Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/8354545.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Code_Geass
  Relationship:
      Kururugi_Suzaku/Lelouch_Lamperouge_|_Lelouch_vi_Britannia
  Character:
      Lelouch_Lamperouge_|_Lelouch_vi_Britannia, Kururugi_Suzaku, The_Order_of
      the_Black_Knights_(Code_Geass), Kouzuki_Kallen, C.C._(Code_Geass)
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-10-23 Updated: 2017-07-09 Chapters: 4/? Words: 12814
****** Privateers and Buccaneers ******
by BlackWitchesCat
Summary
     He and Lelouch had been best friends until their ship was boarded by
     pirates and Lelouch was lost to them. He swore that day that he would
     find Lelouch and bring him home. Years later, when employed in his
     Majesty's Royal Navy his ship is boarded by pirates once again,
     though the captain seems very familiar. Who is Captain Zero of The
     Black Knights?
***** Blow the Man Down *****
The grand vessel rocked and swayed on the dark waves causing the two young boys
to hold the wooden rail as they looked up at the sea of stars above them.
The boy with ink black hair looked down as he spoke to his companion, “I hate
him.”
“You mean your father, Lelouch?” the other boy questioned as he turned towards
his friend. He had only met the boy three months prior when the boy boarded the
ship with his sister. The boy was the same age as him and he was glad to have a
friend his age on the ship, even though Suzaku had to work most of the time.
The two had always found ways to be around each other and to get into trouble.
It pained Suzaku that his friend would be leaving the ship soon.
It wasn’t a mystery to Suzaku the Lelouch hated his father. The man was sending
his ten-year-old son and invalid child to a new colony with barely any
resources. The man was the very reason his friend was sick with worry almost
every night, the same worry that landing them on the deck every night, such as
this one, so that his friend could empty his fluttering gut.
“There is no way we will survive in Japan, Suzaku,” Lelouch began, “We have
nothing and I won’t be able to take care of Nunnally. And no offense but I
doubt the native people would be so accepting of those from the same nation
that conquered them.”
Suzaku bowed his head in worry. Lelouch was right, there would be no way to
care for his sister and provide a steady income. The boy’s only choices at his
age were, join the military as a cabin boy like Suzaku had which was not an
option since he would have to leave Nunnally for months on end, or he would
need to take on an apprenticeship with someone willing to feed and clothe him.
Even then no one would wish to take on the extra burden of his friend's dear
sister. His friend was also too weak for many labors and his nationality would
scare any local away from providing work for him. Sending Lelouch and Nunnally
to the small colony was a death sentence.
“What if… you apologized,” Suzaku suggested but began to backpedal as he saw
the outrage on his friend’s face, “I know what he did was horrible, but for
Nunnally… couldn’t you suck up your pride? It would be better than wasting away
in a land you don’t know and putting Nunnally through that ordeal. He may be a
harsh man, but he’s still your father.”
“Don’t you think I’ve already done that. I could never risk Nunnally like the.
Father said if we could last at least a year on our own to show we weren’t
complete burdens then he would reconsider, but for Nunnally to be a year
without her doctors is too much.”
Suzaku nodded. His dear friend’s sister was very weak and could barely walk.
She had been weak apparently since her birth which later caused Lelouch’s
mother to pass only a few years later. He looked down to the water, where the
light from the ship slightly illuminated the darkness around them. He didn’t
know what to say, nor how to help his friend.
He was about to offer some comforting words to his friend when he saw a shadow
in the dull light from the ship. The shadow was about the size and shape of a
dingy but he could not distinguish if it very well was that in the terrible
light. He was, again, going to turn to his friend to inquire what he made of
the shadow, but a grappling hook suddenly shot up between the two of them and
embedded itself into the wood railing. They looked at each other and back down
only to see a man with a knife between his teeth, climb up the rope.
“Pirates,” he heard Lelouch gasp.
They stood frozen for a few seconds until Lelouch grabbed Suzaku’s knife from
its sheath, on his waist, and began to cut the rope. The man went tumbling down
into the water, screaming. Any relief was short lived as two more grappling
hooks wrapped themselves around the railing.
“Go get the captain, Suzaku! I’ll keep cutting,” his friend said as he started
on another rope, “and make sure Nunnally is okay!”
Suzaku nodded and ran to the captain’s quarters. He pounded his fists onto the
wood until the man swung the door open, “What the bloody hell is it Kururugi?”
“Pirates, Sir! They’re trying to board the ship, Sir!” he yelled and saw the
captain's face contort into shock and fear. Pirates were not a good thing,
especially when the ship was not prepared with a fair amount of the men below
deck.
The captain looked down to Suzaku, “Wake the crew and take the ‘cargo’ below
deck and hide. They must not know of ‘it’s’ value.”
Suzaku nodded as he ran to the sleeping quarters below deck. He rang the bell
by the door frantically while yelling, “Pirates, Captain says all hands on
deck!” He then ran back to a hammock in the far back where a girl, two years
his younger, looked at him fearfully.
“Where’s Lelouch,” she asked as he picked her up from the hammock and began to
carry her to the storage room. When he finally put her down behind a few crates
he spoke.
“Lelouch is fine but I have to go get him, okay? Stay here and be quiet, I’ll
be right back with your brother, Nunnally, okay?” when she nodded he smiled and
ran back above deck.
The deck was swarmed with men, some he knew and others he didn’t. His face
paled as he realized that the invading men had been able to board despite his
friend’s attempts at cutting the ropes. In front of him, he saw the crew try to
fight the pirates off. Their swords clashed and he heard pistols shoot in the
background. He stood frozen as one of the familiar crew members fell before him
with a sword embedded in his chest cavity. The dark blood seeped from the body
and stained the bottoms of Suzaku’s boots.
He didn’t snap from his daze until he heard his name called and a pull of his
arm, “Suzaku, snap out of it! Wheres Nunnally?”
He turned to face Lelouch who frantically pulled on his arm. Shaking his head
he finally responded, “Below deck, in the storage room.”
Lelouch nodded and began running, still holding onto Suzaku’s hand, “We need to
get off this ship. It’s overrun with the pirates, and they most likely have
some sort of reinforcements on those two ships.”
He looked to where his raven hair companion was pointing. There in the distance
were two ships. The soft glow from their ship illuminated the black flags
emblazoned with skulls, waving high and proud. “We need to get Nunnally and
gather some provisions then get to a dingy. If they find use they’ll either
kill us or ransom us. With the way things are going, they’ll be able to take
the ship. We’ve been on a five-month journey and the crew is tired. These men
most likely were hiding out in the nearby islands and are well rested. They’ll
take the ship and kill the crew and then it is only a matter of time before
they find the three of us.”
Suzaku could not argue. The more he watched the fighting around them the more
pirates he saw and the less familiar faces he saw. Most of those faces were
also either staring blankly at the stars or scrunched in pain as they bled out.
Hurriedly they made their way below deck to where Nunnally was hiding. Lelouch
grabbed a bag and started to fill it with some provisions. He then retrieved
three bottles of wine they had been storing and emptied them and refilled them
with clean drinking water. Placing them in the bag as well he then slung it
over his shoulder.
“You carry Nunnally and I’ll carry the bag. Stick to the shadows and avoid
being seen, okay?”
Suzaku nodded and picked up the young girl onto his back. He had no idea how
his friend could be so calm in a situation like this but those violet eyes
showed determination to survive and protect the girl Suzaku currently held.
Lelouch nodded in return and started to leave as Suzaku followed. His friend
peaked up onto the deck to see if they had an opening. With a wave of his hand,
to say all clear, they dashed out from their hiding place. They would hide and
dash to another hiding place until they reached a small boat on the side of the
ship. Suzaku gently put the girl into the boat and climbed in after. Lelouch
put the bag onto Nunnally’s lap and was about to climb into the boat himself
when his hair was roughly grabbed, pulling him from the boat.
“Big brother!” Nunnally called and Suzaku dived to try and pull Lelouch back.
