Friday, November 28, 2008
Gravitation
Buoyancy vs. Gravity
Epilogue: End: Those of Fate
Rumiko sat in her rocking chair on the porch of the Chicken Ranch and sipped from a bottle of rum.
It had been two months since Bad Luck had sailed out of Japanese waters and that's two months that Bad Luck has been docked in Pleasure Port.
The crew was getting restless and the town was getting annoyed with their shenanigans. The people of Pleasure Port will only laugh at practical jokes for so long.
There had already been four brawls and one or two duels over indifferent prostitutes. No matter how much the town welcomed the crew sailing under Madam Rumiko's son, he had worn out his welcome and they were about ready to hunt him down with their torches and pitchforks.
Shuichi though, had been frequenting the People's Pub on a daily basis and drinking half the bar before either puking on the floor or breaking furniture. Often times it was Ryuichi that had to talk him down from his drunken rages. Truthfully, Ryuichi was the only one that Shu would let within ten feet of him when he was drunk, distraught, and crying hysterically.
The two pirates would stumble out of the bar; one sober and one not. Then they would disappear for a couple of hours. No one new what exactly they would do during those missing hours, but the town speculated it was drowning of sorrows and lost loves.
Some of Rumiko's girls whispered in dark corners that the two men would drown their pain together in the pleasures of the flesh. The toothless men of the town would smoke their pipes and speculated that they would take out their ire by beating the shit out of each of other. If you believed in this particular theory then you would also believe that Ryu won the fight.
It seemed to most of the group, that Shuichi walked around with constant bruises and scratches, while Ryu came back from the "hours" relatively unscathed, though morose.
Shaking her head, Rumiko took another sip of rum. Neither theory was true, she knew. She didn't know what they did, but she knew they wouldn't betray their lovers by sleeping with each other, and she knew that neither of her boys would fight just to ease a lonely heart.
As it was she was going to have to deal with a drunken, passed out Shuichi.
Ryuichi was walking toward her with a limp and bloody Shuichi draped over his shoulder.
He no longer smiled, Rumiko observed. The bright light of his childish laugh had died. Ryu seemed so much older than his soul now; he seemed so much older than even his age of thirty.
The laughter was gone, but he still graced them with his voice. He spoke. Not of anything profound, but he would engage in conversation and respond to enquires. He would talk Shuichi down and talk him through his sorrow, but he never smiled or laughed.
With a heavy sigh, Rumiko stood up and placed a warm motherly hand on Ryuichi's cheek. "Take him inside. We're having a meeting and I want him awake for it."
Nodding his understanding, Ryuichi carried Shu inside and began the task of dumping him in a pre-prepared bath of cold water.
Sputtering and cursing could be heard from the upstairs, but all was soon quiet again.
Rumiko picked up her rum bottle, refilled her glass then took a swig out of the bottle and stalked inside.
Sitting around the dining room table, Hiro, Suguru, Ryuichi, Maiko, Rumiko, and Shuichi, were pouring over charts and lists.
Hiro had received a few letters from his contacts in the shipping industry and now was proposing which ships they should hit.
It had become quite clear they had worn out their welcome when Shuichi returned to the Ranch the night before being chased by an angry mob that was only pacified by Rumiko's silver tongue and respected community status.
Pointing to a red thumb tack stuck in the middle of the chart Suguru said, "We should hit this one. It won't be very difficult and the booty will be enough to tie us over till we get our sea legs back under us."
"Nah!" Maiko protested. "That won't be any fun! Our men need blood. We've been on land too long. If we go easy on them they won't ever be able to fight like they used to."
"Maiko, Dear." Rumiko interjected. "We can hardly expect them to be ready for such a large job as the one you are suggesting. The only fighting they've seen of late has been domestic disputes over whores."
"Rumiko-san's right!" Suguru pointed heatedly at the map. "We've been idle for too long! Action is needed, but an overload will get out men killed."
"Staying in port any longer than this is going to get our men killed." Ryuichi had been sitting silently at one end of the table across from an equally silent Shuichi.
The group turned and listened. "Our men will mutiny if we give easy jobs. Our men will die if we give them hard ones. Compromise, and quickly or I fear that idleness will kill us faster than a scabbard or pistol will."
