Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Bluebeard made the first move. He lunged, swinging down his crooked-as-a-lightning-bolt sword as if to slice from my crown to the tips of my toes. I caught the blade in the cross between my katanas and turned to the side, aiming a kick at his groin. The old man jumped back before my attack could connect. (If it had, this fight would've been over in a few seconds. Sucks, but oh well.) After that, Bluebeard kept his distance, only moving in to slash or stab at me then move away again.
"So, Bluebeard," I teased, "is this another pathetic attempt at winning my love, or is it revenge? It wouldn't help you if it was the former, 'cuz, if ya hadn't noticed, I'm a married woman now."
"Revenge, wench," he growled back.
"For which offense? The loss of your eye? 'Cuz then ya oughta be fightin' the bosun. Or is this 'cuz I rejected you? Heh. Of course, what sane woman wouldn't? I mean, look at you!"
I laughed a single, scornful laugh, and dark, red blotches of fury bloomed on Bluebeard's face above his long, tangled, blue-grey beard.
I was so caught up in my own battle, and taunting Bluebeard, that I nearly didn't notice a man in the crowd raise a pistol and aim it at Scarlette. Quicker than lightining, so quick that the sound didn't catch up before the b*****d had dropped dead on the deck, I took my own pistol from my belt and shot a single bullet through his hear; then I resumed fighting. nobody was going to shoot my firstmate again. Not now; not ever. Never again.
And sinse I almost wasn't aware of that danger, I definitely was not aware of Yuta unlocking my daughter's cabin door, gagging her, and handing her over--kicking and clawing like a wildcat, the brave little vamp--to one of Bluebeard's crew then locking the door again. But Bluebeard noticed, and, as suddenly as he had attacked, he turned tail and ran. The strange thing was...he'd had me backed against the mast on my knees. He'd nearly defeated me in armed combat, and he went running back to his ship.
Swiftly and silently as the wind, the crew of the Apocalypse deserted the Sparrow. My crew and i were left stunned, our weapons still unsheathed, to clean up and care for our wounded.
I resheathed my twin katanas and walked about the deck with Sakura Sumiko to attend to those who had been hurt. Sakura Edokawa kneeled by Kira, holding her friend tight to her chest. Kira was pale; she had a freely bleeding cut over one eye and she held her arm against a deep stab wound just below her ribs.
"Kira--Kira'll be okay, right?" Sakura asked, her eyes brimming with tears. She had suffered a few injuries herself: a long, shallow cut on one arm and a cut over her eye mirroring the one on Kira.
"She'll be fine, darlin'," the medic (Sakura Sumiko) replied, bandaging up Kira's wound and cleaning off the cut on her head, "It's just a flesh wound. She's lucky, though. If it'd been any deeper..." she drew her hand across her throat and made a face.
Sakura (Edokawa) gasped and clutched Kira's unconscous form closer.
"Oh thank God!" she cried, then twitched as Sakura (Sumiko) began to clean the cut on her head, "Hey! 'Kura, easy on the whiskey there! That stuff hurts!"
"Sorry Edokawa, but that cut needs to be cleaned, and we don't have any other alcohol on the ship."
Aside from Kira there weren't too many major injuries. Mari was limping, draggging her left back paw, which was sluggishly oozing blood. Rex had been slashed from behind; a long shallow cut crossed the longer scar on his back. Scarlette's gunshot wound had opened up, but it had already stopped bleeding. Crimson, her lynx familiar, was missing the tip of one ear. Most of us had just suffered some scratches and bruises, but that was all.
"Well that was odd," I muttered to myself, surveying the damage, "They just attacked an' left. The ship's fine, nothing's been stolen, everyone's more or less unharmed....Is there something I'm missing?" Then I realized it. Jennifer! She was still locked in her cabin, and probably scared out of her wits! That was the first time we'd ever been attacked since before the day of her birth! I went down to Jennifer's cabin and unlocked the door.
"Jen, luv? It's me. Can I come in?" No answer. I opened the door and poked my head in. The room looked pretty calm and quiet. "Jen, come on out, baby. It's Mummy." No answer again. "You can come out now, hon. The fighting's over." Once again, no answer. The room was completely empty. Maybe she'd hidden under the bed. Nope, nothing under her cot. In the cabin I shared with Vash? Not there either. Now I was getting a bit apprehensive. Wait, wasn't there a little trapdoor beneath Jen's bed? I checked there. Yup, there it was. I squeezed into the small space and pulled the trapdoor open. "Jenny, sweety, come on out," I called into the darkness, "C'mon, pet, it's just me. Just mommy." No answer. I wriggled out into the center of the room, and it hit me. It hit me like cannonshot. I screamed and burst out onto the deck.
"Jen! Jennifer! Bastards! Bring her back! Jen!" I screamed as I ran to the rail and nearly threw myself over, trying to follow the receding form of the Apocalypse. It took my entire crew just to hold me back, and I was kicking and scratching; fighting with all my strength to break free and pursue that b*****d Arthur Bluebeard.
"No! Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed, "I'll drain you all dry if you don't let me go! Y'hear me?! I'll drain you all! I'll murder you! I don't care that yer my crew! Let me bloody go!"
"Oof," Vash grunted; I'd elbowed him in the stomach, "Darling--yipe--" he ducked to avoid another blow, "--what is it? What's wrong?"
"Yeah, Jaquie, whoops--" Scarlette asked as she, too, avoided a blow, this time from a flapping wing since I was rapidly changing shape to get away, "--what's goin' on?"
"My baby!" I yelled, "They took my baby! Those thieving bastards took Jennifer! Let me go! I haveta get her back! Jennifer!! Come back here, Bluebeard! Come back here and let me rip you to shreds! Jenny!" Scarlette and Vash nearly lost their grip on me in shock.
"What? Jennifer? Why would they--? What would Arthur Bluebeard want with--?"
"I. Don't. Bloody. Know! Just let go of me! Let me go! Jennifer!"
the black dot that was the Apocalypse disappeared over the horizen. I was finally released and I slid to the deck in abject dispair, my head buried in my hands.
"My baby, my precious baby. Noooo," I sobbed through my fingers.
Sakura Sumiko ushere dthe crew away while Scarlette and Vash knelt beside me. "Go on, people, nothing to see here. Come along, leave the captain alone. C'mon."
"Jaqueline? Are you okay, dear?" Vash was stroking my hair.
"Vasharl? What do you bloomin' think? They've kidnapped our daughter! My baby!" I turned and sobbed into his chest. Seconds later I felt something wet hit my shoulder. Vash was crying too.
"Don't you worry, Jaquie." Scarlette put her hand on my other shoulder. "We'll get back li'l Swallow. We'll get her back, I promise. I've already got a score ta settle with those bastards, an' taking' Swallow jus' makes it worse. Oh yes,"
She and Vash both spoke at once.
"This time...it's personal."

pirate crying scream pirate crying scream pirate crying scream pirate crying scream pirate crying scream pirate crying scream pirate crying scream
Whoo. Intense ending to a chapter, eh? I'm not really a mother yet, but I know the need for revenge. I've lost loved ones before. There's always something to make it worse, and there's always a chance for revenge. Yup, revenge. A dish best served cold. There's obviously more coming, so keep reading. Comments please!