Pirate Destiny Chapter 7, a prétear fanfic

Chapter Seven: Storm

Hayate

The time I had spent in the hold was enough for the rum's effect to kick in amongst the crew. I could hear the crew's off-key singing before I even as I walked up the stairs, and managed a slight smile. How simple minded the crew could be, happy just from a capture and rum. I envied their carefree nature at times, for I knew it was not a luxury I could have.

The smile on my face was wiped away at the sight of the scene on deck. That stupid girl was dancing merrily with members of the crew, her face flushed from rum. How careless could she be? I thought furiously, as I saw crew members' arms around her waist and shoulders. And where did the pained expression she had shown me earlier go? I felt irritated that I had worried over her at all.

I watched her as she sang along with the crew.

What shall we do with a drunken sailor?

Early in the morning?

Way-hay, up she rises

Early in the morning

Put him in the long boat 'til he's sober

Pull out the bung and wet him all over

Put him in the scuppers with the deck pump on him

Heave him by the leg in a runnin' bowlin'

Tie him to the taffrail when she's yard-arm under(1)

I watched her sadly as I realized she was trying her hardest to forget. Forget the sickening sensation that had spread throughout her at the culmination of the capture. Forget the humanity that still was inside of her.

I thought back to my first time—after Sasame and I had been captured onto a pirate ship. We were ten or eleven years old, fresh to the sea-faring world, thrust into the hell of piracy. But it was a fitting world for Sasame. I still remember the look of glee that had passed his face as he killed. The satisfaction that he had the power—the power to strike back, to hurt rather than be hurt.

And I remembered how I had vomited at the sight of so many dead bodies, blood and guts strewn across the deck. I remembered how I had bitten my lip to avoid crying while Sasame continued to stab the immobile bodies with the tip of his sword, laughing and crying at the same time…

The sound of thunder broke me from my musings. I snapped to attention and began to assess the situation. Thunderclouds had begun to obscure the sunset with darkness. Rain had started to drizzle upon us and the waves had begun to churn the boat back and forth.

I didn't need to bark orders, either. The captain had come on deck the instant clouds had loomed on the horizon, and his presence alone was enough to sober the crew. They were already working on securing the ship, each member tending to his assigned task. Some were frapping the sails on the main deck while others put up the dodgers on the bridge. Sasame was at the helm, his unrivaled skill in steering the helm clear in the way he maneuvered the ship against the rising winds and heavy waves.

I went to inspect the furling of the sails at the stern, watching as the men skillfully drew the lines and fastened them to the inboard.

"Hayate!" I heard someone call me from the upper deck. It was the boatswain; I ran towards him, feeling the winds pick up and boat sway more dangerously than before. "Did you get someone to check the hanks, sir?" he asked me as we met halfway by the mainmast.

I stared at him slack jawed for a moment. How could I forget something so crucial? I silently cursed myself for my carelessness.

"Let's see how bad it is," I told him, but I didn't even need to say anything, because at that very moment, a flash of lightning burst through the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

"Steady! Steady the line!" I heard Kei yelling and turned to see several crew members trying to stabilize the mainmast, but to no avail. The mainsail flapped violently against the wind and rain, rocking the boat back and forth with it.

"Hold the line!" I cried, running forward with the boatswain to help the men handle the halyard. But it was useless. Without the rings to stabilize the rope, it swung in all directions, making it nearly impossible to control the sails.

"We'll have to cut and release the sail from the mast from the top," a familiar voice cried out from behind me. I turned to see the girl standing there, watching the men struggle with the rigging.

"Why are you still on deck?" I demanded, incredulous, "Get below deck and stay there!"

"Don't underestimate me!" she cried over the sound of the next wave of thunder.

"Hayate!" I heard Sasame's voice carry over from the upper deck. Seeing Sasame's furious gaze, I said quickly to the girl, "Get to my cabin and stay there. This is an order!"

I ran up to the upper deck and went to Sasame's side.

"Yes Captain?" I cried.

"Why is our mainsail not secured yet?" he yelled. I flinched at the anger contained within his voice. I knew that the Pretear was his pride and joy, that he treasured it above all else. My oversight regarding the hanks…

"Forgive me, captain. I will see to it immediately," I said, bowing my head.

"Get it fixed now," he ordered. "I don't care if you have to send a man up there to get it done."

I was speechless at the thought of endangering one of our men by sending them up to fix my mistake. But for Sasame, his ship was worth more than any crew member—including myself. I decided to fix my error, myself.

"Find some way of dealing with this now," he almost snarled.

"Yes sir," I replied firmly, raising my head to meet his gaze. But he had already fixed his attentions to riding the waves once more.