Suguru traded an apprehensive look with Hiro. Sighing deeply Suguru looked down at his hands and said, "There is one ship that might be what we need."
All eyes turned to the two lovers. Hiro picked up a golden yellow thumb tack and stuck it to a spot on the chart. "The Glaring Dream." The name of the ship echoed through the room like a gun shot.
Shuichi's eyes were unseeing as he stared at the tack sticking out of the table. "An NG Trading Company ship. You want me and my crew to take an NG ship."
The room lapsed into silence as the pain of loss laid heavily over its occupants.
Maiko leaned forward and stared at the tack with curious weariness. "What can you tell us about this... ship?"
"My brother, Yuuji, sent me a letter from Japan telling me that he was sailing out on the Glaring Dream. They are headed for Africa, going right passed us. He said that we could easily hit it. The booty on board is fiercely sought after." Hiro was concealing a great deal. If Maiko wasn't stiff now at hearing an ex lover's name, the whole room would be standing on pins and needles if he revealed the real content of that letter.
Suguru knew every word that had been penned on the pages of that letter. He, Hiro and Rumiko had been debating about whether or not to bring it up to the rest of the crew. As it was, they had no choice. The damage was done.
Maiko was pale and her hands had stilled at cleaning her nails with her knife. Stuttering she protested, "I-I don't think-"
"We'll do it." Shuichi's voice was so very silent it echoed like an explosion.
All eyes were trained on him and just about every mouth was opened; all except for Ryuichi's. He and Shuichi both could feel it. The pull. The pull of gravity.
It was said and so they would. They would take an NG ship.
Bad Luck sailed out the next morning to intercept the Glaring Dream half way to Africa.
Eiri passed back and forth on the deck of the Glaring Dream.
It had been Tatsuha's hair brained scheme. It had been by chance that they had met Yuuji Nakano. It had been Tohma who suggested signing all the Uesugi assets over to Mika to divide and take care of. It had been damned excruciating sitting on a ship that could or could not be taken by Bad Luck.
Tatsuha had been biting his nails and pulling on Kuma's ears while Eiri had been fingering the small pill box that held a single lock of pink hair tied with a tattered piece of cloth.
The pain of waking up cold, alone, and with almost no evidence that Shuichi had even been there was something Eiri never wanted to think on. But he did. He thought on it almost every waking hour.
When he awoke the morning Bad Luck had sailed, Eiri had found himself clasping a lock of Shuichi's hair tightly in his right hand. The feeling and sound of his heart cracking down the center then shattering was almost audible.
He had kept the pill box in his breast pocket, close to his broken heart.
Tohma had called him and Tatsuha into his office a month and a half after Bad Luck had gone. It was then that he introduced them to a new ship captain of one of his ships, Yuuji Nakano.
One look at the tall man told both Uesugi's that this man was none other than Hiro's brother. They had immediately pounced on him and drilled him for information on the pirates.
Yuuji was surprised that they had known the pirates of Bad Luck, but then the story came out and a plan was formed.
Yuuji wrote to Hiro and the Uesugi brothers had hoped and prayed the letter would reach its destination.
Now in the open ocean, Eiri was having a hard time keeping his lunch down. The nerves were so strong that his hands were shaking as they clasped the small sterling silver box closely to his chest.
Tatsuha plopped down next to him and covered his face with Kuma. "Eiri, what if they don't come!"
"They'll come."
Sighing Tatsuha leaned his head against his brother's shoulder. "I miss him so much, Eiri."
Eiri sighed and patted his brother comfortingly on the leg. "I know. They'll come. They have to come."
The wind in his face and the helm clasped tightly in his hands, Shuichi was having trouble keeping them steady.
It wasn't that he was nervous. It wasn't that he had lost his nerve. It wasn't that he had lost the will to pirate. It was just that he was so anxious to get any kind of news about Eiri that he was sick to his stomach.
He already had to lean over the railing and lose most of the contents of his stomach to the ocean. Several of his men were afraid he had indeed lost his nerve, but he just blamed it on a really bad hang over.
"Are we really going to do this Shu-chan?" Ryuichi walked to stand next to his friend and placed his forehead against his shoulder in a childish whine.
