{FANFICTION} The Oriental Surfer (Part 1)

[kyjr]

 
TITLE: The Oriental Surfer

PAIRING: RyoDa (main), hints of Akame and RyoTego

RATING: NC17

SUMMARY: Nishikido Ryo was a pirate. Ryo was not the most feared man on the seas - his crew had a lot more learning to do - but he was slowly earning his place up there, the bounty on his head growing with every pillage. He never would have thought that one stowaway, Ueda Tatsuya, would change him.

GENRE: AU, romance, violence

WORDCOUNT: 23,650 words.

WARNINGS: Pirate!AU. Influenced by the many pirate movies I have watched. Well, Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Planet, and Queen of Pirates. It counts. They have a ship and everything. Character death.

DISCLAIMER: Do not own.

A/N: Dedicated toluna_truths . Happy Birthday! Thankyou for being the most amazing person ever. The Koyama to my Shige, the Tegoshi to my Massu, the Senor to my Bluebeard. Be jealous of our love. And Twin? SHORTER.

The room was circular, decorated in deep reds and browns, looking all too fancy for such a run-down ship. There was one large window on the back wall, looking out to sea. Once, there had been paintings of lines of royals against the wall, but they now lay face-down inside the cupboard on the opposite wall, faces slashed through with a knife. A large desk stood in the middle, maps and compasses and pencils strewn across its surface. A lime-green bird stood on it's perch next to the desk, fluttering his feathers as he watched the three men in the room.

One man was tall; muscular. His brown hair was wavy, slightly too long. His eyes were large but glazed over - his interest was not held in this room, but far away. The other man was slim, with curly ginger hair and a soft, feminine face. He wore one too many bracelets on his wrists, and a necklace around his neck. His smile was wide. But these two were unimportant.

The man who leant against the desk, concentrating on the maps infront of him, had a single leather eyepatch over his left eye, all battle-worn and scuffed. His good eye was brown, almost black, tinged with not only sadness and anger, but also knowledge. He had dark skin, marred by the ugly shadow of scars. He wore a dark purple scarf around his head, the long ends trailing down his back. Under the scarf, his hair was jet black, coming to fall just above his eyes. He held a battered old leather hat in one hand, his fingers weighed down by numerous rings.

Nishikido Ryo was a pirate. Captain of this ship, the re-named 'Oriental Surfer', he had taken over her after her old captain had not-so-mysteriously drowned. Ryo was not the most feared man on the seas - his crew had a lot more learning to do. But he was slowly earning his place up there, the bounty on his head growing with every pillage.

So that was where he was now, counting out yesterday's haul with two of his crew, Pi and Tegoshi, who were adamant that they had left another sack on the docks. "This is all we brought," Ryo said, for the fifth time. Tegoshi crossed his arms. "Don't give me that face. I saw the others with five bags. We have five bags here. What's the problem?"

"The problem," Pi said, moving away from the bird who was trying to nibble at his bare shoulder, "is that we can't just leave our--"

He was interrupted, however, by the rest of Ryo's crew barging in. "Sir!" one man, shouted. "We've got ourselves a stow-away."

Ryo's eyebrows furrowed. "Where?"

The group parted, and someone else brought forward a skinny man by the scruff of his neck. "Here, sir."

"Thankyou, Shige." Ryo walked forward, the crisis of the bag forgotten. He lifted the man's chin up, staring him right in the eye. "What are you doing here." It wasn't a question.

The man wore ripped clothes, mud and dirt practically caked into the rough material. His hair was a dull light brown, looking as though it hadn't been washed in months. He did have a pretty little face, though, Ryo thought, as he stared into his eyes. His eyes were large, defiant. A pretty brown. His nose was petite; he had high cheekbones and a defined jawline.

He ripped his head out of Ryo's hands and spat on the floor at Ryo's feet. Shige shook him as the crew started shouting obscenities at the stow-away. Ryo smirked. "One with fire? Leave him here, Shige. You all can leave."

He ignored Pi's little smirk as he passed, and soon he was left alone with the stranger, who was busy looking from the window to the door and back again. "Good luck escaping," Ryo said, leaning against his desk. His bird cocked his head at the newcomer. "So, who are you, and what are you doing on my ship?"

The stranger's eyes flickered up to meet his. "None of your business," he hissed. Ryo crossed the distance between them swiftly, slapping him.

"It is my business, this is my ship. Now, you'll tell me who the fuck you are and what you are doing here," Ryo muttered through clenched teeth. The other still had his head turned away from him.

"Ueda Tatsuya," he said, eventually. "I'm running away."

Ryo scoffed. "You and the thousands of others around the world. What from?"

"Eh?"

"What're you running from?"

"Everything," came the reply, after a while. The fire had dimmed in those eyes of his. Ryo watched him for a while, before moving across the room and ringing a bell. Soon enough, Koki had come back down, wiping his hands on his apron.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, regarding this Ueda with contempt.

"This is Ueda Tatsuya, our new cabin boy. Take him to the kitchens. He'll be helping you," Ryo ordered, raising his eyebrows as Koki hesitated.

"R-right, sir," he said eventually, bowing a little before marching forward and grabbing Ueda's arm, pulling him out the door.

Ryo didn't miss that panicked expression on Ueda's face. "And tell Koyama I need to talk to him," he called, as the door closed.

Koyama, a tall, lanky man, soon appeared. "Yes?"

