Chapter 4: Become Acquainted with a Pirate Crew

Go

When I heard the sounds of battle above, I shrugged and decided that I would only be receiving one more round of beer than usual from the spoils. It didn't sound like a large ship by any means, and I didn't care for that matter. Hopefully the poor blokes on that ship had escaped before these villains had made it aboard. I continued sharpening the blade in my hand, rubbing away the sweat that had formed on my forehead with the back of my hand.

When sounds of the battle died away, I sighed in relief. Finally it was over, and I could get some peace and quiet. I continued my work in silence. I heard some of the crew snicker as they gloated over their capture. Disgusting, I thought, hoping that no one would come into this room.

"Did you see that kid's face when the captain shot 'is mate?" one of them commented, laughing. I frowned, straining to listen out of curiosity despite my rising disgust.

"The Awayuki…what a terrible name for a tiny boat like that," one of them drawled, "Glad it's gonna be at the bottom of the sea."

"And that kid's terrible with a sword. You should've seen 'im, swingin' that cutlass 'round like it was a whip," another remarked, "Dunno why the captain wanted 'im."

So they had taken a captive, after all. Apparently one that couldn't even wield a sword. Another crazy whim of the captain's, I decided. After what seemed like an hour, I heard the door to my room open. Thinking it was Kei here to announce my share, I looked up in anticipation—only to see the first mate next to a new kid. The hostage, I realized, glaring at Hayate. Probably his idea more than Sasame's to bring another hostage aboard.

"This is Go, master gunner and weaponsmaster. You will assist him in maintenance of the weapons, inventory of the weaponry and shuttling gunpowder from here to the main deck during times of battle," Hayate explained to the new kid. I continued to glare at Hayate.

I turned my gaze to the kid and felt my gaze soften. Poor kid, I thought, he looks close to crying.

"New cabin boy?" I asked, trying to give him a reassuring smile. I didn't know if the kid was lucky or not—to be killed quickly during the battle or to be held captive for the rest of one's life aboard this hell ship like me. I felt pity, and a sense of companionship with this new vivid pink-haired boy. I watched him return my smile.

"I leave him in your care," Hayate said, and left the room. I watched the new cabin boy sink to his knees, tears starting to fall from his eyes. No more than two or three years my junior at most, I thought, handing him a handkerchief. He took it gratefully, wiping his eyes with a ferocity I had not expected.

"You must be from that ship they just captured. It's not easy losing everything—I should know, I'm a captive here, just like you," I said, continuing to sharpen the new sword I had picked up. The boy looked up in surprise—and I saw a flicker of companionship flash through his eyes.

"You're a captive?" he asked. I marveled at his voice; it sounded too light for a boy his age, and I found myself wanting to hear it more.

"Yep. Hate everyone of these bastards, but well, I guess I'm too much of a coward to go up against that captain," I reflected.

"Here," I said tossing the sword I had been sharpening to him, "I've been hearing that you're abysmal with a sword. You may only be a cabin boy, but it won't do you any good not to know how to use a sword. I'll teach ya, whenever I get a chance."

He looked at me in gratitude. I almost felt another smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I had been lonely on this ship full of demons, after all. While the previous cabin boy had kept me company from time to time, his attempt to steal an extra of portion of food had landed him stranded on an island. And I was back to being alone.

This boy here seemed like a perfect replacement. I hoped that he would last longer than the last cabin boy. As I watched him hold the sword awkwardly, I chuckled.

"It's not gonna bite, you know," I remarked, standing up, "Hold the hilt with a firmer grip."

He nodded, focusing on the blade.

"For a more defensive stance, hold the blade a little higher than you are now," I said, motioning to him.

"You seem to be really knowledgeable about swords," he remarked, adjusting his stance.

"I was born into a family of blacksmiths. My father in particular specialized in making swords for the navy," I explaining, fixing his hold on the sword. He had such small, slender hands; I wondered whether he had the stamina to survive the harsh work aboard the Pretear.

For the navy…my father would probably be ashamed if he knew I was making swords for pirates now, I thought wryly. I ducked as the cabin boy swung his sword suddenly.

"That weak of a swing ain't gonna get you anywhere," I said, grabbing the sword from him, "More power—and spirit…like this."

I watched as he jumped back in surprise as I brought the sword down.

"Maybe we should work on getting some more muscle on you instead," I commented, flexing my arm. He laughed.

"You're really different from what I imagined a pirate would be like," he said, continuing to laugh. I smiled at the sound of his laughter. How long had it been since I had heard laughter like that? Not since my brother had laughed that way…which thanks to Hayate he would never laugh like that again. Why had he chosen to take me aboard and not my brother?

I shook my head. I was beginning to let my thoughts cycle down the same path again. I decided I would focus on the boy's laughter instead.

"Well, you're different from what I thought a cabin boy would be like," I countered, a smile spread across my face. He laughed again.

"Your name's Go, right?" he asked. I nodded and then paused.

"Never got your lovely name," I remarked. He laughed again.

