Chapter 25: Setting Sail

Ginouji missed his brother. They had been apart before but never like this. Never for so long. Even as he saw home appear ahead of them he couldn't help but worry if Akairo was ok. Coming back with Seiva wasn't the choice he would have made but he knew his brother was right. Mother needed him here and so did Rain. The Guild would find Shurika and bring her back. Until then Akairo was helping them and they would see each other again someday.

Someday.

Ginouji sighed again and looked down below. Seiva roared happily as they came to the edge of the huge lake near home. They were back safely where they belonged. As interesting as it was to leave, Ginouji really hoped he didn't have to do it again for a long, long time.

Below the Guild boats were spread out heading for the shore while Seiva circled around them. They were carrying Shurika's eggs and he wanted to make sure they weren't damaged. There was a faint cry and Seiva's head whipped around, distracted from his brooding. It came again and Ginouji focused on a group of people down at the other end of the shore. A second later he realized it was mother and Rain waving at them.

Ginouji roared happily and turned in their direction racing along the shoreline until he was close enough to pull up sharply and land in front of them. Mother was already running towards him and Rain wasn't far behind.

"Mmma!" Ginouji called out to them. He lowered his head and mother threw her arms around him crying into his scales. Rain was right behind her hugging him tightly and whispering how happy she was to have him back. Rumbling softly, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being home again.

"Ahhhkairo safe with Guild. Will find Shuriiiika and bring home. Said will come back with her. Told me go. Said mma need me," Ginouji said softly.

"I do..." mother managed to get out. "I do need you. I need you here so much. I miss your brother but I don't know what I would do without you," she confessed. Akairo was right. No matter how much time passed Ginouji would always be her favorite. They both knew it but Akairo didn't feel bad or hate him for it. He was just happy that mother had one of them here at home to depend on.

"Never leave you. Never ever," Ginouji promised. That made her cry even harder but he knew it was because of how happy she was to have him back. Reluctantly he pulled away and looked back towards the water. The Guild boats had turned and were coming up along the shore towards them.

"Seiva come home too. Came with Guild. Many things say to you," Ginouji explained. It wasn't long before Seiva was charging ashore heading straight for mother and Rain. Once he reached them he curled his neck and body around them as if he would never let them out of his sight again.

The Guild boats were pulling up into the sand and humans were very carefully lifting the baskets containing Shurika's eggs and carrying them up next to Seiva who lifted his head enough to watch them and make sure they weren't damaging any.

"So I was right. Shurika did lay eggs and hid them to keep them safe from humans who might find out. I can't blame her for not even letting me know considering her eggs were stolen once before. Having me around could have drawn attention to them even if she knew I was safe," Rain said as the Guild uncovered the baskets and started checking them all. "That's what the poachers used to capture her. They found her eggs and used that to get to her so she wouldn't attack isn't it?" she asked.

Ginouji snorted and bobbed his head in confirmation.

"Bad huumans. Stole eggs. Shurika go quietly to keep safe. Seiva found boat with eggs and smash. Had stay and keep eggs safe. Ahhkairo go after Shurika instead," Ginouji said. He couldn't help but feel proud of his brother for being willing to go and find her all alone. Well not alone but without anyone familiar around at least.

Seiva uncurled his body and lowered his head to the eggs as Rain approached. He let out a whine and nudged them gently. Rain reached out and gently ran her hands over a few before frowning.

"I know I'm worried about them too. Some of them have been cold for a long time and only a few are warm like they should be," Rain said softly. Ginouji dropped his head. Mother said eggs had to be safe and warm to hatch and grow like he and his brother had. Cold eggs meant they would never come out. One of the Guild people looked sad as well.

"They were packed well by the Guild Scouts we received messages from and should have stayed warm enough even with your lagiacrus here carrying them. We think the poachers may have been rushing and not covered them properly leading to heat loss. We might be able to save some of them but we'll have to act quickly and get some heat lamps or hot beds set up for those that are still alive," he explained. Rain hesitated and looked unsure.

