Pirates of the Arisu :: 15th Storm :: Guardian Angel
Title: Pirates of the Arisu
Genre: Alternate Universe, BL&Yaoi, Action&Adventure, Comedy/Crack, Slight Drama&Angst
Pairings: ShouxHiroto, mentioned AoixKai, ChiyuxYuji, KanonxTakeru, Torax?? implied SagaxNao, etc.
Summary: Kohara Kazumasa had a dream to sail the seas and explore every bit of land he could. He shared that dream with Ogata Hiroto and made a promise to come back for him. When he finally did, he decided that he can't possibly go back to Kohara Kazumasa and took on the name "Shou" -- the captain of a pirate crew -- with his own agenda.
Warnings: Sexy Shou in one hell of an eyepatch and dirty language. XD
Prologue - 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
15th Storm :: Guardian Angel
Straight, right? If he could find Arisu-san, then he could find Shou. If he got the treasure, then he'd get Shou back, right? Hiroto had to save him. He just had to. After all of this time, he couldn't just have him taken away so suddenly. The gunman skidded to a stop as a gorilla blocked his way. For a moment, the two stared at each other--wary of each other's movement. Hiroto felt his breath caught in his throat. Should he just stab the gorilla and get it over with? He killed fiends and demons and monsters before--an animal shouldn't be much of a challenge.
His stomach growled as invisible needles began to pick at his flesh. Hiroto shuddered before falling to his knees. His stomach began to knot and become entangled with his intestines while acid dared to break through his flesh. As if it was sensing his distress, the great ape approached him cautiously before holding the smaller in its great arms. Hiroto raised his head, finding that the ape had blue eyes... A blue as brilliant as Shou's.
"Sh--"
He stopped immediately as blackness began to surround him. A strangled scream silently slipped past his lips.
A moment later, the others arrived, finding the gorilla still holding Hiroto. The large animal looked away from the human in its arms for a bit before reluctantly handing him over to his friends. Jui caught the blue in its eyes fade into a brown as soon as Hiroto left its hold. The ghost held back a gasp before smiling gently as the animal scampered away in instinctive fear.
"Shou's soul is not completely gone. Even though his body is possessed, his soul managed to escape. It went back to fight for its shell," Jui stated out of the blue. Nao glanced at the ghost. "We're on the right path," Jui added, "I just know we are."
Tora carried Hiroto on his back as the crew entered the Ruins. Eyes widened upon the sight of ancient buildings that once reached the sky--now crumbled to pieces and weathering--and pieces of artwork that have now faded into dirt. As they hiked through the Ancient Ruins, they marveled and awed at the sight of what once was a civilization. One day, this might happen to their own homes--if they ever settled down, that is. What especially caught their attention was a large crystal in the center of everything. It was a transparent crystal, though tinted midnight blue, with shining stars frozen within--glowing with colors of the rainbow.
A coldness against his chest woke Hiroto up. The thief demanded to be let down from Tora's back. As he slid off, his head began to spin. Although he staggered and swayed when he walked, Hiroto knew what he had to do. Satsuki's voice whispered in his head, telling him to touch the crystal with his pendant. The gunman circled the crystal, searching for a hole to snap the pendant into place--uncertain of how the whole ordeal worked--until the jewelry glowed and lifted off his chest, making light contact with the crystal. Five feet away from the crystal, a trap door opened and revealed a flight of stairs.
The group continued their venture.
"Welcome to the Lair," Yusa greeted at the bottom with a guilty smile. "You're missing someone..."
"I suppose you already know what happened," Tora responded coldly.
"I do, in fact," Yusa answered, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Allow me to escort you to the Secret Cove. The Arisu is waiting for you."
"Arisu-san? Seriously?" Saga inquired skeptically. The angel nodded before pivoting on his heel and taking the crew to yet another location. Unfortunately, Eris had failed to keep her end of the bargain. Eyes dilated and faces paled at the sight in front of them. Yusa let out a shriek as pure black steel swung at him. His wings sprouted from his back and, in complete defense, shot white feathers at the demon. The pure black blade blocked the projectiles effortlessly.
Hiroto began to shake as Tora, Saga, and Nao found themselves debating over what to do.
That can't be... Hiroto thought to himself. It's not... The demon in front of them had black hair the color of a crow's feathers instead of the golden blonde strands of a falcon. His skin was not milky white like a china doll, but a sickly pale light gray color. His eyes were no longer the brilliant azure blue that rivaled the sea, but glowering vermillion. His Blood Blade had no color to it other than black.
"Who are you?" Hiroto found himself whispering. He was oblivious to the fact that his whisper echoed throughout the area and bounced off the walls--attracting everyone's attention. The demon stared right at him, eyes stone cold and humored.
