love me part II

[maderr]

Alright, here's the next part of treasure. This was hard to write, I'm not sure I kept everyone IC. There's also a character I didn't expect - I had planned something else but it turned into this guy (you'll know who I mean, believe me). Also - I doubt this is necessary but my sister commented. The first mate's name is pronounced "sa-may." That is all. Please enjoy, and if something seems off, feel free to tell me.


"You're sulking."

"No, I’m just bored."

Raiden looked up from the papers he was examining and leered, "Well, I could use a break myself, if you really need something to do."

"I'm not that bored," Takara cast one more look at the book in his lap, then set it aside. He shifted restlessly on the bed he'd sat on to read, pointedly ignoring the looks Raiden was sending him.

"Somehow I knew you'd say that," Raiden shook his head. "We've only been at sea a week. How can you possibly be bored?"

Takara looked at him, "I'm a Royal Secretary. It's all I can do most days to keep on top of my workload. That's not taking into account who I work for, and you're asking me why I'm bored?"

"If you're that desperate for something constructive to do, you could always help me out here. I abhor such work, but my own secretaries never last very long." Raiden managed to keep from laughing as Takara's face brightened. "Here, take a look. Maybe you can figure out what I'm missing, my numbers keep coming out wrong."

"Let me see," Takara came around the desk, sliding on his glasses. He lifted the sheaf of papers in front of the merchant, "Hmm…these are all your transactions for the past several months…place of purchase…and here," he lifted a separate stack, setting the first down. "Buyers…amount paid…due…total cost…" he set that stack down as well, slowly going over and reorganizing the papers Raiden had scattered across the desk. He barely noticed when Raiden moved to let him have the seat.

Two hours later, he looked up, removing his glasses, "I found your problem. You failed to list one of your donations to the National Auction. You have the necklace listed here in purchase," he indicated the list in front of him, "but you didn't record it on these lists," he indicated three other piles. "So your records show that you still have it, even though I recall seeing the piece myself at auction."

"How did I miss that? I would have thought I'd remember something like that. Ah, I see. This wasn't me - an associate handles the auctions now, I no longer deal with them directly. I really only bid these days. My liaison handled the donations this year. He must have assumed I'd already made necessary note of it, but honestly I never remember anymore what goes to the auction. I donated what? Ten pieces?"

Takara smiled up at him, eyes laughing, "Thirteen actually, now that I've accounted for that necklace. An amount worthy of royalty when you consider that each piece alone is worth a small fortune or three…I actually won these last two here, the fire gem bracelet from Pozhar, and the black pearl necklace from Arashi Island."

"Ah yes, you do have an obsession with fine jewelry. An odd habit for a man."

"Says the man who buys, sells and collects jewelry for a living."

"As you say, I do it for a living. But since we're on the subject, I have one piece here that might amuse you. More likely it will annoy you." Raiden laughed as he strode over to the cabinet near the bed. Riffling through it for a moment, he withdrew a wide, flat, black velvet box. Striding back to the desk, he set the box before the still seated secretary. "Take a look."

Takara looked up at him in suspicion, but opened the box. He stared at the contents a moment, unsurprised. "You really have to rub it in, don't you? You were the only one able to outbid me on this item." Gingerly he lifted the necklace from it's velvet padding. It was a heavy chocker, three rows of the rare blue pearls that were a specialty of Typhoon Island in Kundou. Between each pearl, though, was set a small, green, glittering stone. They were the reason he had wanted the necklace, the green stones that were imported from Piedre. People there called the stone 'esmeralda,' and it was one of his favorite gems. "I'm still angry you won this. I was looking forward to adding it to my collection."

"Well, maybe I'll give it to you someday. As it is, I still enjoy keeping it. I will give you this though," Raiden tossed a small object at the secretary, who caught it deftly.

Takara stared at the ring he was holding, impressed despite himself. It was simple in design, but worth a fortune for all that. The band was wide, with small whorls and loops carved into it; a large green stone sparkled in the lamplight. "This is white gold…and where did you find an esmeralda of such size? It's amazing."

"I'm the world's top merchant in items rare and exotic, I can find anything. Keep it, as a…token of my affection."

"Another sign of ownership, you mean? No thank you." Takara rose from the desk, moving to return the ring.

Raiden frowned, and refused to take it. "Well, I’m not going to take it back. If you won't wear it, at least keep it until you will. I gave it to you, it's yours now."

