The Betrayed Marionette

~.~.~

The clouds cleared. The sea settled. Time passed quickly on that isle of the mountain and during her stay, Amu learned that fencing was an art.

Her day would begin at dawn and, as the first few rays of silent daylight graced the tips of the trees and of the majestic mount beyond, Amu would rise with the sun and steal down towards the coast where Ikuto would be waiting patiently, his eyes bright and his cutlass ready within his hand.

So nearly a month was spent: training; replenishing their stock; waiting out the last of the unusually stormy season that had almost sent them down to the depths; and, by the end of it, Amu was proud to say that she was a better swordsman than she had ever hoped to be. Certainly weaponry was not supposed to ever be a part of her royal duties when she had been young and, though she could not make up for a lifetime of idleness in a few short weeks, she could now at least take on the deftest of foes - Ikuto being one of them. And that was saying something, for he was light on his feet as any and had reflexes that could put the best to shame.

Amu enjoyed their time on that isle. Truly, she did, if not only for the skills she had gained, but for the time she and he had spent together healing the rift that had threatened to open between them and cast them asunder and in rare stolen moments together between training she almost thought she saw flashes of an Ikuto untroubled by the shadow of his stepfather and of the weight that this monumental task of theirs had bestowed upon him. At the very least, Ikuto seemed to have accepted that his princess was not made of glass. And that was a whole weight off her shoulders.

All in all, nearly three weeks they spent upon that island, for it was, they learned, the tail end of the typhoon season and by the time they had fixed up the Shining Black the weather was starting to show signs of a calm normalcy once again. And every day Amu put their extra time to use in the hopes that one day she could do battle against their foe and end it all.

Musashi was no less gracious than he had been at the start of their stay and, once the ship was repaired and the sea breeze strong in her sails again, ordered his men to supply the Shining Black and her crew with whatever their hearts desired. This mostly came in the form of food - stockpiles of cured fish and rice and what little native fruit might survive at least a few weeks out at sea - but there were other practical supplies too such as line and sail and drink, but most intriguing of all was the barrels that these warriors marched down to the beach - barrels with red painted lids and a pungent smell.

"Powder?" Kukai exclaimed after he'd taken a deep sniff of the stuff. "You people keep powder?"

"Be careful." Musashi warned them sagely,his face taking on a rather grave expression as the pirates began to study the numerous barrels scattered before the beach. "This powder has been kept untouched for decades. This is no Seiyo-grade weaponry. It may be a little more… Potent than you're used to."

"So long as it goes up in smoke," Ikuto said; "I shall be very happy."

Ikuto studied the unfamiliar scripture on the side. It was true - most of their own reserves had been too sodden and spoiled to use after their little episode in the hurricane and so any dry powder was enough to win over their Captain. Besides, if the mountain men had no use for it, Ikuto figured it would be impolite to refuse. He studied the unfamiliar scripture on the side curiously, but Musashi's demeanour was unchanged.

"All the same, I should not like to stand by when this lot goes off."

Little more was said on the matter. Soon it was time for the pirates to take their leave and, as the Shining Black was loaded with their last few provisions, Ikuto was grateful to have been given the hospitality of such a generous (if cautious) people, for he saw then that Musashi and his men were men of honour; men of pride; a neutral people who neither benefit nor gain from any cause of conflict on these seven seas. And perhaps Musashi felt the same, for he bid them goodbye graciously;

"Farewell, ship of the Diamond Sail."

The members of the monastery stood silently on the beach, their heads bowed in a wordless farewell and the crew knew then that they had been privileged to see a better side of the world, away from the torment and suffering so many of them had gone through and it was refreshing, uplifting almost to be in such a place of tranquillity; to momentarily escape from the darkness that lurked in the world.

Ikuto and many others bowed back at the fading figures. He would be lucky to find another island as pleasant as this. And, as the ship set sail, he realised that he would miss it.

~.~.~

Days passed. Weeks, almost. The crew ate well on their new provisions and the weather remained clear and bright and unpredictable for much longer than it usually did. In fact, at first glance, life aboard the Shining Black seemed rather dull…

Though plenty was happening behind closed doors. Amu had suffered a recent spell of insomnia and it seemed to be that all the ship's secrets were more prevalent at the coming of night. Just three nights passed she had heard voices, stern and serious, coming from Souko's cabin. It was preferable to those nights months ago when she had heard the woman bitterly weeping at the hands of their former Captain, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. She was surprised that Ikuto didn't notice her as she peered through her keyhole and, through the door slightly ajar, found him and his mother engaged in some sort of disagreement.

Souko sat at her vanity desk, her hair glowing platinum in the firelight, running the tips of her fingers over the band on her ring finger. Of course Amu knew this to be her wedding ring - a treasure she could never have worn before in front of Kazuomi - and for a moment her heart was filled with guilt on peering at this supposedly private conversation.

