Chapter 7.
Later on that day:
"That was a very catchy song." Kira told the princess as he directed her towards the upper deck.
"Why thank you. I did take singing lessons."
"Obviously not that long ago."
"Oh stop." She pushed the 1st mate playfully in the shoulder. He returned the gesture. She laughed slightly. "So what does Torshiro want?"
"Want to know where exactly we're going."
"Hmm… I don't know either."
Kira sighed. "Then good luck to you." He stopped right at the base of the stairs. "He'll probably chew you out."
"Eh." She shrugged slightly. "He never once won an argument when we were little and he defiantly won't win now." She proceeded up the stairs alone. She reached the top and looked at Torshiro who was steering the ship. "You sent for me?"
"Yes I did." He replied almost calmly. "Where are we going?"
"Really I don't know. All I do know is that my fiancé is in trouble and I have to save him before it gets too late."
The man grunted. "Figure it out soon princess. I won't be steering the ship all around the seven seas."
"I know. You have more important things to do. Like ransack and pillage."
"Exactly."
Momo just nodded her head. The silence continued on for quite some time. "What happened Torshiro?"
The captain turned his head to her for a short while and then turned his head back. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"What happened? What- what made you change from that boy I knew and played with to a pirate who steals and god knows what else?"
"If you didn't notice, I did steal everyday to survive."
"So you're just going to let it be like that? That's what you want to do with the rest of your life?"
"At least I have a life on the seas." He answered back roughly.
"What life?!" She yelled at him. "Being a convict is that your life?"
The man scoffed.
"Answer me Torshiro!"
He started ignoring her at this point.
"Damn it Torshiro Hitsugaya! Fucking answer me!"
The pirate continued ignoring the yelling princess. Down below in the hold the rest of the crew were listening in on the argument. Kira who was also down there was near the hatch, ready to get out and move quickly if the argument turns into something more serious.
The princess made her hands into fists. Her bones cracked when she did so. "So what? What are you going to do?"
"I might just kill you now." He finally replied back to her.
Kira opened the hatch and moved upwards so his torso was seen.
"Fine. Kill me. You will still get the ransom but just know this pirate; I'm worth more alive, you're worth more dead." With that the princess spun around on her heels and quickly went down the stairs.
Torshiro silently watched her as she stormed off into the fore-castle, closing the door behind her. They both didn't notice Kira who quickly went back down into the hold. Hyorinmaru stood and walked away in the same manner. Reaching the door to the fore-castle he scratched at the door. The door opened slightly and in went Hyorinmaru. Torshiro let out an exasperated sigh as he watched the door softly close. He went back to steering the ship as if nothing had happened.
Nighttime:
Momo slept on the floor, Hyorinmaru curled up next to her. She awoke suddenly when she felt the ship suddenly stop. Rising up from the floor with a yawn she went towards the door only to stop just before it. "Do I really want to go out there?"
The dog barked silently in his sleep.
Momo watched the dog as his legged twitched once, twice and then three times. "Go get it boy." She just laughed at the sight of a dog dreaming. She had lots of animals growing up and she still does. She has had horses, dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, a rooster once, a turkey and all sorts of animals. But in all of those animals she had never been able to find an animal she really felt an owner/pet connection with. Hyorinmaru wasn't her pet but she felt as if the dog was sort of hers. The dog looks like he's caring and sweat and loyal. Unlike someone I know. She thought. She felt the ship bump into something hard. Her curiosity now at her peak, she decides to open the door.
Kira stood in front of the door. "Hey, I was just about to check up on you."
"Hey Kira. What's happening?"
"We're docking."
"Docking? Where are we?"
"We're at Taikai's Irie (1)."
"Huh?"
"Just- just come on." Kira moved out of the way to allow the princess to come out of the fore-castle.
She then moved to the side of the ship. Looking out she saw a town that had buildings on fire, animals running loose, gun shots heard most of the time, just carnage. But what she saw the most were pirates. A whole bunch of them. "Where are we exactly?"
"The island that is home for almost every pirate in this ocean."
"A pirate island?"
Kira only nodded. "It used to be a thriving community of farmers and blacksmiths until pirates took over the town and killed everyone. From there it was to conquer the whole island and we did."
"'We'?"
Kira smiled greatly and nodded again. "This crew under the captain took over the island all by ourselves. This was about 7 or 8 years ago."
Momo felt her mouth drop. Torshiro took over an island? She heard Kira talking some more about the island and the conquer but his voice slowly drifted away. Eight years ago Torshiro was 18. Amazing yet completely inacceptable. Then Kira's voice came back.
"So yea, we're pretty much like kings here."
The princess blinked her eyes a few times. "Where's Torshiro now?"
"Uh, he's down there." Kira pointed down towards the pier.
"How do I get down?"
"Just go down the boards to the pier."
"Thanks." She quickly went to the boards.
"Princess! You're not allowed to get off!" Kira ran after the girl. She was halfway down when Kira got on the boards. "Momo!" He called out her name. She reached the bottom and stormed over to Torshiro.
"How could you?!" She yelled at him.
"What the fucking hell are you doing off the ship?"
This was it. She was going to yell at him for taking over an island. "How could you stop? Every passing moment is closer to my fiancé dying!" Or not.
"Well princess we have to stop for supplies since we don't know where we're going."
Kira came up behind Momo. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "You need to get back onto the ship." He told her between his pants.
She shrugged his hand off. "I'm not going on the ship." She received a glare from Torshiro. "I want to look around." She said. That was the truth but she felt the statement of 'But you wanted to save your fiancé' coming up.
"I thought…" Torshiro started but was interrupted by Momo.
