A world of pirates, scallywagging and buggery. Also it's a two chappie deal. Let's see how that turns out!

\( ° o ° )/

'Steady…steady…fire!'

A crisp gunshot rang out. The little cup on the ship ledge petered off, a soft plonk! the only indication of its watery grave. Smoke spiraled lazily from Shuuheis' pistol.

'Not bad,' Hiyori whistled. 'For a cabin boy.'

'Bugger off,' Shuuhei said dryly.

'At least you're getting better. Before you couldn't aim straight if your life depended on it. You were shaking so hard the first time you almost took out Cap'n's eye! Man, that would've been a sight to-!'

'Damn it, Hiyori, actually bugger off,' Shinji sighed, sliding in while gripping the ropes to the sails. He pulled hard before tethering it down. 'Or the boy's going to start using you for target practice.'

'Oi!'

'It's fine, Shin,' Shuuhei said with a smile. 'I'm just glad to get to use one.'

The slender quartermaster nodded. 'Out of curiosity, why are you so adamant on learning to wield a gun? Are you that ready to fight?'

'No, I just…' he fiddled with the pistol's catch, 'want to get stronger, is all.'

'Bet it's for a girl, ain't it?' chimed a blonde, ponytailed man as he came sliding down from the bird's nest.

'It's always for a girl with you, Rose,' Hiyori snapped, hopping off the apple barrel. 'Anyways, girl or not, can't have him running around with my gun. You gotta earn your own, mate.'

Scowling, Shuuhei handed her the weapon. He loved that gun. It weighed nicely in his hand and didn't have a forceful kick to it. Once he earned the right to own a pistol, he was going to ask Hiyori to help him pick a good one.

If I earn it, he thought bitterly.

'Oi! Who said you all could take a break, huuuuh?' First Mate Mashiro yelled as she leaned over the railing at the quarterdeck. 'This ship isn't going to sail itself!'

'Why don't you try helping for once!' Shinji yelled and rolled his eyes.

'You sassin' my First Mate, Shin?' barked a boisterous voice from the ship's helm. A large, muscular man, donning a sleeveless shirt and loose pants, sauntered up next to his lieutenant.

'If honesty is sassin', then I'm sassin' the hell out of her, Cap'n!'

The silver-haired Captain grinned toothily. Shuuhei's heart thumped erratically as he watched the man with admiration.

'When you're done, make sure to set the sails! I feel a wind comin'!' Captain yelled.

Shinji saluted him. Then he grinned at Shuuhei. 'Wanna come up to the nest with me?'

Shuuhei yanked his gaze from the Captain to grin back. 'First to the top gets the other's share of rum.'

Shinji's eyes gleamed mischievously. The two took off.

The nest was on the main mast. Shinji was on the main mast whilst Shuuhei was on the fore mast. As the quartermaster shimmied up, Hisagi stopped at the first sail that tilted towards the nest. Picking up speed along the gaff, he took a running leap to grab hold of the rope and, pulling himself up, tightrope-walked it all the way to the nest just as Shinji reached it.

'First!' Shuuhei declared as he jumped in. Laughing, the quartermaster ruffled his hair.

'Guess you're getting sloshed tonight!' Shinji exclaimed. He began fiddling around with the ropes around the topmast.

'Is she ready!?' Mashiro yelled.

'AYE!' Shuuhei and Shinji yelled back simultaneously.

Suddenly, the two got hit by such a powerful gale that Shuuhei was almost thrown off. He clung to the rope he had been fixing, and watched in amazement as the wind lifted the sails, filling them to the point of tearing. He felt the boat move under him, and watched how the sails billowed around him like white clouds. For a minute he closed his eyes and let the wind push his hair. He didn't care. He was flying.

This was it. This was why he chose to become a pirate. Not to rebel. Not for the law-breaking. It was this wildness; this freedom. To go wherever you pleased. To look ahead, and know nothing beyond the horizon but the excitement of new lands and adventure. It was unbelievably exhilarating.

'Gorgeous view, eh?' Shinji sighed, leaning against the edge of the nest. He inhaled deeply. 'Y'know, if I ever had to live on land I think I'd die. I don't know how people do it.'

Shuuhei closed his eyes and two familiar faces instantly popped up. A raven-haired, wily lass, and a loud, abnoxious redhead. 'Well, everyone has a choice.'

'Aye, that's true. I could've stuck as an apprentice to a commander-in-chief. But I decided to tell my old man to kindly fuck off, and became a pirate instead.'

They laughed.

'And you…' Shinji watched him from the corner of his eye. '…you'd still be a quayside rat right now if the Cap'n hadn't picked you up.'

Shuuhei pretended to brush hair out of his way when really he was trying to hide the blush creeping across his face. Shinji saw right through that and grinned. It was no secret that the boy worshipped the very ground their Captain walked on.

He didn't just save me, Shuuhei thought. He gave me a reason to be someone. That there was more to life than just survival.

