{FANFICTION} The Oriental Surfer (Part 4)
Nishikido glared at Jin, who just stared back with hollow eyes. "Give me Ueda," he said, voice raspy. Nishikido noticed that Jin was sporting a new bruise on his cheek. He needed to congratulate Koki on that one. Jin's crew were an intimidating lot, with hard eyes and cold stares, their weapons drawn and ready for a fight. Nishikido's own crew had been told to stand back, although he could see Koki from the corner of his eye with his hand hovering over his sword.
Jin was as scraggly as he always was, handsome face dulled with the harshness of the sea air. His clothes were in better condition than Nishikido's own crew - being allied with the royal court had it's advantages. As always, Kamenashi was by his side, trying to stare down Tegoshi, who was glaring right back at the other. There was that new recruit - Yasuda something - standing by the other two members. Taguchi and Yoko-something, Nishikido wasn't sure. And then there was that Masuda, sweet-faced and smiling slightly, who kind of unnerved Nishikido.
He didn't really make it a habit to remember names.
"Nishikido. Give me Ueda," Jin repeated, stepping forward. Nishikido held his ground, even though Jin was considerably taller than he was.
"I need to speak to you," Nishikido replied, lowering his gaze and stepping to the side. He could hear Jin's teeth grind in annoyance.
"You can talk here," he said, but Nishikido was shaking his head before he had finished talking.
"We'll talk in my office," Nishikido said, already moving away, Koyama at his heels. Jin grunted, and Yokoyama stepped forward from the crew, following Jin down the corridors to where Nishikido had disappeared to.
As Jin and Yokoyama stepped into the room, Nishikido's bird squawked and flapped his wings, screeching, "Bastards! Enemies! Filthy, dirty crows!"
Nishikido told Jin and Yokoyama to sit, but only Jin obeyed, with the other hovering behind him, cautious of the other pirates. Nishikido sat behind his desk, while Koyama tried to calm the bird down. Koyama ended up placating it with slices of apple, which it clutched in his claws and clicked his beak happily, one beady eye still focused on Jin.
"What'd you want?" Jin asked bluntly, crossing his arms.
"I have something you want," Nishikido said, getting straight to the point. There was no reason to beat around the bush; no reason to soften things with pretty words and niceties.
Jin leant forward, eyebrows knitting together. "Like what?"
Nishikido could feel Koyama's eyes on him, but he focused instead on Jin in front of him. "Like one of your crew."
"What?"
"We've got Subaru's body," Nishikido declared, and he heard Koyama's sharp intake of breath behind him. Jin's intimidating facade fell, and he looked as though he didn't know what to do. Yokoyama was tapping him on the shoulder, making small noises in his throat, trying to get his attention.
Jin finally snapped, turning around, but quickly turned back, ignoring Yokoyama. "It's a bad idea..." Yokoyama muttered, but Jin paid him no heed.
"We give you Subaru," Nishikido said, "And in return, you let us keep Ueda."
Yokoyama was shaking his head, expression hard, but Jin slowly nodded. "First, let me see him," Jin said. "I still don't believe you."
Nishikido looked over to Koyama, who nodded. They led the other two down to where they had stored the bodies, a dark, damp place which stank of rat droppings and mould. There was no light source; Koyama had to carry an oil lamp into the room, carefully stepping over old rodent bones as he walked forward. There were two barrels, up against the wall, and Nishikido gestured towards the first.
"That's him. Do you really want to see his body?" Nishikido asked, scoffing, but Jin nodded. The lid was off, the lantern was lowered nearer to the barrel lid. Nishikido coughed, holding his arm over his mouth and nose; he heard Koyama gag and Yokoyama heave. Jin merely peered into the barrel, drawing away quickly and nodding, grabbing the lid from Nishikido and pushing it back into place.
Jin didn't breathe until they were back out of the room, the barrel practically being dragged by both Yokoyama and Jin. The stench of rotting flesh still remained, but it wasn't as putrid as it had been. At least Koyama had stopped coughing.
Nishikido celebrated a small victory as Jin offered his hand, accepting the deal. He shook it, and the two left, the barrel scraping along the ground as they walked. Koyama turned to him, looking rather pale.
"If I had known-- That was a big risk-- I didn't even-- How long--?"
"Pirate's honour," Nishikido said, starting to walk back to the deck and hoping that Koki could control his temper for just a little longer. "I knew he'd be back for the cabin boy... I thought that maybe I could try a little bargaining."
Koyama was slowly regaining his colour, the breeze clearing the air of the horrid stench. "So you're hoping that Jin's just going to let all of this go?" he asked, as they stepped out onto the deck. He lowered his voice. "I don't think he will; he is under royal influence--"
Nishikido turned to Koyama. "Go tell Nakamaru to get Ueda." Once Koyama was gone, Nishikido turned back to see Jin's crew disembarking, Kamenashi sending one last glare over his shoulder to Tegoshi. Taguchi ran up to Jin and Yokoyama, helping them with the barrel, his questioning look going ignored by the other two.
As Masuda rushed to help the others, Jin paused, throwing a look over his shoulder and catching Nishikido's eye over the rest of his crew. "Answer me one thing," he said, one foot on the railing. Nishikido jerked his head up, willing to accept the question. "Why would you give the life of one of your own crew for some worthless peasant thief?"
The entire ship was silent.
Jin excused himself, proud that he had caused such a stir, a smirk upon his face. He liked to cause trouble. Even if one of his own were involved.
Nishikido suddenly felt as though there was a heavy weight pressing down upon his chest. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think right. "Ueda," he said, voice deep and rather hollow. Ueda, who had just arrived to hear the last of Jin's words, made a noise in acknowledgement, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach at Nishikido's tone.
"I've...always wondered the same thing," Ueda started, voice shaky as he saw the intensity in Nishikido's eyes. "Why would you risk someone's life for mine?"
And suddenly the whole crew was just staring at him. There was this nervous feeling winding through his body, a sense of foreboding falling upon the ship. The next time Nishikido spoke, his voice was tight, shaking with the force of keeping his emotions at bay. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, and Ueda's eyebrow's knit together.
"Tell you what?"
"That you're a thief!" Nishikido yelled, pent-up anger exploding. His voice was so loud that even Tegoshi flinched away from the sound, the ship going eerily quiet. "You lied!"
Ueda's own anger was rising; confusion turning into exasperation as he could only just stare at Nishikido. "What do you mean, I lied--"
"Don't act as if you don't know anything!" Ryo yelled, and Koki had to rush forward just in case he leapt towards Ueda. "Why aren't you the prince they're all looking for?"
Ueda paused. "What?! I don't know what you're talking about, Nishikido--"
"It's captain for you!" Nishikido yelled, advancing on Ueda, ignoring Koyama's skitterish attempts to calm him down. "You're just a petty thief--"
"You thought I was a prince?!" Ueda shouted back. "Why the hell would you think that--"
"I LET YAMAPI DIE FOR YOU!" Nishikido roared, and suddenly it was as if everything were muted; there was a strange ringing in Ueda's ears as Nishikido's words pierced his heart. He felt weak, too weak to even form words. Nishikido seemed to be faring the same, and all he could muster was, "Take him down to the cells. We'll drop him off at the nearest port. Leave him to the mongrels back on land.”
“I NEVER SAID I WAS ANY KIND OF PRINCE!” Ueda yelled, shrugging off Koyama’s hand on his shoulder. “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT?”
“DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!” Nishikido bellowed, face red. “Take him away, Shige,” he muttered, turning around, his back to Ueda and his arms crossed. Shige looked from Nishikido to Ueda, expression puzzled and a little betrayed. He hesitated, but at Nishikido’s glare he moved, taking Ueda by the elbow.
“Come on, Ueda,” he said rather reluctantly, and Ueda could only cast Nishikido a final confused look over his shoulder as he was dragged away. Shige said nothing the whole way down the corridor, refusing to meet Ueda’s eyes. Ueda himself was in a daze, allowing Shige to pull him further and further underneath the ship.
They ended up in a wide room, with four cells. Shige struggled with the door, the rusted lock refusing to open. But soon it gave way, and Ueda was thrown in. “Shige,” he called, as the other was attempting to lock the door again. Shige was silent. “Shige, why did Nishikido think I was the prince?”
Shige grumbled something. “I don’t know,” he eventually answered, as the lock clicked into place. “But we all thought it, too. He got us all thinking it.” Shige chuckled bitterly. “And to think… that you’re just a thief.” Ueda squirmed uncomfortably. He thought of apologising, but held his words back. He wasn’t sorry. It wasn’t his fault - it was Nishikido.
