Chapter 12 "Onward to New Horizons"

After we finished our permitted raid on the royal armory we went home to prepare ourselves to set sail once more we knew Yenchei would be a tougher island to liberate so the crew went to their respective rooms to fix up the gear they got from the armory either as display or as a back up set of gear but I stayed out sitting by the fountain staring up high at the stars it was December 15 my birthday luckily for me I could see Saturn from where I was it's always been your old man's favorite planet cuz of it's rings but my celestial gazing was cut short by a candle light I saw vividly In front of me Takeshi the sly bastard never forgot my birthday he sat next to me holding a box of my favorite treats that being macarons he also had a cupcake with a candle I was flattered not everyone gets a personal birthday greeting from the emperor alone with no guards well Rex was there but he just came with to say hi and go on guard duty at the base my observations were stopped when I heard sweet Taka speak "Happy Birthday Rei you can blow out the candle now oh but make a wish first! I'll eat the cupcake since I know ya dislike them" I smiled a lil and made my wish and that's something I can't tell even to you my dears I swore to take that wish to my grave but it was just as he said I blew out my candles and he ate the cupcake I on the other hand ate my macarons without skipping a beat until I stopped to breath cuz I almost choked on a piece Taka laughed at me and embarrassed me as pay back I guess "You never take a breath when eating I guess I'm not the only one who hasn't changed a bit huh" he smiled as he wiped away some of the macaron bits that had gotten on my cheek I swear his face looked like he wanted to lick it off I would've punched him if he did I don't care if he's emperor he's still good old Taka my friend I can mess round with after he laughed at me for blushing so hard he mentions that he's staying the night with me he stayed in my room and well slept on the same bed as me I only had one bed I never expected guests much less the emperor himself

I woke up the following morning to find Emperor Takeshi shirtless, hugging me and mumbling my name while he slept. I was a little annoyed, but the good kind, ya know? I did slap him to wake him up; I remember being told he had a red handprint on his cheek the whole day, along with a cheeky smirk, bloody bastard. But I sent him off a few minutes later, and as I'm packing my things, Hana walks in and asks me about my relationship with Taka. I laugh, knowing now she thought we were lovers. I put some tape on her forehead and tell her, "Taka is an idiot friend of mine turned emperor but still can't contain himself around me. Think of us as the straight guy friends that act gay as hell when we hang out 'cause we find it funny," all while packing my gear.

She gives me a few pictures of us while we're sleeping, and you know what? Taka totally had his head on my chest. That didn't piss me off, though; it was the fact that he had his socks on while sleeping that did. I told him never to do that when he stays the night with me, ever, yet he did. I sent a glitter bomb to him the next, just so you know.

I kept the picture in the chest pocket of my uniform and met up with the crew that was already waiting in the courtyard of the complex, eager to set sail once more. With a smile on my face, we made our way to the ship, and just as we were about to set sail, we heard a loud clattering sound. The clattering came from armor, and indeed, it was armor, but the part that shocked us was who was in it. The guy In the armor was Rex. Apparently, he wanted to come with us, and as much as I wanted another member of the crew, I had to turn him down. I laid him down slowly, though I made him technically a crew member, but not an onboard one. What I told him was, "Rex, I can't let you in, my dear boy. I know you want to explore with us, but who will take care of poor Taka while I'm out liberating lands? For him, I'll make you a member of my crew, but your orders are clear: you are to guard Taka until our return in a few months."

He smiled, which made me feel better since I knew he felt great having orders from his favorite group of rascals. Him being technically part of the crew probably made his day. But yes, after that whole thing with Rex, off we went to Yenchei to liberate it from pirates. The crew asked me to shout something to begin our sailing, and I looked at your uncle, almost silently pleading him to give me some advice on what to say. He just smiled, the bastard. After a few minutes, I decided to shout, "ONWARD TO NEW HORIZONS!" I swear, I wanted to jump overboard after that.