"We are allowed to come with you aren't we?" mother spoke up.

"Of course. We'll take them to the local Guild headquarters here first. They have emergency supplies for situations like this. They can be monitored for a few days while researchers examine them and determine the best place for the survivors, if there are any, to grow up," he stopped and looked up at Seiva. "We will of course make sure your lagiacrus can see them and ensure they are being taken care of properly," he added quickly glancing up to the Ivory Lagiacrus still mere footsteps away.

Seiva snorted and lifted his head in satisfaction. Seeing his agreement Rain relaxed as well.

"Yes... yes that sounds fine. I want to try and save as many as possible," Rain said urgently. Mother put an arm around her.

"Lets follow them and make sure the eggs are taken care of. When we get there I'll stay outside with Ginouji and Seiva until things are set up all right?" mother said gently.

"Sorry I'm just overwhelmed. There's so much happening at once," Rain apologized. Ginouji gently reached out and nuzzled her. Rain reached up and hugged him again. He could feel her tears dropping onto his scales.

"Everything ok now. I'm home safe. Seiva home safe. Eggs get help. Ahhkairo find Shurika. Bring home safe too," he assured her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for going. Thank you for bringing Seiva back here. I'm so glad you aren't hurt," Rain said to him. Ginouji felt warm all over hearing her gratitude.

Mother and Rain were both so happy to have him back here. As worried as he was about Akairo he was glad he had listened and returned home. They needed him here. They needed him here so very much and he was determined to never, ever let them down. Akairo would be back one day whether it was a few suns or many and he would make sure mother and Rain were ok until that day came and they could all be together again.

Kurohana breathed in the sea air and let it out with a sigh. The sun was just starting to come up and the ship was undergoing final preparations. If all went well they should be setting sail before noon. The cover story was that they were hunters coming to provide back up for a group of researchers who were further inland from Reaper's Coast. It wasn't true of course but it was perfectly plausible and that's all they needed.

"I'm honestly impressed that the Guild managed to throw all of this together so quickly. Although some nicer clothes would have been welcome," Shiro said. He made faces of alternating disgust and disappointment as he flipped through the clothes they had been given to wear. Kurohana glanced over at him and rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't give me that look. There's nothing wrong with looking good!" Shiro said defensively. Generally it was nice having a brother who took such care with his appearance and personal hygiene but there were also times when his nit-picking got on her nerves.

"There's also nothing wrong with blending in. Obake and Baburu will stand out enough as it is not to mention Akairo now as well. Every little bit will help," Kurohana reminded him. He merely hummed so she fixed her brother with a stern glare. "The clothes are fine and to be worn as is Shirakawa. That means no fancy accents, patterns, fringes, ribbons, or anything else you might think to add," she said pointedly. Shiro sighed and gave her an exasperated look.

"No self respecting seamstress, tailor, or clothier would put ribbons on an outfit unless its special wear for rare occasions. They get caught on everything and have to be tied properly or it ruins the whole look," he shot back. Kurohana closed her eyes and said a prayer for strength. Her brother was going to drive her mad this morning before they even got on the ship.

"I'm just saying you can blend in and look nice without it being," Shiro paused and gave a strong side eye to the clothes they would have to wear, "Shabby," he finished.

"Well I'm sure Amai will be very sympathetic to your tale of woe when we meet up with her and Teresa at the port," Kurohana told him. His expression brightened at that reminder.

"So its confirmed then? Both of them are going to be joining us to look for our missing lagiacrus?" Shiro said hopefully.

"It is. Although the confirmation we received only mentioned Amai, Raiden, and Teresa. I wonder if something happened to Jade," Kuro said worriedly. There was a sweep of air above them as Akairo flew in and landed next to some barrels of water waiting to be loaded on the ship. Until now he had been circling above the docks along with Obake watching all the activity.

"Amai?" Akairo said cocking his head curiously. While they had only been with him for a short while, Kurohana was convinced the rathalos had supersonic hearing when it was convenient for him.

