Wandering Sky

Chapter Two: Serenade

Su awoke an unknown amount of time later, lying on her side on a soft bed. She tried to get up, but quickly realized it would be difficult considering her hands were bound behind her back. Taking a brief moment to look around, she found herself in a room that consisted of nothing more than a bed, a desk, a chair and a bookshelf filled with tattered books. There were no windows, but there was a lamp burning brightly on the opposite side of the room.

Tears filled her eyes. Her friends were dead, Hwang’s fate was unknown, and she’d been kidnapped by a pirate who’d do God-knows-what with her. “Captain ...” she whispered, letting a few tears spill over onto her slightly flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m a disgrace to the Defense Force ...”

The door creaked, and Su noticed it was the same pirate who’d kidnapped her who had opened it. “So you’re awake,” was all he said as he set down a bucket and a bundle of cloth on the desk.

“What are you going to do to me?” she asked. Her voice came out timid although she tried to feign anger and confidence.

“Well, first,” he replied matter-of-factly, “I thought I’d stitch up your back.”

For the first time since the wound had been given, she noticed it. Her back hurt terribly and her shirt was soaked with blood. The pirate sat down on the bed, too close to Su for her comfort, and gently touched her wrists. “I’m going to untie you now, alright? Don’t try anything funny, missy.”

Su was cooperative as he began to untie the rope that bound her, but as soon as the bindings loosened she turned over onto her back, backhanded her captor, and bolted for the open door. He grabbed her from behind, however, and pinned her down on the ground, their noses so close they were almost touching. His strong hands were holding her wrists down, and she was paralyzed with fear. Their bodies were pressed together, and she could feel him growing hard. What would he do to her?

“I thought I told you to stay still,” he growled, frowning. “I’m trying to get that cut stitched up, you understand?”

Su frowned right back but said nothing. “Good, then I assume you’re going to behave now, right?” No response, so he said, “We can stay here as long as you want, but I really think we should get those wounds taken care of.”

Quietly, reluctantly, Su nodded. “Sit on the bed and take your shirt off,” were the orders she received. She hesitantly obeyed, her eyes welling up with tears again. Su didn’t like this situation one bit. She slipped her doublet over her head and placed it beside her, then took the remains of her “corset” off.

“So you’ve been wearing that, convincing everyone that you’re a man?” the dark-haired man asked, his charming smile returning. “Is that why you were allowed to join the military?” Her shoulders hunched a little, but she still did not speak. “Oh, well, if you’re not the talkative type, I won’t force you. Now this may hurt a bit – I’m going to clean out the cut before I stitch it shut.”

He dipped a piece of cloth into the bucket of warm water and wrung it out, starting to wipe away the blood on her back. She shivered at his touch, and he was quite aware of what she was feeling. He smiled. “So, missy, do you have a name?” SilencThatThat man, the captain – he called you ‘Myung.’ Is that it?” Still nothing. “Well, until you tell me your name, you’ll just be ‘missy,’ then, I suppose.” He dumped the cloth into the water, wrung it again, and continued to clean the blood from her silky skin. “Oh, by the way, I’m Maxi ... captain of the Wandering Sky. Welcome aboard my ship.”

‘Welcome, he says!’ she thought bitterly, clenching her fists so tightly her fingernails cut into her palms. ‘He kidnapped me, and all he can say is Welcome!’

Maxi noticed the blood seeping slowly from her palms and sighed. “Well, if you’re that angry, I don’t blame you. But as long as you’re here, you’d best try to tolerate me – I’m the one keeping you safe.”

Finally Su spoke. “Keeping me safe, huh? What the hell is wrong with you?! You KIDNAPPED me, and now you say you’re ‘keeping me safe.’ That’s a laugh.”

“Listen, missy,” he said with forced patience, “I mean I’m keeping you away from a group of lecherous men who haven’t so much as touched a woman in four months. Would you rather I let them in here, or sent you out there?” When Su did not speak, he smiled. His message had sunk in. “I put you here in my room to keep you away from them. You’re safer here than anywhere on this ship.” After a few more minutes he said, “Alright, now all that’s left is to stitch you up. This will sting a bit.”

“I know, I’ve had stitches before,” she replied flatly.

