[hider=Hana dreams of Blackbeard...]

He tried to go legit, but that bastard wouldn't let him. Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard, was granted a pardon from Governor Charles Eden. But that crooked man only offered to protect Blackbeard if he continued to work as a privateer. Typically a  privateer was a legal pirate that was allowed to steal from enemy countries. Splitting the spoils with Charles was not usually part of a privateer's duties...

It was November 22, 1718.  Blackbeard's ship, The Adventure, had it's mast blown off by a cannon. The Adventure's cannons had incapacitated the pirate hunter's ship as well. It would not have been difficult  to swim back ashore, where most of his men were waiting for him. If he ran, he could easily live this day. But Blackbeard was a legend. Legend's don't run.

Blackbeard looked like a demon in battle. His massive, musclebound body certainly helped pull off the look. However, it was the smoldering candles and fuses in his beard that really did it. His beard seemed to turn into black smoke that billowed out behind his head. Wherever he went, a trail of smoke followed. 

“Let hell seize my heart if I give you quarter, or take any from you!”

Blackbeard jumped off the side of his ship and landed on the pirate hunters' deck. A ring of black smoke radiated outwards when he landed. As if on cue, several more pirate hunters came up from below deck. Edward hadn't considered that most of the hunters were hiding in the belly of the ship. But it really didn't matter. He had already decided he was going to personally kill Lieutenant Robert Maynard, the captain of the pirate hunter's vessel. The pirate hunters didn't dare attack him, almost frozen in place. Was it his legendary reputation? His demonic appearance? Or maybe there was just something in his intense gaze.

“What are you waiting for?” He drew his saber from his scabbard. “Didn't you come here to kill a legend? To make a name for yourselves?” Blackbeard's words didn't inspire any courage in his opponents. “Very well. It would be a shame for you to die without witnessing my strongest attack. This will be a curtain raiser for the battle to come.” Blackbeard placed both of his hands on his saber's handle and drove it into the deck of the ship. “Ultimate Despair Dispersing Dreadnaught: Queen Ann's Revenge!” 

The sea belonged to the pirates. Its magic, its creatures, its treasure, and even its dead. Anything lost to the sea was Blackbeard's property. A whirlpool opened up off in the distance, and the moss covered bow of Queen Ann's Revenge started to surface. The ship was massive, boasting nearly thirty cannons in total. The ship hadn't entirely come up before it started to fire on the pirate hunters. This further startled them, but they were quickly becoming more afraid of what Blackbeard could do if they did nothing. They had found the courage to face the demon captain.

“Queen Ann, lend me your hammer!”

Queen Ann's Revenge fired something black into the sky.  A hunter charged the pirate captain directly, sword held overhead. He was swiftly cut in half when Blackbeard pulled his saber out of the ship's deck. Two more dashed in, foolishly thinking their numbers would save them. The pirate captain stabbed one in the chest, and kicked down the other. Before the pirate hunter could rise to his feet, Blackbeard knelt down and drove his sword all the way through the hunter's throat. Then four charged him, but they were all crushed under the black object that had fallen out of the sky. It wasn't a hammer, but an anchor. Blackbeard slid his saber back into his scabbard and approached the anchor, which was standing up on the deck.

“An anchor binds a ship to port. Queen Ann's Revenge binds this heart to life.” With a single hand, he lifted the anchor over his shoulder. “You will never slay me as long as I hold this!”

With anchor in hand, Blackbeard became much more aggressive. He recklessly charged towards the pirate hunters. Blackbeard swept the anchor back and forth while he ran, throwing the hunters into the air by the scores. They still attacked him, some even managing to stab Edward, but the demon captain didn't slow in his advance.  

“Robert Maynard!” Blackbeard's bellow shook the ship. “Do not hide behind your men like a coward! Come seize death or come seize legend!”

