The Betrayed Marionette

~.~.~

Needless to say, the pirates were all thoroughly disconcerted after their experience on the 'Isle of Spirits', as one man had called it. Even as they had regrouped on the sandy shore and backed away from the delta, edging back into the sea as the dawn rose red from beyond the horizon, they whispered fearfully amongst themselves, muttering prayers towards the sky, wringing their hands and cursing their former Captain for bringing this doom upon them.

It took days for morale to return to the crew. Days for them to lower their rosaries and cease casting fearful looks back over their shoulders. Some wouldn't even go down into the depths of the hull for fear that something sinister had crept aboard the ship itself and now lay down there in the darkness, watching, waiting. None of this was, of course, helped by Yaya's casual enthusiasm for the occult. Being for the most part placed alone in the galley throughout the day, this experience would give her something to talk about for weeks to come. Rather than being spooked, she discussed the whole episode rather fondly. No, it was more like she was impressed.

"Yaya's heard of unnatural doin's on native land," she said quite happily one morning; "Yaya wonders how long unforeseen things'll lurk there in the undergrowth!"

Kukai, on the other hand, was apparently working to convince himself that it was all a bad dream.

"I-It's-It's all quite explainable-" he'd stammered, casting a fearful glance at the retreating island. But he wasn't fooling anybody. "How-How unnatural can it be?"

Nobody had answered. They'd simply turned away, watching as the wind filled their sails and, quite thankfully, they left the unrestful spirits alone.

And so it had gone on. The ashen faces; the murmurs; the quiet spells that seemed to consume the whole ship wherein no one felt brave enough to raise their voice. But, worst of all, Amu found herself plagued by nightmares for nigh on a week after leaving that accursed isle's shores. She had dreams - terrible dreams. Dreams of desperation and darkness, they were, in which all hope and cautious optimism left her and in which she found herself slipping down into an endless abyss with no return. Several times she had awoken in the dead of night, the shadows haunting her, crying out despite herself and clutching at the sheets. She had woken Ikuto on occasion and more than once she'd fallen asleep in his embrace, comforted by the caress of his touch and the smell of the salt in his hair and the sensation of the ship beneath her feet again.

She just hoped that Ichinomiya had not made a habit of frequenting unnatural isles.

"How long until our next stop?" She asked one sunrise as she, Ikuto and Utau were gathered in the Captain's cabin.

"Our next island is only a few days away," Ikuto said, pointing it out on the map.

Amu gazed curiously at it. It was perhaps the smallest they had yet to visit and, quite truthfully, she didn't see much reason for their foe to be hidden in such a place. Whilst the other isles inked on the map were adorned with faint lush and green decoration - complete with little grey lines for running rivers and even splashes of colour for various different supplies - this next little lump of rock was relatively barren in comparison. It was, however, marked with a tiny seal - a minute, red splotch of wax, in the faintest outline of the Shining Black's white diamond. Amu could not even fathom why it was marked so differently, but that wasn't apparently what Ikuto and Utau were distracted by.

It came to Amu's attention that morning that a message had been sent to them. Not from Daichi. No, this was a new bird. A mighty bird. This bird was a majestic steller's eagle - as black as their sails with but a splash of white at the joints of its wings and the plumage about its legs. Its orange beak glinted, not threateningly, but proudly in the light of the sun as it sat perched on the windowsill. Ikuto was feeding it scraps of dried meat as Utau unfurled the scroll that had been bound to its foot.

The message was not pleasant.

"There has been pirate activity in Musashi's waters," Utau explained. "Shortly after our departure his own men were come upon by a ship governed by a man with a diamond on his brow."

Amu's eyes met Ikuto's. His expression was grave. He seethed in silence, but she knew what he was thinking. Kazuomi would die all over again if he had attacked Musashi's men.

"But that is not all." Utau went on. "Ships from Seiyo have been gathering. They have skirted around the isle in their pursuit of the pirate vessels."

