Morg: Heyo! I must love this story a lot to be updating it already.

Ikuto: You call this already?

Amu: You could love it less.

Morg: It hasn't been three months so yeah, I'd say already.

Ikuto: Touché.

Amu: Really, don't update at all. Ever. No one cares.

Morg: I care. I'll never leave a story unfinished.

Ikuto: I'm grateful for that.

Amu: The whole you don't own anything part makes it not matter.

~The Eighth Sea~

The wind that helped them to escape the harbor and the men that had tried to stop them from their escape didn't last long on the open sea. Their pace slowed, but Ikuto was just happy with the fact that they were still moving. It was dangerous for them if they were caught by another vessel.

There were oars down below, but the captain didn't believe in rowing unless it had to be done. It was something that made him different from other captains, pirate or not. He was fine with their slow pace as long as there wasn't another ship to be seen in any direction. So far, Ran hadn't called from the crow's nest to say that she'd seen any.

Sighing as he looked at the pieces of the map that he had, Ikuto studied them carefully. They would lead him exactly where he wanted to go, but only if he had all of them. The captain currently had six pieces, but to get to where they were going, he was going to need all eight.

Ikuto leaned on his map table as he stared down at the small piece of paper that he'd collected from the mansion back at the port that Amu had snuck aboard the ship in. On one side there were pieces of instructions on how to get to where they were going and on the other was a riddle.

The riddle was the clue in finding the next piece of the map. So far, Ikuto had managed to sail across the seas several times over. He'd crossed old paths and revisited sites he'd been to before, but it didn't matter. None of that mattered because he'd found six pieces. So far, there wasn't a riddle that he couldn't solve. That was until he got the piece he currently had.

The others were easily figured out since they hinted at something that was sold, traded, or made in the locations that they were hidden in. That and they all had clues to how they were hidden. It was fairly easy for him to know that he had to go to the port that he'd been in to find the sixth piece. And from there, he knew he needed a picture of the king.

Now, however, it wasn't so easy. The riddle he'd read over a hundred times still made as much sense to him as the first time he'd read through it. The seventh piece of the map was going to have to remain unfound until he could figure it out.

The first piece had been the easiest to find. The rumors about the map had been the clue. Once Ikuto had figured it out, he'd really only had to claim the first piece. The others were quick to fall into his possession. Of course, there had been some struggles here and there, but he was still the victor. He was the one with six pieces of the Seven Seas Treasure located in the Eighth Sea. He just didn't know how to get there.

A knock at the door pulled Ikuto out of his thoughts. Not many members of the crew bothered to knock, which meant that he already had somewhat of an idea who was intruding on him before he called for them to come in. "What?"

The door opened to reveal Amu. Ikuto hadn't been expecting that, but he was still okay with it. "What do you want?"

Narrowing her eyes a bit, Amu pushed her hair over her shoulder before entering the captain's cabin. He hadn't exactly invited her in, but he hadn't told her to leave either. "I wanted to talk to you about some of the work that needs to be done, but I can see you have far more important things on your mind."

Barely acknowledging what the girl said to him, Ikuto looked back down at the papers that were laid out before him. All of his pieces of the map were carefully placed where they belonged. The two that were missing were greatly missed. He needed them. He didn't have time, at the moment, to really care about what Amu wanted. The riddle needed to be solved. "I do. So do whatever needs to be done to get things fixed and leave me be."

Ignoring the dismissal, Amu moved closer to the table. She was more interested in the large map of the ocean rather than the smaller pieces of scraps that Ikuto seemed to be glaring at. "For that, we're going to have to stop again. I need some more wood."

"Yes," Ikuto said a bit harshly. "Because that worked out so well the last time we did it."

Frowning now, Amu crossed her arms before moving so that the male couldn't ignore her presence. Something was really bothering the captain. Usually, Amu wouldn't care. Not for the last week since they'd escaped the port and she had managed to stay on the ship. Getting on Ikuto's good side wasn't needed when there wasn't a threat of throwing her overboard. "You know, you're being a jerk."

Laughing darkly, Ikuto couldn't help but lift his glare to the girl before him. Amu was definitely bold. He couldn't find it in him to dislike that about her. "And you're being too nosy. Go do some work while I do mine."

Rolling her eyes, Amu leaned her hip against the map table while crossing her arms. It was rather clear to see that the captain wasn't doing much in the way of work. "Yeah, because what you're doing is so fruitful. Let the rest of us slave away while you stay locked up in here. I can't do my work unless you give the command for us to stop for some more lumber. You don't keep enough on this ship, which is just stupid, by the way."

