The magic of the untold (Yokoo/Fujigaya; Steampirates AU) + Words that won't disappear - Omake
Title: The magic of the untold
Pairings/Characters: Yokoo/Fujigaya; all the other Kisumai and ABC-Z
Rating/Genre: PG; Steampirates AU
Summary: The Shooting Star is stranded in the doldrums and Yokoo is nowhere to be seen, even if they are finally close to the legendary treasure.
A/N: This is set after all the other steampirates AU fics I wrote. One day I should just take this AU, make it less messy and write it from start to end. For now, I just hope someone enjoys reading these stories.
Fujigaya had never thought he could miss the refreshing sound of the waves or the whistling of the breeze engulfing the sails, but after a week of the ship being becalmed, he noticed what difference their absence could make. The other thing he missed was a familiar unwanted visitor whom he hadn’t seen for a very long time.
He was hanging to the helm like a piece of cloth left there to dry under the scorching sun of the early afternoon. His stance was lifeless and droopy, expressing the most desperate feeling of boredom. He generally never took possession of the helm, but Totsuka wasn’t steering the ship at the moment, simply because there wasn’t any reason to steer it. The ship laid like an island on a vast, motionless mirror of water, surrounded by even more immobile air. The sea was calm, silent, suffocating. Nothing was rippling the surface. A liquid stillness reflecting the sun, uncorrupted.
“What are you doing there?” Kitayama’s voice asked before he could see his face appearing from the stairs that led to the quarter deck.
“Can’t you see? I’m at the helm.” Fujigaya tucked his hat more onto his head, allowing the shadow to cover his face up to his chin.
“They say anyone can steer a ship when the sea is calm.”
Fujigaya let go of the helm and raised his arms. “Then let’s do something. Let’s use the engines!”
“We can’t until...”
“...until we find the fucking island. I know. But we’ve been here for days. And there is nothing but sea, sea and even more sea. Not even a rock. I honestly have enough. I ran out of patience.”
“It’s not like you had a lot to start with.”
“Can we just go away please? This place makes me sick.”
“Oh you’re so whiny. We’re just in the doldrums. It’ll stop soon.”
“It’s been like this for a while now. We are definitely in the wrong place. There is no sign of anything relevant here.”
“But Yokoo-san said...”
“Fuck what he said. Where is he, huh? Not here. He left us in the middle of nowhere and god knows what he’s doing.”
“Fujigaya! He told us the island must be here so...”
“Do you see an island? Because I don’t.”
“This is your captain’s order. We are staying here. No one can touch the engines.” Kitayama replied with the most serious tone he could manage.
“This is weird.” Fujigaya stared at the other for a moment and then walked away.
After he left, a voice reached Kitayama from behind the mizzenmast.
“Aren’t you going to tell him that we can’t use the engines?”
“And how do you know?” Kitayama asked as Totsuka came out of his hiding place.
“The crew is starting to ask questions. Do you think Tsukada can keep quiet for much longer?”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“Kitayama, I know you don’t want us to panic, but the truth is that we are stuck here. If the engines stopped working we...”
“We’ll all die in this place. I just think... there must be some reason why the engines stopped suddenly. There must be a reason why in this part of the ocean there’s no wind, no currents, anything! I’m sure that if we wait for the full moon something will happen!”
“I see no harm in talking about it with everyone. After the panic, maybe they will even help find a solution.”
Kitayama sighed and turned to stare at the sea. “I guess it’s time to give up right? I just don’t understand what Fujigaya is thinking. Usually he’s the first one to believe in Yokoo and he wants the legendary treasure just as much as I do.”
Totsuka leaned on the railing, next to Kitayama. “Could it be that he found something more important to look for?” He smiled knowingly. Kitayama just scratched his head, looking confused.
--
Where is Wataru?
Fujigaya kept asking himself the same question over and over. He didn’t care to find out how the other managed to appear and disappear from a ship in the middle of the sea, he never cared about that, even when he had obviously wondered how that could happen. The only thing he knew and cared for was that he hadn’t appeared in a while.
The worst was that Yokoo had actually showed them the way to that place and then he had disappeared before they could even reach it. And it took an awful long time to reach that place. First, there had been that detour to Tortuga because they wanted to drop Miyata there but then he had decided not to stay and instead Tamamori came with them. Then the encounter with the Navy ship and after that, the stowaway. And he wasn’t even his stowaway. Just what they needed, another lighthead on board. The truth was that Hasshi had caused nothing but trouble, and it was partially his fault they ended up sailing for longer than it would have taken to reach the place they were now. If Hasshi hadn’t accidentally burnt the maps they would have reached the location much sooner.
Maybe that’s why Yokoo wasn’t there. Maybe they had wasted too much time and missed the rendezvous with him.
Fujigaya forced himself to stop thinking about Yokoo, and all the possible scenarios that hadn’t allowed him to show up so far. He went down into the boiler room to check the situation. Tsukada had made a comfortable chair out of coal and sacks and he was sprawled on it, enjoying the inactivity as a vacation. Fujigaya thought of giving him order to start the engine, but then he sighed and cursed against himself because he didn’t want to obey the Captain’s order, but, going against the Captain’s order was mutiny and Fujigaya knew that wasn’t an ideal situation. The last thing he wanted was to disrupt the unity of the Shooting Star’s crew.
He spent the rest of the day trying not to think, but with the silence it was impossible not to hear his own thoughts. He wished everybody could be as noisy as they usually were, but they had all lost their enthusiasm and appeared like they had been drained out of energy.
--
“The engines don’t move. They haven’t been working since we got here.”
Fujigaya stood up and Tamamori stood in front of him predicting that he was about to go and hit Kitayama in the face.
“You knew this and you didn’t tell us?!”
The others just sighed and someone shook their heads. No one had much to say, it seemed like they already figured out there was something wrong and Fujigaya’s reaction wasn’t helping.
“What are we going to do?” Senga asked calmly.
“There’s not much we can do. We can just hope the wind will rise.” Kitayama answered.
“It has been more than a week.” Kawai said, running a hand on his forehead and pushing his hair back.
“Look, we are all sick of this. But whining won’t change things.” Goseki said, arms crossed and looking tired.
Fujigaya was still angry about the fact Kitayama kept the malfunction of the engines a secret, but after all, what could change if they all knew about it.
“I tried to check the engine and see if there was any trouble but nothing.” Miyata said.
“So you knew too.”
Miyata nodded timidly. Fujigaya started to think he was the only one who didn’t know.
“Look, I wanted to tell you but you look so angry and worried about something else all the time...” Kawai said before being brusquely interrupted by a furious Fujigaya.
“Ah, so everyone knew!”
“That comes as a surprise to me too.” Kitayama said side-eyeing Tsukada with one of his most threatening looks.
“Uh, well I was worried and...”
“Hey, should we do something instead of chatting about who knew and who didn’t?” Nikaido interrupted Tsukada’s attempt to form excuses.
“It doesn’t matter, the only one who didn’t know was me because none of you thought about telling me.” Fujigaya protested, his words sounding bitter.
“I said I did want to tell you but...” Kawai replied.
“But what? There. I thought I had friends but of course everyone turns away from me. Why did I even bother with people. It was much better to stay on my own.”
“Come on, Fujigaya! Now you’re being too melodramatic.” Kitayama giggled but stopped after he saw the serious disappointed look that crossed Fujigaya’s eyes.
“Hey sorry, I was joking. Don’t be too serious. We’re your friends!”
“Tsk who was even talking about you anyway.”
“Is Yokoo you’re talking about isn’t it?” Tamamori asked and Fujigaya’s eyes flared for a second, before he turned to look at the first star in the sky.
“Well, I’m kind of disappointed too in that case. He gave us a path to follow and then he disappeared.” Kitayama said.
“I’m sure he had some good reason not to visit...” Senga went to pat Fujigaya’s back.
“What if something happened to him?!” Nikaido blurted out.
“Now you’re not being helpful...” Senga side eyed Nikaido and went back to pat Fujigaya.
“What if something is happening to us?”
“What do you mean Tottsu?” Hasshi asked as they all turned to stare at Totsuka at the same time.
“What if we are in a place he can’t reach? I mean, we obviously are in a difficult place to reach.”
“This place is weird.” Miyata observed. “I’m definitely not the expert when it comes to sea and wind, but I’ve never seen the water so calm before.”
“Not for so long. We aren’t moving. The sea is like a soulless pond.” Kawai added.
There was nothing else to do but to wait. With no engines and no wind there was nothing that could move the ship. Everyone moved to their corners of solitude waiting for something to change. Fujigaya stayed on the deck, looking at the stars and their twins reflecting on the water. He had seen the sea assuming a scary form lots of times, but that was the type of scary that devours the soul from the inside. Stillness that suffocated any hope, inaction that turned every living thing to stone.
Fujigaya took out his flute from his pocket and stared at it. He had always come to meet him, no matter if the sea was calm or if there was a storm going on. He had always been there whenever he had felt lonely, whenever he had felt trapped by his own self, by the self that reminded him of his lonely past. He knew that if there was a problem, Yokoo would come to help him. He never had to call him before because he would be there by his side already.
“Please.”
Fujigaya started to play the flute and the notes sounded muffled in the windless air of the night. He had never felt so much out of breath, so trapped in the open sea. That was not what his life at sea should be. He wasn’t ready to be trapped again.
As the notes continued to flow, feeble and barely audible, Fujigaya caught a glimpse of someone running on the deck. He stopped playing immediately and saw it again. A white shadow, crossing the deck from side to side and disappearing again in an instant. Fujigaya didn’t know what he saw, but he had been quite sure of what it had felt like.
