Chapter 9! Whoo…

Later that day:

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kira asked for the hundredth time.

"I'm fine Kira, really I am. I was just weak this morning. Now stop asking."

"Alright, alright. Just be more careful."

"Yea, yea." Momo waved her hand in a carefree matter. "I know you would come to the rescue anyway."

"Well you're worth more alive."

"Hey!"

"'Hey' what? It's the truth."

Momo scoffed. "Why are you even a pirate Kira? You don't act like one."

"Well I am one of those few pirates with manners and a good sense of hygiene, I shower every four days."

Momo laughed. "Ew!" She quickly passed her hand in front of her nose a few times.

"Oh yeah?" He laughed and took the princess in a death hold. She continued to laugh while Kira started to tickle her on her stomach.

"Izuru." The familiar voice ranged out. Kira immediately let go of the princess and she turned to look at Torshiro who had his arms crossed. "Get back to work."

"Yes sir." Kira walked off, leaving the two alone.

"Don't distract my crew." Torshiro continued. "You should be glad that I'm not going to throw you back into the fore-castle because of that injury."

Momo rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Just get that stick out of your ass." She turned and walked towards the railings. Torshiro groaned as he made his way back up to the upper deck. Momo looked out to sea. In doing so she remembers the story Mikoto told her, about the girl who wanted adventure and she got it. Yeah. Some adventure. Stuck on a ship with pain in the ass pirates. She then thought about the story about the four demons and the sea witch. The witch controlled the four demons but they retaliated and ran away from her to live their own lives. I wish I could do that. The princess sighed and continued to look out to sea. Kira then appeared beside her.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey. What are you doing? You're supposed to be working."

"Eh. I can do work any day. But here, look at this." He handed her a scope. "Just look in that direction." He pointed towards the bow (front) of the ship.

Doing as he instructed, she placed the scope up o one of her eyes. She looked towards the bow and saw green outlines. "What is that?"

"Land from a distance. Sooner or later the spotter, who stands in the basket of the fore topsail, should say…"

"Land Ho!"

"'Land Ho.'" Kira chuckled slightly. "Then the captain will decide to land or not. Most of the time though he asks for the characteristics of the land mass, then he decides. "

"Specifics!" Torshiro's voice yelled.

"Tis a volcanic island captain! Rainforest all around except for a huge clearing that's on the shore line!"

"He said volcanic island?" Momo asked.

"Yep. With lots of rainforest area. Must be…"

"Hayashi of Kasai (1)!" Torshiro answered.

"Yea…" Kira muttered.

Suddenly a loud squeak came from the princess. "Oh my god! That's Kasai?" Squeal. "You have to stop the ship!" She turned and looked up at Torshiro.

"No! I'm not stopping at that island!"

"Oh come on!" She whined.

"No!"

"Fine!" She turned back to Kira. "Because you'll take me."

"What?"

Momo nodded. "Come on Kira. You can take me on a row boat onto shore."

"Uh… I could but I don't want to disobey an order."

"You already disobeyed one, just take me on shore!"

"I can't!" He received a glare from Momo. "But…"

Moments later:

Torshiro started a string of profanity as he rowed the row boat towards land. He watched as the princess in front of him was at the bow of the boat and was going on and on about her aunt and cousin.

"I can't wait to see Auntie Tamika and my cousin Cassandra. We always had a blast when they came over with uncle!" Momo turned around and sat on the slab of wood that was placed in between the corners of the bow. "Man, I haven't seen them since uncle died. I hope they are alright."

"Shut up."

Momo looked at Torshiro. "No."

"Well your talking is very distracting since it's so fucking loud!"

"Too bad, I'm excited." She turned back around to watch the oncoming land mass come closer.

"Too bad, I'm excited." Torshiro mocked as he continued rowing the small dingy.

On land:

Momo jumped out of the boat onto the white golden sands. "So this is Hayashi of Kasai."

"You never came here before." Even though it was a statement the question it stated was noticeable.

"No. They always came to my kingdom because father thought traveling would be dangerous for a girl like me." A small and quickly scoff soon followed. "Yeah right." She started walking towards the stone steps. With a sigh Torshiro placed a hat on his head and proceeded behind the princess.

She was waiting at the top of the stairs. "Come on! I've got to find one of them today." A growl came from the pirate's throat. "Well, crabby." She said before she walked into the market. She searched for her family while he was robbing stands one after another. They were small things like pieces of gold, rings, and things of the sort. She suddenly stopped.

"What?"

"I think I see her."

