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Another day dawned warm and bright. There were no clouds obscuring the sun. Everyone was in a good mood, and I mean everyone, even me. So far, I hadn't been tackled by anything except my daughter. Scarlette was up and about, almost fully healed (thanks to our skilled human medic Sakura Sumiko and Scarlette's own vampyric metabolism) and beaming like all the gold in the seven seas. We weren't really expecting anything, but I kept the crew on their toes. Up on the topdeck, Kira and Sakura Edokawa were staging a mock battle with Takahashi and Azsharae. Tayu, Yuta, Lucas and Meghan were making sure all the ropes and pulleys were secure. Neji was up in the crowsnest. Lilly was at her post on the prow; today she'd become a hawk. Keen eyesight would help her to spot a ship on the horizon. Cecilia was sitting by the railing in a trance, communicating with Calypso. Rex was practicing his bending skills: creating sabre blades of fire, water and air. Mari was shifting back and forth between her human form and her ture form--a sphinx--and working on her knife-throwing. Sakura Sumiko and Miyavi were mixing medicines and restorative potions.
"Good job, ev'ryone! Keep it up!" I said as I walked the deck. No one stopped, but the all answered.
"Aye!"
"Sure thing, Cap'n!"
"Yes ma'am, Jaquie!"
"Aye aye!"
"Okay, Captain Sparrow!"
"Awright!"
The only members of my crew not working on defense were Vash, Neji and my daughter Jennifer (a.k.a. Swallow). Neji was, as always, up in the crowsnest watching for enemy ships on the horizon. Vash couldn't spare andy time to practice, seeing as he had to focus on steering the Sparrow and keeping her from sailing into an iceberg or any other somesuch ridiculous obstacle. Jennifer was in her cabin with the door shut. Her safety was of utmost importance in my mind. Actually, the saftey of all on my ship was of utmost importance, and after Scarlette's near'death experience I wasn't taking any chances.
I was crossing the deck on my way to check on Jennifer--make sure she wasn't too bored or playing with something that shouldn't even be in the cabin in the first place, or killing her familiar (okay, not so much that last one)--when I heard a soft whooshing sound, not unlike the wind. I stopped where I was, cocking my head toward the sound. My eyes widened.
"Aw, s**t!" I swore, "Down on deck! Everybody get down!"
I dove aside at the last possible moment. A volley of arrows shot over my head and rammed into the wall behind me, the mainmast, the mizzenmast, and a multitude of other wooden surfaces including the deck. Luckily, none hit any member of the crew. another volley followed, then stopped. After a minute I rose to my feet, slightly unsheathing the two katanas strapped across my back and prepping my pistol. From her safe (not really) post in the crowsnest I could hear Neji calling down.
"Captain! Ship off the port bow!"
"Whose?"
"Dunno. It's a dark one. Could be the Black Pearl or the Apocalypse. I don' think the Pearl would be shootin' at us though!"
"Blast," I muttered, "Neji, get down here! I'm gonna need ya ta fight! Same fer you, Lilly! Scarlette, yer side botherin' you?"
"Nope. Fit as a fiddle, Jaquie."
"Then git ready fer some action, mate!"
Scarlette beamed like the very sun itself, eager for some action. I was proud to have her at my side.
The enemy ship came closer. she was a dark vessel: ebony wood and maroon sails (almost like my brother's ship the Black Pearl) Silver glinted from her deck and flew toward us with tails of rope trailing behind. Tri-pronged grappling hooks flew over the railing of the Sparrow and caught as figures from the dark ship swung over.
"We're being boarded! First team, positions!"
"Cut the ropes!"
Takahashi and her team--Sakura Edokawa, Kira and Jonny--rushed forward and swung down their swords, severing ropes then returning to position as Azsharae's team did the same, making way for Emily-Rose's team to do the same again. But no mater how many times they cut away the grappling hooks, more came. What, was the enemy crew infinite? Finally the enemy ship came close enough to board without the hooks. Planks thunked down on the railing and enemy pirates swarmed the Sparrow.
"Defend yourselves and each other!" I yelled to my crew, unshetihin g the rapier at my waist and slashing with a broadsword-weilder. Shots rang from crew and enemy pistols. Metal clanged agains metal. Spells thundered in the air like fireworks. the din was deafening. There were os many enemy pirates that Vash had to let down the anchor and abandon the helm to fight.
I saw men fall. some got back up; others didn't. I saw Kira fall protecting Sakura Edokawa and Sakura fight off three men at once to protect her fallen girlfriend. I saw Mari in her true Sphinx form tearing a man apart as another hacked at her legs. Jonny was flying everywhere on her firebreathing dragon, flaming and hacking at enemies. Vash, my dear husband, was employing the use of bothe his bullwhip and cutlass to destroy opponents. Neji threw her shuriken/hairpin and slit a man's throat while her seabull familiar Buffy pecked another's eyes out. Scarlette and Crimson, her lynx, fought valiantly and my sid mo matter how many enemies beset us. We fought side by side or back to back until Scarlette spotted a man who just might've been the firstmate of the enemy ship and went to fight him. Alone, I whirled and spun, slashing with my rapier and tearing out mens throats with my fangs. Then i felt my sword hit something hard and heard a familiar ringing of metal on metal.; a different sound than that of the other swords--a sound filled with the malice of a purely evil heart. I spun and found myself face to face with a man who had long since disappeared--Arthur Bluebeard.
"Aha, I knew 'twas you I'd clash with," he sneered.
"What kinda hello is that, Artie? It's been too long, ya villainous knave," I retorted, "Didja not think I'd guess 'twas you attackin' us? Only the Apocalypse looks so like the Pearl."
Bluebeard's face was so close above our crossed swords--my rapier and his, crooked as his black heart--that I could smell his rancid breath. Ugh, smelled like decade old, moldy meatpies. I jumped back a few paces. The fighting around us had ceased at the sound of our two blades clashing. The only others still fighting were Scarlette and Bludebeard's firstmate. Everything else had stopped. The crowd watched silently as the tension between us built. Then I heard Vash's voice call out "Put out 'is other eye, Jaquie!" and the crowd exploded into a jeering, cheering mass. I sheathed my rapier and unsheathed my two silver katanas. We circled.

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Ooh, suspense! What'll happen next? Well, you'll just have to find out, now won'cha? Comments please!