Author's Note: So, a quick reminder of where we were before the Talisman and Hitsugaya entered the picture (and my muse decided to take a vacation).
If you remember, Rukia's ship, the Soul Warrior, had been taken by Commodore Ichimaru Gin (who may or may not be a Druid and who Ichigo is quite sure is a traitor to England and working with the pirate Aizen). Rukia's men have been taken to another island and are being held captive there. Hisagi, Ichigo's first officer, is now in command of Ichigo's ship, the H.M.S.Vincent. Renji is with Matsumoto and the rest of Hitsugaya's men, on a small island off the mainland of the island of Guadeloupe.
Ichigo, having helped Rukia and the other Druids, is now most likely considered by the Royal Navy to be a traitor, and would probably hang if he returned to England. He has remembered his past life, when he lived as a Druid priest and was the husband of Natyra, who we know now to have been reincarnated as Rukia. Ichigo's sword, Zangetsu, is the spirit of an ancient Druid who inhabits the weapon and is Ichigo's teacher, in a manner of speaking. Ichigo has not told Rukia of his memories of their past lives together, and she does not remember anything of that past life.
So, with that fast recap, on to more adventures! Enjoy. -Lex
Chapter Twenty: Absolute Bearing*
Getting out of the passage proved far easier than entering it. Here on the mainland, the tunnel ended high on a bluff in a remote area, well away from the small towns that dotted the Guadeloupe coastline. From there, it was just an hour's walk to the nearest village, where Hitsugaya found them a small, run-down shack on the beach.
There was no running water to be found, but none of them complained – all were exhausted, filthy and hungry from their adventures in the cave. Ichigo, for his part, had been feeling quite strange since they left the room where the Talisman had been hidden – lightheaded, slightly dizzy - much like he had before they had left Hitsugaya's hideout. He knew now that it was the Talisman that had made him feel so sick and had triggered the strange dreamlike memories of his past life with Natyra. Although this was nothing along the lines of what had happened before, he still felt uncomfortable in his own skin, as though by absorbing the Talisman into his body, he had been somehow changed.
Several hours later, the three of them sat on the beach, cooking some fish Hitsugaya had been able to obtain from the villagers. The moonless sky was punctuated by bright stars overhead, the air was cool, but pleasant. It was a blessed relief from the dim passage under the water and they relished the breeze on their faces.
"What do you hear from the villagers?" Ichigo asked, as they ate.
"Aizen's men have been spotted in Point à Pitre," Hitsugaya replied, scowling. "He's looking for us, I'm sure of it."
"And the Soul Warrior?" Rukia asked, the loss of her crew and her ship still weighing heavily on her.
"Anchored in the harbor," Hitsugaya replied, darkly. "Ichimaru has guards posted on the decks, but the Gallant is not in port. No one has seen the Vincent, either, from what I can tell. It's likely the Commodore and his crew are looking for your ship, Captain Kurosaki."
"Hisagi will be on the lookout for Gin and his crew," Ichigo said, with a frown. "He won't let the ship fall prey to that traitor."
"We still have little to link Commodore Ichimaru to Aizen," Hitsugaya warned. "Certainly nothing that will clear your name."
"Clearing my name is the least of my concerns," Ichigo replied, dismissively. "The first order of business is to retake the Warrior."
"You've lost your mind, Kurosaki," said Hitsugaya, his face impassive. "Perhaps if I had some time to contact my men, we might consider it, but…"
"This is exactly what Ichimaru and Aizen will not be expecting," Ichigo replied, undaunted.
"Perhaps," interjected Rukia. "But it could just as easily be a trap that Ichimaru has set to recapture you and take possession of the Talisman. If that bastard Gin is a Druid…" Her voice trailed off, and Ichigo could see anger burning in her eyes.
"What other choices do we have?" Ichigo asked, impatiently. "We can't just wait here and do nothing."
Hitsugaya studied Ichigo intently across the fire. "You don't look well, Captain Kurosaki," he said, after a moment.
"I'm fine," Ichigo replied, irritated with the white-haired captain.
"No ill-effects from the Talisman?" Hitsugaya ventured. "It's been centuries that the stone has lain dormant. No one in living memory recalls the effects of…"
"I'm fine," Ichigo repeated, this time standing up despite the lingering dizziness. "I need some sleep. We all do. We'll leave in the morning. At least we can go to Point à Pitre and assess the situation."
