Chapter 5

Duo looked over at Heero as he walked up to question Duo as to what exactly was going on. It was a good question, and a fair one to ask, but as Captain Maxwell began to explain why they were in need of a crew and the other essentials before they made their dashing rescue of his fair maiden, Heero threw him for a bit of a loop.

“I mean, why are you doing this?”

There were several ways to answer that. Duo wondered if even one of them would satisfy the serious man.

“You didn’t want to help until you knew my name. Why would my name mean anything to you? Did you know my father?”

The cat was out of the bag. And hissing.

“Aye. I knew Odin. I may have been the only one who knew him as Odin Yuy, before he became Odin the Ogre. A good man, and a talented pirate. Practically taught me everything I thought I knew already.”

Heero seemed to be lit by an infernal fire. “You lie. My father was a businessman, a merchant.”

At once serious, Duo tried to conquer the urge to slap Heero. “Listen, I am a villain but I am no liar. Your father was a pirate as sure as I am, and showed me the ropes when I was but a skinny upstart ready to take on the entire royal navy. Saved my hide more than once. I would’ve trusted him as much as any man.”

Really it was too bad that the blacksmith was so predictable. A few words he didn’t want to hear, and he was rushing forward with a sword ready to gut Duo from the neck down. It was an old trick, but Heero had not spent much time on a ship and as the wheel spun and Duo ducked Heero only had enough presence of mind to grab onto some hanging rope. He hung over the side of the boat looking venomously at Duo.

“Now as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. What matters now and at any other time is this: what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, so you'll have to square with that some day. And me, for example, I can let you drown, but I refuse to be left all alone with our good mutual friend Mr. Barton. So, can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?”

For longer than Duo would have liked, Heero seemed to think about the question. It seemed like he was the sort who could just as easily say ‘no’ and let himself drop into the sea. That would cause all sorts of trouble. Thankfully, Heero gave a short nod, and Duo swung him back over. Heero reclaimed his sword from where he had dropped it on the deck and marched off to the opposite side from where Maxwell resided.

If Duo thought that would be the end of the day’s unpleasantness, he was wrong, for not minutes later Barton snuck up next to him while he was contemplating the gun that held the single shot he coveted.

“No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn’t function, and a sword so rusty you’d think it wouldn’t cut butter. . . you are without any doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.”

“But you have heard me all the same.” Duo’s eyes rolled. “Don’t pay the likes of me so many compliments, sir, else you’ll turn my head.”

Trowa popped his sword out of the hilt just a little. For his part, Duo though maybe he should start counting how many times his life got threatened each day. Somehow he knew no one was giving out prizes, though.

“Please, Barton, we’ve known one another for too long. You wouldn’t cut down a man in cold blood, not even me. And I’m well aware just how fond of me you are, make no mistake.”

With a click the sword went all the way back in its sheath. “You know me well enough, Maxwell, but then I’ve had years to get to you know you too. I know you’re plotting something, and once I know what it is I will stop you. After that I will kill you.”

“Lovely chat we’re having, but I need to concentrate back on steering. I know that you know the way as well as I do, but I must say that the winds have been a bit strong. . . sometimes that’s just the way things go.” Duo laughed a little. “Seems like between the two of us we know an awful lot.”

“I’m watching you Maxwell.”

Trowa walked away and went back below deck, since he did not want to meet up with Heero who was still sulking on the other side of the ship. With a sigh, Duo wondered if they’d all make it to Sandrock without at least one of them being chopped to mince by one of the others.

*

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*

Duo flounced along, finally in his element. The good Mr. Barton had agreed to hide himself in the ship lest his presence result in a quick death for all of them, and Heero had at least been silent and reasonably cooperative. When the roaring and crashing become louder and Heero realized the full extent of the debauchery going on around him, all he managed was a light disgust. This was a total waste of time, and he told Duo so.

“Aye, it is. But unless you want to be slow as a scrap of seaweed, we need a crew so you’ll just grin and bear it.” Duo felt inflated with importance at coming back to his old stomping ground with the prospect of good fortune in his future if he managed the situation well enough. His musings were cut short by the cutting sound of his name, followed by the statuesque redhead who had called it.

“Dinah! Dearest!” The resounding slap knocked his head to the side mostly from surprise. Duo swallowed slowly, suddenly more apprehensive about his visit to Sandrock. “I’m not sure I deserved that.”

Heero just arched an eyebrow as a striking woman with piles of glossy black hair and a low cut dress stepped up to meet them.

“Marita! Darling!”

“Who was she?” her accent was thick and Spanish, but seemed to add to her charm.

