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Chapter 3: Time Goes By Quickly When You Have Fun

Kiku quickly learned the meaning of the English phrase "Time flies when you're having fun". When he spent time with Lydia on the Fury of the Fates, learning English or even just playing a simple card game, the days rolled by quickly. True to Arthur's word, he was nursed back to health and was in tip top shape within the first week of the journey. Sometimes he even forgot that he was on a pirate ship. But when ever he saw Arthur's face, he was instantly reminded of his plight. He wanted to go back to Japan so badly. Be separated from his land for so long was starting to take it's toll on him. He needed to go home...

The last few months were also taking it's toll on Arthur. He had done his best to stay away from England, since he didn't want to face his boss. He would get chewed out for giving his boss so many headaches. But Arthur was the King of the seas! He was saving the King from a lot more annoying headaches. Why couldn't the king see that? Because it was the thinking of a Pirate, not the bourgeoisie. More than once he had to sink one of the English Fleet. It pained him to do so, seeing as every British death made him jolt in pain.

Then, when the longing to see the shores of England became too much, he called his crew to a meeting...

~*~

"OI!"

Everything on the deck seemed to stop. Every crew member looked up towards the wheel to see Arthur standing there, smirking. Kiku and Lydia even tore themselves away from their game to chess to listen to the Captain.

"I've made a decision mates," Arthur bellowed so that the entire crew could hear him. "We're going to London."

The crew seemed to be ecstatic at Arthur's proclamation. They ran about to put the ship on the right coarse for England. Kiku looked at Lydia, who seemed to be glaring at Arthur for no apparent reason. Said Brit walked over to the two, smiling pleasantly.

"Why the glare, love, you're going home," Arthur said with a smile.

"Why did you talk to me about this before?" Lydia asked. "I am your First Mate after all."

"I wanted to surprise you," Arthur said with a smile.

"You'll have to report to Queen Anne," Lydia said simply.

"Then I'll report to Queen Anne," Arthur said, the smile not leaving his face. "Besides, all I have to do is step foot on land and I'll feel right as rain. Don't even need to stay docked that long."

"You're exasperating," Lydia said simply as Arthur walked away.

"We are going where?" Kiku asked, his accent still as cute as ever.

"Home," Lydia said with a fond smile.

~*~

Kiku was thrown out of bed violently in the middle of the night. A loud blast had awoken him just seconds before. He landed on the floor and jumped to his feet in an instant. But before he could take a step, the ship rocked violently again, sending Kiku to the floor again. He decided to crawl over to the wall and then stood to look out the window. His eyes went wide when he saw another ship not too far off, firing at the Fury. When he looked upwards, he saw planks attaching the ships together.

"Asa!" Kiku cried, going to run out of the room. But another hit from a cannon make Kiku fall over. "Iie!"

Kiku tried to get back up to find Arthur or Lydia, but the door to his room was thrown open in a second. In the doorway stood a strange man with white hair and deep red eyes. He wore a deep blue coat with tan slacks and dark boots. His eyes swept across the room until they landed and stayed on Kiku.

"Oh, what have I found here?" Gilbert asked, grabbing Kiku by the hair and pulling him up. "Antonio has a score to settle with you."

~*~

Arthur parried another blow from Antonio, managing to throw the Spaniard back a few feet. This was enough for Arthur to rush forward, about to strike down the brunet. But a smaller person got between them, stopping both men from bringing down their swords. Lydia stood in front of Antonio, his sword buried in her left shoulder while Alejandro, aka Madrid, had Arthur's cutlass grinding against the broad side of his own blade. When Arthur and Antonio both saw the damage down to Lydia, they dropped their swords and Lydia dropped to the ground.

"You bloody git!" Arthur screamed, rushing to his capital's side. He gently pulled the sword out as to not cause her any more pain. She was breathing heavily and he sat down so that she could rest her head in his lap. "How could you do something like that! You know what happens when you hurt one of us!"

"If you had just given me the boy none of this would have happened," Antonio said, glaring at the Brit.

"I will not!" Arthur snapped, glaring back with such intensity it would have killed any other man.

"ANTONIO! I FOUND HIM!"

"Oh no..." Arthur groaned, half because the had found Kiku, the other half because Gilbert was on board and probably drank half Arthur's rum by now.

