Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or the cast. Darn.

AN: This is obviously an AU, so let me clear some things up right quick. Most all of the people in this chapter are about the same age and in their twenties somewhere. 'Girlfriends' are not the girls you are dating, it's what girls called their companions (Girl friends. Friends who are girls. Get it?), and the 'starboard side' is the right side of a ship.

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"Madam, we should be going below deck," Takeru Takaishi suggested tentatively, glancing over the rail at the ship nearing them and moving to direct his brown haired companion to the hatch that lead to the crew's sleeping quarters. Under ordinary circumstances, the idea of going to such a vile place would have been absurd, but the situation was dramatically less than usual. Lacking a crew to pollute the room, or to cause any sort of threat to the youth's feminine charge, the crew's quarters seemed a rather safe place to be at the moment.

Unfortunately, the young woman thought differently. Practically marching to the side of the ship, she yanked a handkerchief from a fold in her skirts and waved it at the approaching vessel.

"This ship has no crew, Master Takaishi," she stated. "She has no captain. Aside from you, your comrades, my girlfriends, and myself, she is deserted. Now as I see it, we have two options. We can either accept that whatever happens to us when this other ship gets here will be our fate, be it good or bad; or we can hide below deck and slowly starve to death." She paused momentarily to let her point sink in. "Personally, I'd rather take my chances and see what happens."

Takeru nodded, mentally chiding himself for not having thought of that himself. "Very well," he murmured, bowing slightly. As soon as he came up, he moved to the wooden hatch located near the ship's center. Lifting the heavy boards from their frame, he called down to his companions, "Collect our things and gather on deck. There's a ship approaching."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to stay down here then?" someone called back.

"Lady Yagami wishes to take her chances."

There was a slight pause, and then the sound of the men packing their belongings into boxes. Takeru smiled at the sound, grateful that none of his companions had pressed the issue further. Moving back beside his charge, he clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the quickly advancing ship, trying to look less nervous than he felt. Beside him, Lady Hikari Yagami smiled lightly.

"We will be late to port, won't we?"

"If we ever get there, Madam," Takeru replied. "If we ever get there."

* * * * * *

Daisuke Motomiya leaned out of the crow's nest, his russet eyes scanning the deck below. Crewmembers hurried about the ship; some carrying supplies, some tending to the sails, and a few simply wandering around. One man, a young brunette with piercing blue eyes and an easy smile, slipped out of the captain's quarters. Gesturing with his right arm, Daisuke called to him.

"Mr. Hawkins, sir!" When the man tilted his head back to acknowledge him, Daisuke pointed to something in the distance. "A ship, sir," he called down. "She seems to have dropped anchor."

"Can you spot the crew?" the man on the deck questioned, turning in an effort to sight the ship.

Daisuke lifted his spyglass, an ancient thing given him by his grandfather, and directed it toward his target. "No, sir. I can mark a few people on the deck, facing us, but nothing else. They seem to be waving to us, sir!"

Mr. Hawkins nodded and started back to the captain's quarters, calling to Daisuke to keep a sharp eye on the ship.

Shutting the heavy door behind him, Mr. Hawkins directed his attention to a small writing table in the corner. A young man sat behind that desk, his eyes downcast as he looked over a wide assortment of papers. He muttered curses as he looked from one sheet to the next.

"Sir?"

The man glanced up at the voice, a slight grin touching his features as he recognized his first mate. "James. Please, come in." He gesture to a seat opposite him. A frown returned to his face as Mr. Hawkins sat down. "We seem to be in a slight bit of a bind," he murmured. "Our friend, Mr. Inoue in Fukuoka, has gone out of business for the next year or so. Apparently, someone destroyed his crops and broke into his storehouse. Stripped it clean."

"In a word, then, we will be forced to buy from someone else," Mr. Hawkins paraphrased for himself. A frown started to settle on his face as well. "Lovely. The cheapest shop in Kyushu, and some good-for-nothing feels the need to ruin it."

"In a word," the captain agreed.

Mr. Hawkins scowled at the floor for a bit before his head snapped up. "I forgot my purpose," he stated laughingly. "Mr. Motomiya spotted an anchored, crewless ship not too distant from us. He says there are people on board, however, and they seem to be waving to us."

The captain rose from his seat. "Crewless?" he repeated, his shock evident in his voice. Snatching his spyglass from where it stood on the corner of the desk, he walked with his first mate out of the room and onto the deck.

"Where is this ship?"

"Starboard side, sir."

The young man nodded and faced the given direction, lifting the spyglass to his eye. After a few moments, he lowered the instrument and simply gazed out at the water. "Mr. Motomiya," he barked abruptly, startling every man near him. From above, he heard Daisuke yell back in acknowledgement. Handing his spyglass to James Hawkins, he continued to speak to the man in the crow's nest.

"Can you see the people on deck clearly?"

"Aye, sir."

"Tell me, do they strike you as women?"

There was a pause as Daisuke looked back at the ship. "Aye, sir. Some of them."

Dark locks waved as the captain shook his head slowly, thinking. The men wee already on a tight ration; he didn't wish to be forced to spread their tiny supply of food more than he already had. However, he couldn't justify knowingly passing a helpless ship with women on board.

"Will we be picking them up, sir?" Mr. Hawkins asked hesitantly, fully aware of the bind his captain was in. Either the man would risk the wrath of his men, or face the wrath of his conscience. "Sir?"

The dark haired young man sighed. "Aye. Mr. Hawkins, have us approach the ship. But mind you,"" he added quickly, "have the men ready fro whatever should happen."

"Aye, sir."

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AN: One person in this is not from Digimon. Any guesses where he is from? (BTW – I don't own that either.)