Chapter 14: Religion is Perception, God is True
Disclaimer: I only own the OCs and –plot- to this particular fic.
Sorry for the long wait, hopefully this will sate your thirst for more pirating fun! The title is self-explanatory as we go through the chapter.
"Lemme go! I'll kill ya! I swear I'll cut ye throat if'n ya don' lemme go!" Shinn screamed and struggled as Gilbert dragged him into his cabin, Rey quickly following.
"No you shan't! You will shut up and be a good boy for once in your miserable life or I'll hang you myself, I will! I will not have this screaming and talk of killing my person from mine own son! I won't have it!" Gil shouted and threw Shinn onto the floor.
He gasped as the air rushed out of his lungs and then struggled onto his feet, but was too weak and drained and so scrambled backward, away from the two men who looked at him with greedy expressions.
He was bloodied from head to toe, and covered in mud and dirt. He was soaking wet and shivered not only from the cold, but from the looks in Gilbert Durandal and Rey's eyes.
'Brother, help me…' he whimpered.
"Blast it! This shouldn't have happened! He shouldn't have found us! This location isn't on any maps, nor is it even close to any land mass, not within a five thousand mile radius from each side! We were supposed to be safe! How could they have found us? How could they have beaten us!?" Kira bellowed as he paced the length of his cell.
"Shut yer yap, pirate! We found yas how we found yas, and that's that! 'Tis no point in arguin' wit yerself about it!" one of his guards yelled at him.
"I swear ye'll all pay for this! I'll slaughter ya'll while yiz sleep!" Cagalli shrieked and banged against the bars of her cage.
"Oi! Quit wit that! You won't do no such thing so much as we're guarding yiz!" her guard said while another pushed her away from the bars of the cage.
"Yeah an' quit yer shriekin' or we'll cut out yer tongue!" he barked.
She snarled at him and threw herself at the cage and they started ramming the ends of their guns into her head and shoulders, wherever they could reach her through the bars.
She scrambled back and coughed up some blood, still glaring at the men. Athrun and Kira both tore at their bars, reaching out to harm the men who were hurting her.
"Back wit ye! She ain't worth it no how anyways! Back I say!" their guards shouted and pushed them back.
"You jest wait ye cowardly dogs! We'll get free and then ye'll regret every last deed against us! If not by our own hands ye'll be punished fer sure!" Yzak bellowed.
"Yer the ones who need to be punished for all your piratin' ways and so forth! God shall have his just revenge for ye scurvy bloodhounds! I pity every mother's son what suffered under yer cruel hands!" another guard replied.
"Blasphemy I say! Ye know not wot we've been through and wot we've done, what be ye to judge us so? To hell with ye! To hell with all of ye!" Mwu yelled.
"Ye better pray for your souls, for they are blacker than the crow's breast they are!" Dearka added darkly.
"Shut yer gobs! Ye be speakin' lies wit yer forked tongues! Woe to those who pillage and murder for their own merriment! Ye shall be cast down under the Earth come Judgment Day, and we'll rise to Heaven and enjoy the fruit of our good deeds!" one particularly religious guard bellowed.
"If I go down to the depths, I'll bring' ye wit me I will!" Cagalli shouted. The other pirates bellowed in agreement, further agitating and scaring the guards as they howled and made noise as if Hell were opened up and pouring its contents onto the ship.
They had no idea how close they were to that very deed.
"Now Shinn, I am your father and therefore know what's best for you, so you shall come back with me and attend a proper school so as to be educated in society's ways and not be a crooked scoundrel destined for the gallows and Hell beyond. And if I so see fit, you shall be under the second care of Rey Za Burrell (sp?), at least until I find a woman fit for your marriage, as it appears the female company you are used to is all you know. I will forgive you of your many sins, but God is your true judge, always remember that! What say you to that, then, my son?" Gil told the boy.
Shinn hesitated, the last statement throwing him off.
"I…I…I won't! Kira never done me any harm and I enjoys his company! I like sailing the seas and explorin' the lands! I won't be thrown in some jail of a schoolhouse to be knocked around and told I'm stupid and wrong and should die for only doin' what I know to be right and true by mine heart! And I won't be his!" he spat and pointed at Rey, hatred and fear glowing within his red orbs.
"Of course you will! I will not have you act this way! You will do exactly as I say or you shall hang with your brother and the rest of those mongrels! The sooner you accept that, the sooner you will see that I am right and that I am only doing this for your own good! I detest being cruel to you, but if I must in order for you to understand and behave accordingly then I shall!" Gil replied hotly and twisted his arm behind his back; he motioned for Rey to come forward as Shinn screamed.
Rey flinched at Shinn's screams as the boy flailed about and cried, falling back down to his knees and pleading with everything to make this pain go away.
"If you will agree to behave and do what I and Rey say then I shall let you go, until then, however, I must hold the demon in you back!" Durandal told him.
"No! Lemme go! Help! It hurts!" Shinn screamed and panted heavily, shrieking with agony.