Amu's mouth fell open. "The Royal Navy?" she gasped. "They can't do that! They can't patrol outside their own waters! What on earth are they thinking? The territory race against the eastern empire is bad enough as it is - they could incite a war!"

Musashi's eagle 'caw'd then as if in agreement and shook its head roughly, sending little black and white feathers fluttering to the floor. Evidently it was tired of scraps as it turned tail shortly after and was off, disappearing through the open stern window and soaring over the line of the sea.

"It's not our business." Ikuto spoke at last. "I don't know what your father is thinking, but we can't do anything about it. We need to catch up with Kazuomi. It's probable that he's heading to one of his hideouts even as we speak."

"Chances are he'll go undetected." Utau said lowly, her eyes fixed on the bit of parchment before her. When she looked up her demeanour was grave. "A number of His Majesty's naval fleet were scuttled in the squall that sent us to Musashi's isle… Few survived."

Amu's heart dropped in her chest. Ikuto's eyes darted towards her, but he remained silent as she turned away, arms hugging her waist, growing numb and withdrawn from the world. The loss of her fellow countrymen - especially those in service of her family - caused her inconsolable anguish. After all, she thought, those men may have been misguided in their efforts to find her, but they were good men. Noble men. Pure of heart and as steadfast as could be.

Whilst the princess came to terms with her grief, apparently locked in her lament, their Captain stood.

"Kazuomi may be upon us sooner than we think." Ikuto said. "With the Royal Navy's search expanding there will be fewer places in which to hide." And he looked down, brows furrowed in concentration at that isle upon the map, scrutinising its shores with keen eyes. "He will be wanting to escape from them sooner rather than later…"

"Which makes any one of these islands his best refuge." Utau summarised, folding her arms across her chest and casting a glance out to sea. The sun was setting and her hair was cast alight in a golden blaze. "Well, it may be convenient for us." She went on. "With any luck that bastard will be too busy evading the King's ships to gather any more of his crew."

In truth, Amu had almost forgotten Yaya's claim that Kazuomi was rallying his men to form a dreadful fleet and Utau's unwelcome reminder brought her out from her sorrow and back into the present. Ikuto was considering this, but he was also considering their next course of action. The next island was mere days away. To turn back to Musashi's isle and stalk the waters would take weeks, by which time this pirate vessel - and any hint of Ichinomiya, if indeed he was to blame, though they did not doubt it - would vanish like smoke on the water. As it was, it had taken just as long for this message to have flown across the ocean from that sacred isle. No, there would be no trace of the man with the diamond on his brow should they return. That being the case, Ikuto could find no other solution than to press on into the unknown.

"If Kazuomi really has come upon Musashi's men," he said slowly; "if he really has sought their island out, then we can only assume that he is indeed seeking a suitable safehouse to retreat to." And, his mind made up, he continued; "We head for the next isle." He said firmly. "We will wait there - give him reasonable time to reach it. And if he does not appear then, well…"

"Then onto the next?" Amu guessed.

Ikuto nodded.

"Then onto the next."

~.~.~

The sun melted into the sea in no time at all. Like a candle burning at the end of its wick, its flame withdrew beyond the water, leaving all cold in its absence, and at last the world seemed to sigh in the ensuing hush.

It was at times like this that Amu was grateful to be situated beneath the open sky, stood here out on the deck and gazing up at the boundless leagues beyond the waters' edge - where the waves were swift and strong beneath her feet; where she could feel the light kiss of the spray as it drifted upwards like clouds on the breeze from the prow. Beneath her perhaps half of the crew were gathered about the decks in small groups, exchanging banter; working the lines; lighting little glass lanterns that ignited pools of warmth throughout the frigate. They may have been just getting over their lingering fear from the Isle of Spirits, Amu thought, but the comfort of firelight was still welcome. It drowned out whatever superstitions remained; banished dark forces; anchored them to reality. It cleansed the deck and kept the chill off their backs until at last all that was left was the sea, the surf and the ship slowly ploughing on through the endless waters, free from any unseen eyes that still lurked from within the shadows.

