Pirates of the Makai

Pirates of the Makai
Part Four

Blue Dragon,

You would never guess who I saw at court today. I’m sure it will come as much as a shock to you as it was for me, considering said person is supposed to be a prisoner on your ship! That’s right, Prince Koenma returned home today. Apparently, he was never captured. You ignorant fools took some worthless cur who was wearing his clothing. Don’t lose heart. We still have the map from that insufferable midget, Hiei. I’ll see what I can do. As for the imposter, you may as well kill him. -- Red Sparrow.

The prince’s apartments were usually bright and alive with the hustle and bustle of eager courtiers and servants carrying out their duties, but few dared to bustle there nowadays and the prince ordered for the curtains to remain un-drawn. Koenma had just arrived home from a voyage in which his dearest friend, Lord Yusuke Urameshi, had taken hostage by a band of ruthless pirates. The pirates were after Koenma of course, but brave Yusuke took his place. The prince had been inconsolable.

A knock at the door caused Koenma to stir on his couch. “Who’s there and what do you want,” he said without regard.

“It’s Suzaku,” a smooth cultured voice replied.

Koenma recognized the name as belonging one of the court’s advisers. So in spite of his desire to be alone, he murmured, “Enter.”

The door opened to admit a blond aristocratic young man who looked only a few years older than Koenma himself, though he was actually much older. He was clothed in a flashy red suit that did not become Koenma’s mood. However the prince did note and was grateful for the absence of the obnoxious talking green bird that usually rode on his shoulder.

“My lord,” Suzaku entered with a respective bow.

“Cut the pleasantries and say what you want,” Koenma grumbled, “As you can see I’m in a rather foul humor.”

“Indeed,” Suzaku smiled courteously and continued, “I see that rumors of your return were correct, so it was your companion Lord Urameshi who was taken? I just came to offer you my condolences and say that if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to call on me. I know this is a hard time for you. Every one knew how fond you were of the late Lord Urameshi,--”

“Late?! He’s been captured, he’s not killed,” Koenma said indigently.

Suzaku was taken aback by passion in the prince’s tone, then he remembered a rumor he once heard about the specific nature of the relationship the price shared with this particular lord. He hummed to himself a moment before he continued, “You and I both know that once they figure out he’s not you…” Suzaku shook his head sympathetically, “Unless-- no, it‘s a slim chance at best.”

“What?” Koenma implored, “If there is even a small chance to save Yusuke I have to take it!”

“Well, as I see it, it doesn’t really matter to the pirates who their captive is, so long as they get their ransom,” Suzaku reasoned, “So If you pay….”

“I already went down this road with father. They want the Makai Whistle. Parliament would never approve of us turning that treasure over to pirates. They say… Yusuke isn’t worth that much,” he said bitterly.

“And do you feel the same?” Suzaku asked incredulously.

“Of course not!” Koenma snapped, “Yusuke’s been my closet friend since… I’d do anything to save him, if I just knew how!”

“Even steal the Makai Whistle from the royal vault?”

“Even-- what?”

“Oh nothing, sire, I was merely thinking hypothetically,” Suzaku waved a dismissing hand. “Well I suppose I should get back to my duties. Remember if you need anything at all…”

He left Prince Koenma staring befuddled at his back, “Steal from the royal vaults?”
* * *

PS.
Belay that last part, I just found out that the one that you took was Lord Urameshi, the prince’s official companion and unofficial concubine. I have spoken to him and I sense that he is very dear to the prince. I believe that we can use that. Keep the boy safe. --Red Sparrow.
* * *

“You lost them,” Seiryu raged, “I would say I can’t believe it, but that would indicate that I believed you had some semblance of competence in the first place!”

“It don’t matter, we got our ships, our crews,” Genbu grunted.

“Yeah,” Byakko concurred, “They wouldn’t dare come back to pester us.”

“They took the boy you numb skulls,” Seiryu shouted, “We needed him as our hostage, remember; the Makai Whistle, Maze Castle, any of this some familiar to you? Seiryu cooled, “Listen. Yes, we could let things be, pirate the seas as a unified force and get rich. But we would still be pirates, parasites, bottom feeders. However if we took Maze Castle, we could be kings!”