Hitsugaya looked at Rukia, who shook her head as if to say, 'It's no use.' Then he turned back to Ichigo and said, "Have it your way, Kurosaki. But don't expect me to do something idiotic like boarding the Warrior in broad daylight."
"You weren't planning anything that…," Rukia hesitated, then finished, "…foolhardy, were you?" Ichigo's face made it plain that nothing was out of the question.
"That's my ship in the harbor, Captain," Rukia said, standing up and facing Ichigo down. Despite the fact that even on the tips of her toes she barely reached his chin, she was unintimidated. "I'll agree to go into Point à Pitre and assess the situation, but I will not risk my ship" – she stressed the words once again, for effect, "for some risky attempt which is doomed to fail."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew her better than to argue with her, at least at this juncture.
"I will send word to my men tonight," said Hitsugaya, eager to diffuse the growing tension between Ichigo and Rukia. "We will head into the port tomorrow and see what can be done."
Both Ichigo and Rukia nodded, still glaring at each other in the firelight. Hitsugaya, clearly uncomfortable, shook his head and walked off in the direction of the village, leaving Ichigo and Rukia alone by the fire. For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Then, finally, Ichigo gestured to Rukia to have a seat again on the sand. She frowned and let out a noise a bit like a kettle releasing steam, but finally acquiesced, sitting cross-legged and stretching her hands out over the fire. Ichigo sat down next to her.
For some time, neither spoke. Then, finally, Rukia looked at Ichigo and asked, "Are you going to tell me what happened in the cave?"
Ichigo stared at the fire, debating how much he should tell her, if anything.
"You said we had 'done that before'," she said, before he could respond. "You said there were 'always two'."
Ichigo decided on the middle ground. "There must always be two priests to retrieve the Talisman," he said, still not looking at her.
"Why two?" she asked.
"To touch the Talisman is to tread where living beings are not meant to exist," he explained. "I'm not sure why or how I know this, but without the second priest, the bearer of the stone would be lost to this world."
"I…I felt that you were wandering somewhere," she said, trying to put into words what she had experienced in the cave. "I called your name."
"You brought me back, Rukia," Ichigo said, unconsciously touching the palm of his hand where the Talisman had joined with him.
"How did you know I was a priest?"
At this question, Ichigo hesitated. He had many reasons for not wanting her to know yet about her past, not the least of which was his concern to protect her and the unborn child he knew she now carried. The Talisman was a dangerous and desirable object; if she was with him, he knew she would be at risk. He would help her get her ship back, then return to England alone to face whatever punishment he might find waiting for him. He hoped he could persuade the Captain-Commander of Ichimaru's treachery, but he would not risk Rukia's safety or his child's, even if it meant he would hang.
"I don't know," he lied. "I guess I knew the same way I knew that I was meant to be the one to recover the Talisman. The same way I knew how to enter Thyilea."
She did not question this, although he knew that answer would probably not placate her for long.
She yawned deeply. "We should get some rest," she said, finally, standing up.
They kicked sand over the fire to put it out, then walked up to the small shack where they had arranged makeshift beds of palm leaves. After a few minutes, Hitsugaya joined them. The moon began to rise over the water, casting shadows against the walls. Ichigo finally fell asleep, watching Rukia's chest rise and fall slowly in the dim moonlight.
They arrived in the port city of Point à Pitre late afternoon, the hot Caribbean sun beginning to descend towards the horizon. Despite the heat, both Ichigo and Hitsugaya wore hats to disguise their unusual hair color, Rukia wearing her hair in the ponytail typical of young boys who served aboard merchant ships which frequented Guadeloupe's port. From the docks, they could see the Warrior anchored out in the harbor. No Navy ships were visible in the port, although several smaller Navy launches were tied to the Warrior.
"Gin is overconfident," said Ichigo, under his breath, as they ducked behind a large stack of crates at the edge of the docks. "From the looks of it, there are only a dozen men on the ship, guarding it. The Gallant is probably anchored somewhere off the coast – it's unlikely they would have gone far."
"Our best chance is to take them by surprise, after dark," Rukia said. "If we leave before dawn, we'll be less visible to the Gallant or any other ships around."
"It'll be difficult to navigate the harbor after dark," Ichigo countered. "We might be better off swimming over to the ship and…"
"You forget, Captain Kurosaki," Hitsugaya interrupted, "that Druids have many talents. Navigating in the darkness does not present a problem for us."