Shu wrapped his arms around his friend and both young men stood there silently. "It'll be alright. If anything we'll at least torture some news about them from the captain. He will at least have to know something."
They hadn't heard any news at all about their lovers. Perhaps it was better that way but it was torture not knowing if they were happy or even still alive. Shuichi had found that the main lend was so much more treacherous than the sea.
Bellow them on the helm deck, Maiko was leaning against the railing and staring out at the ocean.
Her mother came up behind her and hugged her with ferocity. "I'm sure you will be able to get your hands around his neck when we take the ship. Stop fretting and start working on your right hook."
Maiko and Yuuji had a torrid love affair when she was fifteen; then one day he disappeared leaving not even leaving a letter of explanation. She had never really recovered.
They had loved fiercely and violently, often times resolving their issues with fists and alcohol, but they had loved each other truly.
She had thought that Yuuji was the one, but then he left leaving her broken hearted.
She couldn't wait to get her hands on him. Strangling the life out him was going to be so satisfying.
A shout from the crow's nest alerted the crew of the approaching ship, the Glaring Dream. It was time.
Turning around, Maiko shouted over the frantic rushing about. "Get your asses in gear! We've got booty to capture and asses to kick, now get a move on!"
Above the hurried crew, Shuichi and Ryuichi watched almost nervously as the Glaring Dream came into view. It was time to face their fears and finally get back to life.
My God, how it hurt!
A shout from the crows nest alerted Eiri and Tatsuha to the approach of another ship.
Lunging from their seats, the two brothers raced up the stairs toward Yuuji who was manning the helm.
"Is it Bad Luck?!"
Laughing heartily at the two young men's enthusiasm, Yuuji was reluctant to give tell them, "It may or may not be. We won't know till they draw closer. Begin to prepare just incase they're unfriendly."
The brothers nodded, but deep down they could feel it. They knew what that ship was, and they knew their lovers were on it.
"Cap'in! They're flying the friendly flag!"
Yuuji blinked then smirked. "Well, shit. It's really them."
Eiri couldn't tell if his heart was even beating any more. It was Shuichi. Shuichi was coming!
Tatsuha whooped and thrust Kuma into the air. "Ryu-honey! I'm coming home!"
Smiling to himself and silently expressing the same sentiments, Eiri thought, "Yes. Home. Home with Shuichi."
Though the two men beside him were ecstatic, Yuuji couldn't help, but feel that he was taking his life in his hands and thrusting it at a rabid dog. Maiko was going to kill him!
The Uesugi brothers raced down the stairs and skidded to a halt at the railing. Tatsuha almost toppled over in his haste to see his love causing Eiri to grab the back of his shirt and pull him to safety.
"Calm yourself, Baka! It will do you no good to drown before you see him."
"Right, thanks!" Tatsuha was bouncing where he stood.
Eiri let a hand inch up to his breast pocket and the comforting shape of the pill box against his heart calmed his nerves. His Pirate King was so close.
The Jolly Rodger was raised and the whole of the NG crew erupted into a cheer. There wasn't a man on board the Glaring Dream that didn't know why they were sailing that day.
Mika walked calmly over to her brothers holding a squirming baby girl in her arms. She stopped just behind them and smacked them both on the head.
They yelped and spun around to glare at her angrily. "I was just reminding you of how much I'm going to miss you two."
They looked at each other then at their sister before scooping her and their niece into a bone crushing hug.
Tohma stood a few steps away and smiled at the sight. He was gong to miss them severely, but knew that they would be returning at least twice a year to Japan. It was the stipulation the Lawyers put on them in order to let Mika take over.
Twice a year they would have to return for a short visit to "supervise" Mika as she ran the family business. It is a small price to pay for their love and the incentive to visit their beloved family.
The siblings pulled away and all three had tears in their eyes. Mika sniffled and shifted the baby to an easier position. "Alright, little brothers. Go get your men."
Shuichi hadn't really been looking at the ship they were baring down on. He did take note that the crew wasn't even panicking once the Jolly Rodger was raised. Odd.
But just as he was about to turn away from the rail to supervise the loading of the guns, something caught his eye; a golden blond head leaning over the railing on the other ship.