“Well well well, I see you brats are trying to get away,” the man who grabbed
Lelouch said and he positioned the raven haired boy into a headlock. Lelouch
grabbed at the arm around his neck trying to breathe as his legs flailed about.
“Let him go! We are just kids who want nothing to do with this fight!” Suzaku
yelled.
The large man laughed and Suzaku could tell that the man’s breath was rank by
the way Lelouch’s face scrunched up in disgust. He looked Lelouch and Suzaku
over and finally spoke, “The captain might find a use for runts like you,
always need new meat to replace the old and dead. And that little girl can
provide lots of comfort for the boys on long sails.”
Suzaku saw Lelouch’s face pale and felt Nunnally curl up to his own side in
fear. Enraged, his friend bit the man’s dirty arm causing the pirate to drop
the black haired youth. The boy clambered to his feet as soon as he could and
grabbed a discarded sword and held it towards the pirate.
The man laughed again and pulled out his own sword, “What cha gonna do, lad?
The way you’re holding that sword, trembling and all, gives me the feeling you
never held one before.”
Lelouch swallowed hard and held the sword higher. Suzaku could tell from his
friend's face that he was far from confident. Slowly Lelouch backed closer to
the dingy. He looked to Suzaku and then to Nunnally and Suzaku could tell by
his face that his friend had come to an epiphany. There was no way they all
could all escape. Lelouch couldn’t fight, nor was there enough time to jump
into the dingy without the pirate grabbing one of them again. Suzaku barely had
enough time to say, “no,” before his friend cut the rope with the sword and the
dingy fell down into the blackness of the ocean beside the ship. He heard and
felt the rush gunshots shoot past his head and the voice of Lelouch screaming
“no” from above.
Next to him Nunnally cried and shivered scared and upset. Suzaku wanted to hold
her and tell her Lelouch would be fine but he had to get away from the ship. He
pulled out the oars and began to row away. He tried desperately to block out
Nunnally’s cries and the screams from the ship.
***** The Black Knights *****
The blue scenery spanned for miles and Suzaku could not tell where the sky
ended and the sea began. It was a clear day and the wind was on their side.
Suzaku wished there were more days as perfect as this, for sailing. He felt
optimistic about the day ahead and the next to come. The voyage long, from
Britannia to Japan, had been uneventful and for a sailor that was rare. Many of
the men on board seemed weary of their good fortune, especially since the trip
was almost at its end. They had hit no major weather fronts and the sea had
been gracious and forgiving, Suzaku would rather not insult her by questioning
her kindness like so many others. No all Suzaku felt was that the good fortune
was a sign of favoritism and good faith from the sea herself.
It was not uncommon for him to make trips to Japan. This would be his third in
the last seven years. The navy had thought it smart to have at least one native
speaker of the land but they barely had to ask the Japanese boy, whenever he
heard of a naval ship heading towards his former home, he always volunteer.
He had a promise to keep and there was no force that would cause him to break a
promise to the twelfth princess of Britannia. It was around these waters that
they had last seen her brother and though hope was dim on ever seeing the raven
haired boy again he had made a promise, that night adrift, as he consoled the
weeping seven-year-old girl, that he would find her brother. So whenever a
voyage such as this turned up he would take the opportunity to search any port
they stopped at or ship they inspected, for Lelouch.
Occupied with his thoughts Suzaku had neglected his surroundings as he
practiced his knot work. It was a mind-numbing endeavor but it was something to
do while on break and it never hurt to stay well practiced. The only downside
was his mind tended to wander during these type of activities causing him to
lose focus on the world around him, and made him the perfect victim for one of
Gino's surprise attacks. Before he had time to even yell he was trapped in the
blondes headlock gasping for air and pulling at the boy's arm.
"What are you thinking about, Suzaku? You keep looking at the rope so intently,
I was beginning to worry you were going mad," the blonde chuckled as he
released a gasping Suzaku.
"Gino," he tried to scold but was too out of breath and instead decided to ask,
"why would you do that?"
The cheerful sailor only patted his friend on the back and replied, "They are
serving breakfast and I thought you might be hungry."
Suzaku patted his stomach and nodded. A meal sounded nice to the young sailor,
and a heavy stomach kept the mind from wandering too far. He nodded and Gino
held out his hand to the Japanese youth to which the brunette gladly accepted
as it hoisted him to his feet.
The two had decided to eat on deck after receiving their food, it was a lot
better than eating in the cramped space below deck. It was a nice day, after
all, and would have been a crime not to enjoy it. Breakfast was some salted
meat the ship had picked up from the last port. It was tough to chew and Suzaku
had to drink quite a bit of water after each bite. He couldn't complain,
though, anything was better than hardtack. After eating that, the meat tasted
tender and moist, even if it was just a hard and dry piece of pork.
"So what do you think you'll do once we make port in a few days?" The blonde
next to him asked as he chewed his meat.
Suzaku shrugged. He knew what he was going to do. It was the same thing he did
every time he went to Japan. He would search the port, no matter how futile it
was, for a familiar pair of deep purple eyes. This time around he would also
visit his cousin, though. The young Kaguya Sumeragi would be in the same port
city as Suzaku. During a few correspondences prior to his departure, they had
arranged a date to meet and catch up. He rarely saw any of his family and it
would be nice to see the young girl again.
"Well, if you have any time and nothing better to do, you should come with me
to a brothel. The Lord only knows that you need to loosen up!" Gino laughed as
he smacked the Japanese youth on his posterior.
Suzaku almost choked on the dry meat in his mouth as he yelled out in surprise
and guarded his behind against more assaults, "Gino!"
"See what I mean? Even your ass is as tight as all hell," the blonde laughed
and sipped his beer.
Suzaku sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to win against Gino's carefree
nature. The other merely laughed as he rejoined Suzaku, leaning on the rail of
the ship, as they gazed out into the blue abyss.
"I am serious, though, you need to take the time to relax. I don't know what
you go looking for whenever we hit port but you're always so down when you
return. If you've been looking this long… I doubt you'll ever find whatever it
is you are looking for," he said as he took another sip of the golden beverage.
Gino was right and Suzaku figured he had accepted that reality a long time ago.
It was merely the promise he had made to Nunnally and the knowledge that it was
his failure, of not protecting the two, that kept him searching.
He sighed as his eyes scanned the pristine blue. There was nothing for miles
until he spotted a small black speck in the distance. Suzaku tried to squint
but could not make out the object. He doubted that is was a whale, as it was
stationary and a whale that was breaching would have disappeared from view by
now. It could have been a small land mass but the chances were slim, and if it
was the case, the ship was possibly off course. That left only one option left,
it was a ship.
"Hey, Gino, can I see your spyglass?" he asked.
The other nodded and handed him the object as his eyes too spotted the speck in
the distance, "Think it's pirates?"
"No clue," he said while looking through the telescope.
Through the magnifying lenses, Suzaku saw it was indeed a small ship. Scanning
the dark colored vessel his lens traveled up the mainmast. At the top was a
Britannia flag waving upside down.
"It's a ship in distress!" He said looking at Gino.
The blonde's eyes narrowed, "I'll tell the captain, you keep an eye on that
ship."
The now serious blonde dashed from sight and Suzaku resumed his watch. He
couldn't make out any sailors on board. It could have been a possibility that
the crew abandoned the ship in hope of finding land or something had happened
to them. When Gino returned with the captain he handed the spyglass to the
large man.
"It's small and looks built for speed. Most likely a merchant ship of ours," he
said while handing the scope to the Japanese boy and continuing, "We will board
to see if they are okay and if needed we will give them a tow to the nearest
port."
"Captain Asprius, I didn't see anyone on board," Suzaku informed.
"Are you questioning me Lieutenant Kururugi? I ordered this ship to board that
one. Now tell the rest of the crew," The rather large and fat captain sneered