"Shou," he answered simply.
"You have the same name and similar appearance, but I doubt you are--"
"I am your lover and captain," he insisted.
Hiroto shook his head. "I do not see him in you," he said as he began to drag his feet towards the taller. His actions earned himself calls of protests and cries of apprehension. For a second, he had lost his balance and nearly fell over his own feet, but he caught himself. He would not fall and give in to this sickness. There was only three inches of distance between them by the time Hiroto stopped. Crimson orbs stared at curious brown pools as reticence mixed with the mist that crept into the cave. The others had lost the will to speak, but Hiroto was not afraid to reach out to this stranger and cradle his cheek.
He was cold...colder than Shou ever was.
"HIROTO!" the others screamed out his real name for the first time in six years as the youngest let out a startled gasp. Blood spewed out of his cavern, coating his lips and tongue as well as polluting it with a metallic taste, and the warm, sticky liquid seeped through his clothes--though it blended in, for he was wearing black. The blade still rested in his flesh as he collapsed in the stranger's arms.
"Let's die together," the stranger whispered in his ear, "and have nothing to fear in death."
"Why not live together and bask in excitement?" Hiroto whispered. Glancing down, he realized that the blade not only pierced his own stomach, but the stranger's as well. "Shou would never say or do such a thing... We should take our time before we're dragged to Hell. I wanted to stargaze on Arisu-san with Shou... We can't die here. It's too sad and pitiful." The gunman began to cough violently, tightening his grasp on the stranger whose gaze began to soften.
"Hiroto..."
"What have you done?!" Tora shouted at last as he sprinted towards the two. "Even if Shou was possessed, he would never do this, you fucking impostor!" Nao's eyes began to widen as the tiger grasped the sword holding the two together.
It was Saga's turn to scream, "SHINJI, YOU IDIOT! DON'T PULL ON THE SWORD! YOU'LL--!"
"Then how will we ever get it out, Takashi?! Huh?!" Tora snapped before yanking the blade out of their flesh.
Two screams of agony rippled through the air.
Hiroto collapsed on top of the stranger in a pool of red. A smile carved on Hiroto lips as he rested his head on the stranger's chest. "I love you, Kazumasa." The other man's face of shock definitely told the others that he was back. The captain sat up immediately, cradling Hiroto in his arms, as he cried out his lover's name over and over again in desperation. Slowly, his hair faded into a golden blonde, both of his eyes returned to blue, and his skin became a healthy color.
"Hiroto, just breathe, dammit!"
"Stop screaming. I'm fine," Hiroto responded dryly with a slight glare and a pout on his lips. The thief lifted up his shirt, proving himself clean of any wound. "Satsuki saved us..." The captain smiled, relieved, before pecking the smaller's lips. "He also said that I'm cured because I saved what was most important to me--my treasure. What Kanon said made sense... 'The only cure is finding your treasure and taking good care of it.'"
"Of course, there is a price," Yusa stated calmly as the angel approached the couple--standing next to the awestruck Tora--and made eye contact with everyone. "If you will, follow me." The group of seven continued on their way as Yusa explained that Satsuki had gotten the twelve gods of Olympus to agree on restraining Eris's powers, actions, and freedom. Eris wouldn't bother them anymore, and her gift was to return Shou--possessed or not--to his crew. If Shou returned to normal, then the contract binding the demon to his devil would be broken, but his life would also drain away because the demon blood already fused with his human blood. "All that is left within your body, Shou-san, is demon blood, and if that blood is purified--which it already has--then you does not have much time left unless you makes a contract with a divine, holy and heavenly being for a new life," Yusa said.
"Then all I have to do is find a contract holder," Shou said as they paused in front of the ship in front of them. All eyes rested upon the watercraft made of beautiful white oak and elegant gothic Victorian carvings. The sails appeared to be made of satin or silk, and the cabins seemed to be a small mansion or castle on deck.
"You already did. The moment when you wanted Hiroto to live, you demonstrated your resolve. Satsuki-sama was watching, and he took you in--with or without your consent. That's why you regained your cursed eye. Unfortunately, there's a catch..." Yusa murmured as he hopped on board. The others had followed him.
"What do you mean?" Shou questioned with a skeptic frown on his lips as he trailed behind Yusa. The two of them stopped at the bow of the ship while the others were busy observing and studying their new vessel. Yusa turned around with a grim line settled on his lips. His finger raised, pointing at Shou himself.
