Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

“Finally!”
After what had been three long days at sea, Kuro, Nagasaki, and Django had, at last, reached the island that Kuro had seen with the cat. Though it had been an uneventful sail, the three had remained silent most of the voyage; Django lost in thoughts about hypnotism and Kuro brooding on his mother’s death and the strange black cat.
But, Kuro was having other thoughts, too; revenge on the pirates. It tugged at the back of his mind, but he argued with himself about what he could do.
“Kuro! Nagasaki!” Django called. “Watch this!” Django then started a dance of sorts on the sand, only to slip and land facedown. Kuro and Nagasaki laughed as Django rolled over and spit out sand.
“What were you trying to do?” Kuro asked, folding his arms. Django stood up and brushed himself off.
“Dancing!” he said excitedly. “I could try dancing instead!” He looked at Kuro for a response, but Kuro was deep in thought again. Django moved behind him and tapped him.
“What?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Django asked him. “You’ve been out of it since the morning we left.” Kuro shook his head and pushed up his glasses.
“It’s nothing,” he said and climbed out of the boat.
“Come on; let’s go find a town to rest in.” Django and Nagasaki followed him, still concerned about their friend.
“Move it!” someone shouted and shoved Kuro out of the way. The man was followed by a crowd of people, all wearing orange shirts and yellow bandannas on their heads. Far in front of them, there was a crowd of people in helmets running.
“Wonder what’s going on?” Django pondered out loud. Kuro pushed up his glasses and shrugged. “Why don’t we try that place?” He pointed to a small house with a chicken on its roof.
“I suppose,” Kuro said, and followed Django inside. It turned to be a restaurant; most of the tables were empty, so they took a seat by the window. They saw the crowds of people run by again.
“Damn those clan members,” one of the waitresses said. She had appeared next to Kuro and Django’s table. “It’s bad enough that they even exist, but why must they run amuck in this town?”
“Clans?” Kuro inquired of the woman. She looked at him and nodded.“Yeah, just a bunch of people that think they know more about everything else than normal people. Trouble is, the different ones are always quarreling, but it usually doesn’t get very bad.” She shuddered slightly and walked away. Kuro moved his gaze to the window.
“Why do you care about clans?” Django asked. He dropped his feet up on the table.
“I don’t,” Kuro said unconvincingly. “I was just curious.”
“Yeah, well, curiosity killed the cat,” Django laughed and so did Nagasaki while shaking her head. “What do you say we move out and try to find a place to sleep?” Kuro was about to answer when the door burst open. In the doorway stood two men unlike anything Kuro, Nagasaki, or Django had seen.
“Give us some grub,” the boy on the left said. He was short; or at least he appeared to be; he was slunk over and his back arched like an old man’s. His limbs were scrawny and his eyes were wide. Next to him was a giant of a kid, though it was mostly blubber. His head sat oddly on his neck and sported two small eyes and a tangled mass of hair.
“Why should we serve you?” the waitress that had spoken to Kuro said. “You two are the worst-mannered children in town.”
“Now, now, missy,” the small boy hissed, “you wouldn’t want my friend here to tear down this whole place, would you?” He nodded in the portly boy’s direction. “He’s in a bad mood today and could easily turn this old fleabag of a restaurant into a pile of timber and glass.” The other boy said nothing. Nagasaki got infuriated of the two boys and made a low, threatening growl, sounding like a dog growling.
The waitress backed away, showing a mixed look of fear and hatred on her face.
“That’s a good girl,” the small boy purred, “now if you’ll just”-- His sentence was cut short by two hard fists thrown into his face; he went flying across the room and smashed into one of the other tables. He rubbed a spot on his head.
“Who dares to hit--?” he screeched but his sentence was cut short when Nagasaki unsheathed one of her swords and placed it at the side of his neck, ready to decapitate the boy’s head. He looked up and saw a tall boy in glasses and a girl with swords at her side.
Django had fallen out of his chair and stood up; he hadn’t even seen Kuro or Nagasaki move. How did they punch that rotten kid so quickly?
Meanwhile, after Nagasaki sheathed her sword back to her case, Kuro was throbbing with a strange source of anger. His hands were clenched in fists as they stared at the boy.
“Leave them alone,” he said, taking a step toward the boy. The boy cowered back and shook wildly.