A young woman about Momo's age was at a fruit stand. Her brown hair was longer than Momo's by a few inches, her dress was a dark blue vest-like top and the grey-white colored skirt was long and flowing. The girl looked over to Momo's direction. Her eyes stopped on the princess. Suddenly she yelled. "Momo!!"

"Cassandra!!" The two young women ran towards each other. Once they met they gave long hard hug to each other.

"Oh my god! I have not seen you since I was 15, since father died."

"I know! Why didn't you come to visit afterwards?"

"Mother didn't want to go anywhere anymore. She was devastated."

"Key word 'was'."

"I know but she's gotten old now I have to take care of her."

"Ah…"

Cassandra nodded her head. "Yeah… Oh my! Do you remember that one time we got in trouble by your dad and we were grounded to your room for one week?"

"Yea and then we escaped and then we got even more in trouble."

"Two long weeks stuck in your room."

"That's one way to spend half a month doing nothing." Momo did a sly wink.

"Yeah right! We were so totally out in the towns and all."

"I know, I remember!"

"Haha, well anyways I was just doing some shopping." Cassandra looked over Momo. "You need to shop as well. You like you've been hanging out with pirates."

Momo broke out laughing. "Seriously? A princess and a pirate?"

"What was I thinking? You're right!"

Torshiro then popped into Momo's mind. "Oh! Where's…" She turned and saw Torshiro standing right beside her. "Ah there you are."

"Who's this?" Cassandra asked.

"This is uh…" Don't use his real name, don't use his real name, don't use his real name. "Tadahiro Harou, my royal guard. (2)."

Torshiro looked at the princess with a 'what the fuck?' expression on his face. Cassandra who was just chuckling didn't notice the expression. "His name means…"

"I know it's hilarious!" Momo intervened.

"Defiantly. Either way you and your guard are welcome to come into my home, but first things first, shopping."

An hour and a half later, Cassandra's home:

"I married a blacksmith. That's why there are so many swords." Cassandra said. "He learned from his father who was one of the best blacksmith for making swords so that automatically makes him one of the best too. His swords are actually like his father's."

"So when will I meet him?" Momo asked her cousin. She was wearing a new dress that looked like her cousin's but the vest was a maroon like color and the skirt was peach colored.

"He doesn't come home until later on at night."

"Oh… Cassandra, I can't stay that long."

"Oh… That's alright. We'll just go to him"

"Uh… ok."

Cassandra pulled Momo by the wrist and led her outside. Torshiro followed. Since he was a 'royal guard' he was supposed to walk in front but then again, he isn't a guard, he's a pirate. A pirate who has much more better and productive things to do other than following a princess and her cousin. They arrived at the town's blacksmith. They entered the building were Cassandra called out for her husband.

"Seiki (3)! My cousin visited me and she won't be able to stay for long. Come out and say hi." Her attention turned onto her cousin. "He makes the sword in this area here but works on the details in the back room."

The man came from behind a wall. His height was regular, about 5'9''. His clothing comprised of jacket and an apron sort of thing. "Hey. You must be Momo."

"Yes I am. And you must be Seiki."

"Yes I am. I would shake your hands but they're dirty."

"That's alright."

"So what do you think? Good choice?" Cassandra asked her cousin.

"From what I can tell yes. He's very kind."

"Thank you." They both said.

Cassandra eye's then widened. "Oh Seiki get the sword."

"That's right." He snapped his fingers and went behind the wall again.

"Sword?" The princess asked.

"Yep. I knew one day you would visit so I asked him to make you a present."

Seiki came back out again holding a sword in its holster. "A perfectly balanced sword with gold accents."

Momo made a small gasp. "Thank you." She took the sword in her hands. She then pulled out the sword and examined it. "It's marvelous."

"All free of charge."

"Thank you." Momo repeated as she placed the sword back in the holster.

The two nodded. "You're welcome."

Minutes later, the market:

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to the docks."

"No I'll be fine. I've got him here." She motioned towards Torshiro who was standing behind her.

"Right. Well, come back anytime. You know where I live now."

"I will defiantly come back someday." With one last final hug and their goodbyes the two women went their separate ways. "I've got to say, she hasn't changed."

"Hm. Certainty took your sweat time."

"Well sorry. I mean really Torshiro; you just cannot let me have two hours with my cousin who I have not seen in 10 years."

"Nope."

"You're grotesque."

"Hm."

Momo rolled her eyes as the two made their way down the stone steps.

Review please.

Translation:

1-Hayashi of Kasai meaning Forest of Fire.

2- Tadahiro Harou meaning Ocean Breeze.

3-Seiki meaning star and beginning.