Rufus gave a noise of complaint and rolled over as he was lightly kicked in the stomach.

"You are starting t give me regrets, young commander," the owner of the boot said.

The only noise was from a hungry gull circling above, lost from the wailing noise that even it could hear.

Rufus curled in on himself happily.

"You, commander of an entire fleet… someone gave a boy barely off the nipple too many toys."

Still no reaction that he wished for.

"Awaken, whelp, or I toss you back over into the water I found you in, though not the boat."

Rufus opened his eyes, then shut them immediately, awakening to the noon sun. He gave a pathetic questioning noise.

"You are lucky. Had you slept any more I wound have fed you to the fishes, were they hungry after all else I had already fed them."

"You," Rufus groaned, opening his eyes and seeing Sephiroth. He closed them immediately; not wanting to know what a third awakening would show. "Why always must you seek out my ships?"

"You hold the fastest and best armed fleet this side of the Spanish colonies and you ask me why I wish to take yours by force? And yet you boast at being an expert at tactics."

"If this be my own ship, then where be my own crew?"

"Oh, I never said it had a crew."

"You killed them, why?"

"Because I am interested in dealing with you, only. I left your associates alive, to aid you. I do not trust rabble, especially for them not to get ideas as my father did."

"Do tell me though, other than my own survival, what is in this bargain that I would desire?"

"You brought aboard the murderer of one of your associates. Now I see you rescued from an oarless little ship and left adrift. I hope it is safe to deduce he turned out to be more trouble than he was worth."

"And?"

"And I want his friends dead. And he does not."

"Interesting."

"That all?"

"Perhaps. You said this be my ship?" Rufus asked, finally sitting up and daring to open his eyes for more than a mere moment.

"Indeed."

"Then—" Rufus ran to the edge of the railing and lowered his head. At first Sephiroth wondered if Rufus were suddenly sick. "Cannons. Oh, it is indeed fun to own such a fleet."

"Rufus, I believe the Turks you hired taught you to think advice over as thoroughly as possible. Make sure they are caught before they meet their makers."

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Not good, cap’n," Yuffie said, lazing in the crows nest.

"I know that much ya rascal," Cid complained loudly. "I haven’t thrown ya to the fishes yet ‘cause I thought ya’d tell me a bit o’ news less obvious."

"Witchery, Cap’n. Can’t be a thing but."

"We got enough witchery to scare a priest from his own bathtub right here on this ship. You talk straight or I’m acoming up there and giving ya a good ol' bashing in the brainpan."

"Voodoo, Cid. Nasty Spirits. They stole our wind and our stars."

"Ain’t no nasty spirits. He up an’ got himself caught. Pro’ly dead by now."

"Ya ain’t gone killin’ zombies, Cid. Can’t be done. Thems is already up an’ dead."

"Dead or not, what he be doin’ with our stars?"

"We should be in the trade winds a now," Yuffie yelled. "Onna edge o’ ‘em."

"An’"

"We got trade, but ain’t no wind. Someone tooked it."

"What makes ya say we are there?"

"Stars, Cid. Them stars say we should be right there, an so we are, but ain’t no wind."

"Our stars ain’t tooked. He be back and he tooked our wind. He tooked it an’ he be hiding where we can’t get ta him. If ya gonna steal the fun o’ a man’s ship, ya shouldn’t cheat by hiding, I says."

"Ye’d rather face ‘im again?" Barret asked. "I wish he’d just let us be on land and never let us out to sea again."

"Why don’t he just ditch us in these trade winds and leave us ta end up in Europe?" Tifa asked. "It be far ‘nough away an’ I always wanted to see Europe. I hear it be mighty cold there."

"Oh, dear," Nanaki said, the only person calm as the ship jolted forward, scolding them all for losing their careful balance, even when the ship was filled with stars. The wind was back, in heavy force, and Yuffie exclaimed that it bore the wrong direction for the trade winds.

"Shera, ya know when ya said that blasted piece o’ silver was safe?" Cid asked. "We ain’t gonna be, an’ soon."

"We may gots witchery, Cid, but none o’ it likes us."

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