Hina of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Chapter 5
Finding Our Way
The sun shone brightly on the Love Hina world, even at the world travel docks. One was a grand Gummi ship in a sailing ship form, crewed by carpooling browsers. One however was not too happy about his chores, having to mop the deck. He arrived to one end, only to find four specific things. That's right, four.
Shortly on deck, the man was fighting with another as the leader of the bunch came to see what was happening.
"What is going on here?!?" the captain shouted. He looked to see that the men were fighting over what looked like two elegant dresses, one bride's gown, and one not-so-stylish girl's outfit. "Listen, if you both like the dresses, then you'll just have to take turns."
"No man!" the first, the cabin boy of their crew protested. "You don't get it! The ship is haunted!"
"Hmm" the captain noted before locking eyes with the second, a simple fighter. "And you?"
"Some kind of ghosts are around us. Everybody can feel it," he reported.
"The ghosts of some chicks losing their boyfriends probably," the cabin boy concluded.
"And probably virgins to top it off," the fighter said. "And that's bad by all accounts."
"I say that we toss the dresses overboard and hope that the ghosts follow them!" the cabin boy said and tugged the dresses to do just that.
"No!" the fighter shouted holding the dresses back. "That'll only piss them off! All we have to do is find out what they want and give it to them!"
That's when the captain snatched all the dresses irritably. "Shut up! The both of you! You have to be little babies to believe such crap. Now listen up! This only proves that we have four stowaways aboard, four girls by the look of it. I need you all to search the ship top to bottom and find them. Oh, and uh… they're probably naked," he finished with a coy smile.
This got everyone's attention and rushed to find the 'naked' girls. Naru, disguised as an anonymous member of the crew, was disgusted at the reward that the men were doing this for. But she was still worried. She recognized all four of the dresses and was concerned. The other three dresses were the ones Sarah, Shinobu and Ema wore. She could only guess as to why they probably followed her. She rushed off to find them, more than wanting some answers.
Over on the other side of the deck, said girls were also disguised in sailor outfits, only thing distinguishable was Ema's pet chameleon Leon.
"Sarah," Shinobu whined in a hushed tone, "we really shouldn't have followed Naru here! Now we're going to get in big trouble!"
"Pipe down will ya?" Sarah shot back. "They're not gonna find us! Besides, this is worth it! You want to find the dork, I want to find Su, and you Ema want to…… want to… why'd ya come with us again?"
"Because you dragged me here saying that you wanted someone to do your grunt work," Ema answered timidly.
"…"
"… Whatever," Sarah huffed.
"Why are we following Naru-san anyway?" Shinobu asked.
"I already said!" Sarah answered. "Besides, this is my chance to see who this Alias kid is anyway."
"Why would you want to know that?" Ema asked. "From what I've heard, it's because of this 'Alias' that Keitaro-san and Naru-san are in trouble in the first place."
"That's kinda why I want to know!" Sarah shot. "Su disappears, just in time for these Fanfiction police to come in hunting her? Also in her diary, I read that she, Naru and the dork had this cool pirate adventure because of him. There's something going on with that kid, and I want to find out what! Now let's hide and make sure to follow Naru."
With that, the trio begrudgingly followed her into the ship, unsure if they were right to come along.
The daylight hours turned into evening two boats slowly cruised up a river into the jungle of a new island. But it wasn't quiet. The front boat had some kind of music from the nineteen eighties playing, to the annoyance of all the others. They all protested to Alias for playing it, but he kept insisting 'Just because people make fun of eighties music doesn't mean it isn't good'. Right now Alias was in the front boat along with Naruto, Ginta, Babbo and Mini-me and was playing a live performance of Oingo Boingo playing Grey Matter, said captain occasionally singing to the lyrics.
In the back boat, Keitaro sat along with Su, Calvin, Drill Bit and Alias-tama who was stuck in a cage. And believe me; Keitaro had every right to grind his teeth right now. They were all surprised that Alias could have it that loud and not have any animals or natives attacking them. He sighed as he decided to ask Su a question that was bugging him ever since they went out onto sea.
"Hey Su?" Keitaro spoke as the ship went on. "If you don't mind me asking, why is Alias trying not to go into open waters? He doesn't seem the type to be afraid of anything."
"Well," Su pondered, "I know a legend of this place that Captain keeps an eye on if you can believe something like this. It's about this giant squid that serves a man named Davy Jones that's so big that it's tentacles can rip your head clean off," she told while enjoying the fearsome atmosphere that she was making, obviously showing on Drill Bit and Calvin's faces, "and can drag an entire ship down into the sea while leaving no trace that it ever existed! The Kraken! It's said that the stench of its breath alone is enough for a man to make himself puke just to have his stomach feel better. Imagine, the last thing you know in your life to be the roar of the Kraken and the stench of its breath, made up of the thousands of corpses that it ate over time."
Everyone stared at amazement at how Su seemed to be someone else, her tone continuing to go quieter and more suspenseful as she hunched her form lower like a demon teasing its prey. Then Su sat right back up and her face back to normal as if she never done it.
