A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my reviewer, mutemuia. They provided an idea that has actual grown into a relatively important plot point for this story. Muchas gracias, friend. Hope you like how I used your idea.
Disclaimer: see previous
Chapter 7: Reveal
Brightness flooded the room and pierced Kyoko's head. 'What happened?' She thought groggily. Her head pounded, her eyes were itchy, and her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. 'Am I getting sick?'
She slowly levered herself up, clutching at her throbbing head. Moving slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her eyes shut against the morning sunshine.
Wait a minute. Bed? Lots of sunshine? She managed to creak her eyes open. As the room came into focus, one thought penetrated her aching mind. This wasn't the crew's sleeping quarters. She pondered that for a moment before she gasped in realization. There was only one place on the whole ship that had an actual bed.
'What am I doing in the captain's quarters?' She wondered amazedly. She thought back to last night. Unfortunately, she didn't remember too much. She and the captain had arrived at the ship and he had brought her up here, where he had given her...
Rum. Kyoko pressed a hand to her forehead. That explained how she was feeling. Too much rum. 'Oh god,' she thought in horror. 'What did I do? What did I say?'
Her spiraling despair was brought to a halt by the sound of the cabin door swinging open, admitting the true occupant of the room. Captain Tsuruga entered, carrying a tray laden with plates of food and a pitcher. He glanced over to her and smiled gently at her. "You're awake. Good." He placed his burden down on his desk. "How are you feeling?"
She groaned. "Like there's cannon fire going off in my head."
He chuckled as he poured her a glass of ...something and brought it to her. "That would be the hangover, I'm afraid. It seems I gave you a bit to much rum last night.
"Really?" She replied sarcastically, as she glared at the glass in his hand.
"It's just water." He laughed again, amused by her distrusting expression. "It'll help."
Still wary, Kyoko took the offering and sniffed at it. When she detected no hint of alcohol, she drained the cup and handed it back, silently asking for more. "So why did you feel the need to get me drunk?" She asked as he refilled the cup and passed it back.
"I honestly didn't think you would get drunk off that small amount of rum." He had the grace to appear ashamed. "I only wanted you to be honest me about the afternoon's...debacle."
Kyoko froze. "What did I tell you?"
The captain sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That Reino had threatened and spooked you with whatever knowledge he had of your past."
"Oh." She slumped over her knees, head in her hands. "Anything else?"
'Not really."
She thought that maybe the captain was lying, but since she couldn't really remember what happened, she had no choice but to trust him. As it was, he appeared to have some information about the man who attacked her. She raised her head and met the captain's gaze. "Who was that man?" She asked.
Captain Tsuruga sighed and paced to the window. He stood with his back to her and his hands clasped behind him. With that position, she couldn't see his expression or look into his eyes. But perhaps that was a good thing.
"Captain?" She prompted when the silence threatened to continue forever.
He released a breath. "That man," he began, "is a privateer and bounty hunter. He searches out those with a price on their head and captures them for the reward." The captain turned and faced her, his gaze full of concern. "It seems that he has set his eyes on you."
Kyoko gaped in disbelief. "Me? But why?"
"I was hoping you could tell me."
She froze, terror coursing through her. What was he asking of her? Did he know? If he didn't and she revealed herself... Oh, he would surely hate her and cast her out. "No," she said, rising, ready to bolt. "I-I can't. I'm sorry, but I don't know what he wants. I'm just a cook."
"Kyo-"
"No!" She shouted and ran for the door. She reached it and started to open it when two large hands appeared over her shoulders and slammed the door shut. She rattled the knob futilely. When he didn't budge, she leaned forward, closing her eyes, and pressed her forehead to the wood. "Please let me go."
"No." The captain's breath ghosted on the back of her neck, making her shiver.
"Please?" She begged desperately. She could feel his body heat all along her back and it was making it extremely difficult to concentrate.
"I want to help you.
She almost sobbed at the kindness in his voice. "You can't."