“I’m leaving,” Shige said, shutting the door on him. The room was almost completely dark, and a little unsettling; the sounds of dripping water and creaking wood the only sounds to accompany him. The only light was struggling through the cracks in the wood, shining down upon the rusted metal keeping Ueda in. He sighed, leaning against the bars of the cell, his mind whirling.
So Nishikido thought he was a prince. Why? What did he ever do to make him think that? He had spat at him at their first meeting - last time Ueda checked, members of the royal family didn’t do that kind of thing.
Ueda’s heart clenched as he thought of the hurt tone Nishikido had used. He had covered it up with anger, but it still echoed around Ueda’s head. And Ueda realised that he needed to be up there; he needed to be there with Nishikido. He had to tell him the truth.
>>><<<
He wasn’t fed much, but Ueda could tell that Koki was giving him more than he was meant to. Every morning and evening he was fed, some kind of gruel that made his stomach feel heavy. All he could do was lie there on the damp floor and think of Nishikido’s voice, the way it had cracked and shaken with every word. Ueda’s stomach twisted - whether it be from the foul-tasting gruel or the quiver in Nishikido’s voice, he didn’t know.
Koyama visited him, once. It seemed like he had snuck down, sliding in through the door and quickly shutting it behind him. Ueda just stared at him as he came closer, wondering what he wanted. In fact, Ueda was quite surprised that Nishikido hadn’t ordered someone to deal him more lashes. Or come down and hit him himself.
But all Koyama did was move a rickety old stool over to the side of the cell, perching precariously upon it with his hands on his knees, rubbing his palms against his thighs nervously. “Koyama?” Ueda called, after a moment of sitting there and watching Koyama steadily grow more uneasy. “What’s wrong?”
Koyama finally looked into Ueda’s eyes. “Nothing,” he lied, but seemed to calm down slightly. “Sorry,” he continued, “Ryo’s being… his usual.” At Ueda’s blank look, he kept going. “I mean… he’s driving us all mental. He’s ordering us around like an actual captain should; he’s making all of these decisions without even consulting me-I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”
Ueda just shook his head. “Probably not. I don’t think Nishikido would like it very much.”
But Koyama ignored him, past the point of caring. “He’s just snapping at everyone - he almost hit Koki before, Shige had to practically wrestle him off - and he’s just being… well… unpleasant.” Koyama’s face soured, as if the very sound of the word upset him. Ueda chuckled, and Koyama gave him a small, tight smile. “Anyway,” he said, sighing, “I’m not here just to complain about Ryo.”
“I thought so,” Ueda said, finding the driest patch of floor he could find and leaning against the bars of the cell. “What did you need to ask?”
Koyama was silent for a while, watching the cockroaches crawl around the small puddles of water here and there. “I knew you weren’t of royal blood,” he eventually said, and Ueda looked up.
“What?”
“I looked up the records. There was no one under your name. I told Ryo this, but he just ignored me. I think he was too blinded by the money the royal family would pay to get you back.” Koyama shrugged, picking at a loose thread on his clothes as he spoke. “Anyway, I saw the amount of work you shouldered. You’d be peeling potatoes one minute, washing dishes another, and then scraping rat droppings out of the cupboards. That’s too much for someone who has never seen a hard day’s work before.”
“…Ah.”
“So tell me, Ueda Tatsuya,” Koyama said, sitting straighter and looking Ueda in the eye, “Tell me about yourself.”
Koyama’s expression was earnest, and Ueda found himself opening up to the other. “My father… was a blacksmith. For the royal family,” he added, and Koyama’s eyebrows rose. “He loves horses. Would talk about them day and night. Which horse was good-natured, which ones would bite. He knew which horses liked which treats; knew as soon as that horse was led into the yard what shape it’s shoe would be.” Ueda had to pause, remembering being ten years old and using the bellows to make that fire roar, the suffocating smoke filling his senses once again just as if he were back there.
“It wasn’t exactly… theft,” Ueda continued, dragging his finger through the dirt on the floor. “I was just… taking something back that was mine.”
“Oh?” Koyama asked, intrigued.
Ueda nodded slightly, drawing nonsensical shapes in the dirt, avoiding Koyama’s gaze. “There was another blacksmith who moved from another port. Everyone started taking their business over there. I still don’t know why; Father never said. But then we lost money, and he died.” Ueda stopped again, and Koyama saw the patches of dirt beneath Ueda dampening as his tears fell slowly. “He committed suicide - my sister found him hanging from the roof of the stables. Then people came and took our things away - took his horse. He had so many things he cherished, but his horse was his favourite…”
“So you stole it back?” Koyama asked, as Ueda faded off. He nodded, wiping his eyes furiously. He wasn’t meant to cry.
“I went over to that blacksmith, and brought that horse home,” Ueda answered, leaving the dirt alone and finally meeting Koyama’s eyes with a smirk on his face. “I may have brought a few other things with me,” he added cheekily, and Koyama laughed. “They were mine; he promised them to me.”
It was quiet again, and Ueda swore he could hear Nishikido barking orders up on deck. “The warrant for my arrest was soon sent out. I’d stolen from the royal blacksmith-“
“But you said your family was-“
“They were, until my father died. I was only fourteen then, so I couldn’t take over…” Ueda wished he could have, though. He wished he had had the strength to pound that metal into shape; had been brave enough to work through the smoke that came from the red-hot metal fusing with the horses’ hoof. He had always shied away, hating the hiss it would make as the shoe came in contact with the animal. His job was to keep the fire hot, and he loved that job.
“I…joined a pirate crew soon after, a small gang with only around four crew members. I wasn’t there very long-“
“Wait,” Koyama interrupted again, holding a hand out to stop Ueda. “You were part of a crew?”
Ueda nodded. “I thought you knew that already.” Koyama shook his head, and he continued. “After that… Jin snatched me up. Back then, he wasn’t under the control of the royal family; he was just another pirate on the seas. That Yasuda wasn’t with him then… are you keeping track?” Ueda asked, peering over at Koyama, whose mouth was hanging open slightly.
“Uh. Yes. Yes, I’m paying attention,” Koyama said hurriedly, shaking his head. “You were part of Jin’s crew?” Ueda nodded.
“For two years or so. Yasuda was my replacement, I think,” Ueda said. He felt lighter. It was good to get all of this off his chest. “We stole and attacked and broke more laws than I even knew existed, and then suddenly I found myself with these charges against me. I was there when Jin accepted the deal to catch criminals. But I jumped ship and ran off - and that’s when I found your ship. I’d been running for about two weeks when you guys showed up.”
Ueda had finished his story. He didn’t know whether it was what Koyama was looking for, but it was all he had. Koyama nodded slowly, thinking something over deeply. “Thankyou,” he said, and Ueda bowed his head slightly. “I need to get back. But…thankyou,” he said again, standing up and moving to leave. “I’m sorry you have to stay down here.”
And then he was gone, leaving Ueda alone in the semi-darkness, his mind wandering back to the scent of horses and how awed he had been meeting Jin for the first time.
>>><<<
Nishikido watched as Nakamaru and Shige forcefully dragged Ueda out from his cell and onto the deck. The man wasn’t resisting, just attempting to turn around to stare at Nishikido until Shige tugged on his arm to get him moving again. Nishikido saw something deep within his eyes, but ignored it, choosing instead to let the confusing emotions blend together into anger. It was just easier this way.
Koyama stood next to him, watching as Shige and Nakamaru left the ship and pushed Ueda onto the dock. The three stood there for a while, and Koyama could see that Nakamaru was saying something. He cast a cautious look over to Nishikido, who was staring at them with narrowed eyes.
They watched as Nakamaru and Shige gave Ueda one final pat on the shoulder and walked back up to the ship without a backwards glance.
Koyama hoped Nishikido missed the glare that Shige shot up at them from the ground. Koyama knew that Shige didn’t exactly like Ueda, but he respected him.
Nishikido nodded at the two men when they appeared back on deck, but they refused to meet his eyes. Nishikido’s anger flared up again - his crew should at least show him some form of respect, he was their captain, after all - but Koyama’s hand on his shoulder calmed him down slightly. Nishikido wasn’t stupid. He knew the crew weren’t talking to him. He knew they didn’t agree with what he was doing.
But too bad, he thought, as he watched Ueda walk down the dock, eyes focused on the road in front of him. This was his ship, and he was the captain. No matter how childish it sounded, Ueda had deceived him, and this was his punishment. It was his ship; his rules.
He had a sudden blinding pain in his chest, as he saw Ueda disappear into a crowd of people. But he shook it off, turning to Koyama and almost missing that strange glance Tegoshi sent him. Tegoshi quickly averted his eyes, moving back to climb up to his crows nest.
