Calmer of the Storm: Uhh….hi! So I realise that this chapter is a long time coming…with the epic failure of my last chapter (despite my thinking otherwise, lol), the start of school and a crazy busy schedule I haven't been able to get anything up. I can't say when the next chapter is coming out, but I do actually have the end more-or-less written, which is inspiration for me.

Enjoy!

~*~

Chapter Nine: Decisions

As the rays of sunlight poured into the window, this time it was Hikari who had woken first. The light in her eyes was startling as she was not used to it; usually the sun remained hidden behind the dense curtains. Groggily the girl sat up, her eyes drifting to the bed where Takeru remained, still heavily draped in slumber. She then looked towards the source of the light; he had forgotten to close the curtains the night before. That was very out of character for him; he was a creature of habit, even a perfectionist at times. He must have been in quite the occupied state of mind for him to forget something like that.

Knowing that she would not fall asleep again, Hikari pulled herself from her mat. Quietly she moved to the window where she drew the thick material across them, effectively blotting out most of the light that was making its way through. She did not know when he had come in last night, but she knew it was late. The Captain deserved his sleep, and none of the crew would be lively this morning anyways. Besides, she needed time to think…time to plan.

When she made it down into the mess hall portion of the ship, there were a few others down there. The food wasn't exactly something to really be enjoyed, but she had gotten used to it after a few months. On this ship in particular it was better than most, but that was simply because they were the best at what they did, thus being able to bring in more supplies. Placing herself at the end of one of the tables, closest to the kitchen, she began eating her bowl of stew.

The girl was halfway through her meal when another came to sit with her. She didn't have to look up to know who it was; she saw the thick scar that knotted up his arm. She was not uncomfortable in his presence, as one might think she would be. Given the reputation that he had behind him, it would be quite understandable if she didn't enjoy her present company. But Hikari had always found the Cook to be a good sort of man to talk to, even with the blood-soaked legends that were in his wake.

"Yer not sleepin' in this mornin'", he stated.

A smile graced her lips, "Someone forgot to close the curtains last night."

The Cook smiled in response, knowing full well who she was referring to. He of all people was not oblivious to the effect that the girl had on Captain Scar, and nor was he oblivious to the effect he had on her. The two were absolutely smitten with each other; it was just a matter of getting them to sort it all out. He knew very well that things were complicated; this girl was from a life of high-society. And he liked to think he knew Takeru well enough to know why he would be struggling with this. There were reasons he had chosen the boy to be his successor, and it was not simply because he needed one not of his family line. It was true that he wanted nothing more than to attain the power that the witch held, but there was something about the boy that had caused him to think about other things. Initially he had meant to kill him when the ransom was not paid, however the boy's innocence had stopped him. Not that killing innocents had ever really bothered him before, but it was almost like there was something more…something in the boy's future that he could not really foresee, only feel. So far, Takeru had not let him down.

"Ah, well, the boy's got a lot on 'is mind." He was pressing for something, his tone indicative of this more than his words.

This fact was not lost on Hikari, though she could offer him nothing. There wasn't anything more to tell. "Mmmhmm."

The Cook was not stupid; he knew when things were not going well. So he chose not to press the matter any further.

A silence fell, and the two of them sat in it while Hikari finished the rest of her breakfast.

It was when she was finished that a thought occurred to her. In the silence her mind had been churning; she had figured out a plan, it was just a matter of when she was going to be able to execute it.

"When is the next supply run?" The question was innocent enough; she could be making small talk, for all her companion knew.

The Cook look a little confused by her question, but other than that was not at all put out by it. "Today, actually." He motioned to the stew, "As ya can see, we're gettin' a little low."

Hikari nodded, she'd just gotten her break. She was a little nervous that it had come so soon, however she knew she would be unable to wait until the next time. If she were to go back on her decision now it would only be the cause of more heartache and confusion, and that wasn't something she wanted to relive. Takeru wasn't going to change, and she didn't need the time to convince herself again that he could.

~*~

It was in the late morning when the preparations were being made to set out. The ship had set sail again that morning when the Captain had awoken, much to the chagrin of his crewmen, much earlier than anyone had anticipated. He seemed to realise that this day was important for the survival and morale of his crew (for, without food, he knew very well that a ship full of pirates would do nothing) and wanted to get it underway as soon as possible.

It was not until that point that Hikari had gotten a chance to talk to the Captain, due to her having to keep to her own duties and also not getting close to Takeru for all the running around he was doing. She had stopped him rather abruptly, almost shocking him. She had never gone on any of the supply runs; then again, he didn't typically either. And he hadn't planned on going on this one.