"Sir, I'm sure he's not within his right mind at the moment, maybe we should wait and let him rest." Rey said to Gil, looking worriedly at his friend.
"No, he must be dealt with now, or he will continue to defy me and you as well, the sooner he submits, the better he will become, until he can make his own decisions correctly. He is but a boy, and does not know the ways of the world yet, and I must show him those ways, or he shall never survive on his own." Gil told him calmly.
Tears streaked down Shinn's face as he bent toward the ground, his nose almost touching the floor. His lip was bleeding because he was biting down so hard.
"Shinn, submit and agree to behave and do what we say, and I shall let you go, that is all you have to do, 'tis not difficult, my son. It pains me to do this to you, but I must, for your own sake." Gil said softly.
Bruised and abused, battle-worn, confused, afraid, angry, and saddened by all that has happened since the moment he was born, Shinn uttered a cry and said, "Fine! Just let me go! Please! It hurts!"
"That's my boy." Gilbert said and released him, the boy collapsing and clutching his hurt arm.
"Do with him what you will for now; I will get you both when dinner is prepared." Gil told Rey, who went closer to Shinn and held him as he cried and shook.
When he left, Shinn struggled to break free from Rey's grasp, knowing what was about to befall him if Rey took his father's words to heart and used this to his advantage.
'Please no, not again, I learned my lesson, I did!' he thought as he struggled.
"Shinn! Stop this!" Rey said, not letting go of the younger boy.
"No! You stop!" Shinn yelled and struggled even harder.
Rey's features hardened and he slammed Shinn's back against the floor, knocking the wind out of him.
Shinn's mouth flew open as a gush of air escaped him and his vision became hazy with small lights flashing; he was stunned into paralysis for a moment, which was enough time for Rey to close the distance between their two mouths in a kiss.
Shinn's wide eyes opened even wider, if possible, and then they fluttered closed as he gave up. His body shut down on him, and his arms fell next to his head as he relaxed the muscles.
Rey lifted his head to look into Shinn's now-dull eyes. He pinned his arms down with his hands and straddled him properly, waiting for Shinn to start struggling again, but the boy barely even moved. Tears continued streaking down his blood and dirt stained face, leaving clear lines.
Rey sighed and wiped his face off with his hand. Shinn's eyes stared up at the ceiling without really seeing, and his limbs were limp and nearly lifeless.
"I'll allow you to rest some, then, since you've been through more than enough this day. But tomorrow I shall have you, whether you refuse to be had or not." He said firmly.
Some life came back to Shinn's eyes as he slowly turned his head to look at Rey and then swallowed, sighing and closing his eyes while his head rolled to the side.
Rey got up and carried Shinn to the bed where he curled up with him; Shinn stayed still for a moment, then turned and buried his face in Rey's neck while wrapping his arm's around him.
More tears escaped underneath his eyelids.
Rey sighed and brushed some hair out of Shinn's face. He never wanted to hurt the boy; he loved him, or at least thought he did. He really didn't care if Shinn was a pirate or a schoolboy, as long as they could be together was all that mattered to him. However, in order to have him, he had to play along with Gilbert's rules. He was surprised and elated as it was that Gil would allow Shinn to fall under his care, for he thought that the rich man would not allow Shinn to be "defiled" as people called it, by the likes of him.
Shinn's breathing became regular as he slowly drifted off to sleep, his tense muscles finally relaxing completely.
Rey smiled and kissed his forehead.
Lacus Clyne woke up in a strange cabin, alike to Kira's, but different in that it looked more classy and rich.
She slowly got up, pulling the sheets of the bed around her small frame as she continued to look the cabin over. There was a small table near the door, and a desk and nightstand on either side of the bed. The room was spacious, but not overly huge.
Pictures and medals and decorations of the like hung on the wooden walls, and the steady sway of the waves rocking the ship made her realize where she must be.
'Oh dear, I wonder where Kira and the others are…he told me that if they ever got captured to run, but I seem to be captured as well. What will they do to me? What of Cagalli and the crew? And Kira…will they hang Kira? Oh please, please be alright Kira…I…I love you…' she thought and sobbed into her hands, worried about her friends' fate.
"Why shed tears, poor child? No one is going to hurt you; I'm under the impression that those rogues kidnapped you from your own home, but I shall return you to your home once our ship is restored and able to sail." She heard a kind yet familiar voice say to her.
She looked up and wiped her eyes to see Rau and gasped, pulling the sheets tighter around her.
"They didn't kidnap me! I…Cagalli and I..." she stopped, remembering the rest of her and Kira's conversation concerning the subject.
-Flashback-
"Lacus, if you are captured with us, which I truly hope does not happen, ye must lie and say that we kidnapped ye. If they find out ye joined us willingly, they'll count you as a pirate as well and hang ye wit' the rest of us. I won't have that happen to ye, Lacus, so please, tell them that we kidnapped ye and then forget about me if ever we be captured by them. I shall try my hardest to escape that possibility, but 'tis not up to me what befalls us in the future. Do ye understand?" Kira has told her.