Shrugging, he threaded a needle with heavy thread used specifically to suture wounds. The needle dug into her skin and she flinched a little, but there was no sign of pain beyond that. When Maxi had finished he grabbed a roll of sanitized bandages and ordered her to raise her arms a little. He then began to wrap the white cloth around her, and she flinched again when his hands brushed against one of her ample breasts. “Sorry about that,” he said, but she was convinced he’d done it purposely; she knew he was smiling. When he had finished wrapping the bandages around her body from her navel nearly to collarbone, he stood up and smiled at her. “There, done. That cut on your collarbone isn’t serious, so I won’t bother treating that one, but you’d better take it easy for a while to keep the stitches in your back from tearing.”

“Where’s Sun ... I mean, my sword?”

“It’s in one of the storage rooms. It’s a nice weapon, really. What is it? A sapara?”

“No, but close ... it’s a scimitar.”

“Ah, a beautiful sword ... a well-made weapon is a work of art, you know. And every work of art deserves a name – does your sword have one?”

“ ... Sun Ce. After the Chinese general.”

“Oh, you mean ‘Sonsaku!’ That’s what he’s called in Japan. That’s quite interesting, a Turk weapon with a Chinese name.”

Su did not wish to speak any further, but she had one more question for him. “What ... are you going to do with me?”

“That, my dear, would depend on your behavior,” he said sternly. “If you’re good, we’ll let you go when we get back to the mainland. If not ... well, suffice it to say you’d best be good.”

“Why did you kidnap me? Why couldn’t you have just left me with Hwang?!” she demanded, almost in tears.

“Your captain? Hm, I don’t know why I decided to keep you. I suppose it’s because I wanted to see your lover suffer for attacking us. See, having his crew die isn’t enough – taking you adds to it and makes it more painful.”

“He’s not my lover,” Su grumbled. ‘Although I wish he were,’ she thought solemnly.

“Oh, he isn’t? But let me guess – you joined the military to be close to him. Am I right?”

Furious, Su said nothing, but her silence was evidence enough – Maxi laughed. “I guess so, hm? I’ve seen too many people make that mistake to overlook it.” He leaned in close and smiled slyly, whispering, “Would you like me to help you forget all about your captain?” He ran a finger down her cheek, which was flushed from anger. She slapped his hand away and he shrugged amiably. “Well, missy, I’m going back on deck – and I’ll be tying you up afore I go. Seeing how hostile you are, I’d rather not leave you here alone with free run of the place.”

He grabbed the rope she’d been bound with and motioned for her to turn around. She obliged, and he tied her up again, this time even more tightly. “It’s getting late, missyaybeaybe you should sleep a bit,” he said in that taunting tone of his that made her blood boil. “I’ll be back to join you in a bit.”

“You’re going to rape me, huh?” she spat. “Go ahead and try – if you value your manhood!”

He leaned in close again, his lips almost touching her ear. “If that’s what you think, consider this – while you were out, I could’ve had you at any given moment,” he whispered softly and slowly, then gave her earlobe a playful lick. She shivered from the sensation and sat back down on the bed, giving him a terrified yet reproachful look. He grinned lightheartedly and gave her a slight wave as he left.

When he left, closing the door behind him, she prayed that she’d be rescued before anything bad happened. She hoped Hwang would have a search party sent out for survivors, although she was quite certain she and the captain were the only ones; she was sure she’d counted as many dead bodies on board as there were crewmembers. She began to cry and continued to do so until Maxi came back into the room a while later. “So, missy, are you ready to beg for mercy? Maybe to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh with me in exchange for your freedom?” When she continued to cry, his expression softened. “Hey, I was just kidding. Do you have a name, or do you want me to give you one? I promise it won’t be flattering if that’s the case,” he warned.

“Su.”

“Su, eh? Hm, that’s a nice one. It’s kind of strange, but nice nonetheless.” While he was talking another man entered the room, this one maybe a few years older than Maxi, with light brown hair and a five o’clock shadow.

“So this is our prisoner?” he asked cheerily, looking Su over. “My, my, she’s quite a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. Hard to believe everyone thought she was a man.”

The older man laughed. “Ah, people will believe anything, kiddo. So, my dear, do you have a name?”

Su looked terrified, and Maxi smiled. “She’s scared out of her wits, Kyam. Maybe we should leave her be for the night.”

“Good idea. Where’ll you be?”

“I’ll just bunk with the crew,” Maxi said with a shrug. “Give her some space. She needs it, the poor thing.”

Su had had enough of them talking like she wasn’t there. “Take me back to Korea,” she ordered. “The captain will be worried about me.”

