Chapter XVIII

The Vanishing Pirates (Part III)

Relena glanced around the dark empty street. It was narrow and Jay stood right in the middle of it, but as long as he was alone she knew she would have no trouble getting past him. All she had to do was distract him. 'Jay.' She acknowledge his presence, stepping closer until she could fully see him under the moonlight. And, even though they both knew why he was standing there, she said it anyway. 'You're here to stop me.'

'Aye.' He said and, for once, he was serious, no smirk on his lips. She thought he looked sad for some reason.

'Why?' Relena questioned, letting her anguish show in hopes that it might somehow move the old man.

'It's the only way.'

'I do not understand…' she shook her head, frowning suspiciously at him. 'The only way to what?'

Though Relena really wanted to know the answer, she saw her cue right then and there as Jay opened his mouth to answer. She ran towards him, favouring his right side – the one with the cane – and speeding past him. Not a moment later she heard the sound of wood hitting cobblestone and a grunt as he fell. Her brain shouted at her to keep going because Heero was waiting and this man did not deserve her kindness. Or did he? Probably not, but her heart, her conscience just would not allow her to leave him like that, lying on the cold hard ground.

She turned around and strolled back to him. He was unarmed, his cane having fallen somewhat far from him, so she convinced herself she had no reason to fear him. All she needed to do was hand him the cane and run away. There was still time. She would make it to the Peacemillion and back into Heero's arms long before dawn.

The moment she felt the sting in her ankle, Relena knew she had made a grievous mistake. First her eyes widened at the needle he had pierced her skin with, then she made to kick his hand away, maybe pounce on it, but her legs refused to move, wobbling instead. Panic hit her then and she fell on her hands and knees, then on her face as her arms too gave out.

'Don't worry, lassie.' He immediately tried to calm her. 'Curare may be deadly when used by the savages, but I've crafted a different, lighter poison out of it. One that'll merely paralyse ye for a few hours. No, no. Don't try to speak, I'll explain it to ye.'

Relena watched him reach out for his cane, using it with some difficulty to pull himself up. 'Ye already know what my studies focused on… Turning men into weapons.' He looked up dreamily, certainly fancying himself almost a god. 'I know ye don't approve and I know ye probably deem it impossible… To a degree it obviously is, but I'll get as close as I can to me ideal. This is me life's work and Heero's me last chance. Lowe an' I trained 'im together with a single purpose in mind… And now the time has come to play our last gambit.'

She tried desperately to move, but her muscles refused to cooperate. If he wanted to kill her, he would have already done so, but she feared what they would do to Heero and how they would use her to do it. Oblivious to her inner despair, Jay continued. 'I thought we'd succeeded, that we'd erased every last trace of humanity from 'im and it was only a matter of time before he became a master-less weapon, an even more heartless capt'n than his father had ever been… But how wrong I was! Ye broke through Heero's armour! I 'ave absolutely no idea how ye did it, but ye made 'im willing to feel again despite all the pain he'd relieve… And yet I must thank ye, Miss Darlian. Or is it Peacecraft now? No matter. I must thank ye 'cause, without ye, I'd have never realised…'

If her body had been working in unison with her head, Relena was sure she would have shuddered in both horror and disgust, though if at that man or at herself for helping him – however unintentionally – she would never know. To her despair or relief or both, the old pirate resumed. 'We always thought it was Aoi's blood that made the boy so… Righteous. Now, however, I realise he's more similar to Lowe in that aspect. More than either of us had ever anticipated, and that was where both our problem and our solution lay…' he paused, if to gather his thoughts or for the sake of drama she could only wonder, but she dreaded what he would say next either way. 'Heero must suffer the same loss, the same pain his father did to trigger the inherent desire to block his feelings and emotions.'

Relena tried to scream. She honestly did, with all her strength, but she could do nothing, not even her lips or tongue were willing to move. All she felt was the painfully cold cobblestone underneath her and the ticklish tears as they dripped on her nose and slid down her cheeks.