"I want to go." She said, the resolve and determination set firmly on her face.

Takeru was about to protest, but he knew that Hikari could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be. Judging by the look on her face, she didn't seem like she was all that willing to compromise on this matter.

"Why?" He finally asked, though it was clear through his clipped tone that he was not exactly pleased.

"There are some things I need to take care of." She said, and the finality in her tone told him she would be giving him no more information on the matter.

They stared each other down a moment, and Takeru knew he was fighting a losing battle.

Finally, he sighed. "Alright, then, but take too long and we're leaving without you." A lie, of course; he could never leave her anywhere. But he had to at least make it sound good, and that wasn't difficult when he was rather annoyed with her at the moment.

Hikari had not missed it; the 'we're' had indicated that he would be joining them as well. It didn't matter; everything was already set.

The ride over to the mainland, to the port city of Verra, was long and quiet. They had taken two smaller vessels, each of the crew members dressed in merchant uniforms. The city was controlled by the government, obviously, and it was a danger to be a pirate. Captain Scar and his men were frequents there, however the townspeople were not so noble as everyone liked to think. The keepers of Verra had always prided themselves in keeping a safe city, for no pirates ever attacked and none were ever found walking its streets. What the officials did not know was that there was a silent agreement between the pirates and the various merchants and tradesmen of the town; as long as supplies were sold, there would be no need for pillaging. Despite the ruthless and selfish behaviours the pirate world seemed to have acknowledged the fact that in order for them to survive on stealing gold, the economy needed to be kept afloat in order for there to actually be gold to steal. The men who guarded the town were either involved or oblivious, each of which made it quite easy for a pirate to sneak in.

Once docked, Hikari set off on her own. She had indicated that the business she needed to take care of was out of her own interests, and she would not require any help. Her tone had also spoke volumes of the fact that she did not want any help either; which meant no one was to follow. Though Captain Scar was tempted, for the curiosity was gnawing at his gut, he managed to refrain himself from following her.

The girl was not familiar with the winding streets of the city; however it wasn't all that difficult. The people were agreeable; despite its dealings with pirates it was actually quite clean. The cobblestone roads were wide and easily traversed, though the buildings were tall and suffocating. But she found what she was looking for without too much trouble, and even less after she had asked a few of the guardsmen where to find it.

With a deep breath, Hikari entered the Navy Outpost with a letter in hand.

~*~

They were all back to the boats at the appointed time, though when Hikari got there they were already loading the lifeboats with the supplies. Various sacks of grains and meats and vegetables were loaded; the latter of which would probably be consumed within the next few days. Meat and vegetables did not keep well for a number of reasons; the preservatives only went so far and the pirates were always more than eager to eat something more than breads and cereals and meagre stews. Indulging was a common thing in the pirate world, and rationing was almost unheard of.

Upon seeing her, Takeru could not help but wonder again what she had been doing. "Did you get everything you needed to done?" He had been meaning for it to come out harsher than that, however it was difficult to do. He hadn't seen her all day…her absence was wearing on him.

"I did, thank you." And with that she piled onto the boat. She would tell him what she'd done sooner or later, when the opportunity presented itself. She wasn't particularly angry with him, but neither did she feel like talking. And this wasn't exactly the sort of news that she would break to him when she was mad at him; that would not be fair. Whether things had changed between them or not, they still had a history together.

Without another word on the subject the rest of the supplies were loaded and they set off once more to the ship which was moored around the cliffs of the cove, where it could remain hidden for the right amount of time from the soldiers. Now there was time to make preparations for their next conquest; Captain Scar was leading them to some uncharted territories. The anticipation that buzzed through the crew was hard to ignore.

~*~

It was a few days after their excursion into Verra that Commander Willis of the Royal Navy received a letter. He was curious to its content, for it lacked any sort of official seal and there was no name written on it. And why something like this would come from Verra, he had no idea.

When he opened the letter, there wasn't much to it. But what it did say meant more to him than any official order he had ever received.

Dear Willis,

A month from now, perhaps not exactly, I shall be in the port city of Verra once more. I would request that you be there to retrieve me.

Sincerely,

Yagami Hikari

A smile crossed his lips. There was nothing sentimental about the letter, but it was a step. She was finally leaving that place…and that man…where she did not belong. The anticipation might be too much for him to handle, if only because she had not mentioned his offer at all. But when she was back where she did belong, the Commander knew that it would be much easier for him to convince her to see his way of thinking.

~*~

Calmer of the Storm: Heh. I got nothing smart to say, 'cept for you guys to let me know what you thought!