“Now, now, please, don’t hurt me,” he cried, beginning to sob. “We didn’t mean no harm, did we?” He looked in the direction of the other boy, who backed out of the room. Then, what almost made both of the boys urinate their pants was the low, threatening growl, that Nagasaki made. “We’ll just be on our way.” He scrambled out of the mess and walked slowly by Kuro and Nagasaki.
“Be warned, new kids; if we catch you two anywhere else, you’ll pay for what you did to me,” the boy whispered as he passed Kuro and Nagasaki. Kuro responded by kicking him swiftly out the door. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, it’s never gonna happen. Oh, and let this be a warning to both of you vagabonds.” The two stopped in mid-step as they flinched and turned to look at her and she continued, “If we see you roaming around these streets again, both of you will rue the day you were born!” Nagasaki smirked with her arms crossed as her response. But, not only that, they also saw something that they found petrifying; a source of hatred and anger in her eyes and then a malevolent smile forming. And, soon, they ran off. As soon as the two were out of earshot, Kuro and Nagasaki turned to look at the waitress, who looked pleasantly surprised.
“Sorry about your table,” Kuro said, blushing slightly. The waitress’s jaw dropped and ran up to them, squeezing them tightly.
“Who cares about some table, you just chased out this town’s biggest bullies!” she shouted, hugging them even tighter. Kuro blushed even harder and looked pleadingly at Django; he merely laughed with amusement and joined in on the applause from the staff that had appeared. Kuro and Nagasaki looked at them while trying to push the woman away.
“So, who are they?” Kuro asked; the woman had finally let them go, so Kuro readjusted his glasses.
“Butchie and Siam,” the woman answered with a note of disgust in her voice. “They think they can do whatever they want in this town.” A murmur of agreement came from the staff behind them.
“We should be leaving,” Kuro said after a moment of silence. “Are you sure that we don’t need to pay for the table?” The waitress laughed.
“No, no, it’s a small price to pay for getting rid of those vagabonds,” she said and waved to them. Django exited after Kuro and Nagasaki and walked backwards a few paces ahead of Kuro.
“How’d you two do that?” he asked. Kuro and Nagasaki looked at him.
“Do what?”
“Whack that runt!” Django said, surprised, as he started dancing. “You two were at the table one moment, then you both were hitting that kid!”
Kuro simply stared; he couldn’t explain it, much like the anger that he’d felt when those two guys had harassed that woman.
“I don’t know,” he replied dully. “I...I wasn’t really thinking.” He started to contemplate this in silence as the three walked aimlessly, looking for an inn to rest.
After some time, the three stumbled across a small inn near the town’s exit and took a room on the uppermost floor. Django continued to practice his dancing; Kuro, however, sat by the window and peered out of it, watching the sun’s last rays climb over the houses and bathe the town in red. His grief had not yet passed; he wondered what his mother would say if she’d known he was on another island, another world. He missed her so much; but he still felt angry, both at the Navy and at the pirates. He had decided that they both should feel his pain.
“Kuro?”
Django had stopped dancing and both he and Nagasaki looked worried. Kuro snapped out of his thoughts as Nagasaki laid her hand on his shoulder.
“What?”
“You’re...you’re not thinking of starting a clan, are you?” Django asked.
This question hit Kuro by surprise; he hadn’t considered creating a clan. He looked out the window again and pushed up his glasses.
“Now that you mention it, Django...it sounds like a good idea.” Kuro stood up that made Nagasaki removed her hand from his shoulder and he smiled. “Why not? It’d be a great experience.”
“But where are we going to get members?” Django said. “And, where would we meet?”
Kuro moved to one of the beds and sat upon it, thinking about all of this.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “We can discuss it tomorrow.” And with that, the three climbed into the beds and dozed off, each with their own thoughts and worries weighing on their minds.
----------

“So, you’re serious about this?”
The next morning, the three had relocated to the restaurant and took seats outside, where the wind blew lightly around them. The crowds from yesterday were nowhere in sight, so many of the townsfolk were enjoying the silence.
“Completely,” Kuro said.
Nagasaki was having second thoughts. “I don’t know about this, you guys.”
“Come on. What can possibly go wrong?” Django smiled.
She lifts an eyebrow as she turned her head to look at him. “You know, the people who asks that question can get jinxed, you know that, right?”