XXX

As the first rays of sunlight broke through the darkness of the night, Lowe stepped out of his cabin and onto the quarter deck. The crew had yet to emerge, but he could hear them stirring down at the sleeping quarters probably eager to set sail and see themselves as far away from the Royal Navy's reach as possible. Except for Heero, of course. Across the ship, he could see his son standing at the bowsprit straight as a rod, cloak still around his shoulders and hood over his head. Waiting.

With a weary sigh, he set out to crush the boy's hopes, wondering briefly if Jay had made it back yet… If he had not, Lowe would make sure to leave him behind. Wherever he was… The man deserved as much. It had been their agreement twelve years earlier that the captain's son would be trained in order to avoid the pain and suffering his father had undergone and now it was that very pain and suffering the boy would have to overcome in order to reach their goal. He wondered what had been the point in all he had done… Jay's interest was a scholar's interest, he merely wanted to see his experiment bear fruit. As for Lowe…

It did not matter. It was too late to turn back and he knew. Whatever would come from this ordeal, he wanted to witness it. Heero would survive it, he was sure. He had been bred to. And yet, as Lowe reached the forecastle and approached the Peacemillion's former captain, he noticed the way his son's jaws clenched, his hands fisted and his eyes wandered, and he could not help but feel that this would be more devastating to the young man than any of them could have ever predicted.

'She ain't comin'.' He informed and was surprised to find his voice had come out gentler than he had intended. 'She's not coming and ye know it.' There was no response, but then he hadn't really expected any. 'She used ye. That's what women do. Used ye and discarded ye.' Still nothing. Lowe crossed the remaining distance between them until he stood beside Heero, watching the skies grow lighter and lighter. 'Ye went there. Ye saw the way those people live. Did ye really think she'd give all that up for ye? Leave the comfort of a house, a bed? Daily baths and fancy clothes? The convenience of servants? Leave all that to live on a ship? Wearing rags? Starving and stinking? If ye did, lad, then yer a bigger fool than I ever took ye for.'

'I believe we've already had this conversation.' the young man finally answered, his tone hard and cold as he turned to leave.

Lowe's lips curved in displeasure. 'Does that mean ye're goin' after 'er?' Heero said nothing. 'Of course ye are… Ye fool! Go! Go after her. Go and see with yer own eyes what choice she's made, but be warned… We're setting sail in an hour. I won't risk me crew's safety for ye any longer.'

He saw Jay approach as his son left, racing down the steps and leaping from the deck to the pier. He shook his head in frustration. 'Did ye take precautions? he asked the old pegleg when the man finally reached his side.

'As if I wouldn't… I alerted the guards as soon as the lass lost consciousness.'

'I'm surprised ye managed to sneak back in without the boy seeing ye. He stood 'ere all night.'

'I've known the lad since 'e was a child, taught 'im almost everything he knows. I can sneak up on 'im whenever I want.'

The captain sighed. 'Wake the crew. Those who have yet to stir. We weigh anchor as soon as that sap's back… And ye better pray this plan of yers works out, Jay. Otherwise…'

XXX

Heero ran. He ran because – though he knew it was pathetic – he could not help but hold on to hope. Something must have happened. True she had never explicitly told him she would be coming, but he had assumed… He just needed to assure himself that she was alright and that she had stayed behind of her own free will. Or so he told himself.

Guards were patrolling the main streets, forcing him to take the side alleys, delaying him instead of easing his progress. He nearly wished he had sent Trowa in his stead, but it would have been wrong to ask someone else to risk their necks when they had no gain, no interest in the situation. Though he could have offered the lookout a part of his share in Romefeller's treasure… He did not know what to do with it anyway.

It took him almost thirty minutes to reach the Peacecrafts' home, the sun had barely risen and yet he was already sweaty and breathless under the cloak. Thankfully, this time he already knew where her bedroom was and he quickly circled the house, going to stand right underneath her window. The curtains had been drawn shut, but the windows were open and the fabric waved with the morning breeze.

He ran his eyes over the façade and the still somewhat empty streets. There was no time to wait. Heero needed to climb. He had just prepared himself, mentally, when the back door opened and a servant came out mumbling, a broom in her hands. It took her a minute to notice him, but it still was not long enough for him to recover from the shock and hide unseen. He could not have waited in hiding for the woman to leave either way, so he met her eyes while she ran hers over him.

