Piracy
Chapter 12
Old Man Bloom
Disclaimer: The rhyme of 'a dead mans chest' is not mine. Also Gundam seed/destiny doesn't belong to me either!
Dusk came quickly; well that's how it felt like for Lacus. Kira had promised to spend the rest of the day with her until dusk and though it was fair and it was plenty of time Lacus still felt like the day seemed to go by just to fast for her liking.
She had tried asking Kira what Mwu had told him but every time she brought it up the Archangel Captain would just change the subject or ignore her. Now at the end of the day and the sun still setting Lacus was getting a bit frustrated.
"Why won't you tell me?" Lacus asked trying to mask her frustration.
"What?" Kira asked looking at her. "What won't I tell you?"
Lacus felt like pulling her hair out. She wasn't easily annoyed but with Kira constantly playing dumb to her questions it was very nerve-racking, well at lest she thought he was playing dumb, he could always be incredibly thick.
"Why won't you tell me what Mwu had said when he pulled you aside this morning?" Lacus asked trying really hard to keep her voice neutral.
Kira only have given her a weird look. "I already told you that he didn't say anything, well at least nothing you need to be concerned about."
Lacus glared. "Why not? Obviously it was something important! I can respect if it is a private matter but so far you have done nothing more than ignore me or change the topic of our conversations when ever I bring up it up." Lacus said still calm but anyone could tell that the girls' patience was leaving.
"I didn't think you were so interested." Kira said dryly looking at the girl his face livid of any emotion.
A mussel in Lacus cheek twitched in annoyance. "You didn't think I was interested! I have only been asking about it all day! MEN!" Lacus shouted throwing her arms up in the air.
Kira frowned but his face remained livid. "I think your spending to much time with Cagalli, the last thing anyone needs is another man hater running around."
Lacus raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "What makes you think your sister is a man hater?"
Kira merely gazed at the girl. "Have you not been paying attention to what has been happening during your stay with us?"
Lacus shrugged. "Cagalli has a temper but I don't think she hates men, in fact I'm sure there is at least one she fancies." Lacus said a different light glowing in her blue eyes that seemed almost mischievous.
Kira growled slightly and raised his brows. "If you mean Athrun I wouldn't hold your breath because I would castrate that man, best friend or not, for touching my innocent little sister."
It was Lacus's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Innocent little sister? Are we talking about the same woman? The hellcat of the Archangel?" Lacus asked she never liked Cagallis nickname but it did suit her. "Also from what Cagalli told me, you are apparently the younger sibling."
Kira grunted. "No matter Athrun is still a dead man if I find him with my sister in that way. It is my job to protect my sister as her brother, younger or not."
Lacus giggled but then looked at Kira strangely. "You mean you two don't know who is older?"
Shaking his head Kira headed for the inn/pub the sun was almost fully set and he needed to get the very same Athrun and Cagalli in question to go with him to see Old man Bloom. "No we don't." he said simply.
Lacus followed but still looked confused. "How so?"
"I told you we were separated when we were very young. I only found out threw Mum and Cagalli only figured it out when I dropped by her house one morning. Unfortunately our mother was dead for some time and we had no idea where our father was so we never found out who was the older twin." Kira explained and opened the door for Lacus.
Nodding Lacus walked into the pub/inn not saying another word.
Once inside they found Athrun and Cagalli chatting by the bar with Stellar and Shinn other than the four it was completely disserted.
The couple headed over to them and the other four stopped their conversation to greet them.
"I need you two to come with me." Kira said pointing to Athrun and Cagalli after friendly greetings where finished.
"Why?" Cagalli asked.
"I'll tell you when we get their." Kira said threw gritted teeth not wanting the others in the room to get to curious.
Cagalli looked like she was going to protest but Athrun stopped her by placing a hand over her mouth. "Alright then, lets go" Athrun said happily his hand placed firmly over the blonde girls mouth so she couldn't bite him like he knew she was trying to do.
"Stellar wants to know where you are going." Stellar said pouting at being left out.
"I'll tell you later." Kira snapped and dragged both Athrun and Cagalli off their seats.
"We'll see you guys later, and DO NOT even think about following us." Kira warned as he knew that they would most likely do just that.
Both Stellar and Shinn groaned while Lacus only giggled softly.
Giving a final glare Kira briskly walked out of the pub followed shortly by Athrun and Cagalli.
Outside
"What was that all about?" Cagalli asked as she and Athrun caught up and now the three where walking in perfect since with Athrun and Cagalli on either side of their captain.
"I don't want them knowing where we are going." Kira said looking at Cagalli in slightly annoyance.
Frowning Cagalli glared. "Why not? They are our friends and we can trust them better than almost anyone. Why can't they know?"
Kira sighed. "Because this is something only we three and Mwu know about. Not even Dearka or Mum knows." Kira said as they turned around a corner it was dark now and the only sound was that off their boots clicking on the cobble stone and dirt roads.