"Since you're getting supplies I can look around. I don't want to get stuck on that ship."
The white-haired captain groaned. "Kira, watch her."
"I can't sir."
"Why the fuck not?"
"I do inventory of ship supplies. I need to be with the crew getting supplies."
Torshiro glared at his 1st mate. "Fine. I'll watch her."
A groan escaped Momo's lips as Kira nodded. The 1st mate then walked off after giving the princess a nod. Torshiro took Momo by the arm and started pulling her behind him.
"Hey let go!" She yelled at him.
Ignoring the princess he pulled her beside him.
"Ugh… Pirate."
The pirate captain only scoffed. "Only for your safety princess."
"You don't care about my safety." She countered.
"Oh yea you're right." His hand left her arm. "Go explore!" He told her with fake enthusiasm.
"I will." She walked off into the crowd of pirates.
"Good riddance." They both muttered.
Torshiro looked inside a bar and saw a fight happening. The man chuckled and went towards the door frame. The fight was between a pirate wielding a gun and the other a sword. The captain leaned against the door frame and continued watching the fight. Shortly after he turned his head and saw the princess looking at the various small stands which most were either unoccupied or completely had nothing on their tables. The captain rolled his eyes while he turned his head back towards the fight.
Momo looked at the cart full of jewelry items. This was in fact the only stand that had a worker. The female pirate leaned over the other end of the table.
"You must be new to Taikai." Her voice was sounded rough and scratchy. Her clothing rags and her hair in a state of uncleanness. Looking more closely at her, Momo saw signs of abusement on her skin. Bruises and both old and new cuts were seen through the many various holes in her clothing.
"Yes actually."
The woman nodded slowly. "See anything you like?"
"Um… that necklace." She pointed to a necklace that had a round pendant with five jewels. The colors of the jewels being red, blue, white, green and purple. Going clockwise from the 12 o'clock position the jewels were purple red, green, blue and then white.
"Then take."
"Oh I… I can't. That would be stealing."
"You really are new." She muttered loudly. She then signaled with her hand for someone.
Panicking the princess turned around to see a huge man coming towards the stand. The man stopped before the princess.
"What do you want Lo?"
Lo's head moved towards Momo. "Newbie."
The huge man looked down at the princess. "What does she need?"
"A lesson in stealing. And by the looks of it a lesson on how to be a female pirate."
The man's lips turned into a smirk. "Right." He answered Lo with slight humor in his voice. His hand grasped Momo's neck. Her hands quickly went up to grab a hold of his hand. The hand on her neck started pressing down on her neck. The princess started chocking as she felt her feet get lifted off the floor. He quickly turned and then he ran towards the wall across the stand. Momo's back hit the brick wall hard, she whimpered silently from the pain. "This is going to be fun." He said as he moved his other hand towards his holster.
A final gun shot was heard from within the bar. The man with the sword fell back to the ground dead. At that moment it was like someone said go. All the pirates standing around near the fight charged towards the dead pirate. They started picking off gold, his sword and anything else on his being. Torshiro pushed himself off the frame and started walking away from the bar. He stopped right in the middle of the road. Looking towards were he last saw Momo he saw it. He saw he pinned up against the wall, her hands on the man's arm trying desperately to pull his arm away. The man loomed over her; it was when his face started nearing hers when the pirate captain felt unexplainable anger towards that pirate. Reacting on his pirate instincts, Torshiro pulled out his sword and started running towards the man.
"No!" Momo cried out.
The man's laugh was torture in her ears as she thought that this was the end. He was going to rape her and kill her. That was just something pirates always do. His breath hit her face like a thousand knives. She tightly shut her eyes. A tear escaped from her left eye as she felt the breath get hotter and the laugh more loudly. Suddenly se heard a gasp from the man. Opening her eyes she sees the man let go of her. She fell to the ground on her knees. She looked up to see the man's side bleeding. Torshiro then came into her sight as she felt him lift her up onto her feet. She didn't know what to think and defiantly did not know what to say for she was pushed behind Torshiro.
"Well." The man sighed. "If it isn't Hitsugaya." At the mention of the name the pirates surrounding the area stopped whatever they were doing. Mutters were heard as the man continued talking. "Is this whore yours?"
Torshiro's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. He only moved forward and pointed his sword at his opponent.
"Oh come on Hitsugaya. Can't share a sex bitch?"
At that Torshiro lunged towards the man, quickly stabbing him in the heart. "Fuck you." He said as he pulled the sword out of the man. The pirate fell to the ground and his blood pooled around him. Dipping his sword in a nearby water barrel, Torshiro motioned Momo to come to him. Still not knowing what to think she went over to Torshiro.
"Did you want anything?" He asked her.
Momo quickly blinked a few times. "I liked that circle pendant necklace." She pointed over towards the table. Torshiro took a handful of the necklaces including the one Momo wanted. Handing her the necklaces he pulled her away from the area. She looked at the other necklaces as they walked towards the ship. "You alright?" He suddenly asked.
Momo looked at the pirate captain. She could see him looking at her by the corner of his eye. She moved the necklaces to her left hand while her right went up to her left shoulder. Pulling her hand away she looked at it. "No, I'm not alright." Torshiro's head turned to her. "My shoulder's bleeding." She then suddenly fell to the ground.
Cliffhanger! Mwua-haha! I'm evil! Did the man end up killing Momo anyway? Is Torshiro starting to develop feelings for her? Is this going to become a love triangle? Or worse a love square? What the hell is going to happen? Find out in the chapters to come! (Sorry, I'm hyper!) Whoo! Translation's down below!
Translation:
1- Taikai's Irie meaning Ocean's Cove.