Django put his hands behind his head. “You’re so superstitious, Nagasaki.”
“I am not!” she protested as she smiled.
“Actually, Nagasaki, he’s right.” Kuro smiled at her as he adjusting his glasses.
“Who’s side are you on!?” She laughed as she turned her gaze to Kuro.
“I want peace from this war.” He joked.
“What kind of friends are you guys?” She said not looking at Django or Kuro as she smiled.
“Good, considerate friends.” Both Kuro and Django answered simultaneously as they pat her shoulders.
“Thanks, guys, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Nagasaki said sarcastically as she smiled and as she lifted a brow. All three of them laughed from her joke. After the laughter died down, Nagasaki continued, “Alright, I’m up for it.”
And both Kuro and Django smiled.
Kuro, then, sipped his glass of water. He looked up from his glass to see the two boys from yesterday, Butchie and Siam, standing nearby.
“You have something to say?” he asked lightly and set the glass down. The smaller boy stepped forward.
“Yes, well, we couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” he began.
“I doubt that,” Django snorted. The boy looked menacingly at Django and turned back to Kuro, shaking slightly.
“Well, you see, Butchie and I could help you get members for your clan,” he finished.
“And, how would you do that?” Kuro said.
“We could always put in a good word for you,” Siam said. Django laughed again and ignored Siam’s glare.
“Only so you can protect your own back,” Django spat. He leaned back in his chair.
“Yeah, the only reason why you want to help us form a clan is so you can save your own asses!” Nagasaki spat as she looked at the boy with her elbows on the edge of the table and her fists against her lips.
“Django, Nagasaki, enough,” Kuro said. Django sat up straight and both Django and Nagasaki looked at Kuro curiously. Kuro didn’t bother to turn their gaze. “If you want to prove yourself, bring twenty people to the inn at the edge of town.”
Siam nearly toppled over; whether out of fear or excitement, no one could tell. Butchie looked down at Kuro.
“We’ll bring the people; what time do you want them?” Butchie asked.
“As soon as the sun sets; we’ll meet you outside the inn,” Kuro replied. “Now be on your way.” Butchie and Siam hurried away, Butchie dragging Siam slightly.
“What was that about?” Django said angrily as soon as the other two were out of earshot.
“How else are we supposed to get members?” Kuro replied just as angrily. A rough silence followed as they paid for their drinks.
“I’m going into town to find some better clothes,” Django said. “Maybe I’ll find some good dancing clothes.”
“You do that,” Kuro said absently. “We’ll meet you back at the inn before sundown.” Django made his way for one of the clothing shops; Kuro and Nagasaki began a trek to the ocean. All the while, Kuro thought about the prospect of the clan and whether or not Siam and Butchie would keep their promise.
When they did reach the shore, they sat on the soft grass and stared out at the vast expanse of water and listened to the ocean crash into the rocks. His thoughts returned to that moment when he snapped at Django.
Suddenly, he noticed the expression that was on Nagasaki’s face and asked, “Nagasaki, what is it?” he sighed, “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”
“No.”-she looks at him- “I’m afraid of what you’ve become.”
He sighed once more, “It was an offer that we couldn’t refuse, it’s for the clan.”
“But maybe, it’s more for your peace of mind. Maybe, you really don’t care about this; all you want to do is kill those responsible for killing your mom!” she retorted.
“No,” he said calmly to Nagasaki, despite his anger. “It’s not about that.” But, somewhere, he wasn’t so sure of that. Yes, he wanted revenge, but he’d assumed that, even if he did find those men again, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to them. It was a fool’s dream to believe he could take on the Navy.
“Kuro, ever since you wanted to start a clan, you’ve changed. It’s not like you.”
“What are you implying?” he asked with irritation in his voice as he looked at her vexingly.
“It’s not like you to be dictatorial, Kuro.”
He mulled over what she said until the sun began to slowly creep its way down the sky. They stood up, brushed their selves off, and they started their way back to the inn.
“Where are they?” Kuro said impatiently. The sun had not completely set yet, but he was anxious to see if those two had kept their promise.
“Do you think they’ll show up at all?” Django said, pulling his new navy-blue hat over his eyes; he’d found a strange blue jacket and pair of pants in one of the stores; he’d also bought a matching hat, which now covered most of his yellowish hair.