“Wataru?”
When the shadow appeared again, Fujigaya jumped closer to it and tried to catch it, but his hands clasped around thin air. He desperately started searching around, running after the shadow whenever he could glimpse it.
“Wataru stop!”
He felt like he was falling, but it lasted only one second and then he opened his eyes, except that he had never closed them. His hand was clutched around someone’s arm and Fujigaya didn’t let go of it until he felt a hand on his back pushing him closer.
“I thought I’d never find you again!”
Yokoo didn’t let go of him for a few instants. Fujigaya lingered in his arms quite not believing what was happening. He was still on the ship but a gentle breeze was whispering his lullaby while caressing his cheeks. He felt like he had moved to an entire different place. Under them, the sound of the water splashing gently against the wood of the keel made him feel like he had just woken up from a bad dream.
“Where the fuck were you?!” Fujigaya wriggled in Yokoo’s arms just enough to have the space to bang his fists on his chest.
“This is so long to explain.”
“Well, you have all the time since apparently we aren’t going anywhere.”
“No Taisuke. I have no time. We have to save the others. And you’ll have to come with me.”
Fujigaya looked around at the empty deck. “Where?”
Yokoo grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“Not until you tell me why it took you so long to appear again.”
“Taisuke, there’s no time. We have to save the others and quickly before the moon completes its cycle.”
“What are you talking about Wataru? The others are here. Hey guys! Look who finally decided to show up!” Fujigaya climbed the stairs to the upper deck to call Kawai and Totsuka and he could swear he left them there just a few minutes before, but the deck was empty. He run down to check on the forecastle, sure to find Miyata and Tamamori looking at the stars, but no one was there. The corner where Nikaido, Senga and Hasshi were preparing fishnets was now empty. He decided to knock on Kitayama’s cabin door, but then he dropped the ceremonies and opened the door just to be welcomed by the emptiness of the room.
“What the...”
Yokoo just looked at him without saying a word.
“Where is everyone?”
Yokoo shook his head and shrugged. “We have to go look for them.”
“What does it mean?”
“Taisuke, it’s complicated. I’ll explain when you see how it works. It’s much easier like that.”
“What are you talking about?”
Fujigaya followed Yokoo to a door next to Kitayama’s cabin, a door that Fujigaya had never noticed before. Curled carvings were everywhere on the surface of the wooden door, including the heavy metal hinges and the doorknob. Nothing could be seen through the small glass opening; the glass was painted in a blue, deep colour, so thick that it wouldn’t let any light out. Obviously Fujigaya had never seen that door, but somehow it didn’t feel out of place at all and he had to really focus on its presence to find it surprising.
“Since when there is a door here?”
“I know it’s very confusing. But the door is not always here. Sometimes it’s in the kitchen, sometimes in the hull, but most of the time it’s just in the brooms cupboard, don’t ask me why.”
Fujigaya frowned and looked at Yokoo like he was making it all up.
“This is the door that let me go on and off the ship. What did you think, that I swam all the way?”
“I was more of the idea that you had trained a dolphin to carry you, but this sounds weirder. How can a door let you off the ship?”
“You’ll see.”
“Do you have the key?”
“I don’t need a key. I am the key.”
Yokoo turned the doorknob and Fujigaya saw only darkness until Yokoo pulled him inside with him. He felt like he had jumped again, but this time it was less abrupt and shaking.
They were now in a small, tidy room. It was full of books and bottles and a log was cracking in the fireplace. Little steam machines on a side table were chiming and clanking and Fujigaya didn't bother to think what used those could have when he didn't even understand where he was standing exactly.
“Welcome to my home.”
Fujigaya couldn’t quite believe his eyes, but he knew the only possible explanation to what had just happened.
“You’re a sorcerer. I should have known.”
Yokoo smiled and Fujigaya was looking confused but also already at ease with the situation.
“Why when we are kids they keep telling us sorcerers don’t exist anymore?”
“No one likes sorcerers since they used to fight wars. I have no time to answer this question in details now. We need to...”
“Yes, save the others,” Fujigaya cut off. “But from what?”
Yokoo grabbed some of the bottles and opened a book on the table. He started mixing the contents of the bottles in a small cauldron, seemingly at random, but actually following the directions written in the book.
“Hey hey. Slow down and explain.”
“Did you see how you travelled through my door?”
“I guess I did.”
“Well, imagine the others now are in a place. A place that is the ship but at the same time isn’t the ship. A place that isn’t anywhere in the world but at the same time it’s still in the world. It’s like they are trapped between two doors.” Yokoo kept stirring and mixing all the way during the explanation and the result was just a very confused Fujigaya and a shower of sparkles from the cauldron.
“What does that mean?”
Yokoo grabbed a piece of chalk and started drawing something on the floor, at Fujigaya’s feet, asking him not to move.
“It means they are trapped there. The sea you saw these days isn’t the real world. It’s the world between reality and what’s beyond.”
“What is beyond?”
“I don’t have time to explain what’s beyond. Besides, I don’t even know it exactly. I only know that when you cross a door you open another in front of you.That’s how it works. You don’t stay between two doors. You have to go back to reality.”
“And why are they there? Why was I there?” Fujigaya thought about the lifeless sea and suddenly it all looked like a painting. A beautiful, small painting, nothing but a fake.
“You fell in a trap. The trap that’s keeping that island to be found.” Yokoo traced a circle around Fujigaya and connected lines in what looked like many rays heading to Fujigaya’s feet. “Now I need to get us both in there again.”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry. You came from there finding me.” Yokoo stood up in front of Fujigaya.
“Did I?”
“Yes. I was looking for you blindly in all the places I could reach. But you see, the other world is huge. I would never have found you if you didn’t find me.”
“But I did nothing. All I know is that I saw you.”
“That’s because you were calling me. You saw me because some part of you was still attached to reality. Like, you didn’t want to let it go.”
Fujigaya thought about the lack of reaction of the others on the ship. It had felt like he was the only one who wanted to actually leave that place. And now he knew why he wanted to leave so badly. The others all had what they wanted on that ship. Their lives and loved people were there. And if they were still looking for something, they knew it would be there in that place, hidden maybe, but they were as close as they could ever be to the treasure. Yet Fujigaya didn’t feel like he needed it anymore. He knew that it would guarantee eternal glory, happiness, wealth, but he had something he wanted more, and it, he, was right in front of his eyes.
“I didn’t want to let go. I’m glad you found me.” Fujigaya looked adoringly into the other’s eyes and saw a similar expression in them. He grabbed Yokoo’s arm and pulled himself closer to press their lips together. “I’m a bit surprised that you’re a sorcerer, but now that I think about it, maybe I’ve always know.”
“Like, how else could I materialize on a ship in the middle of the ocean?”
“More like, what sort of spell did you cast on me so that I couldn’t get you out of my thoughts?”
"I didn’t enchant you. Maybe it was the other way round."
"As I would know how that shit works."
Yokoo smiled, looking not at all surprised Fujigaya had dropped his poetic attempt. It all looked like a dream to Fujigaya, until the other’s expression changed from dreamy to agitated.
“We need to go.”
“How do we do that?”
“I told you. We go back into that dimension. This potion is made of a substance similar to what that reality is made of. Since you’ve been there, you’re connected with that reality so if I use this on you you’ll unconsciously remember about that place. With this simple you’ll be able to see the path you took when you came out of it and if we follow it...”
“Are we going back there?”
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Fujigaya won the urge to object only because he, on the contrary, had no idea of what Yokoo was doing. He wasn’t scared of all this magic stuff, he was still too surprised to be scared, but that place... Fujigaya was scared of that place. He rubbed his hand against Yokoo’s arm.
“I trust you. We have to save the others right?”
Yokoo nodded then grabbed the bottle in which he had poured the potion in the cauldron. He raised the bottle above both of them, but just when Fujigaya thought he was going to pour the content on him, a trail of purple smoke came out of the bottle and started twirling around them, encircling them with big loops. Fujigaya couldn’t help but turning his head around, amazed.
“What is this?”
Yokoo smiled as the purple smoke turned into glittering light and dissolved around them.
“Don’t be scared.” Yokoo grabbed Fujigaya’s arm and together they stepped outside the circle on the floor. They opened the door again and with another jump they were back on the Shooting Star. Fujigaya looked around in the light of the waning moon and suddenly saw something that wasn’t there before and let out an “ah!”.
“What do you see, Taisuke?”
“There’s like a pool of silver light there. It’s not light, it’s... mist? I don’t know.”
“Where is it?”
Fujigaya pointed at the middle of the deck and Yokoo started walking in that direction.
“Wait!” Fujigaya shout grabbing Yokoo’s arm to stop him. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but that’s the only way to save the others.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the portal that let you through. I used a spell to make you remember the path, I told you. Well, more like to make the magic you left behind visible. I should cross it again to reach the others. Just wait here, okay?” Yokoo turned again towards the light but Fujigaya didn’t let go of his arm and forced him to look back at him.
“I’m coming too.”
“But...”
“Or do I have to stay here because you won’t find your way back otherwise?” Fujigaya pouted and he could see Yokoo’s strict expression melting into a shy smile.
“It’s not that. I’ll find a way to come back. But you don’t need to come... It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t need you to protect me.” Fujigaya said, but he felt flattered by Yokoo’s desire of protecting him. Nevertheless he wanted to be helpful and most of all, he didn’t want to be left alone. He wanted to stay in a place where he could see Yokoo. The thought of losing sight of him again was too heavy to bear. The loneliness was too much. He knew it was the same for Yokoo. Both of them were used to be alone and both of them found each other and they could never get used to being alone again. Fujigaya could actually feel that Yokoo’s loneliness was even worse than its own, crouching deep inside his soul, clinging to every smile. Fujigaya had found friends, an entire crew of friends, people he wanted to protect and share moments of happiness with. But what did Yokoo have? Fujigaya wanted him to understand that he could depend on him. What they had in common was more than friendship, yet friendship was all it was.
