Categories > Anime/Manga > Gundam Wing > Captains
TITLE: CAPTAINS
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background
RATING: PG-13 for now
GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance
WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing
DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me
SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thought it was time I cleared a few things in answer to some of my reviewers' inquiries. So let's get to it:
- It is definitely a 1x2 as labeled and there will be lemony bits further along the way. It just would be absurd at this point of the story if they were already jumping in bed together. Be patient people!
- This fic is in no way related to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes it is a great movie that I love dearly but this here is my own story which happened to take place in the same time and place. That's all.
- For those who wondered about some of the characters who may appear to be original ones, you were wrong. I only gave GW scientists full names because I couldn't see them going with only an initial in that era. Colonel Jay Lowe is J. Hernan is H. Gene is G. Doc Omkarnath is O and Serin, which has only been referred to for now, will be S.
- As a side argument, I take my inspiration mostly everywhere and as there are many fandoms I'm interested in, it might happen that you catch some obscure reference or not so subtle homage here and there. If you catch them, more power for you, it might entertain you; if not don't worry that shouldn't impair your comprehension of the story.
Voilà ! Now shoo and go read!
Chapter 9: The Peaceful Journey
They had been sailing for a while now. They had made very good time on the first few days. It wasn't surprising considering that Duo had been hell-bent on reaching Port Royal under the usual whole week. What Shinigami wanted, Shinigami got. Their outstanding good start had put them well ahead of the military frigate that was following them unknowingly. The Wing wasn't anywhere near the Deathscythe when he emerged from the Sandrock and thus Heero was nowhere near finding them. He had few clues as to their destination and was still looking for a slow brigantine after all.
However, on the dawn of the third day, the wind died down all of a sudden. There wasn't the slightest puff of air and they had to make do with the currents and expert manoeuvring of the helm to make any progress. That was fastidious and all in all they were mostly stranded, unmoving under an unforgiving sun. The crew members were none too pleased with the situation. The belief that the cross they had picked up on their last booty was cursed had spread amidst the ranks fast. They complained grumpily about it among themselves, arguing ways of getting rid of the thing, at least when they were out of their irritable Captain's earshot. Shinigami was probably the most frustrated of them all as this delay set him back in his self-imposed challenge but he had made it pretty clear that the matter of the cross wasn't open for discussion.
Aside from complaining, there wasn't much anyone could do anyway. The possibility of throwing the artefact over the guardrail had been discussed at lengths but when you got down to it, they still were money-grubbing pirates and thus wary of giving up on a juicy bounty. Even more so when there was no proof that such a drastic action would bear fruits.
So Deathscythe was left adrift while his crew hoped that he would catch a stronger current which would eventually lead him away from the windless area. Without any sailing to do, everyone on board was trying to keep busy. They were fortunate that there had been plenty to do in the beginnings as some of the repairs Deathscythe needed couldn't have been done in Sank while he was in his Sandrock form. Howard and Gene hadn't wasted any time in recruiting every able body to help them fix one or another piece of machinery. Nobody had protested much as that gave them something to do and kept their minds off of their predicament. The drawback of their good will was that with so many of them working on the repairs they were able to have everything done in record time. Consequently, seven days after their hasty departure and five after being stranded, they were all bored out of their skulls.
On the plus side, there were more volunteers to swab the decks than they had ever been and they were now shiny like brand new doubloons. That was also true for most parts of the ship even some which had previously seen neither a brush nor soap since the new-born Deathscythe had left the shipyard. Wufei who had finally shown his face sometime around the fourth day was the only one not partaking in the housework effort, obviously thinking such menial tasks were beneath him. He was his usual aloof self and hadn't forwarded any apology for either his fit of rage or his subsequent almost blunder. No one had expected him to. The fact that he had stayed four days in isolation and didn't rekindle his argument with Duo or gave grief to Auda and Abdul for so rudely manhandling him was apology enough for all concerned party. Especially when the proud Chinese seemed to have found a new way to punish himself. While the others were busy cleaning the ship, he had selected a long plank, fixed it on the guardrail and take it upon himself to paddle Deathscythe out of trouble. The entire crew had observed his efforts with scepticism but nobody had dared to make a comment. Who cared if that was pretty pointless as long as it kept Wufei occupied and perhaps even helped him in rebuilding his sense of worth.