“None of ‘em gonna speak to you,” Koki’s rough voice sounded through the silence, as the rest of the crew prepared the sails for their departure.
“I know, Koki.”
“We all liked Ueda,” Koki continued. “I ain’t speakin’ to you, neither.”
“You’re speaking to me now, Koki,” Nishikido said wearily. Koki gave him a withering look, clucking his tongue and moving to help Shige, who was struggling with the heavy ropes by himself.
“You’re overreacting; you know that, don’t you?” Koyama asked, moving closer to Nishikido and lowering his voice. Nishikido seemed so far away; he’d never seen him like this before.
“Overreacting about what?”
“This whole Ueda thing,” Koyama said, and Nishikido finally tore his eyes off the port and onto Koyama. “He didn’t lie to you. He didn’t even know you thought he was royalty.” Nishikido made a noise deep in his throat, looking unimpressed. “I told you. I told you I didn’t think he was-“
Nishikido’s nostrils flared, his face turning red. “You’re playing the ‘I told you so’ card?” he said, voice rather threatening. Koyama’s eyebrows knitted together.
“Don’t you speak to me like that, Nishikido Ryo,” Koyama said, feeling the anger rise. “I’m only trying to help you.”
“Help me with what? I’m fine.”
“You are not fine!” he snapped, quickly regaining his composure as Shige looked over in concern. “You aren’t fine, Ryo,” he repeated, “Just-Just go and get Ueda back, bring him here, and we’ll continue on as we had-“
“That isn’t gonna happen!” Nishikido hissed, as Shige glanced back again, “So will you just drop it and move on?”
“Stop being so childish!” Koyama yelled, not caring about who could hear. “What is wrong with you? This isn’t you! So Ueda didn’t turn out to be the person you thought he was - so what? Get over it!” he shouted, throwing his hands up. “I give up! You’re being impossible, Ryo, and you-“
But whatever else Nishikido was, they never found out, for he had punched Koyama square in the mouth, sending the other sprawling to the ground. The ship went deathly quiet. Nishikido could only stare at the blood trickling out of the corner of Koyama’s mouth with wide eyes as Koyama himself brought a hand up to touch the cut.
“Koyama!” Shige suddenly shouted, rushing forward to help Koyama up from the floor. “Are you alright?”
But Koyama said nothing, his eyes filled with disappointment as he let Shige support him. “Koyama… I’m sorry,” Nishikido started, but Koyama looked at him with this hurtful look shining in his eyes and he stopped, watching on as Shige led him away. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, but no-one was paying him any attention. Tegoshi crept back into his crows nest, Koki muttered something under his breath, skulking away back to the kitchens. Nakamaru just shook his head at him.
“Ueda was the best thing to happen to this ship,” he said quietly. Nishikido didn’t answer.
>>><<<
The five men stared down at the barrel, fighting to keep back their emotions, their faces as blank as they could make them. Tegoshi was the first to crack, biting his lip as Koki dragged the barrel further towards the railing of the ship. Nishikido stood at the helm, leaning against it and watching his best friends’ funeral.
He watched as Shige helped Koki lift the barrel up, quickly calling for help. Nakamaru and Koyama rushed to their aid, supporting the bottom of the barrel and tipping it over the edge. There was the unmistakeable splash as the barrel hit the water, and the other five watched as it sunk to the bottom of the sea, saying their final goodbyes to their crewmate.
The ceremony wasn’t much, and after the barrel had disappeared from their sights the crew left quietly, possibly going down to the kitchens to enjoy that massive fish Koki had caught just hours ago.
Nishikido sighed heavily; making sure the others had left before he made his way down to where he saw them throw the barrel over the side of the Oriental Surfer. He leant against the railing, watching the waves below crash against each other, wondering what was to happen to Yamapi’s barrel. Was it being buffeted by the waves, or had it reached the bottom yet?
He heard Tegoshi’s sharp shriek, quickly followed by Nakamaru’s own short bark of laughter. Nishikido felt as though he weren’t welcome there, so far out in the open, so he scurried off into his own room.
“Hello, disgusting being!” his bird cawed, bobbing his head up and down and splaying his tail feathers angrily. “Foul, evil fucker!”
“Who the fuck even taught you those words?” Nishikido muttered, giving the bird a piece of dried cuttlefish. The bird clicked his beak, making a purring sound as he took the piece in his scaly foot and nibbled at one end.
Nishikido felt drained. He didn’t even blame Ueda anymore. He blamed himself. It wasn’t Ueda who punched Koyama. It was him. And no matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t Ueda who killed Yamapi. Yamapi was only doing his job. But Nishikido could have told him to back down; could have yelled at him to stop; could have shot at Subaru before Yamapi had even formed that bloody idea in his head.
He hadn’t even realised he had started crying, until his parrot dropped his food and stretched his neck up, carefully trailing his beak over the tears on Nishikido’s cheek, being uncharacteristically gentle. Nishikido started, watching the bird nervously. He stared back with beady eyes, clicking his beak again and making an odd, high-pitched sound, cocking his head at him as if to ask why he was crying.
Nishikido ducked his head, and the bird pulled lightly at his hair, still making that purring sound. Nishikido fell to his knees, his hands turning into fists on his thighs as he cried. It felt as though all his emotions were pouring out - all his frustration, his sadness, his anger, his confusion. His chest hurt, and he clutched it, pitching forwards and clenching his eyes shut, trying to fight off the pain.
He thought back to the day of Yamapi’s death, when he had cried in front of Ueda. When Ueda held him, stroking his back softly and whispering nonsensical things into his ear. He furiously wiped at his tears, but they kept coming, and Nishikido wasn’t entirely sure he was crying about Yamapi’s funeral anymore.
His mind turned to Ueda’s warmth; the way he had held him, the way he had felt so fragile and delicate in Nishikido’s arms. He thought, unwillingly, of that night they had shared together, when Ueda had so carefully ran his fingertips over that scar of his. It had been the first time Nishikido had really let someone so close, and Ueda had been so gentle; he could still feel the ghost of his fingers on his skin.
As his tears slowly dried on his face, he came to a sudden realisation, which hit him hard.
Maybe, just maybe… he had been wrong to let Ueda go.
>>><<<
“They’re here! They’re here! The cowards are here!”
Nishikido awoke with a start, lying on the floor on his back and a heavy weight on his chest. “Wha--?”
“Drunkards! Dirty rotten bastards!” his bird screamed, hopping up Nishikido’s chest to peer down at him. “They’re here!”
“Who’s here?” Nishikido asked blearily, before hearing gunfire and shooting upright, dislodging the parrot, who flapped his wings and squawked indignantly from where he landed on the floor.
“Fucking idiot!” he shouted after Nishikido, shaking his tail and clicking his beak. But Nishikido wasn’t listening; he was out the door and rushing up the corridor before the bird had even uttered his first word.
The gunshots had stopped, but Nishikido continued, not stopping till he reached the deck. His entire crew were standing there, looking cautious and somewhat determined. Koki had his gun in-hand, the barrel still smoking.
But it was Jin that drew Nishikido’s attention. He was alone. His ship was right beside the Surfer, but his crew only watched from the railing, Kamenashi wringing his shirt in his hands as he watched the proceedings.
Jin was unarmed.
The crew turned slightly as Nishikido made his presence known, clearing his throat and belatedly hoping his eyes weren’t too swollen from crying. “What’re you doing here?” he asked, stepping forward and nodding at Koki to lower his gun. Even if they weren’t speaking to him, he was still the captain, and Koki let his hand drop back down to his side.
“I have to tell you something,” Jin said, expression earnest. Nishikido had never seen Jin so open with his emotions before.
“What?” Nishikido asked roughly, but Jin was speaking before he had finished.
“They’ve got Ueda,” he said quickly, words mashing together with the speed at which he was speaking. “They caught him.”
Koyama gasped; Tegoshi turned to stare at Nishikido with an unrecognisable look on his face. But Jin wasn’t paying attention to them; he was watching Nishikido, looking him right in the eye.
“Why are you telling me this?” Nishikido questioned, starting to worry. From the corner of his eye, he saw Koyama scratch the back of his neck in a nervous gesture - Koyama was wondering what was going on, too. It was good to know that he wasn’t alone, then.
“He was one of us,” Jin said, “And we weren’t the ones to catch him.” But Nishikido wasn’t listening, and Jin threw his hands up. Nishikido heard the click as Koki lifted his gun slightly, but nothing happened. Nishikido was about to turn back around, ready to just leave Jin standing there, but he stopped at Jin’s next words.
