Chapter Text
Being a navy officer on the Wadatsumi is surprisingly enjoyable.
She is a rather large ship, and given her lack of artillery, the crew is not expected to engage in very many skirmishes. She is expected to mostly transport cargo instead, crates of food, barrels of gunpowder, boxes of various weaponry.. she brings them to various ports and countries, as well as small groups of people occasionally, whether they be captured pirates or citizens of various places.
Though she serves naval officers a small crew of naval officers, her fleet is not expected to specialise in fighting. They do board pirate ships every-so-often when prompted to, and they are rather adept at handling themselves, adept enough to prevent any major injury. Each and every one of them are properly, rigorously trained. Before the Wadatsumi sets sail, any new, potential enlistments are tested on their skill with any kind of sword and gun – any other weapon training or testing is done off-ship. Most crewmen use the standard rapier and pistol combo, it being the most easy to learn.
Kaizuka Inaho has a rapier of his own, though he rarely uses it. It was a gift from his sister when he informed her of his final decision to enlist in the fleet as she did. It is made of silver, and it looks more decorative than usable, if he is to be honest, though it functions perfectly well for what it was made to do. Like most of the crew, he also has a pistol with him, that he uses far more frequently, more used to how it works and feels.
“Hey, be careful, Nao!” a familiar voice calls.
Inaho turns his head slightly to find Yuki leaning over the railing near the ship's wheel, a small, worried frown on her features. Adjusting himself somewhat as he leans against the ship's railing, he offers her a small nod and a wave of acknowledgment.
Even as an adult, he is still rather petite and childish looking; he has not grown much from his teenage years, and is nearing the age where people generally seem to stop growing any taller. During his three years of enlistment, he has gone overboard twice no thanks to rough waters and his inability to weigh down a rowboat by himself. Both times, he nearly drowned, and would have had it not been for the crew’s quick rescue of him.
“It’s been awhile since you’ve fallen off, though,” another voice offers, teasing.
Grunting softly when a sudden weight is thrown over his shoulders, Inaho finds himself being pushed gently against the railing. It is enough to pin him down, but not enough to hurt him. “Calm..” He tries to maneuver himself out from under the blond, failing when the other rests more of his weight against him.
Calm snickers, playfully pushing Inaho down more. “You prob’ly shouldn’t lean against the railing. You might fall over again,” he teases, knowing full well that Inaho cannot follow his advice. Though he is younger, he takes joy in the fact that he can overpower the other in at least this way.
In actual combat, Inaho is faster.
“Anyway..” Calm hums, “Nina spotted a pirate ship followin’ us in the distance.. So the cap'n says not to wander off this time, when we board, ‘kay?”
Inaho makes a soft sound of acknowledgment.
“Great. I’ll see ya, then!” Calm says, pulling away. Before his friend can retaliate, he runs back toward the hold, leaving the brunet to only gaze after him in slight frustration.
The ocean’s waves are loud in his ears, and Inaho glances back toward Yuki, who is still at the helm with a quiet Marito. There is no way she had heard their conversation, though she would most likely agree with their captain – there is little doubt that he remains a naval officer solely because of Yuki’s intervention, and for that, he is grateful.
Captain Magbaredge gives him the same instructions each time they come across pirates.
.. Inaho just chooses not to listen, most of the time.
The crew is like family, in a way. Inaho regards most of them as such. Like a family, they have someone they are supposed to listen to – Magbaredge, the highest rank on the ship is charged with giving them orders that the crew carries out.
However, though Inaho knows and understands that captain Magbaredge is several ranks above him.. he has little understanding and acknowledgment for authority. Growing up with mainly Yuki to serve as an ‘authority’ figure did not do much for him, especially when he was on his own while she was out to sea.
Captain Magbaredge’s orders are important, but he sees no reason to follow them if there is something he is capable of doing on his own.
Inaho wants to help and keep busy. So he finds things to do, even if it means ignoring the captain's orders.
Disregarding the captain’s orders as he wanders through the pirate’s hold, he listens as the Wadatsumi crew scrambles about above him, their footsteps heavy and loud. The pirates are tied up and subdued, so that the captain can question them. Pirates following a visibly naval ship is not a good sign.
The pirates do not have much in the way of treasure down here, a disappointment he has grown used to. Not many pirates have anything akin to treasure at all, and most of the time, they simply have stolen ammunition and weapons. From what Inaho has seen so far, their food supply is ample, and they have a dangerously large weapon supply – once he returns, he will have to inform the captain, and they will have to confiscate the guns and gunpowder.
Making his way toward the last cabin, he slows down upon seeing that this door is different than the others. It is shut, for one, and lacks a proper viewing window, making it unlike all the others. Even the captain’s door has a small window with bars over it. He turns the knob slowly, hand at his side, ready to draw his gun if need be, and hesitantly peeks his head through the gap.
Inaho sucks in a surprised breath upon seeing what is inside.
“Sound off!” Magbaredge order. A young woman with hair the same shade of a raven's wing stands beside her. “Mizusaki, take roll,” she says, gazing at the roll of parchment in her first mate’s hands. It lists the names of the Wadatsumi's crew, and is separated by the crew’s roles – those who are part of the fighting squad, and those who mainly remain on the ship during raids.
“Marito?”
“Present.”
“Kakei?”
“Present!”
“Amifumi?”
“Present, ma'am!”
“Kaizuka senior?”
“Present.”
