Pirates of the Arisu :: 3rd Storm :: Piracy
Title: Pirates of the Arisu
Genre: Alternate Universe, BL&Yaoi, Action&Adventure, Comedy/Crack, Slight Drama&Angst
Pairings: ShouxHiroto, mentioned AoixKai, etc.
Summary: Kohara Kazumasa had a dream to sail the seas and explore every bit of land he could. He shared that dream with Ogata Hiroto and made a promise to come back for him. When he finally did, he decided that he can't possibly go back to Kohara Kazumasa and took on the name "Shou" -- the captain of a pirate crew -- with his own agenda.
Warnings: Sexy Shou in one hell of an eyepatch, mild language, and sexual-implied-jokes-whatever-they're-called. XD
Prologue - 01 - 02
The water was ice against my skin, but I got, somehow, used to it after the fourth stroke. After another couple of seconds, I was numb to the coldness of the lake--my only goal was to go deeper to the bottom until I could find that cursed mermaid and break her seal over Hiroto (and the others, of course).
A strand of silver caught my attention.
My strokes became faster, and I managed to catch her. Unfortunately, right when I grasped her arm, she took out my ear plugs and sang. Her melody sent shivers down my spine--a soft, sickly-sweet voice whispering at my ear, nipping at my skin.
I didn't want to listen to her song, but it made its way towards me--circling me and inviting me with its delicious aroma. That was when I realized how cruel it would be to discard a piece of a soul. A song was only successfully heard if it had soul and emotions. If she wanted me to listen, I'll listen and maybe even understand.
"What a beautiful human you are.
Is it a sin to be as beautiful as you?"
I took in her appearence. The water had made her skin appear as pale as white sand, her supposedly blonde hair silver and glistening like a blade under the sunlight. Her tail was the blue like the shining sea at sunset. Although she was indeed beautiful (as well), she was nothing compared to Hiroto.
At that moment I realized that she must have been a lonely mermaid. After all, she enticed sailors, hold them captive for eternity, and she even drowned those at sea. She was a lonely mermaid who only wanted to be loved and praised. I couldn't bring myself to say meaningless words though. If I didn't mean it, would she notice that those words weren't for her?
"Do you not like my song?"
I would have parted my lips and replied, but, instead I shook my head and placed two fingers on her forehead, sending her a mental message I hoped she recieved.
"I heard your song. I liked it. It was beautiful. It was sad."
When I was younger, it would have been a dream to have met a mermaid. I would have never imagined to meet one like this--in this situation.
Something struck me, and I had to let out a gasp. Bubbles of oxygen floated upwards, and I realized I had to go. I couldn't stay down here any longer. I had to get my message clear.
"I can't stay any longer. I'll die. Can you remove your hold over my friends?"
When I began to swim back to the surface, she tightened her hold on me.
"Don't go," she pleaded. "Please don't go. I don't want to be alone anymore. Take me with you. Please. Please. I'll do whatever you say. Just please don't go."
I didn't know what was going on in my head. She would remove the bond over Hiroto, and that was all that really mattered to me at the moment. She couldn't really leave this place, could she? I mean, she's a mermaid--bound to the sea. Although she wanted to explore the land, she can't explore it... She doesn't have legs. I brushed that fact away and just nodded. She smiled before following me to the surface.
I took a deep breath as Ruki-san and Reita-san just stared in utter shock. Dragging myself back onto the shore, I crawled towards Hiroto. I would touch him and hold him, but I didn't want him to get cold. I didn't want him to get sick. What kind of captain would I be? What kind of (one sided) lover would I be? Turning my head, I watched as she slid over to the cave. After a few seconds, there was a blue omniscient glow before a white light engulfed us all.
"Hiroto!" I cried out before shielding him from whatever it was.
There was a moment of silence, and it suddenly felt like order was restored.
"C-Captain?"
A smile graced my lips before they pressed themselves against Hiroto's forehead. I felt warm tears pricking the edge of my eye and simply ignored them. He was back.
"Just Shou will do, Hiroto," I murmured. "God, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry, Hiroto."
His wide brown eyes widened before he grabbed my shoulder. "It's fine, really!" he cried as he wiped away my tears before anyone could notice. "It's fine... Just don't cry. I'm at fault, too. Sometimes I wish you could just grow up and realize our positions. Other times, I wish you would shut up and hug me or something because you are aware of our positions. I just don't know what to think anymore..."
