Chapter 4
"Jones!"
Alfred jumped and looked back down at the deck from his place in the rigging, a smile immediately appearing on his face when he caught sight of the British pirate captain glaring up at him. Besides him, Jack bit back a laugh and shrunk back into the cover of the billowing sails, eager to escape Captain Kirkland's wrath.
"Yes, sir?" he called back innocently.
"Would you mind telling me what the bloody hell you're doing up there?"
"Um..." Alfred glanced over at Jack, who was now shaking with barely-concealed laughter. "What do you think we're doing?"
Arthur snarled something unintelligible, causing the two men above him to giggle.
"What was that, sir?" Alfred asked sweetly. "I couldn't really hear you..."
"I said you're bloody daft if you think that blasted trick will work on me!" Arthur roared. "Now get the hell down here this instant, Jones, or I swear I'll come up there and get you."
"Really? You'd come and get me?" Alfred giggled, pretending to sound pleased. "Gosh, I'm flattered, Captain! But I guess it would be more polite for me to come down there, seeing as I don't want to tire you out."
"What's that supposed to mean, git?" Arthur growled, his emerald eyes watching Alfred carefully as the younger blonde began to descend from the rigging.
"Nothing," Alfred huffed, his hands drifting almost unconsciously to the handholds that Jack had pointed out to him only hours ago. "I just don't want you to waste your strength... old man."
Jack gave a shout of laughter, effectively ruining his hiding spot. Arthur glared up at the half-hidden Australian before turning his murderous gaze to Alfred, his hands inching towards the sword strapped to his side as if he longed to use it.
"Wanker..." the captain muttered darkly.
"Aw, c'mon, Artie!" Alfred crowed as he finally reached the deck. The blonde reached out and effortlessly pulled the pirate into a bone-crushing hug, his blue eyes glittering mischievously. "It was only a joke! You're too cute to be an old man!"
Arthur snarled and yanked roughly on the collar of Alfred's shirt, his wrists twisting mid-yank. Alfred yelped as his body was thrown onto the deck, his eyes widening behind his glasses when he saw the furious pirate looming over him.
"I do not tolerate disrespect on my ship, Jones," Arthur snapped. "I warned you against such indecent contact and you ignored me." The Briton's lips quirked upwards for a brief moment at the stunned expression on the other man's face before settling back into a grim frown. "And my name is not Artie. Ghastly nickname... Figures a wanker like you would come up with it..." The pirate shuddered delicately at the thought of the hated name and looked back down at the current object of his irritation, ignoring the small crowd of crew members that were gathering behind him to watch.
"Now then," Arthur said with false sweetness. "What exactly were you doing up there in the rigging?"
"Er... I..."
"Pardon? I'm afraid I can't hear you, Jones," Arthur prompted cheerfully.
"Uh... I was... drawing... on the sails..."
"Oh? And what, pray tell, were you drawing?"
Alfred glanced up at Captain Kirkland, slightly surprised. Was that genuine curiosity in the man's voice? No, probably not... The guy was just acting to humiliate him further.
"Uh... Bunnies," he mumbled. "I... was drawing bunny rabbits on the sails."
Arthur blinked in shock and stared down at the younger man, confusion temporarily replacing the irritation in his eyes. "Rabbits? Why on earth would you draw rabbits?"
"Um..." Alfred hesitated, remembering how Jack had given him the idea by telling him about the captain's habit of talking to an invisible 'flying mint bunny' when he thought that no one was looking. "I dunno... I like rabbits." There. That wasn't a complete lie... He did like rabbits, most of the time... unless they bit him like that one nasty white one...
"Really?" Arthur murmured, sounding suddenly bored with the conversation.
Alfred winced but forced himself to continue. The longer he talked, the more chance he had of getting closer to the captain.
"Yeah. I'm the rabbit guy in the family, I guess," he said brightly. "My brother likes bears more though... He actually has a pet polar bear. Or, he used to..." Alfred's face darkened slightly at the memory of his lost home and family, guilt rising in his stomach. Was Matthew doing alright? Were the other prisoners and those odd German siblings keeping their promises and looking after him?
Something warm grasped his shoulder, causing Alfred to glance up in surprise. Arthur stared back at him, the smallest hint of sympathy flickering in his jewel-like green eyes.
"It's alright to miss the ones we care about," the captain murmured, his voice so quiet that Alfred wondered if he had been meant to hear it. The pirate straightened immediately after his statement, his face hardening into an unreadable mask. "Don't slip up again, Jones," the pirate said coolly. "It'll be the last thing you do on this ship."
Alfred nodded. "Yes sir!" he said brightly.
Arthur's left eye twitched in annoyance and he turned away, his coat flaring out behind him in a wave of red. The captain frowned when he saw the crowd of crew members gathered around him, his lips tightening in displeasure.
"Well, what are you lot standing around for?" he growled. "The show is over, get back to work!"
