Soul Searching

Chapter 8

As we approached the clouds we were pelted by heavy rain. I made my way below deck and sat in the hallway with my pouch. The ship began to rock back and forth as the waves became more violent.

Down the hall I heard one of the doors creak open and Akiko peeking out through the crack. She looked terrified but I could tell she was trying to seem brave.

"Sasuke if you're scared you can share our room" she said quietly. Just then a clap of thunder startled her. She gripped the door tightly as she looked to me for a response. I chuckled internally at "if I'm scared".

"I think I'm okay out here Akiko. Are you scared?" I asked her even though it was obvious.

"No!" she whispered harshly as if I offended her. Her brows furrowed as she pursed her lips together.

Above deck I could hear the shouting of the crewman. I quickly stood and moved towards the stairs to the deck.

"Where are you going?!"

"Stay here Akiko. I'm just going up to make sure everything is okay."

I slowly climbed the stairs and pushed open the door to the main deck. The rain was coming down so hard I could barely see, lightning was striking in the distance, and the thunder was booming above us.

The men were working to tie everything on deck down and trying to pull up the sails. I could see the men above struggling to pull up on it, even when using all of their strength. The sail was weighed down by the rain and the wind was blowing it in every direction.

I activated my Susano'o and used both arms to push up on each side of the sail. The men were shocked and confused at first but were grateful for the help. They quickly tied up the sail and climbed back down to the deck.

The ship was rocked to one side by a large wave. Water surged across the deck and swept us all off our feet, pushing us to the other side and slamming us against the rail. One man wasn't so lucky and was pushed up over the side but I was able to quickly grab him with my Susano'o and bring him back aboard.

He was shaken but managed to mutter a thank you to me as I sat him down. I nodded to him and made my way up to where the captain was stationed at the wheel.

"You have to get out of this storm or you're going to lose your crew!" I shouted over the pounding of the rain.

"We are nearing the eye of the storm! We will be out of it soon enough!" he shouted back. I nodded in understanding and made my way back down below deck. Puddles of water trailed behind me from my hair and clothes, every inch of me was soaked.

Akiko must've heard me come down because the door cracked open again. She still had the terrified expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked me up and down. I nodded to her question and used my hand to shake the water out of my hair.

Akiko's mother appeared then. "Here dear, come in our cabin to change and get warm. You can't stay out here like this." I couldn't object because she stepped out of the room and pushed me inside.

She went to grab me some towels as I took off my cape. I noticed Akiko out of the corner of my eye, she was looking at what was left of my left arm. She saw my catch her and she instantly dropped her eyes to the floor and mumbled an apology.

"It's okay Akiko" I told her gently.

"Here you go Sasuke" her mother told me as she returned with the towels. Her eyes flicked quickly to my arm but she didn't say anything. "Come on Akiko, let's step out so he can get changed" and they left the room.

I stripped off my clothes and changed into dry ones and draped a towel around my neck to catch the water dripping from my hair. I cracked the door and let the girls back into their room.

"Thank you for your help" I told them and grabbed up my things to leave the room.

"Dear stay. We have two beds, Akiko can sleep with me. You deserve to sleep in a bed."

"Thank you." I moved my things to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Akiko sat across from me on her bed.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"Yeah?" I responded as I used the towel around my neck to dry my hair.

"Can I ask what happened to your arm?" She asked quietly.

I let the towel drop back around my neck. "You remember how you said you hadn't had luck making friends?" I asked her.

She looked at me confused. "Yeah but what does that have to do with your arm?"

"I had trouble making friends at your age too. But there was one who was always so persistent, even when I was mean to him and ignored him. He is the reason I lost my arm."

Her eyes widened, "And you call him your friend?"

I chuckled at her reaction, "He's my best friend. He pulled me out of a dark place and put me back on the right path. You don't need a lot of friends Akiko, just a few good ones."