"Not even Dearka?" Cagalli asked her face the mirror of confusion.
Kira shook his head. "Nope Dearka doesn't know either….speaking of which where is he anyways." Kira asked giving a look around the area to prove his point.
Athrun and Cagalli laughed. "He's with Mir." The both said in union.
Kira only shook his head. "I guess I should have known that."
Athrun smiled and placed his hands behind his head. "I think it's good that he has finally found someone to commit to, now hopefully we won't have to worry about him brining strange woman on board after visiting a town."
Both Kira and Cagalli laughed in agreement. Then Cagalli spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken it was you who brought Lacus on board."
Athrun frowned. "That was different. I couldn't just leave her there I had just killed her father for gods sake. It wouldn't feel right."
Kira gave Athrun a side glance. "Why are you a pirate again?"
"Oh shut up." Athrun grunted.
After a few more minutes Kira had lead them to a more secluded part of the town, very few homes where around and more trees surrounded the older buildings.
"Where are we going again?" Athrun asked as the sound of water lightly splashing against rocks entered their ears.
Kira looked at the slightly taller boy. "Do you remember Old man Bloom?" Kira asked his voice suddenly serious.
Shaking his head Athrun replied. "No should I?"
Nodding Kira turned his head forward again. "Yes you should remember him, though I'm not surprised that you don't, you never actually met the man but I have spoken of him on several occasions."
Cagalli frowned. "Just who is he." She asked but it wasn't answered as Kira stopped in front of a small opening between the foliage of the dark trees that now appeared black from their once rich green in the night's shadows.
In front of them was Mwu standing no more than 10 feet away his arms crossed and an anxious look sketched finely on his features.
Smiling at the three younger pirates Mwu walked over to them. "You guys ready?" Mwu asked his voice also in a very uncharacteristic tone of utter seriousness.
Athrun and Cagalli nodded as did Kira though they were slightly more curious and nervous of why Kira and Mwu where acting so strange. What was it about this man that had the ability to make them act in such a way?
Kira lead the way and pushed back the leaves that were blocking their way from entering the small opening. As they entered they were consumed by the many plants that had grown large over time, their only way of getting threw without pulling out their swords to cut away the shrubbery was a small dirt path that obviously hadn't been used in years.
Torches where surprisingly lit and the flames guided them into the tropical jungles. The sounds of frogs and crickets got louder and even the calls of nocturnal birds were able to reach their ears.
Keeping a steady pace they finally came to a clearing. The four of them stood before a large swamp and in the middle there was a large almost tree house like house. A small aging wooden bridge that had no railings was their only means of crossing without entering the murky waters.
"What is this place?" Cagalli asked in a hushed whisper. The atmosphere was really creepy and seemed to suck the courage out of the bravest of persons. Dark shadows casting over you and creating images that brought fear to your imagination and the smell of animals and swamp water was bitter to the senses, a thick fog was immerging from the water made it hard to see anything past the glowing lights of the torches that were attached to trees and illuminating from the home.
"This place is a lot creepier at night." Mwu mused and ever just gave a 'you think?' look before proceeding.
Kira was the first to tear his gaze from his surroundings. Stepping onto the old bridge the wood creaked and whined with the new wait and swayed from side to side slightly with each step that was taken.
The others soon followed and carefully made their way over staring down at their feet from time to time but made sure to keep their sights forward so as not to hit anything as the fog seemed to only get thicker as they approached the house.
Once across they headed up an old spiral stair case that had many vines and fungus growing on the railings the work of father time yet again.
Finally reaching the old wooden door Kira knocked loudly and waited patiently. After a few minutes nothing had yet to happen. No one answered to the knock, not even a grunt of acknowledgement.
Frowning Kira knocked harder. "Hello!" Kira called. As he continued his knocking the door slowly pushed open slightly.
"It's open?" Athrun question confused.
Cagalli looked around at the others in question as well. "Should we…you know… go in?"
Kira didn't answer he merely just pushed the door further open and walk into the old house. Upon entering the home the sound of quiet singing filled the air-well if one could call it singing.
The words were raspy and slurred like that of someone who hadn't had a drink of water in years. The voice was deep and held a shaky tune as the person continued to chant.
Fifteen
men on a dead man's chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink
and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of
rum.
The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike
The bosun brained
with a marlinspike
And cookey's throat was marked belike
It had
been gripped by fingers ten;
And there they lay, all good dead
men
Like break o'day in a boozing ken
Yo ho ho and a bottle of
rum.
Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark
Yo ho ho and a
bottle of rum!
Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist!
Yo
ho ho and a bottle of rum!
The skipper lay with his nob in
gore
Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore
And the
scullion he was stabbed times four
And there they lay, and the
soggy skies
Dripped down in up-staring eyes
In murk sunset and
foul sunrise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Fifteen men of
'em stiff and stark
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ten of the
crew had the murder mark!