"Of course, if Gin is also one of us," Rukia added, "it will not be a problem for him, either."
"True," Hitsugaya said, "but we would still have the advantage. He will have to weigh anchor to get underway." Ichigo and Rukia both nodded. "I'll see about getting us a boat to take us out to the Warrior."
"Kuchiki Enterprises has an office here. I'll send a dispatch to my brother to let him know of our plans, in case we are intercepted," Rukia said. "I can also find out if there are any of our ships in the area to assist us, should we run into trouble."
"I'll find out what has happened to the Vincent," Ichigo said. "If anyone here has seen her, I'll see if I can get word to Hisagi of our plans."
They met again well after midnight, Ichigo having been unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the Vincent despite frequenting every bar in the port city looking for information about her location. He was frustrated, having drunk a bit more than he had planned with little to show for it.
Despite his confidence in their ability to overcome the few guards that stood guard over the Warrior, no amount of alcohol could dull his growing feeling that their task would be far riskier than he had hoped. He chalked this up to his concern for Rukia, and shrugged it off, telling himself that adequate planning was far more valuable than any hunch he might have about their ultimate success.
Rukia, for her part, had sent a communiqué to her brother which she knew would probably take weeks to reach him. Still, it gave her some comfort that at least Byakuya would know of the dire situation her crew was in and perhaps be able to assist her men in obtaining their release through British diplomatic channels. There were, unfortunately, few Kuchiki ships in the Caribbean, and none anywhere near Guadeloupe, so she knew they could not count upon help from her brother in the short term.
The only one who had not come back empty-handed was Hitsugaya, who had succeeded in procuring them a small boat without raising any questions. He clearly knew the area better than either Rukia or Ichigo, and his connections to the people of Guadeloupe ran deep. He was conversing with a grizzled old man at the waterfront in French when Rukia and Ichigo returned.
"Pierre here has agreed to loan us a skiff, no questions," he told them as he handed the old man several silver coins. "He'll meet us back here in one hour with the boat." He turned to the old man and said, "À trois heures, alors?" The old man nodded and grinned toothlessly and slipped into the darkness.
"Were you able to get word to your men?" Rukia asked, after the old man had left.
"The Ice Dragon is being readied," he replied, motioning them over to an empty warehouse. "She's about seven miles from here and, given the lack of wind, probably three or four hours from the harbor. Assuming we can overpower the guards aboard the Warrior, we'll need to time our departure from the harbor carefully."
An hour later, they left from one of the run-down docks at the edge of the harbor on Pierre's rickety wooden boat, using planks of wood as makeshift paddles to speed their way across the water in the darkness. The harbor was calm, the wind still light. They rowed slowly, hiding behind other boats so they would not be seen.
Pulling up silently alongside the boat anchored nearest to the Warrior, Ichigo, Rukia and Hitsugaya slipped into the cool water. From here, they would swim up to the side of the tall ship, careful not to attract any attention from the guards they could see walking up and down its decks.
"The ladder is up," Ichigo whispered, as they drew up alongside. "We might be able to toss a rope up to the aft windows in the captain's quarters and force one open."
"No need," Hitsugaya replied, coolly, lifting his right hand out of the water. His sword glowed slightly blue in the darkness. "You need to start to think like one of us, Captain," he added, with a scowl, "or you'll end up dead before this is over."
Ichigo frowned, but said nothing as something snaked out of the tip of Hitsugaya's weapon: a rope that seemed to be made of blue light. It reached up towards the deck and inside of one of the openings on the top deck of the ship that housed the Warrior's cannons. The blue rope then neatly twisted itself neatly around the barrel of the canon. Hitsugaya pulled it taut, then gestured to Ichigo.
"You go first," he said. "I'll bring up the rear."
Ichigo nodded, grabbing a hold of the rope of light and beginning to climb, stopping to look and listen from time to time to be sure the guards had not been alerted to their presence. Rukia followed, climbing the rope with practiced ease. In spite of himself, Ichigo smiled, remembering his initial discomfort with Rukia's strength when he had first met her, months ago now. Now he found that strength more than just attractive; it was almost intoxicating.