Tears were falling down her cheek. "But why? I won't walk away and let you hang! I…I treasure you too much, besides, we shan't be captured, we'll run all our lives if we must, be we shall never be captured by those foul men who call themselves Justice! I shall not forsake you, Kira. Do not ask me to." She said nobly.
"Lacus, please, it would pain me too much to see ye hang because of me. I cannot guarantee that I shall escape if ever I be captured, but I shall try, but if I cannot, ye must leave and go far away, and ye must find another lover who will do ye right and have many children and forget about me forever, okay? I…I love you, Lacus, and I cannot bear to lose you." He told her, cupping her cheeks with his hands and kissing her.
She hugged him tightly and cried onto his shoulder.
"It will pain me to, but I shall lie and tell them ye kidnapped me then, if you want me to so badly, but I will not let you hang, I'll rescue ye all by meself if'n I has to!" she cried.
He chuckled. "Listen to ye, talkin' like a pirate already." He said and smiled at her. She smiled back, tears still flowing form her eyes. He wiped them away and kissed her again.
-End Flashback-
"Ye what, milady?" Rau asked, stepping closer.
"We, we was kidnapped by those awful men, Cagalli and I. But please, be kind to them, I would rather them not hang, for they are simply misguided and need the healing power of God to save their poor souls, please allow them that chance." She pleaded, suddenly getting an idea.
"Nay child, they shall be hanged, but bless yer heart for your kind thinking, even though it is wasted on heartless vagabonds such as them. I have been chasing them for far too long to show any mercy." He replied.
"They are not heartless vagabonds! They're nice people if you just get to know them!" she exclaimed and gasped.
He looked at her suspiciously.
"I am sorry, but they did not treat me badly, and I do not believe that they should be punished so severely." She amended, hoping that he would believe her story.
'I almost blew it! Kira would be mad at me if I don't stick with the story. Focus, Lacus!' she told herself.
"I see, but there is nothing I can do but to hang them for their many crimes, whether they be good people or not. Besides, 'tis been a long day, and you must be tired, please, rest some more and then I shall bring ye some dinner." He told her.
She nodded and watched as he left, then sighed and continued sobbing.
Nicol woke up in the infirmary, pressure hard against his chest where a small hole reminded him of the gunshot.
He tried to sit up but could barely move.
"Steady now, young man, ye took a nasty wound near your heart, we got the bullet out but ye lost a lot of blood, just stay still for a while, lad." He heard a voice say near him.
Siegel Clyne stood next to his bed, his hand on his arm.
Nicol relaxed slightly. "Where am I? What happened?" he asked in a hoarse voice. His throat stung.
"You're on the S. S. Voltaire, your Captain and crew has been captured and will hang once we reach the PLANTs, however, they said that you were kidnapped from the S. S. Blitz, is that true?" Siegel asked him.
"Yes sir." Nicol croaked out. He, Dearka, and Yzak were all instructed to plead the kidnapped bargain as well, but Dearka and Yzak never fully agreed, stating that they were full-blooded pirates and always have been in their hearts and would never go back to The Service. However, Nicol knew that the more people free, the better chance to break the others out of jail before they hung at the gallows.
"Very well, I shall tell Rau of your predicament." Siegel replied.
A groan on the other side of the room startled Nicol, and he quickly glanced to see a man with purple hair holding his stomach and looking quite pale in a bed.
"Oh relax, Yuuna, the fight is over and the storm has calmed a bit." Siegel told him harshly.
"Ohhh, did we win?" he groaned again.
Siegel sighed. "Yes, the pirates, along with Cagalli, have been captured." He told Yuuna.
"Good, when can I get off this blasted ship with my wife?" Yuuna groaned again, still clutching his stomach.
"As soon as it gets fixed enough to sail to the PLANTs, which I have no way of knowing for sure at the moment. Talk with the Cap'n about that." Clyne answered.
Yuuna moaned again and turned around.
"Who is that?" Nicol asked quietly.
"Yuuna, he hired us to find Cagalli Ula Attha, who apparently went missing from ORB and was believed to be on the Freedom with her brother, Kira. Is this true?" he told Nicol.
"Yes." Nicol answered, not wanting to give away too much information.
"Then the blond we have in our cells is truly Cagalli, I will tell the Captain immediately what you have told me. Anything else?" Siegel asked, wondering about a certain rumor about his own daughter…
"What of Lacus? She has pink hair and blue eyes, is she alright? I was trying to get her to safety…" Nicol said, wondering if he had said too much.
"Lacus? I will ask if she is here." Clyne replied, troubled and worried about his daughter's fate.
He left Nicol to think over all that has happened, and to devise a plan…
-Author's Note: Hey! I actually finished this! Woohoo! While this isn't the end of the fic, I'm going to end it soon and then create a sequel, because I think that would be best. I'm sorry for the long wait, everything's been hectic and I've had Writer's Block, but hopefully I will be able to update soon, if not, just keep reminding me to. Please review and tell me what you think, any questions, comments, or ideas are greatly appreciated! I am starting to resurrect the mangled corpse of the plot to this, so hopefully it will be a success! Peace out!-