Chapter Four
No Tabi Ni Ikou! [4]

"Jack, where are ye going?"

"I'm going to have a talk with the devil himself."

- Arabella Smith to Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean JACK SPARROW: The Sword of Cortes

Dead.

That's what the palace was.

Not a sound nor light invaded it. Ritsu reached for a rotting torch and lit it with a match in his pocket.

He held it high above his head, casting the orange light over the stone walls and floors. He moved over to another torch, lighting it, then another, and another, until everyone had their own stick of light.

Ritsu led the way, looking grim at the markings on the wall. Cruel pictures painted in crimson blood depicted great fights, all centering around a woman.

"Who could have done this?" Haruhi gasped, putting a hand to her mouth, looking green.

"Dunno," Ritsu said, moving forward.

The ground beneath him rumbled, dropping away. The red head shouted indistinctly and dropped his torch into the gaping hole in the ground. He scrambled, fingers grasping desperately for purchase in the stones.

Haruhi and Tamaki jumped forward, grabbing their captain's arms and holding on tightly. However, the floor was too smooth, and they almost slipped off the ledge as well. Takashi threw himself down on the ground and grabbed their legs.

"Mitskuni!" Haruhi yelled. "Rip my skirt off!" All of the boys flushed.

"Haruhi, what the hell's the matter with you?" Ritsu bellowed, red like he'd been sunburnt.

"A lady should never loose her dignity!" Tamaki shouted. "Even in the face of death!"

"I meant the outer one!" she shouted, looking annoyed. "Rip it off and tie it to one of those stone columns supporting the overhang." Mistkuni, still red, ripped the outer skirt off, revealed a crimson one beneath it, and tied it tightly around the column.

"Great!" Ritsu said, slipping some more. He glanced behind him and screamed girlishly. "Now pull us up! Pull us up!"

Mitskuni grabbed Takashi's legs and yanked them out of the hole with surprising strength.

"Thanks," Tamaki gasped.

"Now that that's through," Ritsu said, standing up and fixing his hat, which had fallen off when he dropped the torch. "Onward!" He took a few steps back and ran forward, leaping over the hole. One by one, the boys followed his example until only Haruhi was left.

"Come on Haru-chan!" Mitskuni said encouragingly. "You can do it!" The brunette gathered up her skirts in one hand and ran forward, jumping over the gap. She hit the other side and wobbled, but stepped forward. Ritsu pulled her away from the edge and moved forward.

Ignoring the pictographs, they moved silently, waiting for any more accidents to happen.

"What's that?" Tamaki asked, pointing towards a sickly blue light tinged with gold. Ritsu drew his sword, Haruhi and Takashi following suit. Haruhi held a long white dagger, which glinted sapphire in the light. Takashi put a sword in his mouth, clutching the other two tightly in his tan hands.

"Let's go," he ordered around the handle.

They moved forward, on their guard.

The room's contents made them freeze in wonder and awe.

Piles of gold were scattered around a vast room, silver and glittering gems scattered in between.

"Whoa," Ritsu drooled, eyes shaped like hearts as he dived into the money. Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"Pirates," she muttered, moving to look at a blue vase.

"Don't break anything." the captain ordered, opening an empty chest. He began to shove gold and silver into the chest with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. He picked up a sapphire necklace and draped it over his neck, following it with strings of pearls, fine threads of silk and velvet. The others followed his example, covering every piece of their body they could reach with jewlery, shoving the wealth in their pockets until they overflowed. "We'll come back for the rest." Ritsu said, picking up one end of the chest. Takashi moved to help him.

"Okay!" Tamaki said cheerfully, a gold crown tipped over on his head, arms full with an onyx dog statue with sapphire eyes.

The crew made their way out of the room and back through the hall.

"How are we going to get across with all this?" Haruhi asked, frowning at the big hole.

"Oh!" Mitskuni cried, running back to the room. He returned with a long, thick plank of wood. "This'll help!"

He laid it down over the gap, making a bridge. The two blonds exchanged excited grins, before running after the others.

"Great idea!" Ritsu called over his shoulder. "Now we won't be stuck in there with her!"

"Her?" the blonds and brunette asked, glancing behind them and screaming.

A young woman, about their age, stood behind them. Her auburn hair flew out behind her like dark flames, and her hazel eyes burned with hatred.

"How dare you steal from Ayanokouji!" she shrieked.

A/N:

- MinusOne - thanks for the review! What do you think of the woman being Ayanokouji?