The sea breeze strong; the lantern light flickering; the diamond flag fluttering lightly above her head, Amu stood alone on the aftercastle and raised her head towards the clouds. It was to be a relatively clear night, she supposed, but wisps of cirrus still clung onto existence way over in the distance. The weather had been fair ever since they had left their last isle, but that was to be expected. The tropics were still their saving grace at this time of year whereas the climate turned swiftly dry and frigid further north. There might even have been snowfall in Seiyo by now, Amu thought. It was almost New Year and there would usually have been frosts from early November...

Amu's heart almost sank at the thought, for in her heart she still lingered on the outskirts of the summer when her life had been unexpectedly and irreparably turned upside-down. It was jarring to consider the length of time that had passed - jarring to stand here aboard the Shining Black and stare down into the waters at the reflection of that naїve young woman who had run away from home oh so long ago, for, despite it all, they still looked very much the same. Round cheeks. Rosy lips. A shimmer of childish curiosity brimming from golden eyes…

Overcome, she tore her gaze from the sight and her eyes happened to fall on the sunlit glow of the infamous white diamond as it hung in the breeze. Yes, Amu's heart had changed beyond repair since the summer. And it would change again before their journey was through. She wondered briefly if their foe would be able to remove his preconception of the princess from the pirate in her when next they met. Because sometimes she still could not.

Thinking of that dastardly man, Amu's mind wandered back to the Captain's cabin. To the bird and the scroll and the overbearing threat of resistance from their enemy in the form of a devastating new fleet of ships. A chill wracked up her spine. It lingered always in the back of her mind that any of the next isles they frequented could be the one. Every time they stepped ashore and felt the sand beneath their feet she expected Kazuomi to come tearing out from the trees, his cutlass brandished, his pistol primed and her Humpty Lock in his grubby hand as his men charged forth behind him. She knew that wherever they anchored she would not find rest for fear that their former Captain might come upon them in the dead of night as they slept, lulled into a false sense of security by his apparent absence, for truly they would never see him coming until it was too late. That would be typical of him. Just like it was entirely in-character for the blaggard to sail upon a nameless ship - an invisible terror with no symbol; no trademark; no warning… They would pounce and attack within the wee small hours, for the striking flags of the Shining Black were known all too well to them, yet their own would be anonymous, unrecognisable and deadly…

And so Amu found herself ill at ease that evening and as the night wore on her thoughts were muddied by these uncomfortable notions. Somewhere still within her she thought she had felt the heat of her heart ablaze, but it was to her alarm that she found its strength faltering - fading as the sun vanished beyond the brink of the world itself and she shook herself, outraged, for she knew deep down that one way or another, fear or no fear, there would have to be some meaningful end to all their troubles and, sure enough, still the thought of just laying down and just taking everything that their former Captain had dealt them was unacceptable. No, Amu had set out on this endeavour to put an end to that man's reign of terror and end it she would…

But there was no denying that recently her resolve had begun to waver. Why? Well… Amu knew why… Or at least, she thought she might…

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She felt him sidle up beside her before he'd even opened his mouth. It was distinctive - the precise, deliberate way in which he ambled across the deck, his boots falling lightly across the planks as he snuck up to the bulwark and leant against its side. Amu, still locked in her own train of thought, regarded Ikuto with an unreadable air, though she secretly worried the inside of her lip.

Yes, Amu knew why her resolve wavered so.

"Ikuto…"

Ikuto seemed to sense that something was amiss, whether by her tone or expression. She shouldn't have been surprised. That man could read her like an open book and, truly, it was sometimes a blessing, for she was reassured that even if words failed her there would always be an understanding between them and. Indeed, sometimes it was those words unspoken that rang out clearest; that reminded her just how far they had come.