at his subordinate.
Suzaku merely nodded and left with Gino to inform the rest of the crew. He,
however, could not shake the foreboding feeling of dread as they sailed closer
to the mysterious ship. It was a deep contrast to the pleasant atmosphere of
earlier.
When they were close enough to board, it was evident something was off. The
whole ship was silent and one could not even hear a breath as both ships were
engulfed in a thick steamy fog.
"This is strange," he turned to Gino who nodded, "there wasn't fog when I
looked at the ship earlier."
"You're right, stay on guard," was the blondes clipped reply as he brushed the
perspiration from his brow. The thick mist was warm and heavy on their lungs as
they breathed and the humidity stuck to their skin.
They walked across the planks connecting the ships and carefully boarded the
ghostly vessel. During which Suzaku could see other members of the crew draw
their pistols or swords. They felt just as uneasy as him and Gino.
"Hello? Is anyone aboard this vessel. We saw your ship was in distress and are
willing to give a tow to anyone belonging to his majesty's kingdom," the
captain announced. After a few moments, he sighed, "Seems the ship has been
abandoned. See Lieutenant Kururugi, we don't even need to tow this lowly
merchant ship."
The man began to walk back to the ship but halted as a knife landed right in
his path. He looked up and saw shadows emerge from the fog and surround the
crew.
"And what makes you think we want a tow from some lowly Britannian dogs?" a
voice laughed as a figure descended from a rope connected to the mainmast.
Suzaku could hear the click of the figure's heels as they finally hit the wood
of the deck.
He heard the heels click a few more times as the being finally stepped into
view and out of the fog, "It was this lowly rag, wasn't it?"
Suzaku watched as the man threw the Britannia flag onto the deck and stepped on
it with a polished black boot. Suzaku's eyes followed the boot, up to tight
black breeches that were tucked into the boots. Further up was a black
justacorps to match with gold stitching and red lining inside the coat. The
man's outfit was truly extravagant from the purple plume on the hat that
shrouded his face to the shine of the amethysts that hung from his elaborate
eyepatch. The only thing to stand out was the plain black cloth hiding the
bottom part of his face.
"How dare you throw His majesty's flag to the ground, you scoundrel! Who are
you?" the captain demanded in outrage.
The answer to his captain's question left Suzaku's lips before he could even
process them himself, "Pirates."
The fabric hiding the man's face crinkled as the man grinned, "Indeed we are
pirates. I, though, prefer the term privateers, but we are better known as the
Black Knights, in these waters."
"The Black Knights?" the captain questioned.
Suzaku heard the surrounding pirates laugh as one with spiked brunette hair
stepped forward to speak, "You've never heard of the Black Knights? Next,
you'll say you never heard of my main man Zero, here!"
"Zero?" Bartley questioned as he sneered at the man. "Of course I have not
heard of you or this man! I would never concern myself with filth such as
yourselves. Now," The captain turned to who Suzaku could only assume was Zero,
"I demand you surrender, if you do without delay you might not be hanged for
piracy, but this insult against his majesty and to Prince Clovis' own vessel
can not be ignored!"
"I was actually thinking of a different course of action," Zero pulled out a
flintlock and took aim at the captain, "We take your cargo, whatever weapons,
valuables, and gun powered you have on your ship. If you do so, we will leave
you and your vessel unharmed. What do you say, Captain Bartley?"
"There is no way a band of filthy eleven pirates could defeat seamen of the
Britannian navy, the most p-," Bartley started to deny the pirates deal until
the pirate fired into the air.
Bartley stood there a moment confused before the other sighed, "You Britannians
always put your pride before your lives. So be it."
At that moment there were three loud thundering explosions as the ship rocked.
Bartley looked baffled at their own ship that was just shot with three direct
hits. Suzaku doubted the man even comprehended the screams of the men still on
the ship.
"Direct hit to the port side, Captain Zero. The majority of their cannons are
also lost and the crew still on board is scrambling in confusion," A pirate by
the rail called to this Zero.
"You should have taken my offer captain," he said as he put away his gun and
turned to address his own crew, "You lot know what to do. Capture the ship and
take care of this group while you are at it!"
"Yes, Sir!"
At those last words, the pirates were on them before Suzaku could even blink.
He barely missed the glint of a sword as it was descending on the still stunned
Captain Bartley. He dashed forward and pulled out his issued cutlass just in
time to block the pirate's sword.
"Captain, what are your orders?" he yelled, trying to knock the man back into
reality.
The pirate was strong as they held their stance, while their swords were
locked. Eventually, Suzaku pushed them black. The blue eyes, of the pirate,
glared at him through red bangs, as he glared back.
Luckily the plump man, who had fallen to his knees after Suzaku saved him,
stood and ordered his men to their ship. Suzaku looked over to their ship and
saw it overrun with pirates already. Even if they got to their own ship they
would still have to fight and with half of their cannons gone they had less of
a chance against the smaller pirate vessel.
He looked back to his opponent. He would have to deal with this one first. The
way they were eyeing him told him he was not going to be able to heed his
captain's orders without a fight.
Just then the pirate leapt into action and ran forward, trying to swing at his
side. He blocked the sword with his own but was not prepared for the foot that
kicked him in the gut. He didn't have time to even gather enough air in his
lungs before he had to dodge the blade of the pirate's own cutlass. This person
was fast and knew how to fight.
"I don't want to fight you," he warned.
The pirate chuckled, "That's too bad because I do!"
It wasn't the sudden attack, the pirate issued after their reply, that shocked
Suzaku, it was the clearly feminine voice that the pirate used that surprised
him. It almost prevented him from dodging her attack.
"You're a girl?"
He grunted as she made for another swipe at his side and just catching the
fabric of his naval coat.
"What; believe in those old superstitions about girls on boats?" She taunted.
"No, I'm just a little shocked," he said as he dodged another one of her
attacks. He was a lot less willing to fight a girl and knew he was going to
have to stick with dodging and blocking. "Why would a woman be on a pirate
ship."
At his question, her face darkened, "Why is someone who is clearly Japanese on
a Britannian ship!"
She was fast and Suzaku had questioned himself on whether she really was a
woman or not. No women could have that much strength behind her blows. Their
cutlasses clashed continuously and Suzaku was always forced back. He barely
dodged as her sword nearly chopped off his head. He fell into a somersault to
avoid another slash.
"Is that all you can do? Fight me like a real man and not a scared Britannian
dog!" she yelled as her sword swung in a downward arc at Suzaku's still
kneeling form. The force that their swords met with sent sparks flying. In his
crouched position he could do nothing but try and prevent her blade from
cleaving his head in two. His arms trembled as he held his sword unwaveringly
against hers. Her blue eyes looked into his with an electrifying fury.
He felt her sword give, throwing him off balance as she stepped to the side.
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw a glint of red and a flash of pain.
Looking down to his left side, four large red gashes traveled down his side.
Looking up he saw the female pirate's right hand covered in a red clawed glove
with his blood dripping from the metal claws that tipped her fingers.
Suzaku tried to stand but fell as he started to feel dizzy. He hadn't lost that
much blood yet so there was no reason he should have felt light headed, unless…
He looked at the gloved hand again as the pirate smirked at him.
"Poison," He barely was able to say as he fell onto the deck of the ship. The
last thing he saw was the ship he had been employed on, being overrun with more
pirates than his crewmates. After that, he blacked out.
***** Deal With the Devil *****
 The clamoring of voices was what woke him. The hushed worried whispers mixed
with the sound of multiple people walking about and doing who knew what made
his head pulse in pain. Green eyes opened as his head lolled to the side to see
the blurred images of walking about the ship. He tried to bring his hands to
his eyes to rub the blur away but found them tied, rather tightly, behind him.
Struggling more he found himself tied to the main mast with a rope across his
chest, along with a few of his shipmates.
 