The two bulky men were in awe of the words Seiryu gave them. Byakko tentatively asked, “So what can we do now?”

“They couldn’t have gotten far. They haven’t had the time to flee the city. I’ll set up men to watch the roads and the harbor to make sure they don‘t leave,” Seiryu told them, “You two send men to sweep the city. Make sure they check the hotels and boarding house, as well as the brothels and the bars, and anywhere else three men can hide. When you find them bring the boy to me. As for the rest… be creative.”
* * *
Yusuke dreamed. He dreamt that a warm wet rag was brushing gently over his skin. Someone was washing him again. Yusuke had never been such a spoiled aristocrat that he required his servants to wash him, so this was not a familiar feeling to him, but recently he had been getting better acquainted with it, since Hiei stole him away. Was Hiei washing him now?

The rag swiped over his cheek. He moaned while sleep slowly slipped away from him. He opened his eyes and the image before him slowly filtered to his brain. There was a man standing over him-- or at least he though it was a man. Quick breast check, yep it was a man. His hair was long and silvery. Yusuke assumed he was an older man, but his face was smooth, pale, and elegantly sculpted in a way that defied age. He must be an angel, therefore….

“Am I dead?” Yusuke asked dumbly.

The man let out a deep chuckle, “Not yet. Though your corsets are done for. We had to hurry and cut them to get you breathing again.”

“You’re joking.” Yusuke sat up and winced at the soreness in his ribs. “Damn it that hurts. Oh man, I’m gonna petition the king to outlaw those evil things. Er, who are you by the way?”

“I’m Youko,” said the beautiful man, “Youko Kurama.”

“Kurama the Silver!” Yusuke exclaimed.

Youko chuckled again. Yusuke was apparently a very amusing thing. “I haven’t been called that name for some time.”

“We were… and they… you… how?” Yusuke stammered.

“It is quite the jumble isn’t it,” Youko said through his amused grin, “And just imagine it from my point of view. Here I am enjoying my retirement when suddenly this brash young man shows up on my doorstep with my old boy toy over one shoulder and you over the other one, babbling something about mutinies.”

“Kuwabara, he told you everything?” Yusuke asked.

“Most of it,” Youko nodded, “However he did seem somewhat fuzzy on a few details, such as your identity….”

“Oh that,” Yusuke was at a loss of what to tell him.

Youko went on, “The young man thought you were a lady of ill repute named Ko-chan, though that theory went out the window with your corsets. He mentioned that one of those curs called you ‘Prince’ and that is curious.”

“Don’t pester him Youko,” a soft alto voice came from the doorway. It was Kurama-- the Red that is. He was without a shirt and had his midsection bandaged.

“Shuichi, you have a hole in your stomach. You shouldn’t be up,” Youko admonished him.

“And you shouldn’t have left me to be tended by that… new piece of ass you got,” the redhead said coldly.

“Where is Kuronue?” Youko tipped his head. “He‘s supposed to be watching you.”

“Sorry, lover,” Another man popped into the doorway. He was taller than the redheaded Kurama, but not as tall as Youko. His hair was as long as Youko’s, but black and shining like a satin curtain hanging down to his back to his hips. Also like Youko his face as pretty enough to be an angel’s but also held something of a swarthy charm. Yusuke looked at him, over to Youko and then Kurama and back to Kuronue. He was in a pretty boy convention!

Kuronue entered, “Sorry lover. The young one here slipped out on me while I was fetching more bandages.”

Kurama launched a pointed glare at the man after he used the term ’young one.’ He replied to Youko in a cold tone, “Can I help it if your little distraction here can’t handle a simple job?” Kuronue, in turn bristled, at the phase ‘little distraction.’

“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty, now settle down,” Youko said, clearly enjoying the situation as he put an arm around each of them.

The redhead sniffed, “Anyway I dragged myself in here for a reason. I was worried about Ko-chan.”

“I’m fine, I guess. I only fainted cuz you put me in that tight ass corset. Good thing that Kuwabara was tough enough to carry us both,” Yusuke starched his head, “Uh, where is Kuwabara, by the way?”

