Having thought it over and over, I decided that I couldn't wait till I finished ten chapters and wanted to start updating now. Hopefully I will manage to continue like this, with smaller intervals.

Now, since I'm quite a stranger to the way of speech they used a few hundred years ago, that part was a little difficult. I visited tons of 'pirate slang' websites, and the result that you can now read is a mixture of phrases from those sites, my imagination and the English we speak on daily basis in 21th century. It would be impossible and pointless for me to try to write in old English, for you would probably have difficulties reading it as well.

I don't know what's it like to read the pirate slang as a native English speaker, but for me, a non-native, it sounds like Chinese. So, just in case, I added translation here and there. If there's anything you'd like to know or didn't understand, feel free to ask.

And I repeat, I am very aware of the language used here being way too modern. Sorry.

I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2

The pain of a thousand flaming nails being hammered into the back of his head woke Deidara up. He opened his eyes, but had to cover his left one with his hand instantly. It hurt. Deidara's hand was soon covered with the warm blood coming from his eye.

"God damn it," he muttered, sitting up slowly. His throat was sore and in flames, possibly from the salty sea water. His entire body felt numb, except his head, which was killing him non-fatally. Deidara felt someone take his left hand and press a wet cloth against his bleeding eye. He opened his other, still functioning, eye and saw the same redheaded man with pale skin and dark eyes in front of him.

The blond knew it wouldn't be wise to blurt out his first reaction, but that thought reached him after his mouth had already opened. "Pirate," he whispered timidly, feeling stupid afterwards. Hadn't it been dark, the redheaded man would've been able to see the blush tint the blond's cheeks pink.

The man chuckled, turning the cloth's clean side against the bleeding spot. "How horrifying the thought must be."

Deidara didn't answer. His lips remained together, even though he couldn't help but wince a little from time to time as the man cleaned his wound. Deidara found himself savoring each moment the man's skin touched against his and he felt his face heating up once he realized this. Shouldn't he have been worried about what was going to happen to him instead?

The man replaced his own hand with Deidara's to hold the cloth against the eye and pulled the blond up. He led him out of the dark wooden chamber and up a ladder to the deck of the ship. Deidara stumbled along, squinting his right eye when he saw the sun.

There were around twenty people on board, a few of them who Deidara recognized. Unfortunately, the ones he knew were all tied up and covered in blood. The deck was wide, about ten people clustered together by the edge, while the others were busying themselves elsewhere, scattered about.

The redhead's grip tightened around Deidara's wrist as he pulled him farther away from the plank, where one of the prisoners was standing. Deidara glanced at him. He looked pale and sweaty and opened his mouth to beg, but took instinctively a step backwards, when one of the pirates did a stabbing motion with his sword towards him. This resulted in him falling into the sea, his hands tied together behind his back.

Deidara winced, when he heard the splash and scream, but couldn't turn away, when he saw his step-mother, wearing only her underdress, being the next one forced to jump. Their eyes met for a second and Deidara saw fear and loss in hers, right before she was shot and fell into the sea, following the last fellow. The event was backed up by a few cheers and laughs.

Paling, Deidara forced his eyes to look away from the plank and shift to the redhead in front of him. "Am I next?" he asked, not a note of fear in his voice. Just a simple question waiting for an answer. Unlike his voice, though, his hands shaking.

The redhead didn't response as they came to a halt in the centre of the deck. His eyes locked with another man's, who was, in fact, carelessly pointing his gun at Deidara. Deidara took a step back, but wasn't allowed to go any farther by the redhead holding his hand.

"Why ye hoverin' over th' shark bait? Over board we go with ye, the fish're hungry."

The blond felt a shiver run down his spine. He was going to get shoved into the water, he knew. Seeing as all the escape routes were blocked, he moved behind the redhead who put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Me, dog," the redhead hissed at his blue-haired matey, who looked a lot like a shark himself in the blond's opinion, although he would've never said it. The man scared him.