"Kyoko."
Her eyes flew open as her real name dropped from his lips. Slowly, she angled her head to look over her shoulder into the captain's face. He wore a pained expression, sorrow deep in his gaze. "How did you-"
He sighed and pulled back, allowing his arms to drop to his side. He sent her a pleading look. "If you'll sit down and have some breakfast, I'll tell you everything."
She could only nod and follow him back to his desk. They settled on opposite sides of the desk and frankly, she was glad of the distance. It was so hard to think clearly when he was close to her.
The captain gestured to the tray. "You should eat. It'll help with the hangover." She glanced at the bowls on the tray. Porridge. One of the few dishes Kanae was able to confidently make. She looked back to the captain and said one word. "After."
He nodded then held out one hand. "May I see that pouch of yours, please?"
Surprised, Kyoko pulled out the item and passed it over. She watched as he opened it and dumped the Corn stone into his palm.
"I remember the day my father gave this to me," he began, gazing at the blue stone. "It was my seventh birthday and I was furious at him for being away again." Bitterness crept into his tone. "He was always away, performing some vital role for the Crown. That time it was India." He sighed and rolled the stone between his hands. "I'd refused to come out of the nursery all day. Then late at night, I think around 10, a knock came. I remember screaming for them to go away. Instead, they entered and it was my father."
The captain smiled in remembrance. "He'd made a special effort to return for my birthday. But the customs officers had held him up during the day. It didn't matter. He was there and he had brought me this sapphire," he held up the stone, "as a present."
"Sapphire?" Kyoko managed to gasp out, her shock at this story evident.
"Yes." He chuckled. "He told me it was magic. If you held it up to the sun, like so," he demonstrated, holding the gem between his thumb and forefinger. "It would change color and take away your sadness." He lowered his hand. "It was a good present for a seven year old, or at least I thought so when I gifted it to another seven year old a few years later, to help take away her sadness at my leaving." He replaced the stone and passed the pouch back to her before leaning back in the chair, awaiting her response.
Kyoko was quite honestly gobsmacked. She stared at the pouch now sitting in her hand. This had to be a joke, an elaborate ruse of some sort. But how had the captain known of the stone's magic? Corn had been the one to show her how to activate it with that very gesture and for that very reason. Only fairies had magic and Corn had been a fairy.
Hadn't he?
She looked up and met the captain's eyes. His beautiful dark green eyes the color of leaves in deep summer. The dark green of a fairy prince.
And he had known her name.
In that moment, Kyoko allowed herself to believe and to hope. Feeling the tears welling up, she reached across the desk to grasp his hand. "Corn?"
A lopsided smile was her answer as he squeezed her fingers. "Actually, it's Kuon. And I hope you're not too disappointed that I'm not a real fairy."
She shook her head, causing the tears to splash on the desk. "Not really. I mean, it would be nice, but at least now I don't have to worry about you disappearing into the fairy realm." She laughed a little tearfully. "Silly, right?"
"No, not silly," Kuon insisted. "Your belief in me back then was wonderful. You helped me so much, I can never repay you." He released her hand, stood and came around to sit in the adjacent chair. He leaned forward and placed his arms on his knees. "But for now, Kyoko, you must let me help you. You must have some idea as to why a bounty hunter would be after you."
Kyoko squirmed uncomfortably. "I can't think of anything. I've done nothing, not even since joining this pirate crew. Before that I was working for the Royal Navy until I left due to some..." She froze as realization began to dawn. "Oh, no."
"What?" Kuon pushed as the silence stretched. "What is it?"
"Ugh," she groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. "How could I be so stupid? But I was just so angry." She jumped up and began pacing. "I didn't even think..."
"Kyoko."
"It's all that idiot's fault! If he hadn't said those things, I wouldn't have left."
"Kyoko."
"But then if I hadn't left, I would never have met you again or anyone else here. So I guess some good came of it. But still-"
Her tirade was interrupted by the large body of her friend. He grasped her arms, forcing her to stand still and focus. "Kyoko" he said sternly. "What happened?"