Seeing that cleaning could get tiring after a while, even for bored pirates, they also entertained themselves in endless poker games. Fortunes in gold and jewels had already changed hands so many times that some had gone full spin and gotten back to their original owner. As none of them had ever intended to ruin their crewmates anyway that wasn't a problem. They played money more out of habit than from any desire to increase their wealth. Even if they stopped playing owning the exact same amount than when they had begun, at least they had killed some time.
Duo was sitting in the sun improbably mending the Jolly Roger they had gotten down for even more improbable laundry when he was interrupted by raised voices near the door to the galley. He stood and went to inquire at what the commotion was and caught the tail end of an argument between a few members of the crew. Something about "not wanting to piss off the Captain". Duo sighed warily wondering what else could go wrong on that damn ship, then sent a mental apology to Deathscythe. He knew he shouldn't insult such a faithful companion regardless of the circumstances.
Ever the observant one, Hernan was the first to catch sight of Shinigami looming over them from the upper-deck. He elbowed the others shushing them without much discretion. A few fearful glances were thrown Duo's way and more urgent comments were exchanged in whispers. After a while Auda came forward. He took off his familiar red fez in an unusual show of deference and began to fiddle with it in fidgeting hands. The cook wasn't prone to nerves and the Captain was getting more worried by the minute. The silence stretched too long and Duo was about to interrogate the poor man when the latter cleared his throat, wincing slightly at the sudden sharp sound in the foreboding silence.
"Captain there's a problem with the reserves..."
Of course, Auda hadn't been chosen as ambassador without reason. The latest trouble had to be kitchen related. When the Arab didn't forward anything more Shinigami got impatient.
"Well? Go on! What's wrong with the reserves?"
"There are bugs in the flour and... well in the cereals too."
"Great! Exactly what we needed. Didn't you think to check the bags in Sank? You should know some merchants are pretty unscrupulous you poor trusting soul."
"That's the thing Captain. I checked them. I always do and they were clean. You can ask Meiran if you don't believe me, she came with me at the market."
"You probably haven't checked well enough." Auda looked affronted. "They might have been hidden in the middle and you didn't see them. It's the only explanation. Bugs don't just appear out of nowhere."
"Except those did." The comment came from Howard and was a barely audible grumble. Duo's sharp ears caught it nonetheless.
"Was there something you wanted to say Howard?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. You can bury your head in the sand as deep as you want Kid, it won't change the fact that there is something weird going on onboard this ship. Those bugs, which are unlike anything I've ever seen by the way, are just the latest in a long list of unnatural things. This ship his cursed!"
Shinigami exploded in predictable fury: "My Deathscythe isn't cursed, you hear me? I won't listen to another word about it."
"Well Deathscythe might not be, but that damn cross sure is."
Duo pretended as if he hadn't heard Howard's last pique and ignored him completely turning instead to the cowering Auda.
"Can you see what's salvageable and give me an estimation of how long we can last with our actual stock?"
The cook had predicted his Captain's request and had already done his math. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, uncomfortable under so many stares but gave his report anyway.
"Hmm... There's not much I can do for the flour or oats but it should be possible to clean the rice. Though I'll need help because it'll be a nightmare to sort it out one grain at a time. We still got some salted meat, potatoes and a few fruits that aren't too bruised yet. If we can also catch some fish, we might last another week or so but it will be on minimum rations."
"Okay. That's good enough. Take all the help you need among the crew. That's the new priority."
Duo was about to go back to his mending obviously dismissing the matter when he saw that nobody had moved. He turned back thunderously and ordered in a no-nonsense voice: "Well? What are you waiting for? Get done to it!"
