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“You’re awake, are you?” said Yaotome Sousuke, leaning over the side of the bunk Takanashi Otoharu was laid up in. “You have good timing, I’ll grant you that. I only just sat down myself. Sometimes, this room is the only place a person can get a moment’s peace.”
This was a blatant lie, but Sousuke did not think that Otoharu would be calling him on it. The other captain had been unconscious for the better part of a day, and delirious before that; he had no way of knowing how long Sousuke had been seated at his bedside, watching for any signs of life—or death.
Otoharu’s eyes flicked over to him, pained, encrusted with sleep and salt. “Tsumugi,” he said desperately, “where is she—do you know—”
“No,” said Sousuke. “My men only found you, that first mate of yours, and what appeared to be pirate corpses on your deck. I assume you had a run-in…?”
“We were overwhelmed,” Otoharu confirmed, voice low and hollow, turning his gaze away to rest in the middle distance between his bunk and the ceiling. “There was nothing we could do. They took my daughter and my crew captive…I don’t know where they are now. I have to find them.”
Sousuke snorted. “Well, good luck with that,” he said. “You have no ship, and I doubt you can even stand right now. You definitely couldn’t take on a whole crew of pirates by yourself.”
“They have my daughter—”
“I’ll order my men to keep their eyes peeled for any pirates,” he said. “Since you’re already here, I might as well give what assistance I can. But only on the condition that you stay away from it!”
“My daughter was kidnapped,” Otoharu gritted out, trying and failing to push himself up, “by pirates—”
“And you’ll be of no help to her or anyone if you work yourself to death now,” said Sousuke. “I don’t particularly care if you live or die, but if you orphan your daughter, who do you think will care what the pirates do to her?” Otoharu looked furious; Sousuke, unrepentant, pushed on. “You’re half-dead of exposure,” he said ruthlessly, “you have no ship, you have no crew. You’ve failed as a merchant, as a captain, and as a father. As you are now, there’s nothing you can do other than die—and unless you focus on recovering, there never will be anything you can do to help your daughter, yourself, your crew, or anyone else!”
“I have Banri-kun,” the man muttered, almost rebelliously; Sousuke snorted.
“Is that what your first mate is named?” he said. “Well, that boy has yet to wake. You were lucky to make it through the night and he was even luckier, and he’ll be lucky if he ever wakes up again. Face it, Otoharu, the only thing you can do right now for anyone is take care of yourself.”
Sousuke glanced over at his old rival. What little fight had been in his eyes upon waking had now drained away; satisfied, Sousuke stood and headed for the door.
“There’s only one thing for you to care about right now, and that’s recovery,” he said. “My son and his crew are out hunting pirates right now; I will send them a message, while you rest. Don’t let me hear even a word of you doing anything else!”