Currently, Amu was drawn back into the present by the slight of his touch as he settled against her and, momentarily, her thoughts were calmed. She almost smiled as she felt his hand oh-so gently trail against her shoulder in a sort of tender concern.

"On watch for the night?" She said casually. Perhaps, she thought, that it was best for now to push the conversation elsewhere. Her Captain had enough on his mind without her beginning to doubt her own intentions.

Ikuto appeared swayed by this. He shook his head. "No, not tonight." He said. "Just come off the dog watch. Utau will be taking the first."

Amu hummed in response. She glanced briefly at the ship's bell where it hung some yards away, glinting a ruddy bronze in the dim light. She'd been so preoccupied in her own thoughts that she hadn't even heard it ring. Beside her, Ikuto was regarding her with suspicion again. She took a breath and tried to smile brightly at him. She thanked the oncoming night for casting shadow upon her face.

About the deck of the Shining Black, the men were changing shifts. The first watch was beginning and whistles were blowing as the previous pirates gratefully let their fellows take over for the long night ahead. There was little to do for Amu at this time. Generally this would have been her cue to retreat for the evening until the morning watch at dawn when she would rise with the sun to assist Yaya in the galley. But tonight the thought of returning to her little box cabin was for some reason altogether unappealing. Her head was so full of heavy thoughts that she doubted rest would come easily and besides, her heart was beginning to beat steadily in the presence of the Captain at her side. Yes, her worry for him might have been the cause of her anxiety, but she could not deny that there was something about him that made those little frenzied voices in her mind shirk back into nothingness. And so Amu realised that there was no place she would rather have been in that moment than here aboard the aftercastle drinking in the cool night air.

For a while they stood there and, for a moment, it seemed that the silence was pleasant, but after a while Amu chanced a glance at the man beside her. Ikuto looked drawn deep in thought - she could see the gears turning in his head as he shifted his gaze towards the water. Silently she watched him. Then he stood to his full height and nodded aft.

"It's been a long and eventful few days." He said simply, now stepping away from the bulwark. And again he nodded; "Come."

And, entranced, Amu followed him.

They left the subdued hustle and bustle of the deck behind them, passing towards the stern and through the corridor that creaked and echoed so as they walked across the planks. From underneath Souko's door, candlelight was glowing gently. Amu thought she could hear her humming a tune she might have recognised once. It sounded like something that should have been grand and sweeping, played beneath lofty halls under the bedazzlement of golden chandeliers. She could just picture women in enormous dresses and men in silk jackets twirling in circles like dandelion seeds on the wind to this continuous beat. It spoke of nobility and grandeur. Of times lost and long-forgotten. It was like the unpredictable flutter of one's heart; a beating; a waltz… Like an echo from a life she'd left long ago…

And so gladly Amu left the tune behind.

The shadows were darkening when they first stepped back into Ikuto's cabin, but they lit no light as they entered the room. The silhouettes of the furniture rose deep from the darkness and the draft of a cool breeze signalled an open window somewhere beyond the threshold. Idly Amu paced towards the desk and peered curiously on the multitude of parchment that littered its surface. Her Ruffian was not the most organised of men, it had to be said. Whereas it was drilled into the minds of many a young man to conform - to fall into a meticulous and orderly fashion like the certain and precise nature of the flow of the tide - Ikuto's head was more like the squall that had nearly defeated them. Murky at times and haphazard, yet somehow still managed to drift back into its proper course, if maybe only coincidentally. It was unconventional. Chaotic. But it was one of the things she had come to love simply because it was a part of him.

Her heart warmed and, swelling with fondness at the thought, Amu almost didn't notice that her Captain had drifted to the window where he studied her form from afar intently, eyes lingering as he searched her for any sign of misgiving. Evidently he was still thinking about the despondent state she'd fallen into when first he found her. Eventually he spoke.