"Shou-chan, you still have a ways to go," Ruki-san spoke up at the other side as he removed his ear plugs. The redhead smiled. "Anyways, it's about time we split the treasure, huh? There's another purpose for coming here. The cave she crawled into is the Diamond Mines--rumored to be loaded. The only victim awake here is Pon since he was only half-way affected. Kai, Uruha, and Aoi are still asleep, but we'll pick them up later once we get through with looting. Since you helped us out, we'll let you go ahead. It's what we can do as senpais."
I grinned.
So that was what Reita-san meant.
Grabbing Hiroto's hand, I pulled him into the cave eagerly before stopping. A mermaid was lying half-dead on the ground. Slowly, I started to approach her before kneeling by her side. She smiled at me before reaching out to Hiroto. He didn't flinch when her hand began to caress his cheek adoringly.
"This is your friend? He's cute," she commented softly in a whisper. "I won't be able to speak anymore, and, without my voice, I will die. The only way to break a mermaid's curse is to get rid of her voice. I gave it away to someone who needs it the most, a young king on an island far, far away. He couldn't speak before...but now he can."
Soon after she finished, she evaporated.
"Come on, Pon, let's get the really good stuff before our senpais come in and steal it from us," I mused lightly--trying to lighten up the mood. He nodded--stiffly at first--before going crazy with the goods.
[Aboard the S.S. Hofu]
"Oi, oi! Our captain's back!" Tora cried behind him. I waved at my first-hand before he nodded at me. The tiger grinned. "It looks like you came back with quite a load. Reita-san and Ruki-san's secret, I suppose?"
I laughed. "Ruki-san's able to get the strangest of secrets and the best ones as well," I responded. "I got something for everyone! Tora, you're more of a melee fighter, right? There's something for you, too!"
Saga and Nao walked onto the deck with big grins before we set sail and sat in a circle around the helm--with Tora at the wheel. I handed Nao two swords with beautiful black hilts that had white swirls wrapping around the grip. The (cross) guards of the swords were shaped like tidal waves. The blade itself was white with an aquatic blue tint.
"It has a nice grip," Nao complimented with a big grin before standing up and swinging the swords around.
"Please don't cut my head off," Hiroto pleaded jokingly, "but do sit down." Nao rolled out his eyes (although a grin was still lingering on his lips) before sheathing his two swords and sitting back down. I merely smiled before holding up two guns in one hand and a case of arrows and a bow in the other.
"Saga, which one do you prefer? You know what, I'll just give you both of them. Here," I piped up before handing the weapons over to the amateur chef.
The bow was carved out of maghony with light, light pale blue swirls dancing about. The guns were pure silver with small characters painted onto the right sides. I didn't bother to read all of it, but, from what I could tell, it was probably a poem put together by Arianne, the mermaid.
"Thank you, Captain," Saga responded with a light smirk before twirling the guns expertly with his fingers. Hiroto edged behind me. Obviously, as much as his comrades didn't trust him with bringing weapons for self-defense on expeditions, he didn't trust his comrades with weapons while they weren't in battle.
"Oh, and here you go, Tora! Knuckles made out of diamonds. They were completely amazing, so I had to nab them for you. Take care of them, you hear?" I teased the tiger. Tora had a habit to forget to care for his weapons--knuckles and claws the same--because he was always fighting with his fists.
Tora sighed and uttered a silent thank you. Before he quickly slipped on the equipment, discarding the bronze knuckles he wore, he asked me, "Did you get yourselves something?"
"I'm happy with my blade," I responded merrily. It was a katana with a black and dark navy guard with a hot pink/red and black print hilt that came with a sparkling sheath. The blade itself was black--as black as the blood running through a demon's veins.
Tora deadpanned. "Are you serious? I know it came with memories, but it looks like a fashion accessory more than a deadly weapon. At least give it a paint job--"
"Tora, that would change it. I don't want to change it," I responded coolly. Ditching the topic of my precious Blood Blade, I decided to nudge Hiroto forward. "Pon, show them what you snatched!" Hiroto's face beamed before he pulled out a matching knife and dagger set. Both had shining silver hilts with black-painted engravings (of swirls, naturally). He pulled away the black sheaths, only to reveal more silver with black engravings.
"Isn't it cool?!" Hiroto chirped. "I'm sure these engravings would make it much faster to attack! Plus, I could load it with poison and--"
"Whoa~~" Saga sang. "The ninja side of Pon appeared. The scary side." Hiroto stuck out his tongue, and--I couldn't help it--I decided to bite it. It was just too cute! Saga burst out in laughter as Hiroto's face began to redden. "I told you! OH MY KRAKEN! I told you!" Hiroto gritted his teeth at the chef before pulling out his revolver from behind him and pointing it at Saga--crying out "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" over and over again.