'Ye a suitor of the young missus?' she asked, leaning on her broom with a knowing smirk.

'Uh… Hn.' He nodded awkwardly.

'It's best ye leave 'fore the master sees ye.' The maid advised him. 'The missus ain't up yet and the orders are she shouldn't be disturbed… 'Sides I fear she's a little out of yer league, mister. An' that's me bein' nice.'

'She's home then?' he asked softly, disguising his voice as best he could. 'Are you certain?'

'O' course, I'm certain.' She frowned at him as if offended… or suspicious. Heero took a couple steps away from her, preparing to flee. 'The maid just came back from 'er chambers… Said the master stepped out the moment she got there and 'e told 'er not to disturb the missus. And only bring her food when she asked!'

'I see…'

'I'm sorry, lad.' The woman said unsympathetically. 'If it's of any comfort… I'm sure ye're heart won't be the last she breaks.'

Heero nodded, fighting back a grimace and failing. The pain that spread inside him was too much to bear, it was worse than anything he had ever felt and so he did the only thing he knew to make it stop… He closed himself up tight, making himself completely blank, immune to emotions and feelings and thoughts of all kind. At that moment, his only objective became to return to the Peacemillion before it set sail as he had been told to do. He was not even startled when he turned to leave and the woman asked him to wait. If he had been discovered all he needed to do was threaten her and, if she still stood in his way, then kill her.

'Careful on yer way home.' She said instead. 'I hear some pirates escaped from the fortress… The guards're searching everywhere for them.'

With a brief nod he walked away from the house and dashed into the nearest alley. It was only a matter of time before the redcoats realised the Peacemillion was at the docks and made the inevitable connection.

XXX

Relena woke up slowly, the sun shining bright on her eyes. Her body felt heavy, so heavy she feared she would not be able to move, and her head pounded, making it impossible for her to think past the haze that inundated her mind. She vaguely remembered the thumping of wood against stone… Jay. His sad smile as he looked down at her. But why had he been looking down at her? And why had it all been so cold and dark around them? She had been lying on the street… She had left her brother's house… Where had she been headed?

The pier. The Peacemillion.

'Heero.' She gasped, making an enormous effort to sit up. It felt as if she could not breathe.

Her private maid came running into the bedroom in a panic. 'Miss Relena!' the young woman reached out to her, one hand supporting her back, trying to help her inhale. 'Are you alright? What happened? I heard you gasp… I was on my way to the kitchen… Should I get Master Milliardo? Oh, but he's gone out hours ago! Someone must know where he went… Of course, I should get him!'

She seized the young maid's forearm as the girl prepared to leave. 'Water…' she managed to croak past her painfully dry throat.

'Right away, miss. Right away.' The girl reached out for the porcelain pitcher sitting on the bedside table and poured her mistress a generous helping of water.

'What…' Relena drank greedily even as the maid, who held the cup to her lips, tried to stop her. 'What time is it?'

'I… What… What time…?' she seemed confused for a moment. 'I should think it's almost noon, miss.'

'Noon…' she whispered and the weight of that one word was suddenly too much for her to bear. It crushed her heart, her eyes filing with tears, but Relena refused to give up. No. Not yet.

'Oh, my god, miss Relena? Was it something I said? Are you in pain? Should I fetch the master now? Or maybe a doctor?'

'Calm down, girl.' Milliardo appeared at the threshold, the maid's loud ranting having led him there all the way from the hall, where it had reached him as soon as he had crossed the front door. 'The medic is on his way. Took me the entire morning to locate him… Make sure you're there to open the door for him. Now, leave me and my sister alone.'

The young woman nodded, shaking and blinking back tears. Then hurried out of the room. 'I need to go…' Relena began as soon as the door clicked shut behind the maid. 'I need to…'

'You're not going anywhere.' Her brother informed her masterfully. 'Not before the doctor is done with you.'

'But I…' she tried again, but he sighed wearily, making her notice – for the first time – just how worn and tired he looked. He had not slept and had clearly been worrying about her ever since… She could not remember. She could not remember how she had gotten back home. 'What happened?'