"It's Him—Awayuki," he said.

"Awayuki, huh? So your boat was named after you?" I asked, turning back to my work.

"No, my boat was named after my father," he explained, watching me heat up a piece of metal.

"Must have been a handsome guy to have such an adorable son," I remarked. He smiled softly.

"I suppose…my mother was always saying that she was married to the most handsome man in the world," Awayuki remarked, looking into the distance with an almost pained look on his face. I felt the sudden need to change the topic.

"How would you like a tour of the ship? I'm sure that stiff Hayate didn't tell you anything more than the basics," I said, getting to my feet. He nodded and followed me out of the room.

As I took him on deck, he immediately surveyed everything with what seemed like a critical eye. I shouldn't underestimate him, I decided. I introduced him to some of the crew that I could tolerate, and was surprised at how quickly he struck conversation with them. Praise of the ship, the good quality it was kept in, the weather and temperament of the Caribbean waters—it was almost as if he was trying to make friends with the crew. Something I had never even considered doing.

Several weeks passed in the same routine—after he had completed his daily duties with the other officers, he would come to help me with the inventory and maintenance of the weapon store. And once our daily duties were over, we would practice. Slender as he was, he was picking up sword fighting quickly, using technique and speed rather than power to his advantage.

I had a suspicion that something more than mere survival was driving him to learn sword fighting at this pace.

One day, after we had concluded our training, he remarked, "Have you ever wanted to escape?"

"Sure, lots of times. But there's no way I'd be left alive if I tried to escape. Not as long as Sasame's captain," I replied.

"What if his power over the ship was weakened?" he countered.

I turned to him sharply in surprise. There was no way—he wasn't suggesting…

"A mutiny," he said simply, putting his sword away.

"Are you crazy?" I said, getting to my feet, "Sasame's hold on this ship is too strong for anything like that to happen. Besides, Kei makes sure there's no quarrel about the splitting of the shares or anything like that."

"I've heard that some of the crew are getting restless. After all, their last capture was my small pinnacle, after all," he commented.

"No," I warned, "get this idea out of your mind. Besides, there's nothing you can do. You're only a cabin boy here."

"Hm, how loyal are Kei and Hayate to Sasame?" he mused aloud, completely ignoring my warnings.

I sighed.

"Well, Kei's always been about profit. It isn't about loyalty, per se. He knows that listening to Sasame's orders results in successful captures—and ample earnings. Sasame is a capable pirate captain, as much as I hate to admit it," I explained.

"So he's pretty neutral," the cabin boy remarked. I nodded, and then continued, "Hayate is another story. He's loyal to Sasame like a pet dog. I don't understand it, but as long as he's around, there's no chance for a mutiny to succeed."

"We shall see," he responded, his eyes narrowing. I watched the determined look in his eyes, and despite my misgivings, felt hope as well. For reasons I did not understand, Awayuki was the only one who could speak to Hayate with such rudeness—and get away with it.

I didn't understand what relationship those two had, but whatever it was, I hoped it was strong enough to break Hayate's devotion to Sasame. Probably just wishful thinking on my part, but still. Awayuki had placed the idea of a mutiny in my head, and try as I might, the possibility of success—however slim—filled my mind.

"Well, starting with Kei doesn't seem like a bad start," I commented. He looked up at me in surprise.

"Kei's quite influential—a smooth talker if you catch my drift. If we could convince him that this mutiny had any profit for him…" I mused.

He truly wasted no time. Within days of our conversation, he had spread rumors amongst the crew that Sasame had taken a larger than usual share from the last capture. When news of the rumors reached Kei, he quickly tracked the rumor to its source—Awayuki.

He confronted Awayuki while he and I were doing our weekly weapon inventory check.

"What a surprise for you to come all the way here," I remarked as I saw Kei walk into the storeroom.

"I'm not here for you today. Cabin boy, come with me," he commanded. I watched as Awayuki's eyes went wide, but as he followed Kei out of the room, he turned to me and gave me a wink. I hoped for his sake that the talk would go well. I waited in silence, and after what seemed like hours, Awayuki returned, closely followed by Kei.

"So it seems you two have a crazy notion of starting a mutiny," he said in a flat voice.

I froze in fear. If Kei reported us to either Hayate or Sasame, we could be killed instantly.

"I am not opposed to it, as its success could be beneficial for me. But from my calculations the probability of success is somewhere around 10% or lower. Therefore, I will pretend that I know nothing of this plan of yours," he stated. I sighed in relief. Of course Kei would be neutral as always.

"I will also do nothing about this rumor regarding the shares, either," he remarked.

"But surely, you could alter the records as proof?" Awayuki asked. He was bold, without a doubt, to be requesting something like that from Kei.

"Since most of the crew cannot read anyhow, it would be futile for me to alter the records in any way. I will also have nothing further to do with this. I must warn you, however," he said as he turned to leave, "not to underestimate the power of the captain and the first mate on this ship, cabin boy."

As Kei left, I hoped that this cabin boy would be able to perform the miracle that would lead to our escape.