She sighed and slumped her shoulders. "After you left, I was abandoned by my mother. I was able to stay on with the Fuwa household, training to be a cook and maid." She sat down heavily. "Lady Fuwa took pity on me and started letting me sit in on lessons with her son. That's how I learned Latin." She smiled up at Kuon. "Anyway, when Sho- ugh. When he turned 15, he ran away from home and joined the Navy. I followed, because I thought I was-" she grimaced. "I thought I was in l-lo-, bleh, love." She finally spit out the dreaded word.
She closed her eyes and shuddered at her naïveté, missing the clouded expression on her friend's face. "So that's where the disguise came in," he stated with a flat tone.
"Yes," she agreed. "That was the only way for me to join. After two years of helping that spoiled brat, he finally got a promotion. One day, I overheard him bragging and taking all the credit for his success. I suppose I...overreacted."
"What did you do?" His soft voice indicated that he expected and feared the very worst.
Kyoko waved her hands in denial. "Oh no, nothing like that. As far I know, he's still alive somewhere. No, I threw a bag of flour on him." She smiled as Kuon laughed. "What I did after is worse. I-" she swallowed, suddenly nervous. "I deserted."
He stared at her for a long moment. "Well," he finally ventured. "That would explain the bounty hunter."
She chuckled nervously. "I guess so. Although," she frowned thoughtfully, "why would a French bounty hunter be after a British deserter? The reward can't possibly be that high." She glanced at him worriedly. "Can it?"
Kuon shook his head. "I wouldn't think so, therefore that is a very good question. But one, I think, for a later time." He sat and looked over their breakfast. "I'm afraid our food has gotten quite cold." He looked so disgusted by the very idea of cold porridge that Kyoko couldn't help but laugh.
He glared at his laughing friend for a moment before joining in with his own chuckle. "Alright," he said when her laughter finally petered out. "What should we do about this?" He indicated the tray.
In much better spirits, Kyoko leapt to her feet and grabbed the tray. "I'll go and fix up something new, capt- Kuo-" she paused unsure, cocking her head to the side. "What should I call you now?"
"Kuon is fine when we're alone," he responded. "But you should probably stick with captain in front of others."
"OK." She nodded then walked to the door. Before she left however, she turned back around. "Kuon." Once she had his attention, she smiled brilliantly at her childhood friend. "Thank you. For everything."
Then she sailed out of the room, missing the captain's beatific smile and whispered "my pleasure".
O.o.O
No sooner had Kyoko left, then there was a knock at his door. Ren sighed. It seemed like today was going to be non-stop.
"Enter," he called.
Yashiro creaked the door open and peered inside. "I saw Ms. Mogami leave. Is everything alright?"
Ren beckoned his friend in. "Everything's fine. Better than fine actually."
"Really?" Yashiro raised a questioning brow. "Even with a ruthless bounty hunter on our trail?"
"Yes. At least now I have an idea of why he's after her." He proceeded to lay out the situation for his first mate.
He left out a few of the details, sticking only to the relevant information. Ren had been both relieved and distressed by Kyoko's offense. Relieved because at least she hadn't killed anyone, but distressed because desertion was considered treason and could be punishable by death.
After the story was done, Yashiro leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. Ren sat back in his own chair, awaiting his friend's reaction.
"So," the first mate drawled. "Our Ms. Mogami is a deserter?" At his nod, Yashiro sighed heavily. "This could be a problem."
"You think so?" Ren smirked.
The first mate glared at him. "And you don't?" The captain shook his head, causing an angry look to come into his friend's eyes. "Pardon, sir, but you seem to acting awfully cavalier with a young woman's life."
"Exactly."
Yashiro blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"
Ren stood and faced the window, arms over his chest. He had been thinking of all possible solutions to the dilemma of Reino since last night. His preferred options involved permanently removing the Frenchman from the picture. But should such schemes fail, he had an alternative.
