No Prey, No Pay

Chapter 5

Reita always loved storms.

Before he even became a pirate, before he would even sail on a ship, he basked in the fresh rain, in the sparkling of the lightning, in the sweet scent the earth and the sea always emitted.

When he saw the clouds start to group together, he smiled in his room: those fluffy and innocent things could easily drown all his men, but he loved their darkening forms anyway.

The blond captain was still recovering from his hangover, but once he heard the first of the many thunders that would come, he rushed out with a grin on his face.

While the crew was starting to run from one side to the other of the galleon, Reita's eyes searched for his Right Hand man, without results "Kai!" he called then, running up the few steps that would lead him to the main deck "a storm's coming! Need you at the rudder!" he added, looking at the sea starting to swell.

More the clouds above their head twirled and spat rain on them, more Reita could enjoy the color of the ocean: the blue-greenish tint, dark and dangerous, only interrupted by the white foam that hugged the sides of the ship.

Reita smiled, a sweet and genuine smile, when he thought their 'special item' in the hold was extremely similar to the sea: fierce, mysterious, vicious to those who couldn't face him head-first.

Lethal to those who couldn't navigate right through the anger, the violence "Rei, you're fucking crazy??" Kai shouted while the wind was howling around them, scrambling their hair and clawing at their clothes "we have to steer, I don't know if..." Reita looked at the worried face of his Right Hand, raising an eyebrow.

A soft chuckle left his lips "Taka-chan here can take the waves, you know" he said patting tenderly on the wooden railing where he was leaning on.

Kai closed his mouth, stretching it doubtfully, but he rose both his hands and gripped the wheel in front of him, feeling it starting to move on its own.

The Captain stood right there at his side, while all his men started to close the sails, securing them with thick ropes "we need to cut right through it, Kai... y'know my style" Reita talked with a hand on his side, while the other was gripped on the rudder too, like guiding Kai without a drop of his force.

Kai nodded with a serious expression on his face and after long minutes of intense wait and crescendo of the storm, one lightning struck the surface of the ocean, making Reita's hair feel the electricity frizzing in the air "here we are... here we are...!" he mumbled with a grin, his dark eyes looking directly in front of him.

Water was splashing all over while the ship was rocking between big waves, passing through them and sometimes jumping above them and to Reita, that was like dancing.

A waltz with Lady Death with every wave and every spatter of salt water and before he knew it, Reita was grasping at the rudder with Kai, each on the side of the wheel to make it stable.

Fighting against the very core of the ocean, impeding the hits of the water to make the ship spin like a whirligig, to roll on its side and bury all of them into their wet grave.

"Captain, to starboard!"

Kai was gritting his teeth, Reita could see that clearly, but the blond captain was excited, breathless for the beauty the sea was presenting just over the galleon's nose: a wonderful, colossal wave was raising like a mountain in front of them.

"We have to cut that wave! There's no way we can dodge it..." Kai spoke at his captain, looking at his deviously happy face.

Reita quickly took one of the ropes secured to the railing and used it to immobilize the rudder, while watching the more and more enormous wave they were approaching.