Kaizoku Sentai: Gokaiger

Pink and Red – Part III

Ahim knew getting Gamina on board and settled so she could be taken care of would be the most difficult part. Getting her up the ropes had been the easiest. Ahim was a little amazed at how much the woman trusted Joe, yet still had fears of a closer relationship. In all actuality, she shouldn't have been, considering Basco was apparently the root of her fears. It was understandable that she'd be wary of fully trusting another man. Although, after watching them fight together, there was still a part of her that was surprised. Gamina put her life in Joe's hands when they fought alongside one another, one wrong move on either of their parts and she could lose her life by his sword. Ahim had seen several moments through their short battle where that could have happened had their synchronization been off by even a fraction of a second.

But… women generally tend to guard their hearts far more securely than their lives...

First obstacle out of the way, they now had to deal with the three crew members NOT in the loop. Since Ahim was the outsider in the situation, she took it upon herself to take charge. Joe would most likely just ignore the others, but Marvelous' reaction was a little unpredictable. She knew he wouldn't be using her for strength in front of the others. His hold over his sister's Ranger Key would probably be the only thing keeping him from snapping. And Ahim was afraid of what would happen if he did. She had to make sure to keep the others from driving him to that point.

She made sure to hurry ahead of them when they finally boarded the Galleon, gently but quickly taking Don and Gai by the arms as she passed through the common room. She kept her voice a low whisper as Joe carried Gamina towards the crew quarters.

"Questions later, please. Gai-san, Hakase-san, please buy these herbs when you buy dinner groceries. The tea will help her with pain. Hurry, please…"

She gave them a polite shove after slipping a piece of paper, her list written in quick but still delicate handwriting, into Gai's hand, now taking Luka's arm and pulling her along as she followed Joe, not even giving Gai and Don another glance.

Gai and Don gave each other a questioning look, but neither of them voiced their thoughts to Ahim. They couldn't, as she moved too quickly and was gone before either of them could put a thought together, though Gai stuttered a few incoherent syllables attempting to as Don took Ahim's list out of his hand.

Luka had barely caught a glimpse of the girl as Joe passed with her, but she didn't miss the look in Joe's eyes. He was holding something very precious to him.

"Ahim…?" Luka looked over to Ahim, but she couldn't get the question out of her mouth. Luka knew Ahim worried about her friends, a LOT, especially Marvelous. But then, Luka also knew how much Ahim cared about Marvelous, even without her saying anything. She just now noticed their captain was missing. Her pace slowed a moment while she looked up and down the corridor, wondering where he was at, but Ahim gently tugged her forward.

"Luka-san, please assist me with Marvelous-san's imouto…" Her voice remained quiet and calm, but very controlled. Inside her heart was racing and she was fighting hard to keep herself from trembling with worry. She had to remain calm. The last thing that poor girl needed was excitement, which was why Ahim had been quick to get Gai off the ship.

Her voice had been so quiet Luka almost missed what she said… Almost… It was late in settling in her ears, but when it did, she came to a dead stop, pulling Ahim to a halt beside her. "His WHAT?!"

"Luka-san, please… the situation is very delicate, so please control yourself… Gamina-san is frightened enough… I will properly explain at a more convenient time, but at this moment, I must ask you to remain calm, for her sake…" Ahim almost lost control over her voice for a moment, but quickly recovered herself. She let go of her grip on Luka's arm and took hold of both her hands, her worried eyes almost pleading to her.

"Luka-san, please… Marvelous-san needs our support… Joe-san, also… We must not upset Gamina-san further…"

Luka frowned as she noticed a tremble slip into Ahim's voice. It was apparent to her there was a hell of a lot more going on between Marvelous and Joe than the fight that they'd seen that morning… the way Luka had seen Joe looking at the girl, and now knowing that the girl was Marvelous' sister… Putting two and two together wasn't hard, but there was more behind it. And Luka knew Ahim would make good on her promise to tell her what it was, so that was the only reason she nodded, silently agreeing.

"Arigato, Luka-san…" Ahim gave her hands a squeeze before releasing them, trusting Luka to follow her as she ran down the corridor after Joe.

Marvelous trusted that Ahim would take care of Gamina. That was the only reason he didn't follow them when they boarded the Galleon. That wouldn't have been a good thing. The more he dwelled on things, the more he knew that he was going to kill something. And the last thing Gamina needed was that kind of excitement. And she really didn't need the kind of excitement that was the over-enthusiastic Earthling, Gai. But he saw Hakase and Gai tiptoeing around him before leaving on whatever errand Ahim had sent them on. The girl was quick and gave precise instructions… Another thing Marvelous liked about her.

He remained on the deck, debating whether or not to return to the crow's nest. It was easier to think up there. And he needed to think. Ahim was right. He and Joe needed to have a long conversation about Gamina. He just didn't' know where to start.

He finally released the tight hold he had on his sister's Ranger Key. His hand was starting to go numb from lack of circulation. He hadn't realized just how much he screwed up, or just how delicate Gamina was. He knew he had been a piss poor protector, but… Was he seriously that bad of a person not to have noticed her condition? Was he that terrible of a brother? He stared at the key.

He'd promised he'd take care of her. It was the last thing he'd said to their parents before they died, leaving him alone to try to flee a burning homeworld with a toddler just barely out of diapers. All he did was shelter her. He took everything head on, fast and hard, so she wouldn't have to. He was the one that lied and cheated and stole, doing whatever was necessary to survive and move on so she wouldn't have to taint her innocence. He was an idiot… The lifestyle that he'd chosen, he knew it would reflect on her.

