Anchor

Chapter 1

The waves lapped against the hull of the ship as a breeze rolled over the water. A man stood with one leg on the wooden railing around the ship, leaning over slightly next to the pulley that hoisted the anchor; the great weight was in the water, leaving only a thick metal chain to show for it. He gazed out on the horizon, squinting to make out the tiny rowboat making its way to his ship. Far beyond that was the Mainland, Port Bosco, with low rolling hills and a bustling marketplace. It was a good thing it was busy: everyone would have been too busy with their errands to notice a particular one of theirs.

"Is the girl there, Captain Kai?" his first mate Yung asked, as the pudgy man joined his side.

"Hard to tell," Kai replied. "Pass me a telescope, would ya?" A thin, bald man named Daw tossed him one from up on the grid of ropes that connected to the mast, sitting comfortably in one of the grid spaces. "Thanks Daw," he called up.

"No problem Cap," Daw called back.

Kai tilted his black hat - wide brimmed, with a band of yellow around the centre - up so he could place the spyglass against his eye. The breeze ruffled the collar of his white shirt, the first three buttons undone, the rim lightly tucked into his belt. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, balancing one on the knee of his brown pants. Now with a clearer view, he could make out Otaku and Appa sitting in the rowboat with oars in their hands. Both men were on the larger side, but whereas it was a difficulty to get Otaku to shut up, Appa hardly ever spoke. And seated on the bench in between them was the girl.

Perhaps girl wasn't the most accurate word, Kai thought. She was very clearly a young woman, sitting up straight, in a white blouse and a light blue dress over top, but still quite curvaceous. Her dark hair - brown or black, he couldn't quite tell from this distance - was pulled back into ringlets, twisted up into an elegant bun on her head and her curls spilled over her shoulders. The stories he'd heard about her had said she was very beautiful, and he knew that it still didn't really do her justice. Not that it mattered, she wouldn't be here for long. Her father Governor Tenzin would pay a nice amount of yuans for her and then the governor would get her back safe and sound in no time.

As soon as the rowboat pulled up against the hull, ropes with hooks were lowered and fastened onto the stern and bow of the tiny boat. Yung joined a few other members of the crew and hoisted the rowboat back up; Kai helped as well, even though as Captain he was technically exempt from such trivial duties. Appa and Otaku climbed out of the boat and onto the deck.

"Everything went according to plan?" Kai checked. According to the information they had collected about the young woman's whereabouts, she had been in Port Bosco alone, waiting to catch a ship back home to the nearby Air Temple Island. It was a quick interception and kidnapping, although they had never really done something like this before. The gold they had was starting to run out however, and this was a surefire way to get themoney they needed in case their ship, The Waterbender, got damaged.

"Of course Captain," Otaku answered.

"So it's your fault I'm here?" Kai stared at the young woman, who had crossed her arms over her chest, and was glaring at him. He could see only a flicker of fear in her eyes, but her glare never wavered when their eyes met.

"You won't be here long, Miss Gyatso, no need to be so hostile," Kai said, smirking a little. "As soon as your father pays the money, we'll take you right back home."

"That won't be for a while," Gyatso said, standing up. Otaku offered her assistance to help her out of the boat but she shrugged it off, stepping onto the deck and smoothing out her dress. "My father's checking on a business deal on Whale Tale Island. It'll take at least a month for the message to reach him, and another three for him to travel back here. It seems to me this plan wasn't thought out very well, Captain. Perhaps next time you create a plan you should do so more thoroughly."

Kai's eyes widened and for a moment he just stared at her in surprise, before a slew of swear words flew from his mouth. "Dammit Otaku, didn't youcheck the governor's schedule?" he snapped, clenching his fists, and cringed at how harshly it came out when Otaku cowered in front of him.

"I - I tried, I checked but it must have changed last minute, I'm sorry Captain," Otaku's voice wavered. Kai's expression softened.

"It's…it's alright Otaku." He clapped the man on the shoulder. He sighed. "Well, it looks like Gyatso will be here for longer than expected."

"My name's Jinora," she said, although nobody seemed to be listening.

"Can't we just drop her off?" Daw suggested.

"We'd never be able to kidnap her again though," Appa piped up. "I think she should stay."

"Do I get any say in this matter?" Jinora said testily.

