Red Sky 1

[tornin1/2]

Red Sky

Disclaimer: this was written on the 4.7.2002. A long time ago. The characters in this fic are mine so if ever you wish to use them you should contact me by PMing or whatever, (if you want to that is).

// = thoughts

Chapter 1 Kidnapped

Ruriko sat up in bed. She was gasping for breath and a cold sweat was dripping down her face.

‘It’s always the same thing,’ she grumbled. She lay down on her side and hugged her knees, she had had the same dream for almost six months now but she still hadn’t got used to the whirly feeling she felt after waking up from it.

The dream was always a repeat of the last one. She is somewhere in the woods when suddenly she hears a baby crying, she walks towards the sound only to find it on the doorstep of a cottage; but when she bends down to pick it up, it’s vanished, instead she sees the whole wood ablaze, then everything is gone and she is surrounded by a suffocating blackness and she’s on the floor struggling to breathe, hearing an evil cackle in the background. But just when she thinks she’s about to die, she wakes up feeling whirly.

A cold breeze drifted in through the open window causing Ruriko to shiver, ‘I need a drink.’ She threw off her bed sheet and quietly got out of bed. When she was downstairs she poured herself a glass of orange juice, when suddenly she over-heard two men talking in soft tones.

‘Is that ‘er’ said the first man.

‘Shu’up or she’ll ‘ear ya,’ was the reply.

‘Who’s there?’ Ruriko asked trembling.

…silence…

‘I must be hearing things,’ she said now relaxed, she finished the glass of juice and put the cup in the sink. As she turned around Ruriko was bashed on the head and everything went black.

888888888888888888888888888888

Ruriko woke up to find herself in a cold, dark room and felt a sensation of flying. She tried to get up but only realized that her hands and feet were tied up when she landed heavily on the floor with a muffled thud. Her head was throbbing from the whack on the head she had received and when she lifted her hands to feel it, there was a lump the size of an egg.

She stretched out her sore muscles and once again tried to stand up. This time her legs didn’t feel like felly the way it had a moment ago.

Just as she had sat back down a door high above her opened, and a blinding light shined down on her. She heard some gruff voices and she saw a man clumsily climb down a ladder; before anyone could see her she closed her eyes feigning to be unconscious, but that was mistake because as the man picked her up he slapped her hard across the face and said, ‘Wake up liddle missie.’

Her eyes flew open and she glared at him, but before she could say anything she was pulled through the door and thrown onto another man’s shoulder.

‘Don’t struggle now or I’ll kill ya, its not everyday we get a killing.’

//These men are brutal// she thought, //I better watch what I say and do.//

All around her were men wearing different coloured clothes and some were wearing black eye patches most of them were bare-chested, it was very hot and their bodies glistened with sweat as they worked.

She was on a sky pirate ship, which explained the flying sensation she had felt when she had woken up. As she passed the clusters of pirates, she caught sight of a young man behind the crowds that was mostly men middle-aged and up. He, like many of the others, was bare-chested, he had short, wild, raven-black hair and was wearing baggy, patched, blue trousers, he also wore a gold band across his head with an emerald in the middle.

For a moment their eyes met but then he quickly lowered his gaze and returned to his work. //I wonder who he is, he doesn’t look like the rest of these savage barbarians. //

After a while the carrying her put her down and she was forced into a very beautiful room. As she looked around she saw the varnished walls and tables, the polished floor and portraits of ugly, proud-looking men. At the end of the room sat an old man with a long silver beard twisted into a plait, his hair was made into two ponytails on either side of his head and he wore fine clothes and a black eye-patch.

He barely glanced at her but turned his fiery gaze on the men standing behind Ruriko and spoke in an icy tone, ‘You have got the wrong girl.’

‘B-but Captain Cutkirk, y-you said the girl we was to bring ya had orange hair and-and pale green eyes.’

‘There are plenty of girls who fit that description! The girl I told you to bring me was beautiful, not like this chubby brat!’ He was now shouting.

‘Cap’n there are also plenty of girls who fit that d-description.’

‘Do you DARE to reply to me! If you weren’t such a handy fighter, I’d have you shot on the spot! But don’t let that gift spoil you, because next time, there won’t be a next time.

