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Hina of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Chapter 9
Schemes
Fifteen dice fell to the deck boards, each five followed by a moldy and old cup. The owners, three of the marine hybrid sailors of the Flying Dutchman, dragged the cups with their dice to them as the entirety of the crew gathered around to watch the game. In the background you can the pipes of the organ sound. Obviously Davy was in a good mood.
"I'm wagering 10 years," one of the sailors started.
"I'll match 10 years…" the second agreed.
"10 it is then," the final agreed.
Off to the edge of the crowd the two Keitaros were watching.
"Wondering how to play?" Bootstrap asked of his son.
"Nah, I've figured it out. It's a game of odds and deceit that include all of the dice in play, not just your own…" Keitaro answered. "What I want to know is what you all bet."
"The only thing we have," Bootstrap replied with a shrug. "Years of service. Loser takes all the years. That's how most people have left the Flying Dutchman."
Keitaro cupped his hand to his chin in thought. "Can anyone here challenge anyone else?"
"Yeah, but I'd advise against it. It's ultimately just pure luck and because of it I'm stuck with well over 1000 years…" Bootstrap mumbled.
Keitaro remained silent until he spoke up, making sure to mask his fear. "I challenge Davy Jones."
Everybody at once stared in shock as the organ music ended with a sour chord. Soon the echoes of a wooden leg on the deck boards sounded until Davy came down from nearby steps and stared dead on Keitaro. "I accept your challenge," he answered with a smile.
A short while later, Keitaro was sitting on a barrel as Davy did the same across from him. Between them was another barrel that balanced a table used for big games like these.
"Your ante?" Davy asked.
"My soul. An eternity of servitude," Keitaro answered.
"NO!" Bootstrap gasped.
"And you me to bet…" Davy hanged while smirking.
Keitaro simply pulled out the folded cloth and let drop to the table. "This."
Davy looked confused as he picked it up with his crab claw. It fell open to reveal the drawing. He furiously flung it to the floor as he stared at his challenger. "How do you know about the key?"
"That's not part of the game," Keitaro steeled, though his fear was ebbing away. "Course, if you want, you could just walk away."
Davy thought for a moment before parting some of the tentacles of his beard. One of his main tentacles dipped in and came out, dangling the black key in front of its pursuer. Keitaro remained unchanged as Davy slid the key back amongst his beard. The two then picked up their cups, dice inside, and shook. The cups slammed down to hide the dice, followed by a third. All looked surprised at Bootstrap.
"I'm in, betting my soul as well. Only demand is that we play one round alone," Bootstrap spoke.
Keitaro looked flabbergasted. "What are you doing? Don't do this!"
Bootstrap looked back. He shrugged. "Die's cast. I'll start off with three threes. Off to you captain."
Davy smiled. "Four fours."
Keitaro glanced around without looking at his lot. "Four threes."
"Six fives," Bootstrap muttered.
Davy looked at his lot. Two fours, one three, and two ones which count as wild. He smirked. "Seven threes."
Keitaro looked at his lot as he calculated the odds. He had two threes, one six, one four, and one one. Bootstrap started to think as well. He had two threes, one five, one four, and one one. He looked at his son, who simply looked up with a steeled gaze. "Eight threes."
Davy smiled. "Welcome to the crew boy."
"Twelve threes," Bootstrap muttered before Davy could call liar. Davy glared at the taken opportunity while Bootstrap remained unchanged. "I said twelve threes. Either call me, or up the bet."
"And forfeit the match along with it?" Davy spat as he lifted the cups. With all dice in account, there were only nine. "Bootstrap Kei Urashima, you've lost and now you'll spend eternity on this ship! And as for you Urashima Jr., your status still stands. Consider yourself lucky."
The crew howled in excitement as Davy rose and walked away. Bootstrap's face did not change while Keitaro's became angry.
"Why did you do that?" Keitaro asked.
Bootstrap remained still. "I couldn't let you lose."