Him and Renji had been trying to steal fish when the stall owner caught them. The mean old man had grabbed Shuuhei, and then threatened to chop his hands off. Shuuhei was already praying to the gods to protect Renji and Rukia after his death when the Captain had showed up.

'Oi, old man! Who gave you the right to chop off hands?'

The fisherman sneered. 'He was stealing my fish.'

'And judging from his skinny frame, he probably needed to. Until this town stops hording its food for the rich, these streets will always be crawling with thieves.'

Shuuhei thought that was it. That he and the Captain were going to go separate ways. But then, he had bought the biggest fish at the stall, and handed it to an astounded Shuuhei.

'I can't-!' Shuuhei started.

'No, you can't. But you will because you need to,' the Captain said simply. 'Get strong and get smart, boy. Because the next time I see you I want you living a better life. Life's too short to be dishonorable, eh?'

Well, I'm a stronger and smarter man. But I guess you can't see that, Shuuhei thought angrily.

Here he was, all thanks to the coaxing and support from Rukia and Renji, part of The Visored crew for the last two years. And he was still a cabin boy. He could draw a gun faster than Shinji, last longer than five minutes against Lisa in a swordfight, and often swear so viciously he made Hiyori look like a nun.

Yet the Captain was blind to it all. As if all of Shuuhei's achievements were nothing special, and that he was still just a boy.

You wanted me to get stronger. But what's the point if you won't even acknowledge me?

'Oi, Shuu!'

'Huh?'

Shinji jerked his head to the deck. 'Cap'n wants to see you.'

This time he couldn't hide the blush fast enough. Shinji grinned at him. 'Don't worry. He won't bite,' he teased. 'Unless you ask nicely.'

'Bugger off,' Hisagi snapped, grabbing a rope and swung down to the nearest gaff. Shinji chuckled, praying the boy never changed. He really brought some well-needed energy to the ship.

'You asked for me, Captain?'

Captain Muguruma was bent over his table, perusing his maps. 'Aye, Hisagi. Heard your aim is getting better.'

'Aye, Captain.'

'And your cartography? How's that coming along?'

'Hachigen is teaching me as much as he can, Captain.'

'Good, good. I'm going to need you to be able to memorize coordinates to relay them to the nest so the sooner you learn the better.'

Shuuhei felt his heart get heavy. So I'm still going to be a cabin boy?

Dipping his pen in an inkpot, the Captain scribbled on the map. 'That's all for now. Tell Mashiro we're going to change course to northeast and head for Pirate's Bay.'

'Aye…Captain…'

The man didn't even notice the change in his tone. Shuuhei felt his temper simmering away under his skin. Stay calm. Don't lose it. You will gain nothing.

'Oh, and Hisagi? Could you give the cook a hand? Love could really use some help.'

Really?

'That's all I am, isn't it? Just an extra pair of hands?'

His tone was cold and callous. And it certainly caught the Captain's attention. The robust man looked up and raised an eyebrow. 'Is there a problem with my orders, Hisagi?'

Bugger, he looks ready to throw me off this ship. Choose wisely, Shuuhei: sharks or dishes.

'With all due respect, Captain, but I think I'm ready to be a pirate.'

Captain Muguruma crossed his arms. 'You are a pirate.'

'No, I'm-!' Shuuhei quickly checked his voice, making sure he didn't sound like a little boy. 'I'm just a cabin boy, sir.'

'Everyone starts off as a cabin boy.'

'For two years?'

'Some takes longer than others. Just gotta be patient.'

'Sir, I'm ready. I know I am.'

'You're ready when I say you're ready. Now if you're done whining there's work to be done.'

'But-!'

'That's an order, Hisagi.' The Captain resumed to scrutinizing his map. Shuuhei stared at him in disbelief. He knew staying any longer would result in him living a very short life so he quickly took his leave without a word while screaming every colorful profanity he knew in his head.

'Shuu! How's it going?' Mashiro said brightly. Her smile faltered when he strode by without a word. She exchanged a concerned look with Rose. 'Shuu, hold on!'

'I'm fine, Mashiro,' Shuuhei muttered as he headed below deck.

'No, you're not. You're sulking.'

'I'm a free man. I can do what I want.'

'Only little boys sulk.'

'I'M NOT A LITTLE BOY!' He swiveled around to face a bewildered Mashiro, face red in anger. 'Why does he insist on treating me like a child?! I didn't join his crew to be belittled and treated like a slave! I wanted to prove myself but how can I do that when I'm not even good enough by his standards?!'

Mashiro's eyes softened. 'Shuuhei…' she murmured, reaching out a hand to comfort him. He shrugged her off. 'Oh, stop it. You know the Captain is harsh for a reason. You think I became his First Mate overnight? I had to work really hard. And even though I am his right hand woman he still underestimates me. But that doesn't mean he doesn't value my work.'

She cupped his face so that he looked at her. He was calmer now although his eyes still brimmed with injured pride.

'Your time will come,' she continued and smiled. 'You'll see.'

He managed a half-smile. 'Thanks, Mashiro.'