'Guards knocked on our door… It must've been roughly past three… They had found you... Unconscious… In the middle of the street… I could not let the servants know… Can you imagine how I felt? I let you go to those pirates so they would…'

She could see as disgust, pain and self-loathing warred behind his blue eyes. 'It wasn't them. They did not do anything. They did not touch me.'

'That's for the doctor to decide.'

Relena's eyebrows fell low over her eyes as she scowled at him. 'I would know it if someone had deflowered me.' She made sure to inform him.

'You were lucky it was our men that found you.' Milliardo's anger refused to abate. 'Or who knows what might have happened to you.'

She shuddered before pushing away the thought. It had not happened. 'I need to go to the docks.' She insisted.

'Well, then…' irritated he opened his arm, motioning towards the door. 'Go.' Relena bit her lip, knowing what he intended with those words. He knew she needed his help, that she could go nowhere by herself in her condition. She knew it as well, but she tried anyway, her legs giving out when she tried to stand. Milliardo's jaw clenched at the sight. 'You can't even stand… How can you be so sure no one touched you?'

'I don't need to tell you that.' She said and flushed. 'The man who attacked me… He poisoned me, but I'm quite sure he did not touch me.'

'You knew him.' It was not a question and his anger only seemed to spike. 'It was one of those pirates… When will you stop defending them? When will you stop lying to me? Who was it? Which one of them?'

'It was one of them, but it wasn't.' Relena tried to explain, looking guiltily away from his blue eyes. A knock interrupted them before their argument could continue.

'Mr Peacecraft?' one of the older maids called. 'The medic's here, sir.'

'Send him up.' Milliardo told the woman, then turned back to his sister, his expression sad and weary once again. 'I'll take you to the docks afterwards… If you behave.'

He was gone before she could protest and the young lady could only look out the window, watching the sun rise higher and higher, hoping that – somehow – Heero would still be there waiting for her.

XXX

'Back to yer posts!' Jay ordered as he made his way, past the small assembly of pirates on the main deck, towards the helm where Lowe already stood. 'We're setting sail.'

'What?' Duo pushed away from the railing, a confused look on his face. 'But Heero hasn't come back yet.'

The others nodded their agreement, but the old man only frowned. 'He ain't yer captain anymore.' He reminded them. 'Besides, he knew what'd happen if he didn't come back in time. Now move yer arses 'fore the actual captain comes looking for ye.'

No one moved, but Jay no longer paid them any mind as he continued on his way, their glares following him up the stairs. 'What're we gonna do? We can't have Lowe as our captain again.' The braided pirate turned back to the others.

'We can always mutiny.' Chang told him simply. 'As for Yuy…' he clicked his tongue. 'It's a shame he's missing, but we can't waste another second. The guards're closing in on us.'

Worried, uncertain looks were shared and Rashid turned to Quatre, laying a hand on the blonde man's shoulder. 'He's right, Master Quatre. The redcoats will soon be on us.'

Quatre sighed, trying to disguise the conflicted look on his face and failing miserably. 'But Heero…'

'We cannot leave without him.' Hilde agreed seriously, moving to stand beside Duo.

'Ye don't understand.' The Chinese man scowled. 'I'm not jolly about leavin' him either, but we no longer have a choice.'

The braided man snorted. 'Ye really think we're gonna believe that? That ye're not happy there'll be no one between ye and the Peacemillion's captaincy when we mutiny?'

'How dare ye insinuate… I'm no coward, Maxwell! It's true I've always wanted to surpass Yuy, but not like this!' Wufei stepped closer, his hands fisted and his jaw clenched. Sally saw Duo's eyes light up and immediately jumped between the two men. It was Trowa's nod towards the gangway, however, that stopped them.

Heero walked onto the main deck, meeting the others' expecting gazes. His eyes were so cold, so completely devoid of emotion even Duo was struck speechless. As their former captain made his way to the quarter deck, it was Jay's voice that broke the silence.

'Anchors aweigh!'

This time all pirates moved, making their way quietly and thoughtfully back to their posts. 'She did not come after all…' Dorothy mused, following Quatre as the strategist seized one of the main sail's halyards. 'That's unexpected.'