Fujigaya thought about the magic. The big mystery Yokoo had always hid, and that made him look even lonelier. He wanted to ask him why he never told him before, but that was a silly question, because deep inside he had always known what Yokoo was. He knew too much about magic not to be suspicious, but Fujigaya, and all the others really, had always been too afraid to ask him more than necessary. Everyone would be afraid of a sorcerer. He remembered the terrible stories of the old people. The destruction that sorcerers and magic had meant in the past. He remembered how he felt he saw the ruins of entire cities and shivers went down his spine just thinking about the power of destruction that magic had. But somehow he wasn’t afraid of Yokoo. He looked different from the evil creatures depicted in history books.
Fujigaya thought how terrible it had been for him to be alone in a world that could potentially hate him if he revealed his true nature. How was a sorcerer even alive still? He couldn’t blame him for not telling anyone. The silent aura of solitude had protected him from opening up to the others. Fujigaya understood why he would keep a secret like that, but he also understood that it was no longer a secret anymore and Yokoo had opened up to him. He told him the most scariest secret because he wanted to save the others. Wanting to save the others had been more important than keeping his secret. Fujigaya knew there was nothing to fear.
“I’m coming with you. You want to save them, right? I want to save them too. We need to get them out of there.” Fujigaya and Yokoo looked into each other’s eyes and they saw more of the words that had been said, they saw the untold, they saw the feelings they were both realizing Yokoo was starting to feel.
“You’re one of us now,” Fujigaya whispered, lowering his eyes and smiling. He could swear he saw a teardrop shining on the side of Yokoo’s eye, but he shook it off and grabbed Fujigaya’s hand. “Let’s go.”
--
Yokoo held Fujigaya’s hand and squeezed it as hard as he could. He could not lose him, not again. Especially not when their mutual feelings had been confirmed. Was that a kiss what Fujigaya stamped on his lips? Was it all a dream?
Yokoo remember the time he asked Fujigaya about his life. What was he doing all that for? Why was he desperately looking for a legendary treasure he knew almost nothing about? It felt unfair that Yokoo could not answer any similar question if they were directed to him. It wasn’t fair that Fujigaya trusted him, because he had done nothing to deserve his trust. Looking back, he wasn’t proud of the fact he had to hide his true nature from him, but that was the only way.
He lived his entire life hiding his true nature from people, it had been the first thing he was taught to do. Interaction with people should have been restricted to cases of extreme necessity.
Yokoo was using them. He’d used anyone he could to get to the treasure and they were the first people that actually got a chance of getting it. That’s why he had drawn closer to the crew of the Shooting Star. He kept repeating that to himself every single time he helped them with the maps, every time he went to check how they were doing on the route to the treasure. He barely realized he had gotten attached to those people. He barely knew his feelings were there until Fujigaya’s lips touched him. Or maybe he had known all along, pretending not to care, pretending to mind his own business, pretending that all the effort he was making wasn’t for them? It wasn’t to see Fujigaya’s smile once again that he kept going on the ship, it wasn’t to look at his or all the others grateful expressions when he helped them. He was a sorcerer. He had powers that humans could never understand, he had powers that made people tremble in fear only at the mention of the word “sorcerer”. The treasure was his heritage. He grew up believing what his grandfather had told him. Humans were enemies. Humans used sorcerers to fight their wars and then they killed all of them. Sorcerers were powerful and deserved to rule over common humans.
“Why are you doing all this?”
“The treasure is my dream. My purpose, my goal.” Fujigaya’s eyes were always shining so much whenever he mentioned the dream.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I could do anything with it I suppose. I could be the ruler of the oceans. But I guess I won’t know until I found it.”
Yokoo knew exactly what he would do with the treasure. After all, it belonged to him and his race, it would only been natural for him to use it. He was destined to rule the sea. He thought about his family, all the misery they had to suffer because they were sorcerers. Always living in the shadow, always listening to how the old stories depicted them as monsters. The only thing he could do was to follow what they had taught him. The only thing he could do was to fulfill his destiny.
The only thing he wanted to do was keep on holding Fujigaya’s hand and gave him the treasure.
He would be an amazing king of the oceans, he would be powerful and legendary. But was it really what Fujigaya wanted? The prospect of all that power scared Yokoo immensely. But if Fujigaya were the one to get it, it would be alright, wouldn’t it? And he would follow him anywhere, protect him from anything.
Yokoo shook his head. That wasn’t right. He was supposed to fulfill his duty, he was supposed to do as his family told him to do.
He felt overwhelmed by how much the treasure had become unimportant in comparison to what he had found along the way.
The last time he had seen Fujigaya before he disappeared, they were standing on that very same deck. Yokoo had just put down his violin and the silence and darkness of the night had wrapped them in their intimate corner. They were always so close they had never actually realized they could stand apart.
“Wataru... I don’t think I care much about the treasure anymore. I mean, I do care. It’s what we are looking for after all. I want the others to be happy and all. But I don’t really want it myself. I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
“There’s nothing you couldn’t do with it. That... that is for your happiness, right? Don’t you want to forget your past and be happy?”
Fujigaya placed two fingers on Yokoo’s lips and he stopped talking.
“I’ve already forgotten my past. You made me forget.”
Yokoo looked at Fujigaya’s face getting closer. He was scared, but he wanted what was about to happen between them all the same.
They never kissed that night. They were interrupted by someone walking noisily on the deck. Since that moment Yokoo had been looking forward to seeing him again. He wanted to understand why they always felt the same way about things. He didn’t care about the treasure anymore. All he wanted was to stay on that ship with Fujigaya and the others, but in the end he couldn’t. His sense of duty had him off the ship and Fujigaya and the others disappeared, leaving him behind.
If I find them, I’ll find the treasure.
That was the excuse he repeated while desperately looking for them everywhere. When he finally could board the Shooting Star again, its emptiness left him in dismay. They fell in the trap of the island, they were probably in serious danger.
Yes, I could leave them there and get to the treasure alone... I could do that.
But instead of searching for the hidden island, he started searching for them with all the means necessary. He didn’t want to lose Fujigaya. He didn’t want to lose any of the people he met on the Shooting Star. Thinking about them as “friends” was so much easier now that they were apart and he feared the possibility of not meeting them again. The feelings made him feel like he was choking, and he realized for the very first time that it no longer was the treasure the thing he was after.
--
When they reached the deck of the alternate Shooting Star, Fujigaya noticed something was wrong. The moon in the sky was full and huge and glowing red. His friends were on the deck, but they were all laying still, and looked feverish and tired.
“It seems like time passes faster here.” Yokoo said indicating the moon.
“What happened to them?!” Fujigaya was alarmed, and ran to help Kawai. Yokoo kneeled down next to Tamamori and after he checked he was breathing he stood up and moved to the edge of the ship.
“We need to bring everyone back. But... there is no time to help every single one of them across the portal.”
“What should we do? We can’t leave them here! That moon is burning them!”
“I know. But the only way out is to distort this reality. There must be a way...”
“You are the sorcerer here, I’m sure you can distort things.”
Yokoo looked troubled for a few moments, but then he clapped his hands and took a small vial out of his pocket.
“This might actually work.”
“What is it?” Fujigaya asked, staring at the content of the vial. It looked like golden sand and therefore, totally useless, if he didn’t know Yokoo was a sorcerer.
“This is sand from the bottom of the ocean. If you spread this on the water it creates waves. If you have enough sand you can create a storm. A storm could distort this reality easily.”
“And is that enough sand?”
“Not nearly. All this sand can do is make the sea sneeze, pretty much.”
“What?! Don’t you have more?” Fujigaya asked worried.
“I don’t. This is a really precious treasure from my ancestors. But...”
“Wataru! We need to save them. Please!”
“...the moon is so close to the sea in this place. The entire place is brimming with it’s magical resonance.”
Yokoo ran to the edge of the deck and placed the vial over the water. “The moon influences water a lot in the real world. How would the water of this place react to all this magic? This could create a massive tidal wave to bring us all home!”
Then Fujigaya saw a flash of red reflecting on Yokoo’s dark eyes as he poured the powdered sand into the sea. An excited smile formed on his lips and a feeling of power was exuding from him, something that Fujigaya had never felt before. And for the first time he was scared of not knowing the person standing in front of him.
The water started darting upwards in immense stalactites then splashing again on the surface, forming waves that were almost ripping the ship apart. Yokoo was still standing on the deck looking amazed and proud of his doings. Fujigaya fell as the ship was furiously shaken by the waves. In his eyes, the image of Yokoo standing in the middle of the chaos, against the red moon, was the scariest thing he had ever seen.
It was like Yokoo had completely forgot him, the others, and the reason why they were there in the first place. He was enjoying his power, and the power seemed like a wild beast he had unleashed in the attempt of taming, but in the end it had been the beast that tamed him. Freedom was what the beast wanted, and in exchange for that, it would give Yokoo all his force.
Fujigaya found himself shaking and the thought he had lost Yokoo forever formed in his mind. He didn’t want it to happen, he wouldn’t allow it to happen. He remembered Yokoo’s kindness, his gentle voice when he spoke, the warmth he could surround him with. He didn’t want to be scared of him, he wouldn’t allow himself to be scared of Yokoo.