“They’re gonna hang him!” Jin shouted, and Nishikido’s heart dropped. No-one moved for a beat, until Koki turned tail and pushed Shige off the helm, ignoring Shige’s yelp of protest. He spun the wheel recklessly, mouth set in a determined line.
Nishikido could hear the others bustling around him, helping Shige up and wavering between pulling Koki off the helm or standing up to Jin. All Nishikido could do was stare at Jin, who met his gaze straight on, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.
“Leave it,” he found himself saying. “Leave it!” he repeated louder, but Koyama only paused for a moment to look at him deeply.
“Ryo,” he said, and Nishikido had to look away, not yet ready to look him in the eye. “You are our captain. But we need to do this.”
“I said, leave it - Koki, get off there,” Nishikido ordered, marching up to him, but Koki paid him no heed, focusing on where he was steering the ship.
“I ain’t movin’,” Koki said gruffly.
“Koki, listen to your captain!” Nishikido shouted, grabbing onto the wheel. Koki hit his hand away, growling.
“A real cap’n knows what he wants,” Koki murmured, and suddenly Nishikido found himself flying backwards, feeling the blood vessels beneath his skin burst open as Koki’s punch made itself known. Nakamaru caught him before he could fall, but there was nothing else Nishikido could do.
“Wh-Fine. Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want,” Nishikido huffed, moving away from Nakamaru and touching his hand to the growing bruise on his cheek. “I don’t even-“
“YOU LOVE HIM, YOU EMOTIONLESS PRICK!” Tegoshi screamed in exasperation, and the ship was silenced again. Nishikido felt as though a shockwave had passed through his body, and he was rooted to the ground, unable to move.
“…What?”
Tegoshi’s voice softened. “You never looked at me the way you look at Ueda,” he said, voice slightly wistful. “Let us help you.”
Koyama winked at Nishikido. “Told ya so.”
“Koyama, last time you said that, you ended up with a fist to your face,” Shige fussed.
“Oh, right.”
Nishikido didn’t know what to do. But it seemed as though his crew had it covered. Shige had taken control back from Koki, who had no idea how to steer a ship, and had corrected their course, aiming for the right port. Jin was still on their ship, his own following theirs closely.
So Nishikido sat to the side, feeling useless and like his emotions were whirling around his mind. He wanted to save Ueda. That much was certain. But love? Koyama had spoken of this ‘look’ that Nishikido had, and now Tegoshi was talking about it, too. Was it love?
But Jin was interrupting him, sitting himself down next to him and stirring him from his thoughts. “What do you want?” he asked miserably.
“Don’t talk like that, it’s not the end of the world,” Jin said. “Your crew will revolt a few more times on you. Trust me, it’s happened about three times to me,” he laughed. “Once I found myself tied to one of the masts. It was a nightmare to try and cut myself out- Anyway,” he continued, “Just let it go. They’re trying to help you. I don’t think it’d be the worst thing ever to let them do what they want.”
“But-“
“They’re not hurting anyone. Actually,” Jin shrugged, “They’re saving someone.”
Nishikido let Jin’s words sink in. Then, “What’s your plan?”
>>><<<
It was almost dusk. Ueda could feel his heart thudding against his chest in fear, allowing himself a glance over to the horizon, to see that sunset one last time. He wasn’t to be self-pitying. He had enjoyed his life - the majority of it, anyway. He could have gone without those lashes.
There was a large crowd gathering, he could see. The man behind him was pushed forward, and he stumbled into Ueda, who in turn fell onto the woman chained in front of him. The line moved, and the prisoners shuffled in their shackles, stepping up to the platform to face their death.
Images of Nishikido made their way unbidden into his mind. The memories distracted from what was happening. From the footsteps behind him, echoing on the wooden platform. From the crowd cheering below; from the way the woman next to him was shaking with fear; from the sounds of rope sliding against itself.
“Oi! We’ve got two of ‘em!” someone shouted out from behind the crowd. The crowd turned as one, and then officials were running over to where the commotion was. Ueda craned his neck, trying to see what it was-
“Don’t say anything, just come with me,” a voice murmured in his ear, and he turned as far as he could, gasping when he saw who it was. His stomach twisted, emotions flooding his body so fast he couldn’t even identify them.
“Nishikido--?”
“I said don’t say anything-Why is no-one listening to me today?” he muttered, but smiled nonetheless, pulling on Ueda’s elbow. Ueda lifted his hands, which were bound in thick shackles, and Nishikido’s smile dropped. “Damn it.”
“Move it,” Koki grumbled, forcing Nishikido out of the way and picking the lock on the manacles.
“Shut up,” Nishikido spat to the man next to Ueda, who had clung onto his clothes desperately. “Get off me.”
“What happened to th-“
“The guards have been… taken care of,” Nakamaru said, rather proudly, holding up a plank of wood. Ueda smiled at him, and he winked back.
“Done!” Koki said, letting the manacles fall to the ground in a clatter of chains, and Ueda stepped out of the ones around his feet. Nishikido wasted no time in grabbing Ueda’s wrist, pulling him behind him as he ran, the crowd shouting obscenities and threatening to follow them.
Ueda heard Nakamaru and Koki after them, the sounds of more guards rushing to catch them. They only shouted back at them, laughing loudly and catcalling, stumbling over their own feet so often that Ueda had to wonder how the guards didn’t catch up to them.
“Where’re-where’re Koyama and the others?” Ueda panted, as they ran. Nishikido slowed enough so that Ueda could run next to him, and only then started talking.
“We had to make a distraction,” he explained, laughing when Koki called one of the guards something inappropriate. Nishikido’s laugh was nice, Ueda decided. “Jin pretended to capture Tegoshi and Shige, to get their focus off you, and Koyama’s still on the ship-over here.”
Jin was running towards them, now, and they sprinted right past him and his crew, his tiny smile in Ueda’s direction the only sign that he even noticed them. The guards rushed around Jin’s crew, and Ueda turned in time to catch Masuda trip one of them, trying to hide a smile as he caught Ueda’s eye and winked.
It was then that he realised. Nishikido wasn’t gripping onto Ueda’s wrist anymore. He was holding his hand.
>>><<<
Ueda stood on the Surfer, relishing the sweet sea air. It was dark, the tiny flickering candle inside the lantern the only light on deck. He sighed happily, feeling content. He hadn’t felt content in a while.
It was all Nishikido.
“Still can’t sleep?” Nishikido asked, chuckling. Ueda turned, smiling slightly.
“Too much has happened today,” he answered, and Nishikido nodded. It had been a hectic day.
Neither knew where to go from there. They just stood next to each other, looking out to the sea, thoughts blank and concentration solely focused on the person next to them. “Thankyou,” Ueda finally said, sighing again. “You saved my life.”
Nishikido felt uncomfortable. “It wasn’t me, it was Koki, really-“
“Still,” Ueda interrupted, “Thankyou.”
Nishikido let it drop, a smile making its way onto his face. “Anytime.”
“Mm.”
“Ueda?” Nishikido started, and Ueda turned to him, curious.
“Yes?”
Nishikido cleared his throat, embarrassed. “Will you… I mean-would you… would you stay?” He hated the way his voice almost gave out at the end, his nerves getting the better of him-
But Ueda was smiling this breathtaking smile that he’d never seen before. “Of course,” he answered.
Nishikido felt that warmth again, and slipped his hand into Ueda’s own, feeling the way he wrapped his own fingers around Nishikido’s. He leant in and placed a small, tiny, barely-there kiss on Ueda’s cheek, feeling light, like he never had before. Ueda laughed lightly, and pressed his own kiss onto Nishikido’s lips.
It wasn’t love, not just yet, but perhaps it would soon grow to be.
END.
A/N2: /collapses in a heap.
I would like to make it known that in the development of this fic, I lost both my ‘h’ key and my ‘d’ key. And then my computer died about five times. And as such, I bought a new, shiny computer. I know how to solve problems.
So. Pirate Ryo, as I have not-so-affectionately dubbed this fic, is trying to kill me. I’ve panicked, I’ve gotten writers block, I’ve panicked some more because who in their right mind would read a fic 20,000 words long oh lordy should it have been a multichap why isn’t it a multichap wtf omg.
I would like to thank my best friend, Luna_Truths, who requested this. Well. More like wrote it on twitter and I was all “OKAY I’LL WRITE THAT IT’LL BE EASY.” Cue three months of pulling my hair out over this monster. But still, thanks to the greatest person to ever come into my life, for being patient with me.
Also I’d like to apologise to all of my followers on Twitter for listening to my whining and my flails and ‘goddamn you Pirate Ryo’’s.