"How much would we get if we handed in the missing prince?"
>>><<< 
Koki practically threw Ueda into the kitchens, before marching back up to him, muttering words under his breath as he untied his hands. "Can't do nothin' if you've got no hands," he said gruffly.

"Thankyou," Ueda murmured, massaging his wrists as they were freed of the rope that bound them. Koki grunted, moving over to the bench.

"You're our new cabin boy," he said, even though he knew Ueda had heard it before. "So you'll be stuck doing shitty things like peelin' potatoes and washin' our clothes. Gotta get those pretty fingers of yours calloused some." Koki scratched his neck, casting his eye around the place.

The kitchen wasn't all that big. Three long benches along the walls and a large island in the middle, where some vegetables were already half-diced. Pots and pans and plates and bowls lay everywhere, utensils hanging from the ceiling and a crushed tomato on the floor. It was rather messy and filthy, and there was thick black smoke rising out of the oven.

"Is...something burning?" Ueda asked. Koki whipped around, cursing colourfully as he swiped angrily at the smoke. He coughed, pulling out a tray of... something, and placing it on the bench, crossing his arms.

"Fuck, that took me all mornin' to make..." Ueda still couldn't quite figure out what it was, but he let it go, as Koki was now pressing an apron into his hands. "Here ya go," Koki said, "You'll be washin' the dishes. Once you've done that, you can go see Pi."

Ueda nodded, donning the apron and moving over to the sink. "What do I--"

Koki sighed. "This whole pile," he said in exasperation, pointing to the dishes piled up in the sink. He showed Ueda what to use to clean them with, before moving back to cut up vegetables.

Ueda spent an hour cleaning the dishes, and the next hour trying to find where to put them. Koki was no help, grunting at him when he got in his way. It was all Ueda could do to not snap at him. It took Ueda a while to find his sea-legs, though, and he had to pause in his work a few times. Koki passed him a large bucket, gruffly ordering him to sit down with his head in it until he either felt better or puked.

Ueda didn't particularly want to be here. He had just found the first ship he could, and hid in it. He hadn't exactly thought it through at all, but he didn't exactly have a chance to. He knew that it was either this ship, or...

Well. Hopefully the captain hadn't realised who he was. That would put him in quite a spot.

But that was enough of that. Koki pulled him up by the elbow, gruffly telling him to get back to work. Ueda sighed, moving back into the kitchen to scrub away at the food encrusted on the stove. Koki grunted at him.

Ueda was a hard worker. He did his work without a complaint. He didn't want to cause a scene and draw too much attention to himself - well, other than what he had already done. He wanted to do his job quietly, until either Nishikido discovered who he was or someone came for him.

He liked Koki, oddly enough. The other didn't really talk, just grunted at him when he needed something. He liked the silence, liked the way the other would shoot him barely-concealed glances of worry whenever the ship would go through a rough patch of sea. It was rather nice, standing here engrossed with his work in the relative silence. It'd been quite a while since he'd had something like this to occupy his mind.

The air was soon full of the scent of vegetables boiling, some form of meat cooking away. Koki was bustling around, muttering to himself as he opened drawers and rummaged through cupboards.

"Where are you from?" Ueda tentatively asked, looking up from his work. Koki paused, his back towards him.

"Never you mind," he said, moving back to check on the meat in the pot. Ueda nodded, and went back to sweeping away the rat droppings from under the shelves. He heard Koki sigh. "I ain't allowed to tell you. Captain's orders," he said, and Ueda stopped. "Anyway, it's not like I have anyone there."

"What do you mean?" Ueda asked, genuinely curious.

Koki sniffed, stirring the vegetables. "You've got it good, can speak well, like all them rich people," he murmured. "No-one wants someone who can't even say what he means."

"I can understand you perfectly," Ueda said, feeling as though he should say something, at least. Koki sounded so down. "...I'd want you, if I were hiring someone."

He swore he could see Koki's lips twitch upwards. "Then you'd be the first."

"Nishikido hired you, didn't he?" Ueda asked.

"Nah, we all kinda... found ourselves here. I dunno how it even happened," Koki said, voice turning rather soft as he began to reminisce, but he soon shook himself out of it. "Anyway, enough 'bout me. I think everyone's more curious 'bout you," he said, looking over at Ueda, who just shook his head.

"Nothing interesting," he answered vaguely, and he saw Koki stiffen. "It's just that... I'm boring," Ueda quickly added. "I've got a mother and a father, a sister, three dogs. My father is a blacksmith - shoes horses. He does other things, too, but he likes the horses. He likes to talk to them."

Koki nodded. "Nice animals, horses. Shame we can't have one, but y'know. This being a ship, and all," he chuckled. "Only animal we have here is Captain's bird, but he's a bastard."
>>><<<  
The food was cooked and ready by sundown, and Koki told him to run and ring the large gong that stood on the opposite wall. His ears rang as he hit it, the sound echoing through his brain until much later. Koki laughed, before thrusting a stack of plates into his hands.

"Go set the tables," was the instruction, and so he did, placing one plate down in front of each seat. There were two tables, four seats each. Just enough for everyone to fit comfortably. Koki grunted again, and Ueda went back to the kitchen to see what he wanted.

"Yes?"

"Here's the food," he said, placing a large pot on the kitchen counter, which stank awfully. Another pot was soon set next to it, steam rising out of the top and causing Koki's face to turn red from the heat. "Vegetables, and the meat," he added, at Ueda's raised eyebrow. "Dun give me that shit, we gotta eat whatever we can find."