Takara returned the frown, eyes narrowing in confusion as he looked up at the merchant. But he tucked the ring away in his sash, turning away back to the desk. A sudden burst of shouting from outside interrupted his thoughts.


"Oof, he's heavy," the sailor set the body down on the ship's deck before stepping back out of the way, giving the captain and first mate space.

Kindan tore his gaze away from the remains of a ship to gaze at the unconscious man they'd pulled from the water. His skin was pale, most likely from nearly drowning. Slate gray hair lay smooth and flat against his head, wet strands plastered to his cheek. Heavy white bandages were wrapped several times around his eyes. His clothing was mostly intact, and soaking wet it molded to his lithe form. "It's a miracle he survived whatever happened. Why are his eyes bound like that? Is he injured? Examine him, Mr. Same." He watched as his first mate knelt to investigate the bandages that were wrapped around the figure's eyes. An all too familiar voice halted the action.

"What in Storms' names are you doing? Stop it! Leave the bindings!" Nankyokukai had come up just behind the captain, and without waiting to see what Same intended; he dropped to his knees and shoved the first mate away. "Do you want to kill the entire ship? Don't you fools know who this is?" He glared up at the captain, "I would have though you of all people would have recognized what's left of that ship's insignia. Are all of you really that ignorant? This is Culebra, the Basilisk Prince of Piedre."

"The what?" Same looked utterly confused, and he seemed to have forgotten the rude shove he'd just received.

"That's just a stupid myth from the stone lands." Kindan had not forgotten the prince's behavior.

Nankyokukai rose languorously to his feet, smirking. "So you believe in dragons but not in serpents? You're sadly lacking in faith as well as knowledge."

"My supposed lack of knowledge and faith is nothing compared to your glaring lack of manners, Highness. I've warned you about addressing me on my own ship."

"Of course, Captain. But you have to understand that--"

A movement from the unconscious figure interrupted his sentence, "Wh…where am I? Who's there? Roca? Granito? Where are you?" His voice was hoarse.

The prince turned away from the seething captain, kneeling in front of Culebra and speaking in a tone no one on the ship had heard from him. "Culebra, hold still. Don't wear yourself out further."

The prince of the stone lands jerked his head at the sound of Nankyokukai's voice, "Your voice is familiar, who are you? Where are my men?"

The crowd of sailors watched in curiosity at Nankyokukai's next action. Holding up his right hand, he held it up to the other man's lips, touching them lightly. The man seemed briefly startled by the touch, jumping slightly, but a second later his tongue flicked out to lick the prince's fingers. He relaxed a second later, "Nankyo! What are you doing out here on the ocean? I thought there was a familiar scent and voice…what happened? Where am I?"

"Come, let us get you to bed first and then I shall explain what I can. Do you remember Takara?" Nankyokukai asked this as his secretary and Raiden came rapidly towards them.

"Of course, is he here as well?" Culebra turned his head as a new pair of hands helped to lift him to his feet.

"Prince Culebra, what happened?" Takara looked over at Nankyo, who shook his head. "Never mind; it can wait until later." Slowly he and Nankyokukai made their way to the blue haired prince's cabin, talking quietly with the disoriented Prince.

Raiden watched them go as he stepped closer to the captain. "Kin, what's going on? Why wasn't I summoned? Who was that?"

The captain sighed, running a hand through his short hair, "Damned if I know. One of my men called the warning, and we saw what was left of what must have been a fairly large ship. Then we spotted that man in the water, but before we could examine him that thrice-damned prince decided to get hostile with my crew. He was adamant about us not removing those bandages around his eyes. He claims the man is the "Basilisk Prince." If true, that means something attacked a royal vessel…" At this last statement, the captain's expression shifted from frustrated to solemn. "I hope they weren't attacked by what I think they were. But out here, there's only one thing that could destroy a ship like that." He looked at his men, "Back to work! Excitement's over, and we still have a ship to run! Mr. Same, keep the men on alert. Whatever destroyed that ship could still be nearby."

The men scattered, gray haired Same barking orders as Raiden and Kindan made for Raiden's quarters. Closing the door, Raiden poured them drinks as Kindan took a seat at the table. He accepted his drink with a nod, "We're only a week out of Kundou, Shima. Why the hell would they be attacking ships that close to land? And a royal vessel, to make matters worse. They've always stuck to merchant ships in the past."

