The Merman and the Prince

Chapter 24

We unfurled all the sails as the Emperor surged forward. Aomine walked over to where Akashi and I stood and handed over our weapons as well as some arm guards which had hidden blades in them as well. They were made of hard leather and would be able to parry a small sword blow. My hands were trembling slightly as I tried to do up the strings on the guards. Akashi's hands appeared in my vision and tied them for me.

"Just relax Tetusya. Stay near me and everything will be fine. There shouldn't be too much for us to do, our crew is more than capable."

I looked down to the deck to see the whole crew preparing themselves for battle. Not one of them looked frightened, even Kagami had a reckless smile on his face as he stood beside Aomine with his hand resting on his swords hilt.

"Shin, prepare the cannon!"

Midorima saluted Akashi with his bow and headed to the front of the ship where a lone cannon stood. I could see we were close enough to the slave ship to see movement on her deck but we were still too far for a canon to make a difference. I said as much to Akashi but he simply smiled and told me to watch. Midorima was staring intently forward, his lips moving as he calculated. I didn't see how he would be able to pull off a shot. We were too far away and both ships dipped and rose with the waves. Nodding his head he lit the fuse and the sound of cannon fire echoed over the water. He was walking back to the others before the shot had even hit but I watched it connect with the main mast of the slave ship and heard the crack as it crumpled sideways. The slave ship lost all sense of momentum and we quickly moved up next to them. Without needing an order Takao and Himuro furled the sails while the others gathered hooked ropes which they sent flying over the water to dig into the railing of the slave ship.

"Midorima is our best shot."

As Akashi said this the bespectacled pirate drew three arrows out of the quiver on his back and in quick succession took down three slavers who had moved to cut the ropes that were pulling the two ships together. They fell without a sound. With a roar like a bear Murasakibara leap the distance to the slave ship and landed on the deck, swinging his large hammer as he did, sending two men screaming over the edge and into the water. Midorima stayed on the Emperor with Akashi and I while the others followed the purple giant with their own war cries. The clash of steel on steel echoed over the water and the thrum of Midorima's long bow. I was staring intently at the swarm of bodies that I almost missed the small thump as some of the sailors jumped onto the deck beside Akashi and I. trembling I pulled out my knives and heard the hiss of metal as Akashi unsheathed his sword. Three men stood before us, swords in their hands.

"That must be the cap'n, if we take him we can make em surrender."

Instinctively I stepped in front of Akashi, my eyes glaring at the intruders.

"I won't let you touch him."

They growled and moved towards us. The man on the right fell with a cry, an arrow piercing his arm and I concentrated on the two before me. I ducked in quickly surprisingly them with my speed as my daggers flashed in the sun. I cut one deeply along his chest causing him to back up with a cry and then turned to catch the downward cut of the others sword with my two crossed blades. I pushed his sword to the side and lunged in, my blade piercing his chest like a hot knife through butter and he fall without a sound, his eyes wide with shock. Quickly I surged towards the man who had been struck with Midorima's arrow. He swept his sword at me, a weak blow and I simply caught it on my guards and pushed it to the side. He stumbled and I grabbed the arm where the arrow was. He cried out in pain as I jumped up, wrapping my legs around his neck and quickly snapping it. I fell to all fours as I dismounted and spun as movement alerted me that there was still the man I had injured but Akashi slid in, smooth as water, easily disarming and then beheading the slaver. He turned to me then and grabbed my chin with his hand.