"Not a word," Kai said cheerfully. "But no, she'll have to stay. We can pick up some more food at the next market, and the cabin boy's quarters haven't been used in years." His old room was on the smaller side, but it would be fine. "Yung, can you take here there? She has some belongings to unpack, right?" Kai noticed a creamy white handbag clamped firmly in her hands. It wasn't big, but it must have been holding something.

Jinora was still glaring at him as Yung led her below decks, and Kai rolled his eyes. Spoiled little rich girl. Really, as far as kidnappings went, this could way worse for her.

"And men, as much as I'm sure I don't have to say this, I don't want to see anybody making any unwanted advances towards Gyatso, got it?" They were all good men, and Kai wasn't really worried, but he was sure he couldn't hurt to say it. They weren't usually ever around women, let alone one so pretty. And there was no harm in admitting he thought Jinora was pretty, after all.

He wondered what it was going to be like, having her around. Hopefully she wouldn't always be so angry. Yung could look after her, he figured. Or Otaku. She didn't seem to be mad at either of them. What had he done to get her so angry at him so fast, anyway? Maybe it was because he was the Captain, and her kidnapping had been his idea.

It wasn't like it was ideal for him either, honestly.

Kai crossed his arms over his chest as the anchor was lifted, and they set off into the open sea. Stupid, angry spoiled little rich girl. Whatever.

"Miss Jinora refuses to come down for supper," Yung told him a few hours later. Kai huffed.

"Let her go hungry then," he said, waving his hand. He wondered if her family had realized what had happened yet, if they'd gotten the ransom note. It must have been hard, to be apart from your family, although he couldn't speak from experience; he had never had a family to begin with, and the crew was the closest thing to it he had, and he had never been apart from them. He could imagine it though, and a bit of pity welled up inside him. "Actually," he added, stopping Yung in his tracks. "Bring her some food. She'll need some time to adjust. I have a feeling Gyatso's pretty stubborn."

"Why do you call Miss Jinora that, Kai?" Yung asked. "Gyatso, I mean?"

Kai shrugged. "'Cause that's what she is, a Gyatso. One of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom, besides the BeiFongs and the Satos maybe."

Yung smiled. "It's just funny, she only ever calls you Captain."

"Without the respect, I'm sure," Kai grinned. For most the crew, it was an unnecessary title, as they had known him for a long time before he became Captain. He was much younger than most of the crew, the majority of them being in their late 20s or early 30s, while he had only just hit 22. Jinora, he thought, must be close to his age as well. "Well, it's nice to know we're on the same page. Hopefully she'll get off her high horse and join the rest of us for dinner soon."

Yung nodded. "Why Kai, you're not actually hoping to see more of her, are you?" he teased.

Kai rolled his eyes. "That's Captain to you Yung, now shut up and bring her the food." Yung simply smiled as he left with a small tray of food, consisting of soup and a few pieces of bread and some meat. Like he'd ever want to actually be around that spoiled brat. If she was less angry, maybe, but otherwise, Kai was going to stay clear of her. He had enough to worry about without her less than stellar temperament being added onto the pile.

Yung came back a few minutes later with only the meat. "Apparently Miss Jinora's a vegetarian," he explained, and Kai shrugged.

"Add it to your meal then, or divide it up," he replied.

Kai couldn't help but smile as he took his place at the head of the table, his crew seated all around him, talking and laughing and eating all at once. He felt at home, and made sure Otaku knew he was forgiven when he gave him an extra piece of bread from his own plate.

So what if Otaku's mistake had made things a little more inconvenient? It didn't have to change anything.

(Oh how wrong he was.)

Jinora came to breakfast.

Kai only noticed because a silence fell over the men, the woman hovering in the doorway of their cramped dining hall. The long wooden table that went along the length of the room had chairs crammed in as much as possible, with Daw's lean figure weaving in and out as the he served the men a combination of bacon strips and gray slop that tasted far better than it looked. Kai sighed as everyone's eyes turned to Jinora, and he cleared his throat. His crew hastily diverted their gaze, and conversation picked up again per usual.

"You can have my seat, Miss Jinora," Otaku offered, his chair scraping against the floor as he got out of his seat. "I need to check our course for Half-Moon Bay, anyway, and it's best to get an early start."

The corners of Jinora's mouth lifted as she sat down in the chair. "Thank you…Otaku, right?"

