Morg: Heyo! I can't even use moving to China as an excuse for how long it has taken me to update this.

Ikuto: I'm glad that you're not trying to.

Amu: You have to admit that it has been a really long time since you've posted a chapter for this one.

Morg: I know, I know.

Ikuto: Are you even sorry?

Amu: Probably not.

Morg: I live my life with as few regrets as possible. While I do regret not owning you, I don't feel much remorse for slow updates. Everyone has lives. Including me.

Ikuto: Could have fooled me.

Amu: Burn!

~The Eighth Sea~

The cool morning air woke Amu up more as Rhythm and Dia rowed their small boat toward the shore. Though the large ship had gotten rather close to the island, the hull went too deep to actually allow them to reach land. Ikuto would not risk getting them all stranded by getting too close to the island. Even if the man was a bit odd, he was a great captain.

Amu could feel his eyes on her. She chose to ignore them rather than to look back at where he sat. He'd given her the day to complete her task. Amu was more than confident that she would not fail.

Jumping out into the knee-deep water, Amu helped the others pull the boat up onto the beach so that the waves wouldn't carry it away. They'd need the small vessel if they were going to get back onto the ship.

Brushing a few strands of her pink hair out of her face, Amu looked around the island now that they actually stood on it. There were several different types of trees growing amongst the tall grass. Some were ones that she recognized from the colony. The sugi pines would be excellent wood for the yard. All Amu had to do was find some with a solid trunk for them to take back to the ship so that she could carve it.

Once the rowboat was staked to the beach, Ikuto turned to find Amu staring at the trees on the island. Part of him wanted her to fail. The faster that he could get her off his ship the less trouble he'd have to deal with later. The rest of him wanted her to prove herself. Ikuto wanted to see her skills again. The moment his heart had stopped when she'd jumped off the mast to get to the rudder was incredible. Ikuto wanted to feel that again. That rush of fear and awe. Amu was amazing, he couldn't deny that, but it didn't mean that he had to like her.

He wasn't going to make the day easy on her either. "Hold on, just because we're all here doesn't mean that we're all helping Amu. Il, Temari, and Dia will search for any freshwater. We may as well refill our stock if we can."

Not completely surprised that she wouldn't have the help that she thought she would, Amu didn't comment as Ikuto handed out the jugs that he'd stored in the boat before they'd left the ship. Amu didn't need the three girls. Not really. She had the axe and saw that Ikuto had given her permission to bring. If anyone was cutting down the tree, it would be Amu. There was no way that she was going to allow anyone else to possibly damage the wood. It wouldn't be her first time handling an axe.

The three girls gave a small salute to their captain before wandering off in a random direction. They had the mission to find water. They'd do their best to make certain that they could, indeed, find it.

Turning back to the rest of the crew, Ikuto gave a small nod of his head toward the pinkette. "The rest of us will stay with you. Rhythm and Nadeshiko, keep a lookout for any food that we can take back with us."

Scanning the island once more, Amu gave a soft nod of her head. "The coconuts from those trees would be good to take back. Pick the ones off the ground and shake them close to your ear. If you can hear the water inside then they still have a month or two before they're fully ripe. If they don't make a sound then they're good for eating now. I'd collect both types so that you can store some on the ship for future use. Also, the water inside is good to drink so it's a great idea to have them around for that."

How Amu knew what she knew wasn't as important as the fact that she actually knew it. Nadeshiko and Rhythm hadn't been planning on receiving a lesson on coconuts that morning but they weren't stupid enough to ignore it. It was information that Su probably knew, but the rest of the crew didn't need.

Nade was quick to grab one of the empty baskets from the rowboat and motion for Rhythm to follow her. If Amu said that gathering coconuts was a good idea then they were going to do so. "We can find you later if you're not back before we're done."

Not bothering to look back, Amu began walking across the sand toward the tall grass that seemed to grow all around the island. She was thankful for her high boots she'd gotten from Ran that morning and her pants. The clothing would make it so the grass blades wouldn't cut her skin as she walked through it. That was something she'd learned a while ago that she wouldn't forget anytime soon. The small cuts had stung something fierce when she'd had to go into the salty ocean with them littering her skin.

Staying with the pinkette, Miki paid attention to how Amu was looking at the trees. It was like the stowaway could tell just by looking which trees were worth taking a closer look at and which trees weren't going to be good for what they needed. "How can you tell?"
Being that it was just Miki, her, and Ikuto, Amu knew that the blue-haired girl was speaking to her. Ikuto wasn't doing anything besides following them. "How can I tell what?"

"That the trees we've gone by aren't worth looking at for wood. We've passed a few that are definitely big enough."

Pointing back at one of the trees that Miki was talking about, Amu tried to explain what she knew. It was something that she'd learned early on when she began working at the port. Some trees just weren't worth the energy of cutting down. "Look at the branches and leaves. Those sugi pines are rotting on the inside. Some of the branches no longer have leaves while others do. That means something inside isn't right. I won't cut down a bad tree. It isn't worth the time."

