Chapter 4: Pirate Cove
If she had been told one week prior that she would soon find herself tied in a cloth bag, sitting on the deck of a pirate ship, she wouldn't have believed it. And yet here she was, nearly hyperventilating as she kicked against the material that trapped her. Lying on her side, only one leg was available to kick, but she did her best to break free, nonetheless.
While being tossed around after being captured, Amu was able to pick up on small parts of the conversation going on between the pirates that had hoisted her out of the hole. They had grunted something about catching a lost boy and using them as bait. Amu sincerely hoped they weren't referring to her. Did she really resemble a boy that much? She would forever be embarrassed if that was the case.
"I could have sworn I looked like a girl," she complained to herself as she continued to kick at the cloth surrounding her.
Ran didn't know what to think. "That's the only thing you say in your situation?"
"Well I'm going to die anyway, so why not have my own personal pity party while I'm still alive?" Amu uttered. "It's 'cause of my chest, isn't it?"
"Your…chest?" Ran repeated, thinking she may have heard wrong.
"Yeah, just look at it!" Amu attempted to flail her arms in the small, confined space she was in. "Oh, wait, you can't. Because it's not there! There's nothing to see!"
As she went on about all the things that could possibly make her look like a boy, Ran watched in an uncomfortable silence while trying to smile reassuringly. She never could have predicted having to console someone because their lack-of-chest was constantly in the back of their mind. Right now, Ran would rather be trying to figure out a way of escaping their little situation instead of having a therapy session on how Amu feels about her chest and why she feels that way.
After rolling onto her back to let both legs free, Amu sent another kick to the bag. As soon as her left foot was jolted off the ground, a searing pain shot up her leg, a fire burning inside her ankle at the slightest movement.
Stabbing her teeth into her bottom lip, she squeezed her eyes shut and placed her hands gingerly around her ankle while trying to fight off the urge to scream. If she didn't know better, she'd say her foot broke after falling into the pirate's trap in the forest. Tears quickly gathered behind her eyelids as she lay motionless with Ran looking on worriedly.
"Amu-chan! Are you okay?"
The pink-haired girl nodded once.
Once Amu had finally gone quiet again, swallowed up by a shadow of pain and self-pity, the surrounding noises of the ship's crew became more prominent. Someone was being lectured for not washing the beams in the correct direction while another crew member was stumbling around in a drunken frenzy, shouting unintelligible insults at his shoes.
"I know what a colon is!" The drunkard cried out, "It's the thing you put at the end of a sentence. You should know this, all-knowing Tsukasa. Guess you're not all-knowing after all!" He barked out laughter.
Someone chuckled softly. "A colon is part of the human's digestive system. You're thinking of a semicolon."
There was silence on the end of the drunkard. Followed by mumbles and grumbles, the drunk finally said, "You're all idiots. 'Digestive system'…hah!"
Their spiel was interrupted by the sound of a door being thrown open. Low footsteps shattered the silence.
Curious, Amu stuck her finger into a small hole in the bag, pulling at it so that the hole was stretched open enough to see what was going on. She sat in silence while holding her breath as her heart hammered. Ran also went quiet, floating in one spot instead of all over.
The crew scrambled to stand in proper formation, placing their hands up to their foreheads. "Captain!" They chorused together.
A man appeared in the doorway. His face was grubby, packs of dirt lodged in between each deep wrinkle on his forehead. His cold eyes cut through the air. His rough, frosty voice boomed out orders and sent his crew scurrying to their posts. He gave off a ruthless, dangerous aura that made Amu's throat grow dry. If this was the guy she had to face on her own, she'd rather join the crew and blend in with the ship. Maybe she'd even toss herself overboard.
A blond pirate rushed to the captain's side, helping the older man remove his heavy overcoat.
"Where is this lost boy?" The captain growled with a hint of a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His eyes shot around the ship, landing on Amu's spot. She cowered back even though there was no way he could see her. She could just hope that he wouldn't burn a hole through the bag with his evil eyes.
"Captain…may I ask why we needed to kidnap a lost boy?" A tall, lean man with dusty brown hair cautiously walked up to the captain after dropping some rope into a neat pile. His light purple eyes were the complete opposite of the captain's - this man's gaze was soft. It was surprising considering he was a pirate just like the rest of the mangy crew.
The captain glanced over at the younger man before letting his hand come down on his shoulder in a gruff pat.
"And this is why you're not captain, Tsukasa." He released Tsukasa's shoulder and wiped his hand off to be rid of the crew member's germs before he continued, lowering his voice so Amu had to strain to hear. "We already swiped the key from that boy, now we just need the lock. The problem is, no one knows where the lock went to. But if Ikuto had the key to begin with, it's only natural he'd know where to find the lock. Capturing one of his companions just might get him to speak."
Exhaling sharply, the captain started walking towards Amu. "I'd kill Ikuto myself if we could find him. He has no problem finding us, though." He didn't continue on the subject as he hobbled the rest of the way across the deck.
"Where did your dress go?" A new voice joined in.
The crew turned to look at the intruder, Amu's gaze also turning to the speaker.
Her eyes widened once finding him.
