"They made it!" Isabella called out in excitement. Worry had consumed them, in that little cove of theirs, as they contemplated the impossibility of the odds stacked against their little merchant ship. But despite all that, they had succeeded, it seemed.
"Aye, that they have… But look of the state of yer ship. They'll be plenty of work for me and the boys, it seems." Morojo, said, disguising his joy as displeasure.
"There was bound to be more work anyway – what with the new cannon and the like." Isabella retorted, unwilling to let him ruin the moment. It was significant indeed. These raids had turned from simple water-borne robberies into a fully-fledged competition for the control of Toyokawa – he who held the port, held the town. And even without their cannon, they were able to walk so freely, as though it were their own backyard – what would happen when they installed that precious little weapon of devasting destruction?
Jikouji had left in search of a smith, and they had not heard any word from his since. But he was certainly not a cause for anxiety, not when a much larger problem presented itself.
The ship was sailed steadily alongside the jetty, as the crew made more than enough noise cheering to fill in for their lack of numbers. They weren't the only ones cheering either – their reception was cheering too, with Morojo and his lads lending the bulk of their low tones the clamour. To repress this - and hesitate to celebrate - would be foolish. And by the gods, did their deserve a celebration.
"Ahoy there! It seems we've stumbled into yer cove ahead of schedule!" Morohira shouted, acting out the role of a traveller, lost a sea.
"Merhaps you have, but anyone is welcome in this land of ours as long as you've got someone of value to trade." Morojo responded with a knowing grin, keeping up with his acting.
"Captain! We've got something to trade! Gunpowd-!" Rokkaku spoke up, putting on the guise of a childish deckhand.
"SILENCE yer fool. We don't know whether we can trust them yet…"
"Did I hear mention of gunpowder?" Morojo questioned, as though genuinely surprised.
The boarding plank slid down, and they began to swagger off.
"Might be that you did – but who's asking, eh?" Morohira replied, hefting rolling a barrel off a long the plank.
Rin and Akiko shared vexed glances as they attempted to hide their amus.e.m.e.nt, and pretend that they were above such childish games.
"Ishi! We're back!"
Akiko shouted out to their friend, leaving the heavy lifting to the men, as they skirted along the wooden jetty and went to stand beside her.
"Ho… You really did manage it." Morojo soon dropped the act, as he lifted the lid to reveal the grey gunpowder inside. It was assured then, he deceided. Their future was set.
"That we did, aye. Was no biggie, eh fellas?"
"No biggie? We just burned three sh.i.p.s and then escaped another thr-" Ii began, furious that they weren't telling the full story. If he had his way, their tales would be told immediately, and he'd finally be recognized for the hero that he was. Perhaps even Isabella would pay him attention. How he longed for a simple hug… Ah, how soft it would be.
"Ii."
Morohira said firmly, attracting his gaze.
"Shut up."
"Hahaha!"
They all roared with laughter seeing the depressed look that passed over his face – even his own friends. He was something of a social rubber ball, and whatever they threw at him, he was able to take, without staying sad for too long. Thus, though they did not entirely respect him, they had to acknowledge the resilience he had, as he was able to take verbal beating after verbal beating.
"You've got a fire going already, eh? Good. I'm a bit nippy." Morohira spoke casually. It was certainly something that he'd normally say, but something about the way he said it, and the way he moved was fishy.
"Mm, good old fire…" He announced, holding up a burning stick so that he could further admire the way the flame munched of the tastey oak.
"…Don't you dare." Rin knew her father well, and could already tell what he was about to do. She firmly scolded him, without raising her voice, as she had heard Fuku do from time to time.
"Step back." Morohira said to Morojo, who was still standing next to the open topped barrel.
"You don't intend to…?" Despite his question, he was still unwilling to believe that his intentions had been imagined, and he stepped away, for his own safety.
With a maniacal grin spread across his face, Morohira held the flaming torch high above the barrel of highly explosive powder, and slowly lowered it.
"F.u.c.k! You crazy bastard! You'll get us all killed!" Rokkaku cursed, making a mad dash away. There was no way they could wretch the torch free from him – he was far too strong.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
A thundering roar cracked over their little cove, though it was in the absence of any lightning. Their captain, it seemed, was quite the crazy bastard. Yet thankfully, he wasn't quite as mad as they had assumed, and had at least stepped back slightly, before tossing the flaming torch onto the barrel. But still he had underestimated it's explosive radius, and was sent flying off his feet into the sand. Everyone else was a safe distance away, but the pain they felt in their ears was still immense.