“What?” Duo saw this one coming, but didn’t stop it as the slap landed on the other cheek. Well, now at least they hurt evenly. Heero, about as smug as he had ever looked, regarded Duo with even less respect now. “I may have deserved that.”

Duo rubbed his cheeks with both palms as he yelled to carry his voice to Heero. The two of them skillfully dodged all the obstacles that walking through the street presented, such as brawling men, barking dogs, a barrel, some woman throwing clothes from a second story window, and even a cup hurled through an open window which Duo skillfully ducked.

“Do you know what you’re doing? This place is a mess.” Heero was obviously skeptical, as he kept one guarded hand on his sword.

“Indeed, indeed, a regular den of thieves. Barton would go all delirious deciding which one of us to hand first, I’m sure, but I know these people. These are MY people. And I know how they think. Right about now, knowing my good old friend, he should be about out of money and living off the good will of the only legitimately rich person in town.”

“Who would that be?”

Duo took off his hat as he spoke the name. “Good doctor Sally. She always had a soft spot for Chang, that seadog.”

They walked a ways out of town where a long line of men and women with various injuries were waiting for treatment. A few assistants seemed to be tending to some of the more obvious things, such as taking care of binding up arms, but Duo didn’t seem to address anyone so this Sally person must be further inside. With his usual egotism, Duo marched around back and entered to find Sally sitting down and fanning herself with an expensive looking French creation long stained brown from its original white.

Sally, unlike the other women Heero had seen, had her hair done in two long simple braids and had a harried no nonsense look that changed to a tired smile as she noticed Duo.

“He’ll be happy you’re here. He’s been cranky as all get out the past few days especially. I declare, one more snippy day with him and I was going to do some involuntary operations to remove his vocal chords.” Sally washed her hands and splashed her face with water before calling out to her assistants to bring the next man in. “Take the bucket. You won’t want to get close, with the mood he’s in.”

Duo saluted the good lady doctor, and grabbed the bucket next to the pump outside. After some effort, he filled it with water and then found another bucket for Heero to carry.

“I can see you don’t understand how such an honest looking woman could end up here.” Heero refused to admit to any curiosity, but lack of encouragement never prevented Duo from talking. “She says that at least here she gets respect for her profession. There isn’t a man on this island that wouldn’t defend her honor as one of the best doctors they’ve ever been treated by. Have to admire a woman of conviction like that Dr. Sally.”

They carried their buckets out to a barn, as Duo continued. “I remember one time she sewed up a nasty gash I got in a knife fight. Funny fight that one. Once the knife was out of his hand he tried to break a bottle over my head. I love it when amateurs try to break bottles.” He added thoughtfully, “Don’t think he ever got back the use of his hand, come to think of it, the poor devil.”

Inside the barn were two cows, a few pigs, and some other random barnyard animals. Heero had no great interest in farming, and therefore he focused more on the tools in barn and tried to evaluate their quality while Duo seemed to search for something. Over to the side, among a pile of hay, he gave a little chuckle and pulled Heero over. The man sleeping in the hay seemed peaceful enough, but that changed as the arc of water from Duo’s bucket met the sleeping form with a great crash and a stream of swear words in a language Heero’s couldn’t comprehend.

“Dishonorable!” It was the only word either man picked out of the steady stream of invectives. “I’ll disembowel you both for this affront!”

“I have a better idea, how about I buy you a drink. Then I can tell you about all the profitable opportunities you can have so long as I am not disemboweled or otherwise disabled.” Duo flashed that sunny smile of his, the one that made Heero want to punch him.

“It had better be good, Maxwell.” The second bucket of water came arching over, splashing the Chinese man a second time. Duo threw the bucket aside. “Blast you to the deepest hell Maxwell, what was that for!?”

“It’s Captain Maxwell to you, Chang.”

They wandered towards the main strip of town again, and the noise level rose to almost a deafening roar of accusations, boasts, and cursing. By an inn with a broken sign was a tumble down shack of a place with three X’s painted over the door. There was no pause in sweaty, angry, seething movement as Duo deftly procured drinks in less than clean cups (which Heero set down somewhere and never saw again, much to his relief). When Duo said he needed some privacy and to keep an eye out for trouble, Heero gladly refocused all of his attention on keeping out of trouble. Though, wit Maxwell around, he was sure trouble would find them anyway.

“It’s madness, Captain. Even assuming I could round up a sober crew that fast or kidnap a drunk one, then we’re walking into our own deaths! I won’t do it, you can’t make me, and I wish you good luck at getting yourself slit from nostrils to nuts by Winner and his pack of monsters.” Wufei down the last of what was in his cup and began to stand, but Duo, with an uncharacteristically serious scowl grabbed his wrist.

