Calmer of the Storm: So….I know it's been a while. Probably a little too long, but it's better than what I've done! I still know how it's going to end, which is better than what I did to myself (and you guys) with my last story (the one before 'Carried away by love') and I will not do it with this one. We're actually getting close to the end, two or three more chapters after this. So it is after writing 4 essays that I decided I finally needed to write something on a leisure basis…so here it goes!!!

~*~

Chapter Ten: Raid

The month was dragging on longer than she ever would have anticipated. Things had not changed between the two of them, but this was partially because Hikari was intentionally distancing herself from Takeru. They barely spoke now, even though they still slept in the same room. She did her work just like the rest of them did, and so there was no reason for him to even reprimand her.

The lack of communication was killing him. Ever since their supply run almost two weeks ago she had become increasingly distant. Unfortunately for Takeru, he was unable to look just a little further back than that significant event to a short conversation on the deck the night before. He did not realise what he had done; that he had pushed her so far away. Or perhaps he did, he was just unable to come to terms with it. He loved her, that much was clear, but the very life he led now stopped him from telling her. She didn't deserve this. He knew that. He shouldn't burden her down with this life. But oh, how he wanted her. It was enough to cause him physical pain.

This frustration was not getting him anywhere. Another man might have blown off the steam with hunting or a good duel with a friend, but Takeru was not just any man. He was Captain Scar, and there was only one way that Captain Scar burned off his frustrations. He did it the same way that any other self-respecting pirate would; he went on a raid. They had not done anything significant in the passed few months, and Takeru chuckled ruefully to himself as he realised they had not done anything like that since Hikari arrived on the ship. Well, that was about to change. He didn't care that she would see what he had really become; that just didn't matter anymore. For some reason he felt that she was too far gone for him to redeem himself in her eyes. Something told him that he should try harder; that he should actually care. But he didn't.

The Captain was in his quarters surrounded by his best men. He was leaning over a table, upon which a great map was spread out before him. It was a map of the surrounding area, one that had clearly been used for many decades. The markings of previous Captain Scars, including some from the original (or so they said), marred some of the finer details of the map, making its yellowed surface even harder to read.

"We're going here." He said, his ocean blue eyes having frozen over as he stared out into the small crowd that he had gathered around him. His finger rested upon a small island just off the mainland, and he silently dared anyone to challenge his order.

An uneasy quiet hung in the room, and a few of the pirates shifted their feet. "Cap'n…if I be so bold…" One of them spoke, and the Captain's icy gaze drilled a hole right through him. The man swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, "That…that island has never been taken. Ev'ry one who's gone ther ain't never come back. You sure this is a good idea? I mean…"

Captain Scar stood to his full height, and though he was as tall as the rest, his presence suddenly grew more ominous. "I am well aware of that. Don't you think it's a good reason to go? The treasure is legendary. We would be rich men."

"I jus…I dunno, Cap'n. Seems like a death warrant ta me."

"Then we shall drop you off on L'Isola di Vita on the way. I'm sure our dear friend the old woman wouldn't mind a victim or two to keep her company." Even as he said this, his own heart skipped a beat and his mouth went dry. There was something about that island…something in his mind that went back to what that woman had said…

He ignored it.

"I'm in." The man said quickly. The other men grunted and nodded in agreement, and suddenly there was a new thrill that charged the air. If anyone could do this, Captain Scar could.

"We've got just over two weeks, then, before we run out of supplies. Eighteen days, give or take, and we have to be back in Verra or we'll all starve." He was getting down to business now; soon he would delegate rolls and as soon as they broke from their meeting the ship would set sail, its course set for Veneno*.

A grin finally stretched across the Captain's features, "Of course, we will return to Verra as rich men, and we'll dine like kings."

The general sentiment in the room was one of agreement.

~*~

While all of this was going on, Hikari had been mindlessly doing her work. Over the course of the passed few weeks this was what she had been doing; remaining inconspicuous. Most of the men did not bother her anymore, whether it was for lack of interest or from threats from the Captain she didn't know, and she didn't care to find out. Today was not going to be any different; as far as she knew there was no agenda. No trades to make and no strange islands to visit. This was the pirate life at its absolute dullest.

However, as she was beginning to notice, today was turning out to be different. The fact that she had not seen Takeru in some time did not alarm her, for they generally avoided each other these days. But there was an overall lack of anyone who was of a high rank on the ship; this meant that the deck was unusually quiet. There wasn't anyone to yell at the rest of the crew for slacking off, which meant that there was also very little work getting done.

During the absence of authority, Hikari figured that this would be a good time to clean the helm of the ship. Takeru was always here, and so she avoided it. No one else wanted to touch it for they were deathly afraid of him; especially these days when his mood seemed to be darker than usual. In effect nothing ever got done, and despite the yelling and berating that went on because of it, it still remained the same. Pirates were generally useless when it came to this sort of thing.