"Don't you get it?" Keitaro spoke as his eyes glinted like a certain one of his tenants. "The idea wasn't about winning or losing…"
Bootstrap's eyes widened in realization. "The key! You just wanted to know where it was!"
Keitaro smiled. "Now, here's the plan…"
Later that night, many were asleep as the ship plowed on. Bootstrap then peeked his head above deck to check before going up. He went to the steering wheel while Keitaro poked up to watch.
"Captain says for me to take over tonight," he said to the sailor. Said sailor looked skeptically as Bootstrap shrugged. "Captain's orders."
Down below, Keitaro crept quietly as the waves covered his steps. He slowly went into the organ room where Davy was laid on the keyboard as usual for the night. He stepped slowly, not wanting to take any chances while the snoring form of the amphibious monster remained still.
Carefully, Keitaro grabbed nearby quills and delicately slid under tentacles to lift them up. One was the only action needed to cause a moment of Davy shifting a bit in his sleep. Keitaro remained quiet, knowing to be even more delicate. He shifted the second up with the other quill, already seeing the key. He carefully placed the second quill in his mouth and moved to slowly grab the key. However he shifted too far and the first tentacle drooped down, hitting an organ key. The sound resonated and Keitaro began to be covered in classic anime sweatdrops as Davy was waking up. However the captain didn't stir, for nearby was the same heart trinket, clicking away a soothing lullaby.
As Davy went prone again, Keitaro sighed through his nose in relief. He carefully dug into his pocket and pulled out the rolled up cloth. He slowly slipped into the tentacles, which subconsciously wrapped around it, allowing Keitaro to snag the key. He quickly slipped away, the tentacles swinging back into place. Behind him, the trinket still played until it suddenly stopped and closed.
Back on top deck, Bootstrap and Keitaro swung a lifeboat out over the edge. Once it was over, Keitaro took out the key which was attached to a leather rope and slipped around his neck. He picked a sword which he confiscated up and placed it at his side.
"Here," Bootstrap said before handing out a dagger with a sheath. "Take this with you. Now get yourself to land, and stay there. I was made to die at sea, but I didn't want that to happen to you."
Keitaro looked at the dagger grimly. "You didn't have to choose to die that way either."
Bootstrap shrugged with a smile. "True. But I can also say that I did what I had to do when I left you and your OC mother for pirating. But that also means that it would be a lie if I said that it wasn't what I wanted. We're on even terms now son. You best get going."
Keitaro frowned. "They're going to find out that you helped me."
Bootstrap actually for the first time in a long time. "What more can they do to me?"
Keitaro looked at his OC father, knowing full well by what he was about to say. "I'm taking this dagger with a promise. I will find a way to free you from this ship, and I won't stop until this blade ends Davy's heart. I'm not going to abandon you, OC or otherwise. I promise."
Bootstrap could only stare with a sigh and a smile. They stood there for one last moment before Keitaro left and got on the boat.
It was a sunny and bright day as the Black Tama cut through the waves. But below deck the girls were talking.
"So you're telling me that you actually like being with this dork?" Sara asked shocked.
"Yeppers!" Su said happily. "Sure, Alias has been a little bit too serious sometimes, but he has so much fun. But what I can't believe is you remembered all this time and didn't even tell us Naru-yan!"
"Well Alias told me to keep quiet about it. He never really said why," Naru huffed.
"Auuu… I still can't believe it!" Shinobu whispered as she imagined it. "Keitaro-sempai as a pirate?" In this little imagination of hers, she can see a rugged Keitaro hanging from the mast as he held her scantily dressed self close to her. She could imagine him coming closer as his tongue flicked out to tickle her-
Thankfully the image is blocked to us by Leon the chameleon's specially made censor. Thanks Leon!
As for Ema, she squeamishly sat as she thought. 'Something's going on with Alias, but why is it worrying me? Why is it that he's giving me a bad vibe?'
"Well, nonetheless," Naru said as she began to walk up, "there's something really important that I have to talk to him about, and I can't have him be all goofy for it."