"If you are still worried about your countrymen," Ikuto began, his tone gentle; "then I am sorry. But rest assured they will be avenged."

Amu was confused for only a moment before remembering the news brought from Musashi only earlier that day. "Ah," she said, trailing her fingers across the desk and skirting round the piece of parchment in question only briefly before shaking her head. "No," she said quietly. "It's not that. Though I don't deny it still troubles me."

Ikuto studied her for a moment, brows furrowed. "Then what does?"

'They will be avenged'… Something fell within Amu's chest with that little utterance. And it so struck her that she stopped, her gaze pointedly focused on the trails of paper before her. Leaning casually against the glass Ikuto gazed at her, his brows furrowing just the slightest to betray his concern. But quickly his expression softened, for if there was anything he ought to have learned by now it was that he would only do more damage by prying into the former princess' misgivings. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that sometimes he needed to be gentle, patient to a fault, in order to coax out whatever was eating away at her conscience. And so he did not push. He did not back her into a corner and demand she let her guard down as he so desired.

Instead, Ikuto held out his hand only briefly, but it was enough that Amu understood. She crossed the room, allowing him to beckon her over to the window and their fingers interlocked on instinct. Outside the night had truly fallen and the diamond-cut glass was tracing intricate patterns across the floor as the moon rose. Its celestial glow fell across their faces as Amu lay her head against him, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be lulled by the steady thump of his heartbeat. She imagined herself back onto peaceful nights stood beneath the moon at his side - floating on a sea of starlight, cast amongst the constellations, her pulse still pounding under the influence of secret sonatas as they stole away on the wind.

They stood like this for a moment in silence, each drawn deep in thought. But, for a moment, the light of Amu's memory of that night was dimmed by shadow.

'They will be avenged'…

And, for the first time, she said it aloud;

"I am afraid."

There was a brief pause during which Amu's breath was held. Ikuto looked down curiously. Straightening up, she got the impression that he was trying his best to understand with what little he had been given. A moment passed. Then he frowned oh-so slightly.

"Go on."

Amu sighed. Articulating this newfound fear was difficult when she could barely place a finger on it herself, but still she thought hard.

"I just want this to be over." She said finally - cautiously. "If not for me, then… Then for you."

At this, Ikuto was no less puzzled than before. "For me?" He repeated. And, when he realised she was serious; "Amu…"

His arms were snaking around her waist then, his chin resting on the top of her head. He sighed, but not angrily. Amu found herself calming as she nestled into his chest, drinking in his scent, the slight of his touch and in that moment they became the very picture of tender affection…

But Amu remembered days when her Captain had not been so forgiving. She remembered the rage untamed; the fire of his fury; the raw, unbridled ferocity as he cursed their former captain all those months ago when they had been left - abandoned, discarded down just outside the docks that night he had fled. She remembered the madness that overcame him; the reckless self-destruction that nearly led to his own doom…

Amu remembered. And she knew now why she was so stricken with dread when she gazed back up into her Ruffian's eyes.

It was because deep down Amu feared for him.

"I have seen what happens to men overcome with obsession." She whispered. "And I'm sure you have too." In her mind the faces of a thousand dignitaries passed by, each one more infuriating than the last. She perhaps thought she had even seen her own father's face among them within the last few weeks of her sheltered existence within the Palace - a turbulent time overshadowed by the threat of the great territory race to the east overspilling, but she did not dwell on this, for that life was a world away and, besides, her memories of that time were fleeting, insignificant in comparison. More real - more relevant - was the looming imposition of the face of their former captain, grey and terrible. Amu could think of no other so overwhelmed by fanaticism. It sent a chill down her spine.

It was with this that Ikuto finally understood. He averted his gaze, his eyes settling on the line of the sea, and sighed in reluctant acceptance. But he said nothing. Amu went on.

