"Cure the curse, save the captain," the voice murmured low, hands flittering around the bedside table as he continued to work, "save the man, save my life." The candlelight flickered nearby, making the man's glasses gleam.

A low growl came from nearby and Shinra looked up.

"The man sleeps with great healing dreams, captain."

The crimson gaze in the deepest of shadows glistened with ill intent filled emotions; boots clicking against the floor slightly.

"Are you to fight this night?" Shinra pulled away from his patient to focus on the man shrouded in darkness, "you know that he will need someone to lean on. Without trust, there can be no relation-" The snarling cut him off in midsentence, making him shiver as the eyes looking upon him changed.

"Death will come on this night, Shinra." The captain's voice held a note of the animalistic growl from earlier, not human, but not beast. It was bone-chilling. "They are planning behind my back, just as before. Word has spread through the weaker ones, to which in their drunken state have confessed that what is about to happen was coming."

"Mutiny…" The doctor's eyes flew to the door, "they will try to take him..."

"They cannot reach my chambers." Izaya's form approached, the darkness unfurling around his sweeping red coat and shaking figure, "the rebellion will die when I show them exactly who is God on this ship."

"Save the captain, break the curse," Shinra's whole person shook in pure horror, his mind going back for a second to the night the curse had come. To the night he had seen what Izaya had become…

"If he dies, so do you Shinra…" The captain grabbed his hat off the bed and moved towards the door, "beware the monsters under the bed, my friend. Where monsters lie, death stands in wait."

"Break the curse, save the captain."

The door to the room shut behind him, leaving Shinra with the patient. The patient himself opened his eyes, looking towards the ceiling. "…I'm going to die…"

"The captain will keep you alive…" Shinra replied, "he has no use for you dead."

"I'm going to kill him."

"Impossible."

Shizuo turned his head slightly, "I could do it if I tried."

"Shizuo-san, you do not understand the captain. He does not save you only to kill you later. He is straightforward enough to just kill you off from the start."

"Why is this all happening then?"

The roar drew both mens' gazes towards the door and ceiling. The sounds of screaming ripped through the night. Pleas for life, shrieks of terror, the sound of cannons launching weaponry came from above. Shinra could only shake his head, "Once, there was a captain, who made a statement he could never take back. Because of one statement, he began a chain of events that would rip the ship apart."

"What did he say?"

~.~

"Saki?" Izaya looked at the woman before his gaze flickered back to the crew member, Kida, "you must be joking!"

"Don't be a bastard." The crewmate glowered, "We are just in love, that's all, so I want her to be able to stay in my bed area with me. She can work in the kitchen or something."

"Work in the kitchen," the captain laughed, "Are you aware this is a ship for men?"

"Shizuka works here-"

"She's more manly then half this crew. I do believe I saw her cock last night when she was shaving her face in nothing but a loincloth."

"Saki's your friend too!"

"Kida," Saki looked over at him and grew morose, "It's okay… we can be together when you return-"

"We are not coming back."

Kida froze, seeing Saki tear up at the news. "What?"

Standing taller, grinning maliciously, Izaya straightened his hat, "that is correct. We are not returning to this port again. We commend your work, but find this land lacking in the finances that our enterprise requires."

Saki looked up at him, "we are not a rich land, but our women are full of love and devot-"

"Love doesn't exist." He purred, "You think you are in love with one another, you think you love an outfit of yours or a certain way to keep your hair? What is your love? Where is its boundaries? How long does it last and when does it start?" He moved the duo towards the edge of the ship, arms wrapped around both the duo's shoulders, keeping them apart. "We cast ourselves out in the sea of life hoping to snag this so called love, but it will never let us obtain it."

Slowly, he began to move them forward and back, in time to the swaying of the ship.

"We stand upon the edge of oblivion and try to become everything our minds hope for. We look for someone we can share our lives with, but is this love?"

As he let go, Saki's body fell from the ship, hitting the water with a loud hard splash. Crewmembers panicked a moment before seeing their captain's hand, The man holding it up to halt their actions.

