We set our sights on the horizon

anger, frustration, despair, disdain - emotions spin around within her like a hurricane. it thrashes against her morals, her beliefs, her trusts. she knows the situation would come to this. it is a sad truth that she knows he would not fight back - if only because he believes in some semblance of friendship will save him. or perhaps he simply believes he cannot hurt a friend. regardless of the thought, it is utterly foolish.

“i swore upon my clan that i would fulfill any order given.           even if it means killing you. ”

it is her pride that makes her unable to decline the job: her pride of solitude, loneliness. she believes in the strength of her faction and nothing more, especially not some fanciful friendship or anything of that nature. even if he’s been there for her this entire time - even at her lowest point - it doesn’t matter. contracts matter; strength matters. this - whatever they have - doesn;t.

“you are a fool.           i am not your friend; i am not your ally. i am your enemy right now.            would you so easily let your enemy kill you without fighting back?”

so she shoots, the noise ringing through - though not loud enough to alert their men back on the shore. metal slides through the air to embed itself into a tree that stands behind him. the trajectory is only a few inches off, but she does not miss by accident. her aim is far too superior for that. it is a warning shot; she is serious about this.

“you? hurt me? hah! as if you could ever hurt me.           i said draw your weapon, motochika! i won’t repeat it again.              we will fight, and you will fight back.              i will not have it any other way.”

because she knows if it is anyone else, she would immediately shoot them - whether they fight or not. she cares not; if they don’t resist, the better for her. but this is different. as much as saika would deny it, she cannot shoot motochika so carelessly. maybe there is something within her that cares for him - though she’d rather shoot herself than admit such. if he fights her, then she can do her mission without restraint, without worry, without guilt. her barking words are but a prideful wall placed up to protect a broken woman; she cannot hurt him if he does not try to hurt her back. survival instincts are the only means she has of actually killing him because even with the intentions to hurt, her hands will shake and hesitate. she cannot have that in her line of work.

Looking to the anchor embedded in the ground, the captain picked it up with one hand on the metal rod and the other gripping the chain. He used his right foot as leverage before pulling the anchor back and throwing it away from himself an Saika. "And now I have to weapon." Motochika brushed his hands together before placing them in his pockets. He wasn't mocking her- he would never do such a thing. What he was trying to do was make it abundantly clear that he wasn't going to be fighting.

"I have my reasons to fight back like for the sake of my crew and knowing that as soon as I'm dead Mouri will come for Shikoku... But nothing will make me lay a finger on you." A glance over his shoulder let him catch a glimpse of a group of his men wandering towards them in reaction to the gunshot however, their captain raised a hand. "Leave us be, men! Do not interfere."

Even they could tell something was not right as they hesitated to follow orders. Yet a glare from the man who was always so kind told them he was serious. "I may be a fool, Sayaka." He muttered as he turned back to her. "But would you really shoot me dead if I were to fight back?"

1. Down - Jason Waler 2. Build That Wall (Zia's Theme) - Bastion OST 3. Black & White - Skyhill 4. Freak - Days of the New 5. Nevermove - Plentakill 6. Iris (Music Box Version) - Joshua Saunders 7. Bloodstream - Stateless 8. (And She Said) Take Me Now - Justin Timberlake ft. Janet Jackson 9.The Proof Discovered in the End of Sadness - Tales of Xillia 2 10. Everybody Loves Me - One Republic 11. Strawberry Bubblegum - Justin Timberlake 12. Skeleton Key - Days of the New 13. I Wanna Be Yours - Artic Monkeys 14. Where Is The Love? - Black Eyed Peas 15. Dangerous Animals - Artic Monkeys 16. Fighting For You (Harp) - Ib 17. Tunnel Vision - Justin Timberlake 18. War - Poets of the Fall 19. Lake Pontchartrain - Ludo 20. Collar Full - Panic! At the Disco

In conclusion: Justin Timberlake is great Tagging:

Slipping his hand towards his back, Motochika tugged his jacket from his shoulders before folding it in half and offering it to her. "It may be big on you but maybe it will help you with the cold." He glanced around them as if the object of her desire would be in the immediate area however, no white decorated the surroundings. "A white lily? Should you be willing to let me help you I would gladly look for it with you."