“Don’t worry, they’ll show up,” Nagasaki retorted, mostly to reassure them.
“They better.” Kuro replied without looking at her. Nagasaki shook her head slightly.
After only a few minutes, they could see Butchie and Siam making their way toward the inn, followed by what appeared to be at least thirty people.
“There; we kept our promise,” Siam said, still shaking.
“How many are there?” Kuro said, folding his arms.
“Twenty-seven in all,” Butchie said. Django moved around the crowd of people to count them and gave a thumbs-up to Kuro. Kuro nodded to indicate that he’d seen him. “But, we want to be in the clan as well.”
Kuro looked up at him. “And, what makes you think I’d allow that?”
Siam stepped forward and looked at him forcefully, all fear gone from his face. “Because, we can simply tell all these people to leave and you’ll be without a clan.”
Once again, Kuro kicked Siam, this time in the gut, and sent him flying into Butchie. He moved over to him and placed his striped shoe on Siam’s chest, pinning him to the ground.
“I don’t believe you’ll be the one to threaten me,” Kuro hissed, pressing harder on Siam’s chest. Siam hacked and coughed for air, occasionally spitting up blood.
“Kuro, stop!!” Nagasaki cried, but he ignored her plea.
“I already knew you’d want to join.” Siam was still hacking; Butchie shifted as if to yank Siam from Kuro’s clutches, but thought better of it. Django moved closer to see what was going on and nearly collapsed. A few other people also moved to see what was taking place in front of Butchie.
Nagasaki ran to Kuro and grabbed his arms back to have him release Siam, but Kuro’s strength was, surprisingly, too strong. “Kuro, stop! He’s not worth it!” she hollered. Kuro shift his gaze to Nagasaki, who was upset and she continued as she whispered, “What will this prove, Kuro? This will only prove that you’re nothing but a dark, cruel person. And how can I trust you if you’re that person? As long as you’re my friend, I need to trust you. Please, Kuro, this has gone too far.” He paused for a moment; she was right, how can she trust him if he was acting like this? “She saved your life. And, next time, keep your filthy mouth shut if you know what’s best for you,” Kuro said when he glared back at Siam, and removed his foot. Butchie helped Siam to his feet. Django and Nagasaki stared in horror at Kuro; Kuro’s eyes were full of a darkness that Django or Nagasaki had never seen before. Nagasaki, who was now seething with rage rather than afraid, whispered to him again, “What’s going on with you, Kuro? This isn’t like you at all.” He ignored her question.
“W-what are we g-going to c-call the clan?” Django stuttered slightly. Kuro looked at Django then heard a familiar yowl. He looked down to see the same black cat that he’d seen on that horrible night not long ago. Though the appearance of the cat was puzzling, he didn’t brood on it; the cat had given him an idea.
“We are the Black Cat Clan!” he declared. The people cheered behind Butchie. “We will become the greatest clan this town has ever seen!” They cheered again and moved closer, chanting his name.
Django moved behind Kuro. “What’s happened to you?” he whispered in Kuro’s ear. Kuro ignored this; nothing could ruin this moment for him, this moment of triumph for him. For once, he felt something may go right.
“Now, my felines; meet at the beach tomorrow night at sundown,” Kuro commanded. The people bowed and dashed off. Now, only Kuro, Nagasaki, and Django, along with Butchie and Siam, remained.
“There’s an abandoned hut near the shore,” Butchie said, picking up Siam, who was still coughing. “It could be used as a base.”
“Good,” Kuro said. “Go, before someone spots you.” Butchie obeyed and hurried off, the choking Siam still in his arms.
The air whistled through the air as Kuro, Nagasaki, and Django stood alone in the dark. There was a long silence between them as they stood there; it continued as they returned to their room and climbed into their beds. As Django and Nagasaki passed off to sleep, Kuro laid awake, thinking about what had just occurred.
What’s happened to you? Django had said. What’s going on with you, Kuro? This isn’t like you. Nagasaki had said. Kuro didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He’d never felt better in his life; he fell asleep after some time, smiling at the thought of all those people under his command.
It was hard to think about such horrible things when he felt so great. Especially the words of what Nagasaki said had him to have his second thoughts for a split second.

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