Calmer of the Storm: -pokes head out- Sorry! I had fully intended to get another chapter out a week and a half ago…I was a camp counsellor last week and I had no internet. But, well, life sometimes gets in the way. But here it is! I have not at all forgotten about this story and I still stick to my promise that it will get done. I'll even start chapter nine right now…just to get things rolling. I'll warn you that this chapter isn't the most exciting…but it's leading up to something pretty big. In fact, I think the next chapter is my favourite so far. But you'll just have to wait for that one. Hehe. So enjoy this one in the mean time!

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Chapter Five: L'isola di Vita

Hikari couldn't quite believe what was going on. Given the nature of her status it was not uncommon for her to be courted by a man she had never seen before. She was lucky she even got to communicate with him; usually it was the parents who did all that. But since she didn't have any parents, she didn't have that problem. And Taichi always wanted what was best for her. Even if he was slightly overbearing, he always meant well. Anything that made her truly happy was fine in his books.

But standing here beside him as he voiced his intentions on bringing her back home while his men pointed guns at the man who was her best friend and whom she loved…well, those letters didn't seem to matter so much anymore.

As she watched Takeru lunge towards the Commander, she let out a cry of horror. It was quickly contained as her hands flew to her mouth, but her eyes were still wide with shock.

It had happened so quickly that no one had really had time to move. Everyone had fallen still, and the sound of metal blades clanging together still rang through the night air. The two men were standing only inches apart, the crossed blades of their swords the only things separating them. There was a smirk on one face and a placid look on the other.

"You will leave quietly, without the girl, and I will let you and all of your men live." There was no malice in his voice; the pirate captain was taunting the navy commander.

Willis furrowed his brow and set his jaw. "You are in no position to negotiate."

Takeru's eyes flickered towards the men that still had their guns pointed at him. He had been afraid that a gun would go off, but there had been no sign from their commander. He had been banking on the fact that the navy dogs were so well-trained that they would not even breathe unless told to, and even then they would ask in what manner they were to do so. He was glad to know he had been right.

"Your men need to learn about something called autonomous behaviour. It may have saved your plan. It may have even ended in my death. But your dogs will only do what you tell them to. Then again, you're only a dog yourself, under the command of a fat toad."

It was difficult not to get angry, but Willis knew better than to be provoked by petty insults. And it wasn't like he hadn't heard those ones before. Pirates were liars and bluffers, their greatest weapons being their tongues. And this pirate, no matter who he used to be, had the sharpest tongue of all. However, it would do him no good in battle. He was not dealing with a bunch of angry drunkards.

It looked as though the men were standing still, as if posing for an artist. In truth they were straining against each other. It was just that they were so evenly matched in strength that there was no movement. This had turned into a contest between them, to see who could hold out the longest. Their arms ached from the pressure, but neither would back down. There was too much pride for that.

"Back down, Scar. You're lucky I'm in a patient mood tonight."

The smirk on his face only grew, but he was no longer looking into the eyes of his adversary. He was looking behind him, beyond even the soldiers that guarded his back.

"I believe I told you that you should loosen their leashes a little. You should be lucky that I'm in a rather jovial mood tonight, despite my interrupted festivities. Each of your men should now be feeling the point of a blade against his back."

The connection was broken, the clang louder than it had been the first time as metal slid against metal. Still keeping an eye on Scar, Commander Willis turned to see the line of pirates that had formed behind his men. Clenching his jaw, he knew when he was defeated.

"Alright, you win this time. But don't think I'm giving up. I will hunt you. The next time I see you, you'd better be quick. Because next time I won't wait for orders."

Captain Scar was still grinning. "Not if I see you first, dear Commander. You'd better get back to headquarters, though, as you'll find that your ship has been emptied of food and water. Those cannonballs are a nice grade as well, but the next time you see them it will because they have been blasted through the hull of your ship."

The ire on the Commander's face was clear as he called off his men. They did not drop their guard, for pirates were not to be trusted. But he hoped, for the sake of Hikari, that Takeru would not do such a thing in her presence.

"Autonomy, Commander Willis. Don't forget it next time."

He pretended not to hear him.

Turning to Hikari, Willis had a gentler look in his face. He had been infatuated with the girl the first time he saw her, and his sentiments were not so different now. It hurt him to see that she would rather be in the arms of a pirate, no matter who he had been to her, than safe in a civilised environment. She deserved much better than this. She deserved a man who would remain faithful to only her. A man who would protect her with his life and yet not seek to take others. She deserved a noble man, maybe even a man better than himself. But he knew that she did not need to sink so low as to go to him. It hurt a little to know think that she must love him very much.