He watched as the crew disperse urgently with no more prompting and sighed heavily. He didn't want to contemplate the real possibility of a curse. That was one of the few things he was really scared of and he didn't want to appear less in his crew's eyes. For now, denial was working just fine with him, but he didn't know for how long that would hold true...
The remainder of the day passed without further drama. Part of the crew joined Auda to the galley to help in salvaging what could be of their reserves. Everyone was happy to have something new to do for a day, even if it was as boring a task as sorting out grains of rice. The alternative had been to put a new coat of black paint over Deathscythe and as they were still stranded under the sun, they knew the paint fumes would have been uncomfortable. The most adventurous ones tried their hand at fishing. Ironically, it happened that the flour maggots proved to be decent bait to catch a variety of small fishes. As their stock hadn't really dwindled yet, it was of little importance that most of their catches weren't all that impressive. They were more worried about the fishes' sizes in relation to the easy-going competition they had going on than because they were famished. Duo watched over them with careful eyes, relieved to see their good humour return. There would be no mutiny today and he could breathe easier. He even allowed himself to join in the fishing competition once the Jolly Roger had been properly mended and was floating again from the big mast. He accepted all the teasing with grace when it became quite clear he was a poor fisherman.
The dinner that night was a pleasant affair. There was much joking around and the worries from earlier in the day seemed to be forgotten. The highlight of the meal was when Auda refused to serve Shinigami anything more than the tiny catfish which was the only thing he had managed to catch. Auda played at being stern even when faced with the Captain's quivering pout and only appeared to give in once Duo had begged with enough conviction. Shinigami was allowed to eat one nice sea bass in the end and he relished in his meal with gusto pointedly ignoring the crew's laughter.
Everybody went to bed late and in a good mood that hadn't been there for a while. Shinigami retreated in his cabin too even if he knew slumber would be long in coming. A life time of fighting against the world at large had made him a light sleeper disturbed by the slightest thing out of place. He had also been plagued by recurring nightmares for as long as he could remember. Those were the result of having lost many people dear to him and of having lived through many frightening experiences. Despite his dreadful name, Shinigami had a fairly bright personality in the light of day. In the dead of night though, he revelled in the hidden darkness that had even his crew contemplating the possibility that he might well be the real demon he was famed to be. He might have had strange sleeping patterns but he wasn't an insomniac either. He was used to sleep lightly and badly but not to be unable to sleep altogether as seems to be the case since they had left Sank.
He was glad he had managed to catch such a good night sleep in Relena's bed because he felt like it was the only thing that kept him going these days. He had not slept since aside from catnaps here and there under the sun. He couldn't explain why but he couldn't manage to sleep at night. He didn't know to what attribute his predicament, only that he felt tense. There was like an expectation in the air and he couldn't place it. At the beginning of their journey he had put it on the account of being wary of what the curse might throw at them this time -not that he really believed they were cursed of course. However, he knew it was something else. He just didn't know what and that frustrated him to no end. He had come to rely on his instincts along the years and thus stood to be prepared for anything, but he still had the obscure knowledge that it wouldn't be enough. The weird thing was that it wasn't really like foreboding danger either. He knew something was coming yes. It made him anxious yes, but he wasn't all that sure that it would be a bad thing, just an unsettling one. Shinigami hated to feel unsettled. There was also the matter of the not-quite-dreams-almost-visions he got every time he managed to catch some shuteye. He always saw faceless deep blue eyes watching him with an extraordinary intensity. He couldn't place that dark gaze as belonging to anyone he knew but couldn't either escape the tremors it aroused. Those tremors were more thrill than chill and spoke of anticipation more than alarm. He felt like he would go insane with nervous energy especially since the feeling of being watched extended to his waking hours too. He felt bloody haunted.