“Thank God, you’re awake, Suzaku,” he looked over to see a fairly beaten Gino
tied a man away, “I was worried when you didn’t wake up. You had a nasty gash
on your side.”
 
With a few blinks of his green eyes, he was eventually able to see the worried
look on his blonde friend’s face. Gino wasn’t the only one worried, however,
the rest of the remaining crew seemed to talk amongst themselves watching the
pirates warily as they worked around the ship.
 
He focused back on his companion and asked, “Have you heard anything?”
 
The usual cheerful face was grim, “Talks of throwing us overboard or marooning,
from the crew. Nothing from the captain yet. Most of the crew that didn’t come
onto this ship were left on Clovis’ ship but it was slowly sinking by the time
they emptied the cargo.”
 
“What about the others and Bartley? There are only eight of us here,” Suzaku
frowned at the heartlessness of the pirates. Their crew hadn’t been a large one
for a navy ship but their mission did not call for a large crew. It was merely
Prince Clovis using the royal navy as a mean of protection for his valuables to
be delivered to him in Japan. There was only fifty of them and thirty were
likely to have drowned. That left twelve unaccounted crew members.
 
“They mostly likely died when we were attacked,” his face was somber.
 
Suzaku was going to say something else but the sole of someone’s boot had
pressed itself into the side of his face and against the wood pole.
 
“What are you Brits talking about?” Suzaku remembered that voice. It had been
the one that had addressed Bartley besides the captain.
 
“Hey, I’m talking to you, ya filthy Brit,” he grounded his heel into Suzaku’s
cheek, “Ya not trying to escape, are ya?”
 
“Stop it! We weren’t doing any of that, you stinking pirate. We were only
discussing our missing comrades!” Gino yelled, drawing the attention of the
pirate.
 
The man seemed as if he was going to retort but was interrupted by another
familiar voice, this one more feminine, “Tamaki, Captain Zero instructed us not
to cause further harm to the prisoners.”
 
Suzaku moved his eyes to see her standing tall with her hands on her hips and
her red spiked hair blowing in the sea air. She looked hard, with those cold
blue eyes,  at the man who currently had his foot about to crush Suzaku’s jaw.
 
The man, now known as Tamaki, only snorted, “I doubt Zero would mind a few
Britannians getting what they deserved.”
 
“Are you so sure about that Tamaki,” a voice said and the one known as Tamaki
removed his foot from Suzaku’s face just in time for him to see the man step
out from behind the red haired woman. “If I remember correctly, you said
something similar, about me not minding, when you used our funds at brothels.”
 
The fabric on the man’s face crinkled as Suzaku assumed he smiled. He didn’t
like the man’s mask or the large obnoxiously extravagant hat; it obscured the
other's face. All he could see was the deep purple iris of his right eye.
 
“Look Zero, they’re only prisoners and we’ll most likely just toss them
overboard anyway, along with that useless captain stuck down in the brig,” the
Tamaki fellow said.
 
“That matter is still undecided. They can still be ransomed or sold for a good
price. That choice is not up to you, but to me and the others,” Zero said
firmly.
 
Suzaku’s eyes narrowed as theY were referred to as prisoners and talked about
as if they weren’t human. His eyes never left the captain as the man
reprimanded the other. Suzaku couldn’t possibly doubt that they would do those
things. They needed a way out, but there was no way while they were tied up nor
would it matter, so far out to sea.
 
“I’m afraid your transgression cannot be ignored, Tamaki,” The man took out his
gun and pointed it at the Tamaki fellow, “We, have rules on this ship.”
 
Suzaku’s eyes widened at what the pirate was doing to his own subordinate.
Death was too much just for roughing up Suzaku’s face. What the pirate captain
did next surprised him even more.
 
“Kallen, please untie the man Mr. Shinichirou assaulted,” He said while keeping
the gun steadily pointed at the man who looked ready to soil himself.
 
The redhead reluctantly followed her captain's orders and untied Suzaku. The
moment he was untied and standing, the pirate placed the gun into his hand and
said, “Mr. Shinichirou Tamaki, assaulted you. I believe it is only fair you
deal out his punishment.”
 
Suzaku’s eyes grew even wider at the captain’s words. He wanted Suzaku to kill
the man. There was no way he could stoop so low. To kill a person in an equal
fight was one thing but to kill an unarmed man whose only crime was bruising
his cheek? No, he would not play into the captain’s sick game. He looked
directly into that dark smirking eye then shot the gun into the air and threw
it onto the ship’s deck.
“He doesn’t deserve to die over something so trivial,” Suzaku yelled.
 
“We pirates live by a strict code of conduct,” the captain started but was
interrupted by Suzaku.
 
“You’re pirates! If you had any honor or conduct you wouldn’t murder and steal.
You most certainly would treat your prisoners like human beings and let them
have a say in their fate,” Suzaku panted.
 
The captain stared calmly at Suzaku and that same black mask wrinkled as he
smiled, “Very well, Tamaki you owe this man your life. It is a debt you will
repay. You will also go without supper and remain on board the next time we
reach port. Is that understood?”
 
With a great sigh of relief, the man known as Tamaki nodded. The girl, known as
Kallen, also seemed to relax.
 
“As for you, sir, I believe you have a point,” he said causing shock among the
other two pirates, “Come with me and we will discuss the fate of your men.”
 
Suzaku was surprised, to say the least, “Wouldn’t you rather speak with our
captain?”
 
“That cowardice man? He was all too willing to abandon his own crew. I find you
more interesting anyway,” the man’s eye almost seemed mischievous at that
point.
 
Suzaku only nodded, “If you’ll listen then I would be willing to talk.”
 
“Very well, follow me, Mister…”
 
“Oh! Suzaku Kururugi!”
 
The man nodded and took an extravagant bow, “And I am the captain of this ship,
Zero.”
 
The man stood back up, only slightly taller than Suzaku himself, and motioned
to him to follow. The red headed woman followed closely behind, not taking her
cold blue stare from Suzaku’s back.
 
Suzaku was quiet as he followed the man to his cabin. It was nicely decorated
with a bed to the right and two swords mounted to the wall behind a desk to the
left. Next to the desk was a small table with assorted alcohols. The captain
gestured to it, asking if he wished for a drink, as he sat behind his desk.
 
Suzaku, licked his parched lips, “You wouldn't have any water, would you?”
 
“Kallen, would please fetch Mr. Kururugi some water,” he said and she looked as
if she would argue but he continued before she could, “and some antiseptic and
bandages. Your poison may have run its course but it won't do if the wound
becomes infected.”
 
The young woman sighed and gave Suzaku a look of warning before she left. The
captain merely chuckled and gestured for Suzaku to sit as he spoke, “Kallen can
be protective but does her job well.”
 
Suzaku sat and winced at his wound. He was grateful the pirate was willing to
let it be treated. “She is your bodyguard then? I don't know many men to let a
woman onto their boat let alone protect them.”
 
“Kallen is quite the fighter as you might know,” he pointed to Suzaku’s wound
and continued, “I see no reason to deny her a place on this ship based on
gender alone.”
 