One of the trees fit what Amu was talking about. The others didn't. "So why not that one?"

Turning to the other tree that Miki was pointing at, Amu once again shook her head. "That's a fiddlewood. They have pretty wood and can get tall, but the trunk is rarely thick enough to build anything of note from. It won't be big enough for what we need."

Mostly because he was with the girls, but also because he was interested in what Amu was explaining, Ikuto made certain to look closely at both trees. While they didn't look similar, he was rather impressed that Amu was able to tell what kind of tree they were without getting closer. "How can you tell what they are?"

A bit surprised that Ikuto sounded like he actually wanted to know, Amu glanced over at the captain. He wasn't looking back at her, but Amu could tell that he was listening for her answer. "Because they're also near the town that I lived in. One of the first jobs that I took in the port was to mark trees to be cut for the ships. Boss taught me which ones were worth it and which ones weren't. He also taught me about the different types of trees and what they could be used for. We want a pine for the bit of mast that we're fixing so that it'll be flexible. If the wood is too stiff then it'll snap during a storm."

Moving closer to the tree that Amu said wouldn't work because it wouldn't be big enough, Miki sucked in a deep breath. "Those small flowers smell so good."

Catching the other girl before she could get too much closer to the fiddlewood, Amu pulled the carpenter along with her as they kept moving further into the island. "They do smell good, however, they're poisonous if you accidentally ingest one. I think it is better to stay away from them."

Thankful to the girl that had stopped her, Miki pulled her hand free before following Amu again. "Did someone you know learn that the hard way?"

Grimacing at that question, Amu shook her head. "No, but Boss told me stories of one guy that got some of the flowers in his mouth because of the wind. Apparently, I was his replacement."

The wind chose that moment to sweep across the top of the island. There was no way that Ikuto would ever admit that he kept his mouth shut just in case. Dying on that island wasn't on his agenda. Not that day and not ever.

Moving along the sandy ground, Amu stopped at a rather large sugi pine. The branches all looked healthy and the leaves showed that the tree was growing strong. Running her fingers along the bark, Amu moved to place her ear against the side of the tree as she tapped it. Everything sounded perfect. "This one is the one we'll need."

Miki looked the tree up and down before nodding. "Okay."

Ikuto moved to take the axe from the girl that held it. "Then we'll cut it down and go."

Shifting so that the captain couldn't take the axe that she held, Amu turned with the tool clutched in her hands. "I'll be cutting it down. I don't want a wrong blow to crack the trunk. Then we'll waste the tree and have to find another one."

Frowning, Ikuto crossed his arms as he moved away from her. "Fine then. You cut it down on your own. I won't help even if you ask for it."

Lifting the axe before letting it swing, Amu rolled her shoulders before repeating the process. Hard work always made her feel good. "I won't ask."

XXX

"What do you think is over there?"

Temari gave the other girl a shrug as they moved across the island. So far they hadn't found a source of freshwater, though none of them were completely expecting something on such a small island. "There's only one way to find out. We have to go look."

Scooting closer to the gunners, Dia clutched her jug just a little tighter. Her gut was telling her that their time on the island wasn't going to go as smoothly as they all hoped. "You guys brought your knives, right?"

Patting her belt, Il grinned at the blonde behind them. "Of course. I never go anywhere without them. You know that."

Not liking the fact that Dia had asked such a question, Temari also turned back to the other girl. "Why?"

Pointing to a spot just beyond the other two, Dia forced herself to stay calm. She would have known if something terrible was going to happen. This definitely wasn't going to be good but it wouldn't be terrible. "Because I think you're going to need them. There's our water source, but we're not the only ones that want to use it."

Il and Temari spun to find a large rodent with sharp teeth protruding from its mouth approaching them cautiously. The two girls were quick to draw their weapons and stay in front of Dia. "I don't think we want that water."

The group of girls tried to edge back the way that they'd come only to find that they were quickly being surrounded. The grass swayed as the animals moved within it. They couldn't actually see them as they disappeared into the tall stalks.

Not liking the situation at all, Il slashed her blades in the grass to make certain that nothing was lurking there. "Run for it!"

Pushing Dia ahead of her, Temari couldn't help but let out a large scream as one of the large rat-like things sprang out at them.

XXX

Throwing another coconut into the basket after shaking it and hearing the water inside, Nadeshiko paused before picking up another one. "Hey, Rhythm, do these marks in the sand look like some kind of footprint to you?"

Moving closer to the girl, Rhythm dropped the coconut in his hand into the basket that they'd designated for the ripe fruits. "Uh, sort of. But what would have made it? There's nothing on this island."

Now that she had noticed one, Nadeshiko was beginning to notice more of them. They covered the sand but were rather difficult to see because of the grass. "I don't think this island is as empty as we thought."

Nodding, Rhythm picked up one of the baskets. "Maybe we should head back to the boat. I don't like the looks of this."

His words were barely out of his mouth before the sound of a scream filled the air.

