Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Hayabusa Abumi Must Die! ❯ Episode 6: Ikkouku of the High Seas ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: MellyN

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Hayabusa Abumi Must Die!

Episode 6: Ikkouku of the High Seas

By: Melissa Norvell

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Ruri and Abumi flew into Wagari, who let out a loud scream. The pressure at which they hit him caused his sword to fly out of his hand and spun in the air.

"Huh?" Zatani looked confused as a single white beam shot out of a jewel on the sword's hilt. Ruri's hammer passed in front of it and shattered the beam into fragments that rained around, turning several people on board into fish.

XxXx

Ikkouku walked down the wooden docks of the harbor alone. Nothing but the clank of her sandals and the sound of the seabirds were there to comfort her. She stopped when she came across her ship.

"Ah, there she is…" The wavy-haired girl glanced up at the wooden structure of her pirate ship, then a concerned look crossed her face, "but there's something odd about the feeling of this place."

The female pirate hopped up to her ship and finally made it on deck, where she glanced around to see that no one was there. This only caused her to worry more. Ikkouku no longer heard the hustle and bustle of her crew nor did she see them scurrying about to finish their given tasks. It was just odd all around. Where had everyone gone?

"Everything's too quiet here…" The lavender haired pirate cautiously walked around. "Hello…Hello!" She opened one of the doors to the captain's quarters and saw no one. "Is anyone here? Kaji?" She looked down below as she called out for the man who worked below deck. "Aararot?" She then ran up deck and called out to the crow's nest.

The woman then ran around to the back side of the ship. "Where is everyone? I don't understand any of this…Where could they be? I left one of my ship mates in charge…" The woman noted and soon after, something hit her. Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe something happened…" With that being said, she took off running.

'I hope they haven't been taken out by Wagari's crew. They've been our rivals for years. I knew I shouldn't have left.' The woman jumped from one ship to the next.

Then, she came to a complete stop and stared with widened eyes. "Huh?" She glanced around. Everything had been destroyed. Things were broken, smashed and had been blasted with canons. It looked like a battle field. "Everything's been destroyed…but who could have done this? There aren't any signs of dead bodies anywhere. In fact, everything is completely silent." The pirate noted. "Nothing's been taken that would be worth any value…This is definitely strange…Almost like a trap…but it would be too obvious for Wagari to plan. Maybe it's the work of some green horn pirates, but they couldn't have taken out my crew."

This was indeed a conundrum and none of it seemed to make any sense to Ikkouku. She wanted to push aside the fact that it might be Wagari but at the same time, she couldn't put it past him to do something like this either.

XxXxXx

Abumi and Ruri crawled out of a pile of destroyed boxes. Their bodies ached from being flung around by the blast, not to mention the shattering wood around them dug into their skin. They were lucky to be alive.

"Ouch…" Abumi groaned as he rose up and held his back in pain.

"That sucked…" Ruri lay, splayed across the hardwood deck.

"Well, whoever we were hiding from just saw us and it's all your fault," the spiky-haired teen looked irritated with the crazy orange-haired woman, who sat up, rubbing her head.

"Mugh…My fault?!" She snapped in outrage. "You're the one who just wouldn't die! If you would have died then none of this would have happened!" Ruri rose up quickly and got in his face, waving her finger.

"What!? You want me to die for you?" Abumi couldn't believe that she actually thought that he'd just drop over dead for a psycho like her.

"Yes," she seemed proud of that answer.

"I hate you."

"Likewise."

"Well gee; I wonder how that was established," Abumi replied sarcastically.

"You're the one who started this mess. It's your fault that I have to kill you," Ruri informed, rubbing his nose in their old pact.

"You don't have to kill me," the black-haired boy tried to tell her but she would have none of it.

"Oh, but I do," it seemed like a childish game to her, and no doubt she was having fun doing it.

"Do you even care that there's someone else on this ship that might kill us?" Abumi noted her of the possible dangers that could be surrounding them, even at this very moment.

"Let them come, if that's what they want to do. As long as you die too, then that's accomplishing my mission," Ruri said proudly with a finger pointed into the air. She seemed all too happy about her own demise as a possibility. Did she really not even care?

"What are you, suicidal?" Abumi was flabbergasted that the woman would even care so little about herself. He'd never met anyone like that before.