I tried to get back down to the lower deck, but the boat rocked severely, and I had to hold onto the bulwark to steady myself. I could hear the shouts of the men trying to work on the mainmast. I heard a loud ripping sound as one of the sails came loose.

I steadied myself and ran back down to help them. The men had scattered from the mainmast, as it looked unstable now, but I ordered them to get back and try to hold it. I prepared myself to get onto the rigging to make it to the top. I needed to undo the bowline knot that held the main sail in place at the top, freeing it from its connection with the mainmast.

Just as I was preparing to climb up, one of the crew members shouted, "Look there!"

We all looked up to see a small figure climbing the mast and all the blood drained from my face as I realized whom it was. She really was a fool.

"Get down from there!" I cried, but I couldn't even tell if she heard me. She swung onto one of the rope, swinging herself towards the mast again to try and release the mainsail. Before I could even think of what to do, I heard a huge crack. The men all scattered as the mast started to break halfway. I heard the girl scream as she held tightly to the rope she was hanging on. The mast started to fall, but then stopped, teetering midway as the girl hung tight for her life.

As I watched her swing from the tangled rigging, a single mistake away from falling into the furious waves, I felt my mouth go dry.

I heard Sasame call me. He had left the helm to another crew member and was now striding towards me, his jacket flapping against the wind. He never left the helm — he didn't trust anyone else at it — which meant something truly urgent called him elsewhere.

He walked right up to me and said in his quiet but commanding voice, "Cut it loose."

I was sure I hadn't heard him right. "What?"

"Break off the mainmast," he commanded, looking straight into my eyes. "It is beyond repair now and we cannot afford to lose the ship because of it."

Then he turned on his heel and went back to the helm. I watched him leave in growing horror, when the girl screamed again, making me look up. The mast was now leaning more, fracturing more at the center; she was trying to hold onto the ropes, but her hands were slipping against the wet cords.

"Sir, we have the hacksaws to cut down the mast," the boatswain notified me. I turned to see Go dropping the saws as he realized what had happened. Then he looked at me with dawning terror.

Suddenly, the mast snapped completely, causing the boat to nearly capsize. It fell towards the port, dragging the girl along with it. Her hands slipped against the rope and she fell overboard. Just as she did, I heard her cry, "Hayate!"

That voice — it rang in my head like a siren call; it was the only thing I heard. Without even thinking, I tore off my jacket, ran to the gunwale and dove straight into the water.

It was ice cold, with the waves dangerously high. I fought against the current, searching across the water for any sign of her amongst the debris of the mast. When I couldn't find her, I dove deeper, searching through the water until I finally caught a glimpse of her vivid pink hair. I swam furiously after her, grabbing hold of her waist and pulling her back up to the surface.

Once we broke the surface, I gasped for air and then secured my hold on her. She lay unconscious against me, not moving or breathing. I swam back with her to the side of the ship, where the men had lowered a rope for me. I grabbed hold of it and they pulled me back up onto the deck of the ship.

Many of them crowded around me, whispering in hushed tones. I held onto her unmoving frame, her pink hair turning into blood in my eyes. I automatically began pressing on her chest and placed my lips on hers, breathing into her slack, open mouth in regular bursts.

"Wake up!" I grew angrier. "Dammit, if you don't wake up now, I'm going to stick you in my cabin and never let you out again!"

To my relief, she stirred, sputtering and coughing as her eyes opened. I lifted her gently towards me to let her breathe as she regained consciousness. When she saw me looking down at her, she smiled weakly and said, "I told you I would earn my keep."

"That was the stupidest, most reckless thing you could have done, tulip head," I condemned her, but I couldn't help but smile in relief. She smiled wider when she saw this.

"Out of the way!" I heard a harsh voice command. I immediately stood up, holding her shivering frame close to me, hiding her chest from view. The crewmembers all parted to let Sasame through. If I had thought he had been angry before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now. He was absolutely vivid, and I shuddered both from the cold and from the knowledge of the punishment that awaited me.

He slowly walked up to me until our faces were barely inches away from each other. "Come to my cabin. Now," he said in an unnervingly calm voice. He started walking towards his cabin and I had no choice but to follow.

"Go back to my cabin and stay there," I told the girl, hoping she would listen this time because I might not be around to save her again. I placed my coat around her shoulders and gave her a final stern look before leaving her in Go's care.

…

(1) I didn't write the song myself, but found it when looking for pirate songs. I can send the link to the site I found it in if you message me. The site includes the tune for the song, too.

I also want to thank my friend who helped write part of this chapter and for all the reviews so far. Thank you for your support in following this story!