[Hikaru's voice is oddly cheerful today, and to those who are good at picking up on these sorts of things, his voice may seem a bit strained. He's not had the greatest month, and he's certainly a bit... out of sorts, but he's trying to behave as normally as possible. And normal, dear kidnapees-turned-pirates, means a nuisance.]

Hey, hey, so these eggs, right? I need you all to do me a favour - if you find a chick in one, I need you to give it to me. I'll give you something good in exchange, but it's really important that I get as many chicks as possible. So help me out, alright?

Ah--also, if a crew with some guy named 'Luffy' tries to sail with you, don't let them anywhere near you. Trust me, all they'll do is make your life hell.

( [Action] )

[text]

[Flowing, almost archaic script starts to inundate the page.]

Dearest Brother,

I do not know if you will ever receive this letter. All I know is that I have been spirited away to this dastardly, horrid, menacing, troubling, and mysterious place known as Isla Empieza. I am very much afraid – who knows what the people here would do to a young maiden such as myself? Oh, oh, my dearest brother, my virtue is at stake – you must come at once! If I die here, I will come back to haunt you and you will never hear the end of it, so I suggest that you come and fetch me at this very moment! One such man asked me my name, and I threw him off the dock. I am truly helpless, waif-like, and defenseless, and I need your aid!

Please, also let my darling fiance Ranma-sama know that I am longing for him. I will simply not entertain thoughts of any other until I find myself in his arms once more. I know how he grieves, but console him, my dearest sibling. How he must pine for me – it is unthinkable.

Brother, I will put this letter in a bottle and hope that it reaches you. I will perhaps ask a turtle to bear it for me. When you receive this, please come and rescue me!

Love,
The Star of Hope of the Gymnast World
The Black Rose
Your Beloved Sister
Kodachi



[voice]

[Some time later . . .]

I can't rip the page out! I've been trying for hours! It just . . . flies back into the journal . . . !!! Magic exists, but only to taunt me! The fates are against me! I'll never be rescued now!

[Cue shrieks, wails, and sobs. When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.]

[Long time no see, journal. Haruhi sounds hoarse as she addresses whoever might be listening.]

It's so warm but I can't feel it. I stood in the sunshine for two hours. All it did was make me feel worse.

[She muffles a cough against her hand.]

I wonder if I have a Cold? Great time for one. My body is usually stronger than this.

[Not that she has spent much time on the sea. Ever.]

Don't worry, I'll wear a mask when I'm cooking. And I'll wash my hands. A lot. How contagious are Colds anyway?

Very, right?

Huh.

[Why worry?]

More Vitamin C for me.

[With all the commotion of Konoha-nin showing up and then disgusting mind-controlling candy showing up directly after them, Sasuke has nearly forgotten about the other encounter he had on Empieza the day he met his former teammates -- but there's finally been a lull, and he's perched as high in the rigging as he can go without the journal blowing out of his hands when he remembers.]

Has anyone seen this?



[Believe it or not, he has actually put effort into this drawing, but a dragon is not a battle diagram.]

It was looking for a skinny kid with brown hair.

[With a tremor, Ryoga's journal is flipped open, fluttering on the ground. There's hardly any sound in the background until suddenly, there's an explosion and noise coming from rocks flying in all directions. The laugh of an old man comes and clapping immediately after.]

--Woah, kid! I don't care where ya' come from, but if I've got you, then I don't got a need for any dynamite!

Just hurry up and tell me where you remember seeing it, old man. First I get my share of gold, then I leave. I've gotta settle a dispute once I leave here.

That's the ticket! Haha, just keep goin' straight down! That vein's gotta be round here somewhere!

Alright, alright. Here it goes again--Breaking Point!

[Another explosion--before the voice of the old man with Ryoga get panicked and he screams.]

Kid, ya did somethin' weird! The damned cave's blocked up now!

[A huff from Ryoga.]

It's alright. Just say 'She'll never love you back' to me.

[Clearly, the old man is confused. He repeats it, though speculatively.]

She'll...never love you back?

[There's a choked voice coming out of Ryoga--]

WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? DAMN YOU--LION'S ROAR SHOT!

[A third explosion is heard--though, it all comes with a gritty aftermath. Anyone on Gun Frontier Island might see a pretty tall red explosion streak into the sky for a moment.]

K-Kid... ya' got...real problems... [A thud. The old man passed out.]

Hmph. What's he know? [A beat.] Oh, there's some gold. Old man, if you don't wake up soon, I'm just gonna take all of it. I need it more than you, anyway.

[Voice]

Hello everyone~!!!! It has been a while.

I hope that everyone's settled once more. I also hope there weren't that many casualties on our part and wishing for Dog's speedy recovery. Stay safe~!!!

[Written]

[To the crew of Antoinette]:
Everyone, we have a meeting later. Please meet me in front of the Wardroom!

We have much to discuss. [Plus, he needs to show everyone the new Kotatsu.]

[Private: Kaoru, Hikaru, Karen and Kyouya. Dated: January 30]
February is so close! We have a meeting in the Wardroom tonight. After Haruhi has slept! Make sure no one tells Haruhi about it!

[Action:

For Tamaki:

It says a lot, probably, that it's just about half an hour after dawn when Kyouya appears on deck. He hasn't been sleeping, and it shows. Then again, he's been keeping to himself since their argument, nursing his wounds and trying to figure out how to bridge the silence.

But he knows none of the others are likely to be awake yet. Only Tamaki.

Who, thankfully, is up. And looking out to sea.

So, Kyouya walks over to him, silent as he leans against the rail. There's a lot to say, a lot to do, but he knows most of it won't come. So, instead, he puts his hand beside Tamaki's. Pinkie to pinkie, side to side. The faintest of touches. He won't do more. He'll leave that to Tamaki. Either to walk away or to take his hand.

His voice is very low, almost exhausted, as he offers:]

My mother and father never fought. At least, we never saw them fight. My father's word was law.

So... I don't know what I'm suppposed to do now.

[He knows he should apologize. But... he's as stubborn as Tamaki here. Neither of them think they're wrong. Why should they pretend they do?

He's just tired of this silence. Of this isolation.


General:

After his talk with Tamaki, Kyouya goes below and uses a small blade to afix something to the door of Haruhi's bunk.

It's a drawing, left for her and easily seen by others.

For the rest of the day, he can actually be found around the ship, up on deck, rather than hidden away in his cabin, only appearing for meals.]


[Written:

Around sunset, Kyouya is on deck with his journal. He opens the book and writes in it.]

141 days.

Almost five months.

At least the witch is dead. Just in time, too, for the next wave of newcomers, which I'm sure will happen soon. Like clockwork, almost.

Hopefully we'll hear from Dog. She missed her usual day, but sometimes she does.

-Otori