"I know that in your heart you think only of your family," she said softly; "and I know that if ever justice was to be so well-deserved, then it would be on Ichinomiya…" Then she swallowed. "But if it is to come at the cost of… Of your own soul…"

"Amu-"

"It is not that I don't want him dead!" Amu quickly interjected. "No, Ikuto, every last man on this ship prays for Ichinomiya's end. But it is just that sometimes… Sometimes I wish that it need not be you that deals the final blow."

"Amu…" Ikuto's voice was tender now, his breathing steady as he looked into her frightened eyes and took her by the hand. "Understand… It has to be done."

Something dropped in the princess' chest - a weight; a heart of stone. But it was nothing she hadn't expected. Truly there could be no escape from it. Amu nodded. "I know." She said, voice thick. "And I won't deny you the satisfaction."

He seemed relieved for this and Amu didn't blame him. No, for she knew deep down that it must have been in her Captain's fate to avenge his family, his men, himself even.

In that moment Amu thought of ….. And she thought of that lofty tune - that humming in the corridor as they passed by Souko's door. It was playing over and over in her mind like a neverending symphony. And it was with that that a sense of clarity seemed to shine renewed between them.

"You just want her and Utau to be let go…"

Ikuto's face was impassive.

"Don't you?"

Ikuto finally blinked, let out a heavy breath and lowered his gaze to the floor. Numbly he let his hand fall by the side and when finally he found his voice it was choked by something unrecognisable. In the dark, his fingertips found the Key around her neck, gracing their way down that golden chain before holding that trinket aloft to the light where the moonbeams rebounded about her cheeks. Perhaps had his thoughts not been so preoccupied he would have stopped to admire it - to become lost in the way it glittered so temptingly in golden eyes. But instead Ikuto sighed;

"This Key…" he said quietly, gaze never leaving its crystal façade; "This Key, Amu, is supposed to grant whoever owns it great power… And yet I have been utterly powerless to help my own kin…"

His tone was forlorn, defeated, and nothing could have pulled at her heartstrings more. Amu felt her eyes begin to prickle with unshed tears at the sight, for rarely save under the influence of Kazuomi had she ever seen her Ruffian so beyond hope; so dim and vulnerable and, by God, had it been within her power she knew then that she would have never hesitated to give it to him - to grant him his wish; to banish the shadows that yet lingered in his heart and clear the clouds that befuddled his mind. And she knew then that there was nothing Amu wanted more than to give it to him.

"They've had enough of that man's abuse." She whispered. And she stood up on her tiptoes then, brushing her lips oh-so gently against his cheek. "And so have you."

He softened under her touch, relaxing at the comfort of her lips against his skin, and somehow this insignificant movement was enough to dampen the fear that she had found herself fighting these past few days, for she knew then that, at the very least, her Ruffian did not seem consumed with the list for revenge. Not beyond reason.

"Ikuto… I promise you… We will bring them peace."

There was a pause - a lull in which her vow lingered unspoken between them. Ikuto drew her back into his chest and together they watched as the ocean rose and fell about them. The waters darkened and soon became indistinguishable against the velvet sky and so Amu found her attention drawn ever upwards. There was a shimmering beginning to twinkle above the abyss, scarce at first, but as she concentrated more seemed to spark to life, glittering beautifully against the deep canvas - faint though they were at first - until the waves were illuminated by the light of innumerable stars, ripples ofwater gently swishing beneath the stern as the frigate bobbed above them.

Quietly Amu found herself thanking the heavens for their privacy here tonight, sheltered from all save the stars above as they wound their way across the inky night, glittering like glass beyond the window. Comforted, she let out a wistful breath;

"The night is beautiful now the storms have cleared."