"That's right. She'll be meeting us across the ocean along with Raiden. Together we'll follow after Shurika and bring her home safely," Kuro told him. Akairo hummed and looked like he was thinking about that.

"Amai good people. Real hunter. Fight keep others safe. Feel better with her," Akairo said approvingly. He lowered his head to look at them closer. "Know Amai? Friends at Guild School?" he asked. Kurohana once again found herself surprised by his intelligence and understanding. Every time she made assumptions about how much he understood she found those expectations shattered. He also apparently had a very good memory. She would have to note that in the journal she had started just to monitor his behavior.

"We are friends and we were together a lot at the Guild School. We learned how to work better with our monsters and how to find those who were lost. Just like Shurika is. Together we'll be able to find out what happened to her for sure," Kurohana assured him. Akairo hissed and looked out over the water.

"Leave soon?" he pressed.

"As soon as we have enough water and food loaded onto the ship to last through the journey," she told him. Akairo growled at that and took off into the sky again. He was surprisingly patient for a rathalos but it was clear that patience was wearing thin. He wanted to leave and she couldn't blame him. But he didn't object, didn't get angry, didn't throw a tantrum the way she expected him to.

"Whoever raised him did a very good job. Not only tempered the rathalos' natural temper and arrogance but taught him how to be polite and patient as well," Shiro commented.

Kurohana silently agreed as she watched him fly in lazy circles with Obake over the port. Rathalos and rathian were naturally arrogant, jealous monsters. They were generally the biggest and baddest ones around and they always acted like it. They guarded their territory with a vengeance and wouldn't hesitate for a second to swoop in and drive off monsters that should outclass them. Akairo on the other hand was incredibly patient and got along well with Obake and Baburu, never getting pushy or demanding attention.

That's not to say he wasn't spoiled because he was, incredibly so in fact. That had become more evident after he politely but firmly declined a bath until Kurohana got some better smelling soap and stiffer brushes for his scales. Then it was making sure the gold band around his neck was cleaned and polished properly, especially the glimmering rubies in it. Then since she was already doing so much would she mind polishing his nails? And something in his teeth had been bothering him lately as well. Kurohana had put her foot down on the last two and Akairo's amused chuffing suggested that he just wanted to see how far he could push her.

He was remarkably intelligent, almost frighteningly so, and his curiosity was endless. Whoever raised him hadn't just picked up a stray rathalos orphan and fed him from time to time. They had very carefully and deliberately trained him in how to act, behave, and likely how to fight as well. Kurohana hadn't seen him truly fight anything yet but she had a feeling they would be in for yet another surprise when they finally did.

In truth she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it even having been raised with Obake as her partner from childhood. It was one thing to raise a creature as a partner and learn to make use of its natural abilities in defense. But Obake and Baburu were domesticated. Carefully bred over generations for the best traits and an affinity for working and living with humans. But some monsters couldn't be domesticated, only tamed.

While Akairo wasn't wild he was still a very far cry away from the domesticated qurupeco the Guild had or the peaceful epioth local divers and fisherman worked with. Even if he was perfectly obedient to the people who raised him the fact was they weren't here right now and Amai, someone he at least was familiar with, was a very long way away. Even with domesticated creatures, Kurohana had long since learned never to make assumptions about what they would or wouldn't do under pressure. If trouble came, and it most assuredly would, then Akairo was under no obligation or inclination to obey them or anyone else for that matter. Why should he? They may be traveling together with a common goal but he didn't know them.

An extremely intelligent rathalos that was possibly trained to fight and who also had no real personal or emotional connection to them. He was here of his own free will and would do as he pleased. Currently that was following along with them because they could provide help to solve problems he couldn't fix on his own. But what if that changed? How did you control a monster that was never under control in the first place?

Clearly Akairo was used to roaming around freely which was to be expected but he wasn't home anymore. He wasn't in his home territory where everyone knew him and where he knew everyone. The ones who raised him may trust that they had taught Akairo not to cause trouble or hurt anyone but they were also individuals that he would view as family. And while rathalos and rathian had very strong familial instincts but Kurohana and her brother had no such connections to him.