Raiden stared thoughtfully out the porthole to his right, idly tapping a finger against the side of his glass, "If that ship was this close to Kundou, then it was coming from Pozhar. Something vitally important I'm sure, if Piedre's highest prince was on board. But the attackers wouldn't have known that. Perhaps they're simply stepping up their violence to include any ship at sea."

"Well, I suppose it was bound to happen sometime. I really hope they ventured far enough away that we won't hear them singing…"

As if on cue, a high, eerie keening broke their conversation. The two men rose heavily to their feet, unhappy expressions on both their faces. Exiting the cabin, they stepped outside just as Takara and Nankyokukai returned to the deck. Dusk had turned to dark, giving the strange singing an added grimness.

Nankyokukai frowned out at the water, then looked up at the captain, "What in the storms' names is that horrid sound?"

Takara winced beside him, "It's horrible; I feel like I'm going to be ill."

Kindan looked as if he'd rather not say, "Where is the stone land Prince?"

"He's sleeping. What's that sound?" Nankyokukai snapped.

Kindan snapped back, "Put your claws away, Prince. I just didn't want him to hear, it's something I highly doubt he needs to know right now. That, Highness, is the sound of mermaids enjoying their dinner. Do I need to tell you what that dinner is?"

The Prince's eyes narrowed, "Mermaids?"

Kindan sneered, "What? You'll believe in a Prince that can kill with one glance but you can't believe in mermaids?"

"Did I say that, Captain? I was merely surprised - all my reports concerning attacks by so-called mermaids mention merchant ships exclusively. I have not yet heard such rumors in conjunction with non-merchant vessels."

The captain was still derisive, "What would you know about attacks on merchant ships?"

Unnoticed by the two men, the rest of the ship had shifted their attention from the slowly fading singing to the latest argument between captain and prince. "My, your knowledge is lacking, Captain. Lord Raiden has stated before that you are the best there is, but I confess I find that hard to believe. I am in charge of all matters pertaining to trade, shipping, and travel. It's my job to know what is happening to the ships going to and from Kundou. I tend to notice when a ship goes missing, especially when those disappearances are attached to rumors as bizarre as mermaids."

" I know what you're in charge of, why else would rumors of you float constantly about the harbor? But given your love for impeding, confounding, and annoying everyone you meet, I was shocked to hear that you actually do your job. Seeing as that would actually help people."

Nankyokukai laughed, "Ah, but you see - my father and brothers wanted me to fail. Rest assured that I'm still the " spoiled, trouble-making prince" you take me for."

"I can see that."

"Then clearly you are as observant as ever, Captain. May I request sustenance for the non-existent prince in my room? Or do you only feed non-mythical individuals?"

Kindan said nothing, merely waving a hand at his first mate before turning to stalk off to his own quarters.

Nankyokukai turned to speak quietly to Takara, who only nodded, before returning to his own room. Takara watched him go, a smile forming on his lips. He looked up at the sound of laughter, to see Raiden smiling back at him. "Is it just me, Taka, or are those two amusing?"

"It is rare to see the Prince argue so frequently with one person. Most back off after one or two attempts. I think he is enjoying himself, in a way." Takara spoke as he climbed the stairs to join Raiden on the landing. The Captain holds his own rather well, though I think he is still coming out the loser."

Raiden opened the door to his quarters, waiting as Takara stepped in before him. "Kin rarely meets anyone so willing to call him into question. Even I seldom give him so much trouble." He fell silent as he watched Takara restlessly shifting the papers still piled neatly on the desk. Looking thoughtful and just slightly mischievous, he approached the secretary, turning him around to face him and lightly grasping Takara's chin to force the shorter man to look up at him. "You've been a great deal nicer to me the past couple of days. Are you poisoning me slowly or something? Being kind to a dying man?"

Takara stopped fighting the grip on his chin and offered a slight smile, "I told you, I'm bored…and you've been awfully contrite ever since we left port. I felt bad for staying mad."

"Oh, so if you feel horribly guilty, you'll be extremely nice? Hmm…how guilty would I have to make you to earn a kiss?"

Takara's face clouded up again, though some of his earlier humor remained, "Forget it, you're still in trouble for that one. I refuse to be cooperative property."

Raiden dropped his grip, unhappy. "I really wish you'd stop seeing it that way. I've been interested in you since the auction a few months ago, but it's impossible to get near the Palace for the express purpose of asking a Royal Secretary on a date. And I learned long ago that messages of that nature are ignored."