"Poxy swag ye brought there, lassie. Ye hungry for meeting the rope's end?" (A/N: Poxy swag – diseased loot. Rope's end – a punishment, where the person gets whipped and beaten.)

Although Deidara didn't get the meaning of all the words the man said, he got the feeling that the man was rebuking the redhead. He looked older than him, for one, the dirt smeared over his face and clothes adding a few extra years to his age. The redhead looked around 25, when the shark-monster couldn't have been younger than 37.

"I've given the booty over to the Cap'n already." (A/N: Booty – The treasures and other values plundered from the victim ships.) The redhead's eyes had narrowed and his position was unmistakably defensive as he took a step to the side to cover the blond completely. The blue-haired man's face showed disgust as he moved back, forming a circle around the two along with a few other interested spectators, who'd caught sight of the unfamiliar blond on board.

Deidara looked at them as they watched him like an extinct animal or, in some cases, lunch. They were all dressed in dirty rags, suitable for people who were used to eating with hands as opposed to forks and knives. The blond would've maybe even enjoyed the company, had he not been sure they were going to kill him soon.

The shark-man looked like he was about to say something, when a loud a yell caused the circle to fall apart. "SASORI!" Deidara, along with the others, glanced towards the poop deck, where the voice had come from. (A/N: Ahem, poop deck - The highest deck at the aft end of a large ship.)

A bulky man with long messy black hair falling down his shoulders walked towards them. His clothes were, as opposed to everyone else's on the deck, made of velvet, the coat covering him in a rich crimson color. His tri-cornered hat was decorated with an exotic red feather. An expensive satin and leather sash diagonally decorated the front of his coat and a sash was tied around his waist.

His thigh-high boots were black, making a clicking sound as he treaded across the desk, his hand demonstratively on the hilt of his sword. Deidara took a guess that the action was to remind everyone that he'd chop anyone's head off who dared to disobey him.

The sailors moved out of his way to let him through, Deidara circling around the redhead again to shield himself from the captain of the pirates. The redhead didn't obstruct and let go of his hand. He turned around, his back on the blond, facing the captain who had come to a stop in front of him.

"What is yer doing with this lubber?" the black-haired man, who Deidara assumed to be the captain, demanded. (A/N: Lubber – someone who does not go to sea, but stays on land. A land lover.)

The redheaded man, apparently called Sasori, removed his hand from the hilt, but didn't move away from the blond. He kept his pose straight as he answered in a steady voice, "I will keep him."

To Deidara it sounded like he was talking about a stray cat or dog he'd brought home with him. He didn't mind, though, as long as it kept him alive. Gingerly, he looked up from the ground he'd forgotten his gaze on to the captain's face. Despite the fear he felt inside, there was also curiosity mixed in with that emotion.

Shock twisted his stomach when he saw that the captain was glaring in his direction, but it faded away when he realized he'd been wrong – the captain was staring at Sasori. His deep blood-colored eyes looked cold and ruthless, Deidara wincing at the mere sight of them.

"Y'addled, bucko?" a shout came from among the seamen. "He's a Jack Tar! Y'want us all at the execution dock?" (A/N: Addled- insane. Bucko – friend. Jack Tar – common name for the sailors of the Royal Navy. Execution dock – a place for the pirate hanging.)

There were a few agreeing shouts, the men shouting various phrases incomprehensible to Deidara. However, there was one he understood, "No quarter". (A/N: No quarter – command that no one on the enemy ship can be left alive.) A shiver ran down his spine.

Sasori made a growling sound and drew out his sword, taking a step towards the first one to argue and pointing it towards him. Before the metal could touch his neck, the threatened man responded by pulling out his sword as well, crossing blades with Sasori.

"There's no quarter! This is loot, yar addle brained saw bone!" Sasori shouted. With a quick motion, he pulled out a gun from the holster and pressed the muzzle against the other man's forehead. "And it's mine."