As eager as Kurohana was to find and rescue this abyssal lagiacrus she also couldn't deny that having Akairo around was starting to make her increasingly uneasy.

"Here are the rooms. We got three total available for guests," the ship captain explained gesturing into the room. She was a tall wyverian woman with tan skin whose bundled clothing and glowering disposition suggested she was not at all thrilled by this cold weather. Her long red hair was braided through with a thin ribbon that had small seashells attached to it. Amai leaned forward to examine the space as the captain continued.

"Big enough for a bunk bed, storage in the wall, and a night stand. You can turn around in it and change and that's about it. Window opens just enough to ensure you don't suffocate in here, just don't forget to close it. Otherwise there are the hammocks below decks if you aren't as picky about sharing a room with several people. Gotta be willing to double up if you want a real sleeping pad and any kind of privacy," she told them.

Amai glanced over at Teresa who was silently staring down at her boots. Her eyes were puffy from crying and rimmed with dark circles from a lack of sleep. Considering how depressed she already was, Amai seriously doubted that Teresa wanted to bunk in a space with a bunch of sailors but it would be rude not to ask.

"Hey, is this okay?" Amai said gently. Teresa finally looked up and rubbed her eyes before yawning tiredly. She peered into the room and nodded quietly.

"Ok we'll take this then. Thanks for the help. Is there anything else we should know?" Amai asked the captain.

"Meals are ready in the morning one hour after sunrise, light meal or snacks at high noon, full dinner closer to sunset depending on time and weather. You'll hear the bell ring when its time to come and grab something. Food is on hand for your zinogre but feeding schedule and care is up to you. We'll be going down the coast line until we get to the southern hemisphere at which point we'll be going east to Reaper's Coast. That part of the journey will take a few weeks. Until then we'll be making brief stops regularly for fresh provisions and meat. Once fully out to sea however we might drop some nets to fish as we sail but its not always dependable. So preserved meat and fish will be on hand just in case. Not our problem if he gets picky about it," she explained with a firm look.

Amai quickly nodded to show she understood and was listening attentively.

"Bucket showers and toilets are down the hall. Foaming soap is available but keep in mind we only use heavily filtered sea water for cleaning. Speaking of which if you ever want something to occupy your time the filters always need cleaning and the cook could always use a hand in preparing food. Other then that stay out of trouble and try not to get in the way," she said. Her tone suggested that she had gone through this routine enough times that she barely needed to think about the words anymore.

"If you have any complaints about Guild transport conditions then let them know next time we're in port or via messenger halk if its urgent," she added stepping back as Teresa shuffled into the room and put her two bags down. The captain watched her for a moment before leaning in towards Amai.

"She all right?" she whispered in a kinder voice. Amai grimaced and shook her head.

"Lost her rathian partner just a few days ago. Very sudden and unexpected," Amai whispered back. She didn't explain any further. The fact that there were two Guild Scouts but only one monster on this trip said enough. The captain gave a grim nod at that information.

"Let me know if you need anything then all right? Name's Quen, my quarters are one deck above," Captain Quen told her, this time sounding a great deal more honest and less bored.

Amai murmured her thanks and let the captain slip past before entering the room and shutting the door. It really was cramped but Teresa was already sitting on the lower bed staring down at her boots again. Amai took a seat next to her and put an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Do you need me to stay with you for a bit?" Amai said quietly. Teresa sniffed and made a futile attempt to brush a stray tear away only for more to start falling.

"You... you should probably check on Raiden," Teresa managed to say.

"Probably," Amai admitted, "But that's not what I asked," she pointed out. A weak smile flickered across Teresa's lips before it fell away, crushed under despair and misery. Her face crumbled as more tears fell, faster this time.

