Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chap. 5

The next day started just the same as the previous one. Nurse June came in to check on his recovery and was shortly followed by Dizzy with breakfast. Once again, the two began to talk to each other. This time though, it was Dizzy who did the talking, relating to their guest on some of the activities that took place on the Mayship.

For his part, Ky was quite surprised by some of their activities. Even though they were in the business of piracy, the crew behaved much like a family. Even Johnny, while obviously a womanizer, cared for his crew a great deal. Ky, who had a begrudging respect for the pirate captain, found himself dropping the begrudging part and simply respected him. Of course, his occupation wasn't something he condoned, but Ky had heard of far worse people.

"Can I ask you a question, Mr. Kiske?"

"Please, call me Ky. And yes, you may."

"Ky..." she repeated, almost toyingly. "What is an angel?"

"An angel?" It wasn't something Ky expected her to ask about, but he was more than willing to answer her. "Angels are messengers of God. They help serve and carry out his will."

Dizzy tilted her head. "What does one look like?"

Ky smiled at her curiosity. "Well, normally they are invisible to human eyes. But there were times where they appeared to people. They are the most beautiful creatures that exist. They radiate with divine light and their wings carry the finest feathers, which they use to fly in and protect God's children."

"God's children?" she inquired.

"Those he created. Everyone here on the earth."

"Oh..."

The sad tone in her voice caught his attention. 'Have I said something wrong?' he thought worriedly. Vocally, he asked her. "What is it?"

"Oh, it's just..." Slowly, her head began to lower, her azure hair covering over her eyes. "I don't think that would apply to me. I'm not...well...you know...human."

"I disagree." the young man replied. "From what I see of you, your heart is very much human. And that is what matters."

"Still, I've never seen an angel come to my help."

"They can help without being seen. And there are times when they don't have to help. And also, they could help us in ways that we may not notice or realize." When Dizzy remained still, Ky leaned forward, so that his eyes was able to meet hers. This aggravated his wounds, but he endured it as he continued.

"I haven't seen one either, but there were times when I truly believed there was one helping me. It is a matter of faith."

It was only when Dizzy met his gaze did he settle back, sighing softly in relief from the pain. "Anyway, why do you ask, Miss Dizzy?"

Her spirits lifted, the young gear answered. "I was just wondering. When you were sick, you asked if I was an angel. I didn't know what you were talking about, so I wanted to know."

Ky nodded. "Ah, I see. Well, you could resemble one. With your wings and all."

"Oh..." There was a short pause and Ky thought that he might have said something wrong again and Dizzy went on to say. "So you do not think I am beautiful?"

"Huh?" Once again, Ky was caught off-guard by her question, only this time, he didn't have anything coherent to say. "Oh, well... um... you...ah..."

He stopped when he heard the sound of light giggling coming from Dizzy and he tilted his head to the side after a moment as he realized why.

"You're...teasing me?"

"A little."

Ky blinked hard, but couldn't help but smile back. He couldn't deny the playful attitude of the azure-haired girl, not with the aura of friendliness she seemed to possess. So into it they were that they didn't notice the door open and the ship's young second enter in, grinning lightly as she took in the scene.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Dizzy turned to her friend. "Oh, no. What is it?"

"It's your turn to help with laundry." May answered. "July and the kids are waiting for you."

"Oh, my. I forgot." she gasped in realization. Rising up from her seat, she bowed her head to Ky. "I have to get going."

Ky returned the gesture (at least as much as he could) "I hope we can talk again, Miss Dizzy."

The gear tilted her head (cutely). "If I can call you Ky, then you can call me Dizzy."

"Okay Dizzy."

Waving at the resting patient, Dizzy went off to go about her chores. May remained behind with Ky however, her grin settling into a light smile.

"So, how're you doing?"

"I am feeling better, thank you." Looking down at himself and lifting a hand, he placed it on his bandaged body. "My wounds shouldn't take too long to heal, so I won't be too long an inconvenience to you."

