Motley (#Wattys2016)

13: Time to Fight

It would be dangerous to go to the harbor alone, since it would be swarming with murderers. Nori took a detour to where she thought Satoru went so she could take him with her. She ran through the alleys calling out to him, but there was no response. Finally she found him halfway out of town in a dark street. "Satoru! Where were you? Listen, I need you to come with me."

Satoru's expression was stone-like. "I can't."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can! Come on, I can show you where to go.Masa was looking for you. You don't want to leave that little weakling alone, right?"

He shook his head. "I mean... I'm not strong enough. There's too many Rose Marquis members. We need to leave."

"Satoru!" Nori said in exasperation. "Wake up! We need to save Colla Voce!"

"And for what?" Satoru snapped, with so much force that Nori took a step back. "You and I both know what the Rose Marquis is capable of. Don't kid yourself, Nori. We don't stand a chance."

"I... What are you saying?"

"I'm not going down there. I don't know magic like you, or Reiko or Ryota. I'm weak! I'll be killed if I go down there."

"Don't be a coward!" Nori shouted. "This is serious!"

Satoru held his ground. "You can't force me."

"You're so immature! I thought you were my friend!" Nori shouted. "People are dying down there! Don't you want to help?"

"You want me to help?" Satoru took out his sword. "You'll have to fight me."

"I can't do that, Satoru. Please, just come on! Where's the Satoru I know? The one who pushed Kei out of the way when he could have attacked me? The one who ran away from home to escape discrimination? The one who became a pirate for me?"

Satoru raised his sword. "Stay back, Nori."

He didn't call her captain. He always called her captain.

"Satoru, did you tell the Rose Marquis where we were?" Nori asked him shakily. He didn't speak. The silence between them echoed around the cobblestones. "Fine! Stay here, in your cowardice and shame, and see if I care!" she screamed, and ran away.

Tears burned in her eyes. She had lost one of her crew members, the one that she almost knew would never desert her. What if it was the same with the others? At least she had Kei.

At least, she thought she did.

Maybe he had turned against her as well. It was risky trusting somebody like him anyways. Nori should turn back and avoid getting her throat slit, like one of those blood-drained corpses at the top of the pile of bodies in Capriccio.

No. She was determined. Nori clenched her fist as she ran to hold back tears and sprinted back into the action.

Soldiers had come. They swarmed the streets, and for a moment, Nori was relieved. But they weren't attacking the Rose Marquis; they were pushing the civilians back into their houses. "Hey! What's going on?" Nori asked one angrily.

"Orders say that some rebels are stirring up trouble. The townspeople are antagonizing these newcomers."

"Who told you that?"

"The princess Hideko."

Nori roared with fury. "She must have escaped and turned Michi in! I've got to save her!" She stopped, remembering Kei.

"What are you talking about?" the soldier said in confusion.

"Never you mind," Nori said coolly, and yelped when the soldier was shot in the head by a Rose Marquis member. She dodged his body hitting the ground. Her mind was now flying into a panic. They couldn't fight the Rose Marquis and the soldiers at the same time. Around her, the townspeople were everywhere, fighting everybody with uniforms, but they were starting to lose. The surge of white uniforms flooded the streets, scattering bodies of soldiers and townsfolk. There were only a couple of Rose Marquis on the ground. Cries were heard everywhere, the clash of steel on steel, gunshots, flashing lights, the smell of gunpowder.

Nori fought against the crowds for the way to the harbor. Kei was her last hope now.

Down at the marina, Nori started to fight. A cluster of the Rose Marquis had cornered her, and she had to back into a wall. She swiveled around, sizing each of them up. They all had swords. The captain took out her own sword and expertly stabbed one of them, then whirled around to counter another's attack. She ducked to avoid his sword and sliced his feet so he fell to the street in pain. There were only two more now. They were on opposite sides of her, there was no way she could kill both of them at the same time now. Both were sneering. Nori slowly dropped her sword, but with her fingers curled, she made two water bombs and shot each at the Rose Marquis. They toppled over and she grabbed her sword again when she heard a shout from her left. "Nori!"

"Kei! Good timing!" Nori said in relief. He trotted over to her, standing in the circle of limp bodies.

"You certainly know how to take care of yourself," Kei said, sounding a bit taken aback that Nori was so strong.

"Is that a compliment?"

"Take it or leave it, kokoro, but right now, there's a battle going on," he said. "How did you find me?"

"I might have killed Hisoka when I was questioning him," Nori said. "And he told me where you were. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry, I never liked him. As long as I've got you here, you need to listen; the Ivory Prince might join the fight himself. You must not let that happen. He is an expert in black magic, and he's got more power than a hurricane. I've seen him wipe out whole towns with one curse."

"As powerful as a hurricane, huh?" Nori said. That sounded familiar to her, although she wasn't sure why. "In other words, you want me to sneak onto the boat and try and kill him?"

"I would go with you, but I don't want to be found out as a double agent," Kei explained. "So will you do it?"

"Yeah, I can... I can try," Nori said reluctantly. "But you know, if he's as powerful as you say he is, I don't think I have much of a chance."

"You just took out five trained killers. I think you can do anything you set your mind to."

Nori took a deep breath and said, "Okay. Just try to stop the soldiers from getting the townspeople back into their houses."

The separated; Nori made for the Katsu and Kei for the city. Nori sneaked in the shadows of the ships to try and not be seen. She found the designated ship without much difficulty, found the gang plank and entered. It was just like she remembered it, but now she got chills looking at it again completely devoid of the Rose Marquis. She took out her sword and slowly went downstairs to the living quarters, where the Ivory Prince surely must be. The door creaked open and she padded softly through the dimly lit hall. The oil paintings loomed at her from the half-darkness.

Honestly, Nori was terrified. She felt that if what Kei said was true, she would probably die. But I've had pretty good luck staying alive these past years, she thought bravely, so maybe it'll turn out alright.

Maybe he might not be so bad! Maybe she could convince him to leave without a fight! Who am I kidding, of course that won't happen.

She was arguing with herself now. Nori shook her head to clear her mind and concentrate on finding the Ivory Prince, but her stomach leapt every time she looked into a different room, expecting to see a man in a mask. The silence was killing her, until-

"Come on, I know you're there. There's no need to sneak around like that."

Nori's heart skipped a beat. She followed where the voice was coming from, around a corner and into the room at the end of the hall.

*x's song: Come Away to the Water by Maroon 5 and Rozzi Crane*