Chapter Six: Too Much of A Distraction

Hayate

"Captain," I said, knocking on his cabin door. I waited patiently for Sasame to open his door, clutching the package of opium in my hand. I had sampled a bit to confirm what it was, and the taste had brought back unpleasant memories. I only hoped that Sasame would not react to it any worse than I had.

"What is it?" he asked, finally opening his cabin door.

He had changed from his previous outfit of velvet into an outfit of pure silk. The coat was light lavender and the vest underneath a deeper violet, emulating the color of royalty. His hat was made of deep purple velvet with a white feather that matched his hair. His smug expression told me how much he enjoyed wearing clothing intended for royalty. And I could tell he believed he deserved to wear the royal colors—for his pride and ambition.

"The cargo aboard the last capture was opium, Captain," I explained, handing the package to him.

I watched him carefully as he narrowed his eyes. He sniffed the contents but abstained from tasting it.

"Who knows of the cargo's truth?" he asked me.

"A few members of the crew, Kei, myself and now you, sir," I responded. Sasame nodded.

"I do not want even a single package of the opium in the crew's hands. Do I make myself clear?" he commanded.

"Yes. It shall be done," I replied.

"Ah, Hayate?" he called out to me as I began to turn away, "I've heard that the cabin boy is living in your quarters."

I froze. Although I knew that nothing aboard the ship occurred without Sasame's knowledge, I had hoped to conceal this situation until another solution had presented itself.

"For the time being, yes," I replied.

"You seem to have an interest in the boy," Sasame declared. I did not answer.

"Well, I have no complaints about you keeping a pet," Sasame said, "So long as it does not become too much of a distraction."

I heard the warning in his tone and turned back to face him, giving the captain a slight bow. Satisfied with my action, he walked past my bent frame, looking down at me with a faint smirk on his face.

I straightened after I no longer felt his presence nearby and turned to head back to the deck. The preparations for the party were well under way. Bottles of rum that had been stashed away were being passed around like water. It would only be a matter of time before singing and dancing would be added to the frivolity.

Placing a hand on Kei's shoulder I relayed to him the message to deliver the opium straight to the captain. A brief expression passed through Kei's face before he resumed his blank mien once more.

"What should I tell the crew regarding the cargo?" Kei asked me, scratching away notes on his log.

"That the captain ordered that it be not touched by the crew," I answered. He nodded and barked out orders to the crew. I ignored the grumbling amongst the crew and proceeded to check the condition of the ship, as I always did after a skirmish.

"The condition of the artillery?" I asked Go. He glared in my direction and then answered stiffly, "Two cannons damaged, but not beyond repair, and more than three fourths of the cannon balls in stock."

I nodded in thanks, surprised to get a straight answer from him immediately. He turned away from me quickly, his eye on the girl. I gritted my teeth, hoping that he had not discovered her true gender. Sasame had already become suspicious that I had taken her under my wing—a situation I could have done without. I didn't need the fool of a weaponsmaster to cause me any further problems. Why had I taken her in? She was causing me nothing but worry…

"Hayate, sir!" a voice called out to me, breaking me from my thoughts.

I turned to see our boatswain running towards me and walked down to meet him on the lower main deck. This was good timing. I had meant to confirm with him the condition of the rigging and sails even if they had not been directly affected by the skirmish.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked.

"Sir, I just found out that some of the hanks of the mainsail have completely snapped," he answered promptly.

I frowned. "How did that happen?"

"It appears they rusted over, sir. The mainsail is unfurled now, sir, but we were unable to maneuver the halyard and furl it," he explained.

"Is there any way to furl the mainsail now without using the mainsail rigging?" I asked, thinking of alternate plans until we could get the hanks fixed. With the men drunk as they would be soon enough, I knew repairs would not be the first on their minds. As long as we did not have any inclement weather, the repairs could wait.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he replied. I nodded, making a mental note to check if we had any spare hanks in stock.

"Very well. I'll take care of it," I said. I proceeded into the hold in order to check the stores for hanks when I caught sight of the girl. She was crouched to the side, cleaning her rapier with the attention and care of an artisan.

"Oy, shouldn't you be on deck?" I called out to her. She turned to me with an expression filled with pain that quickly turned into anger at the sight of me. Great, I thought sarcastically, she's becoming a ditto of Go. Just what I needed.

She rose to her feet and asked me a curious question.

"What was your first time like?"

I blinked. What did she mean by that? My first time doing what? I felt an uneasy sensation that quickly turned to embarrassment. Had she and Go already…?

"Your first capture. Your first time truly being…a pirate…" she clarified. I almost sighed in relief, half-cursing my own stupidity for thinking otherwise. After all, this girl seemed to have no consciousness when it came to her own body…

I coughed to clear my throat and found her intense gaze still on me. I had a feeling she would not let me leave until I had given some sort of an answer.

"It was exhilarating," I began. Her eyes clouded over and her brows furrowed at my remark. And I remembered the look of pain she had had on her face when I had walked in.

"Yet it was also sickening," I concluded. She nodded slightly.

"Sickening, huh?" she said softly as if to herself, sheathing her rapier, "Sickening…"

Without another word, she walked past me to the stairs leading to the main deck, leaving me behind with the image of her pained expression burned into my mind's eye.

Those pained eyes and the expression of hopelessness contained within them. Eyes that were asking for escape, escape from this cursed life. The memory of eyes that mirrored the girl's eyes filled my mind, opening a chasm of images that I had sealed away. A pair of green eyes, deep and sharp appeared in my mind. They were asking me for escape, escape I never gave them. Escape I had never wanted to give them.

I felt my chest tighten and my airways constrict. I staggered to the wall of the hold, trying futilely to fill my lungs with air. As my vision swirled before me, I closed my eyes and tried to focus. Her face appeared before me, fading away into an unidentifiable form once again. Fading before my apology could reach her…

I collapsed to the floor, spluttering when I finally managed to take in air. Gasping, I focused on steadying my vision and balance. I needed to get back to my feet in the case that anyone came down here. I could fake drunkenness, but the lack of color in my face would give me away…

I needed fresh air. As I regained my motor functions, I made my way back onto deck. I could use a few drinks to ease my nerves. And staying on deck would allow me to keep an eye on that girl. I did not want to imagine what a crew of drunk men would do if they found out…

I ran a hand over my face. She was becoming too much of a hassle—too much of a distraction. I needed to find someway to leave her behind the next time we reached land.