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
'Twas a
cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered
head
And the scuppers' glut with a rotting red
And there they
lay, aye, damn my eyes
Looking up at paradise
All souls bound
just contrawise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Fifteen men
of 'em good and true
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ev'ry man
jack could ha' sailed with Old Pew,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of
rum!
There was chest on chest of Spanish gold
With a ton of
plate in the middle hold
And the cabins riot of stuff untold,
And
they lay there that took the plum
With sightless glare and their
lips struck dumb
While we shared all by the rule of thumb,
Yo
ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Fifteen men on a dead man's
chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done
for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
We wrapped 'em all
in a mains'l tight
With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight
And
we heaved 'em over and out of sight,
With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a
fare-you-well
And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell
Ten
fathoms deep on the road to hell,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of
rum!
A flimsy girl on a bunker cot
With a dirk slit
sheer through the bosom spot
And the lace stiff dry in a purplish
rot
Oh was she wench or was she jade
Or was she just a
shuddering maid?
She dared the knife and she took the blade
Yo
ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Following the sound of the well known rhyme Kira and the others pushed their way threw the small crowded room to get to the back of the house. Pushing back an old velvet curtain that acted as a barrier from one room from the other. Kira and his crew found themselves in smaller room that was less crowded with an old wooden table in the center of the room. Sitting at the head of the table was a figure of a person hunched over and covered with a dark brown cloak that was tattered and raggedy. A bottle of rum was clenched in long twisted fingers that were pale in color and shook slightly from the draft coming in threw an open window.
As the person continued his chanting while taking sips of his rum Kira walked over the others staying rooted to the spot seeming too repulsed by the stench coming off the other to move any closer. The entire home smelt of it but it seemed to radiate off this one individual. The smell of corpses mixing with stale and bitter smell of the rum that the person had consumed.
Unsheathing his cutlass Kira pulled it out and stabbed the metal into the wood of the table making a fairly loud noise and taking the other out of his trance.
As the figure raised his head everyone but Kira and Mwu took in a breath of surprise and disgust. Sitting before them was an old man face wrinkled with old age and a black patch over his right eye and what should have been his good eye was pure white except for a small pale green slit making it almost look cat like. His hair was a pale grey and looked like straw. His nimble twisted fingers clenched the bottle of rum tighter as he looked at Kira with an emotionless face.
Kira stared back with the same intensity both seeming to take in each others appearance like long time friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Suddenly the old man smiled his yellow and brown teeth peeking threw cracked lips.
"Ahh Kira Yamato, it has been ages since I have gazed upon your face." The man rasped his voice cracking slightly.
Kira frowned and took a seat next to the older man and crossed his arms on the table. The others behind him taking this as a sign to sit soon joined him but neither took a seat next to the hideous old man.
"Well it has been ages since I have gazed upon you face as well Bloom." Kira responded his voice plain.
The old man smiled wider and reached forward with one of his disgusting boney hands and traced the outline of Kira face as a mother would her child, though this touch was not one of affection, it was almost like Bloom was trying to burn Kiras appearance into his mind.
Everyone recoiled as they saw that hand touch their captains face but Kira didn't do anything to swat it away, at least not at the moment.
Bloom smiled and pulled his hand away. "Sorry I don't see well these days and I just wanted to see if it was really you." The old man cackled.
Kira made a face of irritability before speaking. "I dint think that you were still alive." Kira said with a small smirk.
Bloom only laughed. "Ye old Davie Jones has yet to claim my soul my boy, but lets just get down to the real reason you are all here."
Kira nodded. "Mwu told me that you wished to tell me about the chest." Kira said slowly his tone very serious.
Athrun and Cagalli seemed to perk up and started murmuring to each other.
"Do you think he is talking about the…" Cagalli asked but her sentence was finished by Bloom.
"Of course the chest of Mille Mortuus Animus (1) ." Bloom said his tone cheerful nothing compared to the serious atmosphere around them.
Everyone gasped quietly even though they had a feeling that this was what their purpose of visitation was all about it was still shocking to here the words spoken out loud.
Kira smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes the chest of a thousand dead souls."
Bloom smiled and cracked his fingers as he wriggled them under Kira nose. "I believe it is time that you and I had a talk about that very chest."
Kira frowned. "Just tell me where my father buried it."
A/N: So what do you think? Oh by the way I do read my chapters over and proof read them I just miss some stuff and when you don't always know what you looking for it makes it harder. Just so you know I'm not a lazy ass or anything. That being said I am looking for a new beta, I had one guy doing it for me but I haven't been able to get in touch with him for some time and his account as been removed from the sight. So if anyone is interested please let me know. Of course if you wish acknowledgment for helping I will surely give it to you.
(1)- It's Latin for A thousand dead souls- the meaning and purpose of this chest will be reveled in chapters to come!
Read and Review please and thank you!