Ueda really didn't want to know what the meat was.

Soon enough, people were clambering down the stairs, each one exclaiming about the scent of food in the air. Ueda watched from the kitchen, as each grabbed their plates, heading over to the pots. "You," Koki said, over the top of the din, "Help me spoon this lot out."

Ueda did as he asked, ladling out large amounts of vegetables to each pirate. It smelt disgusting, but the men didn't seem to mind - on the contrary, they seemed to love the smell. Ueda didn't understand, but to each his own, he supposed.

Nishikido came in last, his thick leather boots echoing on the flimsy wooden stairs. Ueda expected the room to quieten a little, but nothing happened. One of the men threw an arm around Nishikido and drew him close, a smile wide on his face. Nishikido laughed, punching the other on the shoulder before grabbing a plate and heading over to the kitchen.

Nishikido nodded at Koki, who grunted and served up some of his mystery meat. Nishikido smiled, moving over to Ueda. He raised his eyebrows, staring Ueda up and down, then looking back to Koki.

"This isn't what I meant, Koki," was all he said, before thrusting his plate under Ueda's nose. "Are you gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna give me some food?"

Ueda glanced between he and Koki, who was busying himself with the remnants of the food in the pot. Ueda glared at Nishikido, who held his gaze steadily, his one eye dark and intense, before ladling some vegetables onto Nishikido's plate. There was something untrustworthy about him, Ueda thought. Something quite... frightening.

Then again, he was a pirate.

Koki elbowed him in the side, and he shook his head, realising that Nishikido had moved on and was now sitting between Pi and Tegoshi. "Sorry," he muttered, finally putting the ladle down and moving to clean up the pot.

Koki just shook his head and thrust a plate into Ueda's hands. He had already placed a piece of meat on it, and quickly grabbed Ueda's ladle to scoop some vegetables onto it. "Here, go eat," he said, averting his eyes quickly at Ueda's slightly astonished look.

"Don't you want me to clean up here?"

"No, I'll do it," Koki mumbled.

"But that should be my--"

"Are you going against your orders?" another voice spoke up. Ueda whipped around, coming face-to-face with another, taller man. His skin was tanned, and he seemed to wear his clothes with more dignity than the others. His nose was large, but not overly so, and he had kind eyes.

Ueda shook his head. "No, sir--"

"Nakamaru Yuichi," he said, offering his hand. Ueda stared at him a while, before shaking it. "Koki said go and eat. Please," he said, moving to the side to allow space for Ueda to walk past, "Come and eat with us."

Ueda cast one last look at Koki, whose head was buried in the pot already and scrubbing out the bottom, soap suds spilling out. Nakamaru put a hand on Ueda's lower back, steering him infront of him. Ueda soon found himself at a table, the group loud and raucous, their feet on the table and their food flying everywhere.

He was seated next to Nakamaru - who quickly told him to call him Maru - and Nishikido, who just glanced at him before focusing on his food. Ueda ignored him, too, looking down at his dinner.

"Don't turn your nose up at it," Maru murmured. Ueda looked up at him. "It's the best thing we've got. You see," he continued, picking up a carrot with his fingers, "For the next few weeks it's going to be crackers and cheese and things we don't even want to think about."

"Ah?" was all Ueda could say, straining his ears over the din. From the corner of his eye he saw Koki sit down with his own, rather pitiful, helping of food. He had gotten the leftovers, Ueda supposed.

Nakamaru nodded. "Since we docked in yesterday, we were able to pick up supplies. But these vegetables aren't going to last long-- Yamashita, will you stop that!" he snapped, slapping the other on the shoulder as he tried to steal some of Maru's meat from his plate. Yamapi just grinned.

"Sorry. It might not be to your taste," Nishikido said, not sounding apologetic at all. Ueda missed the disapproving look Nakamaru gave Nishikido.

"It's fine."

"There's no cutlery, so you'll have to make do with your hands," he continued, still with that mocking voice. Ueda's hands balled into fists under the table, but he had to keep reminding himself that he couldn't punch the captain of the ship.

So Ueda just sighed, when Nishikido had turned to start talking to Yamapi. The vegetables were delicious after all that work he had been doing, and the meat was nice and tender. Koki was an excellent cook, under that rough exterior.

The meal was over quickly, the pirates practically pouring the food down their throats. They weren't very neat eaters, either, so there were pieces of meat and vegetables on the table and the floor, spilt beer tarnishing the wooden surface. Ueda tried his hardest not to drop any, but it was impossible. Nakamaru laughed at him, because he swore every time a piece of food slipped between his fingers.

"You. Clean this up," Nishikido ordered, not even looking at Ueda as he stood and dusted himself off. Ueda nodded, and quickly swept up his own dish, making his way over to the kitchen, where Koki was already piling plates into the sink.

Koki just shook his head. "You go up there," he said, pointing to where the others were disappearing up to the deck, "Go see the sunset."

"The suns-- What about all this?" Ueda asked, gesturing to the mess that was along the floor and atop the tables.

Koki made strange noise. "Nah, it'll be okay. You go up there. Before I have to make you," he smiled slightly.

"Are you sure you're a pirate?" Ueda asked, walking back into the dining area, picking up plates and glasses against Koki's orders. "You're too nice."

