Graveyard of a Madman Part 8

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Usagi: She what?!

''Chio nodded. All of them were on board the King Cody now, and in not such high spirits with the loss of a great many of their personal belongings. The only two things Usagi could recover of her own was a puzzle box and the sword that Ellis brought to the ship. Most of their treasury was recovered, but Nikk was extra quiet that day, lying with her back to the others, and facing the wall. All of her books, all of her journals and black nail polish were gone in an instant. She barely made it out of that tsunami alive, and part of her wishes they had left her to sink to the bottom like the hammer she was. Even Alice couldn't get through to her.''

Jiro: Well, the good news is that Migoto paid for our entire crew for the week. We can unwind for a while. We have enough money for all of us to have some fun and make new purchases. I know nothing can replace what we created on board the Panno Marie, but we must accept the fact that it is all gone. What little we recovered is all we are going to get. We are a pirate crew without a ship, and I will do everything in my power to change that for the better.

Chio: We are going to do everything in our power, Jiro. All of us. While we're out having fun, we may as well attempt to make some money, since there are a lot of us with a lot of talent, I know I can expect great things. Still, we've been through a lot, so lets simmer down for a couple of days at the very least.

Usagi stood where she was and looked at all of them, her swords at her hip, the first time she had ever worn two at once.

Usagi: I have half a mind to go show that Migoto a thing or two about man-

Jiro: No! [Everyone jumped at the harsh tone Jiro put out.] Nothing must be even close to harming Migoto in any way shape or form. What she did to our Captain is inexcusable, but that is Rinji's burden, and his alone. Not even I can reason with her, she is far out of my league.

Lee: Whatever [Got up from sitting.] If you need me I'll be in the gutter puking up seven types of burbon. [Walked out of the room and out onto the deck, toward the city.]

Jiro: That's a good idea, I will stay and watch the ship until all of you have had your fill.

''Without a word, Nikk got up and left, not even Alice had an inkling of whether or not she should follow her. After a moment, she got up and made a timid attempt to walk out the door, while the others sat in silence. Alice stopped as she saw Nikk standing alone in the middle of the deck, gazing out to the Panno Marie as it lulled up and down with the tide. Only its upper half was visible for the most part, the back of it was only seen as the tide pulled away. The corner bobbed above the water, but it was clear that it was only a passing thing. It was only a matter of time before the whole damn ship sunk to the very bottom, and the only thing that would be seen of it was the rope that held it to the docks. ''

Nikk: That ship saved me.

''Alice was a little surprised to hear her say anything. Ever since they resuscitated her, she had been completely silent. She looked at Nikk, the frown on her pale face was more visible than usual. ''

Nikk: Just like it saved you when we pulled up that life boat you were adrift on. If they hadn't come for me, I would more than likely be back with my idiotic brother and sister, helping them kill whoever they wanted. With the Tiger-Stripe Pirates, I have a purpose, and a life of my own. I earn my own keep and I have gained some symblance of a....

''She looked over at Alice, who was also gazing at the broken down heap they once called their home. Her eyes were very misty, and her hand covered her mouth.''

Nikk: Family. [Walked over to Alice and placed her hand on her shoulder. The two of them stared each other down for a moment, absorbing everything that had happened little by little.]

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Alice smiled a little, and then nodded to her. After a moment they turned toward the dock to go toward the city, but that was when both of them heard a small splash happen from the port side of the ship. Both of them looked over to see a very wet Jana Chi with a large backpack on. It was obviously heavy, and Alice wondered why in the world would she go swimming with such a dreadful thing on her back.''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Jana: Nikk! Great, glad you're here.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Alice: Dear Lord, Jana, would you like for me to get you a towel?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Jana: No, thank you. [She removed the backpack and set it on the ground and started to rummage through it.] I thought you might want these.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Nikk's face perked up to the point where both Alice and Jana could actually see her eyes fully. She held up two books, both of them had very obvious water damage, but they seemed somewhat intact, as they were leatherbound, and the paper was very sturdy. Nikk took them both and opened up the black-leather one, held closed by a strap and a belt buckle. The ink was still good, if a little smeared. ''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Alice: Did you swim all the way to the crash site?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Jana simply winked at her, picked up her backpack and walked inside. Nikk flipped through the books, making sure all of the pages were intact.''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Alice: Are those your diaries?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Nikk: Two out of three, yes. Missing the first one, but I was meaning to rewrite that one anyway. Come on, we have some place to be. [She took Alice's hand and started to rush to the dock, toward the very large city on the beach.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">--

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Even though they left mid-morning, the beaches were still populated by a good number of people. With what money they had, Usagi bought herself a one piece swimsuit, one that covered up her scars well enough. Chio had the same thing in mind, so his was closer to a scubadiver's suit without the hood or the airtank. They bought all of the supplies needed to sun bathe, and set themselves in a good spot on the beach to watch the waves. ''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Chio grew up on an island made up almost entirely of desert, so he was no stranger to the heat, and as his back hit the chair leaned almost all the way back, he suddenly knew what he had been missing all of his life. He only wished he had the guts to let his skin show, if it weren't for his scars. Chio looked over toward Usagi, who was in sheer ecstacy over her very large book being recovered from the sea. He couldn't recall a time when she was so excited, happy, squealing at the top of her lungs. They almost used a crowbar to get her off of Jana, she was hugging her so tight. ''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Usagi: Chio?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Chio: Mmmhmm?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Usagi: Do you think they have a printing press here?

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Chio: It's a big city, I'm sure it has something. [He looked at her, she was carefully looking at each page, making sure that they were still legible, though they were smudged, the paper and ink she used was top-notch and did not give way to the New World's merciless sea.]

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Usagi: I think it's time to publish my book.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Chio: You sure about that? You've been editing it for a long time now.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Usagi: Yes. [She held her book tight, and sighed.] I think it's about time to get my name out there in the world of literature. [She looked up suddenly] Oh! Waiter!

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Waiter: Yes, Madam? [Walked up between the two of them, clad in a fancy tuxedo, and carrying a plate with a few drinks on it already.]

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Usagi: Sake, lot's of it.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''Chio thought about telling her that it was only around ten in the morning, but he didn't bother, they were on vacation, and it was time to take their minds off of their troubles. That thought brought up one trouble in particular that he was very much worried about. No matter how hard he closed his eyes, he couldn't forget that face that Rinji made as he looked back at him. The tears that trailed down in his cheeks, and his eyes that gave evidence to all sorts of pain that hit him like a hammer straight to his very core. He was very worried about his friend, and he was wondering if they were making the right decision in not seeking him out. He wondered if Rinji should really be alone right now. ''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">''He looked back over to Usagi, who had found a plastic, pink bucket from somewhere and was now filling it with sand, and attempting to make a sand castle turret. At least she was having fun, he thought.''

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;border-style:none;padding:0in;line-height:0.23in;">Graveyard of a Madman Part 9