Souko's voice was weak and feeble, barely above a whisper; "I cannot ignore it, Ikuto." She said. "I cannot ignore these things you are determined to do."

Ikuto was pacing agitatedly in her doorway, occasionally blocking out the light to Amu's eye, running a hand through his messy hair.

"And I cannot ignore the things he has done to us - to you; to father."

Souko sighed heavily, her shoulders deflating, her eyes closed and her expression mournful.

"I understand your desire," she told him; "and I cannot say my heart does not yearn for the truth-"

"This is the only way we will ever have the truth!" Ikuto said. "Kazuomi killed him - I know it!"

Another sigh - a breath that could have been mistaken for a wisp of wind or a _. Souko shook her head and mumbled, as if to herself;

"I don't think Aruto thought he'd be coming back." She confessed. "And yet he still put on a brave face that last night. As he left home and bid us goodbye…" A gentle tear glinted in the candlelight as it passed over her cheek. "I knew there was something wrong. I sensed it. There was something in the way he held me that night." And she let out a faint breath of laughter, shaking her head; "I thought he'd lost a bet down in the tavern where he performed. It would have been uncharacteristic, yes, but plausible nonetheless… But no…"

She was sobbing now, weeping silently, weak as the winter sun. Amu could almost not bear to watch.

"Mother," Ikuto began, falling to his knees beside her and taking her hand; "I will find out what happened to him." He said. "But I cannot risk your life for this - not for anything!"

His mother did not respond.

"I will arrange somewhere for you to stay. Somewhere I might return to when all this is over-"

Souko scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. You cannot go ashore for anything. Yes, Ikuto, I know what bounty lies on your head. No, I must see this through."

Amu admired the woman for her strength of will and it seemed that Ikuto did too, for no more was said on the matter. He left shortly thereafter to retire to his cabin for the night and Amu had heard little of them since.

So the days passed swiftly, peacefully, until one afternoon as Amu sat at Ikuto's desk pouring over Kazuomi's infernal coded map together.

"This isle," Ikuto said, studying himself against the desk with one hand and pointing out the island in question with the other; "it feels… Familiar to me. I believe I've seen the archipelago marked on charts of this corner of the world before, though never have I seen it named. Traders skirt these lands on their way to the southern colonies, but nothing more."

Amu hummed in thought. She studied the inky blots before her with an intrigue that had been kindled in childhood over dusty tomes and textbooks.

"Uninhabited?"

"I can only assume," Ikuto replied. "There are certainly no outposts here."

And, in the quiet that ensued, he leant forwards;

"So we might have the entire place to ourselves, Your Highness."

The lilt in his tone was dangerous - suggestive. Amu bit back a smile, feigning disgust.

"You dirty ruffian."

"Oh, don't think that I cannot see right through you," Ikuto said teasingly. "Don't think that I cannot hear your heart beat so furiously at the thought of you and I… Alone…"

'Curse him,' Amu thought, her cheeks positively pink at the playful look in his eyes. She did not deny that her heart was indeed beginning to pound. Images came to the front of her mind - memories of those stolen moments on Musashi's isle; of the times her lips touched his; of that night in the dreary tavern that stank of rum and lavender…

"See?" Ikuto's fingertips brushed her cheek. As usual, he could read her like a book.

He leaned in, tucking stray strands of pink behind her ear. The map lay on the table forgotten before them. The sea breeze and the smell of salt on his skin stirred at her heart… And, just as his lips brushed against her forehead-

"Cap'n!"

Ikuto growled, head snapping up to the door. Kukai and Utau were standing beneath the frame looking equally perturbed.

"What?" He barked. "Don't you know how to knock?"

Had she been any less dazed, Amu might have called him out on his hypocrisy, but, as it was, their unexpected intruders were so out of sorts that she couldn't help but feel that something was dreadfully wrong. She rose from the desk, concerned.

"What's going on?"

Utau huffed.

"Ikuto, this idiot-"

"Who're you callin' an idiot, pigtails?"

"Well what do you expect?" The blonde snapped. "Crying on about ghosties and ghoulies like a child-!"

"Enough!"

The pair stopped abruptly at the sound of their Captain's voice. Silence fell as Ikuto tried to regain his composure. Finally he narrowed his eyes and said with a dreadful, dangerous sort of calm;

"You have precisely five seconds to explain yourselves before I throw you out of my cabin."

Kukai blinked then turned pink as he stepped forth. "Cap'n," he said. Amu had the impression that he was choosing his words very carefully; "it seems, well, uh, I've been talking to the crew… An', well, to put it lightly… There seems to be some... Trepidation as to our next course."

"Oh?" Ikuto folded his arms across his chest, his eyebrow raised. "How so?"

At this, Utau rolled her pretty eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but, sensing his opportunity to continue, Kukai jumped in;

"There are stories about that isle, Cap'n!" He blurted out before Utau could get a word in edgeways. "Stories that I don' expect the likes of you to remember, what with your disappearance an' all…"

"Disappearance?" Ikuto prompted.