"If you can believe something like that," she finished with a smile.
"So, whatever that key unlocks is what Alias is going to use to save himself from that?" Keitaro asked.
"Well it has to be if he's going to someone that I don't know to find it," Su answered with a small frown.
"Hmm. I guess so," Keitaro mumbled. Then his ticked off face came back. "Just as long as he doesn't play Turning Japanese again, I'll be fine."
"Don't worry," Calvin reassured. There's only so much time left till we arrive. He'll only be able to play one song left, so he'll just play his latest favorite, which the said song won't be."
"Besides," Drill Bit added with a shudder, "he gets stressed often like now and he listens to music to calm him down, and many songs that he listens to are much worse."
Then, to Keitaro's horror…
I think I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so…
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGH!" Keitaro screamed as he pulled out his pistol and shot Alias-tama. He then looked at what he just done. "Wow, no wonder Alias does this all the time."
The boats then arrived to a halt at a small dock before a shack of a house. Alias got off first and faced the others as Su stepped up beside him.
"Don't worry gentlemen," Alias reassured. "Me and this lady go waaaaaaaaaaay back. Darn good friends I must say. Pretty much inseparable we are… … were… have been… before?" he finished with an unsure face.
"Don't worry Captain, I got your back!" Su said with a salute.
Alias nodded his head in obviously fake acceptance. "It's my front I'm worried about Su."
Su just blinked before turning to Keitaro. "Mind the boat Kei-baby."
Keitaro blinked before turning to Calvin. "Mind the boat."
Calvin immediately turned to Drill Bit. "Mind the boat."
Drill Bit to Naruto. "Mind the boat."
Nartuto to Mini-me. "Mind the boat shrimp."
Mini-me to Ginta. "Eee!"
Ginta opened his mouth to speak to Babbo, but he beat his owner to the punch. "Don't even think about it kid."
He hopped along, leaving the frozen Ginta to deflate before pouting and sitting down.
Alias peeked into the window of the door before slowly opening it. The house was small, probably only enough to be a meeting room. There were countless of odds, ends and knick-knacks strewn about the house, most of them in jars on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. There were about seven spare chairs scattered around the room, a small table, and finally a desk with even more items.
As Alias opened the door, someone at the desk was brought to attention. The woman was white skinned, and save for the tan and outfit, looked exactly like a certain adopted sister of Keitaro Urashima.
"Unknown Alias," she crooned with a smile.
"Hello Kanako," Alias cheerily replied before suddenly dodging around a hanging jar of snails as a rather upset Keitaro cautiously followed.
"I always knew you'd come back to me someday," she said as she got up. She then noticed the man behind the boy. "You," she whispered, reaching out and slightly leaning on Keitaro's chest. "You have aura of destiny around you Keitaro Urashima."
"You know me?" Keitaro asked, officially freaked out by the similarities between this Kanako and the real one. Alias however made a face thinking 'She knows him?'
Kanako then seductively leaned forward as if to kiss him. "Do you want to know me?"
Alias then cut her off midway. "THERE'LL BE NO KNOWING ANYBODY HERE! We're trying to keep this story at 'T' level," Alias rushed as he escorted her back to her desk. "Besides, we came for and we're not leaving till we get it. I thought I knew you," he ended pitifully.
"Not as well as I hoped," Kanako said disappointed. "Now come," she motioned.
"Come," Alias motioned Keitaro to him as the rest of the crew (minus Ginta) came in.
"So," Kanako began as she traced her finger around Keitaro. "What service can I do for you?" She then shot to Alias. "You do know that my services don't come free."
"Don't worry. I've brought payment." He then snapped his fingers and Su handed him a cage with a cloak over it. He ripped off the cloak, revealing Alias-tama inside. He held the cage up as he drew his pistol. "Check it and weep!" he then fired, rattling the turtle. "An undead turtle! Flying too!" he finished placing the cage on the desk and crossing his arms in front of his chest in smug pride.
Kanako then opened the cage, allowing Alias-tama to fly out and into a separate room to the crew's upset faces.
"Ohhhh," Su whined. "You don't know how long it took us to catch that sucker."
"The payment still counts," Kanako said without excitement.
"Ohhhh, I'm actually gonna miss that little bugger," Alias whined to the surprise to everyone. Alias took note of their faces. "Oh come on! You're all gonna miss him too! I mean, what else can we shoot at now?" This got all of the crew members to hesitantly nod in agreement.
Keitaro then pulled out the cloth and laid it out to show the key while Alias stepped about the house to look at the trinkets. "We're looking for this and what it goes to."
Kanako looked at the picture before looking back up to Alias in confusion. "The compass you got from me, it can't lead you to this?"
Alias looked hesitantly back at her. "No, it can, it's just not."
Kanako then grew a sly face as she leaned back into her chair. "Oh, I get it. The Unknown Alias doesn't know what he wants. Or perhaps, he knows what he wants, but he doesn't want to claim it?" she finished while Alias began to go rigid as his fingers fiddled with each other. "It's the key to the Dead Man's Chest, and it's what's inside the chest that you are looking for, right?"
