Sup? I know last chapter was short, like ungodly so, but I got chapter 19 up because 20 was finished XD
Chapter Twenty-One: Satori, Liars, Spring
Wyper and Avery sat at a table with Satori. "So, what happened to the old man?" Avery questioned.
"He's somewhere. Left me in charge of the ship and these men just won't stop calling me captain. Who's the angry looking man?" Wyper's nose flared when Satori acted like he wasn't there.
"Wyper." Avery spoke more to Wyper himself then informing Satori of his name. "This is Wyper." Her voice held a fondness Wyper was not familiar with.
"Wyper you say?" Satori questioned. Though he wasn't expecting an answer. "So, you hitched or what? Got yerself a kid possibly?" Avery sent him a sharp glare and he shut up. "How's that arm of yours holding up?" He changed the subject.
"Destroyed. The tiny fragments are quite likely somewhere on the blue seas floor." A smirk graced her lips just as Satori's eyes twitched. He'd made her that arm special. The reinforced steel was supposed to be indestructible, yet here she was claiming it had been completely shattered.
"About your men," Wyper cut in. "My people and I would like it if you would leave."
"They weren't my men." Satori informed. "They had stowed away on board in Jaya. When we were about to cast them out to sea we ended up here. And then we couldn't just toss them out. Two day's ago they stole a dingy and none of use have heard a word from then since. "I do apologize for the trouble they may have caused. Yet I don't think anything they could have done should have warranted their death."
"They killed two women and attacked another that was trying to protect the children," Avery cut in before Wyper could say anything else. "I did what was necessary to protect our people." Satori looked Avery over. She was different. In someways she was more happy than she had been when aboard his ship and also there was an air of sorrow surrounding her. He stroked his red mustache as he thought.
Avery hadn't been a killer when he'd known her. While she didn't need help staying alive, she would never attack even her enemy. It was winning a bet that he'd managed to get her to agree to learning fighting skills. "I have trouble believing that." He finally said and moved his hand up to the back of his head to rest in his long red hair. "You were never a fighter, Avery."
"No, I wasn't." she agreed with him. "But back then I was still believing in the impossible. Now I know better. So yes while I did kill those men, I am not a killer. I was protecting what needed to be protected." The two glared at each other with unwavering eyes. The man, Satori, didn't want to believe it. While helping to protect the ship she'd only get in the way of the enemies blade and use her metal arm as a shield.
And he'd fallen in love with that young, stupid, girl. He'd loved how she'd refuse to even hurt a mouse, or how she'd test the cooks food even if it was the most stomach churning concoction. Even her tears had warmed his heart. And from the moment he'd realized his feeling for her he'd tried winning her over, tried protecting her even if it was by forcing her to learn how to fight.
And when push came to shove she didn't fight back. When the screams of her nakama on his ship brought her to her knees she refuse to hurt the enemy. Yet here, where the man she'd never spoken to for six long years, was concerned she'd killed four men and severely injured another. He was injured enough and so far gone now, that her killings were as good as considered five. "I don't want to believe it." He finally said.
"Too bad." Avery replied. "I killed them. All five of them." She emphasized the number. "That last man isn't going to live much longer and we both know it." Satori looked down. "That's six now. Six people I took the life from." Avery stood up. "I'm not proud of it, not in the least. But if I have to kill to protect my home, I will." Satori's head shot up. She'd said home. Never had he heard her refer to any place as such.
Wyper stood up too, taking his woman's lead. But at the door Wyper hesitated while Avery continued. "Don't even try." Warned he. "Avery is mine and I will not loose her again." He left it at that. Avery was sitting on the raft connected to the waver. She was facing the waver with her legs hanging off as she waited. Wyper jumped down and joined her. He stood next to her seated form for a moment before speaking. "Did you love him?"
"No. I could have, but I was too heart broken to even consider it. I'm sure that if I hadn't been as hurt I might have fallen for his charm. But I loved you Wyper. And I still do, love you that is." Wyper took a deep breath in and let it out. In his own selfish way he was glad. Her being hurt had saved her from falling in love with anyone else, saved her for him.
Wyper moved into the waver and drove it back as fast as he dared. He didn't want her to fall off. Which reminded him of another thing he wanted to do, teach her how to swim. They were half way back when the wind started. They heard the distinct 'whoosh' of the sail unfurling.
Looking back Avery saw their jolly roger and she knew that Satori had lied. The old man was dead. It was a silver skull and where the cross bones should have been as a wrench and screw driver. The Metal Boned pirates. Before they had been the Metal pirates. But now that Satori, a half Cyborg man, was the captain it was different. Now that he was the captain he would do as their old captain hadn't allowed, he would take her if he could. But he thought that Avery and Wyper were wed, as long as he thought that he would leave her be. He may be the type of man that took what he wanted by force, but if it belonged to another man he let it be. Depending on what it was. A woman more precisely. Which reminded Avery of the other task she had.
They reached the island just as the other ship was out of sight. "Avery." Wyper finally said. "We are going to be wed soon. We have to start the preparations. But this time I will make sure everything happens much faster." Avery looked at him curiously. Last time the preparations took several months. "We had to wait until you were seventeen last time. Even though it is normal for girl as young as sixteen to wed I wanted to wait until I was sure you would be ready." He looked at her confused face. Oh the innocence of that girl. She didn't understand he wanted to make sure she would be ready to take him into her body. Even now she didn't understand that. "Everything should be ready in a week, two at most."
Avery's eyes widened, would two weeks be long enough for her to finish her current project? She hoped so. This project was really important and she wanted to surprise him, if she wanted to get this finished and perfect she had to work fast. They reached town and everything went back to normal. Except for the three people that were morning. A young child, an older woman, and a man. Avery knew the woman was Autumn's mother and the kid her little sister. But the man had no relation to her at all. Avery remembered now the loss. Wyper stopped walking. He had to talk to them, consult them. The people were his responsibility and he'd failed them.
He was about to go to them when Avery stepped forward. Then Avery took another and another. One foot in front of the other, until she was only a few feet away. The crying woman looked to Avery. Her red eyes begged for an explanation that Avery couldn't give. There was no reason, none at all. She should have kept the man in her sight, shouldn't have gotten cocky. Avery fell to her knees in front of the woman and bowed her head to the ground. Her forehead touched her arms.
"I'm sorry." Avery said. "I should have protected her. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to keep arguing and fighting with me until we grew old and died, still cursing me for stopping her from wedding Wyper. Please, forgive me." Avery begged the woman.
Many of the people around stopped moving. They were listening to Avery, watching and waiting for the woman to scorn her. Autumns mother was like Autumn. Wouldn't help you if you were the last person alive. This woman, named Spring, would not forgive Avery however much she begged. Wyper moved forward, he was going to stop this ridiculous thing before Avery became hurt.
Spring fell from her chair to her knees in front of Avery. Avery sat up and looked at her. Her face looked like that of a weeping child. Large streams of tears fell down her cheeks and her nose was running. Spring pulled Avery into a hug, shocking the entire village. She whispered something to Avery which made Avery start to cry more. "Autumn didn't hate you. She never wanted to marry Wyper but put the facade up so that no one would know. This is her lover, and that's her child. She told me she wanted to be like you, brave enough to cry yet strong enough to fight for who made you cry." Was what Spring said to Avery and Avery alone.
Avery bawled while holding onto Spring. Spring cried as she held Avery.