"Not nice at all," Koki grumbled. "And would you stop goin' against your orders!"

But Ueda just ignored him, collecting the rest of the plates and grimacing at the thick sauce clinging to the dishes, running down his fingers. He practically threw them into the sink, water splashing everywhere and Koki snapping at him, before flashing Koki a wide smile and rushing up the stairs. He heard Koki's sharp bark of a laugh behind him.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. Seeing the sunset from the top deck of a ship - a pirate ship, no less - would be something he had never seen before. And it would be something truly spectacular.

As he emerged from the kitchen, he blinked furiously, eyes unaccustomed to the bright light after hours of work in the dim lighting downstairs. Everyone was still bustling around, finishing their work for the day, climbing up and down the masts and rushing across the deck. Nakamaru caught his eye, and waved a little, even though his hands were full of what looked like a pile of rags. The man who had found him - Shige, if he remembered correctly - was at the helm, preparing for a night of steering the ship in the dark.

Ueda sat upon the railing of the ship, staring at the horizon, relishing the feeling of the salt-tinged air on his face. It was nice to get out of the kitchen, even if he was starting to loosen up around Koki.

The sunset came suddenly, purples and oranges thrown across the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. The ocean was painted yellow, the water changing colours as the waves moved with the wind. It was beautiful, the sea and the sky meeting so that Ueda had troubles discerning where one ended and the other began.

He sat there watching it until the sun finally disappeared, the sky turning dark. Koki hobbled up the stairs, handing him an already-lit lantern. "Thankyou," Ueda murmured, taking it and setting it beside him on the railing.

"You'd best be off to bed," Koki muttered. "The bugs will be out soon. Your quarters are everyone's quarters - just down that corridor and follow the stink." Koki pointed over to an opening on the other side of the ship, where a few lanterns lit the way. Ueda nodded.

"I will, thankyou. I'll be there soon."

Koki inclined his head slightly, before squeezing Ueda's shoulder and walking off. He soon turned, fidgeting a little with his sweat-soaked shirt. "You--" he started, before making a frustrated noise and pausing. "Just-- be careful, okay? Be sure to come right to bed."

Confused, Ueda could only nod and promise that he would. Koki breathed out, and smiled a little, before continuing on his path and soon disappearing into the darkness. Ueda sat there, watching the little flame inside the lantern flicker and dance in the breeze. Soon enough, there were small bugs flying around the flame, attracted to it's heat and light. He sighed.

"You there! Cabin boy!" a voice from above called. Ueda looked up, taking a while to find the source of the voice in the darkness. Tegoshi sat in the crow's nest, leaning over the edge and peering down at Ueda.

"...Yes?" he said, voice small against the waves splashing up against the ship.

"Get off our ship!" he shouted. Ueda blinked. "You're just a stowaway. Ryo should have killed you when he had the chance--"

"Tegoshi!" another voice roared, cutting through the silence like a whip. Ueda jumped and quickly turned, coming face-to-face with Nishikido, who was glaring up at Tegoshi.

"Yes, sir?"

"Shut that mouth of yours and get to bed. You're to be up by sunrise," Nishikido yelled, and Tegoshi slunk away, climbing out of his crows nest and down the mast. He only turned to Ueda once Tegoshi was gone. "Now, you."

Ueda turned his eyes back to the little flame, trying to ignore the strange fear that was clawing it's way through his body. Nishikido was so close, he could hear every breath he took, could see from the corner of his eye the way his feet turned towards him.

"Ueda. I'm talking to you," Nishikido said.

"I can hear you."

"You should probably treat your captain better," Nishikido muttered, sighing and moving to sit next to Ueda. "Don't freeze up like that, I helped you, didn't I?"

Ueda tried to relax. "Yes, sir."

"Better."

Ueda focused back on the bugs flying around the lantern, some of them getting too close and losing their lives to the fire. It was quiet here, with just the creaking of the ship, the sound of the waves and the odd cough from Shige to break the silence. He heard Nishikido sigh.

"Well, I'm heading in," he said, getting to his feet. "Goodnight, cabin boy."

And then he was gone, heading off in a different direction than Koki had gone, leaving Ueda feeling strange as he watched his retreating figure. Shige whistled, and Ueda turned, distracted. "Better head to bed," he said, "or you'll be covered with bite marks from the bugs."

"Yeah...sure," Ueda answered, standing and picking the lantern up. "Goodnight," he said carefully, as he passed the other. He didn't really know where he stood with Shige. After all, Shige was the one to find him. He was the one to tell the others that he was on board. And, well, their first encounter wasn't exactly a friendly one.

"Night," Shige murmured back. "It's an early day tomorrow, remember that."

"Okay," Ueda said, making his way to the corridor he saw Koki go down before. There were a few rooms off the main hallway, but he followed the sounds of snoring until he found the right room.

From the little light his lantern gave him, he discovered that the room was rather big. There were bodies lying everywhere, deep in slumber and covered with blankets upon worn blankets. Hammocks hung from the roof, three of the men sleeping in them, swaying every so often as the waves rocked the boat. Ueda carefully picked his way through the room, stepping over Yamapi and finding a corner with a heap of blankets piled up.

"Maru made it for you," someone whispered. Ueda spun around, until he saw Yamapi peeking out of his blankets behind him. "Night," he yawned, closing his eyes once again.

