A change in the winds

A.N. I'm getting so tired of excusing myself month after month. I really plan to post sooner but time flies way too fast. I don't know where all my time goes. Therefore I will not make any promises that I will post within a month. I'll post as soon as I can, whenever that will be.

Chapter twenty nine: Practice makes perfect.


Kenna stood out on deck admiring the beautiful rainbow that crossed the sky. It rose high in the air, streaking the sky with its sparkling colours. The slight drizzle didn't bother her much, anything that created something as beautiful as this could not be resented. Besides, it had been awfully warm all week so a little rain was welcomed with joy.

Arms circled her waist and she smiled as she turned her head to meet Jack's lips. She turned towards the sea again and he leaned his head on top of hers, gazing at the rainbow.

'' It's beautiful isn't it?'' he said as he kissed her neck.

'' It is. I don't think I've ever seen one as big as this. It's breathtaking!''

'' Accordin' ta many legends it's supposed ta be a bridge between heaven and earth. Some however think it brings bad luck.''

'' I don't believe anything so beautiful can bring bad luck. A bridge between heaven and earth sounds more reasonable, not that I believe in legends.''

'' I didn't believe either but it's hard ta argue when ye have a livin' proof of one standin' in front of ye,'' Jack said with a smile.

Kenna turned around and chuckled.'' I guess you're right. Stranger things have happened than believing that rainbows could somehow connect you with your god.''

'' I wouldn't want it any other way,'' Jack said as he pulled her closer for a kiss.

'' Talking about legends…I think it's time I start working on my angelic nature. It doesn't hurt to know a trick or two, even though it probably won't do anything against Tobo's magic.''

'' Don't be so pessimistic. But ye're right, we need any help available. We should go talk ta ye father and see what he has ta say about it.''

Kenna nodded and together they went down below deck to search for Malak. They found him by his room where he was getting ready to start working.

'' Father, we need your help,'' Kenna said as she embraced him.

'' What is it dear?'' he asked concerned as he hugged her back.

'' I want to know how to use my powers.''

Malak thought about it for a minute. '' Yes, I think it's wise you start learning how to control them. We are not far from Tobo's hideout. I can sense it in the air. But darling, even though we train you it's possible that you won't be strong enough. When the time comes you may not be ready for the battle.''

'' I know that, but there's no need to give up before we try. At least I will have gained some skills and that will help us, no matter how minimum those skills turn out to be.''

Malak smiled. '' You have your mother's will of iron.''

'' And my father's angelic powers. Beware you who dare to enrage me!'' Kenna said with a laugh. Jack and Malak joined in.

'' You should warn the crew before we begin any proper training. They know about Kenna's magical abilities but having an angel, even two, on board is quite a shock,'' Malak said.

Jack nodded his head. '' I know. It took some time for me ta get used to. I'll go tell them now.''

'' I'll wait here with my father. Maybe we can start on some light battle training,'' Kenna said excited.

Jack kissed the top of her hand and left the cabin with a smile.

Up on deck the men were busy cleaning and going about doing their chores. Jack stepped up to the helm, where Gibbs was manning the wheel, and shouted for the men to stop working and listen to him.

'' As all of ye know, Kenna be a little different than the rest of us, and I'm not sayin' that because she is in fact a woman, which would be the first big difference about her of course, but because she knows how ta use magic. I'm sure many of ye were startled when ye discovered her hidden talent and a few probably scared ta death, be sure I don't blame ye if ye were. In the following weeks of that discovery we have seen that even though she be different and perhaps a bit intimidatin' she not be evil, we can all agree on that can't we?''

A few muttered ayes were heard and Jack repeated himself, louder this time. '' We can all agree on that can't we?''

The men all answered this time and Jack could continue his speech.

'' Bein' able ta use magic is very convenient ta us so we should be celebratin' her arrival on board in stead of wishin' her away. She'll never do anythin' ta harm us but with her gift she can inflict pain to our enemies.''

The crew cheered at his last words and he took a deep breath. The easy part was over, now it was time for the tough one.

'' With that cleared I have an announcement ta make.''

The men moved around uneasily, whispering to each other, curious but fearful of what their Captain had to say.

'' This will come as a shock ta ye, believe me, I didn't even believe it meself when I first heard it. Kenna be somethin' even more special than a simple magic user. She be in fact an angel.''

The crew stared wide eyed at their Captain. Had he really said what they thought he said?