It was quite late and he was no closer to find the missing piece of this puzzle when he heard a blood-curling scream coming from the deck. Shinigami was outside before he realized he had moved. The terror-filled cry had come from a female voice and Meiran being the only woman onboard it was easy to know who had uttered it. The young Chinese was on watch duty and as soon as he got on the deck, Duo looked up to the crow's nest to see what had happened to her. The brash woman wasn't one to go in hysterics over nothing and whatever she had seen must have been really bad to bring about such a reaction.
Duo had been the first to arrive but all of the crew was not long after him and soon the deck was crowded with worried pirates in various states of undress. They would long stay ashamed about the time it took them to react when confronting with the unlikely scene waiting for them. The ship was literally swarmed with seagulls flying in the most disorganized way as if gone crazy. The birds were everywhere and appeared to be attacking Deathscythe, as improbable as that sounded. Some were crashing head first on the deck and masts; others were ripping the sails apart, as well as the recently mended Jolly Roger.
"Meiraaaan!!!"
Wufei's terrified shout shook them all out of their stupor and directed their attention toward Meiran. The young woman must have seen the seagulls coming and realizing the danger of her position, had tried to get down from the crow's nest as fast as possible. However, in her panic she must have got tangled in the ropes and was now dangling fourteen feet off the ground by her opposing foot and arm unable to free herself. She was clearly scared to death and struggled uselessly as vicious birds continuously swung by her scratching her with claws and beaks on their way.
Once they had taken account of the situation, the crew didn't waste any time in organizing the rescue. Wufei was the first to run to her aid waving the sword he never parted with in front of him to repel the swooping birds. Duo and Quatre flanked him without concert in a well oiled manoeuvre. They were also both armed as whatever emergency there was on a pirate ship, it usually required weapons and they were trained to never leave the safety of their cabins without them. Behind them, all the crew was fighting to stop the invasion in all sorts of ways. Hernan was running to light the saltpetre lamps, hoping their unnatural glow would frighten the seagulls. Following a like inspiration, Rashid had alit two heavy torches and was using the flames to try and burn or chase them with ample movements. Ahmad was skillfully handling the old whip he had used in times past to train Master Quatre' horses. Abdul and Doc O were defending themselves with assorted wooden clubs while Auda had armed himself with a wicked-looking broom. Howard had brought his entire collection of pistols and was firing them one after another endlessly. Gene, rolled on the floor in hope of making himself as little a target as possible, was reloading the guns as fast as he could. He was also shouting helpful advice at the top of his lungs such as protecting one's eyes. Howard wasn't bothering to aim for one particular bird at a time as they were numerous enough and flew in so dense a swarm that he marked with almost every shot. The sound of the reports alone played for them as it appeared to scare the birds giving the crew some time to breath when they fled away before being caught in another bout of madness and attacking again.
Wufei, Duo and Quatre had killed their fair share of birds more by dumb luck than anything and had made noticeable progress. They soon reached the mast on which perched the crow's nest. Wufei immediately began climbing toward the frantic Meiran while the two others stayed at his side covering his back as best they could. A few minutes and two well-placed slash of his sword later, the sobbing woman was latched on his neck and they were coming back to deck where their companions were still fighting. They were welcomed with relief regardless of their dishevelled and bloodied state.
In spite of their heroic efforts, the seagulls kept coming and there didn't seem to be an end to the attacks. Disheartened, they resolved to retreat in the safety of the cabins in the hope that the birds would give up eventually. The crew was wary to picture the state in which they would find the Deathscythe in the morrow but they had far more pressing worries for the moment. Nobody had escaped unscathed and they were prompt in retrieving the bandages and beginning dressing their wounds. Some were minor scratches that didn't require much care, others were deep slashes and those were left to the expert care of the Doc who applied stitches when needed. Meiran was the worst of them all and had passed out from pain and fright. Wufei was hovering protectively over her and didn't accept any care for his own wounds until O had assured him she would be fine.
They were a pretty sad bunch all bandaged and huddled in the living quarters while throwing fearful glances to the ceiling through which they could still hear the shrill cries and frantic wings of the seagulls. Once they had somewhat calmed a little they all turn accusatory glares to their Captain who sighed with resignation.