Kida began to shout, seeing that she did not return to the surface. "SAKI!"

"There is an ebb and flow to the world, Kida." Izaya stepped back, "There is no love, there is no hope, there is only monstrous emotions that dare to try to tread upon my ship. One day, you will learn."

Shizuka stood at the helm, hands clenching the wheel tighter. "Love is a lie," She questioned loud enough for the duo to hear.

The captain turned, "Of course! What other reason would there be for us to be unwed?" He looked around a moment longer before shouting, "FETCH THE WOMAN FROM THE WATER, YOU FUNGI!"

Kida had not forgotten that moment, finding Saki's body dead. He charged through the mutinous group he'd instigated against the heartless captain, trying to find out why they were not entering the lower decks yet? Were there actually loyal members of the crew? His hands burned from sliding down from the crow's nest. His adrenaline was running haywire. He sprinted over the floorboards, "FOR FREEDOM!"

The roar sent him reeling back, eyes widening as crewmembers went flying over the deck. Screaming pierced the air, as fear grew thick around them all. Fangs, pure white teeth stained in burgundy were showing from the thing standing in the doorway to the lower decks.

Every man froze at the sight. The beast took one step, two. Its claws clicking upon the ground as it moved forth. With every step, people grew quiet, until the only sound was that of the dying men who had been thrown.

"I give you life." The beast growled, eyes flashing over the men. "I give you work… women… rewards… I give you meaning…" Its hands shot out and lifted two men, "and this is my reward."

"Please," the two men choked on air.

"Manners are important… and I can't kill all of you…" The monster flung the two towards the sides of the deck and looked around, "I will not have any more of this. Pledge your allegiance to my whims or I will cast you to the sea you hold so dear."

Kida watched as the crew turned sides, falling to their knees before the beast, tears streaming down their face as they tried to avert their gaze. They were shaken, scared.

"We're going to die," Kadota murmured.

"No," Kida replied, pushing Kadota forward, "but we have lost the battle."

They approached, falling to their knees and swearing their loyalty. As the last swear was uttered, the monster moved, coming forth until it reached more men.

"I have but one condition to this new loyalty, I do not want half of you."

They could only watch, Kadota and Kida both horrified, as men were flung from the ship, one after another, screams ripping through the air as they were murdered, bodies dead before they were halfway to water. The death toll increased, men running for the safety of the other end of the ship. No one wanted to die, no one was ready, but this… this grotesque being left them with no chance.

By the time the sun rose, Kida and Kadota stood upon the blood-stained ground, staring across at the captain resuming figure.

"And we are down to the lot of you," Izaya moved forward, eyes sweeping around the ship, "There are things worse than death, men."

It wasn't until he was gone that the remaining crewmen looked at Kida with a new look.

"Now we must work harder," one said.

"Yo yo yo man~" another waved his hand strangely before turning to head off to work.

~.~

A/N: ...

Tsugaru: You do realize you just made Izaya an asshole, right?

Prustrian Informant: -listening to Delic's headphones- Oh mein Gott, this song... LOVE IS BLIND! ITS TRUE! -sobbing- MY DELICXHIBIYA FEELS!

Psyche: Hmm? -listens- Oh, new music?

Tsugaru: -steals computer to type next chapter with- I'll just take over from here for a while... This story needs more Izuo interaction.

Psyche: TSU-CHAN! TELL THEM TO REVIEW!

Prustrian Informant: -sobbing too hard to comment-

Tsugaru: They may review, but they don't have to worry. I will update much faster than Info-san.

Psyche: ...Wait... I thought we were just muses inside Info-chan.

Tsugaru: ...

Prustrian Informant: SHE DIDN'T MEAN A THING, HIBI-CHAN! DELI-CHAN LOVES YOU TOO MUCH! HE CANT BELIEVE YOURE GONE! HE LOVES YOU! NO ONE IS LIKE YOU HIBI-CHAN!

Tsugaru: ...Readers might want to review then...

Hibiya: SILENCE PEASANTS! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP! REVIEW QUIETLY!