Prologue:

Antonio ducked past the layers of drying clothing that lined the top of the alleyway, his heart pounding until the sound of blood pulsing through his body drowned out nearly all of the sounds around him.

Almost all of them.

"There!"

"I see him!"

"Mierda (shit)," Antonio gasped breathlessly, his arms flailing in an attempt to wave away the shocked and confused observers that were in danger of being trampled. One particularly unfortunate woman gave a surprisingly-masculine yelp when Antonio shoved past her, the bread in her arms spilling onto the dusty road beneath her feet.

"Lo siento! (Sorry)" Antonio called over his shoulder, a sigh of relief breaking through his lips when he turned down another alley, momentarily losing sight of the authorities that were out for his blood.

I won't lose them for long, though... Dios, why did I even listen to Alvarez?

The teenager faltered for a precious second, his emerald eyes locked on a door that had suddenly opened just a few feet away. The Spaniard hesitated, his gaze flickering over his shoulder for a brief moment to make sure that the authorities hadn't found him yet before he ducked through the door, his feet catching on something surprisingly soft before he tumbled to the floor.

Antonio yelped and scrambled for the still-open door, the heels of his boots catching once again on the soft thing that now seemed to be hissing at him. The Spaniard kicked blindly at the soft thing as he slammed the door shut, earning himself a high yelp. Antonio winced at the sound and turned to look at the object that had tripped him, his cheeks still flushed from his recent run.

A small cat with dark auburn fur and a curious curl on the left side of its head glared- could cats glare?- at him, its tail twitching irritably as it continued to hiss at the intruder into its home, its tiny paw raised threateningly to display miniscule claws.

Antonio stared at the animal for a minute, his mouth twitching as if it was unsure whether or not its owner should smile. Finally, though, the smile won out and the Spaniard gathered the furious cat into his arms, barely heeding the needle-sharp claws that were now digging into his skin.

"Aww~ pobrecito (Poor little thing)," he cooed. "Did I step on you? Lo siento, querido (I'm sorry, dear)."

The cat continued to glare at him, although Antonio couldn't help but notice that its tail was now swishing from side to side in a half-pleased way. Antonio grinned and scratched gently behind the creature's ears until it began to purr, a low chuckle breaking through his lips as the cat nuzzled with seeming reluctance against his fingertips.

"Forgive me, kitty, but I think that I'll have to stay here with you for a little longer," the Spaniard cooed. "Is that alright with you?"

The kitten purred again, not quite able to drown out the small whimper that escaped from a darkened corner of the room.

Antonio's head shot up, his green eyes widening when he caught sight of a small child huddled in the corner, its auburn hair mostly-covered by a white kerchief, its tiny, trembling body clothed in a pink dress. A curl nearly identical to the one of the cat's head escaped from beneath the child's handkerchief, and when Antonio looked closely, he realized that the frightened and angry amber eyes that were boring into him from the child's round face were almost the exact shade as the cat's bright golden orbs.

"Hola!" Antonio greeted cheerfully. "What is your name, little girl?"

The child stopped trembling to glare at him indignantly, its cheeks now flushed a spectacular red that somehow reminded Antonio of tomatoes.

"I'm a fucking boy, bastard," the boy spat. "A-and there's no way in hell I'm telling you my name- Chigi!" he added as the Spaniard moved to get up, his eyes widening as he pressed his back against the wall. "S-stay where you are! M-my father was in the army, a-and my nonno (grandfather) told me how kill someone!"

Antonio raised his eyebrows and gently released the kitten in his arms to raise his hands in surrender, his lips twisting upwards into an amused grin.

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "I'm staying here." He glanced at the boy's red cheeks again and his smile widened. "Since you won't tell me your name, can I call you 'Tomatito'?"

The boy stared at him incredulously, his already-red cheeks deepening to a bright scarlet. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Because your cheeks are so red, like a tomato~!"

"I- You- Are you fucking stupid or something?" the boy spluttered.

Antonio pouted. "That's not very nice, Tomatito~."

"Stop fucking calling me that!"

"You swear a lot for someone so young, Tomatito."

"Why the fuck do you care? I and told you-"

"Are you here alone, Tomatito? That's not very good for someone your age."

"You don't even know how old I am, bastard! I could... I could be fucking 60 for all you know!"

"Somehow I doubt that, Tomatito. You're too cute to be 60~!"

The boy rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching as if he wanted to smile. "...I'm not going to tell you my name, bastard."

"That's okay~! I like Tomatito. Do you want to know my name?"

"Fuck no."

"Do you want to know how old I am?"

"No."

"Do you want to know where I'm from?"

"No."

"...Do you want to know what I'm doing here?"

The boy didn't answer, although Antonio noticed that his expression was now tinged with curiosity.

The Spaniard smiled slightly, the cheerful expression tinged with a hint of some sadness that he hoped the boy couldn't identify.

"Mi hermano (my brother) asked me to do something for him," Antonio admitted quietly. "He forgot to mention that it would involve breaking a few laws..."

"What did you do?" the boy blurted out. He blushed again and glared down at the floor. "...Not that I care or anything..."

Antonio smiled again, only to sober as he thought about had to answer the boy's question.

"...I stole something."

The boy raised his eyebrows, not quite as scandalized as Antonio had thought that he would be. "What?"

The Spaniard sighed and reached into his shirt, his fingers curling around the warm golden chain that had been stinging his skin since he took it from the fat nobleman in the town square. He gently detached the object from the folds of his shirt, his eyes tightening in shame when he saw the boy gape in awe at the ornate solid gold crucifix encrusted with pearls and rubies that hung from the thick gold chain.

"...Oh."

