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Ever since that thrice damned Declaration of Paris had been signed; Val's privateer job had turned to pirating. During her last trip to France she had barely managed to escape with her head and her brigantine ship, the Légende.
Her crew, was not as lucky. Their loyalty to their captain, made it so that they never gave her up, even under the conditions they were treated with. She had been running different errands when the crew got caught. When she got close, they warned her away. Too soon for her to do anything, they were tied to the ropes at the gallows, even then they stayed silent.
Watching her crew, her family swing... She stands there thinking. "I should see the cherry blossoms. I need to be away for a while." Val sighs. "But I should stop in England for more supplies." That is exactly what she does. After carefully placing the items that she managed to get, in a safe place. She sailed for an hour or 2, and noted it was harder to manage Légende with just one person...
As she sailed she thought of her little cabin boy, who had wanted to go to Japan, and how the crew had said it was too dangerous. Instead they had decided to go back to France... And now they were gone...
She docks in England with her list in hand, going about gathering supplies for a long journey. Automatically buying enough for a crew, rather than for one person.
While Légende is unattended an English thief stows away to avoid being captured by his own pursuers. Planning to slip back out after they are gone; however, Val is in a hurry as she notices some of the guards looking at her when getting supplies so she immediately sets sail without putting away any of the things she bought. To the thief's horror as he spies the dock getting farther away.
When she has sailed to the point that she is in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight she feels comfortable enough to drift and starts to organize her supplies.
It is here that she discovers the thief. She immediately draws her sword, holding it to his throat "...Je vais vous donner deux choix... rejoignez-moi ou je vous jette par-dessus bord." (... I will give you two choices...join me or I throw you overboard.)
"...hm, I don't know everything you just said, madam...but your tone and sword says to agree..." The thief stated.
"Ship...or water?" Val spoke slowly eyes narrow.
"Ship." The thief said immediately.
Val nodded and puts her sword away. She went back to placing her supplies. After giving him a tour, she started to teach he sailing 101. After a while, she realized she never introduced herself. "Je m'appelle Val et vous?" Pointing to herself and then to him.
"...Val?" Pointing at her, she nods. "Sebastian." Pointing to himself.
"Bonjour Sebastian."
~~~~~~
The journey to Japan was difficult. While a two person crew is possible, it makes sailing difficult. Then there are the currents, weather, other ships, etc. There are times that they wish to kill the other, but then the knowledge of having to man the ship alone would still their hand.
"I should have just let you throw me overboard!" Sebastian groaned frustrated.
"voilà l'eau !" (There is the water!) Val said pointing.
"...you are mocking me aren't you?" Sebastian questioned.
Or
"I could smother you at night and you wouldn't be able to stop me!" After another sleepless night listening to Val snore.
"Ha! bonne chance avec le bateau !" (Ha! Good luck with the ship!) Val dared.
When they stopped in different countries to restock, Sebastian tells Val, "I could just stay here and find my own way back or I could take Légende and leave you stranded..." At her deadpan glare. He continues, "but I would never want to stay in these backwater countries. And as an English gentleman, (Val snorts) I would never subject a lady (Sebastian raises an eyebrow at her) to these places either." Both get what they need and get back on the ship.
There were good times too. Where they taught each other their languages, read and played games. Taught each other their skill sets. Even told their stories to one another.
Sebastian was curious why she had so many books and games... In starts and stops she explained her love of reading and playing games with her family... That she had been looking for new books and games when her crew had been taken. She pets a toy mouse, explaining that the cabin boy always wanted an animal friend, but they ran a clean ship. So she had wanted to give him a toy mouse...laughing, she said that he probably would have use it to prank the cook.
To try and change the subject away from an obviously painful topic, Sebastian asked to be taught sea shanties. Val's mind went blank and she made up one, then afterwards insisted it was a real one! However, that new shanty shook some others loose from her memory.
~~~~
"I saw that a mile away, try again. Ease into the pocket..." Val glares but works harder to steal from Sebastian, afterwards they switch places, Val is now the teacher...
"Toujours aussi négligent." (Still as careless as ever.)
"You are making fun of my work aren't you?"
"Non, de vous." (No, of you.)
"....not my work but of me."
"Oui." (Yes)
"Maybe I am a good student with a bad teacher?" Val does not like that... At all... Sebastian is nursing more bruises...
~~~~~~
"...I was one great of a butler to a young lord. He would order me to steal things when he was bored, for his amusement of course. When he left, I became a fulltime thief..."