Suzaku nodded in agreement as he watched the other take out some paper and some
ink. He dipped the feathered pen into the well and spoke again, “Now enough
idle small talk. Negotiating is what we came here to do. What do you want for
your crew? You obviously understand I can't just let you go free so what is
your offer?”
 
“With all due respect, Captain, you ransacked our ship and most likely killed
our comrades when you left them on a sinking ship.”
 
“And you must understand that human capital is very valuable. If I am a man
willing to kill that many people than you have to bring me a more enticing
offer. I could certainly care less about what is right and what is wrong,
Kururugi,” the captain reclined in his chair and folded his hands as he eyed
Suzaku sternly.
 
Suzaku narrowed his eyes into a glare, “These men have done no wrong toward
you. You instigated the attack. My crew does not deserve slavery because they
wished to help a stranded vessel!” he stood in rage and instantly regretted his
decision and took his seat as he clenched his wound.
 
The man before him merely watched him as if he was bored. Suzaku knew that
trying to appeal to a pirates morality was pointless but men like Gino did not
deserve to be sold off like cattle. Slavery was a horrid practice!
 
“Your argument is compelling and might work on a better man. Like you must have
realized by now, though, I am not that kind of man. Now I do think we can come
to some sort of agreement. A way to earn your freedom, Mr. Kururugi.”
 
Suzaku frowned confused and waited for the captain to continue, “We like you
lost skilled men. Serve on this ship until we find eight new men, one for each
one of you, and you may go free,” the man leaned forward as he gave his
proposition.
 
“We aren’t pirates and that's still slavery,” Suzaku said.
 
“It is technically indentured servitude, Kururugi. Your crew and you could be
set free at the next port if I can find new men there.”
 
Suzaku contemplated the man's offer, “We aren't murderers or thieves, besides
how would I know you'd keep your word or that you'd even look for men to
replace us. For all we know, you could be saying you're looking and just keep
us until we die.”
 
“I could very well do that,” he confirmed, “We need men to man the ship and you
need freedom, that is my offer.”
 
Suzaku was quiet for a moment as he thought, “We won’t participate in any raids
or illegal acts.”
 
Zero seemed to become more interested in the conversation, “Now, you are
learning to negotiate.”
 
“Also if you do not find crew members within a month we are still to be set
free,” Suzaku continued.
 
“I can adhere to your first request. It would not benefit me if one of your men
took advantage of the chaos and tried to join the other side. During any raids
or battles, you and your men are to stay below deck in the brig. As for your
second condition, a month is very short, how about five years,” the man
countered.
 
Suzaku glared, “Five months.”
 
The man hummed, “A year, and no lower. If I cannot convince a soul to join in
that time you and your men are free.”
 
The captain began writing on the piece of parchment and looked up at Suzaku
after a few moments of writing, “Do you have any other requests?”
 
Suzaku thought. He never thought he would even gain the freedom of his men,
ablate delayed freedom, but was there anything else to cover? He looked at the
smiling man. There was no way he could trust the man before him.
 
“I also want no harm brought onto my men by you or anyone else among your
crew,” he began and watched the captain nod and continued writing again as
Suzaku listed off his demands.
 
When the other was done writing he placed the paper in front of Suzaku and
said, “Please read before you make your mark. If you see any error please
inform me.”
 
The cursive was smooth and elegant and Suzaku didn’t know what he expected from
a pirate, but neat and dare he say pretty handwriting was not one of them.
Shaking away those thoughts he began to read the contract.
 
In hopes of reaching an agreement, the Captain of the Black Knights, Captain
Zero, and prisoner Kururugi Suzaku have formed a contract. This contract will
be upheld by both the Black Knights and Mr. Kururugi’s crew. Any infraction by
either the Black Knights or Mr. Kururugi’s crew will be dealt with in
accordance with maritime law. The punishment will be dealt by the captain of
the Ship they reside on.
 
The terms of the contract are as followed: Mr. Kururugi and his eight crew
members will earn their freedom by working as part of the Black Knights as
indentured servants. Mr. Kururugi and his eight crew members will be set free
once adequate replacements are found for each man and himself or they have
served on the Black Knight’s ship for the duration of a year.
 
Mr. Kururugi and his crew will promise to stay on the ship and act as part of
Captain Zero’s crew. Mr. Kururugi’s crew will have to carry out the duties
handed out to them listed below:
 
   1. Keep a clean ship.
   2. Help prepare food.
   3. Move cargo when needed.
   4. Help with ship repairs.
   5. Help the crew of the Black Knight where help is needed, such as but not
      limited to; changing sails, tying ropes, upkeep on cannons, and lifting
      and lowering of the dinghies.
 
Mr. Kururugi and his crew shall not:
 
   1. Steal food, cargo or any personal items from any member of the Black
      Knights.
   2. Harm or kill a Black Knight.
   3. Go ashore without an official Black Knight to chaperone and prevent
      escape.
   4. They are not allowed to abandon their duties to the ship until adequate
      replacements are found or they have worked for the Black Knight for the
      duration of one year.
 
Mr. Kururugi and his crew must also conform to the Black Knights code of
conduct. Which will be reviewed by Mr. Kururugi, whose job it is to inform his
crew and to make certain they follow saidcodeof conduct.
 
As well Captain Zero and his crew, The Black Knights, must adhere to Mr.
Kururugi’s demands regarding the safety of his crew:
 
   1. Mr. Kururugi and his crew shall not be forced to participate in any
      piracy such as murder, looting, and the taking of a ship.
   2. Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to at least two meals a day. The
      meals must also be no less than the food the Black Knights are given.
   3. No harm should befall Mr. Kururugi or his crew at the hands of a Black
      Knights.
   4. Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to adequate medical treatment if
      any harm is to befall them.
   5. Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to at least six hours of rest a
      night. They are as well entitled to three breaks a day for the duration
      of an hour.
   6. Nothing is to be stolen from Mr. Kururugi or his crew.
 
If any of these provisions are neglected to be enforced than the contract is to
become null and void and Mr. Kururugi and his crew to be set free at the next
port.
 
As for former Captain Bartley, he is not subject to these terms and will be
ransomed as soon as possible. It is the word of Captain Zero, however, that
former Captain Bartley be treated with respect and dignity and that no harm
befall him during his stay.
 
Suzaku read the document twice and signed right under the large flowing letters
of Captain Zero. He hoped that he had done the right thing. It was most
certainly better than permanent slavery or marooning. The safety of his crew
was also guaranteed if this Captain Zero kept his word.
 
The man before him took the paper and examined Suzaku’s signature and nodded
approvingly. At that moment, however, a very irritated Kallen entered the
cabin.
 
“Captain, we’re running low on medical supplies; are you sure you want to waste
them on a prisoner?” she asked setting the water and medical supplies on the
table.
 
“Afraid so. Mr. Kururugi has just agreed to be a part of our crew, within
reason of course, for some time. One of the conditions of this agreement,
however, was that he and his crew received adequate treatment for any wounds,”
he began as he placed the contract into a desk drawer, “We will have to stop at
port anyways to sell some contraband. While we are there, we’ll buy some more
medical supplies and rations.”
 
The girl seemed to glare even more at Suzaku and Zero sighed as he stood, “We
needed replacements and they will do until I can find some.” He walked around
his desk and picked up a cloth and the alcohol, which he poured onto the cloth.
The captain looked Suzaku into the eye and spoke, “If you won’t help his with
his wounds Kallen, I will. Lift your shirt, Kururugi.”
 
Suzaku blinked and lifted his shirt, “I can do this myself you know.”
 
He hissed as the other man dabbed the cut with the alcohol. The man only
chuckled and said, “I don’t doubt it, but these wounds need stitching and if
you are flinching in pain while stitching yourself, the stitchwork will be
messy and risk of infection will become more likely..”
 
