| [Jul. 8th, 2016|09:24 pm] |
"I didn't say move it," Kakashi said sharply, dropping his feet off the edge of the bed.
"Smart," Ryouma managed. The knife in his knee settled into a duller throb, like a new sprain. He lifted the sheet off his lap to peek.
The giant ice pack obscured his kneecap itself, but the massive black brace extended halfway up his thigh and down past his calf, far bulkier than the slim, wrap-around brace he sometimes wore on missions. This one had straps and buckles and padding and gears.
"I'm never gonna wear pants again," Ryouma said, staring down at it.
"We'll get you some booty shorts," Kakashi assured him, flipping the sheet back down over Ryouma's new mecha-leg. "In the meantime, why don't you try and get some sleep until you're sane again?"
Ryouma settled obediently. He could still feel the cold ache, now that he knew it was there, but he'd staggered through far worse. It was luxury, now, to lie in a clean bed in a quiet ward, with the curtains pulled close and Kakashi sitting guard between Ryouma and the door. He practiced a yawn, and felt it turn real halfway through.
"Do I get a story?" he asked, hopefully.
Kakashi squinted at him, as if he smelled a trap. He said, after a moment, "Repeat this and die."
Then he settled back, propping his feet up on the edge of the bed again, hooking his shoulder more comfortably against the back of the chair. His voice took on a storyteller's rolling cadence. "There was once a pirate called Captain Seaweed, who sailed the wildest seas of the world. She was brave and true, and had dreams of becoming the Pirate Queen. One night, the First Mate spotted a glittering light off the port bow…"
The First Mate was a seagull, it turned out. He could fly to investigate the glittering light, which Ryouma felt gave him an unfair advantage.
Kakashi said, "Shut up," and went on with his tale.
The light glittered brighter, but the First Mate did not return. Captain Seaweed, who had earned her crew's respect and loyalty by her fierce loyalty in return, trimmed sail to investigate. They found a mountainous island in the sea, where no island was marked on any of Captain Seaweed's charts. Somewhere on the highest peak, the strange light shone...
"It's haunted," Ryouma said. "Or it's a demon. It's eaten First Mate and now it's luring the whole ship in!"
Kakashi's brow lifted. "Do you want to know what happens next, or do you want to keep guessing?"
"I bet you don't let people talk in movies, either," Ryouma muttered. He plucked at the sheet, smoothing it over his chest. "I'm listening."
Captain Seaweed was bold, but she was no fool. Her ship anchored leeward of the isle, and the Captain and four of her bravest crew lowered themselves in a boat and rowed for shore. The waves rocked their boat, gently, and the night air was calm and cool. A breeze brushed the Captain's face with the scents of the shore…
Ryouma could see the sheltered, moonlit cove, almost, when his eyes drifted closed. Kakashi's voice slowed and softened, describing the sandy shore on which Captain Seaweed beached her boat, the little crabs scuttling beneath the overhanging trees. A path led up from the shore under the trees, where the perfume of nightblooming flowers floated thick and heavy on the air.
Captain Seaweed left one pirate to guard the boat and led the remaining three up the path, into the depths of the jungle. Slipping into dreams, Ryouma followed them. |
|