"Your body fades away to heaven for training as a guardian angel," Yusa stated clearly and loudly--catching everyone's attention. Hiroto spun around immediately; his throat emitted another gasp. He dashed towards his lover and attempted to embrace him--only to phase right through. Shou lift his hands, finding that they began to dissolve into minuscule, colorful bits of glass--whisked away by the wind.
Satsuki appeared in front of him.
"Will I be back?" Shou questioned.
"Of course," Satsuki replied calmly--his porcelain face showing no sympathy.
"How long will the training take?" Shou further inquired.
"It depends on how long you take to catch onto the basics," Satsuki answered.
"I'll be a guardian angel, right? Do I get to choose who I protect?" Shou asked, continuing his investigation.
"Usually, no because the guardians have never met their human; in other words, your heart leads you to who you love, protect, and treasure. In this case, I already have a good idea of who you'll be watching over," Satsuki responded--a smile finally gracing his lips.
At this time, Hiroto stood up on his two feet as he fought back the tears. As he joined the conversation, his voice slowly started to crack and give away his sorrow, "Y-You can't leave."
"I'll be back soon," Shou promised as he strolled towards his lover and cupped his cheeks with what remained of his hands. Slowly but surely, he became transparent, yet he still wrapped his arms around Hiroto's frame. He smiled gently as Hiroto relaxed in his newfound warmth. Shou rested his forehead against Hiroto's as he continued to sing,
"Like a flashlight,
escape from the abyss of darkness
from the dream that doesn't end,
inform the departure
of the days that disappeared as well
even the unfinished poems play the future,
cross over the baseline."
A pair of lips locked with his lover's as tears rolled down the smaller's cheeks. "Don't you dare leave me," the former demon said.
Shou walked right through the stunned thief.
"Kazu--"
Hiroto stopped after he turned around, finding Shou standing at the very tip of the bowspirit. The newborn angel turned around, a cheeky grin on his lips, and winked at his crew before falling back.
"KAZUMASA!"
"CAPTAIN!"
"SHOU!"
Everyone shot towards the front and looked down--only to find shattered fragments of the rainbow being carried towards the blue sky by the warm breeze.
"Take care of Arisu-san! I'll meet up with you guys for, maybe even at, Le Grand Bleu, Pirates of the Arisu--the Noble Pirates!"
Hiroto fell to his knees, heart-wrenching sobs attacking everyone's ears. Butterflies flew about around the ship--their wings fluttering upwards to the heavens.
"DAMMIT!" he screeched as tears streamed down his cheeks. Nao kneeled beside him, enveloping the younger in a hug. Saga ran a hand through his curly locks before retreating into the kitchen. Tora heaved a silent sigh as he returned to the helm. Satsuki, Yusa, and Jui disappeared from their line of sight.
"To Le Grand Bleu!" Tora announced as he steered the ship away from the cove. Hiroto's wails ceased as both the pink haired pirate and the blonde looked up to the tiger. Saga poked his head from behind the door of the kitchen.
They rounded about the coast of Royale SuGizo, waving goodbye to the astonished king and his servants. However, the natives noticed one missing person--Byou, in particular, noticed someone was missing. They continued in a straight line, racing the Antic Pirates despite the protests of everyone on the Red Antique but Miku. As the two ships sailed their own separate ways, they came across Shiva. Once the Noble Pirates caught up with the other ship, Ruki flipped them off--his middle finger adorned with a lovely silver ring--while the others greeted them kindly (better than how Ruki did at any rate).
"What happened to Shou-chan?" Ruki asked immediately. Hiroto cringed visibly, causing Ruki to raise an eyebrow.
Nao took over the conversation, "He's...in a better place."
Ruki's jaw dropped, the cigarette falling into the ocean blue. "You don't mean...he's...gone? That baby? He..." Hiroto bit his bottom lip, drawing blood. "What...?"
Nao sighed. "A lot of things happened," he said vaguely. "If you want the whole story, you'll have to come on board for some tea..."
"You're sailing on Arisu-san; of course a lot of things happened," Ruki grunted. "I wouldn't mind some tea though...or rum."
"Where are you guys heading?" Kai inquired curiously--sympathy painted all over his face.
"Le Grand Bleu," Tora stated from the helm.
"You know, Kanon-san's headed there, too," Reita mused.
Saga choked on his tea. "What?! We sailed right past them!"
"But it was Miku!" Tora argued. "He could have made a wrong turn!"
"Do you guys even know where Le Grand Bleu is?" Uruha brought up.
"Ohh fuck," Nao, Saga, and Tora chorused. Hiroto rolled his eyes.
Aoi laughed--entertained by his juniors. "Come with us, we're headed to an island called Sherow. That place is said to be loaded with information about Le Grand Bleu," the older pirate advised.
[The Epilogue]