Takara nodded, "Almost every individual attached to the Royal Family gets dozens of such messages a day. We do not take them seriously. And what do you mean you 'learned long ago' that they're simply ignored?"

Raiden grinned, "Are you jealous? You shouldn't be - a friend of mine was mooning over the Princess for a long time."

Takara turned away, "I'm hardly jealous."

Raiden watched him, still grinning. "Shall we eat dinner? I'll have one of the men bring it up. I would fetch the other two, but I would like to enjoy a meal without bickering. I don't think Kindan wants to see his Highness right now anyway."

Takara laughed, though he still was fidgeting with papers on the desk and would not look up, "No, I'd imagine not." He looked up briefly at Raiden, and then looked away toward the windows in the back of the room. "Nankyo already told me he would spend the evening with Prince Culebra. So I guess it's just you and I."

"Ah, that's what I like to here. If you're still bored after dinner, I can recommend some recreation."

Takara glared.



"I'm going to kill him, I swear it," Kindan slammed his door shut and leaned back against it, burying his head in one hand. He rubbed his temples tiredly; "I have more than enough to deal with right now without that royal pain in the ass taunting me every five minutes."

He continued to mutter to himself as he began unwinding his sash, removing his short over tunic once the sash was gone. Sighing he fell onto his bed, hands clasped behind his head. He would undoubtedly need to be on alert most of the night, so a nap now would be his best bet.

Nearly an hour later, Kindan rose. It was no use - he was still too furious to get any sleep. Not bothering with his tunic and sash, Kindan yanked his door open and returned to the main deck. His white blonde hair blew softly in the cool evening air. He spoke as his first mate approached him, "How are we, Mr. Same?"

"Doin' fine, Captain. We're out of range of the mermaids for now, and the weather seems clear. Should be a quiet night, eh?"

"Don't get comfortable. If we were able hear the mermaids earlier, you can be sure they were aware of us. If they attack us now, we won't be as fortunate as we were on the Kumiko. Keep the men on alert."

"Aye, Captain," the first mate nodded, his dark eyes glittering in the light of the full moon. A brief smirk flitted across his face, his gaze on something past the captain's shoulder.

Kindan's eyes narrowed and he turned, unsurprised at the site that greeted him. "Good evening, Highness. Did you need something?"

"Not at all, Captain. I merely thought you might like to hear some of the details of the attack?"

Kindan bit back an angry response, "Of course I want to hear it. Raiden will as well." He turned and headed for the merchant's quarters.

"Make sure you knock loudly, we wouldn't want to interrupt anything," Nankyokukai laughed.

Kindan threw the prince a disgusted look and knocked lightly on the door. Hearing nothing, he opened it and stepped inside. The prince was close behind him.

Takara was seated at the desk, papers scattered across it. It looked as if he had been working on them at some point, but Raiden was at the moment proving distracting. He was standing just behind the low back chair, his arms twined around a protesting Takara with his head buried in the secretary's neck. He looked up at the sound of the opening door, torn between amusement and frustration. "I didn't hear you knock, Kin. Oh, and you've brought the Prince. To what do we owe the honor of this intrusion?"

Nankyokukai smirked at his Secretary, who only glared back before directing his gaze toward the desktop. The prince looked up at Raiden, "My apologies, but the Captain felt you would like to hear the details of the attack."

Raiden released his grip and rose, his teasing manner fading. "Of course. Kin mentioned the man was a prince from Piedre. That concerns me because as you stated earlier, the mermaids have always kept to merchant ships."

Nankyokukai took a seat at the table, his head resting in one hand while the lay on the chair's armrest, "Yes, Prince Culebra, more frequently called the Basilisk Prince. He was in Pozhar for the past three months renegotiating trade relations. That's irrelevant here, but it explains why Piedre's highest-ranking Prince was in the middle of the Shizukana Sea. At any rate, late in the afternoon their ship suddenly came under attack. Culebra said that the attack began under the water, ramming them hard enough to put holes in the ship. After that he heard his men shouting about "women" and "monstrous fish." He said the air reeked of the scent of blood and fish, as well as something he'd never smelled before. A little while later his bodyguard helped him escape, but apparently the man was unable to flee with him."

"I don't understand how he managed to escape, surely the mermaids would have noticed him?" Kindan stated.