They crawled onto the ship under the heavy cannon – a small space barely large enough to accommodate them, but which under cover of darkness provided them with a view of the fore and aft decks. There were about a half-dozen men above decks, each armed with long-arm rifles, with pistols at their sides. Ichigo's own men carried such weapons, although on the Vincent he discouraged their use except in rare situations, preferring to fight with cannons which were better-equipped for the long-range battles at sea.
Ichigo's sword glowed blue in the darkness, and he began to crawl out from under the cannon. At this, Hitsugaya grabbed his shoulder to stop him. Ichigo glared at Hitsugaya.
"If you release your sword, Captain," said Hitsugaya, irritated, "you'll alert Aizen and Gin."
"But you just…," Ichigo began.
"I used a low-level incantation to create the rope," Hitsugaya interrupted impatiently. "You have not learned such restraint with your weapon."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed, but he realized Hitsugaya was right – he had barely learned to control the power he had possessed before he had obtained the Talisman, let alone the powers he knew must now be available to him.
"What's your plan, then?" he asked, finally.
"You must surrender."
"What?!" Ichigo nearly shouted.
Hitsugaya scowled. "Obviously, it will be a ruse. Rukia and I will take care of the men below decks and ready the anchor."
"How do you plan to raise the sails before Ichimaru blocks off the entrance to the harbor?" Ichigo demanded. "It'll take us hours to ready the ship to sail and there's hardly any wind."
"I'll take care of it," Hitsugaya replied. He was not a man used to having his orders questioned, and Ichigo had clearly raised his hackles.
"There are still a few things you haven't learned about us," Rukia added, trying to mollify Ichigo. "We'll have her ready to sail before dawn without alerting Gin. You just need to keep the British Navy occupied for an hour or so."
Feeling more than slightly inadequate, Ichigo nodded and said, "I can handle the British Navy. I'll be waiting for your signal." His sword vanished, and he crept out onto the deck.
"Who's there?!" shouted one of the guards, running over towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised his hands and looked down at the barrel of a gun.
"Don't shoot!" Ichigo shouted, taking a deep breath. "I'm unarmed."
Several other men ran over to join their comrade, guns raised. In the dim light, Ichigo could barely make out their faces.
"Captain Kurosaki? Is that you?"
"Yes," Ichigo replied, his hands still up in the air.
"I'm Jones, sir," said the one of the men. He was young, not more than seventeen, with blonde hair. "Do you remember me, sir? I was aboard the Vincent when you were first mate," he said.
"He's a wanted man, Jones," growled one of the other men, using the butt of his gun to move Ichigo towards the main deck.
"I don't believe it," said Jones. "Man don't have a dishonest bone in his body. I saw him save one o' me mates' lives. Didn't bat an eye, he did. Just dove into the water…"
"Shut up," snapped the other man. "We have our orders. You want a floggin' do ya, Jones?"
"Captain Kurosaki," Jones said, ignoring the warning. "Is it true what they say?"
"It doesn't matter," Ichigo said, "I'm turning myself in."
"What?" said one of the other men.
"You heard him, Scofield," Jones said, "he's turnin' himself in. He's an honest man, I tell ya."
A fourth man, wearing the uniform of an officer, joined the other three. "What do we have here?" he asked.
"Says he's Captain Kurosaki," said Scofield. "Wants to turn himself in."
The officer walked up to Ichigo and looked at him carefully. His eyes widened in recognition. Several more men ran over to the group, and the officer turned to one and said, "Contact the Commodore. Tell him we have Kurosaki. We'll await his orders."
"Aye, aye, sir!" said the sailor, saluting. He ran off down the deck in the direction of the rope ladder and the launches.
"Bring him to the captain's quarters," said the officer to the other men. "You – James and Marshall, stay here and alert the others. Tell them to keep their eyes open. He could have brought others with him."
Several minutes later, Ichigo stood against the bulkhead in the captain's quarters, his hands bound behind him. The officer, who Ichigo had learned was named Garfield, sat at a table watching him with interest. Two guards stood at attention by the door, armed.
"So, Captain Kurosaki," said Garfield, leaning back in his chair. "I've heard you've gotten yourself into a spot of trouble. Met any pirates lately?"
Ichigo glared at the man, but said nothing. This did not appear to be the response Garfield had hoped for, and he stood up and walked over to Ichigo.
"Traitors hold no sway over honest men," said Garfield, sneering. "I don't care if your rank is higher than mine – you are filth."