"Don't worry Naru!" Su comforted. "Alias can still be a serious and down to earth guy whenever he… wants…"
She stopped when she saw that all of the sailors were on deck, guzzling rum and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Celtic music filtered the air as the sailors sang loosely along with a singing Alias who was strumming a ukulele.
"She stepped up to her room, and I says 'Good lord almighty!' She came back down the stairs wearing nothing but her nightie. With her arms around me waist, she slightly hinted marriage, when to the door in haste came Captain Kelly's carriage!"
The girls stared as the slightly drunk men sang along in 'tue-a-rulel-lie a lie, tue a loo a lieie!'
"Well… maybe after this song. Woo hoo!" Su screamed as she jumped into the crowd. Naru just smacked her head in frustration.
"Construct?" Alias gasped again.
"Yes, I even had him sign them." Naru answered.
"Bleh," Alias scoffed as he stuck his tongue out. "Head Administrator Construct of the Fanfiction Association. Iron jawed idiot! And to think Keitaro was in his enlistment and didn't peep a word. If he really wants my compass, then there's only one reason why… the chest."
"Yes, he did mention a chest when I interrogated him," Naru mentioned with the other girls near her.
"That's not good," Su spoke. "According to the legends, whoever controls that chest controls the seas themselves. That's bad for anyone who'll call themselves a pirate."
"Correction Su," Alias said as he folded the papers. "It's bad for anyone who will not suck up to that modern day Hitler. Su, I need more wind in those sails. I don't care of you have to hook everybody up with blow dryers in hand, just get this ship moving faster!"
"Yes captain!" she shouted before bounding off with Sara following her. "Brace the foreyards!"
"Now Naru, if you don't mind me asking, just how did you get these?" Alias asked.
"Persuasion," she answered with a shrug.
"Friendly?" he asked back with a smile.
"Not really," Naru flatly said.
"Heh. Little bit odd, don't ya think?" Alias asked. "Keitaro is the one who made the deal, and yet you are with the spoils. A full pardon and assignment as a head security enforcer and Admin position of authority of Construct's court of the Fanfiction Administration."
Off to the side, the OC Kentaro Sakata looked up from mopping the deck, overhearing the whole thing with interest.
Alias scoffed at the contract as he tucked it into his pocket. "As if I'm really going to give up after all of these years!"
Naru then firmly clasped her hand on Alias's shoulder. "Alias, I'm going to need that contract back."
"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep it," Alias said with a smug grin. "But hey, perhaps you can persuade for them again."
"You do realize I still remember how to use a sword and my Naru Punches are still rather potent, right?" Naru threatened.
Alias just turned to face her and smiled. "Persuade me."
Naru glared before walking over to the other side of the deck. Shinobu sighed before she went back below deck, deciding to get a head start on dinner. Ema just stayed back as she watched the whole scene with interest. Su and Sara above them were busy placing 30 of the men up to the sails, placing blow dryers with really long extension cords in their hands. Alias smiled and chuckled before licking the tip of his finger and struck in the air with the sound of sharp steam and walking off. Point for him!
Beside Naru who stared at the water, Kentaro came up and leaned against the rail. "You know, there was a time where I wished that you would look at me like that."
"What do you mean?" Naru muttered as she turned to face him.
"Actually, you do know what I mean," Kentaro answered.
"Don't be an idiot," Naru spat. "He's my only chance, that's all."
Kentaro laughed. "Yeah, but I can't help but wonder just how Keitaro ended up drafted onto the Flying Dutchman in the first place."
Naru stared as Kentaro walked away. She pulled out the compass and opened it. She looked as the arrow slowly turned and pointed. She looked in the direction to see Alias leaning over the deck rail as if looking for something. She closed the compass sharply before walking off and up to Ema who was sitting on the stairs.
"Ema, come with me below deck. There's something I need to talk to you about."
Date of Update: 2/26/2008