The prince frowned, "The stone lands have magic of their own, and if those mermaids are as frenzied as my reports claim then it's entirely feasible for them to have overlooked one individual- how else would I get my reports?"

Raiden looked thoughtful, "That still doesn't explain why they attacked a royal vessel. Normally they stick to merchant ships, as those can simply be chalked up to storms, sailors gone insane, etc. It's not unusual for those to disappear. But the loss of a Prince would cause serious repercussions. Rumors of mermaids and wild attacks from the ocean would be taken more seriously…" the merchant trailed off as he turned to look over his shoulder. He was perched on a corner of his desk. Behind him, Takara was writing furiously across a sheet of paper. Two full pages rest nearby. "You're taking notes?"

Takara didn't look up, "It's my job."

Raiden smiled, and turned to Kindan. "Any ideas?"

Kindan shook his head, "None. To the best of my knowledge the mermaids prefer to keep their vendetta small. It's not unusual for them to attack in broad daylight, but I can think of nothing to explain their chosen target."

Nankyokukai eyed the men suspiciously, "The two of you know seem to know a great deal more than most merchants. Explain yourselves."

Kindan hesitated, but at a look from Raiden grudgingly explained. "We've run into them twice, and we make a point to keep abreast of what other merchants and sailors have to say. No one else may believe it, but those of us that travel the seas for a living know that the mermaids aren't just a sea-crazed rumor."

"You've run into them twice." The prince's voice was flat.

Kindan huffed, annoyed. "Yes, twice. The first time we were attacked on Raiden's smallest ship, the Kaki. We were two weeks from Kundou when it happened. But the damage was minor because the attackers pulled back. We barely had a chance to discern what was happening."

"The mermaids pulled back? How is that even possible?" Nankyokukai sounded skeptical. At the desk Takara was still rapidly taking notes.

The captain continued, "Something on the ship surprised them enough that they backed off."

"And what was that?"

"It's none of your business. Suffice to say it didn't work the second time." Kindan's voice was sharp.

"Have it your way. What of the second attack then?" Nankyokukai asked.

Kindan's voice was strained, "The second one almost did kill us. They attacked not long after sundown, and as Prince…Culebra stated, they started by damaging the bottom of the ship. But a squall sprang up just as they launched their attack above water. It confused their efforts and forced our ship away." He frowned unhappily, dropping his head to rub it tiredly with one hand, "We barely made it to Sanhoshi in time. Any longer and the Kumiko would have been beyond repair."

"…Kumiko? That ship was not registered under your name."

Kindan raised his head, frowning in confusion at the carefully blank look on the prince's face, "No, I registered it under an alias to avoid associating it with Raiden's business. It is my personal ship; it was completed only six months ago. We were out on a test run when we were mistaken for a merchant vessel and attacked. It is still undergoing repairs at Sanhoshi."

"How interesting. Takara, you brought your birds along, did you not?"

"Of course. But only those trained for Kundou and Pozhar, as we will not be traveling anywhere near the great lands or high lands."

"That will suffice. Send one letter each to my father and Pozhar, informing them of what has occurred. Make note in your letters that it is left to them to inform Piedre of the disaster."

"I will see to it. Shall I bring them to you for signing and sealing?"

"No, because I am not here. Use my seal, but sign your own name. Despite the circumstances, this mission is still a secret. State that you're vacationing with your new lover or something, that will sufficiently explain your presence." Nankyokukai snickered as he rose, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen"

Raiden and Kindan watched him go, as Takara set his notes aside to begin the letters. Raiden laughed, "The man has no doubts about his authority. He doesn't even wait to see if there are any questions."

Takara paused briefly, "If you can't keep up, he doesn't need you. He went through three secretaries before me, and most of the staff is still terrified of him."

"That's no surprise. I still say the man could benefit from a few lessons in manners. I'll be at the helm if any more surprises spring up. Sleep well." Kindan left, the door slamming shut behind him.

Raiden looked at Takara working busily away, sighing. "I guess this means we can't pick up where we left off?"

"Oh, we can if you want. If I recall correctly, I was debating between breaking your fingers and dumping ink all over you. Do you have a preference?"

The merchant threw him a disgusted look, "You really need to loosen up. I can see there's no talking to you now that you have an assignment. I think I'll go attempt to cool Kindan's temper."

Takara's gaze remained on his papers, "See you later then."

"No fun at all…" Raiden muttered as he left.