“He left shortly after he deposited you two here,” Kuronue supplied, “He said he was going to spy out the docks and see if your mutineers were telling the truth. Then he‘ll come back.”

“He’s coming back?” Yusuke was surprised.

“Apparently,” Kuronue shrugged, “I swear he’s the oddest boy.”

“Kuwabara can be a little single minded, Ko-chan,” Kurama supplied.

“I do wish you‘d stop with this ‘Ko-chan’ nonsense,” Youko interrupted, “Hiding this boy’s identity from me Shuichi? Don’t you think you owe me the truth, especially after all you’ve lost my ship to that rock brained Genbu?”

“Well I--” Kurama started but thankfully he was interrupted by a great ruckus in the form of Kuwabara.

“Man, guys you wouldn’t believe the shit that’s going down out there,” Kuwabara told them how Seiryu’s men were patrolling the town. “I did some eavesdropping and found out is they’ve had some deserters. A guy from your ship, Kurama, named Mr. Toya split and he took some guys with him, uh, Jin, Gama, and Risho.”

“Ha! Good old Toya. I should have made HIM my first mate,” Kurama clapped his hands.

“So they split, how does that help us?” Yusuke snorted.

“They haven’t split.” Kurama grinned, “In fact that should be them now.”

“Wha--” Yusuke’s inquiry was cut off by a knock at the door.

Kuronue went door stairs and a moment later called up cheerfully, “We’ve got company!”

“Toya and my men?” Kurama urged, rushing for the stairs, Kuwabara and Yusuke on his heels, Youko lazily bringing up the rear.

“Plus four more,” Kuronue reported.

Beside Yusuke, Kuwabara exclaimed, “Yana, Kaito, Kido, and Mitarai too!”

“Byakko had us thrown in the brig when we wouldn’t betray you. But then, Mr. Toya and his friends snuck on board and let us out.” The one with dishwater blond curls, Mitarai, informed.

Kaito, the smart looking one with dark curls and spectacles snorted, “Yes it was quite fortunate for us that the so called Captain Byakko was stupid enough to leave us so under-guarded.”

“This is great!” Yusuke cheered and all eyes turned on him, “Now we got eight men, plus me and you two Kurama and Kuwabara we’ve got eleven. That’s more than enough to man a small cruiser.”

“You proposing me and this cheat work together? “ Kuwabara squawked, “In case you forgot I’m still mad as hell at him. The only reason I saved him was so I could kill him my self in an honorable duel. Because of him, my sweet Yukina’s gonna be sent back to the whore house!”

Kurama sighed, “He’s unswayable. In any case where were we supposed to get a cruiser anyway? And more over what would be the point? With three pirate vessels united against our days at sea are over.”

Toya agreed, “Yes, it seems all we can do is hide out and lick our wounds.”

“Shut up!” Yusuke howled, “Damn it, do you hear yourselves! You’re pirates for god’s sake-- pirate captains in fact! Did you get where are today by just rolling over and taking it?”

“Well in Shuichi’s case,” Kuronue muttered, but was ignored.

Yusuke went on, “No. You never let anything stop you from getting what you wanted, not life, not the law, or circumstance. Nothing was beyond your reach. You even gained respect from men who respect nothing but their own avarice and became captains.

“If second rate trash like Seiryu, Byakko and Genbu can gain so much power simply by banding together, just image the force you could create by working together. I say you two bury the god damned hatchet, we commandeer a cruiser and make some waves. And hell Kuwabara, if you’re so worried about that Yukina girl, why don’t we swing around Hangman Island and just steal her before the crones at Koorime House can collect her!”

“I never thought of that,” Kuwabara’s jaw dropped, “Kidnap Yukina….”

“We will liberate her,” Kurama offered Kuwabara his hand, “And I might know of a profitable enterprise that we may pursue in Reikei.” He glanced meaningfully at Yusuke.

Kuwabara shook his hand, “Right-- but wait there’s still a problem. How we gonna get a cruiser with Seiryu watching the public docks.”