And I need to thank miirachaan for handling my flailing really well, and for reading the first half of this fic whilst I waited very unpatiently and tweeted her constantly. Scratch that, I still tweet her constantly. Look! It's finally done!!
Thankyou for reading through every word of this fic. Thankyou so so much.
Jin was as scraggly as he always was, handsome face dulled with the harshness of the sea air. His clothes were in better condition than Nishikido's own crew - being allied with the royal court had it's advantages. As always, Kamenashi was by his side, trying to stare down Tegoshi, who was glaring right back at the other. There was that new recruit - Yasuda something - standing by the other two members. Taguchi and Yoko-something, Nishikido wasn't sure. And then there was that Masuda, sweet-faced and smiling slightly, who kind of unnerved Nishikido.
He didn't really make it a habit to remember names.
"Nishikido. Give me Ueda," Jin repeated, stepping forward. Nishikido held his ground, even though Jin was considerably taller than he was.
"I need to speak to you," Nishikido replied, lowering his gaze and stepping to the side. He could hear Jin's teeth grind in annoyance.
"You can talk here," he said, but Nishikido was shaking his head before he had finished talking.
"We'll talk in my office," Nishikido said, already moving away, Koyama at his heels. Jin grunted, and Yokoyama stepped forward from the crew, following Jin down the corridors to where Nishikido had disappeared to.
As Jin and Yokoyama stepped into the room, Nishikido's bird squawked and flapped his wings, screeching, "Bastards! Enemies! Filthy, dirty crows!"
Nishikido told Jin and Yokoyama to sit, but only Jin obeyed, with the other hovering behind him, cautious of the other pirates. Nishikido sat behind his desk, while Koyama tried to calm the bird down. Koyama ended up placating it with slices of apple, which it clutched in his claws and clicked his beak happily, one beady eye still focused on Jin.
"What'd you want?" Jin asked bluntly, crossing his arms.
"I have something you want," Nishikido said, getting straight to the point. There was no reason to beat around the bush; no reason to soften things with pretty words and niceties.
Jin leant forward, eyebrows knitting together. "Like what?"
Nishikido could feel Koyama's eyes on him, but he focused instead on Jin in front of him. "Like one of your crew."
"What?"
"We've got Subaru's body," Nishikido declared, and he heard Koyama's sharp intake of breath behind him. Jin's intimidating facade fell, and he looked as though he didn't know what to do. Yokoyama was tapping him on the shoulder, making small noises in his throat, trying to get his attention.
Jin finally snapped, turning around, but quickly turned back, ignoring Yokoyama. "It's a bad idea..." Yokoyama muttered, but Jin paid him no heed.
"We give you Subaru," Nishikido said, "And in return, you let us keep Ueda."
Yokoyama was shaking his head, expression hard, but Jin slowly nodded. "First, let me see him," Jin said. "I still don't believe you."
Nishikido looked over to Koyama, who nodded. They led the other two down to where they had stored the bodies, a dark, damp place which stank of rat droppings and mould. There was no light source; Koyama had to carry an oil lamp into the room, carefully stepping over old rodent bones as he walked forward. There were two barrels, up against the wall, and Nishikido gestured towards the first.
"That's him. Do you really want to see his body?" Nishikido asked, scoffing, but Jin nodded. The lid was off, the lantern was lowered nearer to the barrel lid. Nishikido coughed, holding his arm over his mouth and nose; he heard Koyama gag and Yokoyama heave. Jin merely peered into the barrel, drawing away quickly and nodding, grabbing the lid from Nishikido and pushing it back into place.
Jin didn't breathe until they were back out of the room, the barrel practically being dragged by both Yokoyama and Jin. The stench of rotting flesh still remained, but it wasn't as putrid as it had been. At least Koyama had stopped coughing.
Nishikido celebrated a small victory as Jin offered his hand, accepting the deal. He shook it, and the two left, the barrel scraping along the ground as they walked. Koyama turned to him, looking rather pale.
"If I had known-- That was a big risk-- I didn't even-- How long--?"
"Pirate's honour," Nishikido said, starting to walk back to the deck and hoping that Koki could control his temper for just a little longer. "I knew he'd be back for the cabin boy... I thought that maybe I could try a little bargaining."
Koyama was slowly regaining his colour, the breeze clearing the air of the horrid stench. "So you're hoping that Jin's just going to let all of this go?" he asked, as they stepped out onto the deck. He lowered his voice. "I don't think he will; he is under royal influence--"
Nishikido turned to Koyama. "Go tell Nakamaru to get Ueda." Once Koyama was gone, Nishikido turned back to see Jin's crew disembarking, Kamenashi sending one last glare over his shoulder to Tegoshi. Taguchi ran up to Jin and Yokoyama, helping them with the barrel, his questioning look going ignored by the other two.
As Masuda rushed to help the others, Jin paused, throwing a look over his shoulder and catching Nishikido's eye over the rest of his crew. "Answer me one thing," he said, one foot on the railing. Nishikido jerked his head up, willing to accept the question. "Why would you give the life of one of your own crew for some worthless peasant thief?"
The entire ship was silent.
Jin excused himself, proud that he had caused such a stir, a smirk upon his face. He liked to cause trouble. Even if one of his own were involved.
Nishikido suddenly felt as though there was a heavy weight pressing down upon his chest. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think right. "Ueda," he said, voice deep and rather hollow. Ueda, who had just arrived to hear the last of Jin's words, made a noise in acknowledgement, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach at Nishikido's tone.
"I've...always wondered the same thing," Ueda started, voice shaky as he saw the intensity in Nishikido's eyes. "Why would you risk someone's life for mine?"
And suddenly the whole crew was just staring at him. There was this nervous feeling winding through his body, a sense of foreboding falling upon the ship. The next time Nishikido spoke, his voice was tight, shaking with the force of keeping his emotions at bay. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, and Ueda's eyebrow's knit together.
"Tell you what?"
"That you're a thief!" Nishikido yelled, pent-up anger exploding. His voice was so loud that even Tegoshi flinched away from the sound, the ship going eerily quiet. "You lied!"
Ueda's own anger was rising; confusion turning into exasperation as he could only just stare at Nishikido. "What do you mean, I lied--"
"Don't act as if you don't know anything!" Ryo yelled, and Koki had to rush forward just in case he leapt towards Ueda. "Why aren't you the prince they're all looking for?"
Ueda paused. "What?! I don't know what you're talking about, Nishikido--"
"It's captain for you!" Nishikido yelled, advancing on Ueda, ignoring Koyama's skitterish attempts to calm him down. "You're just a petty thief--"
"You thought I was a prince?!" Ueda shouted back. "Why the hell would you think that--"
"I LET YAMAPI DIE FOR YOU!" Nishikido roared, and suddenly it was as if everything were muted; there was a strange ringing in Ueda's ears as Nishikido's words pierced his heart. He felt weak, too weak to even form words. Nishikido seemed to be faring the same, and all he could muster was, "Take him down to the cells. We'll drop him off at the nearest port. Leave him to the mongrels back on land.”
“I NEVER SAID I WAS ANY KIND OF PRINCE!” Ueda yelled, shrugging off Koyama’s hand on his shoulder. “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT?”
“DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!” Nishikido bellowed, face red. “Take him away, Shige,” he muttered, turning around, his back to Ueda and his arms crossed. Shige looked from Nishikido to Ueda, expression puzzled and a little betrayed. He hesitated, but at Nishikido’s glare he moved, taking Ueda by the elbow.
“Come on, Ueda,” he said rather reluctantly, and Ueda could only cast Nishikido a final confused look over his shoulder as he was dragged away. Shige said nothing the whole way down the corridor, refusing to meet Ueda’s eyes. Ueda himself was in a daze, allowing Shige to pull him further and further underneath the ship.
They ended up in a wide room, with four cells. Shige struggled with the door, the rusted lock refusing to open. But soon it gave way, and Ueda was thrown in. “Shige,” he called, as the other was attempting to lock the door again. Shige was silent. “Shige, why did Nishikido think I was the prince?”
Shige grumbled something. “I don’t know,” he eventually answered, as the lock clicked into place. “But we all thought it, too. He got us all thinking it.” Shige chuckled bitterly. “And to think… that you’re just a thief.” Ueda squirmed uncomfortably. He thought of apologising, but held his words back. He wasn’t sorry. It wasn’t his fault - it was Nishikido.
“I’m leaving,” Shige said, shutting the door on him. The room was almost completely dark, and a little unsettling; the sounds of dripping water and creaking wood the only sounds to accompany him. The only light was struggling through the cracks in the wood, shining down upon the rusted metal keeping Ueda in. He sighed, leaning against the bars of the cell, his mind whirling.