“My kid brother’s the captain here,” the man called Kyam laughed. “Besides, we’re on our way back to the Ryukyu kingdom. We’ll decide your fate once we’re there.” Kyam took his leave, and Maxi knelt on the bed next to where Su was lying.

“Hey, missy, don’t worry. No one’s gonna take advantage of ya, I’ll make sure of that. Now go to sleep.” On his way out he blew out the flame in the lamp and shut the door. Su was left alone in the pitch-black room, and cried herself to sleep. ***


The neorniorning Maxi greeted her with a big smile and a tray of food. “I thought you’d be hungry,” he said, setting it down and untying her.

“You thought wrong,” she growled, frowning.

“You can’t live without food, you know,” he said with raised eyebrows, acting as if he were dealing with an unruly child.

“Go away.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, looking away.

“Come now, I want to learn a bit more about you,” Maxi responded cheerfully, sitting in the chair across from her. “And a bit more about where you’re from. I heard a curious story about this ‘Hwang’ character – allegedly he went out seeking the ‘Sword of Salvation’ three years ago. Do you know anything about that?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell YOU!”

A patient smile graced his lips. “Fair enough. But what about you? How old are you? How long have you been practicing swordplay?”

“Why do you want to know? I’m nothing more than a souvenir to you fiends.”

His laughter made her frown. “Souvenir? Missy, I’m afraid you have us confused with slave-traders, or bounty hunters, or something of the like.”

“No, pirates are no different. Pirates take women just like they might take a piece of treasure from a raid. I’m sure, since you’re a pirate yourself, you’ve participated in both parts of ‘pillage and rape.’”

Laughter filled the room once more. “Ah, I could never get sick of your comparisons and metaphors, you know. But we’re not exactly like that. I’ll punish whoever rapes a woman on a raid, or harms women or children, and I myself haven’t done either. Besides, I’m quite good at seducing women with cheap words – raping isn’t exactly necessary in my case.”

Su rolled her eyes. Sure, he was handsome and suave – but he was sardonic as hell. And that body ...

“Can ... can I have a shirt or something?” she asked after a moment, remembering she was wearing only the white bandages.

Maxi grinned. He took off his white jacket and placed it over her shoulders – it was much too large for her, but she put her arms through the sleeves anyway. They barely made it past the three-quarter mark, and Su gave a disapproving look to the garment. Her captor laughed. “Well, I guess it’s a little big – but it’ll have to do until we get to Shuri. Everything else is in storage down below, and it’s quite a hassle to dig anything out. Don’t worry; we’ll be in Ryukyu tomorrow morning, tonight if the winds stay high.” He stood before her, shirtless, and she blushed a little bit. His body was rippling with muscles, and his skin looked as smooth as silk. Su realized she was staring and looked away quickly.

“Will you take me back to Korea?”

He shrugged. “I suppose – if you behave.”

“You keep saying that,” she said grumpily, fastening the clasps of the jacket over her chest. “I just want to go home. My family must be going crazy.”

“Do you have a large family?”

“No, just my parents ...”

“Well then, I guess we’ll take you back once we restock back in Shuri. Alright?”

She nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

Maxi gave her a quick grin and left, but Su noticed something as he did so – he had failed to lock the door and bind her. Either he was absent-minded or far too trusting. Either way, it didn’t matter; she saw her chance to escape. She didn’t know where to, but she had to do something besides sit tight.

She waited a few moments, then crept silently to the door and opened it. There was no creak, and also no one near it. Elated, she tiptoed from the door down the hall in the ship’s cabin and thought hard. Maxi had said the cargo rooms were “down below” ... and Sun Ce must have also been in said rooms; she recalled he’d mentioned it before. It took her only a few seconds to find the staircase, as it was close by. Quietly she descended, and was relieved to find that no one was in the lower room, which held some of the ship’s cargo. Frantically Su searched for her beloved scimitar, and was about to search one of the adjacent rooms when something hit her in the back.

Su was knocked harshly against the wall but regained enough composure to turn over and face her enemy – in this case, enemies. She counted four men behind her, two of them brandishing weapons. The one who’d struck her she immediately recognized as Gen, the pirate she’d fought during the attack on the Defense Force. One of his arms was bandaged, and he glared at her with loathing in his eyes. “So, we meet again, little missy,” he greeted through gritted teeth. “Sneaking out? How very ... convenient.”