Gasping, he clutched at Ryuichi's sleeve tightly. "Ryu, do you see that?"
The older man was almost crying. He could see his lover. He could see Kumagoro was being clutched tightly in his lover's hands. "Yeah, Shu-chan. I see it."
Suddenly, dawning struck both men and they turned slowly to look at their smirking family. Pointing an accusatory finger at them, Shuichi and Ryuichi shouted, "You knew!"
Rumiko stepped forward and kissed them both on the forehead. "Yes, now go get your lovers back."
The two stunned pirates smiled brightly with tearing eyes.
Shuichi jumped and began reversing orders. "Stop loading the cannons! Get the grappling hooks ready! Pull up to the starboard side! Gently!"
To say that the crew was severely confused was an understatement, but once they saw the childish smile plastered to Ryuichi's face and the laughing glee coming from their captain, they soon realized what had happened.
Shuichi and Ryuichi stood at the ready with ropes in hand and smiles on their faces. The moment Bad Luck drew close enough for the ropes to reach the other side both pirates took running starts and leapt over the expanse of ocean dividing them from their lovers.
It was the most beautiful sight Eiri had seen since first laying eyes on Shuichi. His little lover was flying through the air a bright smile plastered to his face and tears streaming down his face.
Shuichi let go of the rope and sailed into Eiri's out stretched arms.
The couple toppled to the deck in a tangle of limbs.
Eiri closed his arms around his lover so tightly Shuichi could barely breathe, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that his lover was with him, in his arms, kissing his face and neck.
"Shuichi! Gods! Never again... Never!" Eiri could feel tears pouring down his cheeks as he reached for Shuichi's lips and weaved his fingers hastily through the silky shoulder length pink hair. "I missed you so much!"
Shuichi fisted his hands into Eiri's shirt and let his tears fall freely as he returned each and every kiss being rained upon him. "I love you, Eiri! Don't leave me again! Please..."
Their frantic kissing eased and they simply lay in each other's arms not caring if both ships' crews were staring. Their lips met in a slow, searching kiss.
Hands reacquainted themselves with the textures and feels of skin, muscle, hair. It was heaven. The sun had come out of the clouds and was now shining down on them, as their lips moved together and their tongues danced.
Slowly pulling away, Eiri rested his forehead against Shuichi's and stared straight into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. You're my other half, my soul. I love you, Shuichi."
Shuichi kissed him softly slowly then laid his head down over Eiri's chest. "Ow!" Shuichi rubbed at the side of his head and shoved a hand into Eiri's breast pocket to pull out the object his head had landed on.
Eiri's silver pill box appeared in his palm. With a puzzled frown, the pink haired pirate pulled it open and gasped when he saw its contents.
Looking up at his love who was silently watching him, Shuichi asked, "You... you kept it."
Nodding, Eiri leaned forward and kissed his Pirate King, wrapping his hand around Shu's smaller one. "I kept it near to my heart."
A small sob broke from Shu's lips as he slammed his lips to Eiri's, drawing the bigger man into a scorching kiss.
Tatsuha was being slowly strangled by a sobbing, crying, shaking Ryuichi.
"Tatsuha wasn't there! And it was so un-shiny! And I couldn't laugh! And I missed you so much, Tats-chan! Please, stay with me FOREVER!"
Tatsuha couldn't suppress his joyful laughter from ringing in the air nor could he stop the tears from pouring down his face. "Oh, Ryuichi! I love you so much! I won't ever leave you! But baby, I can't breathe."
Ryu loosened his grip and pulled himself and the younger man underneath him into a sitting position. He clutched at Kumagoro and squashed the pink bunny between him and his lover as he clutched at Tatsuha once more.
"I love you, Tatsuha." He whispered. "I missed you and Kuma-chan more than you'll ever know."
Tatsuha buried his face into the older man's neck and inhaled his scent. "I love you, Ryuichi. Kuma and I missed you something awful." Pulling away a little bit Tatsuha placed a soft, tender kiss to Ryu's lips.
Rumiko watched the reunion from her landing place on the deck of the Glaring Dream. Her family was once again complete.
A scream of rage and joy broke the silence as Maiko launched herself at Yuuji, who had been watching the reunion with a soft smile.