All humor, as dark as it had been in the first place, was gone as Ikuto glared openly at the girl that was daring to challenge him. They might not be near any ports he was going to leave her at, but that didn't mean that she could just talk to him any way that she saw fit. "Watch your tongue, Amu. I would hate to have to cut it out."

Amu didn't bother to move or respond. Clearly, something was bothering the man. If he would talk about it then she might be able to help. She wasn't going to back down.

Sighing, Ikuto gestured to the table. "What island do you suggest we stop at? What kind of wood do you need?"

Turning to look back at the table, Amu didn't bother to look at the big map. She was looking at the pieces of whatever it was that Ikuto had been looking at. "Something with good, strong, thick wood."

There were so many comments that Ikuto could make about that. However, he was in the presence of a lady, even if he didn't want to be, and decided to not be crude. "Then we'll stop here."

Amu nodded without looking at the island that Ikuto had pointed out. Her eyes were fixed upon some sort of riddle that Ikuto had been studying. It was clear that it was some sort of clue. "Oceans so blue where laws are untrue. Beasts are king over land, water, and air. Songs sung sweetly lead unworthy souls to their deaths. Hidden in a place to never sail again is what you desire."

Hearing the riddle read out to him didn't suddenly make Ikuto understand it better. If anything, it irked him to know that Amu was reading what he hadn't let the rest of the crew even see. He should have put it away before she'd ever come in. "Yes, well, that's private."

Lifting her eyebrows, Amu looked up from the paper at Ikuto for only a moment. He could be as rude as he wanted to be, she was far more interested in the riddle anyhow. Some of it made sense, but some of it didn't. "So what is it?"

Sighing again, Ikuto gave in. Part of him really didn't want to just tell Amu everything, but he figured that it couldn't hurt. He was trying and failing to solve the riddle. Maybe having someone help him out would give him an insight that he needed to be able to get the answer. "These, Amu, are six of eight pieces of a map."

Studying the pieces that Ikuto had gestured to, Amu found that they really weren't as old as she thought at first glance. They were just made to look like they were ancient. "A map to what?"

"That," Ikuto said while scooping the five that he didn't need at the moment up to put away. "Isn't something that you need to know."

Rolling her eyes again, Amu picked up the piece that Ikuto wasn't trying to hide from her. It didn't really matter to her what the map was for. She wasn't really interested in treasure. The money that she'd made for selling her dress was more than enough for her for now. That and it wasn't like she had anything to spend it on in the middle of the ocean while on a pirate ship. "Okay, so this sixth piece, what does the riddle lead you to?"

"The seventh piece."

Amu really disliked games like this one. It was something that Ami had enjoyed, but she hadn't. Still, she had played them with her younger sister. There was a sharp pain in her chest at the thought of the younger girl that she'd most likely never see again. "So solve the riddle and you find the next piece. I understand."

Nodding, Ikuto moved away from the table to further put the rest of the map away before rejoining Amu to look at the map. It didn't matter how many times he read it, he still couldn't figure out where they had to go. "Yes, but even though I solved the previous ones, I can't seem to figure this one out."

Studying the words for a bit longer, Amu let it flutter back to the top of the big map. "So all the clues give you some sort of location? What happens if you get there and the piece of the map is gone?"

Ikuto didn't bother looking away from the side of Amu's face. She wasn't looking back at him as she looked down at the larger map, but Ikuto found that he didn't care if she was or not. Like the shopkeeper had said back in the last port, she was really pretty. "Yes, and that happened with the fourth piece, but the rumors of it led us to it anyway. They can always be found because people always talk."

Nodding, Amu looked back at the riddle before looking back at the map. "Where have you been where the waters have been really blue?"
"That would be just about everywhere."

Smacking the captain's shoulder, Amu shook her head. "No, I mean really blue."

Ikuto fell silent for a few minutes to think. Part of what he was thinking about was how she thought she could just touch him as casually as she had. The rest was about the different places in his travels where he'd thought the water was really blue. "Mostly in the southern more areas, but not too far south. The water is generally blue where it is always warm."

"Then that would be a start. We have to head that way."

Sighing, Ikuto rubbed at his temples. "In case you haven't noticed, we are heading that way. Also, that still leaves a lot of places that that map piece could be. We have to narrow it down more than that."