XXX

Miki truly was impressed that Amu had cut the entire tree down herself without asking for help or even taking a break. The girl wasn't just all talk. Whatever Amu said she had done, Miki really believed that the girl had done those things. Ikuto could still doubt her if he wanted to, but Miki would no longer have those lingering thoughts that Amu was somehow lying or trying to trick them. The girl really did work hard. "So you cut it down. How do we get it back to the ship?"

Laughing, Amu pointed down the slight slope of the island before she began to saw off the branches that they wouldn't be needing. It would be easier to move without them in the way. She left a couple for handles later on. "That's easy. We roll it."

About to respond with some sort of smart comment, Ikuto's words were cut off as a scream sounded in the air. "That was Temari."

The captain instantly took off in the direction that the scream had come from. Amu caught Miki before the other could do the same. "He's going to take care of it. Help me give this thing a push and we can get out of here faster."

Nodding, Miki moved so that she and Amu could start to roll the log down the hill. The handles that Amu had left made the tree stop its progress every so often. The two had to continue to give the wood momentum to get it down the beach. They didn't have far to go.

XXX

Ikuto's long legs carried him quickly over the island. The sand did little to slow him down as he ran toward the sound of his crew's distress. The scream hadn't been one of agony, but it hadn't been anything good. Ikuto wasn't looking forward to finding whatever had caused the noise to escape Temari's throat.

Leaping over the edge of some rocks, Ikuto skidded to a stop at the sight of Temari and Il fighting with their knives against some sort of large rodents coming out of the ground. The way the grass swayed above the ledge that the three girls were under told Ikuto that there were more of them.

Dropping to the ground with his sword already drawn, Ikuto advanced on the creatures trying to get to the girls he'd asked to find water. "Go, get to the boat. Rhythm and Nadeshiko are already there! I'll hold them off."

Breaking free from her fight, Temari nodded to her captain before grasping Dia's wrist and dragging the other girl with her. "Come on!"

Il followed right behind the other two. The three girls raced through the tall grass in order to get back to where the small rowboat was waiting for them. The sounds of Ikuto fighting against the creatures behind them followed them as they ran. Their captain was also making his way toward the beach.

Spotting Rhythm and Nade already getting the boat ready to push off from the beach, Temari thrust Dia ahead of her. "Quickly! Get in!"

"Il!"

Il turned at the sound of her name to find Miki and Amu half carrying a large trunk of a tree. "Just drop it and get in the boat! We have to get out of here!"

Shaking her head, Amu kept dragging the tree closer to their small boat. "I can't just leave it now! We've already got it this far. Just help us!"

Growling under her breath, Il raced to help the other two. They moved a bit faster, but it wasn't until Rhythm joined them that they were able to get the log to the beach and next to the boat.

Amu motioned for Miki to climb into the boat first. "We'll have to balance it down the middle so that we don't get too heavy on one side. Pull from inside the boat and we'll push."

It wasn't until they had the log in place and the boat already floating in the water that Amu noticed that Ikuto wasn't with them. "Where's the captain?"

Temari pointed toward the island. "Fighting those things!"

"Things?"

Miki's question was answered as Ikuto came racing across the beach with his sword bloody and several rodents that were large enough to reach Ikuto's hips chasing after him. They weren't large enough to see over the top of the grass, but they were quite huge.

Seeing that his crew was all waiting for him, Ikuto picked up his speed. The damn things were fast and strong, but he wasn't about to let one of them get him. "Push off! Push off!"

Helping Temari, Amu walked the boat out into the ocean a bit further before jumping in. Ikuto's pace was slowed down once he reached the water, but the captain was still quite fast. It wouldn't be long until he reached the small boat.

Pointing back to where the water lapped at the beach, Dia let out a breath of relief. "Look, they aren't following him into the water!"

Amu barely heard the words as she grabbed Ikuto's coat to help pull him into the boat. His weight caused her to lose her footing. They both tumbled down against the tree that was propped into the middle of the boat. "Are you hurt?"

Looking down at the girl trapped beneath him, Ikuto shook his head. He was soaked and he was tired, but he didn't have any life-threatening injuries. "I'm fine."

They were so close to one another that Amu couldn't help but stare into the depths of Ikuto's blue eyes. They reminded her of the deep waters of the ocean. Beautiful. And, though she didn't understand why, familiar. "Good. I'm glad."

Ikuto pulled away before anything else could be said. They'd made it off the island and Amu had her tree. Now they just needed to get back onto the ship. It wouldn't be long until they reached their next port. Amu only had until then to fix the yard.

.

Morg: I love writing.

Ikuto: I hope so. You do it a lot.

Amu: Why?

Morg: Because there are things that I research to make certain of my information, like wood types and where certain trees grow and what are actually poisonous. The trees in this chapter are real trees. They can be found on islands similar to Hawaii.

Ikuto: None of your readers really care about that stuff.

Amu: Harsh, but true.

Morg: So? I do that bit for me! But the rodent things are my own creation! That's why I love writing! It is a mix of reality and make-believe!