't no landlubber! Imma pirate ye goddamn bilge rat!"
Momo pulled back her seething friend before she could get up and punch the silver haired man in the face. There was a split second when the smile faltered from Gin's face but Momo didn't see it while Rangiku did.
"Pirates, eh? Never thought ta meet our brethren here," he said and stepped back.
He turned around and ordered his men, "Give them a room and leave them alone."
Rangiku was astonished.
[Did he change his mind?]
"I've got some plans fer them later," he remarked before disappearing between the crowd.
[Or not.]
#####
Dinner was brought to Rangiku and Momo in the cabin room where they were held captive; the two waited until the boy who brought them their food closed the door before daring to speak.
"It looks like we're off the hook for now," Rangiku muttered.
"We need to be prepared for the worst. What a dilemma," Momo sighed.
"Ye know, sighing too often will shorten yer life," Rangiku joked as she grabbed her food plate and began eating.
Momo did the same and retorted, "Says the right one."
"Hey!"
A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation. The door opened before they said anything. It was Captain Ichimaru.
"Heya Ladies, I hope I ain't disturbing ya," he lightly spoke and entered the small room. The door closed behind him and he leaned against it.
Rangiku and Momo kept quiet and ate their food instead of answering.
"Defiance ain't gonna getcha anywhere," the young man chuckled.
"That is not for you to decide," Momo stated fearlessly.
"Young Lady, ya should be careful with yer tongue before I slit it into two like a snake's."
"Are you not the real snake here?" Momo muttered which Gin heard but decided to overlook.
He had a lot of patience, so he could deal with a snide remark or two easily. On the other hand, Momo paid no attention to the threat and kept eating the soup and bread she had gotten.
"Were ye marooned? Looking at ya, it could be possible," Gin probed for more information by riling up the girls.
Rangiku who couldn't stand the mockery whipped her head around and glared at Gin.
"We're not marooned!" she hissed.
Gin didn't react to her answer and went on.
"So yer pirates ya said?" he ignored the look Rangiku gave and gestured with his head to Momo, "Tha short lass 'ere talks awfully proper for that."
"We're pirates alright. We got shipwrecked. Floated 'round 'till ye found us," Rangiku reluctantly explained, not wanting to be looked upon any further.
The silver haired man nodded, "So what's yer names?"
Rangiku exasperated refused to answer. Instead Momo told him their names, "I am Ruby and this is Scarlet."
Gin nodded again as acknowledgement of the information, but fell silent after that. The silence didn't bother the women who were finishing up their food.
"Yer not coincident'ly the Crimson Blades, are ya?" the Ashen Spear's captain asked after a while.
"And what if we are?" Momo snapped.
"Hmm, then that's good," Gin answered after touching his chin with his fingers.
He then left the room without another word while leaving behind to very confused girls pertaining to what he last said.