Gilbert came up on deck, Kiku in hand. Arthur growled when he saw how the Prussian was manhandling his little flower. Gilbert kept pulling Kiku along by his hair, and was ignoring the Asian's cries for help. Arthur felt his blood boiling.

"Thank you, Gilbert, I'll take it from here," Antonio said with a smirk, taking Kiku from the Prussian. He pulled Kiku close so that he was behind the Asian, his chest pressed to Kiku's back. He slipped a knife under Kiku's throat and chuckled. "That was a real number you did on my shoulder last week. I couldn't handle a sword, and that almost got me killed. Now, I am going to make you pay... WITH YOUR LIFE!"

A single shot ran out, silencing everything. A few strands of brown hair fell to the deck. Green eyes were wide. Smoke curled out of the end of a revolver's barrel. Chests heaved.

Antonio lifted a hand to his hair, feeling where it was grazed by the bullet. His wide eyes were staring at Arthur, who still had his gun pointed at Antonio. All he could see was the pure hatred in Arthur's eyes. A jolt of pure, unadulterated fear ran through the Spaniard in that instant.

"Next time, I won't miss," Arthur hissed. The poison coating his words alone made Antonio stumble back.

"Amigos, let us take our leave," Antonio said, shaking a little bit. As the Spanish pirates went back to their ship, Antonio said to Arthur, "Next time, this little slut will die, Arturo."

"Don't count on it," Arthur said, his breath coming in short and shorter gasps. Lydia had long passed out in his lap.

As soon as the planks were pulled across the ships, Arthur collapsed onto the deck. His comrades were around him in an instant, along with Kiku. He was right at Arthur's side, gently wiping the sweaty bangs from his face.

"You did not have to do that," Kiku said, tears forming in his eyes. Arthur made to get up, but Kiku pushed him back onto the deck. "You are going to kill yourself!"

"I can't die that easily, love," Arthur said, struggling to get the words out. He gripped at his heart and winced in pain. "Lads, get Lydia inside, quickly. Get her patched up, alright? Quick as you can."

"You need help too," Kiku cried.

"As soon as Lydia's alright, I'll be alright," Arthur said, smiling weakly as the men gathered Lydia up and took her to the medical room. "Kiku, Lydia is my capital, my heart. When she's injured, I feel it as well. When she's close to death, so am I, and vise versa."

"You must care for her very much, to be able to feel her pain..." Kiku said, not fully understanding what Arthur had said.

"She's my darling daughter, of course I care for her," Arthur said, grimacing when another shot of pain ran through him. "Bloody gits... they're hurting her... Kiku, be a dear. Tell the man we need to stop at the next port... We can't make it to London like this..."

"Of course," Kiku said with a nod. "Is it alright if I leave you here for a second?"

"It's fine," Arthur said, nodding slightly. Kiku nodded and stood, an air of authority coming over him the likes of which Arthur had never seen before.

"Listen to me, all of you! These are words right from your Captain!" Kiku began, making the crew stop and listen. "We need to make port and the next possible location! We cannot head to London in this state! We need to fix the ship and get medical attention to Lydia. Prepare to make port as soon as possible!"

Arthur watched (upside down) as his crew began to bustle about as if Arthur himself had given the order. He watched Kiku, the steely look in his eye, the air of authority he possessed, and the nagging feeling in the back of his skull that Arthur had seriously underestimated this boy.

"Asa-san," Kiku said, turning and kneeling down next to Arthur with a sweet smile. "Shall we get you to a more comfortable spot now?"

"Please," Arthur said, nodding. "The deck is not where I want to spend the evening."

"You two!" Kiku snapped, pointing to two crewmen who were passing by. "Bring your Captain to his chambers to rest. Now!"

Arthur was again in shock as the two pirates run over and roughly pick him up. He winced when he felt them grab him a bit too harshly and they jarred some old wounds. Arthur muttered something to them about being more careful and was carried to him chambers. They sat him down on the bed where Kiku helped him out of his coat, hat, and boots.

"Asa-san, is there anything you would like me to get you?" Kiku asked as the Brit lay back in bed.

"I could use some rum to take the edge off..." Arthur said with a smile.

"I will go fetch some right away!" Kiku said, bowing before he ran out of the room.