Kallen sighed her cold eyes never leaving Suzaku’s cringing face, “Better you
do it, Captain. You are better than me and Rakshata is busy with the others.
She’s helping the ones more in need of medical supplies and stitching.”
 
Zero chuckled as he threaded a needle, “You are usually so full of fiery
passion but can be so frigid sometimes, Kallen.”
 
Suzaku saw the woman blush at her captain’s words. It almost distracted him
from the other man lighting a match and holding it under the bent needle. When
the needle was sterilized he looked at Suzaku as he bit off his back gloves and
said, “You need to be still. There is a piece of leather on the desk to bite.”
 
Suzaku nodded and placed the material in his mouth. He bit down instantly as
the man started to sew the four slashes shut. It was slow but Suzaku could tell
the man had a practiced hand. When he was done, Zero gave Suzaku a shot of rum,
that he gladly tossed back, and wrapped his torso with bandages.”
 
“It may not be anywhere on par with Rakshata’s stitchwork but it’ll do. After a
week or so see her, to take the stitches out,” he said and returned to his
desk, “You may go tell your crew of our agreement. Kallen, please show Mr.
Kururugi and his crew to some proper lodging. I will inform the crew in a few
moments of our agreement.”
 
The red haired woman nodded and turned to leave. Suzaku winced as he stood to
follow and shot the strange man one last glance before exiting with the female
pirate.
***** Calm Start *****
Suzaku followed Kallen back to his crew, still tied to the main mass. The woman
was quiet but he didn't mind. When he returned to his crew the woman knelt down
and cut the ropes.
The men looked confused and focused their questioning looks onto Suzaku.
Gino was the first to stand and hurry over to Suzaku, "What happened? You were
gone for some time."
It wasn't Suzaku who answered him, though, but the red-haired woman, "He made a
deal with the Captain. I'm sure he'll make an official announcement but until
then follow me to your lodging. Your friend can explain everything to you
then."
The blonde seemed even more confused and turned his look back towards Suzaku.
His friend had the good sense to wait until they reached a cabin below deck
with empty hammocks.
Before leaving the girl grumbled that before the sun set the doctor, Rakshata,
would look over their wounded. That only made the crew's curiosity grow and
once she left they round on Suzaku. They threw question after question and
yelled over one another.
Suzaku was a little overwhelmed but could not blame them. Their fate had been
in his hands.
With a sigh, he sat in one of the hammocks and waited for the questions to die
down. When it was finally quiet he spoke, "If the Captain on this ship keeps
his word we will be safe."
The crew seemed to relax a small bit. Gino took the opportunity to speak before
another waterfall of questions could follow, "How do you know?"
The hammock dipped more as his friend joined him. He looked at the blonde's
serious face and felt the heavy weight of responsibility. "We entered into an
agreement that should benefit us both," he started and watched the crew's faces
darken, "We have to serve as part of his crew for at least a year or until he
can find men to enlist that can replace us."
As expected the men were outraged. They were Britannian, and serving on a
pirate's ship of Japanese was not something self-respecting Britannians did.
Before the cries of outrage could get out of control Gino stepped in,"Enough,
I'm sure if he had any other option he would have taken it."
Suzaku silently thanked Gino as he started to explain his reasoning, " It was
either this or be sold as slaves. The Captain was adamant about making up for
the human capital, as he put it, that he lost in the raid. It was either this
or slavery and this deal provides us with protection long enough to at least
devise a plan of action."
Gino seemed to understand and nodded his head in agreement, "Can we trust this
guys word, though?"
"I don't know, but it's the only thing we have as protection. We won't have to
participate in any piracy only labor, and I made sure there were conditions,"
Suzaku said as he started explaining the terms of the contract. The crew seemed
to relax more and more but still seemed upset at the situation. At best the
contract bought them time at worse the Captain didn't honor his part of the
bargain but it truly was the best they could ask for when they had no leverage.
"What about our Captain?" a man with a scar on his right cheek asked. He was a
tall and lean man with pale purple hair and a goatee to match. The man
outranked Suzaku and he could tell the Britannian was not happy about Suzaku
dictating his fate.
Suzaku, though, looked down and sighed, "Captain Bartley is not subject to the
terms of the contract and is going to be ransomed. He isn't to be harmed,
though."
There was quiet as they digested his words. Most of them seemed to accept the
current situation until an opportunity arrived the scarred man, however, was
not one of them.
"So we are just going to abandon our Captain on the grounds of a contract
between two Japanese monkeys?" the man with the scar asked."Don't you see? He
is selling us out to his own kind!"
"I can personally assure you that your assumptions are not the case," Suzaku
heard the voice of Captain Zero from the doorway. He stood tall and proud as
the men turned to him.
The goateed man stood and glared at the other and questioned, "How can we be so
sure? Seems reasonable that two of the same breed would be in cahoots together"
Behind Zero, Suzaku saw the man's ever present red shadow almost jump at the
scarred man.
The Captain stopped her and chuckled, "Because I am not Japanese, Sir, and am
in fact Britannian. You will also find that even though this ship may have a
majority of Japanese it is quite diverse with even some other Britannians among
us."
Eyes widened at the man's claim of being Britannian. He wasn't just a pirate
but a traitor to his own country.
Zero then continued, "I also warn, that you should show Mr. Kururugi the
respect he deserves for saving your hides. And if anything is to happen to him,
you will lose your protection, after all, he signed on your behalf."
The scar-faced man sat down but never stopped glaring. The object of his
scrutiny, though, did not seem to pay him any mind and continued to address the
crew, "That being said, I am sure Mr. Kururugi has informed you of the
contract. I have informed my crew also well and made certain they understood
what would happen if the contract is broken. Tomorrow, after breakfast, you
will report to Kaname Ohgi for assignment at the main mast. Work hard and our
contract should benefit us both. It was a pleasure meeting you all."
The men begrudgingly nodded. Zero, who was satisfied turned, and left but not
before greeting a blonde Indian woman who seemed to have arrived while he was
talking. He nodded and passed her along with Kallen as he left.
The Indian woman looked most of the crew up and down as she officially entered
their cabin, "So you are the extra labor I'll be stitching up."
"A woman doctor, too?" the scarred man seemed to grumble but said no more.
The woman only smiled as she took a long inhale from her pipe and walked over
to Suzaku, "Captain told me to check your stitches first."
Suzaku blinked but complied as he lifted his shirt. The doctor hummed to
herself and exhaled into Suzaku's face. He wrinkled his nose as he tried not to
cough.
"Amature but I can't complain. Better than letting you bleed on his nice rug,"
she said while turning to the other men, "Okay, the rest of you line up. Those
with the worse wounds in front, please."
The crew followed orders with minimal fighting. Gino seemed to stay next to
Suzaku. When Suzaku aimed to question him the other replied with a wink and
said, "Not injured. I was able to actually avoid getting hurt."
The green eyed youth smiled and kicked the blonde from his hammock so he could
lay down and finally rest. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more but to
close his eyes.
Gino laughed while rubbing his back from the kick. Then in a very Gino like
fashion, he cut to the front of the line and begged the unamused Indian woman
to stop the pain.
He chuckled as he saw the woman knock the blonde over the head with her pipe.
Then with a yawn, he rolled onto his back and let the rocking of the boat lull
him to sleep.
And for the first time in a while, he dreamed of light laughter and happy
purple eyes.
===============================================================================
Two purple eyes looked back at him while running as the raven haired boy called
out to him, "Suzaku, come on. You have to hurry."
"Lelouch, wait up!" he puffed. The boy had never been athletic but no matter
how hard Suzaku ran, he could not match the other's speed.