After a short chuckle, I let go, and pecked the top of Hiroto's head. "I decided to make you mine just then, okay?" I whispered into his ear. "I'm over and done with chasing after you." Hiroto's lips parted, about to make a protest, but then Tora decided to ruin the moment.
"How about testing these new toys out on that ship over there?" Tora suggested with a devious grin. He raised his index finger at a rather small ship--but it appeared to be in pretty good condition.
[ELSEWHERE]
"Maa-tan..."
The royal advisor turned around, his eyes widening.
"T-T-Takeru...?"
The blonde haired king's black eyes were also wide as his hand rested over his throat. "M-Masato..." he began to speak, "I...I can talk now." His black eyes began to water before he dropped the sketch pad he held along with the quill in his hand. He jumped on his royal advisor and best friend as he cried, "I can talk now! God decided to bless me with a voice! Maa-tan! I can talk now!" Tears began to form, soaking up a spot on Masato's shirt (though the brunet didn't mind at all). "I can talk..."
Masato smiled and laughed, patting the king's head. "This is some present... This is some surprise..."
Takeru hopped off his best friend's back and squatted down to pet his other best friend. "Shousuke, listen! I can talk now!" The bear moaned, his big gray-blue eyes sparkling with delight. Takeru continued to comb his fingers lightly through the cream fur before adjusting the blue ribbon around his cub's neck. "Shousuke... I can talk now."
The door opened and in entered Shinpei, Takeru's friend and personal servant. He smiled. "Takeru-sama, dinner is prepared--"
"Shin-chan, there's only me, Maa-tan, and Shousuke. You can drop the formalities," Takeru scolded. Shinpei's jaw dropped.
"J-J-J-J-Just n-n-now... T-T-Takeru t-t-t..."
"Talked?" Takeru finished for his friend with a light smirk.
Shinpei beamed before embracing the king. "Oh my... Oh my... Don't tell me it's a dream."
"I don't want it to be a dream either," Takeru whispered.
Shinpei removed his arms from the king before standing up. "I have to tell Chiyu and Yuji!"
Takeru pouted. "But knowing those two... You... I don't... Shin-chan, don't go to Chiyu and Yuji. It's six o'clock and dinner's ready. They don't have to do dishes until an hour passes. They're probably...you know..." The blonde's cheeks flushed. "Anyways, don't go. Stay with us and have dinner."
[S.S. Hofu]
"Psssshh... They can't even call themselves pirates," Hiroto grumbled. "I mean, even I'm a better pirate than them. They didn't have any treasure or any weapons other than a single cannon, and their ship was a total wreck! How dare they hang a flag and wave it in the air of the sea!"
Tora chuckled before ruffling the younger's hair. I watched from a hammock set up nearby that we nabbed from the previous ship. Well, actually, since they didn't have anything, we stole the cleanest and sturdiest sheets we could find and set it up on the quarterdeck. "Well, it's better that we attacked them first before they saw us and began firing their cannon at us. Now, they're too afraid to get near the S.S. Hofu--despite the stupid name."
"That's how uncreative we are!" I chirped, raising my bottle of rum. Right then, Nao climbed onto the quarterdeck with his mug of coffee. For a moment, the two of us stared the other down before holding out our beverages. After a nanosecond, we pulled our beverages back and towards our chests protectively.
"Is Shou-san drunk already?" Nao whispered to Tora rather loudly. Or maybe he wasn't whispering at all.
"Ehh... Pon, go take the Captain to his cabin," Tora said. At that, I was grinning until my cheeks hurt. Pon = Hiroto. Hiroto + Me = LOOOOOVVVEEE.
"Is that a good idea?" Nao queried.
Of course it is.
"Pon's not doing anything right now but complaining and boasting and all that bloody shit," Tora responded.
Tora's on my side. He's my new best friend for sure. Well, he already was, but now I hold him in very high respects.
"But Tora-chan--" Hiroto began to argue.
"I'm driving, Nao-san's giving me directions, and then he has to return to his cabin and plot some more evil schemes for us to embark on. Pon, you're a ninja. You can deal with Shou's antics," Tora reasoned.
Great. The tiger had a point. Hiroto can kick ass if he needed to. That actually doesn't sound that bad though.
Rum. I need some more rum.
As I lifted the bottle to my lips to take a swig, not a single droplet had came out.
Dammit.
A/N: I think I failed at a drunk Shou. XDD
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