Ueda knelt, setting the lantern down next to his bedding, and bundled up one of the blankets to place under his head. He lay down, sighing as his aching muscles started to relax. With limbs like lead, he pulled the blanket up over his body, curling up.

Ueda blew the candle out, closed his eyes, and promptly fell asleep.
>>><<< 
Ueda awoke to something crawling up his leg. He swiped at it, still half-asleep and groaning as it continued. He sat up, bleary-eyed, and swatted at his leg again, before throwing back the covers, and feeling his stomach turn.

Maggots. They were maggots. Crawling over his skin; in his blankets; writhing over each other in a mass of moving white.

"Holy--" Ueda leapt to his feet, shaking his leg and feeling last night's dinner threatening to resurface. The maggots fell off his pant leg, squirming as they landed back on the blanket. He stomped his foot, the remaining creatures falling to the floor.

"What is all the noise down--" Shige appeared around the corner, bags under his eyes and practically dragging his feet behind him. "Ueda?"

"Ah, sorry, I--"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Shige hissed, rushing forward. "Why aren't you down with Koki yet?"

"But there are--"

"What's going on?" Nishikido's harsh voice echoed down the hallway, footsteps getting closer.

"Ueda's still down here, sir," Shige shouted back, walking forward to collapse onto his own pile of blankets. He paused as he saw Ueda's mess of blankets, the white maggots still wriggling about. "What the heck is that?"

Ueda took a step away from the creatures. "I think they're maggots. I don't know how they got there..."

Shige looked up at him, suspicious, before Nishikido walked into the room. He paused, his good eye flickering between Shige and Ueda, until his face darkened. "You were meant to be up by sunrise," he said, voice low in anger. Ueda, too late, realised that the rest of the crew were already up, their bedding cold and rumpled.

"I--"

"Ten lashes," he said coldly. Ueda felt a shudder of fear rush through his veins. Even Shige looked up, from where he was moving his blankets to another corner.

"Sir, don't you--"

"I'm not talking to you, Shige," Nishikido said, not even sparing the other a glance. "And why are you making so much noise? Stamping your feet like an upset rhino."

Nishikido paused, waiting for an answer. "There are maggots in my bedding, sir," he all but spat, trying to hold back his anger.

Nishikido walked over to Ueda's bedding, face unreadable as he looked down. He kicked lightly at the blankets, the corner folding back over and revealing more of the maggots. "How'd they get in here?" he asked gruffly.

"I don't know."

"Five extra lashes for causing unnecessary noise," Nishikido said, turning to walk back out of the room. Ueda felt his face flush in anger. Even Shige was slightly open-mouthed. "Shige, get to sleep. Cabin boy, come with me."

Ueda, very reluctantly, followed the other into the sun, leaving Shige grumbling to himself back in the room. Nishikido said nothing further, worrying Ueda further. "Yamashita!" Nishikido barked, causing Ueda to flinch. "Yamashita, where the fuck are you?"

Yamapi appeared from below deck, winding a length of rope around his arm. "Yes, sir? What's wrong?"

Nishikido reached behind him, grabbing Ueda and bringing him forward. "What's wrong?" he repeated. "You were meant to wake the cabin boy up at sunrise! That's what's wrong!"

Yamashita's eyebrows knitted together, and his hand paused on the rope. "But Tegoshi was meant to do it," he answered, confused. Ueda looked between Yamapi and Nishikido, deciding to stay quiet.

"I specifically asked you," Nishikido said, voice low as he marched up to Yamapi, dragging Ueda behind him. "I asked you, not Tegoshi."

Yamapi suddenly looked awkward, and dropped his rope. "Koyama needed me to help him do something," he said. "Sorry."

"Tegoshi!" Nishikido roared. "You," he said, this time to Yamapi, "Go finish what you were doing."

"Yes, sir."

Tegoshi climbed down from his crows nest, navigating the ropes and masts with some strange delicacy. "Yes?" he asked, panting lightly as his feet reached the deck.

Nishikido raised his eyebrows. "Were you meant to wake up Ueda?"

"Ah," Tegoshi said. "Yes, I was - and I did," he added quickly, as Nishikido's face darkened. "I did!"

"Then why did Shige find him in the room with his blankets still wrapped around his feet?" he asked coldly.

Tegoshi's expression didn't change. "Oh? Well, he must have fallen back asleep then," he answered smoothly. Ueda could tell he was lying.

So could Nishikido. "What about the maggots?"

"Maggots, sir?"

"He found maggots in his bedding," Nishikido said, and Ueda could see that he was watching Tegoshi's face carefully.

"Oh? How'd they get there?" Tegoshi asked, voice too sweet, eyes too wide. Ueda felt a little sick. And it didn't have anything to do with the constant movements of the sea.

Nishikido regarded him for a moment. "Fine. You're going to be helping out Koyama for the next week. And five lashes," he finally said. "As punishment."

Tegoshi's face fell. "Koyama? But I'll just be numbering papers and drawing lines--"

"It's your punishment," Nishikido said forcefully, and Tegoshi quietened, face turning sour. He turned, chest heaving as he sighed, and went to find Koyama, who was quite possibly buried under the hundreds of maps he kept in his study.

Nishikido breathed out heavily, collecting himself before turning to Ueda, who was still quiet. "You," he said, voice hoarse, "Go and help Koki in the kitchens. You'll serve your punishment later."