"Si," Antonio sighed. "...Do you believe in God, Tomatito?"

"Si," the boy replied without hesitation, making the older boy smile.

"...Do you think that I'm going to hell?" Antonio whispered.

The boy paused for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Did you kill anyone?"

Antonio blinked in surprise. "No."

"Did you want to steal?"

"I- No. Mi hermano..."

"Don't listen to that bastard," the boy said suddenly. "Dio knows I don't listen to mio fratello (my brother)."

Antonio smiled despite himself. "You have a brother?"

The boy paused and frowned before nodding, seeming furious with himself for giving away this piece of information. "My twin. I'm older, though," he added, as if this was important.

Antonio nodded. "Yes, you seem older."

The boy smirked proudly, only to become serious moments later. "Anyways, if you didn't kill anyone, and you only stole because you wanted to help someone that you loved, I don't think you're going to hell. You're too much of a bastard to end up there, anyways."

The Spaniard laughed and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, his smile widening when the boy waited about two seconds before pulling away.

"Gracias, mi amigo (Thank you, my friend)," he said sincerely. He paused and pressed his ear against the door, his brow furrowing as he listened for any sign of the authorities. "Ah, I think that I can leave now, Tomatito... Thank you very much for not killing me."

The boy scoffed, although his amber eyes were dark as he watched Antonio pull himself to his feet.

"...Will you come back?" he mumbled.

Antonio paused and glanced curiously at the boy. "...I don't think so, Tomatito."

"Why not?" the boy pressed, his lips thinning into a stubborn pout.

Antonio chuckled. "I don't know you, Tomatito, your parents wouldn't let me in the house... Besides, mi hermano told me that we'll have to leave this town soon... They'll be looking for this..." He glanced at the cross that still hung from his fingers and hastily shoved the pendant back into his shirt.

The boy's pout became more pronounced and he glared down at his feet, his blush deepening as something occurred to him.

"...Wait here," the boy commanded, his small feet already carrying him out of the room.

Antonio did as he was told, his green eyes meeting the calm gaze of the cat at his feet for a brief moment in a questioning glance. The cat simply began to lick one of its paws, apparently forgetting the Spaniard's presence for the moment.

The boy returned several seconds later, his small hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Here," he said shortly, his fingers unfolding to reveal a plain wooden cross attached to a chain of black beads. "I-it's for praying. You know, in case you do something stupid again..."

Antonio stared blankly at the gift, his tanned hands reaching out of their own accord to pluck the object from the boy's trembling hands.

"...Thank you," the Spaniard murmured.

The boy snorted and glared down at his feet. "J-just... don't forget about me, okay?"

Antonio smiled and crossed the room, his arms wrapping around the small boy in the briefest of hugs. "I'll always remember you, Tomatito~!"

The boy smiled slightly, his red cheeks paling in alarm when another door opened in the back of the house.

"Lovino? Ve~ fratello! We're home, fratello!"

"Lovino! Did you break something again?"

"Go!" the boy hissed, already shoving Antonio towards the door. He watched as the Spaniard ran into the now-deserted streets, his amber eyes meeting green one last time before the door was slammed shut once again...

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo sat bolt upright in bed, his green eyes wide beneath his tousled dark-brown hair.

"What the hell?" he murmured to himself. Why did I dream about that now?

Almost as an afterthought, the Spaniard raised a hand to the chain of black beads that were hung reverently over his bed, his fingers brushing gently against the plain cross the hung from the chain and swayed with every wave.

Tomatito... Am I going to hell now?

Antonio sighed and pulled himself out of bed, his feet slipping easily into the black leather boots that had been shoved beneath the bed, his arms slipping automatically into the white shirt that had been thrown carelessly onto the floor several feet away. The Spaniard paused as his gaze focused on a bright scarlet coat edged with gold, his eyes flickering briefly to the large red hat that rested atop the ornate garment.

"Carriedo! Dammit, get your ass out here!" Bella D'Anjou, Antonio's second-in-command, yelled from outside his cabin door.

The Spaniard sighed and abandoned the coat as he made his way to the door, not entirely surprised when his fingers gently plucked the black beads from their perch on his wall on the way.

"What is it?" he asked calmly when he met Bella's light green eyes, his brow furrowing as he caught sight of the worried expression beneath her thick honey-blonde hair.

"We just fished some kid out of the ocean," the Belgian woman explained shortly. "I think you should take a look before we decide what to do with him."

Captain Carriedo nodded and made his way towards the middle of his ship, his eyes focusing immediately on the limp, soggy lump that was now surrounded by several members of his crew, his hand tightening reflexively around the beads that were now wound around his belt.

Am I going to hell?

Hi! So~ this is the sort-of-sequel to Tides of Betrayal that shows the Spamano side of things... Anyways this didn't take me that long to write so hopefully it isn't that bad! Also, I have a few notes:

1- Alvarez (or, Antonio's older brother) is Portugal. He'll be showing up a bit later in this story.

2- For those of you that aren't Catholic or aren't familiar with Catholicism, Lovino gave Antonio a rosary. And... yeah, basically you use the beads to count the number of prayers that you say. /shrug/

3- I'm just going to explain now so I don't have to later:

Bella- Belgium

Lars (yeah, he's here, too)- the Netherlands

Carlos (you'll meet him later)- Peru

Isabella- Argentina

Carmen- Mexico

Felipe- Puerto Rico

Also, I apologize in advance for any mistakes that I make in languages, and for Bella's last name, since I don't actually know what Belgium's name is...

If anyone has any ideas for the last names of the other members of Antonio's crew, lemme hear 'em! And don't forget to tell me what you think, okay? Love you guys~!