"Je was une cabine girl? Je lived all life sur Légende....nous want sail, nous pirates. Ils swing? à home... Le petit want see? Le Japon..."
~~~~~
After all those months on the sea and of hardship, Val and Sebastian became fairly close. They finally arrived in Japan.
When they went ashore they found the cherry trees in blossom. Val whispered, "j'espère que tu vois ça." (I hope you are seeing this) Under the trees they found a young rōnin meditating, they were able to piece together that she was on a journey to regain her honor.
"運が悪い、来てください" (no luck, come) Sebastian brokenly invited her to come with. The rōnin agrees, understanding, she was having no luck so far in Japan for regaining her honor it was time to look elsewhere. She introduces herself, "私の名前はウチリ・ナリミ" ( my name is Uchiri Narimi) seeing their confusion, she points to herself and says, "Uchiri Narimi."
Val and Sebastian want to explore Japan before heading out, so Narimi plays tour guide. They tag team, when an urge to do something illegal happens, the other steps in to distract Narimi; because the young rōnin would have, had their heads if they were caught. After restocking the ship and stowing away the ill-gotten goods, they set sail.
After a while, Val is running fingers through her hair, when she runs across something soft... and warm... And breathing! Val lets out a cry and tries to get the thing out. Untangling the thing from her hair is difficult but with help they manage.
Sitting in her hand is a tiny white fluff ball of a bird.
"shima enaga" Narimi says.
Sebastian with a teasing smile, "well they seem quite comfortable in their nest of hair."
"Shut up... it's too... late to go back.... I think I will name them...Neige." Val says, gently petting the white fluff's head. Thinking of her cabin boy that had said, "un pirate n'est pas un pirate sans un oiseau." (A pirate is not a pirate without a bird.) this was when he was trying to convince her to get him an animal.
On they sail, with no destination really in mind, they continue their practices of skills, (Sebastian teaches his non illegal skills... which there are many, after all he wasn't always a thief.) Narimi learns more sword fighting and starts to learn English and French.
She also shares her story between lessons and fun. They are able to piece together from their little Japanese and her broken English and French, that she wanted to see more than her home. She has a desire to protect. Her family let her leave to try to become a samurai like her ancestor, Uchiri Johiko . She swore to go home if she didn't make it, this is why she must try to regain her honor, so that she may give her best effect and take the samurai test with her head held up high.
~~~~
After about a month at sea, the worst storm that any of them had ever seen, comes up and shipwrecks them. They wake up within the wreckage on the shore of California.
Val looks at what is left of her only home since she had left the orphanage and snuck aboard her... She looks at what little she had left of the crew, the family that she had found on her own, the small amount left of their little treasures and belongings... she blinks rapidly, trying not to break.
She called out to the others. Another crew, not quite family but definitely friends; checking on them, making sure Sebastian, Narimi, and Neige were alive. Before gathering as much of Légende and her cargo as she could, dragging each piece high on the shore, so that the sea couldn't claim what she and the rest were able to salvage... Val went as far as swimming after parts too. Eventually they had to stop.
Drying out what they can and themselves, they climb their way into the nearest town; which is a ghost town of a mining town. Before they can get far, a woman flags them down and motions to them to follow her. With no better plans, they do. All the way to her ranch.
"I am Tatila, you about walked into a trap. There are no decent folk left in town, well that are willing to be there... it's overran with outlaws and bandits."
"What does that make you?" Sebastian questioned.
"...a bereaved widow wanting to take back her hometown. I want to avenge the fallen, bringing law and order back to my home."
"私はあなたを助けます" Narimi immediately states. At the blank stare, she says again, slowly. "I...will...help...you."
"Thank you." Tatila turns to look at the other two. Narimi does too.
"Hold on. Wait a moment." Sebastian puts his hands up in a wait motion. "We can't just help you, we have our own problems."
"He is right, my ship was wrecked in the storm, we need to repair it." Val agrees.
"If y'all help me, I will help y'all" Tatila counters.
Val and Sebastian share a look before sighing and agreeing to help.
"What is the plan?" Sebastian questioned.
"Y'all can get cleaned up, I will whip up some biscuits and we can discuss during dinner." Tatila proposed.
"...biscuits for dinner?" Sebastian wondered.
The group was aware of how dirty they were, so did as ordered.
"I laid some pants and some sweaters, I will get your clothes clean, if you throw them out of the bathroom while you are getting cleaned up." Tatila calls to them from the kitchen.