Of course, it was just her luck that the meeting would be adjourned just when she was in the middle of what she was doing. It was far too late to stop now, for she was already half done, and she had been in her own little world for enough time that she had barely noticed the mass exodus of the ship's officials until they were all coming her way. Sighing in resignation, she leaned against her mop for a moment. There would be no avoiding him now.

As Takeru neared her she noted the new look that was on his face. His eyes were still ice, as they had been since their conversation, but there was a smirk now that graced his lips that had not been there before. He walked with an air of confidence that had eluded him for the passed couple of weeks, and those within his physical sphere of influence seemed to gravitate just a little further from him in subconscious fear of what he was now capable of.

It was Iori who placed himself at her side, realising that she was now the only member of the crew who had no idea what was going on.

"We're going on a raid." He stated, though his eyes were fixed upon the Captain as hers were.

This got her attention. "Where?"

"Veneno. It's never been raided. They say it's too dangerous."

"So why…?"

Iori couldn't help but smile a little; he knew the real reason, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "He's Captain Scar. He can do whatever he wants."

She had to give him that one. Hikari thought for a moment, pursing her lips. "I suppose he expects me to remain here while he does it."

Iori knew where this was going, and he had to admit he liked it. If anything would get these two together, this had to be it. If anything, it would break this silence between them. "Naturally."

Hikari clenched her jaw and placed the mop against the railing. "Well, he's got another thing coming to him, then. I won't be left behind."

With that, she marched towards the Captain with a confidence that she had not had in a while. She didn't know where it came from, or what possessed her to think that she actually wanted to go with him, but her body seemed to be acting on its own. She knew that, when they were finished, she would be leaving him. She hadn't told him, but perhaps it would be a good time to. She just wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, even if it meant putting herself in dangerous situations.

Takeru stopped when he saw her, his face setting into a placid mask and his heart sputtering wildly within his chest. He said nothing, knowing that she was coming to him with a purpose; that much was written across her face. He even thought he knew what she was going to say.

"I'm coming." She said as soon as she'd come to stand beside him. Her words were succinct and her tone resolute.

Despite the unease within him, Takeru remained outwardly calm. "That is out of the question."

"I can help."

"You'll be a liability."

"I'm sure you can find me something to do. I'll be a decoy or something." She was looking him square in the face; something she had not done in quite some time.

His heart lurched within him at the thought of putting her in such danger. He would never ask that of her. "No." His tone was final.

"I'll break out. Beach the ship and I'll jump anyways. I'm not staying this time."

He could tell by the fire in her auburn eyes that she was serious. If she was willing to cause herself bodily harm to follow, there was probably no sense in forcing her to stay. It was just a matter of finding out which was the least dangerous for her do to. The two remained locked in each other's gaze for a few moments while he deliberated. Before he knew what was happening he was pulled towards her like a magnet; she seemed to exude her own, personal force that drew him in. He realised this when his face was only inches from hers; so close that he could taste her breath. It was incredibly tempting, and he was only seconds away from claiming her lips when his senses came back to him. Had they been alone, and not under the rather intruding gaze of over half of the crewmen, Takeru knew he would not have been able to resist.

"You can be the pack mule." He stated finally, not replacing the distance between them just yet. It almost did him in to notice that she was just as affected as he had been, but he knew he must keep his composure. He wasn't so far gone that he could lose that completely.

Turning quickly on his heel, he took the wheel back in his hands. "Let's go then! No use standing around, we've got work to do." He was elated now, on a high from getting that close to her.

It took Hikari a few more moments to recover, and when she did gather her senses enough to move she still found herself unable to do so with any sort of grace. It was a good thing that she had already committed to being taken away by another…any more of that and she was sure to reveal herself to the Captain. And he couldn't know of her feelings; they had to at least part on good terms. Of course, leaving him for his enemy wasn't exactly good, but at least he wouldn't hate her. She would always be his best friend and nothing less…and nothing more.

~*~

Three days later the ship was passing by that familiar island. Takeru make sure to give it a wide berth, as he was afraid that the woman would know it was him even from so far away. She had not demonstrated her power to him, but he knew that it could be limitless and he did not wish to take any chances. Call him paranoid, but she had left him with a distinct warning. He did not wish to end up as a trophy on her wall…he had more of a destiny than that.

The fourth day of their journey was drawing to a close, they would be approaching sight of the island the next day, and Takeru was in his quarters pouring over exactly how things were going to happen. They needed all of the crew for this one, with the exception of a handful that would remain on the ship to ensure a speedy getaway. They would split into three groups, he leading one, and Iori and the Cook leading the other two. The Doctor would remain on the ship for anyone who should come back with an injury; the island was not called 'Veneno' for no reason. The fortified town was not huge, but it boasted one of the best protected treasuries on the continent; and one still had to get passed the perimeter that was set up around the city. The wall, for whatever reason, did not go all the way around, but the open section was in the back which would make things that much more difficult. But he knew they could do it. A crew this size had never attempted a raid before, and he would be successful. Then he would pass into legend on the seas, and Hikari would have to remember him wherever she went.