Ikuto looked like he agreed. He was watching the night carefully, scanning his gaze across the Milky Way and it was then that he found his voice;

"The way I see it…" he mused, watching the sky with intent. "It is proof that even in a person's darkest moments there is still a light to help them find their way…"

Wrapped in his tight embrace, Amu tilted her head back, watching with curiosity as he tried to find the words, actively aware of the 'thump-thump!' of her heart as they revelled in the other's arms. After a moment, Ikuto smiled and when their eyes met it was as though they had been transported back to that very first night aboard the Shining Black when such otherworldly music had drawn her to his side like a moth to the flame. But this was different… This was changed. Now Amu thought it was as if the moon and the stars themselves had shone anew on a different man entirely… He continued;

"And I have found myself relying on that light in the darkness for many years."

Secretly, her heartbeat fluttered.

"Or, when I could see them at least." He added.

The princess thought she knew how that felt, for she had spent the majority of her later life searching in vain for those little lights beyond the edge of the world until she had begun to believe that she would never be graced with their presence again…

But Amu thought then that, even if she couldn't see the sky itself, she would still survive, for in Ikuto's eyes she saw the light of the stars every day and every night - ever since their first encounter when she had awoken in her cabin so far from home - and every eve he transported her into a world she had only ever dreamed about, stood at her balcony doors; a world she had thought so unattainable; so far from home…

Yet this was her home now. And she was blessed.

Currently, his voice drew her back to the present, calm, yet serious - measured beyond a doubt.

"I have to finish this." Ikuto said. And it was definitive. "I have to. If I do not, then, well… If we do not, then I will never feel… Free…"

This she understood.

"So be it." Amu said.

There was a pause - a moment of peace. - and then;

"I don't know what I will do if we cannot find him." Ikuto said calmly.

Neither did she. In fact, it was hard to find something comforting to offer in response to this. But at last, Amu spoke. "Well," she began; "at the very least, so long as we have this-" she held up the Dumpty Key from around her neck; "-Ichinomiya will not reach his goal. If we do not find him… Then maybe this will be enough."

The Captain looked sceptical, but he said nothing. Their attention turned back to the beauty beyond the window. So peaceful was their silence then that, suddenly, Amu felt something flutter inexplicably within her chest. A string of laughter left her lips - light and freeing as a stream leaping from the spring.

"You know, I truly am the luckiest woman alive."

Ikuto's lips twitched, but his brows were furrowed. Amu laughed again at his expression, to which he responded, dumbfounded; "Amu, you are not serious?" And when she didn't take it back; "You are stuck on this ship on the run from the navy, about to march into a confrontation with Kazuomi Ichinomiya himself."

She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye, as if daring him to disagree with her. "And why on Earth would that make me unfortunate?"

Evidently Ikuto was still at a loss for words, though deep down he could not deny his heart swelled with some sense of awe. He shook his head, utterly amazed as always, and re-wrapped his arms securely around her, heartbeat skipping as she settled snugly into his side.

"I want you to remember," Amu told him; "I said it the day I left to join you. I have no desire to remain there anymore. Not when there is a chance to do as best as I can to help you and your family… Besides, my family care not for justice any longer. And there is a whole world out there for me to discover."

Apparently this did not make sense to the Captain who failed to find his voice for a good long while, for it utterly baffled him! To choose a life of uncertainty - of danger and desperation - all for the Lock and the love of a buccan… Well, he had never heard of anything so unbelievable. And then, at last, he uttered;

"All for this?"

Amu closed her eyes, a grin across her lips, and nodded.

"All for this."

She felt him breathe a chuckle of laughter.

"You're fascinating, Amu."

"Oh?" she grinned.

Ikuto drew back briefly to look down upon her. When he spoke his expression was enough to move her beyond words.

"I have always found you so."

And it was true. So true in fact that Ikuto found he had not the means to elaborate upon it. Instead, he did the only thing he thought proper with which to convey his affection. Taking her by the cheek he leaned forward and planted one, slow kiss upon her parted lips and when he drew back her breath was utterly stolen. He grinned cheekily at the dazed expression that had overcome her, tucking a loose lock of pastel pink hair behind her ear, and cast his eyes once more over the sight of the moon shining silently over the water.