He lounged on one of the many ropes above the ship holding up the largest mast. Letting his legs dangle freely off the twenty foot drop, he seemed all too calm for Amu's liking. His deep blue hair was tousled from the breeze, but his eyes still held that mischievous glint they had earlier when he and his Lost Boys had held her captive.
The captain glared up at the boy.
"For the last time, it's a coat." He corrected after scowling.
"It's long enough to be a dress."
"Well, it isn't one."
"It compliments your eyes."
"Thank you. Now get down here and face me like a man."
"As I recall.." the boy began, standing up on the flimsy rope. He even pocketed his hands, Amu noted in disbelief. She'd be peeing if she was that high up.
"I'm a lost boy, not man." He finished wittily.
The captain wasn't impressed. He rubbed his tired eyes before rolling them, looking back up at his rival. "Ikuto, I'll shoot you." He took out his gun and cocked it to emphasize his point.
Too many times did the captain feel oh-so confident in something he had done, only to be made into a fool by a few words from Ikuto's mouth. This time, he had caught one of Ikuto's companions, and despite the younger boy's wise talk, he wouldn't get so easily out of this one.
Amu watched in amazement as Ikuto dropped from the mast, landing gracefully on his feet with his hands still in his pockets. The captain didn't seem as impressed as Amu was. It was apparent that they had a history together and Ikuto's ability to drop from a great feet was old news.
Though, the pinkette still felt the need to applaud for him and did so silently with Ran joining in.
Clearing his throat, the captain took a step closer to Ikuto, putting his gun back into its holder on his waist. It rested beside his sword.
"I've found something that belongs to you and unless you tell me where to get the Humpty lock, you won't be getting it back." His mouth turned upwards into an unpleasant, sadistic smile.
Remaining silent, Ikuto waited for the captain to continue. He calmly watched as the captain gestured for a few crew members to lift up the sack Amu was in and bring it over to him.
Amu tried not to fall on her face as she was hoisted hastily off the ground. After being carelessly placed in front of Ikuto, she felt unnaturally intimidated as she found herself gripping her injured ankle while sitting in between a cruel pirate and a weird lost boy.
'Just toss me overboard, already,' she thought bitterly.
Ikuto looked down at the cloth material, still showing no sign of emotion.
The captain leaned down and grabbed hold of the rope that held the bag shut.
"One of your lost boys," he stated before ripping away the rope.
The cloth bag fell to the ground and Amu sat in the open with Ran floating uneasily beside her.
The pinkette stared at Ikuto with wide eyes while he stared back. She couldn't read the expression on his face until a smirk broke out.
"Now, maybe my eyes are going, but that doesn't look like a boy, Kazuomi," he stated.
Captain Kazuomi stood in a stunned, embarrassed silence, though his face remained hard. He gripped the rope in his hand so tightly it would snap in half. He whirled around to his crew, yelling at the pirates responsible for bringing a girl to him.
As the crew cowered in fear and Kazuomi glowered at them, Ikuto leaned against the railing of the ship behind him, watching it all in amusement. Meanwhile Amu sat in a terrified silence as her grip on her ankle tightened. She was tempted to jump off the ship right now while everyone was distracted.
Worrying her lip, the pink-haired teen glanced at her surroundings, trying to figure out all the possible ways of escaping. From what she could see, they were in a harbour of some sort with a small, rundown town lining the water's edge a few yards away. It was apparent that her only way of escaping would be to jump into the water. Hadn't Ran mentioned a crocodile of some sort? Perfect. Knowing her luck, Amu would thrust herself into crocodile-infested water and get eaten before she even had a chance to escape.
She continued to look about the ship, her gaze stopping on Ikuto. He was looking back at her with another unreadable expression. She tried to keep her gaze as steady as possible without feeling uncomfortable. His emotionless persona was starting to get on her nerves. Unconsciously, Amu released her ankle and brought her hands up to her lap. The last thing she wanted to do was appear vulnerable in front of a strange boy who could easily win against her in a fight.
Ikuto's sapphire orbs flickered down, something catching his interest.
Amu fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. She wasn't an idiot. It was painfully obvious to her that he was looking at her chest. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she attempted to shake it away. She tried to convince herself she was just paranoid.
"I'm taking you with me," he stated abruptly with a sneaky expression.
With one swift movement, Ikuto stepped away from the railing and slid his arm behind her knees, one arm on her back. He hoisted her up and jumped onto the railing as she screamed and wriggled in his grasp, though he hardly seemed to notice.
With captain Kazuomi's attention finally being diverted from his crew, he swiftly turned around and unsheathed his sword. It was at this moment that he saw it. Around Amu's neck, resting on her chest was the one thing he had been searching for.
"The Humpty Lock…" he growled before jumping forward to fight Ikuto, who had clearly seen the lock as well.
Ikuto merely stuck his tongue out before jumping off the railing with Amu still screaming.
As they fell closer to the water, the pinkette was torn between kicking herself off of Ikuto and clinging to him. She settled for clinging to him while screaming.
"L-let go of me, you pervert!" She screeched.
His only response was a low chuckle in his throat before they swooped just above the water and zoomed high into the air.