Su didn’t like his tone, and became very frightened when he looked her over with a horrible sort of hunger in his gaunt face. “Get away from me,” she threatened with false confidence. “Or I’ll ...”

“Or you’ll what? The captain can’t protect you now, you know.” The other men snickered. Gen took a step forward and grabbed her left wrist. “It’s hard to believe anyone fell for your little drag show ... seeing how gorgeous you are.” He sniffed her hair, and Su wished she’d never left Maxi’s room. He had knelt next to her and crammed his free hand down her pants. Struggling, Su managed to get out of his grip, but he slapped her harshly across the face and sent her to the floor. There he grabbed her a and and yanked her into a standing position. Pushing her against the wall again, he forced her to sit, and then pulled his pants down. What looked like a shriveled dead snake fell out, and Su regarded it with equal parts revulsion and terror. “Tell ya what, beautiful – suck my cock, and I’ll take you back to the captain’s room. He’ll never know you snuck out.”

“Put that in my mouth and I’ll bite it off,” she hissed.

“The captain will have little mercy for you – he doesn’t like it when prisoners overstep their bounds.”

“He said he doesn’t like it when his crew force themselves on women.”

“The captain will say anything to earn a woman’s trust,” Gen sneered, and grabbed her throat. While two other men held her arms, he forced her mouth open and shoved his puny member inside. Su made several shocked noises. Gen slid himself further and further down her throat, and she gagged, but he wouldn’t let up. The fourth pirate sat beside her and slid her slacks down; he began to grope her and finger her clit. She pulled her legs up closer to her body, but he grabbed them and spread them apart so he could better access her cunt. Gen had grabbed her head and was moving it back and forth along his dick, and tears slid down Su’s cheeks despite the pleasure she received from the groping the fourth man was doing. Gen was a premature ejaculator, and blew his wad into Su after only a few moments; she coughed, and when he pulled himself out of her mouth, she spat the thick liquid out. A little remained on her chin, but she was unable to do anything about it, since the other three were still on her. One of the ones holding her arms was unbuttoning Maxi’s jacket and began rubbing her large breasts when he had done so.

It was at that moment that a voice shouted, “STOP!”

The four pirates turned to face their livid captain, followed by Kyam and a man whom Su had not seen previously. ‘Thank God,’ Su thought, although she was sure Maxi would be angry at her for leaving her prison. The offending pirates let go of her immediately, and she curled up to hide her exposed body from them.

“Captain ...” Gen began, but the furious Ryukyu native cut him off.

“How many times have I told you, Gen? How many times?!” he demanded. “Kiyo, Shota, Shidou ... you three and Gen in particular shall be severely punished for this!”

“We’re sick of you hording the woman for yourself!” Gen shouted back, and Maxi’s eyes burned with rage at his comment.

“I’ve done nothing to this woman besides suture her wounds! Kyam, Yagazzi, please escort them to the holding cell.”

Gen drew his sword from his side, but Maxi pulled his nunchaku, Fatibal, from his belt. “Give me a reason,” he growled to Gen. “Give me a reason and I swear I’ll do it.” Su knew he was talking about killing the scrawny bastard.

Gen laid down his weapons and his followers did the same. The men who’d been with Maxi began to lead them down another staircase at the far end of the cargo room. “If you’ve gotten stains on my jacket, you’ll be sorry,” the captain called after them, noticing what he’d made Su do. Maxi walked over to her and knelt in front of her, and lifted a hand. Su flinched, but to her surprise, he wasn’t doing so to strike her. He’d gotten a kerchief from his pocket and was wiping Gen’s load from her face. “I told you you’d be safe in my room,” he said sadly, looking at her condition. An angry red welt was forming on her left cheek where she’d been struck. “Stand up. Let’s go back, shall we?”

Su stood and pulled her pants back up, embarrassed that she’d been seen with them down. She’d been humiliated and violated; now she hated the pirates even more, even though she knew it was mostly her own fault. “I’m ... I’m sorry,” Su said after they’d gotten back to the door of Maxi’s room. “I know I shouldn’t have left the room. Don’t be mad ...”

He shook his head somberly. “I’m the one who should apologize for letting scum like that aboard my ship ... you needn’t be sorry.”

Although his comment made her feel slightly better, she still wouldn’t forgive any of the pirates – and that included him.


Yay! Second chapter! Anyways, Chapter 3 is on its way. Crissy, I love ya. You’re so sweet.