"Okay, maybe we are cursed."
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background
RATING: PG-13 for now
GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance
WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing
DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me
SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thought it was time I cleared a few things in answer to some of my reviewers' inquiries. So let's get to it:
- It is definitely a 1x2 as labeled and there will be lemony bits further along the way. It just would be absurd at this point of the story if they were already jumping in bed together. Be patient people!
- This fic is in no way related to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes it is a great movie that I love dearly but this here is my own story which happened to take place in the same time and place. That's all.
- For those who wondered about some of the characters who may appear to be original ones, you were wrong. I only gave GW scientists full names because I couldn't see them going with only an initial in that era. Colonel Jay Lowe is J. Hernan is H. Gene is G. Doc Omkarnath is O and Serin, which has only been referred to for now, will be S.
- As a side argument, I take my inspiration mostly everywhere and as there are many fandoms I'm interested in, it might happen that you catch some obscure reference or not so subtle homage here and there. If you catch them, more power for you, it might entertain you; if not don't worry that shouldn't impair your comprehension of the story.
Voilà ! Now shoo and go read!
Chapter 9: The Peaceful Journey
They had been sailing for a while now. They had made very good time on the first few days. It wasn't surprising considering that Duo had been hell-bent on reaching Port Royal under the usual whole week. What Shinigami wanted, Shinigami got. Their outstanding good start had put them well ahead of the military frigate that was following them unknowingly. The Wing wasn't anywhere near the Deathscythe when he emerged from the Sandrock and thus Heero was nowhere near finding them. He had few clues as to their destination and was still looking for a slow brigantine after all.
However, on the dawn of the third day, the wind died down all of a sudden. There wasn't the slightest puff of air and they had to make do with the currents and expert manoeuvring of the helm to make any progress. That was fastidious and all in all they were mostly stranded, unmoving under an unforgiving sun. The crew members were none too pleased with the situation. The belief that the cross they had picked up on their last booty was cursed had spread amidst the ranks fast. They complained grumpily about it among themselves, arguing ways of getting rid of the thing, at least when they were out of their irritable Captain's earshot. Shinigami was probably the most frustrated of them all as this delay set him back in his self-imposed challenge but he had made it pretty clear that the matter of the cross wasn't open for discussion.
Aside from complaining, there wasn't much anyone could do anyway. The possibility of throwing the artefact over the guardrail had been discussed at lengths but when you got down to it, they still were money-grubbing pirates and thus wary of giving up on a juicy bounty. Even more so when there was no proof that such a drastic action would bear fruits.
So Deathscythe was left adrift while his crew hoped that he would catch a stronger current which would eventually lead him away from the windless area. Without any sailing to do, everyone on board was trying to keep busy. They were fortunate that there had been plenty to do in the beginnings as some of the repairs Deathscythe needed couldn't have been done in Sank while he was in his Sandrock form. Howard and Gene hadn't wasted any time in recruiting every able body to help them fix one or another piece of machinery. Nobody had protested much as that gave them something to do and kept their minds off of their predicament. The drawback of their good will was that with so many of them working on the repairs they were able to have everything done in record time. Consequently, seven days after their hasty departure and five after being stranded, they were all bored out of their skulls.
On the plus side, there were more volunteers to swab the decks than they had ever been and they were now shiny like brand new doubloons. That was also true for most parts of the ship even some which had previously seen neither a brush nor soap since the new-born Deathscythe had left the shipyard. Wufei who had finally shown his face sometime around the fourth day was the only one not partaking in the housework effort, obviously thinking such menial tasks were beneath him. He was his usual aloof self and hadn't forwarded any apology for either his fit of rage or his subsequent almost blunder. No one had expected him to. The fact that he had stayed four days in isolation and didn't rekindle his argument with Duo or gave grief to Auda and Abdul for so rudely manhandling him was apology enough for all concerned party. Especially when the proud Chinese seemed to have found a new way to punish himself. While the others were busy cleaning the ship, he had selected a long plank, fixed it on the guardrail and take it upon himself to paddle Deathscythe out of trouble. The entire crew had observed his efforts with scepticism but nobody had dared to make a comment. Who cared if that was pretty pointless as long as it kept Wufei occupied and perhaps even helped him in rebuilding his sense of worth.