He peers to the Sea Devil with his bright golden eyes full of ambition, placing a hand to his side. He had forgotten what it was like on a ship since the last time Motochika had invited him along on one of his journeys out to sea. It was a fun adventure as any yet Tadakatsu had been really cross once Ieyasu had returned to Mikawa. Ieyasu simply let Tadakatsu know he was fine, but he was sure the giant was still a bit cross about Ieyasu leaving Mikawa without protection.

He gives of a grin to the Sea Devil before stopping in front of him, a few centimeters taller than the last time they had met yet, Ieyasu was still shorter than the pirate. Ieyasu was fine with that, it wasn’t as if height really mattered between good friends.

       ”You seemed to be enjoying the sea as much as I have, Motochika.”

Another soft chuckle left his lips.

"The day I can't find joy in the sea is the day I keel over a die, Ieyasu." He answered with a chuckle and crossed his arms behind his head while his torso twisted left and right. Sometimes it was easy to forgot how Shikoku was practically drowning in shades of blue. The sky high above them remained clear as the pristine ocean. Even the right eye of the island's leader flaunted a beautiful shade of blue. It was quite strange... Then again, he supposed just about every land had it's own signature color.

Motochika found it amusing how much Ieyasu stood out while standing on the dock. Dressed in such a bright shade of yellow along with the rest of his men alerted those around them that they were foreigners. Of course, even young children of Shikoku knew that to see Mikawa's warlord was a good omen of things to come. In fact, most felt quite comfortable in the Light of the East's presence. Some felt at ease with Ieyasu just as much as they did with Motochika.

"Don't worry about messengers- sending a messenger is like giving a man a vacation! How many times have I shown up in Mikawa without announcing myself?" Hell, sometimes the pirate would find himself in the foreign land with the warlord himself being away! The way Motochika saw it, pirates didn't need to schedule a meeting. They went wherever and whenever they pleased.

“if you actually could take care of yourself,           do you think i’d be here?”

he dares to say that despite the fact that he just lost an eye? hell, if saika lingers for more than a few seconds, he would have lost a lot more than just one measly part of his vision. she doesn’t know how to get it into his thick skull. there are times where his obliviousness is endearing in some strange way. this is clearly not one of them.

but instead of biting his head off any further, she chooses to huff angrily. there’s a lot of pent up frustration - though at what exactly, she isn’t sure. hell, it’s the first time she’s felt like this: emotionally exhausted, stressed, and maybe even desperately worried. but how does someone with a brick wall for an emotional state convey such an emotion? she wouldn’t even give him the time of day to call him a friend.

so she chooses to cross her arms and glance away, only occasionally glancing at his visage - each time regretting it just from seeing expression. a lost man, a destroyed man - how does she tell him to get over it? like how she does: by steeling herself and turning into a spiteful loner? hah! a joke at its finest. such a persona would never fit the jolly pirate.

“not if he looks like he’s about to break.           funny; i thought my wants were my decision to make.”

how long has it been since saika and motochika have known each other? if she can’t distinguish between a fake and genuine smile from the cheerful man, she’d be damned ashamed of herself. but of course, she would only ever mention it for him—

“you’re not going anywhere, motochika.           you’re going to sit there and take the damn therapy.              and either you do it willingly, or i force you.”

Since when did Sayaka give him the effort to take care of him like this? It took him losing an eye and quite possibly nearly losing his life for her to come to the rescue. He thought that being in her care would be a dream with more perks than there could ever be cons. But he neglected how the pain wouldn't dull in her presence. He felt dead weight and helpless and there was nothing he hated more. 

"A broken pirate isn't a pirate at all." Motochika muttered half to himself under his breath. "You'd rather take care of me then let me go back home to my men. My home could be taken from me while I'm here lying in a bed waiting for my eye to come back to me."

"Why are you doing this anyways? This... It's not like you, Sayaka."