Yokoo was still Yokoo.
A giant wave landed on the ship and Fujigaya woke up from his thoughts just in time to grasp Goseki before he was pulled into the sea by the waves. He quickly looked around to see if everyone was still onboard, then crawled on the deck towards Yokoo. It was almost impossible moving with the ship sideways, about to snap in two. The waves were hitting him with all their strength and the wood was slippery. Yokoo was still standing when the ship returned flat and Fujigaya could see him again.
“Wataru!” Fujigaya yelled and Yokoo finally noticed him. He let go of the glass vial and ran to kneel beside him.
“Taisuke!”
Fujigaya launched his arms around him and felt his warm tears mixing with the salt water on his cheeks.
“Hold on Taisuke, don’t worry. It’ll be okay. It’ll be just a minute.” Yokoo seemed to realize in that moment that he hadn’t checked on the others, and quickly looked around alarmed. “Is everyone on board?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Yokoo stood up and ran to secure the people to the ship and make sure they were all there. “Taisuke help me fasten them to the ship.”
Fujigaya grabbed all the rope he could find and started tying everyone to the masts.
“The next wave will be bigger. But don’t worry, you’ll all be okay. I promise.” Yokoo grabbed the other side of the rope Fujigaya was holding and looped it around his waist. “Hold on tight. Never let go of my hand”
“Oh I won’t.” Fujigaya smiled. “Ever.”
--
After their return to the real world, everyone felt better and regained consciousness.
The ship was undamaged, after all, the one in the other reality wasn’t their real ship. Like the first time Fujigaya crossed the portal, travelling back felt like opening his eyes after a jump.
Explaining what happened wasn't easy and Fujigaya kept on not wanting to reveal all the details, especially the part in which he was supposed to tell everyone that Yokoo was a sorcerer. After all Yokoo had disappeared once he was sure everyone was safe and after they had promised not to look for the island until he’d helped them find out a safe way to reach it. But he was too much in a hurry to leave the ship and his promise of coming back soon wasn’t enough for Fujigaya.
He understood how he could feel, how he wouldn’t want to reveal his secret for fear the others would hate him, but...
Fujigaya remembered how scary he looked on the deck during his enchantment. Magic was certainly a scary thing, but Fujigaya also knew that they had been saved by it.
There was no reason to hide, he wanted to scream to Yokoo, but he himself had been scared. He didn’t want the others to feel like that. He didn’t want Yokoo to feel like the others feared him either.
The next day, he kept looking for the mysterious door, but there was no sign of it anywhere. Tamamori and Senga found him coming out of the brooms cupboard yet again and smiled when he was too embarrassed to even form an excuse.
“So it’s true?” Tamamori asked. “You are looking for him.”
“I am... he’s... oh fuck.”
“How does he do it?” Senga asked. “I mean, he’s a sorcerer, right?”
Fujigaya stared at Senga in disbelief.
“Come on, it was the only possible explanation!” Tamamori replied to his silence.
“And aren’t you guys shocked at all?”
“It’s kind of surprising... that there are sorcerers still alive. But somehow, I feel like we’ve always known.” Kitayama emerged from behind Tamamori, and Fujigaya cursed his ability to hide behind people taller than him and appear suddenly.
“He’s Yokoo-san. We are not scared of him. He saved us.” Tamamori smiled.
“Besides, we are pirates. Who are we to blame anyone? We are bad enough ourselves!” Kitayama smirked.
“So how does he do it? How does he appear on the ship out of nowhere?” Senga asked, sounding curious and excited.
“There’s a door...”
“A door?!”
“A door that moves around and he said he’s the key and...”
“What does that mean?”
“Wait a minute. He found me because I wanted to be found. He found me because I was playing the music. Maybe...”
Fujigaya pushed everyone away as he ran outside on the deck. He took a piece of chalk and started scribbling on the floor.
“It might not work, I’m not so good at drawing...”
He stood out in the middle of the circle and started playing his flute. The song Yokoo always played with the violin. The song they had often played together on that very same deck. A song that had notes that resounded like nostalgia. Something ancient, something that came from a world full of magic. Something that had the sound of the very essence of Yokoo.
“Please work. Please.”
They all started looking around for the door that Fujigaya had described, turning the ship inside out. Hasshi came screaming from the hull because apparently a door he had never noticed had appeared out of nowhere.
“That’s it.” Fujigaya said in front of the door. “That’s the door to Yokoo’s house.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Kawai asked pushing Fujigaya towards it.
“What?”
“Go and get him.” Kitayama said. “And tell him he’s still welcome to come and stay on board. We are waiting..”
--
Fujigaya closed the door behind him making as less noise as possible. The room was empty, the morning sun came in from the small window and so did the gentle wind that made the curtains dance. Fujigaya felt himself attracted to all the things in the room. The books and the glass containers placed orderly on the shelf. The curious steam machines on the side table. The fresh smell of cleanliness coming from the sheets on the bed. The bubbling sound of the soup cooking on the stove, its delicious smell filling the air. All felt like Yokoo and all smelled like him and Fujigaya felt at ease in that room. He would have felt at ease in a dark cave if it were filled with Yokoo’s scent.
He looked outside the window and saw Yokoo, he was hanging the laundry on a field full of small flowers in bloom. He had to refrain from shouting his name from the window, instead he walked to the door that led outside, and walked slowly in his direction. He would have loved to surprise him, to hug him from behind, or to place hands over his eyes, but he didn’t because he felt guilty to have disrupted his privacy like that. He had the overall impression that Yokoo had wanted to be left alone when he left the ship.
He seemed so used to loneliness it almost broke Fujigaya’s heart when he turned around and didn’t flinch at his presence.
“What are you doing here? How did you...?”
“I don’t know. I might be a sorcerer too.”
“No kidding.”
“I just followed your path, like you did when we got back on the ship. Or at least, that’s what I think. I have no idea, I didn’t think it would work without the smoky stuff, or with my terrible drawings. But... I just... played your song. You know, something that really reminded me of you.”
“I see. I guess that song has more powers than I knew about. My grandfather used to tell me to use the song to find home, but I didn’t think it would help someone else to find this place.”
“I didn’t want to find this place. I wanted to find you.”
Fujigaya knew it had worked because they were connected. Because they would always find each other. He was the part of him he would always leave behind and he’d always had to come back to find it again.
“Yeah... right you came here before so you can cross the door again. And you found the door following my path. How did you even think about it?”
Yokoo looked immerse in his thoughts about magic but that wasn’t what Fujigaya wanted to know. He didn’t care about how he had reached that place, the only important thing was that he was standing in front of Yokoo now, and he had to deliver his message.
“Wataru, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”
Yokoo’s face was finally truly surprised.
“You can stay with us on the Shooting Star. I know it’s not nearly as clean and tidy as your room here but...”
“Taisuke I... I am a sorcerer. You saw what I did on that ship... I wasn’t... myself. I’m scared of what I did myself! Who would want to live with me?”
“I do! And Kitayama does! And Tamamori... and Senga. Everyone really. We don’t mind what you are because... Wataru is Wataru.”
“But...”
“No buts, we told you already, didn’t we? I asked you to stay so many times that I’ve lost count. Now, unless you actually hate us, I’m assuming you never did for fear we would find out your secret. There are no secrets anymore, so you have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. Just pack your stuff and come.”
“But Taisuke I am-”
Fujigaya launched himself on Yokoo and encircled his waist with his arms.
“Wataru, just shut up, would you?”
Yokoo ran a hand among Fujigaya’s hair. He felt the pressure of his fingers on his scalp followed by a tickling sensation and he wondered if that was magic too.
“Thank you, Taisuke.”
--
Comments are always super appreciated! ♥ And a little extra:
Title: Words that won't disappear - Omake
Characters/pairings: Yokoo
Rating/Genre: PG; Steampunk pirates AU
Summary: What Yokoo thought after he left the ship once again.
A/N: I wrote this ages ago after I wrote words that won't disappear, but I didn't want to reveal Yokoo's secret just yet, so I decided to post this only after his secret had been revealed. Now is the time.
Yokoo had never been so troubled after crossing the door before. He knew that every time he did so, some of the will to reach his goal would fade and he considered that a crime. He was doing all this for his family, for his ancestors. It had been the most important thing in his life so far, surely it wasn’t something he could forget about just for a temporary moment of happiness. Nevertheless, every time he crossed the magical door and sat foot on the Shooting Star he was feeling less inclined to be alone and to use people just to obtain what he needed. That’s what he was doing in fact: he was using everybody to get to his goal. He didn’t care if they were pirates or the Navy; whoever could help him find valuable information about the legendary treasure would have been good. But then he met the Shooting Star crew and everything changed. Bonds were created, words were shared, and now they also told him he was a friend. A friend! He hadn’t been called so in a long long time, that must have been the reason why his heart skipped a beat when Fujigaya’s lips pronounced that word. From that moment on, Yokoo knew nothing would have been the same anymore but he didn’t want to allow himself to feel weak, he didn’t want to admit he needed those people for something more than to get closer to his goal.
He sealed the door with chains that emitted a blue radiance and put down his violin on the table. He walked across the darkness of the room and reached the window. The light from the stars outside gleamed on his face.
“Those are the same stars, aren’t they?”
Those stars looked cold from inside the house. He couldn’t believe those were the same glimmering sparkles he was watching on the Shooting Star’s deck a few moments before. Or maybe they were so full of life because he was looking at their reflection into Fujigaya’s eyes?
Slowly, he closed the curtain but then he opened it again a moment later. He lay on his back on the bed just under the window and thought about Fujigaya’s sleeping face. He wondered if he hadn’t left too early after all.