"You bastard! How could you?!"
"Maiko?! Ah!" Yuuji landed hard on his butt with a fist beating into his jaw.
Hiro was just landing on the deck trying to get to his brother as quickly as possible. What his brother had done wasn't right, but he didn't want Maiko to kill him.
A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and Suguru whispered into his ear, "It's alright, Hiro. Look."
On a second look, one would notice that the fists had stopped flying and flailing limbs were now trying to find purchase on body parts. It would seem that Yuuji and Maiko were battling out their differences with their tongues.
Hiro sighed with a half smile on his lips and turned to wrap his arms around his lover. "Well, I'm glad I won't have to mop up his blood... yet."
Suguru leaned up to kiss his lover tenderly. "As am I, love."
Rumiko was laughing heartily at her daughter and her lover when a familiar voice screamed, "Rumi-chan!" happily.
She barely had time to prepare herself before Tohma came flying toward her and swept her up in a bear hug. "Rumi-chan! I missed you!"
Hugging her little brother back, Rumiko smiled brightly. "I missed you too, little brother."
Letting his sister's feet touch the wooden deck once more, Tohma smiled brightly. "Come and meet Kohana, your niece."
Both siblings smiled brightly and bounded over toward a softly smiling Mika and a giggling Kohana.
Rumiko swept Kohana up into her arms and twirled her around. The little baby giggled and screamed in glee, while Mika paled and tried to protest.
Settling the child comfortably into her arms, Rumiko looked down at her and smiled. "Hello, Kohana! Aren't you just the most precious little flower?!"
The child cooed in agreement then reached out and grabbed a lock of long pink hair to tug on. "She has your hair, Tohma. And your eyes, Mika. She's such a beautiful child!"
"Thank you Rumi-chan. We knew you would think so." Tohma smiled softly as he watched his big sister and his daughter bond.
The excitement died down and both ships sailed back to Pleasure Port to celebrate.
Inside the Chicken Ranch everyone was laughing and drinking and eating.
Hiro and Maiko were catching up with Yuuji. Suguru was happily discussing business with Mika and Tohma, while Tatsuha and Ryuichi were entertaining Kohana with a dancing Kumagoro.
Rumiko sat back in her flowing skirts, her ample bosom, and her smiling red lips, basking in the glow that was her family.
So happy and content they were that no one noticed the disappearance of two of their number.
The fearsome Pirate King and his captive were lying near the creek at the back of Rumiko's property, wrapped in each other's sated and loving arms.
Shuichi listened contentedly to Eiri's heart beat while Eiri ran his hands up and down his lover's arms and back smoothing over the skin and muscle.
Sighing deeply, Shuichi smiled and placed a kiss over Eiri's heart. "Are you sure you want to live the life of a pirate." He looked up into to steady golden eyes.
Lifting his hand, he ran his fingers over the familiar and beautiful scars on Eiri's cheek. "I could... live with you in Japan if you would rather-"
He was silenced rather ruthlessly by a pair of lips. "Don't say something so stupid, baka." Eiri cupped the side of Shuichi's face and said, "I want to sail the oceans with you. You won't be happy on dry land and I couldn't be happy if you aren't. Besides," he shrugged, "I rather like the sea. It's... soothing."
Smiling widely, Shuichi smacked a sloppy kiss to his lover's lips and laid his head back down. "I love you, Eiri." He wrapped his arms tighter as he yawned and let his eyes drift closed. "Forever."
Placing a tender kiss on top of his pirate's pink head, Eiri whispered to his happily snuggling lover, "I love you, Shuichi. Forever."
Yes. Forever sounded quite good.
-The End-
A/N: It's actually over. Wow. It took long enough! I got distracted and I had left this story in the worst possible place at the end of chapter eighteen, and I'm terribly sorry for that. I got really bored sometime last week and decided to look over some old stuff and I reread B vs G and knew I just had to finish it! I hope you enjoyed the end. Please review and tell me your most favorite and least favorite parts. Give me criticisms and praises. I will accept anything you want to tell me! I had extreme fun writing this and I hope you had extreme fun reading it! See you in my other stories! Love Ya'll!
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