"Yukihito," he addressed his friend. "Kyoko is a young woman, not the boy she pretends to be. It is her male persona that is a deserter. If we are unable to ...persuade Reino from his current ambition, we need only dress her in the appropriate female apparel. After all," he laughed softly. "People so rarely look past the surface of things."
"There is one problem, sir." Ren turned and faced his friend. "I believe the Frenchman knows that she is female."
"You may be right," he agreed. "But as he has never seen her dressed as a young woman, it may be our best alternative."
The first mate nodded, satisfied with that answer. "I concur. So," he continued, now wearing a smirk that Ren had never seen on his face before. "Kyoko, is it?"
"What?" The captain furrowed his brow.
The smirk widened. "Is that her name? Kyoko?"
"Oh. Yes it is"
"Oh ho! And I assume she told you that this morning?" Really, that expression should be outlawed.
"Actually, I already knew," he admitted grudgingly.
That knocked the smug look off of Yashiro's face. In fact, his surprised reaction was quite comical. "But how-?"
Ren rubbed his forehead in weariness. "It's a long story, Yukihito. Let's just say, I knew her in another time and place."
Thankfully, his friend allowed the subject to drop. "Alright, captain." He reached for one of the charts laying on the table. "What course shall we set to avoid that Frenchman? Or have you managed to crack that scroll yet?"
More problems. Ren had almost forgotten about the Pirate King's quest in the hullabaloo of the last two days. "No, not yet. But with Ms. Mogami's help, it should go faster. For now let's stick with our original plans and head for Dominica."
"Aye, captain."
His first mate was almost to the door, when Ren remembered something he had forgotten to do in San Juan. Luckily, they had the means to complete the task on board. "Mr. Yashiro? Can you do me a favor?"
O.o.O
Later that afternoon, Ren emerged from his cabin. He took a deep breath and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the salty sea breeze. It was a beautiful day with a fair wind, as the snapping sails told him. They should have no troubles outrunning any scalawags coming after them.
He surveyed his crew, who were all working with a will. Several men were up in the rigging. He spotted the Ishibashi brothers scampering about the yards, checking the tackle. Others were down on the deck, either cleaning or repairing. There was Tom sitting under one of the masts, repairing a fishing net and watching Kyoko and Kotonami, who were warming up for their regular afternoon practice bout.
He thrilled at the fact that his ship was a well oiled machine that barely needed his interference. The only time he absolutely had to be on deck giving orders was during a crisis, such as a storm or an attack. Ren knew that he could trust every soul on board and for a pirate that was a rare occurance.
'Enough woolgathering,' he thought, shaking off his pensive turn of mind. 'You've got work to do.' With that he hefted the sack that Yashiro had brought him and made his way to where the two young women were practicing.
As he approached, he watched Kyoko as she performed lunges, ripostes, and other fencing moves. Her footwork was light and quick, moving her back and forth like a dance. The only mar was her damn clothes.
Flapping in the breeze, the overlarge sleeves distracted her attention from where it needed to be: her opponent. And her extra baggy breeches tripped up her knees, causing her to stumble. That had to stop and Ren hoped she would accept his offering.
"Good afternoon, ladies," he called. "And Tom." The grizzled pirate grunted a greeting before returning to his net. Kotonami merely saluted, already knowing what he was there for. As for Kyoko, she got a panicked look in her eye as she darted her gaze to her companions. She turned those nervous golden eyes back to Ren and he knew what she was silently asking. "It's alright," he reassured her. "Kanae and Tom are already aware of your...true nature."
She blinked several times. "They are?" She turned to her friends. Kotonami just rolled her eyes and nodded her head. Tom, however, stood and crossed to the worried girl.
He placed a weathered hand on her shoulder and said, "Aye, lass. Have ever since your first night."
She looked up into the old pirate's face. "Why didn't you say anything?"