Sebastian finds trousers and jumpers near the loo, and assumes these are the clothes she was talking about.
At dinner while their clean clothes are drying. They discuss.
"These are not biscuits..." Sebastian inspects the food in front of him.
"Oh, right, you English call cookies biscuits don't ya? No, this is savory. Taste it, it's good." Encouraged Tatila.
As they eat, they plan out their moves, Sebastian and Val will sneak in and rob the outlaws blind, killing them if they can; Narimi will engage in combat and Tatila patting her husband's Henry rifle, would provide backup assistance.
"You any good with that?" Asked Val, cleaning her own pistol.
"...yeah. my pa taught me, and my husband taught me more." Tatila explained.
"What...your...story?" Narimi wanted to know.
So Tatila tells them about being the only one left twice over, how her parents and siblings all died, of finding love and making a new family with her husband...Then after the gold rush, their small town booming and then becoming small again... Bandits and outlaws moving in and out as they please. She talks about the civil war, and the government shipping him off to fight in the north, him making her promise to live for the children if he were to die. How he came back alive but missing an arm, making it work because of the love they shared. her desperate attempt to save their treasures from the bandits' thieving fingers by burying them, but on that very day, the outlaws came and when they didn't find anything, vented their anger on her children and husband... She came back to a blood soaked house...
Tatila puts a hand on an almost unnoticeable bump. "I would have joined them... But I had promised to live for my children, if my husband ever died... I hope by avenging my family and all those that have been wronged or killed by these outlaws will allow me to start to heal..."
They all sit in silence for a while. Before Narimi stands and says, "今夜、今夜それをやる。" (Tonight, we do it tonight.)
Sebastian nods, "tonight."
They finish eating and Tatila gives them their clean and dry things back. Then they do as they planned.
Sebastian and Val steal everything, weapons, horses... Treasures... Killing any outlaw they see with their blades. A bandit sneaks up on Val, who is bent down retrieving a locket, when Neige gives a shriek and starts to claw at his face. Allowing Val time to shoot the guy.
Narimi fighting with honor any that comes at her or protecting the innocent who the outlaws try to use as shields... Tatila snipes any that try to escape from the three. As the morning sun rises, the town is quiet... There is not a single outlaw left standing.
They gather together, checking each other over for injuries. Everyone is fine, some scrapes and bruises, but nothing worse than that. They stay with Tatila who makes good on her promises and shows them around, buying them anything they want. Everyone in town and the group pitch in and fix Légende, using anything that they can from the original.
Once it's done, the four and Neige hug and take a photo. Before the three wave good bye to Tatila, and set sail to Japan.
After month at sea, they dock in Japan. They restock and see Narimi to her samurai training grounds. They say their goodbyes and get back on Légende. Val tells Neige, to stay with Narimi. He nuzzles her, sings mournfully as he flies to Narimi's shoulder on the dock. She reaches up and strokes him, nodding to them. The two stay at the dock until they can no longer see Légende, and even a bit longer after that, only then does Narimi turn and head back to the training grounds.
She returns to her master, proves her honor, and during the next samurai test, she passes with flying colors. She is a proud and honorable onna-musha until 1868, when the samurai party is outed for the Meiji reform.
Instead of fighting the reform Narimi returns to her family land. Taking over management, adding three bedrooms to the estate. Eventually getting married, keeping her name, and in 1876 giving birth to a son, Natakaru. He meets a man named Thoki, and offers him a job at the family estate, he also adds a swimming pool to the estate, and so the family continues, far, far into the future.
~~~~~
As for Tatila, well, she helped all the people around that were left, showing them kindness but was firm when she needed to be. It got to the point that the new mayor told her to take the vacant sheriff job so she did.
She bought a modest house in town, after the town folk helped her move what she wanted and needed into the house, she sold the rest, starting over. However, she did keep a chest of keepsakes from her first two families.
Tatila never remarried, but raised her daughter as a single working mother. Making a new smaller family, well except for all the aunts, uncles, and cousins; that the townfolk had become.
They never forgot what happened, but they also didn't let the past define them, or hold them back.
~~~~~~~
And Finally...
Val and Sebastian set sail once again and in the time it takes to reach their destination, they have decided to marry and try for kids, they are aware that their life expectancy is only at best 13 more years, but they had beaten the odds before, so why not try to now.
They stay on the water to the very end. They taught their kids everything that they knew, after all you never know what skill you might need in life.
They do try to walk/sail the straight and narrow for themselves and their kids, but every once in a while, their path may curve, just a bit.
The End