"It was at the very start o' his journeyin', sir. Before yourself or your sister wound up aboard this unlucky ship. But there are some o' us who've been here long enough to remember clear as day!"

Utau let out a frustrated sort of breath. "It's superstitious nonsense, is what it is!"

But Kukai was adamant and in a restless sort of desperation he blurted;

"You'll awaken the spirits!"

There was silence. You could have heard a pin drop as Amu and Ikuto tried to process Kukai's terrified words. Finally, with the look of someone who had been played for a fool, Ikuto uttered in disbelief;

"Spirits?"

But Kukai looked earnest. "Of the men who were abandoned there! Who died there, Cap'n!" He said. "Of the ones who Ichinomiya took to their graves! Who never made it back to the ship!"

Amu's heart was positively thrumming with an equal mixture of thrill and fear. In her head her imagination was already running wild with images of pirates forgotten from long ago running wild on sandy shores unseen - of ghost stories of phantom ships and cursed gold and all the swashbuckling action that little Amu had been enamoured with as a child. But, at the same time, Amu felt a hesitancy within her heart… She had never terribly liked tales of the occult.

Ikuto sighed. "Men die on every isle and continent about these waters, Kukai. That doesn't mean they automatically raise from the dead. If you don't like it, then I suggest you stay on-board whilst we go ashore."

"There are a lot o' the lads worried about this place, sir." Kukai pressed.

There was a thoughtful pause. Then Ikuto shook his head. "We should be worried about any place that Kazuomi has visited." he said. "This shall be no different. Come."

And he walked briskly towards the door, down the corridor where the light shone in ripples though the thick glass, out into the light of day where on the deck the crew were half-heartedly going about their daily duties. All heads turned once the Captain of their ship stood before them and at once Amu could see that their faces were pale and ashen; their spirits were dampened; that there had been whispers and rumours in hushed voices between the men already. Whatever devilry Kazuomi had wrought in days long passed was still at work here amongst their crew and it was clear that Ikuto would not stand for it, for he stood then upon the aftercastle, tall and proud and filled with dignity before their eyes, wide and afraid, and said;

"My men! I see a tension not unlike when Ichinomiya was Captain of this crew." He said. Near enough every man visibly quailed or cursed or spat at the mention of their former leader. Ikuto went on; "His influence stretches far enough to strike such fear even when he had long abandoned us… His legacy will not cease to haunt us - will not cease until he is dead and buried; until vengeance has been dealt!"

There was a murmur about the crew that travelled like a wave on an empty shore as their Captain continued;

"Do we not want justice?" He said. "Do we not want revenge?"

And in a tumultuous roar the answer was;

"Aye!"

"Will you not sail into the unknown to deal justice onto this tyrant?"

"Aye!"

Amu's heart was swelling with pride, her gaze soft and loving as she watched him survey his crew, for in that moment she saw in him a real leader of men - so bold; so courageous; so in contrast with the slim, shadowy figure she had met that very first day aboard the Shining Black, too insignificant and unknown to raise his head towards the sky and yet here he was now, stood tall and proud before his fellow men.

His speech had roused the pirates enough to at least settle their doubts for a while. Ikuto could do no more than that, he thought as they began to power along their course.

As the men settled and the journey wore on, Utau followed him up to the helm.

"It's true that I've heard stories of that place." she said. "But I never figured I'd be going there myself. I have heard that Kazuomi dealt such punishment there."

Ikuto smirked teasingly. "Worried about those spirits, Utau?"

She just scoffed indignantly. He chuckled at her expense, earning himself a deathly glare before turning back to his the deck of the ship. Spotting pink within the crowd, Ikuto ambled down the companionway, his steps light, silent, as he edged towards her…

"Boo."

Amu jumped, muffling a shriek with a hand to her mouth as he exhaled in her ear from behind.

"Ikuto!" She slapped his shoulder as punishment. "You ruffian! What was that for?"

Ikuto just chuckled, looking mightily pleased with himself as she struggled to regain her composure.

"And how's Her Highness with dealings of the occult?"

Amu tried her best not to look perturbed. "What do you-"

"It's written all over your face."

And, at her speechlessness, he laughed again and ruffled her hair as he passed. "Better prepare to go on-shore, Amu." He said. "We'll be there by the morning."

With those words a chill came upon her. Amu turned to the horizon and felt a worry creeping up within her heart. Amu worried that night and continued to worry even as the day dawned and the sun rose and they saw the outline of the island against the blue of the sea, drawing clearer as the sea spray lifted, eerie and chill and soundless as the dead.

~.~.~

A/N: Okay, I know it's early yet, but I think this next isle is probably my favourite of all the ones I've got planned. I've been looking forward to it for a while now, so I'm very excited to get going!

I hope you'll stay to find out what awaits them on-shore ~