He took the back of his hand and slapped Ichigo hard across the face. Ichigo inhaled sharply and bit his tongue – he wouldn't give the other man the satisfaction of seeing him flinch. He could feel warm blood run from his nose.
"Cat got your tongue, eh?" Garfield hissed, his face so close to Ichigo's that he could smell a slight hint of rum on the officer's breath. "There are ways to loosen it up. I'm sure the Commodore would appreciate it if I could hand you to him with a confession. We have a right good cat ready for just such an occasion."
"I've done nothing wrong," said Ichigo, trying to buy some time. Protocol, he knew, would prohibit Garfield from doing much without speaking to his commanding officer. Still, the man was clearly interested in impressing Gin, and the last thing Ichigo wanted was having all the men up on decks for a public flogging. It would be easier for Hitsugaya and Rukia to pick them off in smaller groups.
"You'd damn well better hurry up," he thought, looking away from Garfield to try to diffuse the situation. If they delayed too long, Gin would easily be able to move his ship to block the Warrior at the harbor entrance.
There was a knock on the door and the man called Marshall came in and saluted. "We've found no one else aboard," he said to Garfield. At this news, Ichigo was relieved.
"Good," replied Garfield. "But keep an extra eye out, just in case. If what I hear about this one is true," – he looked back at Ichigo with disdain – "he's got dangerous friends."
Marshall nodded and, with a quick salute, walked back out of the room, closing the doors behind him.
Rukia followed silently behind Hitsugaya. They had already taken care of nearly a -dozen of the men aboard, knocking them unconscious and tying them up in the cargo hold. From what they had seen, Ichigo had been right – there were only fourteen men aboard and three of them were in the captain's quarters with Ichigo. They would need to subdue the remaining five men who watched the decks before they could raise the sails.
"We don't have much time," Rukia whispered, looking out at the horizon. "In an hour, the sun will be up and we'll have lost the advantage."
Hitsugaya scowled. "Once we fill the sails, any Druid within a few miles will know what we're up to. We must wait until the last moment." Then, pointing her in the direction of the captain's quarters, he said, "I'll handle the men above decks. I'll leave it to you to get Kurosaki out of there – you know the layout better than I." She nodded, and they went their separate ways.
She walked slowly down the narrow hall that lead from the forward compartments to the aft. She put her hand on the bulkhead, visibly relieved to be back aboard her ship at long last. She knew this ship better than anyone, and it held a few surprises the Navy had not yet found. She leaned on the bulkhead near the stairs and the panels pivoted, leaving a narrow opening into a foot-wide passage that paralleled the hallway. Then, silently, she closed the panels once more.
It was dark in the hidden passage, although she knew her way well. Despite this, she had always hated tight spaces, too used to the open air of the ocean to be comfortable in such cramped quarters. She took a deep breath and moved sideways; there was barely an inch in front of and behind her. Reaching the end of the passage at the back end of the ship, she felt in the darkness for the wooden ladder she knew was there. She climbed up the ladder, taking care not to make a sound – she knew she was only inches from her quarters now, and she had no intention of alerting its occupants to her presence.
"Just a little bit further," she thought, pushing herself into another narrow space above her bedroom. Pulling herself along by her elbows, she reached the louvered opening over her bed. She smiled – this passage had also made any of the hot Caribbean nights more tolerable, serving the dual purpose of venting the cabin and escape route.
She peered down through the vent. The door to the bedroom was open, and she could see Ichigo standing at the far side of the main cabin, against the wall. His hands were tied tightly behind his back and his nose was bloodied. The officer who had taken him below decks stood inches away from Ichigo, his back to her. She could see two guards at the doorway.
She paused, sensing Hitsugaya subdue the other five men. He would start to raise the sails now. It was unlikely anyone would hear the sails being raised, but they would eventually have to raise the anchor. That, she knew, would hardly be a silent proposition.
She heard voices below. She could see the officer walk over to Ichigo and hit him again, and she cringed to see his bloodied face struck once more. Quietly, she lifted the grate.
Ichigo looked up at the movement, and, to cover his surprise said, "The Commodore will be disappointed that you have been able to extract nothing from me."
This comment achieved its intended effect, for the officer did not notice Rukia, but hit Ichigo once more. Ichigo turned his head away from the man and spat on the floor.
"The Commodore has told me about you, Captain," said Garfield, his upper lip curling in a sneer. "Apparently, you need a little more motivation." He turned to one of the guards and motioned him over. "I think the Captain here needs some convincing."
