Why Pirates Hate Water

21. What Now?

Katsuki was still hesitant of Shoto even after they sailed away from Yuuei. He kept Izuku tucked close to him as Izuku treated his arm using the supplies on the ship. Shoto stood off in the corner, watching intently. His grip on the crystal was tight. It was his last lifeline to hold on to. Without it, he would be gone in no time.

All of the crew stood in the doorway of the captains quarters, minus the ones manning the ship. They wanted to inspect the treasure and question what had happened, but by the look on the three's faces, they knew better. Everyone was at a standstill.

"We're fine. Get back to work. We'll show you guys the treasure at mealtime." Katsuki huffed, breaking the silence. His voice was staggered, and his breath was heavy due to the maneuvering of his shoulder as it was tightened into a wrapped sling. The room went silent again. Izuku sat down on Katsuki's bed, watching Shoto from across the room.

"I think we need to talk about this." Izuku spoke.

"Yeah, obviously. Why would you almost kill us just to help us?" Katsuki angrily said.

"I had to. Everything up to getting the treasure was part of his plan. Well, until I enjoyed being here with you guys. We would all have been killed if I didn't follow, but I didn't want you to die." Shoto inhaled deeply, having spoken in one breath.

"Did you know about the plants?" Izuku asked skeptically.

"I didn't, I hoped you were alright, though." Shoto answered truthfully.

"So if we died, then oh well, you get to move on with your life thinking, 'at least I tried'?" Katsuki spat.

Shoto looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet their gaze. He took a step forward, holding out the treasure in the flat of his open palm. "Take it."

Katsuki glared at him but motioned for Izuku to grab it since it was on his bad side. Izuku swiftly grabbed at it. It immediately glows brightly and crackles as a wave of power surges through him.

"Now you can throw me off, hang me, anything. There's no reason to keep me here." Shoto sadly smiled, "I'm glad that I met both of you."

Izuku's brows furrowed. He was contemplating what to do. They had never actually made someone walk the plank, but was this different? He knew that if he was hesitant, then that meant he should do the opposite. Ugh, how he hated being right. Izuku passed the crystal to Katsuki, not paying attention to the crackling and glowing, but instead watching Shoto intently as he stalked over from his previous position on the bed.

"You're to stay in the cell in the hold until you prove we can actually trust you." Izuku stared at his eyes with a burning anger. Shoto knew he wasn't to be messed with. "Now." Izuku stated sharply when Shoto didn't move. That was all it took to have the two swiftly walking to the lower cells, Izuku holding Shoto's arms behind his back.

When Izuku returned, he flopped down on Katsuki's bed, mindful of Katsuki's injury. Katsuki moved Izuku's head to his lap and began running his fingers through Izuku's hair. "What do we do?" Izuku cried out.

"I don't know, but right now, I think we should just wait. See how this plays out." Katsuki admitted, staring down at Izuku as he played with his hair.

"Okay."

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"Wait, so the crystal gives you magic?!" Eijiro exclaimed, watching as it sparked up in Izuku's hand.

"Yeah, I guess so." Izuku replied.

"Then, what's so great about it if only one person gets the treasure?" Mina asked, peaking over Sero's shoulder.

"Chill out. We're still not sure if we can somehow break it or something." Katsuki assured, adjusting himself so he wasn't leaning against Izuku. The crew were all sitting on the main deck, chatting and eating as usual.

"But what if you destroy it?" Denki asks, moving closer like a little kid.

"Toshinori knew that I would split the treasure. We'll head off to the capitol and check the royal archives." Izuku stated matter of factly.

"What, the royal archives? How are we gonna get in?" Sero asked.

"I know someone who'll get us in." Izuku responded. Denki poked the crystal in Izuku's hand, startling at the sparks that flew out. Izuku chuckled and handed the crystal off to Denki, who marveled at it for a long while.

"Where's Todobro? He shouldn't be skipping mealtimes." Eijiro asked with a pointy smile.

"He's in a cell. You will all leave him there until I say so." Katsuki added gruffly.

"Woah, a cell, why?" Mina chimed in.

Izuku just looked away and focused his gaze on the waves that bounced off the ship. The deck fell into a silence, the only sounds being people eating and the crackling of the new treasure. Mina knew that she probably shouldn't have asked and just looked away, going back to braiding Sero's hair.

Izuku felt Katsuki's weight slump against him and looked down to meet the tired crimson eyes. He smiled a bit, wrapping a gentle arm around Katsuki and staring back out at the dark sea.

The sun had set only minutes ago, but all the stars were visible in the clear night sky. The ocean was a deep blue that showed promise of the mysteries hiding below. The waves rocked the ship and became a beacon for the lull of sleep. This was where Izuku belonged.

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☆Hello Lovelies, I'm back with another chapter. This isn't the end yet, but I'm thinking of doing 25 chapters because I don't like weird numbers. Thank all of you for over 4k reads and come back next week for more!♡☆