“You aren’t hearing me, Chang. I know you’re listening, but you aren’t *hearing*. I tell you, me and my friend Yuy over there have a distinct advantage over them. More than the element of surprise.”

“Yuy you say?”

Heero, who was trying to keep track of every shady dealing within the tavern and only succeeding in giving himself a terrible headache felt like he was being watched. He turned around to see Maxwell and the Chinese man turn quickly back down to their drinks. This was all terribly suspicious. More than just his father being a pirate, which he wasn’t sure he believed, and he wasn’t sure he had patience for any sort of conclusive resolution. They needed to save Relena, and every precious moment they stalled was causing his heart to coil and harden. Those pirates would be facing a demon in the form of Heero Yuy if he had to wait very much longer. At last Duo stood, shook hands with the Chinese man, and parted ways.

“Great news, Chang says he’ll get us a crew by morning. We’ll sail at dawn.”

Rather than the ecstatic happiness that Duo felt like should have sprung from the serious man, he merely got a nod. Heero ducked a thrown glass and blocked a punch on the way out, making Duo wonder if maybe Heero was a little inhuman himself.

*

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The next morning, after a fairly comfortable (if highly stressful) night in Sally’s barn, Heero emerged wondering if he would ever be able to sleep peacefully again. He didn’t trust Duo or this Change character, but then if he didn’t sleep he couldn’t be at full capacity for when he encountered the pirates and saved Relena. It was a tough choice. He decided to sleep only after the other two fell asleep, but then the two men in question proceeded to snore so loudly he wasn’t sure if it wouldn’t just be a better idea to kill them and rescue Relena with just Barton. Of course that was distasteful as well.

Damn pirates. The hate boiled just below the surface of Heero’s calm façade. There was no way Heero himself could be a pirate. Hate redoubled, and he wondered if he was going to be sick. Dinner had been unappetizing, but it would be even less pleasant experiencing it in reverse.

Eventually sleep overtook him, only to be interrupted by the loud voice of Maxwell giving morning salutations. Heero swung a lazy punch in reaction, but still got up.

“Up you get lazy bones! Chang has by now rounded up our lovely crew and now we need to review them. C’mon, we haven’t got all day to wait for you!”

Heero tried to bore a hole in the back of Maxwell’s head with his stare. Maybe through sheer will he could just implode the noisy pirate. That would make life so much more enjoyable.

On the dock was a small group of men, all looking sleepy. A couple seemed to be missing limbs or eyes, and one looked old enough to be Duo’s great-grandfather, but Duo seemed optimistic. He strode up in front of one of the stranger figures, with a turban of sorts and long robes. They looked strangely exotic, with scarves tied around arms and waist in a haphazard fashion, and the small height of them was rather unimposing.

“You, sailor!”

“Moony, sir.” Chang supplied.

“Moony! Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?” Duo tapped an impatient foot on the dock. “Well, answer me man! Are you mute?”

The nod Moony gave cause Duo to pull at his collar in slight embarrassment. “Er, nod once if the answer is yes to the aforementioned question.” Moony nodded once. “Good enough for me!” Duo reviewed the line a little more and then moved over to where Heero stood with his arms crossed. “So, what do you think?”

“Every last one of them looks like they need to either be committed or retired. What do you expect me to think?”

From the peanut gallery a loud voice of dissent made itself known.

“You aren’t exactly inspiring confidence, you great jackass, so shut up. This is as good as you’ll get.”

Duo knew that voice. From the end of the line a slight form made its way to where the two men were standing, and threw off he hat as she ruffled up her short dark hair. By everything dishonest, she was the loveliest thing he had seen in a long time, like an avenging goddess. Just as mad, too.

“Hilde!” This time the slap was much harder, as Hilde was strong enough to hold her weight on any ship’s crew. He hoped he hadn’t snapped his neck. Judging from the fact that he was still standing, Duo decided he had survived the first encounter. This did not fill him with too much joy, because it meant he now had to deal with her.

“You didn’t deserve that?” Heero asked under his breath.

“No, that one I deserved.”

Hilde looked around in an exaggerated manner. “I see you, but somehow I don’t see my ship. Unless you have it secreted on your person, I think it means that I’m entitled to taking something of yours.” Her eyes flickered down to Duo’s crotch. “And I know just the thing I want to claim as compensation. . .”

Duo, finding himself in a very threatening position, tried to extract himself. But before he could say anything, Heero made it worse.