He was already a wanted man before the Gokaigers, before joining the Akaki Pirates. She was, by association, also a wanted criminal. He should have taught her, from the beginning, to protect herself. He should have included her in the things that he had to do. Maybe things would have been different. He knows she can fight, he's seen it, and she's strong. When he gave her the GokaiBlack key, he knew she could be stronger. He had faith in her. But he never encouraged her. Joe had been the only one she really paid attention to. So he'd left everything to Joe.

Baka… Baka… Baka… He banged his forehead against the mast several times, calling himself names with each strike. His hand clenched tightly around the key again when he finally stopped.

Gamina couldn't do anything without Joe, and it scared her. That was why he sent her ahead alone, to train, to gain strength and confidence. And she also needed space. Marvelous knew she loved Joe, even though she wouldn't even admit it to herself. Joe gave Gamina exactly what Ahim was giving Marvelous. Strength. Gamina just won't let herself accept that it was love. And she had wanted space to figure it out, though Marvelous wondered if it was to run away from it. Marvelous didn't blame her. To tell the truth, he didn't blame Basco, either. It was the bastard's nature. Don't get him wrong, he's going to make the son of a bitch pay, with interest, for the years she spent in turmoil. But he placed most of the blame on himself. So many things he could have done differently, he should have done differently.

He could barely hold his frustration in. Both hands were clenched in tight fists, the key threatening to crack under the pressure. He wanted to kill something, needed to kill something. And it was taking a very conscious effort to not go hunting for Basco. He promised Ahim he wouldn't do anything stupid. And that would have been a very stupid move. Marvelous was still very aware of the fact that the son of a bitch was strong. But his time was coming. Marvelous just wasn't in the frame of mind to take care of that, today. Even if he was ready.

Still, suppressing the urge to kill something would be easier if he had Ahim to hold on to. It wasn't until just that moment that he really thought about what was happening between him and Ahim. She'd known exactly what he needed when she climbed into the crow's nest earlier. And he knew only Ahim would give him the strength he needed, the comfort he wanted. She was the only one that could be the calm in the storm of thoughts and emotions running through him.

He'd always been attracted to Ahim, ever since that first meeting where she politely asked if they would let her become a pirate… the first lesson with the Gokai Gun, when he would have to hold her until she could learn to adjust her own weight and strength to compensate for the recoil… the first time she tried to help Hakase with chores… He had to admit, she looked pretty darn cute covered from head to toe in suds… If he'd have been any less of a gentleman, he'd have done something very inappropriate with her that night… First and only time in his life he ever hesitated to reach out and take what he wanted… It was very un-pirate-like… But it was a decision he never regretted… The more he'd gotten to know the princess… the more he admired about her… And he wanted much more than just an occasional romp in the sheets…

But she deserved something, someone, far better than him. A princess and a pirate was nothing more than a fairy tale, wasn't it? He'd spent many nights wondering what was going to happen when they found what they were searching for. If the treasure was as grand as the myths said it was, they could have anything they wanted. What if Ahim wanted a new Famille? Or the revival of the Famille that was taken from her? He heard the sobs, saw the tears at night when she'd be writing in her journals. She always left her door ajar just enough to let air circulate. And he usually stood just out of her line of sight to watch her. He didn't like it when she cried. He tried to tell himself it was because pirates don't cry. But there was one part of him that still couldn't let go of the fact that she was a princess. Princesses were delicate. Princesses cried. Then there was another part that wished he could make everything go away, make it so she didn't need to cry. He loved her. Damn it, he was IN love with her.

She might deserve someone better than him, but he couldn't stand the thought of her leaving his crew, leaving him.

Maybe he finally completely understood just what Joe had felt when Gamina left the Galleon…

"I am such an idiot…" He slammed his head against the mast again, a little harder this time. Okay, a LOT harder. He flinched slightly, rubbing the red bump on his forehead. He didn't mean to hit it so hard, but he figured he deserved the headache he now had. Hell, he probably deserved a good flogging for everything he'd allowed to happen.

"No argument, here…"

He turned a glare on his first mate as he approached. Joe passed him and leaned over the side of the ship, resting his folded arms on the railing. He didn't look at Marvelous, and didn't say anything else for a long moment until Marvelous came to stand beside him.

"Luka threw me out…" He still didn't look at Marvelous, keeping his attention on something apparently rather interesting on the leather strap he always wore around his wrist. Marvelous could see the tension in his hands as they trembled ever so slightly while he fidgeted with the tassel. Ahim was right, again. The situation was just as hard for Joe as it was for Marvelous, if not more so.

"Mina would have never let you look at her injuries. Ahim and Luka will take care of her." He stared at Gamina's key for a moment before he turned to Joe, handing it to him, still not looking his first mate in the eye. He figured Joe needed the strength the key offered far more than he did at the moment. He was satisfied with the knowledge that she was protected, for the moment. Ahim knew how delicate the situation was, and she could keep Luka quiet enough until there was a better time to properly explain. He hoped, anyway. With Luka, one never knew what was going to happen.

"It seems you and Ahim finally got it together…" He stared at the key for a long moment before taking it. "We all took bets on who would make the first move…"

"This isn't about me and Ahim…" He kept his voice low, but surprisingly even, considering everything. Marvelous was NOT about to let him change the subject. Granted, discussing what was happening between him and Ahim would be easier, if a bit awkward. First of all, that was something he and Ahim should talk about first. He wasn't even sure there was something happening. Second, it was none of his damn business… But what was happening with Gamina was.

"What did I do, Marvelous?" Joe turned the key over in his hands a few times, as if he was still unsure that it was real and just needed to see and feel every part of it to make sure.

"Nothing…" Marvelous leaned against the railing, his arms folded. He still didn't look Joe in the eye, he didn't think he could. He held his breath for a long moment before letting it out in a long, drawn-out sigh.

"It's not you she's afraid of…"