Pairings/Characters: Yokoo/Fujigaya; all the other Kisumai and ABC-Z
Rating/Genre: PG; Steampirates AU
Summary: The Shooting Star is stranded in the doldrums and Yokoo is nowhere to be seen, even if they are finally close to the legendary treasure.
A/N: This is set after all the other steampirates AU fics I wrote. One day I should just take this AU, make it less messy and write it from start to end. For now, I just hope someone enjoys reading these stories.
Fujigaya had never thought he could miss the refreshing sound of the waves or the whistling of the breeze engulfing the sails, but after a week of the ship being becalmed, he noticed what difference their absence could make. The other thing he missed was a familiar unwanted visitor whom he hadn’t seen for a very long time.
He was hanging to the helm like a piece of cloth left there to dry under the scorching sun of the early afternoon. His stance was lifeless and droopy, expressing the most desperate feeling of boredom. He generally never took possession of the helm, but Totsuka wasn’t steering the ship at the moment, simply because there wasn’t any reason to steer it. The ship laid like an island on a vast, motionless mirror of water, surrounded by even more immobile air. The sea was calm, silent, suffocating. Nothing was rippling the surface. A liquid stillness reflecting the sun, uncorrupted.
“What are you doing there?” Kitayama’s voice asked before he could see his face appearing from the stairs that led to the quarter deck.
“Can’t you see? I’m at the helm.” Fujigaya tucked his hat more onto his head, allowing the shadow to cover his face up to his chin.
“They say anyone can steer a ship when the sea is calm.”
Fujigaya let go of the helm and raised his arms. “Then let’s do something. Let’s use the engines!”
“We can’t until...”
“...until we find the fucking island. I know. But we’ve been here for days. And there is nothing but sea, sea and even more sea. Not even a rock. I honestly have enough. I ran out of patience.”
“It’s not like you had a lot to start with.”
“Can we just go away please? This place makes me sick.”
“Oh you’re so whiny. We’re just in the doldrums. It’ll stop soon.”
“It’s been like this for a while now. We are definitely in the wrong place. There is no sign of anything relevant here.”
“But Yokoo-san said...”
“Fuck what he said. Where is he, huh? Not here. He left us in the middle of nowhere and god knows what he’s doing.”
“Fujigaya! He told us the island must be here so...”
“Do you see an island? Because I don’t.”
“This is your captain’s order. We are staying here. No one can touch the engines.” Kitayama replied with the most serious tone he could manage.
“This is weird.” Fujigaya stared at the other for a moment and then walked away.
After he left, a voice reached Kitayama from behind the mizzenmast.
“Aren’t you going to tell him that we can’t use the engines?”
“And how do you know?” Kitayama asked as Totsuka came out of his hiding place.
“The crew is starting to ask questions. Do you think Tsukada can keep quiet for much longer?”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“Kitayama, I know you don’t want us to panic, but the truth is that we are stuck here. If the engines stopped working we...”
“We’ll all die in this place. I just think... there must be some reason why the engines stopped suddenly. There must be a reason why in this part of the ocean there’s no wind, no currents, anything! I’m sure that if we wait for the full moon something will happen!”
“I see no harm in talking about it with everyone. After the panic, maybe they will even help find a solution.”
Kitayama sighed and turned to stare at the sea. “I guess it’s time to give up right? I just don’t understand what Fujigaya is thinking. Usually he’s the first one to believe in Yokoo and he wants the legendary treasure just as much as I do.”
Totsuka leaned on the railing, next to Kitayama. “Could it be that he found something more important to look for?” He smiled knowingly. Kitayama just scratched his head, looking confused.
--
Where is Wataru?
Fujigaya kept asking himself the same question over and over. He didn’t care to find out how the other managed to appear and disappear from a ship in the middle of the sea, he never cared about that, even when he had obviously wondered how that could happen. The only thing he knew and cared for was that he hadn’t appeared in a while.
The worst was that Yokoo had actually showed them the way to that place and then he had disappeared before they could even reach it. And it took an awful long time to reach that place. First, there had been that detour to Tortuga because they wanted to drop Miyata there but then he had decided not to stay and instead Tamamori came with them. Then the encounter with the Navy ship and after that, the stowaway. And he wasn’t even his stowaway. Just what they needed, another lighthead on board. The truth was that Hasshi had caused nothing but trouble, and it was partially his fault they ended up sailing for longer than it would have taken to reach the place they were now. If Hasshi hadn’t accidentally burnt the maps they would have reached the location much sooner.
Maybe that’s why Yokoo wasn’t there. Maybe they had wasted too much time and missed the rendezvous with him.
Fujigaya forced himself to stop thinking about Yokoo, and all the possible scenarios that hadn’t allowed him to show up so far. He went down into the boiler room to check the situation. Tsukada had made a comfortable chair out of coal and sacks and he was sprawled on it, enjoying the inactivity as a vacation. Fujigaya thought of giving him order to start the engine, but then he sighed and cursed against himself because he didn’t want to obey the Captain’s order, but, going against the Captain’s order was mutiny and Fujigaya knew that wasn’t an ideal situation. The last thing he wanted was to disrupt the unity of the Shooting Star’s crew.
He spent the rest of the day trying not to think, but with the silence it was impossible not to hear his own thoughts. He wished everybody could be as noisy as they usually were, but they had all lost their enthusiasm and appeared like they had been drained out of energy.
--
“The engines don’t move. They haven’t been working since we got here.”
Fujigaya stood up and Tamamori stood in front of him predicting that he was about to go and hit Kitayama in the face.
“You knew this and you didn’t tell us?!”
The others just sighed and someone shook their heads. No one had much to say, it seemed like they already figured out there was something wrong and Fujigaya’s reaction wasn’t helping.
“What are we going to do?” Senga asked calmly.
“There’s not much we can do. We can just hope the wind will rise.” Kitayama answered.
“It has been more than a week.” Kawai said, running a hand on his forehead and pushing his hair back.
“Look, we are all sick of this. But whining won’t change things.” Goseki said, arms crossed and looking tired.
Fujigaya was still angry about the fact Kitayama kept the malfunction of the engines a secret, but after all, what could change if they all knew about it.
“I tried to check the engine and see if there was any trouble but nothing.” Miyata said.
“So you knew too.”
Miyata nodded timidly. Fujigaya started to think he was the only one who didn’t know.
“Look, I wanted to tell you but you look so angry and worried about something else all the time...” Kawai said before being brusquely interrupted by a furious Fujigaya.
“Ah, so everyone knew!”
“That comes as a surprise to me too.” Kitayama said side-eyeing Tsukada with one of his most threatening looks.
“Uh, well I was worried and...”
“Hey, should we do something instead of chatting about who knew and who didn’t?” Nikaido interrupted Tsukada’s attempt to form excuses.
“It doesn’t matter, the only one who didn’t know was me because none of you thought about telling me.” Fujigaya protested, his words sounding bitter.
“I said I did want to tell you but...” Kawai replied.
“But what? There. I thought I had friends but of course everyone turns away from me. Why did I even bother with people. It was much better to stay on my own.”
“Come on, Fujigaya! Now you’re being too melodramatic.” Kitayama giggled but stopped after he saw the serious disappointed look that crossed Fujigaya’s eyes.
“Hey sorry, I was joking. Don’t be too serious. We’re your friends!”
“Tsk who was even talking about you anyway.”
“Is Yokoo you’re talking about isn’t it?” Tamamori asked and Fujigaya’s eyes flared for a second, before he turned to look at the first star in the sky.
“Well, I’m kind of disappointed too in that case. He gave us a path to follow and then he disappeared.” Kitayama said.
“I’m sure he had some good reason not to visit...” Senga went to pat Fujigaya’s back.
“What if something happened to him?!” Nikaido blurted out.
“Now you’re not being helpful...” Senga side eyed Nikaido and went back to pat Fujigaya.
“What if something is happening to us?”
“What do you mean Tottsu?” Hasshi asked as they all turned to stare at Totsuka at the same time.
“What if we are in a place he can’t reach? I mean, we obviously are in a difficult place to reach.”
“This place is weird.” Miyata observed. “I’m definitely not the expert when it comes to sea and wind, but I’ve never seen the water so calm before.”
“Not for so long. We aren’t moving. The sea is like a soulless pond.” Kawai added.
There was nothing else to do but to wait. With no engines and no wind there was nothing that could move the ship. Everyone moved to their corners of solitude waiting for something to change. Fujigaya stayed on the deck, looking at the stars and their twins reflecting on the water. He had seen the sea assuming a scary form lots of times, but that was the type of scary that devours the soul from the inside. Stillness that suffocated any hope, inaction that turned every living thing to stone.
Fujigaya took out his flute from his pocket and stared at it. He had always come to meet him, no matter if the sea was calm or if there was a storm going on. He had always been there whenever he had felt lonely, whenever he had felt trapped by his own self, by the self that reminded him of his lonely past. He knew that if there was a problem, Yokoo would come to help him. He never had to call him before because he would be there by his side already.
“Please.”
Fujigaya started to play the flute and the notes sounded muffled in the windless air of the night. He had never felt so much out of breath, so trapped in the open sea. That was not what his life at sea should be. He wasn’t ready to be trapped again.
As the notes continued to flow, feeble and barely audible, Fujigaya caught a glimpse of someone running on the deck. He stopped playing immediately and saw it again. A white shadow, crossing the deck from side to side and disappearing again in an instant. Fujigaya didn’t know what he saw, but he had been quite sure of what it had felt like.
“Wataru?”