“What did he do to you?” Hilde turned to Heero with a wide smile and began rattling off the story of their last encounter, ending with Duo running off with some of her pocket change and he boat. Naturally, Heero took her side. “You are completely justified, Miss.”

“Before the two of you go about cutting off my bits and pieces I really must insist that. . .”

“Maxwell owes you a boat, and he will give you that one as soon as our mission is over.” Duo saw the direction Heero pointed and almost left his jaw hanging at his feet. He was giving away their boat! He had stolen that ship fair and square! It was the second fastest boat in the Sanq! Then again. . . there was the alternative.

Duo clapped his arm around Hilde’s shoulders. “Isn’t it a fine ship, my dear?”

Hilde looked mollified. Her features softened, making her look more feminine, before she sharpened and strode purposefully towards the end of the dock.

“Women are bad luck on a ship, Captain.” Chang grumbled.

“Look, this one would be even worse luck off of it, so just hold your tongue Chang.”

“Or else she might cut it off along with something else.” Heero added. Wufei and Duo gave Heero a horrified look. “What, it was the logical conclusion.” He strode after Hilde who was urging people to get moving.

She waved people in the direction of the ship. “The sooner we get going, the sooner I get my ship!”

Once they had been at sea an hour and the winds had picked up, naturally that’s when Barton emerged in full uniform on deck and caused a major panic. Hilde screamed and attacked, knives drawn, but was easily held off as the rest of the crew waited for Duo to come down and explain. Naturally, no one was comfortable with one of the highest ranking royal naval officers on the deck doubtlessly memorizing their faces and branding each one in his mind.

Heero barely even twitched from his spot on the deck as the drama unfolded. He could care less. Only Relena mattered. He wished he knew how she was. He wished he could tell her he was coming for her. He wished he had done his job right in the first place and prevented this whole mess. Chang came up to Heero, a strange look in his eyes.

“So, you’re Odin’s son.”

Heero grunted. He didn’t want to think about his father right now.

“Yes, definitely Odin’s son. How did you get involved with this mess?” He pointed over his shoulder at Duo who occasionally checked his compass and realigned the wheel a little.

“I could ask you the same question.”

Chang didn’t seem happy with the turn of conversation. “Listen, I owe Captain Maxwell a debt, and I pay back my debts. Not that I expected I ever would have to, everyone expected him to be dead.”

“Oh? That idiot only seems to be able to keep himself alive, amazingly.”

With a devilish look, Chang sat down near Heero and took a swig from a bottle secreted under his belt. “You should know some things before you talk about the Captain like that. I expect you haven’t heard the story.” Chang looked over to make sure Duo wasn’t looking at him. “You see, a long time ago I was on Maxwell’s crew when he had just become Captain of The Black Death. He had a vision, you see, having come across a map to an island that by all rights shouldn’t exist. I had come down with a terrible fever and they dropped me off at Sandrock with Sally and went on ahead. After I left there was a mutiny, as the captain agreed to share the coordinates of the island at the request of the crew. But there’s no honor among those thieves, and they left him on an island with nothing but the clothes on his back and that single shot pistol.”

“So what then? What did the miraculous captain do?” Trowa had somehow appeared behind them during the story. Wufei ignored the interruption.

“Naturally, that one shot isn’t good for much. Give it a few days and you find yourself staring down that barrel with a mind to pulling it, but not Captain Maxwell. No, he wandered out into the ocean and once he had learned the rhythms of the animals around him, he roped himself a porpoise and made it back to civilization.” Chang leaned back, done with his story.

“So how did he rope the porpoise?” Trowa, ever the skeptic, tried to hold back his derision.

“Listen Barton, I think I’ll have a bald patch on my scalp for the rest of time because of that. My braid with never be the same that’s for sure. Now if you ladies are done chatting, we have work to do.” Heero gave Duo a more circumspect glance. This was an interesting new dimension to add to the outwardly carefree pirate. He knew just what would be on his own mind if he had survived such a situation.

Revenge.

*

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Trowa stalked the deck, wary of everyone around him. The only one he could even slightly trust was Yuy and even he was unpredictable. With so many murderous thieves surrounding him, he wondered if he’d even make it out alive.

Why had he entered into such madness? He could have jumped ship long ago and waited for the inevitable rescue by Kushrenada and Peacecraft on their way to do exactly what that impulsive fool Yuy and that idiot Maxwell were trying to do. What had he been thinking?

