A/N: Huzzah! Another chapter up-date!
Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of Rum!
Chapter Nine
A Pirate's Life For Me...
Danny and Will nodded at Turk's plan. Danny looked at Kio, who hadn't moved at all. But she seemed to have enough strenghth to keep her head up. She sighed, her shoulders rising and falling. She looked at them and said with a strianed voice," Good luck guys. Don't risk everything, either..." She tried her best to shrug. "Just...be careful. He isn't called StoneHeart for nothing...He won't care much for you..."
"You're gonna be alright, Kio," Danny said. "Promise." He smiled at her, then looked at Will. Will nodded once, and Danny returned the nod. He looked at Kio. "We'll be back with the gem soon enough." And with that, he stood from his crouched position, and both he and Will climbed out of the sleeping quarters.
"They're two determined boys, those two are," Turk grunted, sighing as well.
"I like them," Kio said. "They remind me...of my past." Turk narrowed his eyes at the girl. Kio grinned at his expression. "I...never told you the story, did I?"
"You never told anyone, kid," Turk corrected. "You were always very secretive about it. I never understood why."
"I didn't like to talk about it," Kio said.
"If I remember correctly," Turk said, side-smirking, "You were quite the stubborn teen, eh? I don't know if it was stubbornness, or just a strong sense of determination."
"To tell you the truth Turk," Kio said. "I was never quite so sure myself." Her eyes filled with tears as she seeemed to remember something, but she blinked them away.
"Why don't ye tell me 'bout it, kid? Get it off your chest?" Turk asked. Kio looked at him fondly.
"I guess we should start from the beginning..."
FLASHBACK:
"Hey, Kiora! Hurry up!" shouted the voice of a young male. His hair was longish and brown. His eyes were an unnatural golden-sheen. His clothes were old-fashioned, his knee-high brown boots and white linen shirt in perfect and mint condition. He seemed about the age of fifteen.
The time was situated around maybe nine or so at night. And around him, the city's homes were lit and Halloween decorations flittered and littered the yards. In the boy's hand was a black bag, in the other, a fake knife.
Behind him, the one he called out too, was a younger-looking girl. About the age of fourteen. She was dressed in a similar fashion, a brown vest atop her white, long-sleeve, cotten shirt. She ran to keep up, smiling and laughing as a younger boy dressed as a mummy followed her. She grasped the young boy's hand. This girl had long brown hair and a brown hat also atop her head. "I'm going!" she laughed. "Wait up, Mark!"
Kiora finally caught up with the older boy, the young boy's hand still in her own. "Alright, we hit the neighbor's place, every single other person we know, who else?" she asked.
"I don't know," Mark, the older boy replied. "Say, what time is it?"
"It's...near nine. We got a couple more hours before Mrs. Granz begins to worry," she replied, checking her watch, for a second letting go of the boy's hand.
"Hey, look!" the younger child cried, pointing. "I can see the beach! Let's go 'dere!"
"No, Chester, we can't. Mrs. Granz said we aren't allowed. Besides, it's dark and empty. There's no point!"
"But I wanna go!" the little boy pouted.
"Kiora's right," Mark said in a soft voice. "We aren't allowed. Beside, we got a lot of candy left to collect! Come on! Let's go."
"Fine," Chester mumbled and held out a hand for Kiora to grab.
"Chester, you're six, you can go on without holding my hand," Kiora said annoyingly. "Come on!"
She ran ahead with Mark, the boy trying hard to catch up. "But Granz said you have to hold my hand!"
"And I say you're being a baby! Come on!" she shouted over shoulder. "Mark, wait up!"
"Hurry up slow-pokes!" The older boy shouted, but kept on.
"Mark! Kiora!" Chester whined, his legs tired. "I can't run anymore! Come back!"
But Mark did't hear him. Kiora only shouted for him to hurry and they turned the corner of the block. Soon enough, however, Mark began to notice the boy's disappearance. "Kiora, where's Chester?" he asked, coming up to the next house and looking for the little boy. Kiora turned, but the boy was nowhere in sight.
"He...was just behind me awhile ago..." she mumbled, blinking. Where had he gone? Mark looked form the door of the house to Kiora, then back, and sighed before climbing down the stone path to the side-walk. "We'd better find him," he said.
"But-" Kiora started.
"Come on!" Mark snapped sharply, shooting her a pointed look. "We have to find him!"
Kiora stomped her feet, but followed him. They search for nearly ten minutes, going up and down the sidewalk. To their great surpries, he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't anywhere! Could he have possibly gone back to the foster home?
"Maybe we should go abck home," Kiora said. "Maybe we should get Granz..."
"No," Mark snapped again. "We have to find Chester! Anything could be happening right now!"
"But-" she started again, but Mark interrupted again.
"You got us into this mess, now I have to get us out!" he said, jerking a thumb to his jerk. "One way or another, I'm going to find," he said, voice softer now upon seeinh Kiora's frightened expression. mark hugged her. "Don't worry, we'll find him. We're going to find him-" Mark stopped. Kiora blinked. What was wrong? "Chester?" Mark whispered, eyes wide and staring ahead of him. He pulled away from Kiora and sped off. "Chester"! he shouted. Kiora turned and watched as Mark's figrued raced off to grab the little boy dressed like a mummy...
...into the middle of a street thatw as far from empty.
Her hands turned to fists and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"MARK!!!"
:END FLASHBACK
Kiora wiped the tears form her eyes as best she could, gulping. "I never forgave myself," she whispered. Mark got seriously injured and Chester only got minor injuring to his arm. It was a good thing Mark was fast enough to push him out of the way of that car..."
"It must have been horrible," Turk sympathized.
"I was scarred..." she whispered. "For three years after that, I wouldn't speak to anyone. I knew it was my fault for not taking Chester's hand but...not even after Mark forgave did I...start speaking again. So one day, after it was too much, I left. I had planned it all in my head: to run away out to sea, sail anywhere, an island, a new country or shore, whatever, or die trying."
"And that's when we found you," Turk mumbled. Kio nodded."Not the ebst plan."
"I know," she mumbled. "And yet here I am...about to.." she winced as she tried to sit up a bit higher, "die..."
"Don't worry, now, kid, those two will get that gem and it'll work," Turk assured calmly. "You'll see..."
"I hope you're right..."
E/N: Yes, this was all flash-back-y while I figure out how I'm going to do this...but anywho, hope you enjoyed this chappie! I guess now we can see eye-to-eye with Kio...Kiora...eh?
And YUS! cryptic foreshadowing... -evil grin- BWUAHAHAHA!
--Airamé Phantom