So Nishikido thought he was a prince. Why? What did he ever do to make him think that? He had spat at him at their first meeting - last time Ueda checked, members of the royal family didn’t do that kind of thing.
Ueda’s heart clenched as he thought of the hurt tone Nishikido had used. He had covered it up with anger, but it still echoed around Ueda’s head. And Ueda realised that he needed to be up there; he needed to be there with Nishikido. He had to tell him the truth.
>>><<<
He wasn’t fed much, but Ueda could tell that Koki was giving him more than he was meant to. Every morning and evening he was fed, some kind of gruel that made his stomach feel heavy. All he could do was lie there on the damp floor and think of Nishikido’s voice, the way it had cracked and shaken with every word. Ueda’s stomach twisted - whether it be from the foul-tasting gruel or the quiver in Nishikido’s voice, he didn’t know.
Koyama visited him, once. It seemed like he had snuck down, sliding in through the door and quickly shutting it behind him. Ueda just stared at him as he came closer, wondering what he wanted. In fact, Ueda was quite surprised that Nishikido hadn’t ordered someone to deal him more lashes. Or come down and hit him himself.
But all Koyama did was move a rickety old stool over to the side of the cell, perching precariously upon it with his hands on his knees, rubbing his palms against his thighs nervously. “Koyama?” Ueda called, after a moment of sitting there and watching Koyama steadily grow more uneasy. “What’s wrong?”
Koyama finally looked into Ueda’s eyes. “Nothing,” he lied, but seemed to calm down slightly. “Sorry,” he continued, “Ryo’s being… his usual.” At Ueda’s blank look, he kept going. “I mean… he’s driving us all mental. He’s ordering us around like an actual captain should; he’s making all of these decisions without even consulting me-I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”
Ueda just shook his head. “Probably not. I don’t think Nishikido would like it very much.”
But Koyama ignored him, past the point of caring. “He’s just snapping at everyone - he almost hit Koki before, Shige had to practically wrestle him off - and he’s just being… well… unpleasant.” Koyama’s face soured, as if the very sound of the word upset him. Ueda chuckled, and Koyama gave him a small, tight smile. “Anyway,” he said, sighing, “I’m not here just to complain about Ryo.”
“I thought so,” Ueda said, finding the driest patch of floor he could find and leaning against the bars of the cell. “What did you need to ask?”
Koyama was silent for a while, watching the cockroaches crawl around the small puddles of water here and there. “I knew you weren’t of royal blood,” he eventually said, and Ueda looked up.
“What?”
“I looked up the records. There was no one under your name. I told Ryo this, but he just ignored me. I think he was too blinded by the money the royal family would pay to get you back.” Koyama shrugged, picking at a loose thread on his clothes as he spoke. “Anyway, I saw the amount of work you shouldered. You’d be peeling potatoes one minute, washing dishes another, and then scraping rat droppings out of the cupboards. That’s too much for someone who has never seen a hard day’s work before.”
“…Ah.”
“So tell me, Ueda Tatsuya,” Koyama said, sitting straighter and looking Ueda in the eye, “Tell me about yourself.”
Koyama’s expression was earnest, and Ueda found himself opening up to the other. “My father… was a blacksmith. For the royal family,” he added, and Koyama’s eyebrows rose. “He loves horses. Would talk about them day and night. Which horse was good-natured, which ones would bite. He knew which horses liked which treats; knew as soon as that horse was led into the yard what shape it’s shoe would be.” Ueda had to pause, remembering being ten years old and using the bellows to make that fire roar, the suffocating smoke filling his senses once again just as if he were back there.
“It wasn’t exactly… theft,” Ueda continued, dragging his finger through the dirt on the floor. “I was just… taking something back that was mine.”
“Oh?” Koyama asked, intrigued.
Ueda nodded slightly, drawing nonsensical shapes in the dirt, avoiding Koyama’s gaze. “There was another blacksmith who moved from another port. Everyone started taking their business over there. I still don’t know why; Father never said. But then we lost money, and he died.” Ueda stopped again, and Koyama saw the patches of dirt beneath Ueda dampening as his tears fell slowly. “He committed suicide - my sister found him hanging from the roof of the stables. Then people came and took our things away - took his horse. He had so many things he cherished, but his horse was his favourite…”
“So you stole it back?” Koyama asked, as Ueda faded off. He nodded, wiping his eyes furiously. He wasn’t meant to cry.
“I went over to that blacksmith, and brought that horse home,” Ueda answered, leaving the dirt alone and finally meeting Koyama’s eyes with a smirk on his face. “I may have brought a few other things with me,” he added cheekily, and Koyama laughed. “They were mine; he promised them to me.”
It was quiet again, and Ueda swore he could hear Nishikido barking orders up on deck. “The warrant for my arrest was soon sent out. I’d stolen from the royal blacksmith-“
“But you said your family was-“
“They were, until my father died. I was only fourteen then, so I couldn’t take over…” Ueda wished he could have, though. He wished he had had the strength to pound that metal into shape; had been brave enough to work through the smoke that came from the red-hot metal fusing with the horses’ hoof. He had always shied away, hating the hiss it would make as the shoe came in contact with the animal. His job was to keep the fire hot, and he loved that job.
“I…joined a pirate crew soon after, a small gang with only around four crew members. I wasn’t there very long-“
“Wait,” Koyama interrupted again, holding a hand out to stop Ueda. “You were part of a crew?”
Ueda nodded. “I thought you knew that already.” Koyama shook his head, and he continued. “After that… Jin snatched me up. Back then, he wasn’t under the control of the royal family; he was just another pirate on the seas. That Yasuda wasn’t with him then… are you keeping track?” Ueda asked, peering over at Koyama, whose mouth was hanging open slightly.
“Uh. Yes. Yes, I’m paying attention,” Koyama said hurriedly, shaking his head. “You were part of Jin’s crew?” Ueda nodded.
“For two years or so. Yasuda was my replacement, I think,” Ueda said. He felt lighter. It was good to get all of this off his chest. “We stole and attacked and broke more laws than I even knew existed, and then suddenly I found myself with these charges against me. I was there when Jin accepted the deal to catch criminals. But I jumped ship and ran off - and that’s when I found your ship. I’d been running for about two weeks when you guys showed up.”
Ueda had finished his story. He didn’t know whether it was what Koyama was looking for, but it was all he had. Koyama nodded slowly, thinking something over deeply. “Thankyou,” he said, and Ueda bowed his head slightly. “I need to get back. But…thankyou,” he said again, standing up and moving to leave. “I’m sorry you have to stay down here.”
And then he was gone, leaving Ueda alone in the semi-darkness, his mind wandering back to the scent of horses and how awed he had been meeting Jin for the first time.
>>><<<
Nishikido watched as Nakamaru and Shige forcefully dragged Ueda out from his cell and onto the deck. The man wasn’t resisting, just attempting to turn around to stare at Nishikido until Shige tugged on his arm to get him moving again. Nishikido saw something deep within his eyes, but ignored it, choosing instead to let the confusing emotions blend together into anger. It was just easier this way.
Koyama stood next to him, watching as Shige and Nakamaru left the ship and pushed Ueda onto the dock. The three stood there for a while, and Koyama could see that Nakamaru was saying something. He cast a cautious look over to Nishikido, who was staring at them with narrowed eyes.
They watched as Nakamaru and Shige gave Ueda one final pat on the shoulder and walked back up to the ship without a backwards glance.
Koyama hoped Nishikido missed the glare that Shige shot up at them from the ground. Koyama knew that Shige didn’t exactly like Ueda, but he respected him.
Nishikido nodded at the two men when they appeared back on deck, but they refused to meet his eyes. Nishikido’s anger flared up again - his crew should at least show him some form of respect, he was their captain, after all - but Koyama’s hand on his shoulder calmed him down slightly. Nishikido wasn’t stupid. He knew the crew weren’t talking to him. He knew they didn’t agree with what he was doing.
But too bad, he thought, as he watched Ueda walk down the dock, eyes focused on the road in front of him. This was his ship, and he was the captain. No matter how childish it sounded, Ueda had deceived him, and this was his punishment. It was his ship; his rules.
He had a sudden blinding pain in his chest, as he saw Ueda disappear into a crowd of people. But he shook it off, turning to Koyama and almost missing that strange glance Tegoshi sent him. Tegoshi quickly averted his eyes, moving back to climb up to his crows nest.
“None of ‘em gonna speak to you,” Koki’s rough voice sounded through the silence, as the rest of the crew prepared the sails for their departure.
“I know, Koki.”