‘Y-Yes cap’n.’

‘Now bring me Quicksilver, he can put this thing to some use.’

//They’re talking about me as if I’m not here. //

‘What’s your name?’

‘Ruriko.’

‘CAPTAIN Cutkirk to you! How old are you?’

’15-Captain Cutkirk.’

Before anymore could be said, the young man that Ruriko had seen earlier appeared. He didn’t tremble before the captain like the other men on board, he just kept his face straight and unsmiling.

‘Quicksilver, take this girl and find her some work to do.’

‘Yes sir, Captain Cutkirk.’ The boy known as Quicksilver, had a slightly deep, and unwavering voice.

‘Now, get her out of my sight and clear off. I have things to do.’

Quicksilver led her back to the dark room she had first found herself in, and told her to help him scrub the floors, the light now on, they started to work. At first there was an awkward silence, but Ruriko unable to bear it any longer finally broke it. ‘So…your name’s Quicksilver right?’

‘No that’s just what the captain calls me, my real name is Aki Ekiguchi. But my friends just call me Aki.’

‘You mean that you’re actually friends with those barbarians?!’

‘Shhh. Keep your voice down.’

‘Sorry,’ Ruriko replied repentantly.

‘No…I’m sort of like their slave.’ He paused at that point, then after a few seconds hesitation continued. ‘I was forced to join the crew. I do everything they can’t or won’t do, but they treat me like one of them.’

‘How did you get here? Did they kidnap you the way they did me?’

‘Well you could put it that way. You see, I’m the prince of Aika, and…’

‘Yes, go on.’

‘Well the captain of this ship pretending to be a wealthy merchant, befriended my father the king, and during a banquet he poisoned my father and kidnapped me in the night when everyone was busy worrying about what to do and mourning my father’s sudden death,’ he said this all in one breath.

‘Why didn’t you fight him? I mean you look like a strong boy.’

‘I’m 18.’

‘Sorry, young man then.’

‘It’s okay. Anyway, I tried that but once I got on board there were hundreds of them and only one of me. They took away all my weapons and royal clothes, I think they’re still all stored in the captain’s cabin.’

‘How come they didn’t take that gold band on your head away?’

‘It can only be unlocked by a key, and that’s back on Aika. Also, I told them that if they took it off me or killed me, in two days they’d all die. Sky pirates are very superstitious you know.’

‘You’re both brave and clever. So, this must mean that you’re a king now.’

‘I would be if I was back in my country.’

‘You must be pretty homesick.’

‘What about you? Don’t you think your parents would be worried?’

‘So far as I know, my parents are dead. My real ones anyway. I was just lodging with the baker and his wife, I’ve been doing so for the past three years since my mother died. My father I’ve never known, I think I remember my mother saying that he was a Sky Pirate, but that’s all I’ve ever known.’

‘Oh, I didn’t know, sorry. If I ever escape, you can come back with me to Aika.’

‘Thanks, but…’

‘If you don’t know where to stay you can be my servant…’

Angrily Ruriko shouted, ‘Whoever said I wanted to be a servant! Least of all yours!’

‘I didn’t mean it that way. I meant you can stay in the palace, but I’ll need to find a reason why…people would talk. A servant is the best idea I could think of, besides the court might take it the wrong way.’ He blushed and swiftly turned away.

‘Sorry for getting angry, I didn’t understand what you meant.’

‘It’s okay…’

‘OI!! Quicksilver!!! The captain wants ya!’

‘I’d better go.’

Ruriko, left alone to scrub the floors, dumped the wet sponge in the bucket narrowly missing the spray of water. She sat up and sighed.

A/N- I don't remember why its called Red Sky, but i'll think of an alternative later. I hope you enjoyed that.

tornin1/2

[aku_ryo]

very intriguing torn!!! so ruriko where di you come up with that eh?

i look forward to reading more and learnign mroe abotu ruriko


aku aku

[cHiMes]

oh she forgot to say that i helped her ALOT with the plot of this story....just wait till u read the rest of the story!!!

[tornin1/2]

not that much cos you only helped with minor actions of the characters, so there .
tornin

[cHiMes]

....at least i helped :evil: