No Prey, No Pay

Chapter 10

Reita walked calmly on the deck of the Takanori, looking at the approaching port, beyond the ship's nose.

He was holding Aoi tightly against his chest, to stop his hands from tremble and while the Captain stopped few feet from the rudder, Aoi didn't look up.

The merman fixed his gaze on Reita's flounce, around his neck, and for a second he thought to just rest the head on his shoulder.

Feel his warmth one last time "you didn't tell me about your secret, Captain" Aoi murmured, gripping a couple of clawed fingers into the ruffles of his wine shirt.

Reita chuckled sadly "is better for you... to remember me like this, Aoi" he used his name, he breathed it so gently that the Prince felt a thorn pierce his heart "and besides, you'll surely meet someone handsomer than me" Reita joked.

Aoi sighed a little laugh, tightening his hold on Reita's clothes "I don't think so, Reita..." he answered, before lifting his head from the bent position he was holding.

A strange sound was shattering the air, like a dangerous whistle: it made Aoi's skin crawl like million insects.

TO LARBOARD!

The whistle transformed into a grumble and that sound exploded right in front of them in countless wood shards, destroying the Takanori's nose, along with its figurehead.

Reita immediately turned his head to the left, where the slender, black form of another galleon was rolling towards them, cannons pointed at them "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Reita shouted, before turning to Kai "steer away from the port, we need to get into open waters!".

The captain's mind started to calculate wind, speed, trajectory of cannonballs all while Aoi was still holding onto him for dear life "for Neptune's sake what's going on?!" he shouted while another whistle started to deafen him.

Reita jogged to the other end of the ship while the shouts of the crew danced around them with move your asses! or it's the Hellion! "We're going to combat here Princey" Reita growled "that shit-eating Takashima wants me dead... or wants you, that's worse" Aoi felt him sit down behind the thickest part of the railings "hide here, we can't flee them... their ship is faster than Taka-chan, I have to sink them down!".

Reita then kissed him harshly, before running again to the main deck again, taking a torch from one of his men "AIM TO THE SIDE!" Reita shouted before pushing down on one of the cannons with a foot, firing it with the torch.

Explosions all around Aoi made his heart pound, the pungent smell of the gunpowder hurt his nose and he couldn't stop looking at Reita, his fierce figure shout orders.

Point to another side of the galleon with fire in his eyes.

Running from one place to another, helping his men aim and shoot.

Holding tight the rudder with Kai to make the Takanori turn sharply, so much it almost capsized.

And meanwhile all that chaos was happening, Aoi saw enormous columns of water raise from the ocean where the iron balls missed the ship "REITA!" Aoi called him, when his cyan eyes saw the sharp nose of the other ship crash in its flank, along with other cries and yell the merman never heard before.

Splitting wood flying around, the blare of the bullets and the clangs of the blades: he had to do something, he had to fight!

I have to protect him!

Quickly Aoi slithered unnoticed by the quarrelsome pirates, too busy fighting the ones that rammed into the Takanori: he slipped among them, rolling on his side to dodge swords, feet, corpses falling on their own blood.