Seeing that cleaning could get tiring after a while, even for bored pirates, they also entertained themselves in endless poker games. Fortunes in gold and jewels had already changed hands so many times that some had gone full spin and gotten back to their original owner. As none of them had ever intended to ruin their crewmates anyway that wasn't a problem. They played money more out of habit than from any desire to increase their wealth. Even if they stopped playing owning the exact same amount than when they had begun, at least they had killed some time.
Duo was sitting in the sun improbably mending the Jolly Roger they had gotten down for even more improbable laundry when he was interrupted by raised voices near the door to the galley. He stood and went to inquire at what the commotion was and caught the tail end of an argument between a few members of the crew. Something about "not wanting to piss off the Captain". Duo sighed warily wondering what else could go wrong on that damn ship, then sent a mental apology to Deathscythe. He knew he shouldn't insult such a faithful companion regardless of the circumstances.
Ever the observant one, Hernan was the first to catch sight of Shinigami looming over them from the upper-deck. He elbowed the others shushing them without much discretion. A few fearful glances were thrown Duo's way and more urgent comments were exchanged in whispers. After a while Auda came forward. He took off his familiar red fez in an unusual show of deference and began to fiddle with it in fidgeting hands. The cook wasn't prone to nerves and the Captain was getting more worried by the minute. The silence stretched too long and Duo was about to interrogate the poor man when the latter cleared his throat, wincing slightly at the sudden sharp sound in the foreboding silence.
"Captain there's a problem with the reserves..."
Of course, Auda hadn't been chosen as ambassador without reason. The latest trouble had to be kitchen related. When the Arab didn't forward anything more Shinigami got impatient.
"Well? Go on! What's wrong with the reserves?"
"There are bugs in the flour and... well in the cereals too."
"Great! Exactly what we needed. Didn't you think to check the bags in Sank? You should know some merchants are pretty unscrupulous you poor trusting soul."
"That's the thing Captain. I checked them. I always do and they were clean. You can ask Meiran if you don't believe me, she came with me at the market."
"You probably haven't checked well enough." Auda looked affronted. "They might have been hidden in the middle and you didn't see them. It's the only explanation. Bugs don't just appear out of nowhere."
"Except those did." The comment came from Howard and was a barely audible grumble. Duo's sharp ears caught it nonetheless.
"Was there something you wanted to say Howard?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. You can bury your head in the sand as deep as you want Kid, it won't change the fact that there is something weird going on onboard this ship. Those bugs, which are unlike anything I've ever seen by the way, are just the latest in a long list of unnatural things. This ship his cursed!"
Shinigami exploded in predictable fury: "My Deathscythe isn't cursed, you hear me? I won't listen to another word about it."
"Well Deathscythe might not be, but that damn cross sure is."
Duo pretended as if he hadn't heard Howard's last pique and ignored him completely turning instead to the cowering Auda.
"Can you see what's salvageable and give me an estimation of how long we can last with our actual stock?"
The cook had predicted his Captain's request and had already done his math. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, uncomfortable under so many stares but gave his report anyway.
"Hmm... There's not much I can do for the flour or oats but it should be possible to clean the rice. Though I'll need help because it'll be a nightmare to sort it out one grain at a time. We still got some salted meat, potatoes and a few fruits that aren't too bruised yet. If we can also catch some fish, we might last another week or so but it will be on minimum rations."
"Okay. That's good enough. Take all the help you need among the crew. That's the new priority."
Duo was about to go back to his mending obviously dismissing the matter when he saw that nobody had moved. He turned back thunderously and ordered in a no-nonsense voice: "Well? What are you waiting for? Get done to it!"