"Come on, Suzaku! Hurry up!" the child got farther away and started to fade
into the blue
"I can't! Wait, Lelouch!"
"Come on, Suzaku! Before it's too late," the voice was deeper and not at all
childlike, "Suzaku!"
Then he felt his world shake and fade as again he heard-
"Suzaku, come on! Hurry up, before it's too late to get breakfast!"
Suzaku blinked twice and turned his head to see a pouting blonde shaking him.
With a huff, he cuffed the blonde on the side of his head and sat up in his
hammock. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let out a loud yawn.
"Ow, why'd you do that?" the blonde whined as he rubbed his sore head.
"You were annoying," Suzaku yawned again as he stood and put on his shirt from
the day before. His nose wrinkled at the ripped and bloody shirt.
Gino looked at the shirt and whistled, "Hopefully I don't go up against that
red head. Think she's single?"
The blonde must have seen Suzaku's annoyed face and sighed, "You're a lot less
chipper than usual this morning. Did you sleep well?"
Suzaku shrugged in response. He had fallen asleep fine but the trouble was
falling back asleep. Every so often he was woken up by either the shifting of
the boat or a nightmare. The nightmares mostly consisted of the Black Knights'
captain turning on them and breaking the contract. The last dream, however,
wasn't something he had dreamt of in years.
Frowning, the other watched Suzaku yawn a third time before he slung his arm
over the brunette's shoulder and smiled, "Well let's just see if these pirates
raided any ships that had coffee on them. That will perk you right up and have
you do the work of ten men!"
"Gino," he scolded but grinned nevertheless as the ascended some stairs up to
the deck.
The deck was busy with men working on multiple projects. Over by the rail, near
the starboard side of the ship, sat his crew eating. Gino and Suzaku walked
over and joined them as a blue haired male handed each of them a bowl.
"Thanks, Rivals," Gino said.
"Least I could do after everything Suzaku did for us," Rivals said as he
scratched his cheek.
Suzaku nodded his gratitude and quickly started to eat the porridge in the
bowl, the blue haired boy gave him. It was tasteless but what more could one
ask for on a ship.
"So, what kind of work do you think they'll give us? I really hope it's not
mopping. That's all I did on our ship," Rivals said as he tried to make
conversation.
"We might be lucky to get mopping. Beats scraping barnacles off the ship," Gino
said, "especially since you can't hold your breath long."
Suzaku rolled his eyes and spooned some porridge into his mouth. Again it was
tasteless and he couldn't help but crave the sweet pastries he would receive
whenever he would meet with Nunnally. It saddened him that he would have to
wait a rather long time to see the princess again. He hoped, when news reached
her about the fate of their ship, she would not worry too much.
They ate their bland food with relevantly quiet small talk. When they were done
they put their dishes into a basin for cleaning and assembled at the main mast
for orders. There stood a curly haired Japanese man.
When he spotted them he nervously smiled and introduced himself, "Hello, I am
Kaname Ohgi, first mate of this ship."
The man known as Ohgi seemed disheartened by their lack of response and even
malice from some of the men. He fumbled around with some paper as he nervously
handed them to Suzaku and his shipmates. The green eyed boy could clearly see
the man was insecure about giving orders; especially to hostile sailors.
Suzaku pitied the man, though not too much since his crew did capture Suzaku's.
He turned his eyes from the nervous man and read off his list. It was fairly
simple grunt work: mop the deck; polish the canons, haul grain from the storage
to the kitchen for supper. It didn't seem too difficult and he assumed the
captain was testing them with how simple the list was. Glancing over he read
some of Gino's list. It seemed similar enough with some slight differences;
after all, they couldn't all bring grain to the kitchen. The list had about the
same amount of chores as his. Suzaku's, however, had an extra chore…
apparently, the captain wanted to see him after supper.
He frowned at the last chore. It didn't seem all that odd, to be honest. It
made sense that the captain would want to see him after, most likely to discuss
how the crew was doing and all. With a nod, Suzaku put the list inside his
pocket and grabbed a bucket to start mopping. He silently heard complaining
from some of the men. Most of it came from the man that had previously
challenged him last night. It made sense, the man was the second command on
their ship, grunt work was usually beneath men of his status. He sighed and
ignored the man. The faster he finished with this work the sooner he could
collect his thoughts.
At the moment Suzaku was tasked mopping with Rivalz and they were making good
time. The blue haired boy had a lot of practice with the chore since he was new
to sailing and low in the military. Apparently, the poor sap joined to impress
a girl back in Britannia. He had no noble blood and thought the easiest way to
earn her family's approval was to rise in the ranks. He obviously had no idea
the work he had gotten himself into. Suzaku honestly felt bad that Rivalz first
voyage turned out with him being kidnapped by pirates.
As the day progressed Suzaku took notice to many things around the ship. It
wasn't the largest ship that Suzaku had seen but it was not the smallest
either. He took notice that the captain had not been lying when he said the
crew was diverse. It was quite clearly a Japanese ship but he saw numerous
different people. There were Chinese men and women as well as a few
Britannians. One Britannian, in particular, had been watching him and his crew
throughout the day. The man wasn't hard to spot with his long blonde hair
mostly swept back in a low ponytail, save for his long bangs. He stuck out on a
mostly Asian ship and he did not try to hide his observations either. When he
and Suzaku made eye contact the man would raise an eyebrow and continue
writing.
Besides the unnerving watching from the blonde and the glares from the Japanese
crew, the day went smoothly and supper was upon them. He tiredly waited in line
for whatever bland dish was to be served. He was not disappointed when the chef
dumped some thick slop into his bowl. Suzaku accepted it gratefully as he saw
the pirates receive the same gruel. That had been another promise the captain
had kept, they were being treated no different than the man's own crew.
He was about to leave to eat his dinner above deck when he heard some
squabbling. It wouldn't usually bother him but the voice was familiar. He took
a deep breath and turned to be greeted by the site of the former Second in
Command of Suzaku's ship yelling at, surprisingly, Rivalz who was on the ground
covered in that evening's supper. The man, that was starting to become a
problem. Suzaku was, however, a little thankful he went off on Rivalz instead
of one of the pirates.
"You Damn oaf," he yelled at the rapidly apologizing Rivalz, "because of you
I'm now wearing my dinner."
Suzaku sat his supper down on a table and went to help the poor blue haired
boy. He knelt to his friend's height and took his arm to lift him up and turned
to the aggravated man, "Sir, he is sorry so please accept it. We are all
stressed but attacking each other wi-"
Sadly the Japanese boy didn't get to finish his sentence as the other man took
him by the collar and turned his anger to Suzaku, " Stressed? If it weren't for
you none of us would be in this mess. You're most likely happy to be with your
fellow monkeys."
Suzaku was used to prejudice but he was shocked at the pure malice that dripped
from the others mouth. He was more used to the calm and collected mocking the
other normally used. He wondered if this was what happened when power was
dragged out from under one's feet. It was like watching a predator in denial
lash out in anger.
"Sir, please. You can insult me but please refrain from insulting our hosts,"
he said, between grit teeth, as he saw many of the pirates give dark looks
their way. Suzaku's superior thankfully saw the dark looks too and dropped
Suzaku as he left taking Suzaku's bowl.
He sighed in relief and smiled as he took Rivalz's outstretched hand. He calmed
his nervous friend and declined the others offer to give Suzaku his bowl.
"Really Rivalz, it's okay. I have to talk with the captain anyway. Enjoy your
meal and try to stick with Gino to avoid any more trouble," he said as he
laughed off the other's concerns. He also saw the irony in telling Rivalz's to
stay with Gino to avoid trouble.
"Be careful, Suzaku. He is a pirate after all," Suzaku heard Rivalz's call
after him sullenly. He only waved back and left for Captain Zero's quarters