Description
Chapter 3: Time Goes By Quickly When You Have Fun

Kiku quickly learned the meaning of the English phrase "Time flies when you're having fun". When he spent time with Lydia on the Fury of the Fates, learning English or even just playing a simple card game, the days rolled by quickly. True to Arthur's word, he was nursed back to health and was in tip top shape within the first week of the journey. Sometimes he even forgot that he was on a pirate ship. But when ever he saw Arthur's face, he was instantly reminded of his plight. He wanted to go back to Japan so badly. Be separated from his land for so long was starting to take it's toll on him. He needed to go home...

The last few months were also taking it's toll on Arthur. He had done his best to stay away from England, since he didn't want to face his boss. He would get chewed out for giving his boss so many headaches. But Arthur was the King of the seas! He was saving the King from a lot more annoying headaches. Why couldn't the king see that? Because it was the thinking of a Pirate, not the bourgeoisie. More than once he had to sink one of the English Fleet. It pained him to do so, seeing as every British death made him jolt in pain.

Then, when the longing to see the shores of England became too much, he called his crew to a meeting...

~*~

"OI!"

Everything on the deck seemed to stop. Every crew member looked up towards the wheel to see Arthur standing there, smirking. Kiku and Lydia even tore themselves away from their game to chess to listen to the Captain.

"I've made a decision mates," Arthur bellowed so that the entire crew could hear him. "We're going to London."

The crew seemed to be ecstatic at Arthur's proclamation. They ran about to put the ship on the right coarse for England. Kiku looked at Lydia, who seemed to be glaring at Arthur for no apparent reason. Said Brit walked over to the two, smiling pleasantly.

"Why the glare, love, you're going home," Arthur said with a smile.

"Why did you talk to me about this before?" Lydia asked. "I am your First Mate after all."

"I wanted to surprise you," Arthur said with a smile.

"You'll have to report to Queen Anne," Lydia said simply.

"Then I'll report to Queen Anne," Arthur said, the smile not leaving his face. "Besides, all I have to do is step foot on land and I'll feel right as rain. Don't even need to stay docked that long."

"You're exasperating," Lydia said simply as Arthur walked away.

"We are going where?" Kiku asked, his accent still as cute as ever.

"Home," Lydia said with a fond smile.

~*~

Kiku was thrown out of bed violently in the middle of the night. A loud blast had awoken him just seconds before. He landed on the floor and jumped to his feet in an instant. But before he could take a step, the ship rocked violently again, sending Kiku to the floor again. He decided to crawl over to the wall and then stood to look out the window. His eyes went wide when he saw another ship not too far off, firing at the Fury. When he looked upwards, he saw planks attaching the ships together.

"Asa!" Kiku cried, going to run out of the room. But another hit from a cannon make Kiku fall over. "Iie!"

Kiku tried to get back up to find Arthur or Lydia, but the door to his room was thrown open in a second. In the doorway stood a strange man with white hair and deep red eyes. He wore a deep blue coat with tan slacks and dark boots. His eyes swept across the room until they landed and stayed on Kiku.

"Oh, what have I found here?" Gilbert asked, grabbing Kiku by the hair and pulling him up. "Antonio has a score to settle with you."

~*~

Arthur parried another blow from Antonio, managing to throw the Spaniard back a few feet. This was enough for Arthur to rush forward, about to strike down the brunet. But a smaller person got between them, stopping both men from bringing down their swords. Lydia stood in front of Antonio, his sword buried in her left shoulder while Alejandro, aka Madrid, had Arthur's cutlass grinding against the broad side of his own blade. When Arthur and Antonio both saw the damage down to Lydia, they dropped their swords and Lydia dropped to the ground.

"You bloody git!" Arthur screamed, rushing to his capital's side. He gently pulled the sword out as to not cause her any more pain. She was breathing heavily and he sat down so that she could rest her head in his lap. "How could you do something like that! You know what happens when you hurt one of us!"

"If you had just given me the boy none of this would have happened," Antonio said, glaring at the Brit.

"I will not!" Arthur snapped, glaring back with such intensity it would have killed any other man.

"ANTONIO! I FOUND HIM!"

"Oh no..." Arthur groaned, half because the had found Kiku, the other half because Gilbert was on board and probably drank half Arthur's rum by now.

