Mishaps of Piracy
Chapter Twelve: Bittersweet Memories

Lavi was curled up into a ball, hugging his feet tightly to his chest as he was pressed to the corner of the wall, head down. He was furious that he was crying, but he couldn't find any reason other than the fact he was male, that he shouldn't, and it was painful not to cry. He relaxed his legs a little and folded his arms over his belly, glad that there was no possible force on Earth that could make him pregnant like some woman.

"Good morning Lavi," Rhode chirped as she bounced in. "How did you like Tyki last night?"

Lavi gritted his teeth together, wiping away the last traces of tears from his cheeks. "I didn't think it was possible for me to dislike him any more, but he's so full of surprises," he hissed. Her face seemed to fall with disappointment.

"So you still don't like him?"

Lavi's eyes flared a fiery shade of green as he narrowed them with enrage. "Like him?! No one would like what he put me through! I'm only glad I'm not a girl, otherwise I wouldn't know what I'd do with the poor kid!"

"So if you were pregnant, you might kill the child?" Her golden eyes were solemn, grave even, and for once, she didn't look a silly little child that indulged with dressing up both genders. He opened his mouth in surprise, closing it quickly and looking away.

"Not that it matters. I couldn't even if I wanted to since I am only male." He eyed her levelly. "But given the choice, I'd rather not have a child."

"Why not? Little kids are cute."

"Exactly, it's because they're cute that I don't want them." She stared at him, confused, with an I'm-not-quite-following-this-care-to-explain-expression. He sighed, wondering why he was going to explain his life story to a girl that he didn't even want to call an acquaintance. "My mum didn't want me, and my dad had long gone somewhere else. No one knows where, though," he began as he closed his eyes. "The neighbors used to say that when she found out she was gonna have me, she stuck aknitting needle through her belly."

Rhode's eyes widened in disbelief. "She really did that?" She was very much into his story now. She shook her head. "People… the things they do…"

"I wouldn't know, but yeah, she probably did. After I was born, she only took care of me for about five years before sending me out on the streets to fend for myself. It was round that time that I met the previous Bookman." He smiled fondly. "It was nothing but training from that moment. I spent hours trying to sort through papers, and even longer trying to record every single thing he said and we discovered down."

"…wow…"

"Yeah, then he died."

"Oh, I'm…"

"No need to apologize. I miss him, not his paperwork." Lavi leaned back a little. "I was penniless again, I mean, who'd want to hire some kid that just finished with apprenticeship? I ended up in the bar, spending my last few shillings-my Lord, I was such an idiot-on beer when this man asked me if I would take the job of cabin boy on his ship. I agreed, and the next moment when I got on board…" She leaned closer to hear better as he paused.

He smiled. "…it turned out I had boarded the wrong ship, and by the time I had realized, the ship had bounded away too far from the port to its next destination. I was surprised when the cap'n accepted me so easily."

"Interesting story," Rhode commented. She stared at him. "Do you hate us?" she asked seriously. "I know we haven't been the best hosts, but do you?"

"No, only Tyki."

"Honestly?"

"I feel pretty honest."

-----

Cross really couldn't remember much about every single one of his lovers. Though a little less than two decades ago, there was a slight impression of woman, whose face flushed with anger as she watched him riding in the back of a horse-drawn wagon full of hay. He had slipped once when he was much younger before that, but he couldn't really remember whether or not he had made a "mistake" with that woman.

"Earth to Cross here, hello?" Cross snapped his attention back to his ex-apprentice, and now, his superior. "You spaced out for a moment." There was an unspoken, that's not like you, in his words.

"Nothing at all, Walker," he responded gruffly.

Allen nodded, staring at him suspiciously. "If you say so."

Theodore cleared his throat. "About the place we're raiding… Cloud?" he prompted the beautiful young woman.

The woman rolled her eyes, pulling out a rolled up paper. She stretched it out onto the table for all of them to view. "Here," she said quietly. "Nothing too grand today, but it's still a fine challenge." Her fingers slid over the white, slightly folded paper. "…one of the houses of the greater nobility…" Neat scrawl was dusted across the page where needed, and Yu squinted as he read aloud the name.

"…Ch… Chang…"

-----

Akai glared at the flower on the table as it floated almost innocently in the middle of the clear glass. It would've been so easy to end that boy's life. All he would have to do was reach over and rip the petals away and crush the stalk if that wasn't enough. It was all so simple, but sadly, there was a catch. His fingers inched over, centimeters away when a shock crackled, traveling throughout his body. "You just have to win, don't you, you damn lotus," he growled. "One day when I get pass that shield…"