“Obviously you can’t get one that is in a public dock,” Youko broke in on the conversation, “But, I happen to know a private dock where a retired mariner keeps his pleasure cruiser. And he’s always happy to patronize young enterprisers. Come, I‘ll take you there now.” He started off, but paused and looked back, “Oh and Shuichi, a man, even a wealthy man can only afford to buy so many boats in his life, so do try not to lose this one.”
* * *

Koenma stood with his back pressed firmly against his apartment doors, his breath coming out in harsh gasps and sweat trickling down his brow. He couldn’t believe what he just did. He stole the Makai Whistle. More startling than the fact that he did it was how easy it was for him to do it. He hadn’t even intended on doing it, it just sort of happened.

He had taken a walk to clear his mind that was all. He had spent so much time meditating over how he could somehow retrieve his dear friend Yusuke from the clutches of those pirates. Paying the ransom and giving them the whistle was out. His father and the counsel would not yield it. He thought to offer the pirates a fair sum of gold. But no, if they wanted gold they would have asked for that.

As he walked, his feet took him unconsciously to the south wing, where they kept the royal vaults. Only a number of people were allowed to go to near the area around the vault, and the nearer to the vault one got the smaller that number got. This fact became stronger and stronger in Koenma’s mind as he drew ever closer and closer to the vault, and was unchallenged. And he remembered and idea the advisor Suzaku had planted in his head.

He walked right past the guards, into the vaults. So easy, it was astounding. He strolled down the aisles of artifacts as casually as he as if he were in the market. And then there it was, sitting between the artifacts of darkness and a box of hiroseiki gems. It was an odd thing, not very attractive either. It had a long slender shaft at on end was the mouthpiece at the over was bulbous body covered with spiked protrusions. Touching it, Koenma could only assume it was made of porcelain; however it had a texture to its glaze that he’d never encountered before. All and all it felt and looked like shell, stolen from some bizarre sea mollusk.

He slipped it into the breast of his coat and walked out. All the way back to his apartments, he kept expecting for a hand to fall on his shoulder, to hear someone say, “Hold it right there.” But no one even looked at him twice.

He took the thing out and looked at it, seeming unreal in his hands. He gasped, “I really did it… I did it… shit! I did it! I stole from the royal vaults!” He threw the item like a hot potato to land on the sofa. He stared at it laying there in astonishment. He croaked, “I’m a thief, a vandal! I’ve betrayed my father, my people, and the entire legacy of our kingdom. How could I do such a despicable thing? But then how can I not? They pushed me to it. It’s only a trinket, yet they put it above the life of my dearest friend. I had to… Oh why did I have to? What’ll I do?!”

Twenty minutes later there was a soft knock at the door, followed by the man who came at Koenma’s behest. Suzaku entered, “You sent a maid to fetch me?”

“I did,” Koenma paced nervously, “I’ve-- you will keep this in confidence, what I am about to tell you?”

“My liege, do I look like gossip to you?” He replied charmingly.

Koenma eased a bit, not completely. He licked his lips and said, “I’ve done something rather rash.”

“My lord,” Suzaku sidled up to Koenma and placed hand a little too familiarly on his shoulder, “I’m sure it’s not all that--”

His words caught in his throat and his eyes bulged when Koenma reached under a throw pillow and produced the Makai Whistle.

“I took it,” Koenma smiled weakly, “But I don’t know what to do now…”

“I can’t believe it,” Suzaku said stunned, “You just went in and took it… didn’t even give it a night’s thought.”

“Maybe it was a mistake.” Koenma chewed his lip, “I could still sneak it back--”

“No!” Suzaku snapped making the other flinch. His smoothed his tone, “You’ve got it, the thing that can save Lord Urameshi.”

“But what do I do with it now?” Koenma whined helplessly.

“Pack an extra set of clothes and as much cash as you can carry,” Suzaku instructed him. “Tonight we will sneak out of the palace. I know where we can negotiate for passage on a ship.”

“Passage? To where?”

“To Makai, of course. To speak to the woman called Rui at Koorime House Brothel-- that is unless you‘re not that serious about saving Lord Urameshi.”

Koenma’s jaw firmed with resolve, “Where should we meet up?”

TBC…
A/N: Still with me Good. Hoped you liked his chapter. Got a treat planed in the next one, and I’ll give you a clue, it’s lemon flavored. Next time.