He nodded. "That's right ma'am." Otaku paused and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder on his way to the door. "Captain, I just wanted to apologize, again for-"

Kai waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, you made an honest mistake. I'm sorry I snapped at you." Otaku smiled a little before leaving; Kai watched him go, feeling Jinora's eyes on him. "Problem, Gyatso?" he asked, directing his attention to her. Jinora looked a little disheveled, with her hair pulled back into a simple elegant bun far less complicated than her up-do the previous day, and her face was makeup free, but she still looked like a porcelain doll, a typical woman of high-society. The only thing that ruined her portrait was the way her features were perpetually angry, even if she did seem a little surprised.

He arched an eyebrow at her, trailing his fingers over the stubble on his jaw. "Gyatso?" he repeated, when she didn't say anything.

"You're not what I expected a pirate captain to be like," Jinora shrugged.

"And what did you expect?" Kai said.

"More bloodthirsty, ruthless, intimidating," she said flatly. Clothed, she added mentally, as only the two lower buttons of Kai's loose white shirt were buttoned, the majority of his bare chest revealed. "Older, too. More mature." Kai couldn't have been older than 22 at most.

Kai stuck his tongue out at her and she wrinkled her nose. "Nice try Gyatso, but I'm plenty intimidating to those who know my reputation with a sword. And there's no way you're older than me, anyhow."

"I'm definitely smarter, however," Jinora replied smoothly, before taking a sip of her glass of water. Yung tried to hide a smile.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Yung, you're in charge of Gyatso. Give her a tour of the ship and make sure she doesn't touch anything."

"Why, so I can't damage it like I did to your fragile ego, Captain?" Jinora smirked, while Kai narrowed his eyes at her.

Kai pouted slightly when Yung snickered. "She got you there, Kai." Kai shot him a sharp look. "I mean, of course Captain," he turned his laugh into a cough. Kai rose from the table. "Oh, and I think Momo fell asleep on lookout again."

Kai sighed. That would mean a good 10 minutes of climbing, to get to the crow's nest on top, and 15 back down, especially if he had to carry the kid. "Alright, I'll go wake him up. Daw!" The bald man's head whipped in his direction. "Keep something aside for Momo, will ya?" Daw nodded. "Damn kid, I swear he can sleep anywhere. I just hope he picked a safe spot to doze off in this time…" Kai shook his head, running a hand through his hair, before pulling on his black, wide-brimmed hat and heading out of the dining hall.

"So Yung…you're the first mate, I assume?" Jinora said, after finishing up her bowl of slop.

"That I am, Miss Jinora," he affirmed.

"Who is Momo, anyway?" Jinora asked, as she and Yung left the hall and climbed a set of stairs to go through another doorway and opened onto the deck. It was a breezy day, the water that churned underneath the ship only a few shades darker than the sunny sky above, as the ship cut smoothly through the waters. The crew was already spread out. Otaku was at a table with maps spread out around him, and Appa was listening to a bored-looking man named Ryu speak.

"Appa's nephew," Yung answered. "Scrappy boy, only 18. He's the only one of us younger than Kai, actually. He's a hard-worker, sometimes, but just forgetful. Not the brightest either. But he's a good kid." Yung pointed up to the mast, where Kai was climbing the ropes and hopped over into the crow's nest, landing neatly on his feet.

A lanky boy with messy brown hair and brilliant green eyes was startled awake. Jinora found herself thinking he was like some sort of monkey as Momo quickly scrambled down the ropes, Kai on his heels. Kai dropped onto his feet and straightened up, shooting Momo a stern look. "It's not healthy, staying up there all night."

"You used to do it all the time when you were younger," Yung pointed out, grinning. Kai had the decency to look sheepish.

"Aren't you supposed to be giving Gyatso a tour, first mate?" Kai said, giving Momo a light shove forwards. "You can go say hi, but then I need you to help Skoochy clean the upper deck near the steering wheel." Then he headed over to speak with Otaku.

Momo grinned brightly at them. "Hiya Missus Jinora, how ya doing?"

"As well as a woman being held hostage can," Jinora replied. Momo beamed at her for a second longer, before Yung gave him a pointed look and he scampered off. "How old is your dear Captain, anyhow, if Momo's the youngest?"

"21," Yung answered. "But he became Captain when he was 16."

Jinora raised her eyebrows. "That's awfully young."

