COTE: Kiyotaka Random Stories

Pirates Of Japan: Chapter 1

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Ayanokoji Kiyotaka

Kiyotaka is an teenage boy that's is a pirate of Japan. Unlike any teenage boy, he's mature and doesn't show any emotion other than boredom. He has a very calm personality, but he's also the most skilled and experienced pirate in his crew. He doesn't show his strength to his crew and let Hirata Yousuke and Horikita Suzune be the Captain and First Mate respectively.

Hirata Yousuke

Yousuke is a very mature and friendly person when around other people and rarely gets mad. His warm nature has led to the majority of the crew to recognize him as the Captain of Pirate Ship Defective. His quiet demeanor and polite manner make him one of the more popular members of the ship.

Horikita Suzune

Suzune is a serious, intelligent girl who rarely displays any emotion and generally seems unfazed by most things. She comes off as a rather cold and distant person to her crew due to lack of communication with them as well as her tendency to distance herself from them and to look down on them. She has very high confidence in her abilities as a pirate and has a right to due to her extraordinary skills. Despite being generally not interested in other people's affairs she does show concern for Kiyotaka, though this may be due to her crush on him.

Pirate Ship Defective

Pirate Ship Defective is a pirate ship were Kiyotaka, Suzune and Yousuke are the main figures. It has 20 people on board. Although Kiyotaka and Yousuke are mainly going on pirate expeditions they aren't the main leaders as the First Mate Horikita is the one that commands most of the crew and leads most of the expeditions. Most of them joined due to a personal reason, such as escaping poverty or joining their friends.

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[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka POV]

"Ah, I love this sea." Yousuke says while looking through the omnipresent water.

The sea is beautiful and calm, but the air has a certain bite to it that keeps me from growing complacent in these waters. This environment will have to change drastically for me to feel safe in it. In the meantime, I will enjoy its beauty. The ocean reflects the color of the sky--a deep blue--and the endless horizon line separates land from sky and the heavens from ocean.

Suzune sits next to me with a heavy tome, poring over the map that bares the name of our vessel: the Defective. She traces her finger over the contours of the landmasses decorating its surface and smiling as if in deep admiration of some great work of art. She wears an intricate tunic woven from the finest sailcloth--pure white--and elegant, flowing robes made from Water Tribe silk and fur from the northern lands.

"Hm...how I wish that out next expedition could be to any of the countless islands shown on this map."

"This isn't a sight-seeing tour, princess. Focus on the prize: untold riches and glory."

"I am. I'm just saying that this map gives me reason to hope for a future of exploration and discovery, not one of thievery and pillaging. Would you deny me this?"

"Just keep your head in the game and your eyes on the prize. If you want to be the captain of an expedition, get your own ship." Yousuke says to her.

I let out a sigh as the two leaders of the Defective go head-to-head. Surely we have more important matters to discuss than minor personality conflicts and personal gripe sessions?

I don't want to watch Yousuke and the princess bicker anymore. My head aches--I just have a headache. I stand, watching a pod of dolphins swimming in our port side. We've been at sea for almost three months now and I'll be happy when we dock back up in the Slums. The ocean isn't like I thought it would be--it's lonely, vast, and cold, not to mention extremely irritating at times.

I get out of the ship's "crow's nest" and start walking along the deck. I need someone to talk to, but everyone's divided themselves into cliques. Girls clustered together, guys clustered together, and others like me without anyone to talk to. I plop down in the most isolated corner I can find--in an almost empty part of the deck--and yawn while leaning against wooden railing. I look down at the sea below. Soaring birds glide along with flightless birds hovering above them.

It's a peaceful day today.

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I open my eyes and find myself staring at wooden ceiling. Sunlight shines through exposed beams and warm rays illuminate my skin. I let out a yawn before looking outside, to only find that all of the crew is tied up by the hands on the deck. They're getting beaten up by scruffy pirates who are laughing and jeering as they attack. A guy with red hair continues to punch Yousuke's face, grunting with every punch he throws. I know him... The Captain of Cliche, Kakeru.

I let out a sigh before standing up and quickly getting in the action. Looks like my crew mates will see me as reliable after all.

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With my cutlass and pistol in hand I leap from the deck to the main deck of the ship. Of course, all of the intruders are taken by surprise, though only one of them drops his weapon. Good. I swing my cutlass, slashing the right cheek of a guy who's already looking shocked. Blood runs down his face and clothes as he grunts in pain, but he raises his weapon and grits his teeth.

I kick him in the balls, pulling out my flintlock and shooting another with a blast to the chest.

Of course, Yousuke, Suzune and the other crew mates were shocked how I was able to take out two of their members so quickly. Though, an older crew mate lets out a cheer and charges towards me, a grin on his face despite the several bruises on his face. He let out a laugh and twirls his cutlass skillfully with graceful ease as he aims for my neck, but I dodge by swerving to the left and ramming my cutlass into his throat. While he's gurgling and clutching his throat in an attempt to stem the bleeding, I pull the trigger of my flintlock once more.

*BANG*

Since I aimed it on his head, there's a sizable indent in it and his body falls backward.

Just as two others hop over the side of the ship, I quickly reload my flintlock before shooting one of them in the chest.
The other one comes at me with a knife, swiping at me. I slash his hand causing him to drop the knife while I elbow him in the nose and head butt him. He stumbles backward, so I swivel around and kick him in the chest.

"Oh? Looks like someone in your crew wasn't as Defective as I thought." Kakeru says as he leans against the railing of the ship and lights a cigarette. I stared at him lazily, hand on my cutlass.

"Target locked..." I mumbled, before immediately sprinting towards him. His eyes widened a little, shocked at how fast I was moving. Seizing the moment, I somersaulted over the railing, aimed my foot at his head and kicked him in it as I grabbed on to one of the wooden posts standin near the side. He stumbled backwards with a grunt, but before he could fall and drown, he grabbed hold of the post and glared at me.

"Is this how you wanna get shot?" I asked, my revolver already aimed at his face.

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