Looking back up at the captain, Amu refrained from making a smart comment to the man. It wouldn't be wise to piss him off too much. Not if she wanted to keep helping with the riddle. If he threw her out of his cabin then he probably wouldn't listen to her even if she did manage to solve it. "Okay, do you know of an area where beasts rule? I wonder what it means by beasts."

Ikuto held Amu's gaze for a moment longer before looking back at the map. It was interesting to see what she was thinking when she read the riddle. So far, she hadn't figured out anything that he didn't already know. "There are all sorts of islands, like the one with the giant rats, where beasts seem to be king. It still doesn't narrow it down."

"Then what about the part about the sirens?"

"Sirens?"

Amu nodded her head as she ran her finger along the words of the riddle. There was nothing else that they could mean. At least, it made perfect sense to her. "This part about songs sung sweetly. The only creatures that I can think of that lead unworthy souls to their deaths with a song would be sirens."

Letting the words sink into his mind for a few moments, Ikuto slowly felt a grin start on his lips. Of course, he made certain that Amu wouldn't see it. "There is a cove that none dare enter. It is rumored that sirens haunt its waters. There have been many ships lost there."

Leaning away from the table, Amu crossed her arms over her chest. The action wasn't to show annoyance or power but to comfort herself. The thought of sirens sort of frightened her. She knew all the stories of them, having worked at the boatyard for so many years. "Is there anywhere else that has them?"

Sitting back in his chair, Ikuto looked up to study the girl before him. He was half curious to see if Amu was going to say they should go or if she was going to try to convince both of them that the riddle had to mean something else. "None that I know of."

Nodding, Amu wished she wasn't going to say what she was going to say. There was no stopping the words as they slipped from her mouth. "Then I think, Captain, that that is where we need to go."

XXX

Stalking through the streets of the port, Tadase searched for any sign of his missing bride. He'd managed to put together a small crew to head out the day after she'd disappeared, but so far he had yet to find her. The pirates that left with his betrothed had to have made port somewhere to get supplies since they hadn't taken any from his town. This was the closest one. He was going to find her.

Something glittering out of the corner of his eye made Tadase pause in the middle of the street. Turning slowly, he found himself staring at the wedding gown that had been made for his bride. It was the very one. He knew because he had specifically asked for it.

Stomping his way into the shop, the young noble didn't bother to wait for the shopkeeper to speak to him. Instead, he interrupted the sale that was already taking place. "Where did you get that dress?"

Shocked that someone so rude was in their store, the shopkeeper turned to find a young man looking rather angry. "Which one?"

"That one!" Tadase fumed as he threw his hand into the air to point rudely at the dress. "That wedding dress. Where did you get it?"

Smiling, the shopkeeper couldn't help but look fondly at the dress. Just having it in his window had brought in a lot more customers. "A woman and a man came in. They sold it to me."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Tadase scowled at the man. "What did they look like? This woman and man."

Scratching at his head, the shopkeeper looked up at the ceiling as if he was trying to remember the information. "Well, they were a very good looking couple. The male was quite tall and had dark blue hair. The girl was not as tall, but her height fit with his nicely. She had long pink hair. They seemed quite pleased to be rid of it."

The girl that had been described had to have been Amu. There was no doubt in Tadase's mind. Maybe the pirates had made her sell the dress to make them money. "That was my fiancé's dress and I'm taking it back."

"You can't do that. I paid good money for that dress."

Eyes narrowing, Tadase hunched up his shoulders before stepping closer to the man. "It wasn't theirs to sell. That dress belongs to me. I'm taking it back!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, the shopkeeper stood his ground. No young noble was going to come into his shop and make demands that were so outrageous. He wasn't giving up the dress to anyone. It wasn't even for sale. "No. Get out of my shop."

Without thinking his actions through, Tadase pulled his knife from his pocket. Several times, he stabbed the blade through the shopkeeper's chest. The male fell into his own pool of blood long after he died.

Paying no attention to the people screaming as they ran out, Tadase moved to grab the dress. That dress and Amu were both his. He was taking them back.

.

Morg: Stuff happens.

Ikuto: Wow. Obsessive much?

Amu: But we know that Tadase wouldn't do that in real life.

Morg: You've seen the way he gets when he goes all power-hungry. Who knows?

Ikuto: True that!

Amu: I don't believe you!

QUESTION! I have named the freaking ship yet? I looked through my notes and through the story and haven't seen a name for it. I just want to make sure that I don't call it by the wrong name if I've forgotten that I have!

Thanks for reading!