And then he left, leaving Ueda standing there, heart beating rapidly against his ribcage. He took a deep breath, before making his way down to the kitchens. Koki was there, filthy apron tied around his waist and bent double, searching through the lower cupboards.

Ueda just stood there, waiting for Koki to see him first. He didn't know if Koki would yell at him. If he would grumble at him; tell him to get to work; tell him to not bother at all. But Koki just righted himself, pulling out a large frying pan and pausing when he saw Ueda.

"Oh," was all he said, setting the frying pan down and moving to collect some vegetables. "Mornin'."

"...Good morning," Ueda murmured, catching the apron that Koki threw at him. "Is this mine?"

Koki nodded. "You'd best be comin' here to help me, mind. Been rushin' around every which way to try to make lunch for ev'ryone."

Ueda hurried over to where Koki needed him, immediately finding his hands full of onions, with the instructions of dicing them up. "Tegoshi was meant to wake me up," Ueda started, trying to tread carefully in case Koki was hiding his anger. "But apparently I just went back to sleep."

"Mm," Koki mumbled, bustling around the kitchen and batting at Ueda's legs to get him to move out of the way. "That Tegoshi's just... Just stay away from him, 'kay?"

Ueda looked over his shoulder at Koki, whose face was hidden by his hair as he prepared the fish for lunch. "Why?"

"Nothin'. You done with those onions?">>><<< 
Ueda didn't know how to act during lunch. He was left alone by Nakamaru this time, although the other did give him an apologetic glance and a tiny wave, hidden from Nishikido's view. According to Koki, Nishikido had told them that they were not to go against his orders. Ueda was to be fed the leftovers; he was not allowed to sit with them at meal times; he was to be in bed by sundown and up by dawn.

Ueda didn't mind, all that much. He hadn't expected to be treated so well the day before. However, his heart would speed up a little in fear whenever he would think of his punishment. He hadn't mentioned it to Koki. He had a feeling he already knew.

Tegoshi was not present at lunch.>>><<< 
Ueda was washing the dishes when Yamapi came in. "It's time," was all he said, voice heavy. "I really hate this part of it all," he added. Ueda just heaved a sigh, placing the dishes down on the bench.

"Okay."

His heart was beating hard against his ribs, his breathing laboured as Yamapi led him out of the kitchen. Koki barely looked up when Ueda passed him, but lightly grabbed onto the hem of Ueda's shirt, as if to offer him some sort of support.

They appeared in the sunlight, Ueda blinking rapidly as the light burnt his eyes. The rest of the crew were there, making Ueda feel more uncomfortable than he already was, the fear and trepidation doubling. He felt his knees go weak when Yamapi led him forward.

He wished Koki were here.

Nakamaru stepped out of the crowd, face bereft of emotion as he moved around Ueda, making quick work of his shirt. Ueda's chest heaved in short, shallow breaths now, absolutely scared to death at the thought of what was going to happen to him.

So now he stood half-naked in front of the pirate crew, feeling humiliated and frightened. He could feel his legs shaking beneath him. Neither Yamapi nor Nakamaru said anything as Nishikido walked forward, his cat o' nine-tails dangling out of his hand, and Ueda felt his breath catch.

Nishikido passed it to Yamapi, who took it silently. Nakamaru held onto Ueda's upper arms, steering him over to the railing, placing his hands down so he could brace himself. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before moving back to the crowd.

Ueda shivered, the cold sea air biting at his exposed skin. He looked out to the ocean as he heard Yamapi move behind him, booted feet shifting until he found the best place. Waiting was the worst part. Waiting for the pain, waiting for that swish as the cat o' nine-tails whipped through the air. Waiting for his skin to be torn to pieces.

His muscles tensed, but he just focused on the water below, lapping at the ship; on the grain of the wood beneath his hands as he gripped the railing hard.

And then there it was, that sound as Yamapi drew back. Ueda clenched his eyes shut, trying to prepare himself.

Pain slashed through his body, white-hot and burning. Ueda arched his back, choking back a sob. His knuckles turned white with the force that he gripped the railing, and he gritted his teeth. The second time was worse, fresh wounds being slashed once more, blood starting to trickle down his back.

Again and again and again it happened, until Ueda could feel no more. His back was numb, his knuckles aching, lip bleeding from where he had been biting it to stop himself crying out. Tears had dried on his face, tears he never remembered shedding, as Yamapi hit him for the last time. He could barely hear the others in the crowd, now. All he could hear was the leather of the cat o' nine-tails whipping through the air, landing on his back and slicing through his skin.

But it then it was over, the only sound on the ship being Ueda's shaking breaths. His knees finally gave out, and he collapsed to the deck, barely even feeling the hands on him, trying to help him up. He blankly saw the face of an unknown man swimming in front of his eyes, before he lost consciousness, surrendering to the serene blackness calling him.

When he awoke, he was laying stomach-down on a soft mattress. He groaned, the pain now a dull throbbing in his back.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked, and he turned his head carefully, just staring at the man crouching beside him.

His eyes were thin but warm, a sincere expression of worry in them. He had dark hair, and a long face, and was dressed rather nicely, different from the other pirates. There were a pair of black glasses upon his face, scratched and broken and held together with tape.

"Are you alright?" he tried again, but Ueda just kept watching him, eyes blank. His whole head felt blank, his body heavy. "My name is Koyama." He paused, eyes roving over Ueda's face for a reaction. Finding none, he continued. "I patched you up. You've got some pretty bad... sores on your back, so I've put something on it and wrapped a few bandages around you."