Deidara watched in paralyzing fear as his only shield from death moved away from him, leaving him standing there in the open. Fortunately, he noted, most of the gazes where on Sasori and the other man, drawing attention away from him.

He took a quick look around, seeing that he was the only one alive from the enemy crew. His mother's torn dress was still laying on the ground. There were no birds in the light sky, meaning they were probably quite far from the land. He almost smiled at the thought.

"Pipe down!" The skipper's shout brought Deidara's attention to the current situation, seeing as the captain had brought out his own gun as well. "Or I'll introduce you swags to the sharks."

That threat got to them. Slowly, still holding eye contact with the other man, Sasori withdrew his weapons and stepped back to his earlier place in front of Deidara. His gaze settled on the captain, waiting for him to announce his decision. Even though he kept up a naturally calm appearance, Deidara could see the fire burning inside his eyes.

The captain was silent for a moment. He then gestured towards the blond with his gun, speaking to Sasori and to him alone. "You want to keep this rat, you take care of him. Food and drink for him at your own cost. Keep him out of the way, or he's over the board."

Sasori gave a curt nod, tucking his pistol away in the holster. The captain turned to speak to the crowd, "Now me buckos, no biting the bone, y'hear me? The one who does will be the cannon ammunition for the next trade." (A/N: 'Don't bite the bone' – Captain refers to Deidara as the bone, meaning that he is to be caused no harm.)

Deidara gazed at the captain in daze, when he was pulled harshly away from the spot. Rushing barefoot across the desk, he was dragged by Sasori towards the quarter deck. The redhead shoved the door on the left side open and guided Deidara down the narrow staircase.

It was dark at first, but as they walked lower and lower, rays of light came into view, shining around a corner. The corridor they entered was a lot wider than the staircase had been, oil lamps brightening the way from start to the end. Sasori took him down the hallway to a door close to the other end. Pushing it open, he shoved the blond in, following him inside and closing up after.

Deidara overviewed the room. It was about two thirds the size of his former compartment, and a lot less luxurious. There was one single bed standing in the farthest corner of the room and a table a feet from it, with two wooden chairs. Lining the walls horizontally were about a dozen lighted oil lamps. Taking everything in, Deidara understood that this place was meant for sleep and sleep only. The rest of the time was probably spent on the deck, raiding or on the land.

Sasori crossed the room to an unlocked metal casket. He opened it, pulling out a few pieces of cloth and tossing them to the blond. Deidara caught them unwarily, gazing at the redhead questioningly. Sasori nodded towards them.

"Put them on," Sasori ordered, turning around and shutting the casket. Deidara gazed at them awkwardly, separating the two cloths from each other to understand what exactly they were. Made of linen, a gray-beige loose shirt with a V-neck and a pair of breeches. He glanced back at Sasori, who had lain down on the bed. Catching him gazing at him, Sasori said, "Smartly, now. Put them on."

Deidara looked back at the cloth, blushing slightly at the thought of having to strip naked in front of him. He didn't lag, though, he wasn't stupid. He was well aware of his life being on line here.

Making it as quick as possible, he took off the ruined blouse and trousers, slipping into the new – new for him, at least – clothes. Truth be told, they were a lot more comfortable than the ones provided by his step-parents.

As he ripped off the knee-socks he'd always loathed, Sasori threw a red sash at him. Deidara took it, gazing at it cluelessly for a moment. How was he supposed to wear it? Chancing a quick look at the redhead for a hint, he followed his example, tying it around his waist.

He felt the redhead grabbing his chin and yanking it upward. "Stay still," Sasori muttered, Deidara's face expressing fear as he thought the redhead was about to attack him. Sasori didn't say anything as he brushed the bang out of his way, taking an examining look at the blond's damaged eye.

It was not pretty, he deemed, and wouldn't be of use anymore. Taking the eye patch he'd found in the casket, he covered the blond's eye with it, patting his bang in place again so that none of it would show.