May's eyes widened and she waved her hands. "Hey now, don't push yourself. I heard how bad it was, not to mention you caught a fever too. You're not an inconvenience, so don't hurt yourself trying to make it easier for us, okay?"

"I...suppose..."

"Besides, Dizzy seems to like you here." The grin returned.

The officer didn't notice this and went on speaking. "She's been really kind to me. I appreciate her time and attention."

"I bet you do."

Ky gave her a questioning look, seeing the grin on her face turning mischievous. A part of him realized where Dizzy's teasing nature came from, while the other half, upon realizing what May was implying by that statement, became quite embarrassed. His face displayed this as it flushed slightly, much to May's enjoyment.

"Anyway, just take it easy for now." May giggled as she turned about. "I'm sure Dizzy will be back to take care of you. Bye now."

For the next three days, Dizzy had become a common presence with Ky. Normally, she would arrive either before or with Nurse June to check on his condition and then stay around afterward to talk to him, each listening to the tales of the other. Dizzy spoke more about her life as a crew member of the Jellyfish Pirates, her day-to-day activities and the sort.

Ky wasn't as vocal about his life experiences and often kept it to a minimum, partly because his life didn't sound as joyful as hers. Much of it was about his battles in the Holy War (which he made sure to refrain from speaking about it to her) and the rest was his time as an officer of the ICP. Of those, he would talk to her about, usually about some of the trips he'd taken and what he may have seen along the way. Oddly enough, she seemed to pay rapt to these and always wanted to hear more.

It was at such a moment that Johnny came to visit...

"Hey there. Getting quick there with the ladies, huh?"

The two ceased from their current talk and turned to the doorway to see the dark-clad captain. But while Dizzy gave a friendly smile to him, Ky simply kept a straight face (basically due to his earlier comment) and nodded.

"Captain."

Johnny grinned, expecting him to respond that way. He knew Ky wasn't exactly fond of him, but he also knew that he was a real gentleman. It would be bad form for him to act ungracious, especially considering the fact that he saved his life. From what however, was another story, one he intended to discover now.

"Hey Dizzy, could you leave us alone for a minute?" He moved over to the side of the wall, leaving the exit clear. "I need to have a talk with the officer here. Guy-to-guy."

"Okay." Dizzy nodded. She then turned to Ky briefly. "I'll bring you lunch later on, okay?"

Ky smiled and nodded his head. "Sounds good. Thank you."

With a smile, Dizzy exited the room and closed the door, leaving the two men alone. Johnny removed his hat from his head and moved near the bed Ky was lying in, but remained standing and looking out the window.

"Well, I must say, that's quite a turnaround for you."

Ky blinked in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind." the pirate captain replied. He gaze then turned, centering in on Ky. "Right now, perhaps you can tell me just what happened to you."

Ky turned his head away. "I don't think this is something you should get involved with."

Johnny frowned. "Hey, why be like that? After all, we did help you out."

To his surprise, Ky shook his head and chuckled. "On the contrary, it's because of that fact that I mustn't get you mixed up in it."

Johnny nodded in understanding. "In that case, I appreciate it. But whatever happened was clearly something big. And if I were to guess, I'd say you'd follow up on it, only you may not be sure you could deal with it again."

Ky became silent and his face downcast. Johnny saw this and figured he hit the mark perfectly. Continuing...

"Whatever happened, it left a very powerful surge of magic energy. And that was just from a couple of minutes after we found you. There aren't that many forces around that can do that. In fact, only one or two comes to mind. Besides, I plan on investigating anyway and if it's as bad as you think, I'd like the heads-up."

Ky let out a silent sigh. Johnny's words had a weight of truth in it. He had known that Johnny would want to know what happened to him. He was honestly surprised that no one else inquired about it, not even a person as curious as Dizzy. But perhaps it was under Johnny's orders to refrain from asking. Johnny was protecting his crew, just like Ky. And he could do that best if he knew just what as going on. Ky lifted his head. Perhaps the truth would dissuade the pirate captain, although he doubted it

"Very well. I will tell you."