Still Ueda was quiet. Koyama nodded to himself, straightening up and walking away. He came back soon after, a cup of water in his hand. He set it down next to the bed, perching himself down on the mattress somewhere near Ueda's hips. Ueda felt a hand on his shoulder, and another on his upper arm, and Koyama was helping him up slowly, so that Ueda could support himself on his forearms. He reached for the water, bringing his hand up to tip Ueda's head back and pressed the glass to Ueda's lips.

"Come on, drink it," Koyama murmured, and Ueda gave in, opening his mouth and allowing Koyama to trickle water down his throat. The water cooled his throat, making him feel a little better. Koyama slowly lowered him back down, and Ueda groaned as the pain in his back grew a little. "Sorry."

"Thankyou," he croaked, coughing a little and sucking in a breath as the pain flared back up.

"It's okay. Just take it easy," Koyama said softly, standing back up and setting the water down again. "I'm going to go talk to the captain, now. I'll be back soon, try not to move too much."

Ueda saw Koyama leave the room, sighed, and closed his eyes. He felt empty, exhausted. In pain.>>><<<  
"Captain, that was rather harsh--"

"Koyama," Nishikido interrupted, sitting behind his desk. His bird squawked at Koyama, stretching his wings and fluttering his feathers.

"The kid's got welts upon welts--"

"I know."

"He's in a bad state--"

"Koyama, I know."

"--and you can't give him to the royals like that, they'll skin you alive," Koyama finished, moving to perch himself on one of Nishikido's armchairs. Nishikido sighed, placing his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his hands.

"I know," he said. "But he has to learn his place."

"But he's not going to be staying here very long," Koyama pointed out. "The port is only two and a half weeks sailing from here."

Nishikido nodded. "Still, he needs some discipline."

"He's part of the crew. Even if it's for a few weeks, he's still helping Koki out and doing his share of the work. You have to treat him right, or the others will rise up against you."

"He's also the cabin boy. Have you not seen how Murakami treats his?" Nishikido said, rubbing his forehead.

Koyama just sighed. "You've got those eyes, Ryo," he murmured, shaking his head. Nishikido looked up.

"Huh? What eyes?" he asked, confused.

"Those eyes you get. Ryo, I've known you a long time," Koyama said, voice soft. Nishikido coughed.

"Nothing is happening. You're seeing things," Nishikido said with a gruff voice.

"Ah, I've been thinking," Koyama started, changing the subject before Nishikido could get too worked up, "I've never heard of an Ueda family."

"Huh?" Nishikido blinked at him. Koyama nodded, standing up to fetch some papers that he had brought with him. He placed them down in front of Nishikido.

"See?" he asked, pointing to the numerous names on the paper. "There's no Ueda family."

Nishikido clicked his tongue, eyes raking over the paper. "Then he's using a fake name."

"Why are you so sure that he's the missing prince?" Koyama asked, sighing and rolling the papers back up.

"I just am," was all Nishikido said.

Koyama waited a little, to see if the captain was going to continue, before excusing himself and walking to the door. "I'm gonna go back to him now. He looks half dead, you know."

"Mm. I know, I saw him collapse," Nishikido murmured, busying himself with his bird. "How's Tegoshi?"

"He's fine," Koyama said shortly. "I've got him copying down notes. But he didn't have to endure twenty lashes. And you know how strong Yamapi is--"

"Koyama," Nishikido warned, "You should stop there."

"Right. Sorry, captain. Excuse me," he bowed, before turning and closing the door behind him.

Nishikido sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. He knew what Koyama was getting at. His punishment was probably the worst he had given - well, since Koyama had joined his crew. And Koyama had been a part of the crew for years.

Koyama was the person who kept Nishikido grounded throughout the years. He was the most sensible, keeping a level head when Nishikido's own was blinded by anger. So Nishikido valued his opinion, needed it. But sometimes... sometimes he would forget that Nishikido was captain, and would stick his nose where it didn't belong.

And this Ueda Tatsuya. He was something Nishikido had never seen before. He had a pretty face and dainty fingers, but worked harder than most of his crew did. And he hadn't complained, yet. Koki had reported back to him last night, telling him of how Ueda had worked diligently, even trying to make conversation with the stubbornly silent Koki.

Just who was he?>>><<<  
Against Koyama's orders (which, in turn, were against Nishikido's orders), Ueda was up and walking after two days. His wounds hadn't completely healed, but he was stubborn, and refused further help. Koyama could only watch on as Ueda winced whenever he took a step, awkwardly hovering around him so he could at least try to talk him out of it.

Ueda had only seen Tegoshi once, before he was quickly pulled away by Koki. "What's wrong?" he asked, his upper arm firmly in Koki's grip as he was led away back into the kitchens.

"Tegoshi doesn't like you," Koki said.

"Well, I knew that much--"

"You don't understand," Koki interrupted, leaning in close and trapping Ueda against the counter. "Tegoshi will kill you if he gets the chance. Best be stayin' away from him." Koki moved away, leaving Ueda confused.

"But... why?"

"You ask too many questions," Koki muttered, bustling around and picking through the cupboards. He sighed a little, standing back up and glancing at Ueda. "He's jealous."

Ueda laughed, until he realised that Koki was serious. "What? Why?"

"'Cause of the cap'n." And that was all Ueda could get out of him, no matter how much he pried.