'I'm always ready to kick you in the ass if you need it,' she said cheerfully. 'Now, were you off to help Love? Oh gods, if I have to eat that damn soup again I will make him walk the plan-!'

'CANNONBALL!'

For a moment, Shuuhei couldn't see or hear anything. The first thing he sensed was pain all along his right side. The next thing was a blurred vision of people running past him towards a bright light. The last thing to come back to him was sound, and what a cacophony it was.

People were screaming and shrieking, sometimes barely audible over the booming of the cannons going off. The pain he had felt was from lying in a pile of timber when the acclaimed "cannonball" had wrecked a hole merely a few feet from where he and Mashiro had been standing. Speaking of, she was nowhere in sight below deck.

However, he was carried up top by the slew of sailors scrambling and soon spotted the wild head of green. The lieutenant was standing on a barrel while shouting orders, her sword out to guide her men, and also keep them at a distance from knocking her over.

'Mashiro!' Shuuhei yelled, fighting his way to reach her. 'What's going on!?'

'You blind, boy?' snapped a sailer hurrying past him while loading his gun. His eyes blazed with both fury and fear. 'We're under attack!'

But by who?

He was suddenly pushed up against the edge of the ship and he had to cling for dear life otherwise he would've become shark bait. He took this as a stroke of luck and gazed out at what the other sailors were aiming at with their cannons. He paled when he caught sight of the flag. A warning to any pirate ship sailing on the open waters without their permission.

Wandenreich.

'She's coming this way, Captain!' Shinji yelled. He was perched on the edge of the nest, his telescope focused on the enemy ship.

Shuuhei looked back. The Captain of The Visored was standing stoically at the helm, hands poised on the steering wheel as he tried to steer his ship away from the oncoming danger. It was no secret that his Captain despised the Wandenreich and their desire to control every ship to make a profit. In fact, The Visored was one of the few ships that refused to submit to them. Hence they were labeled as "pirates".

Captain Muguruma calmly turned to a portly, mustached man at his left. 'Hachigen?'

'We can lose them,' the chief cartographer remarked, spreading out a map he had been examining. 'The Visored is one of the fastest pirate ships on the seas, possibly faster than any Wandenreich ship. But…'

'To reach Pirate's Bay we have to go past them,' Captain Muguruma finished heavily, eyes focused on the ship bobbing ominously in the water. 'Going around them would only waste time and energy.'

'So what do we do, Cap'n?' Hiyori asked, gun out and body tensed for action. She knew what was coming. She just needed to be told to let loose and her gun would do the rest of the talking.

The Captain suddenly cracked a smile. 'Well, guess we're going to have to go through them.'

Hiyori grinned wickedly. 'Reckon we can do some damage before we go on our merry way.'

Hachigen, however, was concerned for the sanity of his crew. 'Have you all gone mad?' he cried out. 'You can destroy this ship and kill us all!'

Hiyori laughed. 'Hachigen, you forget our Cap'n's mad but he's also brilliant.'

'If we sail straight at them, we reduce their firing target area,' Captain explained. 'And since The Visored is the faster ship in this battle, we can easily clip them from the front with minimum damage to our ship while delivering our own volley of cannon fire. That would require them to stop for repairs while we go on our merry way.'

Hachigen looked hesitant. 'That's a very good plan and all, Captain, but a lot of it seems to rely on luck here, and whether the ship will survive in one piece to pass them.'

'Aye, true. But that's all a pirate's got for survival on these waters.'

The cartographer sighed in defeat and, to everyone's surprise, pulled out his own pistol. 'I guess Captain's orders are Captain's orders.'

'ALRIGHT MEN!' Kensei barked, his voice travelling across to all the rowdy sailors who immediately quieted down. 'TOO LONG WE'VE STOOD IN THE SHADOW OF THESE RATS AND RAN FROM THEM! TODAY, WE TAKE A STAND!'

All the men shouted in unison. 'AYE!'

'WE ARE GOING TO SHOW THOSE COWARDS THAT WE WILL NOT BOW…'

'AYE!'

'…WE WILL NOT SURRENDER…'

'AYE!'

'…AND WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WE ARE FREE MEN!'

'AYE!' Shuuhei raised his fist in the air with the rest of the men, heart pumping, adrenaline running, as he screamed himself hoarse.

'NOW WHO'S READY TO KILL SOME WANDENREICH SWINE!?'

The crew roared as one and faced the enemy ships, spitting curses, and beating their guns down in a steady rhythm. Shuuhei banged his fists down with equal force until he couldn't feel them.

But he could feel everyone's energy. He wanted to fight. He wanted to rip the Wandenreich to shreds. He wanted to make his Captain proud. He forgot his anger for a moment. At that moment, he was a pirate.

Suddenly, something nudged him from the side. He looked around and was surprised to see Mashiro handing him a revolver. She grinned as if to say, it's time.

He grinned back as he took the gun. He released the catch and felt his heartbeat quicken. Today, he was going to prove his worth.