He watched as the crew disperse urgently with no more prompting and sighed heavily. He didn't want to contemplate the real possibility of a curse. That was one of the few things he was really scared of and he didn't want to appear less in his crew's eyes. For now, denial was working just fine with him, but he didn't know for how long that would hold true...
The remainder of the day passed without further drama. Part of the crew joined Auda to the galley to help in salvaging what could be of their reserves. Everyone was happy to have something new to do for a day, even if it was as boring a task as sorting out grains of rice. The alternative had been to put a new coat of black paint over Deathscythe and as they were still stranded under the sun, they knew the paint fumes would have been uncomfortable. The most adventurous ones tried their hand at fishing. Ironically, it happened that the flour maggots proved to be decent bait to catch a variety of small fishes. As their stock hadn't really dwindled yet, it was of little importance that most of their catches weren't all that impressive. They were more worried about the fishes' sizes in relation to the easy-going competition they had going on than because they were famished. Duo watched over them with careful eyes, relieved to see their good humour return. There would be no mutiny today and he could breathe easier. He even allowed himself to join in the fishing competition once the Jolly Roger had been properly mended and was floating again from the big mast. He accepted all the teasing with grace when it became quite clear he was a poor fisherman.
The dinner that night was a pleasant affair. There was much joking around and the worries from earlier in the day seemed to be forgotten. The highlight of the meal was when Auda refused to serve Shinigami anything more than the tiny catfish which was the only thing he had managed to catch. Auda played at being stern even when faced with the Captain's quivering pout and only appeared to give in once Duo had begged with enough conviction. Shinigami was allowed to eat one nice sea bass in the end and he relished in his meal with gusto pointedly ignoring the crew's laughter.
Everybody went to bed late and in a good mood that hadn't been there for a while. Shinigami retreated in his cabin too even if he knew slumber would be long in coming. A life time of fighting against the world at large had made him a light sleeper disturbed by the slightest thing out of place. He had also been plagued by recurring nightmares for as long as he could remember. Those were the result of having lost many people dear to him and of having lived through many frightening experiences. Despite his dreadful name, Shinigami had a fairly bright personality in the light of day. In the dead of night though, he revelled in the hidden darkness that had even his crew contemplating the possibility that he might well be the real demon he was famed to be. He might have had strange sleeping patterns but he wasn't an insomniac either. He was used to sleep lightly and badly but not to be unable to sleep altogether as seems to be the case since they had left Sank.
He was glad he had managed to catch such a good night sleep in Relena's bed because he felt like it was the only thing that kept him going these days. He had not slept since aside from catnaps here and there under the sun. He couldn't explain why but he couldn't manage to sleep at night. He didn't know to what attribute his predicament, only that he felt tense. There was like an expectation in the air and he couldn't place it. At the beginning of their journey he had put it on the account of being wary of what the curse might throw at them this time -not that he really believed they were cursed of course. However, he knew it was something else. He just didn't know what and that frustrated him to no end. He had come to rely on his instincts along the years and thus stood to be prepared for anything, but he still had the obscure knowledge that it wouldn't be enough. The weird thing was that it wasn't really like foreboding danger either. He knew something was coming yes. It made him anxious yes, but he wasn't all that sure that it would be a bad thing, just an unsettling one. Shinigami hated to feel unsettled. There was also the matter of the not-quite-dreams-almost-visions he got every time he managed to catch some shuteye. He always saw faceless deep blue eyes watching him with an extraordinary intensity. He couldn't place that dark gaze as belonging to anyone he knew but couldn't either escape the tremors it aroused. Those tremors were more thrill than chill and spoke of anticipation more than alarm. He felt like he would go insane with nervous energy especially since the feeling of being watched extended to his waking hours too. He felt bloody haunted.
It was quite late and he was no closer to find the missing piece of this puzzle when he heard a blood-curling scream coming from the deck. Shinigami was outside before he realized he had moved. The terror-filled cry had come from a female voice and Meiran being the only woman onboard it was easy to know who had uttered it. The young Chinese was on watch duty and as soon as he got on the deck, Duo looked up to the crow's nest to see what had happened to her. The brash woman wasn't one to go in hysterics over nothing and whatever she had seen must have been really bad to bring about such a reaction.