"Think of me like a kamikaze bomber, I'll take myself out as long as you go with me," the woman pointed to him and flashed her toothy smile.

"Well, it won't matter if we both die, will it? Because every pirate here is going to kill us."

"Well, I'll be a little upset that I didn't get to kill you, but walking the plank will be fun," she couldn't be serious?

"Contrary to popular belief, pirates don't make you walk the plank as punishment, they-" Abumi began to lecture the woman on how real pirates punished people but he was cut off by a young, tough-sounding voice.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Ikkouku shouted in their direction.

"Crap!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Let's hide!" Abumi said quickly as Ruri agreed and they scrambled to hide as the wavy-haired pirate walked into view.

"Hello?" The woman's voice called out again as the two of them hid behind a box, or rather, they attempted to hide since Ruri's head was sticking out and so were Abumi's legs. There was barely enough room for the both of them to even fit behind the box.

"Do you mind?" Abumi growled lowly at the woman. She didn't even give him enough room to pull his legs in.

"Hello! My head is sticking out!" Ruri called out obviously.

"Well, stick it back in," came the low, yet irritated reply.

"I can't! You're big head is in the way! If your hair wasn't so funky, I could pull it in more," the orange-haired woman noted the ninja's mass of black spikes that leaned to one side.

"Deal with it."

"Shut up! Here she comes!" Ruri tried to pull her head in as far as it would go.

"Don't tell me to shut up," Abumi countered as they heard Ikkouku's boots near the two of them. They froze and didn't dare to move an inch as the pirate glanced around several times and walked away as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"You think she saw us?" Abumi asked.

"How could she not have? I mean, my head was sticking right out at her. I swear I made eye contact and everything," Ruri was a little confused as to why the pirate just walked off, opposed to going over to them and revealing them for what they were.

"You're big head isn't hard to miss," the spiky-haired teen mumbled.

"Mmm Hmm…It sure is-" Ruri nodded and half way agreed until she realized what she was saying, then the woman looked offended. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

"You agreed. That's all I have to say."

XxXxXx

Moegi laid in one of the many collapsed boxes that had been filled with ears of corn. "Ouch…" She moaned as she slowly and shakily pulled herself from the ground. A confused expression crossed her face as she wondered what exactly had been going on. "What was that about? I wasn't doing anything. It was just silence and then…BLAM! I'm flying through the air. I wonder where Abumi-kun and that crazy lady are…” The confused girl rubbed her back and glanced around for any sign of the two. 'I can't wait to tell Charity and Wainoko about this! They'll never believe it!'

"Huh?" The girl heard the approaching sound of boots against hard wood. She ran up to the corner of the captain's quarters and poked her head around the corner to see Ikkouku, who was still looking around as if she was confused and calling out to her team mates. 'Just what I need. Another person who wants to kill me and to get Abumi-kun. He's sure had some weird acquaintances in the last. Like that Ichiban Ruri chick…Talk about weird…and I wonder where she is. She and Abumi-kun got blasted by the explosion. I hope they aren't hurt…or worse…' A horrified expression crossed her face as she thought of the potential of where her thoughts were heading. Moegi then shook her head furiously. ' Okay, I just need to think of the positive. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy-Ugh! There she is!'

The brown-haired school girl quickly pulled her head back in as Ikkouku walked half way to her and sighed.

"I don't really see anyone. Is it possible that Wagari took them hostage?" The pirate thought aloud. "Surely that can't be it. We always defeat his crew so easily…None of this makes any sense." Ikkouku's voice sounded hopeless. 'I wish I could've gotten to at least say good bye to the guy I told to stay in charge before I left…He's done so much for me and I barely knew him.'

The woman's thoughts drifted into vivid flashbacks of how she had met the dark, spiky-haired man known as Zatani.

'This time, Captain Ikkouku, I've got you!' A young, teen aged Wagari shouted as he stabbed his sword downward at the pinned pirate below him.

"Ninja Art- Dark Forest! Go!" A rough and deep voice cried out as several hand signs were created and tall trees composed of dark energy shot from the ground. One of them managed to hit Wagari in the stomach as the enemy pirate was launched into the air.