He whipped around with his sword drawn as the steps halted mere inches away from a rather nasty neck wound. It was the one called Moony, the mute. He offered something in a tin. It looked like food, and Trowa merely stared at it. He furrowed his brow and the scarves on his clothing flew in all directions as his arm held perfectly still and offered up the food.

“I’m not going to take it, so you might as well give up.” Trowa had never been one for soft denials. He spoke plainly.

Moony sat down and shrugged as he began to eat Trowa’s portion of the food in front of him, taunting his decision to avoid eating when he was so hungry. Watching the small man eat made Trowa wish there was a way to be able to tell when something was poisoned, because that would make his life a lot easier.

It wasn’t the first time his brooding solitude was interrupted by the mute. Moony dragged him over to help with tying ropes, and with hauling supplies, but Trowa drew the line when Moony tried to hand him a mop.

“I am an officer, I haven’t had to swab decks since I was practically in knee britches.” The mop was shoved at him only to fall to the deck with a clatter. Moony’s eyes went all soft and for some reason Trowa felt like he should just pick up the mop and comply this once. No one had to know. So long as Maxwell didn’t see. . .

“I see you two have been spending an awful lot of time together, eh?” Hilde, the knife obsessed pirate maid sauntered over like she owned the boat, (that she very nearly did never crossed his mind as no one had thought to enlighten him to that piece of business.)

Trowa didn’t like the familiar tone or the weird little smile on her face.

“He’s the only one who treats me like a person, the rest of you are just slime on the bottom of my boot. As soon as I’m off this ship, I will hunt every last one of your kind down.” Trowa’s voice was so cold and level; Hilde couldn’t help but feel a chill run through her. “Now leave me alone before I change my mind and execute you right here.”

Hilde stuck out her tongue and put a hand on Moony’s shoulder as she passed. “Watch yourself,” she warned the silent pirate. “This kitten has sharp claws.”

Moony just smiled, dimples showing. Trowa glanced over, feeling like he was missing something as he noted the whispered exchange. After a while, he found himself talking to the mute, knowing that his secrets were as safe as if they were in his head. Why would a pirate know the finer points of literacy?

“It’s a shame a nice boy like you didn’t join His Majesty’s Navy. There’s a fine life in it for you, one that won’t lead to the end of a rope. I myself almost became a pirate.” Moony arched an eyebrow. “It’s true. I had been a street urchin for a while, but I thought a life at sea would be the right way to go. At least I could make some money. The most money was in piracy, I heard, and of course I thought it would be all robbing.”

He looked downcast.

“I never expected the murder.” Moony stopped mopping for a second or two, keeping his head down, and Trowa retreated into an earlier time. “It wasn’t the first time I had seen violence, or even a dead body. . . some of my friends had made a good living off of skimming clothing off of dead people and selling it. No, that didn’t horrify me. What got to me was how they didn’t spare anyone. They took everything and then set the ship afire, leaving all the people to face a death in the fire or death in the sea.” He clenched the handle of the mop. “Women and children, old people. . .” The mop snapped, nearly pitching Trowa forward onto the deck with the force of his inertia.

Moony put a hand on his shoulder, eyes soft. He patted Trowa’s hands and took the broken mop from him. Seething with emotion, Trowa tried to finish what he had begun.

“I decided then that it was my mission to stop them, to stop them all. No pirate I have hunted has ever escaped me, save one, and it will only be a matter of time before I get my length of rope around Maxwell’s neck. Don’t make me come after you too, I like you, boy.” Trowa tried to get a handle on himself once again, but failed to the point that he had to retreat for the rest of the day below deck.

With a thoughtful pull to his mouth, Moony considered Trowa’s words. Perhaps killing the officer in his sleep wouldn’t be the best course after all. It had seemed like a good plan, but now Moony knew he didn’t have the stomach for it. Hilde had proposed a few plans as soon as she had learned of the presence of the officer, but now sympathy clouded any enthusiasm he had had for the plans. Trowa wasn’t a bad man, and it seemed a shame to kill him.

Even if he was an officer, and a bit of a cold hearted suspicious bastard at that. Trowa was still the kind of bastard that Moony understood. They had been inherently similar in some ways after all, both being street children.

Of course Moony has just turned away from the killing and did the job of a cook and general handyman. It was the best way. Everyone had to eat, after all, even evil pirate scum. And then there was Hilde, who wasn’t a bad sort at all. So far as anyone knew, Hilde had never done more than take a few scraps of flesh off of anyone. No real killing.

Why had he suddenly become so defensive?

Damn it all. Now was not the time to start doubting his life’s course.

Trowa had given him a lot to think about. Maybe the time had come to let the turban down.