When the shadow appeared again, Fujigaya jumped closer to it and tried to catch it, but his hands clasped around thin air. He desperately started searching around, running after the shadow whenever he could glimpse it.
“Wataru stop!”
He felt like he was falling, but it lasted only one second and then he opened his eyes, except that he had never closed them. His hand was clutched around someone’s arm and Fujigaya didn’t let go of it until he felt a hand on his back pushing him closer.
“I thought I’d never find you again!”
Yokoo didn’t let go of him for a few instants. Fujigaya lingered in his arms quite not believing what was happening. He was still on the ship but a gentle breeze was whispering his lullaby while caressing his cheeks. He felt like he had moved to an entire different place. Under them, the sound of the water splashing gently against the wood of the keel made him feel like he had just woken up from a bad dream.
“Where the fuck were you?!” Fujigaya wriggled in Yokoo’s arms just enough to have the space to bang his fists on his chest.
“This is so long to explain.”
“Well, you have all the time since apparently we aren’t going anywhere.”
“No Taisuke. I have no time. We have to save the others. And you’ll have to come with me.”
Fujigaya looked around at the empty deck. “Where?”
Yokoo grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“Not until you tell me why it took you so long to appear again.”
“Taisuke, there’s no time. We have to save the others and quickly before the moon completes its cycle.”
“What are you talking about Wataru? The others are here. Hey guys! Look who finally decided to show up!” Fujigaya climbed the stairs to the upper deck to call Kawai and Totsuka and he could swear he left them there just a few minutes before, but the deck was empty. He run down to check on the forecastle, sure to find Miyata and Tamamori looking at the stars, but no one was there. The corner where Nikaido, Senga and Hasshi were preparing fishnets was now empty. He decided to knock on Kitayama’s cabin door, but then he dropped the ceremonies and opened the door just to be welcomed by the emptiness of the room.
“What the...”
Yokoo just looked at him without saying a word.
“Where is everyone?”
Yokoo shook his head and shrugged. “We have to go look for them.”
“What does it mean?”
“Taisuke, it’s complicated. I’ll explain when you see how it works. It’s much easier like that.”
“What are you talking about?”
Fujigaya followed Yokoo to a door next to Kitayama’s cabin, a door that Fujigaya had never noticed before. Curled carvings were everywhere on the surface of the wooden door, including the heavy metal hinges and the doorknob. Nothing could be seen through the small glass opening; the glass was painted in a blue, deep colour, so thick that it wouldn’t let any light out. Obviously Fujigaya had never seen that door, but somehow it didn’t feel out of place at all and he had to really focus on its presence to find it surprising.
“Since when there is a door here?”
“I know it’s very confusing. But the door is not always here. Sometimes it’s in the kitchen, sometimes in the hull, but most of the time it’s just in the brooms cupboard, don’t ask me why.”
Fujigaya frowned and looked at Yokoo like he was making it all up.
“This is the door that let me go on and off the ship. What did you think, that I swam all the way?”
“I was more of the idea that you had trained a dolphin to carry you, but this sounds weirder. How can a door let you off the ship?”
“You’ll see.”
“Do you have the key?”
“I don’t need a key. I am the key.”
Yokoo turned the doorknob and Fujigaya saw only darkness until Yokoo pulled him inside with him. He felt like he had jumped again, but this time it was less abrupt and shaking.
They were now in a small, tidy room. It was full of books and bottles and a log was cracking in the fireplace. Little steam machines on a side table were chiming and clanking and Fujigaya didn't bother to think what used those could have when he didn't even understand where he was standing exactly.
“Welcome to my home.”
Fujigaya couldn’t quite believe his eyes, but he knew the only possible explanation to what had just happened.
“You’re a sorcerer. I should have known.”
Yokoo smiled and Fujigaya was looking confused but also already at ease with the situation.
“Why when we are kids they keep telling us sorcerers don’t exist anymore?”
“No one likes sorcerers since they used to fight wars. I have no time to answer this question in details now. We need to...”
“Yes, save the others,” Fujigaya cut off. “But from what?”
Yokoo grabbed some of the bottles and opened a book on the table. He started mixing the contents of the bottles in a small cauldron, seemingly at random, but actually following the directions written in the book.
“Hey hey. Slow down and explain.”
“Did you see how you travelled through my door?”
“I guess I did.”
“Well, imagine the others now are in a place. A place that is the ship but at the same time isn’t the ship. A place that isn’t anywhere in the world but at the same time it’s still in the world. It’s like they are trapped between two doors.” Yokoo kept stirring and mixing all the way during the explanation and the result was just a very confused Fujigaya and a shower of sparkles from the cauldron.
“What does that mean?”
Yokoo grabbed a piece of chalk and started drawing something on the floor, at Fujigaya’s feet, asking him not to move.
“It means they are trapped there. The sea you saw these days isn’t the real world. It’s the world between reality and what’s beyond.”
“What is beyond?”
“I don’t have time to explain what’s beyond. Besides, I don’t even know it exactly. I only know that when you cross a door you open another in front of you.That’s how it works. You don’t stay between two doors. You have to go back to reality.”
“And why are they there? Why was I there?” Fujigaya thought about the lifeless sea and suddenly it all looked like a painting. A beautiful, small painting, nothing but a fake.
“You fell in a trap. The trap that’s keeping that island to be found.” Yokoo traced a circle around Fujigaya and connected lines in what looked like many rays heading to Fujigaya’s feet. “Now I need to get us both in there again.”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry. You came from there finding me.” Yokoo stood up in front of Fujigaya.
“Did I?”
“Yes. I was looking for you blindly in all the places I could reach. But you see, the other world is huge. I would never have found you if you didn’t find me.”
“But I did nothing. All I know is that I saw you.”
“That’s because you were calling me. You saw me because some part of you was still attached to reality. Like, you didn’t want to let it go.”
Fujigaya thought about the lack of reaction of the others on the ship. It had felt like he was the only one who wanted to actually leave that place. And now he knew why he wanted to leave so badly. The others all had what they wanted on that ship. Their lives and loved people were there. And if they were still looking for something, they knew it would be there in that place, hidden maybe, but they were as close as they could ever be to the treasure. Yet Fujigaya didn’t feel like he needed it anymore. He knew that it would guarantee eternal glory, happiness, wealth, but he had something he wanted more, and it, he, was right in front of his eyes.
“I didn’t want to let go. I’m glad you found me.” Fujigaya looked adoringly into the other’s eyes and saw a similar expression in them. He grabbed Yokoo’s arm and pulled himself closer to press their lips together. “I’m a bit surprised that you’re a sorcerer, but now that I think about it, maybe I’ve always know.”
“Like, how else could I materialize on a ship in the middle of the ocean?”
“More like, what sort of spell did you cast on me so that I couldn’t get you out of my thoughts?”
"I didn’t enchant you. Maybe it was the other way round."
"As I would know how that shit works."
Yokoo smiled, looking not at all surprised Fujigaya had dropped his poetic attempt. It all looked like a dream to Fujigaya, until the other’s expression changed from dreamy to agitated.
“We need to go.”
“How do we do that?”
“I told you. We go back into that dimension. This potion is made of a substance similar to what that reality is made of. Since you’ve been there, you’re connected with that reality so if I use this on you you’ll unconsciously remember about that place. With this simple you’ll be able to see the path you took when you came out of it and if we follow it...”
“Are we going back there?”
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Fujigaya won the urge to object only because he, on the contrary, had no idea of what Yokoo was doing. He wasn’t scared of all this magic stuff, he was still too surprised to be scared, but that place... Fujigaya was scared of that place. He rubbed his hand against Yokoo’s arm.
“I trust you. We have to save the others right?”
Yokoo nodded then grabbed the bottle in which he had poured the potion in the cauldron. He raised the bottle above both of them, but just when Fujigaya thought he was going to pour the content on him, a trail of purple smoke came out of the bottle and started twirling around them, encircling them with big loops. Fujigaya couldn’t help but turning his head around, amazed.
“What is this?”
Yokoo smiled as the purple smoke turned into glittering light and dissolved around them.
“Don’t be scared.” Yokoo grabbed Fujigaya’s arm and together they stepped outside the circle on the floor. They opened the door again and with another jump they were back on the Shooting Star. Fujigaya looked around in the light of the waning moon and suddenly saw something that wasn’t there before and let out an “ah!”.
“What do you see, Taisuke?”
“There’s like a pool of silver light there. It’s not light, it’s... mist? I don’t know.”
“Where is it?”
Fujigaya pointed at the middle of the deck and Yokoo started walking in that direction.
“Wait!” Fujigaya shout grabbing Yokoo’s arm to stop him. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but that’s the only way to save the others.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the portal that let you through. I used a spell to make you remember the path, I told you. Well, more like to make the magic you left behind visible. I should cross it again to reach the others. Just wait here, okay?” Yokoo turned again towards the light but Fujigaya didn’t let go of his arm and forced him to look back at him.
“I’m coming too.”
“But...”
“Or do I have to stay here because you won’t find your way back otherwise?” Fujigaya pouted and he could see Yokoo’s strict expression melting into a shy smile.
“It’s not that. I’ll find a way to come back. But you don’t need to come... It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t need you to protect me.” Fujigaya said, but he felt flattered by Yokoo’s desire of protecting him. Nevertheless he wanted to be helpful and most of all, he didn’t want to be left alone. He wanted to stay in a place where he could see Yokoo. The thought of losing sight of him again was too heavy to bear. The loneliness was too much. He knew it was the same for Yokoo. Both of them were used to be alone and both of them found each other and they could never get used to being alone again. Fujigaya could actually feel that Yokoo’s loneliness was even worse than its own, crouching deep inside his soul, clinging to every smile. Fujigaya had found friends, an entire crew of friends, people he wanted to protect and share moments of happiness with. But what did Yokoo have? Fujigaya wanted him to understand that he could depend on him. What they had in common was more than friendship, yet friendship was all it was.