The guard smiled and put his gun back on his belt. Then, with apparent relish, he punched Ichigo in the stomach. Ichigo doubled over, coughing.
"Not enough for you, eh?" taunted Garfield. He nodded at the guard, who punched Ichigo once again.
"Stop it!"
Both men turned to see Rukia standing behind them. Her face was hard; her violet eyes burned with anger. Her hair, which had come untied in the crawlspace, tumbled onto her shoulders.
"What do we have here?" laughed Garfield.
Rukia smiled and glanced from Ichigo back to the men.
"Pretty little thing, aren't you?" he said, in response. "Lost your charming captain?"
The remaining guard moved from the door towards her, gun pointed at her heart.
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, kicking Garfield in the groin. Garfield dropped to his knees and moaned in pain.
Rukia spun around and kicked the gun out of the approaching guard's hands. It clattered to the floor, as the second guard scrambled to react. There was a slight glow of white-blue, and Rukia pulled her sword from behind her back, hitting Garfield over the head with the hilt. He fell onto the ground, unconscious.
The second guard grabbed Rukia by the arm, but she easily slipped from his grip, ducking underneath him and tripping him from behind with a well-placed foot. He staggered back slightly, and grabbed the gun from his belt. He tried to take hold of her once again, but she elbowed him hard in the gut. He gasped and bent forwards and she hit him at the back of her neck with her sword.
Ichigo, still bound, moved to the center of the room towards the guard who was reaching for his gun. He kicked the gun, and it skittered across the floor towards the doorway. The guard who had punched Ichigo punched him once again, then hit him hard on the back with his elbow. Ichigo fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Ichigo!" shouted Rukia, ignoring the guard and running over to the orange-haired captain. She pointed her sword at the guard and put her left hand to Ichigo's face. She could feel his life force burn strong, and she knew he wasn't badly injured.
The guard smiled knowingly and Rukia's eyes narrowed in anger. She ran at the guard with her sword, but he bent down and picked up his gun, pointing at her in triumph.
"Drop the sword, missy," the guard commanded.
Rukia, unwilling to use her Druid powers and risk alerting Gin, did as she was told. The sword fell to the ground and then vanished. The guard's jaw dropped and, in the split second when he looked down in surprise, Rukia kicked him in the face with all her might. She grabbed the gun from his hand, and it discharged into the ceiling. She ignored this, instead punching the man in the face and knocking him unconscious.
Panting, Rukia stood up again and walked over to Ichigo, who still lay on the floor, motionless. She rematerialized her sword and cut the ropes that bound his arms, putting her left hand to his temple. It glowed slightly blue, and Ichigo moaned.
"You alright?" she said to the dazed captain.
He blinked and nodded, pulling himself up into a sitting position and looking around the room.
"Impressive," he said, looking around the room with a lopsided smile.
She grinned and helped him up. "Let's get them tied up," she said, pulling some rope from a cabinet in the corner of the cabin. He raised an eyebrow. "I am always prepared, Captain," she laughed.
"Where's Hitsugaya?" Ichigo asked, as they finished binding and gagging the three men.
"With a little luck, he's already hoisting the sails," she replied. Then, looking out the large windows of the cabin, she added, "And it's about time, too. The sun will be up soon."
They headed out the doors and towards the stairs that led above decks. Ichigo hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Rukia asked. "Are you feeling dizzy again?"
The truthful answer was that, yes, he was feeling dizzy once more. He had no doubt it had something to do with the stone. The feeling that he had experienced as they sat on the beach had continued to intensify, and he had begun to realize that something within him was changing. He could not put his finger on it, but he was quite sure that he was no longer the same man as he had been before the Talisman had merged with his body. Still, he did not want to worry her.
"No," he lied. "I'm fine." He smiled at her.
She scowled, but he laughed and pulled her to him, kissing her soundly on the mouth. She wanted to protest, to tell him that this was hardly the time for such behavior, but found herself instead kissing him back.
"Let's go," Ichigo said, finally. She found herself laughing at the impish grin on his face. "We've got a ship to take back."
*Absolute Bearing: The bearing of an object in relation to north. Either true bearing, using the geographical or true north, or magnetic bearing, using magnetic north. Sailors would take a "bearing" to determine where they were on the ocean and, to make their way to their destination.