===============================================================================
There on his bed lay a beauty unlike any other. Her long green hair flowed to
her waist, covering the plump chest. Her golden eyes looked into his violet eye
as she grinned at him. He could only sit and watch as she ate a plate of grapes
while wrapped in nothing but his sheets. He couldn't stop himself. He had to
speak his mind.
"Could you please not eat on my bed," he growled out as he ate a spoonful of
gruel before him, "and could you please put some clothes on!"
"Oh come now, Lelouch, at least I'm not eating that delicious bread with cheese
and tomatoes, again. What did those Italians call it? Pizza? Really, those
Italian peasants made something amazing just from the scraps leftover from the
tables of nobles," she said while spitting out a seed onto his white sheet.
If the witch before him had not saved his life on numerous occasions he was
sure he would have marooned her long ago. Sadly he doubted marooning her would
even work. She had a nasty habit of always knowing where he was.
"Yes, it was pizza and I remember. My mattress smelt like cheese for weeks," he
scrunched up his nose at the memory.
The sea witch merely smiled at him as she popped another grape past her pink
lips, "Oh calm down, Lelouch. By the way shouldn't Mr. Kururugi be more of a
concern than my eating habits?"
Lelouch looked at her annoyed, "What do you mean?"
Her eyes seemed to narrow as she took on a more serious expression and
responded, "You know exactly what I mean boy. Is it really wise to keep him on
this ship? We both know that the only reason those sailors are alive is that of
your sentimental feelings for a childhood friend. He is a weakness. That's not
to mention that the longer he is around you, the more likely your identity is
to be revealed and no matter what childish sentiments you may hold towards him,
he is still part of the Britannian military."
He grinned at her, "If I didn't know any better, C.C., I would say you were
concerned."
She sighed as she stood up and started to pull on one of his white shirts, "I
am merely concerned with your ability to keep your promise."
"Don't worry," he rested his cheek in the palm of his hand as he boredly
watched her button the shirt, "I will keep my end of the deal. I really don't
need you ripping your accursed pearl from my head."
She glared at him as he smirked back. With a shake of her head, she replied,
"Put your mask on, your guest is here."
He frowned at her dry remark and pulled the mask around his neck up to cover
the lower half of his face. Before he could tell her to let Suzaku in, she
opened the door to reveal a confused Suzaku about to knock.
===============================================================================
Suzaku stood there frozen in his place. He was a decent man who never
disrespected a woman in his life, but he had never been faced with a woman so
scantily dressed. It was a shock to see Kallen wearing pants but the woman in
front of him only wore a shirt, leaving the entirety of her pink legs exposed.
He tried to look away but his eyes only fell onto the unimpressed captain
sitting at his desk.
The man merely rolled his eye and addressed the woman, "C.C., please stop
intimidating poor Kururugi and put some pants on."
"Whatever you say, Captain," she said while turning around and walking to the
chest at the foot of the bed. When she bent over to pull out a pair of brown
trousers Suzaku quickly shut the door and practically ran to the Captain's
desk. At least while facing the one-eyed man he couldn't see the woman's
posterior.
The man in front of him merely laughed at Suzaku's blushing face. The Japanese
boy imagined he must have looked redder than a tomato.
"I apologize for C.C.'s behavior, she can be a bit open," the man said as
Suzaku took a seat.
"Its… um… fine, I just wasn't expecting your mistress to be here while we
talked," he said and swore he felt his face become hotter.
"Oh please, he is way too young for me," the woman scoffed behind him.
"You do make a compelling case against what you say, C.C.," he shook his head
and looked to Suzaku, "What she says though is true, no matter what Tamaki may
say. She is more like an accomplice."
Suzaku nodded at the man's explanation, "Oh well, I am happy you aren't taking
advantage of a young woman and stealing her virtue."
He heard the woman behind him break into a fit of laughter as she walked into
his line of sight. She seemed amused by his statement.
"Did I say something wrong," he questioned when he saw that even the man before
him seemed strained to stay composed.
"It just seems hard to picture a sea witch as virtuous," Captain Zero
explained.
Suzaku was confused and felt uncomfortable while being the butt of the two's
joke. Finally, he was granted reprieve by whatever deity there was as the man,
before him, became serious and moved onto business.
"So report on today's affairs. How is your crew? Did everything proceed
smoothly? Are conditions to your liking?"
Suzaku nodded, "Yes, we are grateful for the hospitable treatment you and your
crew have shown us. We still aren't happy with our situation but for what the
situation is we could be treated worse. Some men in my crew, though, are on
edge and seem to be taking it out on each other. During supper, a mild scuffle
broke out between two members of my crew. One had accidentally caused the other
to drop his meal and the man promptly took his frustration out on the other. I
dealt with the situation quickly but the one who was agitated may have offended
your crew with some remarks. I will assure you I will speak with him once this
meeting is done."
The Captain nodded his head as he took in Suzaku's report, "There are bound to
be a few bumps along the way. I'm actually surprised none of you attempted
mutiny. I would say today was a success, Mr. Kururugi."
Suzaku nodded but was perplexed at the others laid back attitude towards his
crew's behavior. The other seemed to understand Suzaku's confusion and voiced
his reasoning, "I am the captain of a crew made up of pirates, of course, there
will be disagreements and arguments between crew members every day. As long as
they can be solved without my intervention, I find it to be a quite peaceful
day."
Again he nodded with a better understanding of the man. It came to him as a
great relief that as long as he kept the men in order then things would be
okay.
"Now if that is all, I would like to return to my meal," the one-eyed man
gestured to his bowl.
"Oh! Of course, I'm sorry if I interrupted yo-" he was cut off by a loud growl
coming from his stomach.
"Oh, it seems someone is still hungry," the green haired woman smiled as she
sat on the edge of the desk.
Suzaku blushed, "I gave my bowl to the one that lost his."
The woman seemed unimpressed, "You are some kind of saint aren't you. Wouldn't
even look twice at my ankles."
Zero seemed to chuckle at that and pulled out an apple from his draw, "Of
course he wouldn't want to look at your scaley legs. Only a sailor stranded at
sea would find a witch like you attractive."
"You are such a charmer," she huffed. Zero only chuckled as he tossed the apple
towards Suzaku.
"Um, this isn't my place but should you really call a lady a witch," he said as
he caught the apple.
Surprisingly it was the woman who answered, "There is nothing wrong with
calling me a witch when I am one."
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the beautiful woman before him.
In all the Britannian stories he heard, witches were evil hags. He looked
towards the man across from him, silently asking if the woman was serious.
The man merely shrugged, "You can believe her or not. Being on a pirate ship
alone is enough to be hung. So she may be burned instead of hanged; death is
death. Besides, to have a sea witch on the ship may turn the tides in our
favor."
C.C. sniffed at that as she spoke, "Like I would ever manipulate the seas for
you."
"My life would be so much easier if you did," He sighed and turned to Suzaku,
"anyway, hopefully, that apple will hold you over until breakfast tomorrow."
Suzaku nodded a little perplexed at the duo's mannerisms. He stood dazed and
walked to the door but was stopped again by the captain, "Oh and Mr. Kururugi
please inform your men that we will be making port sometime after tomorrow.
Remind them that if they wish to leave this ship they will need a companion
from my crew to escort them."
"Yes Sir, I will make sure I do that. Good night Captain and to you too Ms.
C.C.," he said as he left.
He almost completely missed the comment of the self-proclaimed witch before he
left, "He never once looked at my ankles. He really acts like a saint."
Suzaku couldn't help but chuckle at her insulted tone as he walked back to his
cabin while eating the apple.
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