"Huh?" Ikkouku looked utterly confused as she lay on the ground and glanced up to the man in question. He had just saved her life and for that, she was grateful.

"Are you alright?" The man with spiky hair and bandages that covered his face, masking his identity asked as he ran over to her and knelt down.

"I just have a few flesh wounds, nothing serious," the lavender haired girl dismissed.

"Who was that guy?" Zatani asked as he helped her to her feet.

"His name was Hajiri Wagari. He's a rival pirate," Ikkouku explained.

"Pirate?" So that's what they were. It made sense to him now.

"Yes, we're both pirates."

"Really? Where's your ship?" The ninja glanced around and saw no ships I sight. They were pretty inward to see any docks, however.

"Near the harbor, my crew are loading the cargo and getting ready to set sail. If nothing came up," she noted. "What are you doing here?" She had wanted to ask the ninja that question for a while.

"I'm a ninja. I was on a mission, but I got separated from my squad," he explained.

"So, you haven't found them yet?" Ikkouku asked. At the least, she would offer her assistance in exchange for him saving her life.

"I already did," Zatani glanced down with a crestfallen expression.

"So…They weren't alive?" The lavender-haired pirate said lowly.

"No, my client and team mates were all killed. I found them lying in a forest clearing," the ninja replied. As soon as his team mates and client made it to the clearing, they had been caught off guard by an enemy squad and assassinated.

"What are you going to do now?" Ikkouku was concerned for her hero's well-being.

"I don't know…Wander around until I find something to do, I guess." It was all he could do, since his mission was over.

"Why don't you come with me?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, if you don't mind pirates, danger, traveling and well…water," the idea sounded good to the woman, unless he was seasick or easily bothered by any of the aforementioned things. "You could be part of my crew if you want."

"Pirate, huh?" The ninja thought to himself about her tempting offer. "I never thought of that." While it didn't seem along his line of work, he couldn't deny that he had much to lose.

"You don't have to but it's an offer, since you seem a little lonely," Ikkouku offered.

The ninja said nothing for a moment, merely immersed in thought.

"Did I offend you?" The pirate asked as she felt a little uncomfortable with such a long silence.

"No, I was just thinking."

"Hm?" The woman cocked her head.

"It would be nice and everything, you know, to see the world without actually having to pay your way and walk yourself," Zatani then looked to her. "If I can still be a ninja, then I'll join you." After all, he had been a ninja all of his life and it was the one thing that brought him happiness. Zatani wouldn't sacrifice his happiness for anyone.

"Of course you can. Maybe you can even teach us some of that Ninjutsu stuff that you can do," the woman smiled as she playfully elbowed the spiky-haired ninja with a smile.

It was indeed to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Blue eyes glanced down as the memories faded as soon as they came and a nostalgic expression crossed her face. 'He did teach me Ninjutsu…He was one of my most faithful crew mates and he saved my life quite a few times…and now he's gone.'

Ikkouku was silent for a few moments before she looked up with a serious expression. "Whoever did this had better hope that I don't' find out, or they're seriously dead."

"Eep!" Fear shot through Moegi's spine as her body went rigid. 'Poor Abumi-kun! I hope he'll be alright and I definitely hope she doesn't find him, or she and Ruri will gang up on him. Then he'll really be in for it. Somehow, I've got to get back to Abumi-kun, but I have to wait for her to get out of here first.'

From her position, there was nothing to do but wait and hope that the pirate didn't come her direction. Moegi wanted nothing more than to hurry and get to Abumi's side, before either of the dangerous women tried to kill him in some way.

"I've got to find some leads. I can't give up now!" Determination shot through the pirate's voice. "There's no way I can just sit back and let this happen," Ikkouku then took off running as fast as she could, fueled by her new hope and willpower. Nothing would stop her from accomplishing her goals and she would find her crew mates, no matter what came her way. Dead or alive, she needed to know.

Moegi slowly snuck around and dove behind the pile of corn that she climbed out of as Ikkouku raced to her side of the deck and shot past her.

'Wherever you are, Mr. Ninja…I hope you'll be alright until I find you.' Ikkouku silently prayed for the spiky-haired man to be alright. She would find him and her other crew mates, no matter where she had to search.

She just hoped that she wasn't too late.

…To Be Continued