He lay on the sand, unmoving, terrifying them.
"Dad…? The hell did you do…? Dad?" Rin called out to him worriedly. She had never seen him land quite as hard as that. It looked unnatural.
"Hm, what?" He opened his eyes at her words, as though he had just awoken from a nap, before he quickly sprung to his feet.
"That was a pretty big bang." He concluded, using a single finger to wipe the blood away from his eye, as it trickled down from his forehead.
"F.u.c.k… You're one crazy bastard." Rokkaku muttered, exasperated, as he shook his head at their captain's insane antics.
"Insane is an understatement… That was far too dangerous, Morohira – and unnecessary." Togashi scolded, struggling to contain his fury. Hi impulsive behaviour had ruined their festive mood, and now they all simply felt on edge.
"How am I meant to wield a weapon that I do not know the effectiveness of?" Came Morohira's simple reply. It was the kind of statement that had so many responses that could easily refute it. Yet coming from his mouth, and from the way he held their gazes, he was completely convinced by his own reasoning. It was impossible to try and argue.
"Who's that…?" Isabella asked, seeing past Akiko and Rin's legs, finally noticing the small little girl that stood behind them.
"Ah… I forgot to introduce you, sorry Tori-chan." Rin spoke down to her kindly, patting her head to reassure her.
"Everyone, this is Tori-chan. We found her tied up on the gunpowder boat that we captured, so we decided to bring her along with us." She announced, as Akiko nodded alongside her, agreeing with each of her statements.
Looking at such an innocent and sweet girl, Isabella did not feel comfortable. The way those trusting eyes shined up at her. She recalled all the sweet girls that she had tricked, under Toda's command. All the lives she had ruined, to save her own. And so with that introduction, she looked away.
"A little lass, is it? What were you doing tied up on a ship little lady?" Morojo asked her, doing his best to remain non-threatening. Despite all that chaos that had occurred around her, and despite her plight at the hands of the gunpowder crew, she was still smiling widely, making her cuteness almost irresistible. But at the mention of such a question – though she opened her mouth to speak – she struggled to find the words.
"Ah uhm…" And her smile faded slightly.
"It's okay, Tori-chan! Let's go and get something to eat by the fire with everyone, okay? We'll fill your stomach up. You must be hungry, right?" Akiko asked, fussing over her, as she grabbed her little hand and pulled her over by the fire, walking past Morojo.
The old shipwright shot Morohira a questioning glance, one that was intercepted by many members of the crew, but even they could not answer the unspoken question, and they simply shrugged in response. This was a woman's line of work. They would do well not to get too involved.
"Ah, that's min-" One of Morojo's sons attempted to say, as little Tori reached for a speared fish that had been roasted by the fire. In response to his words, Tori's eyes began to tear over. It seemed she thought she was being scolded. That was enough for him to bite down on his tongue, and pretend that it was nothing. "Sorry… My mistake." It also helped to save his life, for Rin and Akiko was liable to take it.
As Tori and the two girls monopoloized the seats, the rest were forced to find a place by the fire on the ground. The sand was comfortable but enough, but it was a matter of principle. Though still, none dared to say a word. They were even hesitant to speak as they normally might, for fear of interrupting Akiko and Rin's cooing. It seemed as though they fought the young girl to be their own child, and were rather intent on mothering her.
"Morohira." Togashi spoke, tapping the captain on the shoulder, as he kept his voice low.
"Heh? You still upset about earlier?" Came the carefree reply. He was quite accustomed to having people dislike him for his antics, and so it would not hurt him in the least to hear a few heated words from the bearded man.
"No. It's not about that. It's about that girl." He stated, deadly serious.
"Eh, what about her?" Morohira turned round to meet his gaze. There was something odd about Togashi's suggestive words.
"Don't you think it's strange..? For a girl like that to be tied up on the very ship we choose to target. Really, this was too easy, wasn't it?"
"What are you saying, Togashi?"
"Morohira, I'm saying this could be a trap."
He held his gaze for a few moments. Captain Morohira was a man of instinct himself, and he certainly did not feel comfortable around the child either. But he put it down to his normal reaction to children. Any that were not his own, he disliked being around.
"Togashi, it's a child. We can't do anything crazy."
It was a rather neutral, and mature reply for someone of his disposition.
"I realize that. But she can't stay. It just isn't safe."