“We all liked Ueda,” Koki continued. “I ain’t speakin’ to you, neither.”
“You’re speaking to me now, Koki,” Nishikido said wearily. Koki gave him a withering look, clucking his tongue and moving to help Shige, who was struggling with the heavy ropes by himself.
“You’re overreacting; you know that, don’t you?” Koyama asked, moving closer to Nishikido and lowering his voice. Nishikido seemed so far away; he’d never seen him like this before.
“Overreacting about what?”
“This whole Ueda thing,” Koyama said, and Nishikido finally tore his eyes off the port and onto Koyama. “He didn’t lie to you. He didn’t even know you thought he was royalty.” Nishikido made a noise deep in his throat, looking unimpressed. “I told you. I told you I didn’t think he was-“
Nishikido’s nostrils flared, his face turning red. “You’re playing the ‘I told you so’ card?” he said, voice rather threatening. Koyama’s eyebrows knitted together.
“Don’t you speak to me like that, Nishikido Ryo,” Koyama said, feeling the anger rise. “I’m only trying to help you.”
“Help me with what? I’m fine.”
“You are not fine!” he snapped, quickly regaining his composure as Shige looked over in concern. “You aren’t fine, Ryo,” he repeated, “Just-Just go and get Ueda back, bring him here, and we’ll continue on as we had-“
“That isn’t gonna happen!” Nishikido hissed, as Shige glanced back again, “So will you just drop it and move on?”
“Stop being so childish!” Koyama yelled, not caring about who could hear. “What is wrong with you? This isn’t you! So Ueda didn’t turn out to be the person you thought he was - so what? Get over it!” he shouted, throwing his hands up. “I give up! You’re being impossible, Ryo, and you-“
But whatever else Nishikido was, they never found out, for he had punched Koyama square in the mouth, sending the other sprawling to the ground. The ship went deathly quiet. Nishikido could only stare at the blood trickling out of the corner of Koyama’s mouth with wide eyes as Koyama himself brought a hand up to touch the cut.
“Koyama!” Shige suddenly shouted, rushing forward to help Koyama up from the floor. “Are you alright?”
But Koyama said nothing, his eyes filled with disappointment as he let Shige support him. “Koyama… I’m sorry,” Nishikido started, but Koyama looked at him with this hurtful look shining in his eyes and he stopped, watching on as Shige led him away. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, but no-one was paying him any attention. Tegoshi crept back into his crows nest, Koki muttered something under his breath, skulking away back to the kitchens. Nakamaru just shook his head at him.
“Ueda was the best thing to happen to this ship,” he said quietly. Nishikido didn’t answer.
>>><<<
The five men stared down at the barrel, fighting to keep back their emotions, their faces as blank as they could make them. Tegoshi was the first to crack, biting his lip as Koki dragged the barrel further towards the railing of the ship. Nishikido stood at the helm, leaning against it and watching his best friends’ funeral.
He watched as Shige helped Koki lift the barrel up, quickly calling for help. Nakamaru and Koyama rushed to their aid, supporting the bottom of the barrel and tipping it over the edge. There was the unmistakeable splash as the barrel hit the water, and the other five watched as it sunk to the bottom of the sea, saying their final goodbyes to their crewmate.
The ceremony wasn’t much, and after the barrel had disappeared from their sights the crew left quietly, possibly going down to the kitchens to enjoy that massive fish Koki had caught just hours ago.
Nishikido sighed heavily; making sure the others had left before he made his way down to where he saw them throw the barrel over the side of the Oriental Surfer. He leant against the railing, watching the waves below crash against each other, wondering what was to happen to Yamapi’s barrel. Was it being buffeted by the waves, or had it reached the bottom yet?
He heard Tegoshi’s sharp shriek, quickly followed by Nakamaru’s own short bark of laughter. Nishikido felt as though he weren’t welcome there, so far out in the open, so he scurried off into his own room.
“Hello, disgusting being!” his bird cawed, bobbing his head up and down and splaying his tail feathers angrily. “Foul, evil fucker!”
“Who the fuck even taught you those words?” Nishikido muttered, giving the bird a piece of dried cuttlefish. The bird clicked his beak, making a purring sound as he took the piece in his scaly foot and nibbled at one end.
Nishikido felt drained. He didn’t even blame Ueda anymore. He blamed himself. It wasn’t Ueda who punched Koyama. It was him. And no matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t Ueda who killed Yamapi. Yamapi was only doing his job. But Nishikido could have told him to back down; could have yelled at him to stop; could have shot at Subaru before Yamapi had even formed that bloody idea in his head.
He hadn’t even realised he had started crying, until his parrot dropped his food and stretched his neck up, carefully trailing his beak over the tears on Nishikido’s cheek, being uncharacteristically gentle. Nishikido started, watching the bird nervously. He stared back with beady eyes, clicking his beak again and making an odd, high-pitched sound, cocking his head at him as if to ask why he was crying.
Nishikido ducked his head, and the bird pulled lightly at his hair, still making that purring sound. Nishikido fell to his knees, his hands turning into fists on his thighs as he cried. It felt as though all his emotions were pouring out - all his frustration, his sadness, his anger, his confusion. His chest hurt, and he clutched it, pitching forwards and clenching his eyes shut, trying to fight off the pain.
He thought back to the day of Yamapi’s death, when he had cried in front of Ueda. When Ueda held him, stroking his back softly and whispering nonsensical things into his ear. He furiously wiped at his tears, but they kept coming, and Nishikido wasn’t entirely sure he was crying about Yamapi’s funeral anymore.
His mind turned to Ueda’s warmth; the way he had held him, the way he had felt so fragile and delicate in Nishikido’s arms. He thought, unwillingly, of that night they had shared together, when Ueda had so carefully ran his fingertips over that scar of his. It had been the first time Nishikido had really let someone so close, and Ueda had been so gentle; he could still feel the ghost of his fingers on his skin.
As his tears slowly dried on his face, he came to a sudden realisation, which hit him hard.
Maybe, just maybe… he had been wrong to let Ueda go.
>>><<<
“They’re here! They’re here! The cowards are here!”
Nishikido awoke with a start, lying on the floor on his back and a heavy weight on his chest. “Wha--?”
“Drunkards! Dirty rotten bastards!” his bird screamed, hopping up Nishikido’s chest to peer down at him. “They’re here!”
“Who’s here?” Nishikido asked blearily, before hearing gunfire and shooting upright, dislodging the parrot, who flapped his wings and squawked indignantly from where he landed on the floor.
“Fucking idiot!” he shouted after Nishikido, shaking his tail and clicking his beak. But Nishikido wasn’t listening; he was out the door and rushing up the corridor before the bird had even uttered his first word.
The gunshots had stopped, but Nishikido continued, not stopping till he reached the deck. His entire crew were standing there, looking cautious and somewhat determined. Koki had his gun in-hand, the barrel still smoking.
But it was Jin that drew Nishikido’s attention. He was alone. His ship was right beside the Surfer, but his crew only watched from the railing, Kamenashi wringing his shirt in his hands as he watched the proceedings.
Jin was unarmed.
The crew turned slightly as Nishikido made his presence known, clearing his throat and belatedly hoping his eyes weren’t too swollen from crying. “What’re you doing here?” he asked, stepping forward and nodding at Koki to lower his gun. Even if they weren’t speaking to him, he was still the captain, and Koki let his hand drop back down to his side.
“I have to tell you something,” Jin said, expression earnest. Nishikido had never seen Jin so open with his emotions before.
“What?” Nishikido asked roughly, but Jin was speaking before he had finished.
“They’ve got Ueda,” he said quickly, words mashing together with the speed at which he was speaking. “They caught him.”
Koyama gasped; Tegoshi turned to stare at Nishikido with an unrecognisable look on his face. But Jin wasn’t paying attention to them; he was watching Nishikido, looking him right in the eye.
“Why are you telling me this?” Nishikido questioned, starting to worry. From the corner of his eye, he saw Koyama scratch the back of his neck in a nervous gesture - Koyama was wondering what was going on, too. It was good to know that he wasn’t alone, then.
“He was one of us,” Jin said, “And we weren’t the ones to catch him.” But Nishikido wasn’t listening, and Jin threw his hands up. Nishikido heard the click as Koki lifted his gun slightly, but nothing happened. Nishikido was about to turn back around, ready to just leave Jin standing there, but he stopped at Jin’s next words.
“They’re gonna hang him!” Jin shouted, and Nishikido’s heart dropped. No-one moved for a beat, until Koki turned tail and pushed Shige off the helm, ignoring Shige’s yelp of protest. He spun the wheel recklessly, mouth set in a determined line.