The blonde man gave her a strained smile. 'Whatever her reasons, I think she just gave Jay and Lowe what they have always wanted…'

She frowned unconvinced. 'I understand giving up a life of adventure over one of luxury, but I just can't see her doing it. Not when it means giving up on us… and him.' She jerked her head, quirking an eyebrow towards Heero who had replaced their captain as helmsman.

'I thought it unlikely myself, but…' he shrugged. 'People surprise you.' Dorothy could see he was upset, disappointed in the young lady he had grown to consider a friend. It made her angry at Relena for some reason. 'Aren't you doing anything? Won't Lowe complain?' he asked quietly, glancing worriedly at her over his shoulder.

'I'm not a part of the crew.' She explained.

Quatre gave a bark of a laugh. 'You went through hell with us, Dorothy. I'm sorry to inform you, but you are a part of the crew.'

Her smug smile turned into a full-blown grin.

XXX

The young woman still held on to hope as their carriage made its way through the crowded streets, shaking lightly as the wheels rolled over the cobblestone. She did not look out the window, preferring the seclusion of her thoughts to the sunny day outside. Her brother sat across from her, lost in his own thoughts yet obviously displeased at the sudden turn of events. He had not wanted to take her to the docks, he had not wanted to let her go at all, but he was a man of his word and so he said nothing.

'Thank you.' She felt the need to tell him how grateful she was. 'For escorting me. I know it's not easy for you, considering…'

'There's no need to thank me.' Milliardo cut in, finally turning away from the window and towards his younger sister, his blue eyes bore into hers. 'You know they won't be there anymore, don't you?'

She did. Relena would not have been happy had they risked their safety for her. She did not expect them to, after all they were pirates. Still… She could not help but hold on to the hope that Heero would have found a way and that the Peacemillion would still be there waiting for her.

'Will you arrest them if they are?' she asked him instead.

He hesitated, clearing his throat to hide his surprise. If he were entirely honest, he would have said he had not even thought about it, that – despite the fact that it clearly should have been his priority – the idea had never crossed his mind. It was his sister he had been worried about and still was. 'Yes.' He answered at last, knowing it made no difference for the pirates would not be there for him to arrest either way.

"Then I hope they are not." Relena's tone was colder, harsher than he had ever heard and it pained him though he could see he had been the one to wound her first. She had expected a negative he was not yet willing to give.

It did not take long for them to reach the docks despite the early afternoon traffic. The young lady swallowed dryly as they halted, the coachman announcing their arrival before rushing to open the door for her. Relena smiled gratefully at him as she stepped out, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. The poison had given her a fever once the paralysing effects had started to wear off and, even though the doctor had assured her it would soon pass, she still felt cold. As she walked slowly towards the pier, she started to feel even colder, emptier. It was the realisation that if the Peacemillion was no longer there…

What was she going to do? She could not simply give up and let Heero think she had changed her mind about him, let Jay and Lowe use her to turn him into a human weapon… There had to be a way for her to reach him… Relena only had to find it. She held on to that hope as her eyes ran over all the ships they could see. It really was not there… She would have recognised the Peacemillion anywhere and it was nowhere to be seen.

'Maybe they docked somewhere else?' she asked aloud just as Milliardo came to stand at her side.

'Did they not give you any directions?'

She frowned up at him. As if – after what he had said – she would tell him anything… Even if there was something to tell. 'No.'

'I would know if they were still here.' He told her quietly almost sympathetically. 'Our men have spent the morning searching for the Peacemillion.'

'Why didn't you…?' Relena spun around to fully look at him.

'Would you have listened to me?' it was a rhetorical question. 'Or would you have come here to see with your own eyes?' he watched her turn back to the sea, to the vastness of water that now stood between her and her friends. 'I'm sorry, Relena.' He said and – for once – he did mean it. 'But, for better or worse, those pirates have vanished.'


TRIVIA:

Curare - originally a poison used in darts by some South American native tribes. It causes muscle paralysis and kills by causing respiratory arrest. Preparations with curare later started to be used in medicine as muscle relaxants, especially as part of anesthetic protocols.