Ueda wondered why Tegoshi would be jealous. There was nothing to be jealous of, he thought, as he scrubbed out the inside of a frying pan. But as he looked up at Koki, who was now slicing the fish that Nakamaru had caught for their dinner, he figured that he should listen to him.

Dinner was spent in the kitchen, on a small chair Koki had found for him. He ate by himself, listening to the racket in the other room and chuckling at Nakamaru's badly veiled attempts at waving to him without Nishikido seeing. Koki came by every so often to check up on him, under the guise of getting Koyama more food. Koki was a terrible liar.

"Thankyou," Ueda said, at the end of the night, when it was quieter and Koki was shuffling backwards and forwards between the kitchen and the dining area.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for helping me," Ueda said, smiling a little when Koki's grip on the pots slipped.

"'t's okay," he muttered, turning away. "You go to sleep now, I'll clean up. Don't you fall asleep on your back, mind, or you'll be bleedin' tomorrow. On your stomach, an' try not to move around too much--"

"Koki, I'll be fine," Ueda laughed. Koki muttered something and turned his back on him again, the tips of his ears red. It was the most Koki had said in one go. "But thanks."

Ueda struggled up, wincing a little. He limped over to the stairs, once again thanking Koki, who was now collecting cups from the table.

Sleep did not come easily that night. His back was rather painful, the bandages digging into his sides where Koyama wrapped them a little too tightly. His bedding was maggot-free, thanks to Nakamaru, but he still couldn't sleep, the blankets bunching up around his legs and pressing into his stomach uncomfortably.

Ueda eventually sat up, sighing and rubbing his eyes, quietly making his way back out of the room and trying not to disturb anyone. He heard Yamapi snore loudly as he shut the door behind him. He took the lantern from next to the door, and walked up to the deck.

He stopped dead when he saw a familiar silhouette standing by the railing, looking out to the sea. Ueda was about to turn and just go back to the room, to lie there with his own thoughts rolling around his head, when the other spoke.

"Ueda?"

He paused. "Sorry, captain. I'll just go back to bed," he said quietly, but Nishikido just shook his head.

"No, come here."

So Ueda crossed the deck, coming to stand awkwardly next to the captain, who was back to staring at the water. They stood in silence for a while, Ueda feeling increasingly uncomfortable in his presence, especially when he realised that there was no-one else on deck.

"I sent Shige to bed," Nishikido said, answering his unvoiced question. "I couldn't sleep, so I told him I'd take over."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry," Nishikido said quickly, and Ueda blinked. Nishikido was apologising?

"For what?" Ueda asked, turning towards him, even though Nishikido was looking out to sea and appeared to take no notice of him.

"For the other day. I've been told off by Koyama for it," he laughed humorlessly. Ueda kept watching him.

"The other--"

"The whole 'punishment' thing," Nishikido interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck. Ueda wished he could see Nishikido's good eye, to at least check whether he was being sincere or not. "Koyama kicked some sense into me. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry."

Nishikido turned to Ueda and inclined his head slightly in a small bow, which took Ueda aback. "Uh... it's fine," was all he could say. The proud captain of this ship was apologising to him, and he wasn't sure what to do.

"Does it hurt?" Nishikido asked, setting his eyes back on the ocean. Ueda shrugged.

"Sometimes."

Nishikido sighed deeply, resting his elbows on the rail. "Why are you out here?"

Ueda's blood ran cold. "Am I not allowed to be--"

But Nishikido was shaking his head. "No, no, it's fine. I was just asking," he said. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah," Ueda answered, calming his racing heart. If he had to go through that pain one more time--

"You could sleep in my bed, if you like," Nishikido interrupted. At Ueda's intake of breath, he quickly added, "Not-- Not like that. It's just - I can't sleep, my mind won't let me. But my bed would be much better on your back than the floor, I'm sure."

Ueda was still rather weary of the other, but found that his body was not as tense as it had been. "Thankyou," he said eventually.

"You don't have to, of course," Nishikido continued, scratching his arm. "I just thought it might be a better alternative."

"Thankyou," Ueda repeated, bowing a little. He was grateful, but he wasn't quite sure about it. Who knew what could happen when he was fast asleep in the captain's bed? Then again, he supposed, he was sleeping in one room with five other men, and nothing had happened to him yet. Well, other than the slowly closing wounds on his back.

Thinking about the incident made him remember not to trust Nishikido. He said words that sounded pretty, but Ueda didn't truly know what was going around in his head. So Ueda decided to decline the offer, adding in another bow for good measure.

But Nishikido just nodded. "It's okay," he laughed, noticing the way Ueda wrung his hands together. "You probably should be getting to bed, though. Gotta get up early."

"Okay," Ueda said, bowing. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ueda," Nishikido murmured, fixing his good eye on Ueda. Ueda paused, seeing some kind of emotion swimming in his eye that he couldn't quite figure out. But it was soon hidden, Nishikido turning his face away and once again bidding him goodnight.

Ueda made his way back to the room, feeling rather strange. He was in some kind of daze, awkwardly picking his way through the room and lying down on his stomach. The Nishikido he had met tonight was not the Nishikido he had previously spoken to. He seemed more vulnerable, less like the captain of a ship and more like part of the crew.

And that look in his eyes seemed soft, faraway.

With that thought, Ueda fell asleep, the ship rocking gently as the waves pushed it further towards their destination.

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