Duo had been the first to arrive but all of the crew was not long after him and soon the deck was crowded with worried pirates in various states of undress. They would long stay ashamed about the time it took them to react when confronting with the unlikely scene waiting for them. The ship was literally swarmed with seagulls flying in the most disorganized way as if gone crazy. The birds were everywhere and appeared to be attacking Deathscythe, as improbable as that sounded. Some were crashing head first on the deck and masts; others were ripping the sails apart, as well as the recently mended Jolly Roger.
"Meiraaaan!!!"
Wufei's terrified shout shook them all out of their stupor and directed their attention toward Meiran. The young woman must have seen the seagulls coming and realizing the danger of her position, had tried to get down from the crow's nest as fast as possible. However, in her panic she must have got tangled in the ropes and was now dangling fourteen feet off the ground by her opposing foot and arm unable to free herself. She was clearly scared to death and struggled uselessly as vicious birds continuously swung by her scratching her with claws and beaks on their way.
Once they had taken account of the situation, the crew didn't waste any time in organizing the rescue. Wufei was the first to run to her aid waving the sword he never parted with in front of him to repel the swooping birds. Duo and Quatre flanked him without concert in a well oiled manoeuvre. They were also both armed as whatever emergency there was on a pirate ship, it usually required weapons and they were trained to never leave the safety of their cabins without them. Behind them, all the crew was fighting to stop the invasion in all sorts of ways. Hernan was running to light the saltpetre lamps, hoping their unnatural glow would frighten the seagulls. Following a like inspiration, Rashid had alit two heavy torches and was using the flames to try and burn or chase them with ample movements. Ahmad was skillfully handling the old whip he had used in times past to train Master Quatre' horses. Abdul and Doc O were defending themselves with assorted wooden clubs while Auda had armed himself with a wicked-looking broom. Howard had brought his entire collection of pistols and was firing them one after another endlessly. Gene, rolled on the floor in hope of making himself as little a target as possible, was reloading the guns as fast as he could. He was also shouting helpful advice at the top of his lungs such as protecting one's eyes. Howard wasn't bothering to aim for one particular bird at a time as they were numerous enough and flew in so dense a swarm that he marked with almost every shot. The sound of the reports alone played for them as it appeared to scare the birds giving the crew some time to breath when they fled away before being caught in another bout of madness and attacking again.
Wufei, Duo and Quatre had killed their fair share of birds more by dumb luck than anything and had made noticeable progress. They soon reached the mast on which perched the crow's nest. Wufei immediately began climbing toward the frantic Meiran while the two others stayed at his side covering his back as best they could. A few minutes and two well-placed slash of his sword later, the sobbing woman was latched on his neck and they were coming back to deck where their companions were still fighting. They were welcomed with relief regardless of their dishevelled and bloodied state.
In spite of their heroic efforts, the seagulls kept coming and there didn't seem to be an end to the attacks. Disheartened, they resolved to retreat in the safety of the cabins in the hope that the birds would give up eventually. The crew was wary to picture the state in which they would find the Deathscythe in the morrow but they had far more pressing worries for the moment. Nobody had escaped unscathed and they were prompt in retrieving the bandages and beginning dressing their wounds. Some were minor scratches that didn't require much care, others were deep slashes and those were left to the expert care of the Doc who applied stitches when needed. Meiran was the worst of them all and had passed out from pain and fright. Wufei was hovering protectively over her and didn't accept any care for his own wounds until O had assured him she would be fine.
They were a pretty sad bunch all bandaged and huddled in the living quarters while throwing fearful glances to the ceiling through which they could still hear the shrill cries and frantic wings of the seagulls. Once they had somewhat calmed a little they all turn accusatory glares to their Captain who sighed with resignation.
"Okay, maybe we are cursed."
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