"I'm just... so sick and tired of crying. All I can think about all the time is Jade and how much I miss her," Teresa choked out, "I knew it was coming, knew from my dreams that she could... that she could..." she stopped and couldn't finish.

"Even if you knew, even if you were trying to prepare yourself its still a big loss. She was part of your life, part of your family, nothing can make that pain go away entirely," Amai said gently.

"Its not fair. I wanted more time with her," Teresa whispered. "I don't know what to do without her. I'm fine for a while and then it hits me all over again and its like I can't breathe," she confessed. "What am I supposed to do? How is it supposed to get better?" she added desperately.

"You find a way to cope. For some people they need to alone and mourn and others need their friends close by to keep them from being isolated," Amai told her.

"What do your people do? When someone close to you dies?" Teresa asked looking up at her with sad, desperate eyes.

"We write them a letter," Amai said honestly. "Everything we feel, everything we never got to say to them, the moments we still wanted to share with them, and places we wanted to visit. Anything that's weighing us down and that we wish we could tell them. For some it takes hours to write, some spend days, others months. But whenever they feel ready they tie up their letter with something sentimental and then burn it. After that they scatter the ash on the wind. It symbolizes their understanding that while the pain never truly goes away completely they aren't going to let grief consume them either. They will keep living and learn how to move on in life," she explained.

"Sounds beautiful," Teresa said rubbing weakly at her tears. Amai knew the kind of grief she was going through, had seen it plenty of times. She just wanted the pain to stop, to get better, to get some relief.

"If i wanted to... I mean... would you..?" Teresa trailed off, hope carefully woven through her tone.

"Of course I would. I think it would be a great way to honor Jade's memory," Amai promised. Teresa seemed pleased with that but her expression fell again a moment later when she saw her bags still on the floor.

"I feel like I barely have the energy to do anything anymore. I get dressed and get something to eat but by the time I'm done with that it feels like I have no strength left. I just don't want to do anything," Teresa admitted with shame laced through her voice.

"Then let me help. Why don't you take a nap. I'll put your stuff away later and then try to cut your hair the way you like. When that's done we can sit up on deck and watch the water for a bit. If you sleep until dinner I'll wake you up so you can eat a little bit," Amai offered. Teresa looked away and played with a loose string on her coat. She wanted to object, Amai could see that clearly, but both of them knew she needed the help and support right now.

"You don't have to do this," Teresa finally got out.

"Yes I do. You're my best friend and you need me right now. I may not understand everything you're going through but that doesn't mean you have to go through it alone, all right?" Amai said firmly. This time when Teresa started tearing up she could tell it was from feeling overwhelmed by her help.

"T-thank you. Thank you so much," Teresa said gratefully. Amai pulled her into a full hug, holding onto her until she felt Teresa relax and finally pull away. Amai let go and patted the bed.

"Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up," she promised. Standing up she tip toed around the bags and left Teresa to settle in for a nap.

She slipped down the small hallway and up the short stairs to the main deck. The huge ship was just starting to pull away from the docks and deckhands were scrambling to coil ropes, tie down barrels and crates, and make sure fishing nets were stored out of the way.

Amai slipped past to the railing and looked over. Raiden had his own space in the back of the ship along with a simple sliding window to look out of. Right now his head was sticking out and he was watching with rapt fascination as some sea creatures played around in the growing wake the ship was creating. That at least answered the question of whether or not he was doing ok.

Taking a deep breath of cold sea air, Amai closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy it. She opened them again and watched as the city started to draw further away. This was going to be a long journey and a rough one, but she was glad Teresa was here and it was a relief to know they would be meeting up with Shirakawa and Kurohana again. She missed him terribly, now more then ever.

She breathed in again and let it out slowly. There would be time enough to dwell on that later but she couldn't forget their reason for being out here. Shurika was gone and they were going to get her back one way or another.

Alistair slipped into the room and closed the door. In the center were heat lamps hanging over wooden nest boxes. Water bubbled up from below and from the sides keeping the boxes wet and the water up above the dark gray eggs that had been carefully placed inside. A large window was propped open allowing Seiva to stick his head inside. He gently nuzzled the eggs, occasionally moving sand away from an egg or pushing more in around one that needed it.