He took a step back as if to overview his work, cocking his head to one side. Deidara stayed still the whole time, letting Sasori's eyes run over him. The redhead sighed and moved closer again, grabbing the blond hair. He didn't yank it harshly, only let it slide through his fingers and fall down on Deidara's shoulder again.

"This should go, it might get in the way," he said, firstly gazing at the hair and then at the blond. Deidara's eyes went wide, fists clenching, and he shook his head rapidly. Sasori raised his eyebrows at definite refusal, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No?" he inquired, then gave a shrug. "Suit yourself, brat." He turned around, pacing across the room and sitting down on one of the chairs, his legs wide apart. Lower class habit, Deidara nodded then shook the thought away. He was about to fall into a class lower than a rat's, he shouldn't be judging things like this. Finding it better to stay still without permission to move at the moment, he stayed where he was, waiting for the redhead to say something.

"I'm not sure how much of it you understood up there; I know our way of speech can get confusing for the native British. For that, I'm going to retell it to you and add some few extra information as a gift to help you stay alive here."

Deidara wasn't about to explain that he'd understood quite a bit of what they'd been talking. He merely nodded, waiting for the redhead to continue.

He did. "On this ship, there are no passengers. No one trusts their mateys here, let alone a British boy." Sasori made a pause, his strict eyes on Deidara, observing his every move and flash of an expression. He wanted to be sure everything he said got to the boy. "I am Sasori. You, however, will call me Sasori no Danna or Danna, unless I state otherwise. You show respect, got it?"

Deidara stared motionlessly at Sasori, giving no response. It was only when the redhead raised his eyebrow that he realized he'd been asked a question. Immediately, he gave a quick nod, memorizing what he'd just promised.

Sasori continued, "The one you saw giving orders is Madara, referred to as Captain or Captain Madara, no other way."

"But the others? What do I call the other sailors?" Deidara put in, eyes filled with anticipation.

Sasori's eyes narrowed at being interrupted, but he decided to answer. "You don't," he put it simply. "You are not allowed to speak to any other than me. I only gave you Madara's name in order for you to know who I am talking about."

Deidara's face fell, but he stayed quiet without any complaints. It could've been worse, he knew. He could've been dead.

"Now, the code," Sasori went on. "I am not going to recite you the pirate law here, but only the ones that apply to you. Firstly, my word is law. When I order something, you follow it, no matter what it is. When it's my word against someone else's, you follow mine. When it's my word against Madara's, you follow mine. When it's my word against your beliefs, you follow what?"

"Your word," Deidara muttered in reply. Sasori frowned, giving Deidara an angry glare that he, to his own surprise, understood. Coughing to clear his throat, he repeated, louder this time, "Your word."

Sasori gave a curt nod. "You are not allowed to go anywhere without me. No leaving this room without me. No opening the door to anyone, I have the key and no one else needs to get inside. Also, when you're here, keep quiet. Keep quiet in general, that's a rule as well. Questions?"

"If the ship sinks, do I sink with it?" Deidara asked emotionlessly, surprised at how easily he talked about his own death. Drowning had never seemed such an horrible way to die; the sharks, however, were a whole different story.

Sasori smirked, looking him in the eye. "You are connected to me, not the ship. The answer is no."

Deidara nodded quietly. A little something to brighten up his day. Sasori got up from his chair and walked past him to the door. "If that's it, then you can go sleep on the bed. That's only for the first night, however. After that, you will be sleeping on the floor."

After saying that, he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him with a slam. Deidara stayed still for a little more, listening to the click as Sasori locked the door. Taking in a deep breath, he paced slowly over to the bed.

All the thoughts brought up by the sudden feeling of solitude were threatening to suffocate him and he collapse on the bed. Not tonight, he pleaded into the pillow, pulling the covers over himself as the shivers running down his spine became more frequent. This is quite enough for today.

Closing his eyes, he hoped sleep would drown or take away all the emotions stirring inside of him.

To be continued...