'' What do ye mean, Jack?'' Gibbs asked puzzled. '' Surely she can't be…'' When he didn't see any signs that his friend was joking, his face fell, '' can she?''

Jack nodded his head. '' She be an angel. Actually a half angel but that's a long story.

'' How…how…what? How can that be? Angels only exist in myths,'' Gibbs said baffled.

'' That's what I thought too. I guess life isn't as simple as we thought it was.'' He turned to his crew.

'' Please don't be frightened, she will not harm ye. Treat her like any other member of the crew. I don't want her to feel like she doesn't belong here. If any of ye makes her cry ye'll have me on yer back!''

The men nodded, dazed by the news.

'' Kenna and her father will have ta use the deck for some battle trainin' later today so don't be in their way if ye don't want ta get hurt.''

The crew agreed to his terms and quickly went back to work to distract themselves from those startling news.

***

Kenna came up on deck a while later, accompanied by her father. They were laughing but stopped when they saw the whole crew turn at them when they appeared. Malak squeezed his daughter's shoulder.

'' It's going to be all right, this is just new to them.''

Kenna felt all eyes on her and started to panic. Her breath quickened and she began to see dots. She closed her eyes and felt the nausea wash over her.

'' Are you all right?'' her father asked when he saw her close her eyes.

'' Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy. I guess it's the fresh air after having spent so much time in your cabin.''

Malak didn't completely believe her excuse but let it go. If it was important she would tell him. There was something about her that felt familiar to him. He didn't know what it was but there was something changed about her.

The nausea passed and she could breathe more easily. This morning had been a nightmare. The nauseating feeling had stuck with her since she woke up, making it impossible for her to eat.

Jack came up to them and saw that Kenna was unusually pale despite being the most fair skinned of them all.

'' Are ye all right, luv?''

'' Yeah I'm fine. Just stressed out.''

'' There's no need ta be worried. They'll get over the initial shock and then everythin' will be back to normal,'' Jack tried to comfort her.

'' Yeah, I guess. It's just uncomfortable to have them all staring at me.''

Jack turned to the crew and yelled. '' Stop starin' and go back ta work!''

The men quickly turned around and started working but occasionally glanced their way.

'' Do you want to reschedule our training session?'' her father asked concerned.

'' No, I want to do this now. We need all the time we can get.'' She took a deep breath and smiled, showing them that there was nothing wrong with her.

'' All right…if you say so,'' Malak said hesitantly. He couldn't shake off that feeling in the back of his mind. There was something she wasn't telling them.

'' I'll leave ye two alone then, '' Jack said and left for the helm.

'' So what do we begin with?'' Kenna asked curious.

'' How about some flying lessons?''

'' Sounds great,'' she said nervous.

Her father laughed. '' Don't worry, I won't pull you up to the crow's nest and throw you down. We'll take this step by step.''

Kenna nodded her head, still a bit nervous. Flying was not something she had ever imagined herself doing.

Malak lead her to the center of the main deck and the crew secretly watched them.

'' The first thing you must do is to spread your wings as we practiced earlier. You have to train the ability to spread them as fast as you can in any situation. You can't let your emotions affect you.''

Kenna nodded and closed her eyes to focus all her attention onto her back. She felt the eyes of the crew on her and heard their whispers in the air.

'' You have to focus. Don't let anything around you distract you,'' Malak said.

Kenna took a deep breath and focused all her energy on spreading her wings. An awed sound escaped the crew's lips as a pair of glorious wings spread behind her.

'' I did it!'' she said stunned. Then she saw the look on the men's faces and her joy faltered.

'' Don't worry about them. They've never seen an angel before; of course they are going to stare. Wouldn't you?'' Malak tried to comfort her.

'' I suppose I would…it's still hard to get used to being an angel.''

'' Of course it is. But if you are planning on becoming strong enough to defeat Tobo you must put those thoughts aside. We need your complete focus on this.''

'' You're right, I'm acting stupid. There are more important things to worry about. I'm sorry.'' She turned to the crew.

'' I'm sorry that I lied to you. It seemed easier to just keep it a secret. I know this is a lot to put on your shoulders and I don't blame you if you'll never speak to me again. I just ask that you don't fear me. It's not contagious, and I swear that I'll never do anything to harm you. You are my only family, I can't afford to loose you too.''

The men felt the guilt wash over them. Of course they weren't the only one who was frightened. Imagine how it must be to discover you're an angel. It must be terrifying!

One of the crew hesitantly approached and patted her shoulder, careful not to touch the wing.