Fujigaya thought about the magic. The big mystery Yokoo had always hid, and that made him look even lonelier. He wanted to ask him why he never told him before, but that was a silly question, because deep inside he had always known what Yokoo was. He knew too much about magic not to be suspicious, but Fujigaya, and all the others really, had always been too afraid to ask him more than necessary. Everyone would be afraid of a sorcerer. He remembered the terrible stories of the old people. The destruction that sorcerers and magic had meant in the past. He remembered how he felt he saw the ruins of entire cities and shivers went down his spine just thinking about the power of destruction that magic had. But somehow he wasn’t afraid of Yokoo. He looked different from the evil creatures depicted in history books.
Fujigaya thought how terrible it had been for him to be alone in a world that could potentially hate him if he revealed his true nature. How was a sorcerer even alive still? He couldn’t blame him for not telling anyone. The silent aura of solitude had protected him from opening up to the others. Fujigaya understood why he would keep a secret like that, but he also understood that it was no longer a secret anymore and Yokoo had opened up to him. He told him the most scariest secret because he wanted to save the others. Wanting to save the others had been more important than keeping his secret. Fujigaya knew there was nothing to fear.
“I’m coming with you. You want to save them, right? I want to save them too. We need to get them out of there.” Fujigaya and Yokoo looked into each other’s eyes and they saw more of the words that had been said, they saw the untold, they saw the feelings they were both realizing Yokoo was starting to feel.
“You’re one of us now,” Fujigaya whispered, lowering his eyes and smiling. He could swear he saw a teardrop shining on the side of Yokoo’s eye, but he shook it off and grabbed Fujigaya’s hand. “Let’s go.”
--
Yokoo held Fujigaya’s hand and squeezed it as hard as he could. He could not lose him, not again. Especially not when their mutual feelings had been confirmed. Was that a kiss what Fujigaya stamped on his lips? Was it all a dream?
Yokoo remember the time he asked Fujigaya about his life. What was he doing all that for? Why was he desperately looking for a legendary treasure he knew almost nothing about? It felt unfair that Yokoo could not answer any similar question if they were directed to him. It wasn’t fair that Fujigaya trusted him, because he had done nothing to deserve his trust. Looking back, he wasn’t proud of the fact he had to hide his true nature from him, but that was the only way.
He lived his entire life hiding his true nature from people, it had been the first thing he was taught to do. Interaction with people should have been restricted to cases of extreme necessity.
Yokoo was using them. He’d used anyone he could to get to the treasure and they were the first people that actually got a chance of getting it. That’s why he had drawn closer to the crew of the Shooting Star. He kept repeating that to himself every single time he helped them with the maps, every time he went to check how they were doing on the route to the treasure. He barely realized he had gotten attached to those people. He barely knew his feelings were there until Fujigaya’s lips touched him. Or maybe he had known all along, pretending not to care, pretending to mind his own business, pretending that all the effort he was making wasn’t for them? It wasn’t to see Fujigaya’s smile once again that he kept going on the ship, it wasn’t to look at his or all the others grateful expressions when he helped them. He was a sorcerer. He had powers that humans could never understand, he had powers that made people tremble in fear only at the mention of the word “sorcerer”. The treasure was his heritage. He grew up believing what his grandfather had told him. Humans were enemies. Humans used sorcerers to fight their wars and then they killed all of them. Sorcerers were powerful and deserved to rule over common humans.
“Why are you doing all this?”
“The treasure is my dream. My purpose, my goal.” Fujigaya’s eyes were always shining so much whenever he mentioned the dream.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I could do anything with it I suppose. I could be the ruler of the oceans. But I guess I won’t know until I found it.”
Yokoo knew exactly what he would do with the treasure. After all, it belonged to him and his race, it would only been natural for him to use it. He was destined to rule the sea. He thought about his family, all the misery they had to suffer because they were sorcerers. Always living in the shadow, always listening to how the old stories depicted them as monsters. The only thing he could do was to follow what they had taught him. The only thing he could do was to fulfill his destiny.
The only thing he wanted to do was keep on holding Fujigaya’s hand and gave him the treasure.
He would be an amazing king of the oceans, he would be powerful and legendary. But was it really what Fujigaya wanted? The prospect of all that power scared Yokoo immensely. But if Fujigaya were the one to get it, it would be alright, wouldn’t it? And he would follow him anywhere, protect him from anything.
Yokoo shook his head. That wasn’t right. He was supposed to fulfill his duty, he was supposed to do as his family told him to do.
He felt overwhelmed by how much the treasure had become unimportant in comparison to what he had found along the way.
The last time he had seen Fujigaya before he disappeared, they were standing on that very same deck. Yokoo had just put down his violin and the silence and darkness of the night had wrapped them in their intimate corner. They were always so close they had never actually realized they could stand apart.
“Wataru... I don’t think I care much about the treasure anymore. I mean, I do care. It’s what we are looking for after all. I want the others to be happy and all. But I don’t really want it myself. I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
“There’s nothing you couldn’t do with it. That... that is for your happiness, right? Don’t you want to forget your past and be happy?”
Fujigaya placed two fingers on Yokoo’s lips and he stopped talking.
“I’ve already forgotten my past. You made me forget.”
Yokoo looked at Fujigaya’s face getting closer. He was scared, but he wanted what was about to happen between them all the same.
They never kissed that night. They were interrupted by someone walking noisily on the deck. Since that moment Yokoo had been looking forward to seeing him again. He wanted to understand why they always felt the same way about things. He didn’t care about the treasure anymore. All he wanted was to stay on that ship with Fujigaya and the others, but in the end he couldn’t. His sense of duty had him off the ship and Fujigaya and the others disappeared, leaving him behind.
If I find them, I’ll find the treasure.
That was the excuse he repeated while desperately looking for them everywhere. When he finally could board the Shooting Star again, its emptiness left him in dismay. They fell in the trap of the island, they were probably in serious danger.
Yes, I could leave them there and get to the treasure alone... I could do that.
But instead of searching for the hidden island, he started searching for them with all the means necessary. He didn’t want to lose Fujigaya. He didn’t want to lose any of the people he met on the Shooting Star. Thinking about them as “friends” was so much easier now that they were apart and he feared the possibility of not meeting them again. The feelings made him feel like he was choking, and he realized for the very first time that it no longer was the treasure the thing he was after.
--
When they reached the deck of the alternate Shooting Star, Fujigaya noticed something was wrong. The moon in the sky was full and huge and glowing red. His friends were on the deck, but they were all laying still, and looked feverish and tired.
“It seems like time passes faster here.” Yokoo said indicating the moon.
“What happened to them?!” Fujigaya was alarmed, and ran to help Kawai. Yokoo kneeled down next to Tamamori and after he checked he was breathing he stood up and moved to the edge of the ship.
“We need to bring everyone back. But... there is no time to help every single one of them across the portal.”
“What should we do? We can’t leave them here! That moon is burning them!”
“I know. But the only way out is to distort this reality. There must be a way...”
“You are the sorcerer here, I’m sure you can distort things.”
Yokoo looked troubled for a few moments, but then he clapped his hands and took a small vial out of his pocket.
“This might actually work.”
“What is it?” Fujigaya asked, staring at the content of the vial. It looked like golden sand and therefore, totally useless, if he didn’t know Yokoo was a sorcerer.
“This is sand from the bottom of the ocean. If you spread this on the water it creates waves. If you have enough sand you can create a storm. A storm could distort this reality easily.”
“And is that enough sand?”
“Not nearly. All this sand can do is make the sea sneeze, pretty much.”
“What?! Don’t you have more?” Fujigaya asked worried.
“I don’t. This is a really precious treasure from my ancestors. But...”
“Wataru! We need to save them. Please!”
“...the moon is so close to the sea in this place. The entire place is brimming with it’s magical resonance.”
Yokoo ran to the edge of the deck and placed the vial over the water. “The moon influences water a lot in the real world. How would the water of this place react to all this magic? This could create a massive tidal wave to bring us all home!”
Then Fujigaya saw a flash of red reflecting on Yokoo’s dark eyes as he poured the powdered sand into the sea. An excited smile formed on his lips and a feeling of power was exuding from him, something that Fujigaya had never felt before. And for the first time he was scared of not knowing the person standing in front of him.
The water started darting upwards in immense stalactites then splashing again on the surface, forming waves that were almost ripping the ship apart. Yokoo was still standing on the deck looking amazed and proud of his doings. Fujigaya fell as the ship was furiously shaken by the waves. In his eyes, the image of Yokoo standing in the middle of the chaos, against the red moon, was the scariest thing he had ever seen.
It was like Yokoo had completely forgot him, the others, and the reason why they were there in the first place. He was enjoying his power, and the power seemed like a wild beast he had unleashed in the attempt of taming, but in the end it had been the beast that tamed him. Freedom was what the beast wanted, and in exchange for that, it would give Yokoo all his force.
Fujigaya found himself shaking and the thought he had lost Yokoo forever formed in his mind. He didn’t want it to happen, he wouldn’t allow it to happen. He remembered Yokoo’s kindness, his gentle voice when he spoke, the warmth he could surround him with. He didn’t want to be scared of him, he wouldn’t allow himself to be scared of Yokoo.
Yokoo was still Yokoo.