"Yes," Yung said, and then quickly pointed over to the steering wheel section, where Momo and another young man were mopping the deck, almost as if he was trying to change the conversation. Jinora let it drop; she'd press it later. "That's Skoochy, and then there's Imaru, he's the one arm-wrestling with Appa. Daw's the cook." He saw Jinora trying to place the names with the faces. "Don't worry, you'll learn who everyone is soon enough. Now, why don't I show you around the ship and give you a proper tour?"

"I must say," Jinora said, once Yung finished showing her the main deck. ("It's simple really, the mast, stern and bow with the steering wheel, and then there's a door that leads to the bathroom and one to a separate weapon room from the one below decks, which is also where everyone sleeps.") "When I was captured, I feared the worst. If you didn't call yourselves pirates, I wouldn't think of you as them."

"We're pirates were morals, ma'am," Yung said with a grin, opening the door for her as they journeyed below decks again.

"What type of business do you deal in then? Pirates by nature raid ships, so what sorts of ships do you go after?" Jinora inquired, as Yung led her down a hallway to another room, this one full of weapons. Gleaming and well-attended to, they certainly weren't just here for decoration. As much as it seemed they had no plans of hurting her, Jinora had to remind herself they were still pirates.

"Rich merchant ships," Yung said. "We try to go after ones where losing the ship won't hurt the owner's investments too much. More like it's just an annoying thorn in their side. Oh, and we make a point to go after slave-trade ships."

Jinora's eyes widened. "Y-you don't keep slaves, do you?"

"Oh no, no," Yung said quickly. "Quite the opposite: we free them. Give them a way home. A couple of them have even joined the crew, like Skoochy, out of choice of course."

Jinora didn't want to say it was quite admirable of them, because as much as they weren't being cruel to her, they had still kidnapped her. Taken her away from her home and her family. "Why do you need the ransom money, anyway? Can't you just raid a merchant's ship?"

"A member of the crew, he lost his leg over a year ago. Kai insisted on getting him the best prosthetic available. And when we attack slave ships, we always give the gold on them to the freed men, not to us, even if there's injuries or damage to our ship," Yung explained. "You can see how, over time, what with needing to feed thirty men regularly, medicine, building materials…money can wear thin. The ransom is a precaution, in case we ever hit an especially tight spot."

"I know that you must think money provides safety," Jinora said slowly. "But be careful. It can also be a cage." Yung opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Can you show me the way back to my room? I want to grab a book and read up on deck. It's a beautiful day, after all, and should be enjoyed."

Yung gave her a little smile. "Of course, Miss Jinora."

"And please, just Jinora is fine."

"Do it again, Momo - lift the hilt higher and dig in - there you go!" Kai wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand, grinning as Momo slashed his knife at a stuffed dummy. He strode over and clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Knew you'd get it eventually Mo." Yung handed him a beer, and Kai took a swig of it gratefully, the cool rum refreshing on his parched throat. "How'd the tour with Gyatso go?"

"Fairly well," Yung said. "She's far less snarky when you're not around. Pleasant, actually. Intelligent."

"With her father's money paying for her education, I would hope so," Kai said. "Where is she, anyhow?" Yung pointed over near the port railing, which was leaning against, her nose buried in a book with a black and yellow checkered cover. "Good, she's keeping out of trouble. Still, keep an eye on her." Yung nodded. "Mo, wanna try another move? You'll like it, it's all about quick stabbing and stuff."

Jinora glanced up from her book as Kai led Momo through another exercise - obviously the latter was still learning, but she did have to admit, Kai was quite good with a sword. She watched as he set down his beer and picked up his sword, and then ran his free hand through his sweaty hair, the hot sun beating down on the deck. (Even she had rolled up the sleeves of her dress, the collar hot and sticky on her throat.) As Kai turned back to Momo, he rolled his shoulders, his heavily scarred bare back glistening with sweat. She could see a small tattoo next to his left shoulder blade, but she was too far away to make it out, and more ran down his biceps and forearms, the muscles rippling under sinewy, sweaty dark skin as he dropped into a fighting position.

Jinora's face felt warm, but she chalked it up to the sun, and moved into the shade of the wall of the cabin that came up a little above her head, settling down to sit next to the open doorway that led below decks.

Jinora glanced up again at Kai, and then quickly looked back down as he turned in her direction. She made herself focus on her book - an old favourite of hers - but her attention strayed back up to Momo's lesson more than she would have liked (or would ever admit).

Stupid attractive pirate Captain. (Not that she was attracted to him, the arrogant brat he was. Not in the slightest.)