"That man is going to break your heart, Hikari." He said softly, so that only she could hear.

The girl nodded her head, a soft smile crossing her lips. There was a touch of sadness to it, and it almost broke the Commander's heart. "I am well aware of it."

"I won't wait forever, but if you get tired of this life…"

She nodded, her smile growing just a little. "You'll be the first one I call on."

A light smile touched his lips, the first genuine one of the night. "I'll look forward to it. See you again, my lady." Taking her hand he placed a light kiss on it, then cast a glace towards Captain Scar. The Captain had evidently seen their light and even tender exchange, and was obviously none-too-pleased about it, and Willis had been banking on it. With a smirk on his face, he turned and followed his men to the ship. He now knew how he could knock the egotistic pirate down a few notches. Hikari, no matter how much she loved him, could not wait forever. Her former best friend's antics would eat away at her soon enough, if they hadn't begun to already. If he could take the girl away from him, then perhaps things would turn in his favour. It was destiny, he decided, that had brought Hikari into his life. His feelings for her were in fact genuine; it was just a stroke of luck that the Captain's were too.

The ship was let out of the pirate city without much incident; a few straggling drunkards still lingered on the ship, and they were instantly thrown into the holding cell in the bottom of the hull. The town's inhabitants had helped out, the place was infested with pirates. The other three ships were too far out to have been pillaged, and there was no need for an attack. He had other plans now.

It was for the sake of Hikari that Takeru had not ordered a complete massacre. It was too bad, really; this particular commander had been a constant thorn in his side for the passed two years of his life. He might have allowed for something to happen had Hikari not known Willis.

It bothered him to know that the extent of their relationship went beyond mere acquaintances. Hikari had always been rather shy and quiet. Though, he supposed that a lot could change in ten years. He saw that she had come out of her shell, though whether that was due to living in the pirate world or just growing up, he didn't know. There were still traces of that shy and insecure little girl. Sometimes he saw her standing with her arms folded across her stomach, as she had when she was thrust into a new situation as a child. Of course she clutched no doll now, and it was not at the head of her bed to keep her company at night. She had given that up; that one tie to her parents that she had been so afraid of losing. Becoming stronger had inevitably attracted suitors, he had anticipated that. It was just a little more painful to actually see it in action. That small exchange between them had gotten under his skin more than he would have liked for it too, especially as the Commander had obviously wanted it to. Desperately he wanted to know what had been said between them, but he knew he had no right to ask.

Hikari came up to him then, after reflecting on what had happened. "Thank you." She said finally, after watching him a few moments.

As happy as he was about it, Takeru would not show it. "For what." He said curtly, more as a statement than as a question.

Hikari sighed; it wasn't quite the reaction she had anticipated. Something a little softer, maybe. But he had no idea what the reasoning for it was.

"For…for letting me stay. For not making me go back with him."

It was difficult to contain himself now; it was quite the thing to hear that she actually wanted to stay with him. But he still managed to do it. "You're bound to me now, for life. Besides, didn't I say you were my woman now? Captain Scar doesn't share his things. He never has."

Well, she supposed that being a possession was better than being nothing at all. For the moment, she would take it.

~*~

Time spent out on the sea did not pass as time did on land. Out in the open there were no boundaries, physical or otherwise. Time was neither friend nor foe; in many cases it did not even exist for them. Captain Scar's crew worked night and day, trading, pillaging and doing things that pirates do.

Hikari wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since she had met with Willis. She still found it odd, and she tried not to think about it so much. But things hadn't really changed with Takeru. If anything, they had simply gone back to how they had been before, when she hadn't known who he was. There were small moments, mostly times when she would catch him watching her, that gave her hope, but even these were now no longer enough. She was terrified of talking to him about it, for she did not want that sort of closure, but she was getting close to reaching the point where she needed to know. And as time went on, Commander Willis' offer was growing more and more appealing.

The sea had grown on her the last four years. Willis was a navy commander; she wouldn't necessarily have to give it up. She was not so famous that she would have to remain walled up in her home all the time; not like Takeru had been. And Willis was interested. He wasn't such a bad guy; he was everything a young girl would want in a man. He was kind and gentle, and he did have a good head on his shoulders. Being in the navy meant he had a steady income, and being so high-ranking meant that that income was better than most. He would be away a lot, but he would be faithful. And he was good-looking too, Hikari had to admit. It was just that…he wasn't Takeru.