“Kaizuka junior?”
Immediately looking around at their small gathering, Yuki groans inwardly upon seeing that, once again, her little brother is nowhere to be found. “Why, Nao..?” she sighs, shaking her head a few times, “The captain’s going to chew you out again..!”
“.. Kaizuka junior?” Mizusaki calls again, raising her head from the parchment. She scans the deck slowly, trying to make sure the young officer is not hiding amongst the detained pirates or their own crew. When she does not see him, she looks to the other woman at her side, meeting Magbaredge’s narrowed green eyes. “Captain..”
“Kakei, get Craftman,” Magbaredge orders, earning a quick salute from the man before he runs across the deck. Kakei boards their own ship quickly, minding his steps when he crosses the plank that connects their ships, and disappears down into the hold through the open door.
Yuki sighs softly, wondering why Inaho persists in ignoring orders again and again. The captain does not punish him harshly, to be fair, and Inaho does the extra chores he is assigned without arguing. Or maybe her little brother just truly does not mind the consequences. “Captain..” she starts to say.
“We'll hold off on discussing punishment until we find him, Kaizuka,” Magbaredge says, shaking her head somewhat. “He has to be found first.”
“Captain, I have returned with Craftman.”
The two walk over, Calm's footsteps slightly heavier than Kakei's. It seems as if he was in the middle of repairs, still wearing his work uniform.
The boatswain smiles rather sheepishly as he gazes at the captain, pulling at his hair, “Yes, cap'n..?”
“You gave Kaizuka junior my orders, correct?”
“Y.. yes, cap'n,” Calm nods, carefully meeting her gaze, “I told him. And I thought he agreed, but..”
Magbaredge sighs as she shakes her head, pressing her fingers to her temple.
Inaho is.. one of the more unique officers they have come across. Hard working, but eccentric, and prone to causing more problems of his own when he wanders off. Though he has yet to become injured from his own recklessness, his luck is bound to eventually run out.
“I see,” the captain finally says, “Marito, take Kaizuka senior wi–..”
“G-get back here!”
Swift, heavy footsteps follow after the demand, causing Magbaredge and Mizusaki to turn around in surprise. Tensing up, Calm takes a few steps backward, having left his pistol and rapier back on the ship. Without any way to defend himself, he is a liability on deck.
“Behind, Craftman,” Kakei says, and Calm does just that, retreating to the railing, just behind the black haired young man. He, along with the rest of the crew draw their swords, rigid as the footsteps come closer and closer until –
“I.. Inaho?!”
Emerging from the hold, Inaho runs up the stairs as best he can, holding a rather oddly shaped bundled blanket against his chest. It almost looks like..
“Ah..”
Inaho loses his footing on the last stair, as well as his hold on the bundle. Both he and the bundle fall to the deck, though Inaho's head hits far harder than the bundle. The blanket stirs, a barely quiet whimper escaping it. “Grab him!” he says quickly, drawing his pistol. He aims is downward, at the stairwell leading to the hold. “I will shoot you if you move,” he says, “and so will the rest of our crew.” It is not a threat. There is no malice. It is a hard, cruel fact and he would not hesitate to do so should the pirate try anything.
The bundle stirs again, though this time it moves enough to be noticed. Another quiet whimper escapes it, causing Inaho to tense up.
“Yuki-nee. Marito,” he calls, hearing footsteps behind him, “please detain this person.” He gets up slowly, finger still on the delicate trigger to his pistol. A flick is all it would take. “Captain, when we get back, please charge them with kidnapping and unnecessary violence against an unarmed civilian.” Taking a few steps backward, he rests his free hand against the wall, keeping his eyes firm on the pirate, who is still collapsed on the stairway.
They had fallen when they tripped Inaho, and there is a glare on their features. Despite that, they remain still, and do not draw the shortsword at their waist. “That's our priceless treasure!” they cry, glare deepening when Marito forces their arms behind their back.
Marito sighs softly as Yuki unravels some rope that had been hanging on her belt, watching as she ties the pirate's wrists together like they had done the others. “You never cease to surprise, Kaizuka junior,” he murmurs, shaking his head.
“We're confiscating your 'priceless treasure',” Inaho says, ignoring the older man as he sheathes his pistol. Following after Yuki and Marito, he waits until they have passed to crouch down and pick the bundled blanket back up. He pulls the fabric aside to reveal a pained face belonging to a blond, who's features are that of confusion and fear. “People aren't 'treasures',” he mumbles, frowning somewhat as the blond coughs.
“They were detaining him?” Magbaredge questions, looking surprised. They have not had to deal with hostage situations for awhile, and no one has been reported missing recently. They make a point to check boards and receive messages and orders at each port they stop at.
“He was tied up in the hold, in a back room,” Inaho answers with a nod, taking a few short steps forward, “Captain, may I bring him to Yagarai?” Keeping quiet when the blond presses his face to his neck, his gaze slips to the blond’s ruffled, platinum hair. Another pained whimper escapes the hostage’s lips, low and soft.
“Do so immediately, Kaizuka junior. See to it that his injuries are properly attended to,” Magbaredge orders, gesturing to their own ship.
Inaho bows as best he can, careful not to drop the blond again, and continues toward the Wadatsumi.
“And, Kaizuka?”
“Yes, captain?” he asks, stopping to glance at her.
“You will not be reprimanded for going off on your own, but please think about the potential consequences to your actions.”
“.. yes, captain.”