"Sit with me tonight."

And, still smitten, Amu did.

~.~.~

And so it was that the night passed them by, filled with murmurs and sweet affirmations and heartfelt kisses beneath the stars, yet, whilst their night was blissful - whilst for them this night-time swept over silently as it had done many a time before - for others it was not so. For others, the sea was becoming less of a sanctuary, for at times it seemed that the heart of the deep was stirred beyond all consolation and that it was to be that ultimately all who dwelt within her would find their way back into uttermost peril.

O, how flighty; how frivolous was that temptress of the waters. All-consuming; ever changing. Wild and perilous. She raged at will and unleashed her fury at the merest whim. She was as unpredictable and ever-changing as the weather during the hurricane season. Countless men lay buried within her depths, swept from ships scuttled about the seabed, their skeletons sunk into the sand, tied down by seaweed amongst the shoals.

Truly, the sea was a terrifying soul. And her ferocity was felt by all who sailed her as they were tossed and turned about stormy waves; as the wrath of the tide submerged sandy shores; as the mountain men found themselves overcome by the wreckage swept to land, the King's colours dim and clouded as they were washed upon the stones.

Yet almost as terrifying - almost as chilling - was the rhythmic tapping of the Captain as the imagined beat wore on, over and over and over in spite of it all - in spite of the squall and the smoke and the sea-battle that had nearly been the death of them. Oh yes, oh-so nearly had the galleon found herself among those unfortunate enough to litter the depths…

And, whether by cannon fire or the dark of the storm, many there had been to quench the tempest's lust for death that day…

But the Dark Fortune had not been among them.

And so Fortune plotted. The light of a single candle illuminated the whites of his eyes. Raven's feathers were scattered about the floor…

In his hand was a staff. A jewel-topped staff. A fancy prize from a fancy vessel.

Fortune laughed.

The beat wore on in every nook and hollow of his ship. In the hearts of every man. In the turn of the tide and the setting of the sun and, a world away, it seemed as though this rhythmic chime could be felt even in the unlikeliest of places near the safety of the shore.

There was a ticking. A ringing. The rhythm of the gears as the box lay open, dismantled, atop the desk. The rustle of cards echoed from somewhere in the darkness. Fragrant tea was brewing in a pot upon the tablecloth. And there they sat, side by side, two former lovers laid bare beneath the stars, taken from the music box and spread upon the table for repair, for truly there had been something wrong with their waltz; something amiss - an off-tune step or mistimed beat...

His eyes fell upon the bronze man and immediately his heart was full of doubt.

"How will the bronze man repair himself?" the fortune-teller asked the night. "How will he dance with his maiden out of reach? How shall he fare without her?"

The silence stretched about him, all-consuming, the stars above all-knowing.

"And you…" he shook his head at the sky itself. "Oh you, my dear betrayed marionette… How you danced as a puppet on strings for endless days… So used to beckoning to your master's call. But now I wonder… How will you learn to dance unguided? How will you keep from the darkness that so consumed you?"

And, as if in defiance, the night replied;

'The Marionette shines.'

"But of course…" the fortune-teller said. "Brightly it shines and brightly-lit is the road laid at their feet, for all the way ahead is illuminated by the stars themselves…"

A sigh. The chinking of china-

"Oh, and a long road it may be. A winding road. A tiresome road... But not a lonely road. No, not now that they've found one another."

And he rejoiced, for above his head the Lock and Key twinkled as bright as ever;

"Hold on, Marionette…"

'The journey continues…'

"Hold on."

~.~.~

A/N: Beginning this year as I mean to go on - with updates!

Okay, another little between-islands chapter for you. Sorry about the delay! I'm trying to juggle this fic with studying and working and tbh it's a fun/frightening challenge. Believe me when I say that even when I'm not writing, this fic consumes my thoughts lmao.

Thanks for sticking with me!