At this point where his thoughts unconsciously shifted towards the girl he heard the door click open. He did not have to turn for he knew it was her; her footsteps were soft as she shut the door behind her. She did not move beyond the door, and he knew she was watching him. This was not the first time she had done this; usually, after a few moments, she would shuffle into her mattress on the floor and he would eventually follow suit and go to bed.

But this time was different. Instead of going to bed Hikari crossed the room to where he sat. Her heart was pounding within her chest; she was going to tell him. She was going to tell him that this final week and a half would most likely be the last they saw of each other. It was killing her inside; more that she thought it would. But it had to be done. It had to be done before anymore damage could be inflicted; before he could instil any more hope into her heart.

Takeru had grown rigid in his seat, knowing that the pattern had changed. He could feel her presence as she stood beside him; she seemed to give off a heat of her own. Or perhaps he was just overly conscious of her presence. He sat there, pretending not to acknowledge her, but he knew that his ruse was up; she knew he was paying very close attention to her. But he would wait for her to speak.

A few more moments of the silence lingered, until it was too much for her to handle. "I'm leaving." She finally stated, a great pressure lifting from her as she spoke those two words.

Takeru was a little confused, and he refused to allow himself to believe that she meant the ship entirely, though he would miss her presence in his room. "I don't know how much room there is down there, but I suppose you're more than welcome to find a spot to sleep." He was trying to speak smoothly, but without the distraction of the rest of the crew it was difficult.

Hikari swallowed hard. "No, I…" Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, "I'm leaving the ship. The next time we go to Verra," she almost couldn't say it. Her voice dropped down to a whisper, "Willis is coming to fetch me."

If there was any pain that he had felt before, it had never been so great as this. His heart crumpled to pieces within his chest and he suddenly felt as though he could not breathe. Leaving…she was leaving him…for a navy dog. And not just any dog, but the leader of the pack. How could she? He knew they had a history, but she did with him also. Could she really throw it all away? Could she forget him so easily?

It was at this point that his senses reached him again. No, it probably wasn't so easily. Hikari had left Willis, his proposal refused, in order to come search for him. After months of being together he had done nothing to assert any sort of claim over her, save for the one confrontation that he'd had with the Commander. Takeru knew it was his own fault, and he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it. No, not that he couldn't. That he shouldn't. He had no right. Whatever feelings they thought they had for each other, they weren't enough.

His silence was deafening. As his heart was breaking so was her own. Subconsciously she had still been holding on to the fact that he would want her to stay. There was something within her that believed, no matter how small it was, that he would try to stop her. That he would become enraged with her decision and bar her from ever going to Verra again. But he didn't. He didn't even move. Hikari felt the tears welling up in her eyes and she did her best to hold them back. What was the use in crying? This was what she wanted. She had given up on wanting him; he had shown her more than once that things were not as they had been. Or maybe they had never been like that at all; they had been so young, after all.

It was at this point that Hikari was finally able to let go of her love for him. She would always love him, yes, and he would always haunt her, but now she could be certain that she had done everything. She was not so brave as to put her heart completely on the line, but this was enough. His shutting her out was indication enough that he didn't want her around. And so she would leave him to his true love; the sea and treasure. He was a true pirate.

Without saying a word, Takeru stood from his chair and went to his bed. He did not look at the girl as he extinguished the light, and as darkness engulfed the room Hikari padded her way to her mattress. The two would lie awake that night, both pretending to be asleep for the other's sake. Neither would speak, and both resolved that this issue would be forgotten in the morning. The end was near, and there was nothing they could do about it.

~*~

From a small stool in the corner of her hut, the old woman watched the tiny flame that was in the hearth before her. Her deep, seafoam eyes were filled with sadness as she watched, her heart becoming heavy. The flame was almost gone now; it was barely anything more than a few glowing coals. Her power was waning, and there was none who could help her now. As the light of the fire went out so her hope dimmed with it; perhaps this boy had not been so promising as she'd thought. It seemed that history was meant to repeat itself; an ever vicious cycle that she could not escape from. The old woman could only desperately hope that things would be different the next time around.

That is, if this 'next time' ever comes.

~*~

*Veneno is Spanish for 'poison'.

Calmer of the Storm: Evil? Haha…I make you guys wait so long and I give you this! So how the heck is it gonna work out now? Seriously, if anyone has a guess I would love to hear it. I always think I'm being sneaky but I always get figured out…lol.

Let me know what you think!