With a sigh she realised she had stopped her chores, and was now leaning into the mop that she was supposed to be using. Well, they mostly left her alone anyways. The men of the crew tended to be a little soft on her, which was a little surprising. This only meant that she wasn't punished as severely, if even at all, when she was caught slacking off like she was now. If this was the pirate way of showing affection, of they really were just nice guys at heart, she didn't know. Either way she wouldn't question it, because something told her they would never own up to anything and her 'special treatment' might end. If there was one thing that ran common through all pirates, it was the pride. They had an image to live up to, and anything less was a disgrace.

Her gaze drifted to where the Captain stood at the bridge of the ship, just at its helm. He was engrossed in discussions with his First Mate, and they seemed serious. The latter man held open a large sheet of tattered paper, and from the light shining through it she figured it to be a map. She watched absently as they seemed to find a suitable destination, a conclusion that was reached when she noted a nod of affirmation and the map was folded up.

The Captain lifted his head, and he exuded such a force that the crew, who had also been watching their leader, stopped what they were doing to pay attention to what he would say next. "Adjust our bearing to L'isola di Vita, twenty degrees north west."

Immediately the crew jumped to action, not questioning their Captain's orders. The boom was the first thing to move; the large piece of timber had to be adjusted so that the main sail could turn the ship windward. Hikari stayed out of the way for this part, for though she had now spent a few years on a ship, she had never stuck around a crew long enough to get promoted beyond a seaman. And now she mostly worked for the doctor, with the occasional chore of cleaning the deck, like she was doing at the moment. But with the pirates scurrying about as they were, she knew that her job had been rendered pointless. Oh well, she hadn't really been all that enthusiastic about it anyways.

She was just about to dump the dirty water from her bucket overboard when she realised that she was no longer by herself. Looking up she met a pair of striking blue eyes, eyes that never ceased to cause her heart to stop for a few moments. She swallowed hard as her breathing hitched in her throat, followed by the sudden re-starting of her heart as it drummed rapidly against her ribcage.

"I want you to stay on the ship for this mission." His face was rather serious, and there was even a note of…concern? It couldn't be that.

It was a few moments before the young woman's mind could churn up a response. "Stay? Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous I…don't want anything happening to you." His voice was soft, maybe even gentle. His blue eyes were like molten sapphires, the depth of emotion swimming in them as turbulent as the seas they mirrored.

Hikari was thrown off by the sudden display of concern; he hadn't really so much as talked to her since the meeting with the commander. After claiming her as 'his', even though she still slept on the floor of his cabin, he'd done nothing to make it so. Her crimson eyes flashed for a moment, worried he might be brushing her off. "I can handle myself." Her tone was defiant; perhaps childishly so. She was just mostly angry with him; angry that he had done nothing to truly claim her.

"Not here. Not at this place."

Hikari set her jaw, giving him a hard glare before speaking again. "And what is it that you chase this time?"

"Myths, perhaps."

"And you would have me remain here, where I do not know…where I know nothing of the quest?" It was not the quest she was concerned about. It was his own well-being; she knew she wouldn't be able to stand not knowing what was happening to him. But she couldn't allow him to know this.

"Yes." His voice was stern, and she knew that this time he would truly lock her in his cabin and take with him the key.

That seemed to be the end of their conversation. In frustration she threw the mop down, not bothering to empty the bucket of dirty water that would inevitably be knocked over by one of the clumsy pirates. Let them yell at her; she didn't care. She knew this place that they were going to. She had heard the stories. The Island of Life, it was called, but it held anything but. They said that a terrible and powerful witch lived there. They said that she captured the hearts of men and ate them. They also said that she hid a great treasure, one far greater than anything the mortal realm could hide. Some said it was a fountain of youth, but Hikari found that much too cliché. There were too many stories about that sort of thing; stories that went back to the beginning of time. Quite frankly she wasn't sure what she thought about this whole thing, just that she didn't exactly relish the thought of Takeru plunging into unknown territory to face a supposedly beautiful woman. To have him fall for her and then suffer the consequences for it…it would break her heart. They said that this witch could only entrance a heart that did not fully belong to another. It would mean finding out in the worst possible way if there was any room for her in his. She couldn't have him leave her like that; not when she was so close. But there were still a few days yet before they would reach their destination. It was enough time for her to act; for her to figure out a way she was going to go with him. She would convince him, some way or another. Even if she had to break through his window to follow. If he got angry with her afterwards it would mean that he had lived, and she would, quite frankly, rather live with his wrath than exist entirely without him. Hikari did not wish to lose him to some witch, and so she would fight for him. She would be his light in the dark place that she knew he was entering.

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Calmer of the Storm: So yep. Something BIG is coming!! I think it will be a rather surprising chapter...I'll give a little hint in saying that what you think is going to happen probably isn't going to. Hehe. I like breaking conventions sometimes.