Nishikido could hear the others bustling around him, helping Shige up and wavering between pulling Koki off the helm or standing up to Jin. All Nishikido could do was stare at Jin, who met his gaze straight on, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.
“Leave it,” he found himself saying. “Leave it!” he repeated louder, but Koyama only paused for a moment to look at him deeply.
“Ryo,” he said, and Nishikido had to look away, not yet ready to look him in the eye. “You are our captain. But we need to do this.”
“I said, leave it - Koki, get off there,” Nishikido ordered, marching up to him, but Koki paid him no heed, focusing on where he was steering the ship.
“I ain’t movin’,” Koki said gruffly.
“Koki, listen to your captain!” Nishikido shouted, grabbing onto the wheel. Koki hit his hand away, growling.
“A real cap’n knows what he wants,” Koki murmured, and suddenly Nishikido found himself flying backwards, feeling the blood vessels beneath his skin burst open as Koki’s punch made itself known. Nakamaru caught him before he could fall, but there was nothing else Nishikido could do.
“Wh-Fine. Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want,” Nishikido huffed, moving away from Nakamaru and touching his hand to the growing bruise on his cheek. “I don’t even-“
“YOU LOVE HIM, YOU EMOTIONLESS PRICK!” Tegoshi screamed in exasperation, and the ship was silenced again. Nishikido felt as though a shockwave had passed through his body, and he was rooted to the ground, unable to move.
“…What?”
Tegoshi’s voice softened. “You never looked at me the way you look at Ueda,” he said, voice slightly wistful. “Let us help you.”
Koyama winked at Nishikido. “Told ya so.”
“Koyama, last time you said that, you ended up with a fist to your face,” Shige fussed.
“Oh, right.”
Nishikido didn’t know what to do. But it seemed as though his crew had it covered. Shige had taken control back from Koki, who had no idea how to steer a ship, and had corrected their course, aiming for the right port. Jin was still on their ship, his own following theirs closely.
So Nishikido sat to the side, feeling useless and like his emotions were whirling around his mind. He wanted to save Ueda. That much was certain. But love? Koyama had spoken of this ‘look’ that Nishikido had, and now Tegoshi was talking about it, too. Was it love?
But Jin was interrupting him, sitting himself down next to him and stirring him from his thoughts. “What do you want?” he asked miserably.
“Don’t talk like that, it’s not the end of the world,” Jin said. “Your crew will revolt a few more times on you. Trust me, it’s happened about three times to me,” he laughed. “Once I found myself tied to one of the masts. It was a nightmare to try and cut myself out- Anyway,” he continued, “Just let it go. They’re trying to help you. I don’t think it’d be the worst thing ever to let them do what they want.”
“But-“
“They’re not hurting anyone. Actually,” Jin shrugged, “They’re saving someone.”
Nishikido let Jin’s words sink in. Then, “What’s your plan?”
>>><<<
It was almost dusk. Ueda could feel his heart thudding against his chest in fear, allowing himself a glance over to the horizon, to see that sunset one last time. He wasn’t to be self-pitying. He had enjoyed his life - the majority of it, anyway. He could have gone without those lashes.
There was a large crowd gathering, he could see. The man behind him was pushed forward, and he stumbled into Ueda, who in turn fell onto the woman chained in front of him. The line moved, and the prisoners shuffled in their shackles, stepping up to the platform to face their death.
Images of Nishikido made their way unbidden into his mind. The memories distracted from what was happening. From the footsteps behind him, echoing on the wooden platform. From the crowd cheering below; from the way the woman next to him was shaking with fear; from the sounds of rope sliding against itself.
“Oi! We’ve got two of ‘em!” someone shouted out from behind the crowd. The crowd turned as one, and then officials were running over to where the commotion was. Ueda craned his neck, trying to see what it was-
“Don’t say anything, just come with me,” a voice murmured in his ear, and he turned as far as he could, gasping when he saw who it was. His stomach twisted, emotions flooding his body so fast he couldn’t even identify them.
“Nishikido--?”
“I said don’t say anything-Why is no-one listening to me today?” he muttered, but smiled nonetheless, pulling on Ueda’s elbow. Ueda lifted his hands, which were bound in thick shackles, and Nishikido’s smile dropped. “Damn it.”
“Move it,” Koki grumbled, forcing Nishikido out of the way and picking the lock on the manacles.
“Shut up,” Nishikido spat to the man next to Ueda, who had clung onto his clothes desperately. “Get off me.”
“What happened to th-“
“The guards have been… taken care of,” Nakamaru said, rather proudly, holding up a plank of wood. Ueda smiled at him, and he winked back.
“Done!” Koki said, letting the manacles fall to the ground in a clatter of chains, and Ueda stepped out of the ones around his feet. Nishikido wasted no time in grabbing Ueda’s wrist, pulling him behind him as he ran, the crowd shouting obscenities and threatening to follow them.
Ueda heard Nakamaru and Koki after them, the sounds of more guards rushing to catch them. They only shouted back at them, laughing loudly and catcalling, stumbling over their own feet so often that Ueda had to wonder how the guards didn’t catch up to them.
“Where’re-where’re Koyama and the others?” Ueda panted, as they ran. Nishikido slowed enough so that Ueda could run next to him, and only then started talking.
“We had to make a distraction,” he explained, laughing when Koki called one of the guards something inappropriate. Nishikido’s laugh was nice, Ueda decided. “Jin pretended to capture Tegoshi and Shige, to get their focus off you, and Koyama’s still on the ship-over here.”
Jin was running towards them, now, and they sprinted right past him and his crew, his tiny smile in Ueda’s direction the only sign that he even noticed them. The guards rushed around Jin’s crew, and Ueda turned in time to catch Masuda trip one of them, trying to hide a smile as he caught Ueda’s eye and winked.
It was then that he realised. Nishikido wasn’t gripping onto Ueda’s wrist anymore. He was holding his hand.
>>><<<
Ueda stood on the Surfer, relishing the sweet sea air. It was dark, the tiny flickering candle inside the lantern the only light on deck. He sighed happily, feeling content. He hadn’t felt content in a while.
It was all Nishikido.
“Still can’t sleep?” Nishikido asked, chuckling. Ueda turned, smiling slightly.
“Too much has happened today,” he answered, and Nishikido nodded. It had been a hectic day.
Neither knew where to go from there. They just stood next to each other, looking out to the sea, thoughts blank and concentration solely focused on the person next to them. “Thankyou,” Ueda finally said, sighing again. “You saved my life.”
Nishikido felt uncomfortable. “It wasn’t me, it was Koki, really-“
“Still,” Ueda interrupted, “Thankyou.”
Nishikido let it drop, a smile making its way onto his face. “Anytime.”
“Mm.”
“Ueda?” Nishikido started, and Ueda turned to him, curious.
“Yes?”
Nishikido cleared his throat, embarrassed. “Will you… I mean-would you… would you stay?” He hated the way his voice almost gave out at the end, his nerves getting the better of him-
But Ueda was smiling this breathtaking smile that he’d never seen before. “Of course,” he answered.
Nishikido felt that warmth again, and slipped his hand into Ueda’s own, feeling the way he wrapped his own fingers around Nishikido’s. He leant in and placed a small, tiny, barely-there kiss on Ueda’s cheek, feeling light, like he never had before. Ueda laughed lightly, and pressed his own kiss onto Nishikido’s lips.
It wasn’t love, not just yet, but perhaps it would soon grow to be.
END.
A/N2: /collapses in a heap.
I would like to make it known that in the development of this fic, I lost both my ‘h’ key and my ‘d’ key. And then my computer died about five times. And as such, I bought a new, shiny computer. I know how to solve problems.
So. Pirate Ryo, as I have not-so-affectionately dubbed this fic, is trying to kill me. I’ve panicked, I’ve gotten writers block, I’ve panicked some more because who in their right mind would read a fic 20,000 words long oh lordy should it have been a multichap why isn’t it a multichap wtf omg.
I would like to thank my best friend, Luna_Truths, who requested this. Well. More like wrote it on twitter and I was all “OKAY I’LL WRITE THAT IT’LL BE EASY.” Cue three months of pulling my hair out over this monster. But still, thanks to the greatest person to ever come into my life, for being patient with me.
Also I’d like to apologise to all of my followers on Twitter for listening to my whining and my flails and ‘goddamn you Pirate Ryo’’s.
And I need to thank miirachaan for handling my flailing really well, and for reading the first half of this fic whilst I waited very unpatiently and tweeted her constantly. Scratch that, I still tweet her constantly. Look! It's finally done!!
Thankyou for reading through every word of this fic. Thankyou so so much.