'' I'm sorry miss, we meant no harm.''

Kenna smiled and a tear of joy slid down her cheek. '' I believe you.''

The man felt embarrassed and looked down at the deck. A few more came from their posts to ask for her forgiveness and she greeted them with joy. One of the men kept staring at her wings more than the others so she turned to him.

'' If you want to touch it you can.''

The man's eyes widened in shock but then a look of guilt passed over his face. '' How did ye know?''

Kenna laughed. '' It was the first thing I did when I saw them.''

The man swallowed hard and hesitantly raised his hand up to her wing. It was warm and soft. He pulled his hand back and stared at the palm.

'' Strange isn't it?'' Kenna said with a smile.

The man only nodded his head.

Jack was watching the scene from the helm and chuckled when Leo touched her wing. He himself had only seen her wings once and never touched them, but at that moment he wondered how they would feel under his hand. Seeing her standing there was like witnessing a dream. The wings spread majestically over her back, the tips going down to the back of her knees. They were pearly white and rimmed with silver. A group of men surrounded her, though keeping their distance. She turned her face up towards the helm and a broad smile spread over her lips.

'' I think it's time we do some training,'' Malak said when he felt the men's inspection had lasted long enough. The men nodded their heads and mumbled some apologies as they went back to their posts. Kenna turned to her father and smiled. Seeing her so happy made his heart swell.

'' Are you ready dear?'' he said smiling.

'' Yes I am. Let's do this.''

***

A few hours later Kenna and her father were standing on top of the crow's nest, looking down over the deck.

'' Are you sure this is a good idea?'' Kenna asked nervous as she watched the crew staring up at them, waiting.

'' Don't be scared. We've gone over all the things you need to know to fly,'' her father said.

'' What if I crash land?'' she said scared.

'' Then I'll grab you before you hit the deck. Don't you trust me?''

Kenna took a minute to think it over and then nodded. '' I do. Let's do this.''

They stepped to the entrance of the crow's nest and Kenna took a deep breath. '' I'm ready.'' She threw herself into the open air and saw the deck come racing towards her.

'' Flap your wings!'' her father shouted from behind her. She did as she was told and felt something pull her upwards. The deck distanced itself from her and soon she was hovering over the ship.

'' I'm flying! I'm actually flying!'' she said stunned as she watched the tiny men below her. Her father laughed with her.

'' I knew you could do it.''

'' I can't believe I'm up here. It's amazing!'' She saw Jack by the helm and shook her head. '' This is probably freaking him out.''

'' Yeah, probably,'' Malak replied and they laughed. She felt her wings grow tired and frowned.

'' I think this is the end of my flying experience for today. My wings are getting tired.''

'' That's normal since you haven't used them before. They work like any muscles in your body, if you don't use them they grow weak.''

Kenna flew down to the ship and landed by the helm. Malak decided to give them two some privacy and landed on the main deck. He quickly got rid of the wings and went below deck.

'' Are you completely freaked out?'' Kenna asked as she leaned against the rail.

'' I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't, '' Jack replied. '' I never imagined I'd ever see a flyin' woman.''

'' Neither did I. But it was great. Being up there is the most amazing feeling. I felt like I was free,'' Kenna said ecstatic.

'' Yeah, I know the feelin'.'' Jack said smiling. Kenna was watching a bird flying over the ship and he took the chance to appreciate the sight in front of him. Kenna saw he was watching her.

'' Do you want me to put the wings away?'' she asked sheepishly.

'' No, leave them. They are a part of who ye are and I must get used ta them.''

'' You don't have to force yourself if they make you feel uncomfortable around me?''

'' They don't. They're beautiful,'' he assured her.

'' You really think they are beautiful?'' she said surprised.

'' I do.'' He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. The wings were warm under his hands and he couldn't resist running a hand down one of them.

'' They be so warm,'' he said in awe as his hand began its second trip down her back.

Kenna laughed. '' That's the same thing I said when I first touched them.''

Jack's fingers went between the feathers, exploring the foreign feel of them. He couldn't keep his hands off her back so she decided to tease him a bit and flapped her wings. Jack jumped back, startled but when he heard her laugh he frowned and glared at her.

'' Not funny…''

'' Oh yes it is,'' she laughed. '' You should have seen your face.''

Jack watched her laughing and couldn't resist smiling. She looked so adorable. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms where he held her close and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Jack whispered in her ear.

'' I've always wanted ta defile an angel.''