A giant wave landed on the ship and Fujigaya woke up from his thoughts just in time to grasp Goseki before he was pulled into the sea by the waves. He quickly looked around to see if everyone was still onboard, then crawled on the deck towards Yokoo. It was almost impossible moving with the ship sideways, about to snap in two. The waves were hitting him with all their strength and the wood was slippery. Yokoo was still standing when the ship returned flat and Fujigaya could see him again.
“Wataru!” Fujigaya yelled and Yokoo finally noticed him. He let go of the glass vial and ran to kneel beside him.
“Taisuke!”
Fujigaya launched his arms around him and felt his warm tears mixing with the salt water on his cheeks.
“Hold on Taisuke, don’t worry. It’ll be okay. It’ll be just a minute.” Yokoo seemed to realize in that moment that he hadn’t checked on the others, and quickly looked around alarmed. “Is everyone on board?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Yokoo stood up and ran to secure the people to the ship and make sure they were all there. “Taisuke help me fasten them to the ship.”
Fujigaya grabbed all the rope he could find and started tying everyone to the masts.
“The next wave will be bigger. But don’t worry, you’ll all be okay. I promise.” Yokoo grabbed the other side of the rope Fujigaya was holding and looped it around his waist. “Hold on tight. Never let go of my hand”
“Oh I won’t.” Fujigaya smiled. “Ever.”
--
After their return to the real world, everyone felt better and regained consciousness.
The ship was undamaged, after all, the one in the other reality wasn’t their real ship. Like the first time Fujigaya crossed the portal, travelling back felt like opening his eyes after a jump.
Explaining what happened wasn't easy and Fujigaya kept on not wanting to reveal all the details, especially the part in which he was supposed to tell everyone that Yokoo was a sorcerer. After all Yokoo had disappeared once he was sure everyone was safe and after they had promised not to look for the island until he’d helped them find out a safe way to reach it. But he was too much in a hurry to leave the ship and his promise of coming back soon wasn’t enough for Fujigaya.
He understood how he could feel, how he wouldn’t want to reveal his secret for fear the others would hate him, but...
Fujigaya remembered how scary he looked on the deck during his enchantment. Magic was certainly a scary thing, but Fujigaya also knew that they had been saved by it.
There was no reason to hide, he wanted to scream to Yokoo, but he himself had been scared. He didn’t want the others to feel like that. He didn’t want Yokoo to feel like the others feared him either.
The next day, he kept looking for the mysterious door, but there was no sign of it anywhere. Tamamori and Senga found him coming out of the brooms cupboard yet again and smiled when he was too embarrassed to even form an excuse.
“So it’s true?” Tamamori asked. “You are looking for him.”
“I am... he’s... oh fuck.”
“How does he do it?” Senga asked. “I mean, he’s a sorcerer, right?”
Fujigaya stared at Senga in disbelief.
“Come on, it was the only possible explanation!” Tamamori replied to his silence.
“And aren’t you guys shocked at all?”
“It’s kind of surprising... that there are sorcerers still alive. But somehow, I feel like we’ve always known.” Kitayama emerged from behind Tamamori, and Fujigaya cursed his ability to hide behind people taller than him and appear suddenly.
“He’s Yokoo-san. We are not scared of him. He saved us.” Tamamori smiled.
“Besides, we are pirates. Who are we to blame anyone? We are bad enough ourselves!” Kitayama smirked.
“So how does he do it? How does he appear on the ship out of nowhere?” Senga asked, sounding curious and excited.
“There’s a door...”
“A door?!”
“A door that moves around and he said he’s the key and...”
“What does that mean?”
“Wait a minute. He found me because I wanted to be found. He found me because I was playing the music. Maybe...”
Fujigaya pushed everyone away as he ran outside on the deck. He took a piece of chalk and started scribbling on the floor.
“It might not work, I’m not so good at drawing...”
He stood out in the middle of the circle and started playing his flute. The song Yokoo always played with the violin. The song they had often played together on that very same deck. A song that had notes that resounded like nostalgia. Something ancient, something that came from a world full of magic. Something that had the sound of the very essence of Yokoo.
“Please work. Please.”
They all started looking around for the door that Fujigaya had described, turning the ship inside out. Hasshi came screaming from the hull because apparently a door he had never noticed had appeared out of nowhere.
“That’s it.” Fujigaya said in front of the door. “That’s the door to Yokoo’s house.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Kawai asked pushing Fujigaya towards it.
“What?”
“Go and get him.” Kitayama said. “And tell him he’s still welcome to come and stay on board. We are waiting..”
--
Fujigaya closed the door behind him making as less noise as possible. The room was empty, the morning sun came in from the small window and so did the gentle wind that made the curtains dance. Fujigaya felt himself attracted to all the things in the room. The books and the glass containers placed orderly on the shelf. The curious steam machines on the side table. The fresh smell of cleanliness coming from the sheets on the bed. The bubbling sound of the soup cooking on the stove, its delicious smell filling the air. All felt like Yokoo and all smelled like him and Fujigaya felt at ease in that room. He would have felt at ease in a dark cave if it were filled with Yokoo’s scent.
He looked outside the window and saw Yokoo, he was hanging the laundry on a field full of small flowers in bloom. He had to refrain from shouting his name from the window, instead he walked to the door that led outside, and walked slowly in his direction. He would have loved to surprise him, to hug him from behind, or to place hands over his eyes, but he didn’t because he felt guilty to have disrupted his privacy like that. He had the overall impression that Yokoo had wanted to be left alone when he left the ship.
He seemed so used to loneliness it almost broke Fujigaya’s heart when he turned around and didn’t flinch at his presence.
“What are you doing here? How did you...?”
“I don’t know. I might be a sorcerer too.”
“No kidding.”
“I just followed your path, like you did when we got back on the ship. Or at least, that’s what I think. I have no idea, I didn’t think it would work without the smoky stuff, or with my terrible drawings. But... I just... played your song. You know, something that really reminded me of you.”
“I see. I guess that song has more powers than I knew about. My grandfather used to tell me to use the song to find home, but I didn’t think it would help someone else to find this place.”
“I didn’t want to find this place. I wanted to find you.”
Fujigaya knew it had worked because they were connected. Because they would always find each other. He was the part of him he would always leave behind and he’d always had to come back to find it again.
“Yeah... right you came here before so you can cross the door again. And you found the door following my path. How did you even think about it?”
Yokoo looked immerse in his thoughts about magic but that wasn’t what Fujigaya wanted to know. He didn’t care about how he had reached that place, the only important thing was that he was standing in front of Yokoo now, and he had to deliver his message.
“Wataru, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”
Yokoo’s face was finally truly surprised.
“You can stay with us on the Shooting Star. I know it’s not nearly as clean and tidy as your room here but...”
“Taisuke I... I am a sorcerer. You saw what I did on that ship... I wasn’t... myself. I’m scared of what I did myself! Who would want to live with me?”
“I do! And Kitayama does! And Tamamori... and Senga. Everyone really. We don’t mind what you are because... Wataru is Wataru.”
“But...”
“No buts, we told you already, didn’t we? I asked you to stay so many times that I’ve lost count. Now, unless you actually hate us, I’m assuming you never did for fear we would find out your secret. There are no secrets anymore, so you have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. Just pack your stuff and come.”
“But Taisuke I am-”
Fujigaya launched himself on Yokoo and encircled his waist with his arms.
“Wataru, just shut up, would you?”
Yokoo ran a hand among Fujigaya’s hair. He felt the pressure of his fingers on his scalp followed by a tickling sensation and he wondered if that was magic too.
“Thank you, Taisuke.”
--
Comments are always super appreciated! ♥ And a little extra:
Title: Words that won't disappear - Omake
Characters/pairings: Yokoo
Rating/Genre: PG; Steampunk pirates AU
Summary: What Yokoo thought after he left the ship once again.
A/N: I wrote this ages ago after I wrote words that won't disappear, but I didn't want to reveal Yokoo's secret just yet, so I decided to post this only after his secret had been revealed. Now is the time.
Yokoo had never been so troubled after crossing the door before. He knew that every time he did so, some of the will to reach his goal would fade and he considered that a crime. He was doing all this for his family, for his ancestors. It had been the most important thing in his life so far, surely it wasn’t something he could forget about just for a temporary moment of happiness. Nevertheless, every time he crossed the magical door and sat foot on the Shooting Star he was feeling less inclined to be alone and to use people just to obtain what he needed. That’s what he was doing in fact: he was using everybody to get to his goal. He didn’t care if they were pirates or the Navy; whoever could help him find valuable information about the legendary treasure would have been good. But then he met the Shooting Star crew and everything changed. Bonds were created, words were shared, and now they also told him he was a friend. A friend! He hadn’t been called so in a long long time, that must have been the reason why his heart skipped a beat when Fujigaya’s lips pronounced that word. From that moment on, Yokoo knew nothing would have been the same anymore but he didn’t want to allow himself to feel weak, he didn’t want to admit he needed those people for something more than to get closer to his goal.
He sealed the door with chains that emitted a blue radiance and put down his violin on the table. He walked across the darkness of the room and reached the window. The light from the stars outside gleamed on his face.
“Those are the same stars, aren’t they?”
Those stars looked cold from inside the house. He couldn’t believe those were the same glimmering sparkles he was watching on the Shooting Star’s deck a few moments before. Or maybe they were so full of life because he was looking at their reflection into Fujigaya’s eyes?
Slowly, he closed the curtain but then he opened it again a moment later. He lay on his back on the bed just under the window and thought about Fujigaya’s sleeping face. He wondered if he hadn’t left too early after all.