He scratched his unshaven chin. "Well, I figured you had a good reason for pretendin' and who am I to expose ye?"
Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Tom."
"Ah, think nothin' of it, lass." The pirate ruffled her hair, earning a short giggle, then went back to his repairs.
The girl looked up at Ren and smiled nervously. "So, what can I do for you, Ku- captain?"
He grinned at her slip and plopped his sack at her feet. "You can change into these."
She looked at him in disbelief before kneeling down and searching through the bag. "Um," she ventured as she pulled out a blue waistcoat. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"
"They're too loose," he explained. "The extra fabric gets in the way and makes you clumsy. If I'm going to teach you, you'll need to be able to move more freely."
She dropped the clothes in shock. "Teach me?"
"Yes. Now go to my cabin and change." When it looked like she was about to argue, he turned one of his official 'Captain Tsuruga' looks on her. "That's an order, Ms. Mogami."
She sat there for a moment longer, mouth gaping, before gathering her wits and the clothes and retreating to his quarters.
Once she'd disappeared, Ren turned to find Kotonami looking at him with a brow raised. "You really think a change of clothes is going to improve her fighting?" She asked.
Ren smirked. "Why not? It helped you, didn't it?" He enjoyed watching the normally confident young woman stutter and blush as Tom cackled. While Kotonami glared at the old man and told him to "shut it", the captain leaned against the railing and looked out over the ocean.
The sky was a clear blue with a few fluffy white clouds dotting the horizon. The sun was beginning to make its way to sunset, but was still a golden yellow. The water sparkled in the light reflecting a crystalline blue-green with white-crested waves. A few sea birds dipped and wheeled in the wind, hoping for a fish or scraps from the ship.
It was so peaceful, but it could change in a moment. Sailors always had to keep an eye on the weather, watching for sudden and violent storms. It was the thrill of sailing and he loved it.
"Captain?" The tentative voice pulled Ren's attention around to Kyoko. She stood nervously at the bottom of the stairs and toyed with the edge of her new waistcoat.
Well, new to her. There was a collection of used clothing down in the hold for when the Dark Moon rescued slaves and set them free. Since Ren hadn't had a chance to purchase a better set of clothes in San Juan, he'd had Yashiro fetch something in Kyoko's size from their surplus.
The waistcoat had been a dark blue once upon a time, but sun and weather had faded it to a dustier shade. It was still an attractive color and it made her golden eyes shine. She wore it over a cream linen shirt with an open collar and tan breeches. The pants were fitted to her slim legs and ended at her knees. She still wore her stockings and leather shoes.
While not form fitting, this new outfit made it impossible to completely hide her femininity. Ren could tell that she was worried about that, so he tried to relieve her concern. "That's much better, Ms. Mogami."
"Really?" She asked. "What about these?" She held up her arms, revealing the wide sleeves of the shirt.
"I have just the thing," he said, pulling two long leather strips from his pocket. "Come here."
She crossed to him and presented one of her arms. He grasped her wrist and anchored the sleeve there with the middle of the leather strip. He then proceeded to bind the sleeve close to her forearm before tying off the strip right beneath her elbow. "How's that?"
She shook her arm, then nodded her satisfaction. While he was wrapping her other arm, Kyoko voiced her real concern. "Kuon," she said softly. "Will the rest of the crew be mad at me?"
He blinked. "For what?"
She shifted on her feet and ducked her head. "For hiding who I am."
Finishing the tie, Ren placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head. "Kyoko," he said as her worried eyes met his. "You underestimate them. They will understand."
Hope bloomed in the golden depths. "Really?"
"Really, really." He smiled and received one in return.
The moment was broken by an irritated Kotonami. "Oi, are you two finished or what? We're wasting daylight."
Ren sighed as Kyoko jumped, blushed, then scittered over to the angry pirate. He chuckled at her reaction before turning to the two young women. "Alright, then. Let's get started."
Bonus A/N: I couldn't resist the shrek quote. It just flowed so perfectly.