The pirate hunters were starting to realize that Blackbeard was much too strong to be defeated in melee. They had originally avoided using their flintlocks to avoid friendly fire, but that was not a concern anymore. As soon as they drew their flintlocks, Blackbeard revealed just how monstrous he could become. The front of his coat opened up and out sprung four tentacles, each coiled around a firearm. One tentacle fired a blunderbuss filled with nails, another fired a flintlock, and so did the rest. Blackbeard synchronized his motions so that one tentacle was always firing while another was grabbing one of his many guns. The hunters couldn't seem to get through his wall of lead. While they did manage to hit him a few times, it didn't slow him down. The hunters were starting to wonder if the demon captain was immortal.

But only Myths are immortal. It's those that taste death who become Legends.

He eventually ran out of guns, he was too weak to carry his anchor, and even Queen Ann's Revenge had to return to the ocean. He had been stabbed a total of twenty times, and shot five times, but still pressed forward. He knew he wasn't going to get that fight with Robert Maynard that he wanted, but maybe he could at least see the man before he himself died. The pirate captain sank to his knees, his beard still emitting black smoke. The remaining pirate hunters were circling around him, unsure if his weakness was a trick or not. And that was when he caught a glimpse of Robert Maynard.

“Hah...”

Robert. Maybe her real name was Robin? That had to be the real captain though, she fit every detail Blackbeard had heard about  Robert Maynard. The way she wore her scabbard, the uniform, the color and length of her hair, he just never suspected the captain was a woman. This made everything else more understandable. Why would a woman confront Blackbeard? She certainly wasn't a coward. It's just a known fact that woman love Blackbeard! The pirate laughed as the strength left his body. He laughed harder when he saw “Robert's” face. She was crying, pushing past the pirate hunters to get to the legendary pirate.

“D-don't go!” She stammered. “The world still needs you!”

Blackbeard shook his head. He smiled and caressed the woman's cheek with his fingers. “No, my days of adventuring are over. It's your turn now, Hana.”

Before Hana could say another word, Blackbeard was decapitated by a pirate hunter's sword.

...

[/hider]

Hana was still thinking about that odd dream she had this morning. In truth she had thought about it through out the day, but it was difficult to recall much with all her noisy classmates. Especially that Hoshi girl, always pretending to be everyone's friend. Hoshi seemed like she was in a big yank to go somewhere. That was actually kind of nice, because it meant she left class that much faster than everyone else. Though her punctuality was an endearing trait, Hana was glad to have avoided talking with her thus far. Either way, it seemed like it was too late to recall much of what that dream was about. That was the sad thing about dreams. Regardless of how vivid they are, they seem to vanish from memory as the day goes on. A shame, Hana usually wasn't lucky enough to dream, and seldom did it involve something as interesting as pirates. 

The technophile desperately wanted to get back home. She was in the mood to watch some pirate films and mod some game controllers. Hana had acquired a power glove and was going to remove the old PCB and install an arduino PCB instead. Hana also planned on installing a gyroscope so that the glove could calculate its movements in 3D space internally instead of relying on old, outdated technology. It was an ongoing project, but Hana had most of the parts already installed. She just needed to troubleshoot some of her solder connections before moving onto the final stages. 

Well, that WAS how she planned on spending her evening. Hana tended to take the back route out of school to avoid the crowds and unnecessary conversations. This time however, it seemed as though she was expected.

“Hey! You're Kasamatsu right? Look for one reason or another I've decided to take you out on a lunch date so we can chat. There are a few things I need to discuss with you about our school. Cancel your plans sweetie because I'm treating you this afternoon.” the girl lifted up her handbag as she patted it, a smug expression plastered on her face. “And don't even think about trying to get away. I've got eyes and ears all around this city.”

Hana had no idea who this loud, vain, yet oddly cheerful girl was. That actually wasn't entirely true, she did recall a familiar sounding voice, but that was all. The girl's statement was riddled with red flags that told Hana this was likely going to be boring as well as a waist of time. Hana folded her arms and begrudgingly said: “As amusing as it would be to see you chase me, I'll just take you up on your offer.” No real teenage girl can resist the allure of a free meal. Hana kept her arms folded when she walked up beside the girl, prepared to walk to wherever the food was. “But this stalker stuff is kind of creepy, especially when I know nothing about you.”