Gilbert came up on deck, Kiku in hand. Arthur growled when he saw how the Prussian was manhandling his little flower. Gilbert kept pulling Kiku along by his hair, and was ignoring the Asian's cries for help. Arthur felt his blood boiling.

"Thank you, Gilbert, I'll take it from here," Antonio said with a smirk, taking Kiku from the Prussian. He pulled Kiku close so that he was behind the Asian, his chest pressed to Kiku's back. He slipped a knife under Kiku's throat and chuckled. "That was a real number you did on my shoulder last week. I couldn't handle a sword, and that almost got me killed. Now, I am going to make you pay... WITH YOUR LIFE!"

A single shot ran out, silencing everything. A few strands of brown hair fell to the deck. Green eyes were wide. Smoke curled out of the end of a revolver's barrel. Chests heaved.

Antonio lifted a hand to his hair, feeling where it was grazed by the bullet. His wide eyes were staring at Arthur, who still had his gun pointed at Antonio. All he could see was the pure hatred in Arthur's eyes. A jolt of pure, unadulterated fear ran through the Spaniard in that instant.

"Next time, I won't miss," Arthur hissed. The poison coating his words alone made Antonio stumble back.

"Amigos, let us take our leave," Antonio said, shaking a little bit. As the Spanish pirates went back to their ship, Antonio said to Arthur, "Next time, this little slut will die, Arturo."

"Don't count on it," Arthur said, his breath coming in short and shorter gasps. Lydia had long passed out in his lap.

As soon as the planks were pulled across the ships, Arthur collapsed onto the deck. His comrades were around him in an instant, along with Kiku. He was right at Arthur's side, gently wiping the sweaty bangs from his face.

"You did not have to do that," Kiku said, tears forming in his eyes. Arthur made to get up, but Kiku pushed him back onto the deck. "You are going to kill yourself!"

"I can't die that easily, love," Arthur said, struggling to get the words out. He gripped at his heart and winced in pain. "Lads, get Lydia inside, quickly. Get her patched up, alright? Quick as you can."

"You need help too," Kiku cried.

"As soon as Lydia's alright, I'll be alright," Arthur said, smiling weakly as the men gathered Lydia up and took her to the medical room. "Kiku, Lydia is my capital, my heart. When she's injured, I feel it as well. When she's close to death, so am I, and vise versa."

"You must care for her very much, to be able to feel her pain..." Kiku said, not fully understanding what Arthur had said.

"She's my darling daughter, of course I care for her," Arthur said, grimacing when another shot of pain ran through him. "Bloody gits... they're hurting her... Kiku, be a dear. Tell the man we need to stop at the next port... We can't make it to London like this..."

"Of course," Kiku said with a nod. "Is it alright if I leave you here for a second?"

"It's fine," Arthur said, nodding slightly. Kiku nodded and stood, an air of authority coming over him the likes of which Arthur had never seen before.

"Listen to me, all of you! These are words right from your Captain!" Kiku began, making the crew stop and listen. "We need to make port and the next possible location! We cannot head to London in this state! We need to fix the ship and get medical attention to Lydia. Prepare to make port as soon as possible!"

Arthur watched (upside down) as his crew began to bustle about as if Arthur himself had given the order. He watched Kiku, the steely look in his eye, the air of authority he possessed, and the nagging feeling in the back of his skull that Arthur had seriously underestimated this boy.

"Asa-san," Kiku said, turning and kneeling down next to Arthur with a sweet smile. "Shall we get you to a more comfortable spot now?"

"Please," Arthur said, nodding. "The deck is not where I want to spend the evening."

"You two!" Kiku snapped, pointing to two crewmen who were passing by. "Bring your Captain to his chambers to rest. Now!"

Arthur was again in shock as the two pirates run over and roughly pick him up. He winced when he felt them grab him a bit too harshly and they jarred some old wounds. Arthur muttered something to them about being more careful and was carried to him chambers. They sat him down on the bed where Kiku helped him out of his coat, hat, and boots.

"Asa-san, is there anything you would like me to get you?" Kiku asked as the Brit lay back in bed.

"I could use some rum to take the edge off..." Arthur said with a smile.

"I will go fetch some right away!" Kiku said, bowing before he ran out of the room.