"What is inside the chest?" Su asked.
Drill Bit however began to have a greedy glint in his eye. "Gold? Jewels? Other items of great and massive monetary value?"
"Nothing cursed I hope," Calvin muttered as he looked at a hanging jar filled with different eyes.
"Oh puh-leeze!" Alias moaned. "Have I not told you that not all treasure is silver and gold already?"
Kanako just smirked with a laugh. "Have you all heard of Davy Jones?" she asked as everyone began to pay attention to her tale. "A man of the sea. One of the greatest sailors of all time, until he came across the one thing that vexes all men."
"What vexes all men?" Keitaro asked cluelessly.
Kanako chuckled again as she trailed her finger about Keitaro's arm. "What indeed?" she said, obviously giving it away.
"The sea?" Drill Bit guessed based on the legends he heard.
"Food?" Su guessed.
"Knowledge?" Calvin added.
"Power?" Babbo guessed.
"Loyalty?" Keitaro guessed.
"Eee?" Mini-me guessed.
"The dichotomy of good and evil?" Naruto guessed causing all to stare at him. "…What?"
Alias sighed in irritation as he was secretly pocketing small numerous trinkets from the hut. "A woman you twits!" he shouted to everyone's shock.
"Yes," Kanako confirmed with a smile. "A woman. He fell in love."
"Now hold on here!" Drill Bit shouted. "I know the legend all too well, and it was the sea that he fell in love with!"
"Same story, different versions, but all are true!" Kanako said sternly. "It was a woman, who was harsh, cruel and untamable as the sea. And he couldn't stop loving her. But the pain that it caused to him became too much to bear, yet not enough to die. So he did the only thing that he could do. He cut out his own heart," she finished with a grave tone.
"Literally?" Su asked shocked.
"Nah," Calvin said with a wave. "It's not scientifically possible for anyone to continue living after cutting out their own heart, so it must be metaphorically."
"Calvin, you had to live breathing in chemicals, Drill Bit has technology wired into his nervous system to control drills on his hands, feet and head, and Keitaro can suffer the equivalent of dying fifty times over and still bounce back without a scratch, not to mention the fact that we are all in the equivalent of a Fanfiction world. Compared to all of that, cutting out one's heart seems actually tame for this. Believe me kid, it aint impossible," Alias deadpanned. "Now by all means Kanako, continue.
"Thank you," she whispered. "It wasn't worth feeling what little happiness life brought him. So he carved out his own heart, stashed it in a chest, and hit it from the world. The key to that chest," she said tapping the cloth, "he keeps to himself at all times."
Keitaro was now ticked as he stood up to face Alias. "You knew this."
"No," Alias calmly protested. "I didn't know where the key is. But now I do. Now all we have to do is find the Flying Dutchman, get on aboard, grab the key and then go back to the Love Hina world and save your bonnie lass ah ee!" he finished in one breath. He turned to leave, only to be cut off by a voice.
"Let me see your hand!" Kanako demanded.
Alias turned to face her with a smile as he held out his left hand to show that it was perfectly fine. Kanako just nodded her head, pointing to his right hand. Alias sighed in aggravation as he held out his bandaged right hand. She then took a hold of it and slowly unwrapped it. She removed it to reveal the black spot.
"AAH!" Su screamed. "The black spot!" She then seemed to wipe off her shoulders, turned around once and spat at the ground.
Calvin and Drill Bit stared at the show before glancing at each other. "BLACK SPOT!" they shouted before doing the same actions.
"You know, my eyesight's just as good as ever. Just to let you know," he said as Kanako sighed before going into a back room.
Alias sighed again as she seemed to search for something in there. Then he looked to see that Alias-tama had landed on the fancy shoes of someone lying down in there. 'Wait, are those…?'
Kanako then came back out, holding something in her arm. "Davy Jones cannot make port or step upon land except for once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, so you will carry land with you," she finished as she handed the item to Alias.
'Cue Link music.' You've found a JAR OF DIRT!
Alias stared in disbelief at said jar. "…Dirt. This is a jar of dirt."
"…Yes…" Kanako confirmed.
"…Is the jar of dirt going to help?" Alias asked.
"If you don't want it, give it back," Kanako proposed.
"No!" Alias protested as he hugged the jar to himself like a child.
"Then it helps," Kanako said with a smile.
Keitaro sighed as he looked at his current situation. Calvin and Drill Bit were talking to each other in silence, Naruto was quietly moaning about being hungry, Babbo and Mini-me were staring at the many things about the hut and wondering if they should take any, the character that looked and named like his adopted sister was still staring at him with lust filled eyes, and Su was trying to get a better look at the jar of dirt only to have her view obscured by Alias back in protection.
Keitaro sighed before turning to Kanako. "It looks like we need to find the Flying Dutchman."
Kanako smiled again as she gathered into her hands many different crab claws into her hands, shaking them as if they were dice. "An aura, of destiny!" she repeated as she dropped the claws. They now seemed to have fallen precisely on a map, marking their way.