Rain was standing there with her arms crossed on the edge of the box as she watched. Alistair greeted Seiva with a soft hello and a stroke of his nose before going to stand next to Rain. She put an arm around her wife and silently leaned against her.

"Did you know that lagiacrus don't always need mates to reproduce?" Rain asked quietly. "Its rare, so rare that even the best researchers and sailors barely mention it. But its not unheard of for a female lagiacrus to lay eggs on her own despite no suitable male being in the area. Aside from observation part of the way you can tell is from the color of the shell," she continued pointing to one.

"Regular lagiacrus lay pale tan eggs near water in built up heaps of wet mud and leaves. Ivory lagiacrus lay pale blue eggs dug into the ground in moist dirt away from water. Abyssal lagiacrus lay dark gray eggs underwater in hollows or caves packed with sand," Rain pulled her hand away and rubbed Seiva's nose affectionately.

"If these were a cross between Shurika and a local male they would reflect that in the shell color. That's how sailors and researchers first identify crossbreeds in the wild or in sanctuaries. These don't show that and no other male's aside from Seiva have been spotted by anyone in the area Shurika prefers," Rain explained.

"Guess she really wanted to raise some eggs," Alistair said.

"Ever since she lost her first clutch she's never laid eggs again. Now she finally does and this happens. Maybe she would have been better off in the ocean somewhere after all," Rain said quietly. Seiva snorted at this and hissed firmly at her.

"I know, I know you both came here because you wanted to and you wanted to keep me safe. But I still feel bad about it sometimes," Rain admitted. Seiva seemed satisfied enough though and pulled his head back out. His relaxed posture suggested that he wasn't leaving this spot anytime soon.

"Amai will help get her back," Alistair assured her but Rain's weak smile said she wasn't fully convinced.

"I'm trying to hold onto that hope but its not easy know it will likely be months before they can even really get started on the trail much less find her and get back to us about it," Rain confessed wearily.

"Come on, lets go home and go to bed. Its been a long day for both of us. We can come back in the morning and Seiva will be here through the night to watch over them," Alistair urged her. Rain looked reluctant but allowed herself to be guided away and out of the room.

"At least now with Ginouji back I feel like I actually can stop and rest for a bit. I didn't realize just how much having him and Akairo gone was weighing on me," Rain said as they headed down the hallways. "But now he's home and Akairo is safe with the Guild Scouts. Even if the worst happens and only Akairo and Amai come back at least I know they cared enough to try and find her," she added softly.

"Why don't we stay with Ginouji outside tonight. I'm sure he'll want to stick close by for a while and tomorrow we can make a big feast for him and Seiva. Slow roasted aptonoth just the way they like," Alistair suggested. That did the trick and pulled a smile out of Rain.

"They do love it when I make that. It would be good to do something happy to get my mind off whats been going on lately. If only for a little bit," Rain admitted. Alistair leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"It's a plan then. Tomorrow we'll celebrate Ginouji and Seiva coming back and the fact that we could save some of Shurika's eggs," Alistair declared. Rain's weary eyes sparked to life at that.

"Its not as many as I would like but still the idea of seeing even a couple of them hatch and be released is... I want them to make it. For Shurika's sake at least," Rain said with excitement crawling back into her voice.

"We can come and visit in the morning when we come to the market to buy food for the celebration. I'm sure Seiva will still be around keeping close watch on them and we can see if anything has changed," Alistair offered.

Rain's arm around her tightened in love and gratitude and they walked out of the building. Ginouji was there waiting for them and stood up as they headed over.

"Come on, lets go home," Alistair told him. Together they walked towards home with Ginouji at their side once again.

AN: Thank you everyone for reading! I know you are eager to continue so I'm happy to announce that the last part of this series Dreadkings is up! Or will be up very shortly at least. Thank you for your support and continue on into part 3!