My Precious Cargo ⚔ Volume 2 (An AtsuKage ff) ✔

VI

The next morning was eerily silent about Inarizaki's Revenge. The waves sloshing gently against the ship's edges alongside the squawking seagulls above were the only sounds that met Tobio's ears as he ventured across the deck for breakfast. From the position of the sun it must have been almost midday and the Prince was amused at how even Kita wasn't up and working.

He enjoyed the emptiness of the ship and grabbed a few slices of bread and a stray apple before heading out onto the bowspit for breakfast. The sun's rays bathed him in a warm and soft glow, yet also made the spilt rum on the dark wood glisten in the sunlight too. The singing and dancing of last night ran around in circles in his mind, a smile ghosting his lips as he relived the first party he'd ever truly enjoyed. He was looking forwards to the next birthday.

Once he finished breakfast he decided to get started on some cleaning, disappearing into the storage room to get the mop before hauling the bucket over the rails to collect water. The breeze cooled the warm temperature and so it didn't leave him feeling too tired after he was done. The top deck, all sets of stairs and main deck were gleaming by the time he was finished, and when he emerged from putting his equipment away the first signs of life started stirring.

Next he decided to go and make some brunch, sorting out cold meats but also making a hot broth to help any of the crew who drank a little too much the night before. So when everyone came stumbling in one by one throughout the early hours of the afternoon they were treated with delicious food from their crewmate.

Deciding to once more return to the crow's nest and enjoy the precious sunlight, Tobio grabbed one of his new books from the desk in the Captain's quarters; committing to memory the sight of Atsumu's dead to the world expression. The calm sounds surrounded him creating the perfect atmosphere to read, and endless hours passed as he immersed himself in a world of dragons, warriors and magic...

By the time the sun began its descent towards the horizon Tobio sighed and closed his book, making a note of the page number he was on. Placing it down next to him his gaze followed the all too familiar stretch of sea, the line between water and sky blurring into a swirling mass of blue. It was similar to the colour of Miwa's eyes, darker in the middle and light on the outside, flecks of gold from their mother's hazel ones. He sighed once more, pushing away all thoughts of his family to savour the feeling of contentment that comforted him right now.

But then a shadow appeared amongst the blue, a swell of darkness that slowly took form the closer it came to their ship. Standing up he pulled the small telescope that he had recently added to his belt from its holster and took a closer look at the intrusion. It was another ship, its sails billowing a bright orange with a black crow in the centre. The ship was too far away to make out how many sailors were on it, but he could assume that it was another pirate ship and not a government one due to the signs of wear and tear along the wood.

Grabbing his book he descended down the rope ladder and returned to the kitchen were the crew had seemed to decide to spend the rest of the day. A few cheered when he appeared, thanking him for the food and the cleaning.

"Best present ever!" Suna exclaimed, before wincing and holding his temples. "Damn hangover." he muttered.

"You didn't have to do so much." Kita stated just as Tobio sat down at the table. "We should pull out weight after losing our senses last night."

"But you had fun, right?" asked the Prince with a knowing smile.

"Aye." Kita agreed with a smile of his own.

"Oh, I had to say something." Tobio remembered before standing up again and grabbing the crew's attention. "There's a ship heading this way. Orange and black sails, I think maybe an hour or so out."

"Orange and black?" Atsumu repeated. "Gotta be Karasuno."

"Karasuno?" the Prince asked, eager to know more about another pirate crew; he sat back down and turned to face the Captain.

"Aye, we've had a scuffle or two with 'em once. But we have a treaty of sorts now: whenever we cross paths we won't battle. Maybe talk and trade if we want to."

"How many are there?" 

"I'd guess around 11 or so, plus their old Captain from time to time. Yer might meet him today."

"Hm. And how old are they? Have they been a crew for several years?"

"That's where it gets a little difficult." Osamu replied, joining the conversation. "Their old crew sorta went outta business, didn't have the fight they used to. But their old Captain, who was kinda new back then, established a new crew. Took a few year for him to get enough people, but now they're back."

"Out of business? Are they traders then?"

"Nay, I mean they lost status, respect, weren't worth the time. That meant fewer battles, less treasure, and they just couldn't stay afloat."

"Their ship has stuck around though." Kita added. "It's very important to their pride."

"I see. Will they come aboard our vessel or shall we go aboard theirs?"

"Do you wanna see their ship, Tobio?" Miya asked.

"Yes, it sounds interesting enough."

Once everyone pulled themselves together, quickly washing and putting on fresh clothes (and thanking their little one repeatedly for cleaning up) they gathered on the deck as Karasuno drew ever closer. It was different than their encounter with Johzenji, where everyone was tense and holding their weapons in white-knuckled hands, as now everyone was making small talk and a few waved as Karasuno came to a stop beside them.

Both ships let down their anchor, and Tobio could appreciate the ship was in good shape despite the ageing; the details around the border were carved very well too. A gentle nudge in the shoulder from Atsumu made him look up at the Captain. He smirked before nudging back, just a little harder to make the blond trip and laugh. 

Karasuno observed Inarizaki's crew with eagerness as they anchored to the seabed below. It seemed like there were no new additions, and the ship looked well maintained. Their Captain Atsumu Miya was the same as ever, sporting a grin as he looked upon them as well. And then there was- wait, who was that? 

A tallish male, seemingly younger than the rest of the crew, with jet black hair tinted blue in the evening sunrays, was standing next to the Captain and shoving his shoulder increasingly aggressively until the Captain tripped and stumbled to the side. They had thought Miya would get annoyed but he just grinned and shoved back, only to miss when the mystery male ducked and sent him stumbling into his grey-haired twin Osamu Miya. These twins were infamous for their effective dual-combat. 

But then the mystery male saw them looking and hauled the Captain up; he sent them a strong gaze with eyes gleaming of intelligence and courage, his stance becoming assured yet relaxed. He didn't exactly fit in with the rest of the crew, and to some members of Karasuno there was an unusual sense of familiarity within his features. Odd...