Why Pirates Hate Water

14. Will

Izuku knew that there was only one hope for them. He was scared, nonetheless, especially as the ship neared the open-mouthed rock cave that peeked out of the water. It had only opened up as they got closer, allowing a stream of water to fall off the sides like a waterfall. Izuku had both hands tightened around the wheel of the ship, letting it drift into the mouth of the cave.

As soon as the ship had made it into the cave, it closed behind them. The only light was the ones emanating from the ship. Izuku forwarded the rudder to slow the ship down in case of rocks or approaching land. He grabbed a torch, hoisting himself to the bow of the ship. He watched as the orange light flickered across the dark water. Izuku waited for any sign of movement, but there was none until he saw a glimpse of sand and immediately anchored the ship.

The land had come out of nowhere and didn't make the water shallow as they got close. Izuku climbed down the rope ladder on the side of the ship, climbing down and into the rowboat. He made the small journey to shore, stepping out carefully. He held the torch out further in front of him, wandering almost blindly through the cave.

He was careful with his steps, watching every second for traps. Although he couldn't move too slowly, he needed to save the crew. As Izuku approached what seemed to be the end of the cave, he was met with a large wall, inked with old ruins.

He began to read each one, studying for any specific similarities or patterns. Of course, there would be a puzzle. There almost always is. He pressed on a few at random to see if he had to enter them in the correct order, nothing.

Izuku tried to form sentences, but it was all jibber jabber no matter how it was organized. He huffed in annoyance. They weren't letters that formed words that made sentences. They were notes.

Music notes. Izuku began to read them, unsure if it was a specific song. Of course, choose the siren to sing the magical song. He didn't recognize the song at first until he began to hum. It was a song from the old Fae language. It was typically used when 'doing the hempen jig'. Izuku sighed and began to recite the lyrics, trying not to use his siren song since he never wanted it in the first place.

The door creaked open, sliding slowly more and more with every word. When the song was finished and the door had opened, Izuku inhaled a deep breath of air. Stepping into a well lit room.

The room was filled with treasure, lining every wall. Mounds of gold and jewels piled along everywhere but a narrow path to a large red and purple throne. A man with purple hair sat in the throne, a flat expression lie on his face. "You opened the door." The man stated plainly, his voice quivering slightly.

"You're different than I thought you'd be." Izuku replied, forcing himself to walk closer.

"Eh, well, what is it that you want?" The man sighed, idly playing with the crown that sat gently on his head.

"Everybody on my ship is sick, I want you to cure them." Izuku hastily said, motioning back towards the way he came from.

"Mm, I see, and what makes you think that among the thousands that have faced me that you can win?" The man straightened himself in his seat.

"Legend says you're not human. And that no man can defeat you. Man refers to humans, and I'm not one either. What are you called?" Izuku asked curiously.

"Hm, I'm Tamaki. I've never faced a siren before. Should be interesting." He replied with a smirk. "My bargain is if you beat me in a battle of will, I'll cure your entire ship, fair?"

"A battle of will?" Izuku questioned.

"Yes. Do you agree with my terms?"

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Oh, and one last thing I should have mentioned. When you fail, you'll die, and you'll need to become or find my replacement if you happen to win."

"What?! You can't say that after I've agreed!" Izuku stepped forward a bit more.

"Really, it was a mistake, but if you don't want your crew cured, then-"

"No, I'll do it."

Tamaki smiled and beckoned Izuku closer. Izuku did so hesitantly. They locked eyes for a moment before they found themselves in a pure black void. They were both standing there, emanating their own light.

A large red shadow loomed over Tamaki, branching out towards Izuku. Izuku stood confused before realizing what he had to do. He focused his mind on the crew. On their sick faces. A bright white figure began to grow from his shoulders, reaching towards Tamaki.

Izuku thought of his friends. The shadows struck each other. He thought of Toshinori's treasure. The shadows pushed against each other harshly. He thought of Denki and Eijiro. Both shadows began to strain a bit. Tamaki let out a grunt, and sweat began to drop from Izuku's brow. He thought of his journey as a pirate. The shadows continued moving back and forth at each other. He thought of his journey with Katsuki and Shoto. His shadow began to force Tamaki's back. He thought of Katsuki and Shoto. His shadow began to overwhelm Tamaki's. Tamaki stepped back at the force before pushing forwards more and leveling the two again. Izuku thinks of love. His love. His shadow begins to glow brighter. Izuku thinks of his love for Katsuki and Shoto. Tamaki's shadow shrieks and tears away into pieces.

They are back in the room, Tamaki at his knees in front of Izuku, who is standing in front of the throne.

"Thank you, you will be rewarded." Tamaki whispers out. "Thank you for setting me free."

Izuku smiles at him, helping him up to his feet.

"Don't let the ones you love get away from you. I made that mistake and had centuries to pay. Find someone else. Don't sacrifice yourself." Tamaki told him in a hurried voice.

"What are you talking about?" Izuku asked.

"I felt your love. Leave the throne empty and spread the legend. Let some greedy fool take the seat and be trapped." Tamaki warns Izuku.

"I'm not sure... but my crew is cured?"

"Yes."

Izuku doesn't hesitate a moment before giving Tamaki a quick hug and running out the door. He sprints back to the ship in the dark. He climbs into the jolly boat, hoists himself up to the ship, and runs into the captains quarters first thing. He finds a barely awake Shoto and Katsuki sitting up in his bed. Izuku sighs in relief.

"Thank Calypso, you're all right!" He exclaims, rushing to tackle Katsuki back onto the bed. Katsuki hugs back for a moment before releasing Izuku so he can tackle Shoto in a similar fashion. All that was left was to reach Yuuei.

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☆Hello, I'm back! I changed schedules for this to Wednesdays and couldn't get out anything last week. I'm currently sick but still managed to get this chapter out, so I hope it's worth it. Thank you guys for reading and for 1.4k reads! Come back next week for (hopefully) another chapter♡☆