The crew hurried to obey the captain, leaving only Kate and Kiku behind. Arthur nodded towards the two remaining crewmen before stomping purposefully towards his cabin, his golden hair flashing briefly in the sun before it disappeared into the gloom of his personal room. Alfred watched the pirate go, his brow furrowed in slight annoyance. Okay, so maybe seducing the captain would be a little harder than he thought...
Jack laughed as he landed on the deck behind Alfred, his dark green eyes glittering mischievously beneath his sandy blonde hair.
"Nice one, Al," he chuckled. "Yeh nearly got yourself a one-way ticket back to the ocean with that stunt."
Alfred winced and glared half-heartedly at the still-chuckling Australian. "Should you really be joking about my near escape from death? Dude, Ar- the captain nearly killed me back there!"
"Naw," Jack snorted, his expression disbelieving. "Cap'n's a tough mate, but he'd never kill a member of the crew unless they betrayed him. Drawing rabbits on the sails and huggin' him is hardly cause for killing yeh."
"Agreed," Kiku spoke up quietly. "Although, I do suggest that you stop testing Arthur-dono, Alfred-san. His patience can only go so far."
"Meaning, Arthur probably wasn't joking about throwing you off the side of the ship," Kate added dryly. "You're cute, Alfred Jones, but not that cute."
Alfred grinned sheepishly and nodded.
"So... what do I do now?" he asked hesitantly.
"Take the night watch with Li-san and Kate-san," Kiku ordered softly. "Jack-san, you may rest."
The Australian cheered and raced down below deck, barely sparing Alfred a wave before disappearing below. Alfred pouted and glanced up over at the horizon, slightly surprised to see shoots of red and orange bleeding into deep blue as the sun set beneath the waves. Kiku smiled slightly at the blonde's fascination and gave him a tentative pat on the shoulder before following Jack below. Kate merely snorted and dragged Alfred over to helm. She shoved him up the stairs and pointed at Li, who was standing silently at the wheel.
"You stay up here with Li and make sure we stay on course," she ordered. "Keep him awake and don't touch the wheel. You'd likely screw up and send us off the edge of the earth since you're new at this. I'll be up in the crow's nest watching for ships. If you hear me yell, get Arthur. If you see any crew members sneaking around on deck, get Jack or Kiku. Any questions?"
Alfred shook his head silently, struggling to remember everything the girl had told him. Something about crows and Arthur? Kate rolled her eyes at the blonde's clueless expression and glanced over at Li, who had been watching them out of the corner of his eyes.
"Make sure he doesn't screw this up, Li," she sighed.
The Asian nodded quietly and turned back to the sea. Kate gave Alfred a rough slap on the back before darting towards the main mast. Alfred watched her scurry up the mast, her dark head disappearing briefly behind the billowing white sails before reappearing at the top.
"So," he said loudly, his attention going immediately to the quiet Asian man at the wheel. "Guess it's just you and me, huh?"
Li didn't answer, his dark eyes never leaving the stars and the ocean.
"So, where are you from? I know your uncle's from China and that other guy... what's-his-name... Yeah, he's from Korea, right?"
The Asian hummed but didn't answer. Alfred pouted at this lack of communication and turned his attentions to the indigo sky spread out above them, his sky-blue eyes flickering from star to star. Damn, these stars were beautiful...
"You gawk as if you have never seen the stars before," Li remarked coolly, a tiny hint of amusement in his voice.
"Yeah... Well, I don't always get out a lot at night," Alfred chuckled. "I was usually stuck in my room, trying to invent things, trying to make things work better... My parents used to call me a dreamer before they died, although my brother always supported my ideas. Ha, Matt even used to sneak in at night to try and help me invent things..." Alfred's voice trailed off at the thought of his brother, his expression darkening.
"You miss him," Li stated flatly.
"Is it that obvious?" Alfred chuckled darkly.
"Yes," Li replied with brutal honesty. After a moment, the Asian added "So, why did you leave him if you miss him so much?"
Alfred stiffened and avoided the other man's questioning gaze. "I had no choice."
Li nodded in understanding and turned back to the sea, deciding not to press the matter further.
"So, where do you come from?" Alfred asked.
Li chuckled. "You don't have any sense of propriety, do you?"
"What?"
Li's laughed again. "I mean, you don't care about sticking your nose into other peoples' personal business, do you?"
"Huh, you sound just like my brother," Alfred mused.
Li shook his head in exasperation and cast an amused glance in the blonde's direction.
"I am from an area of China," he said. "My home was.. a small province, although we had a lot of trade from other nations. It is known as Hong Kong."
Alfred nodded. He had heard of the Chinese port city from Tony before the pirate attack.
"So... Did ya like it there?"
Li chuckled and turned back to the ocean.
"I think that I have had enough talking," he murmured. "You should get back to your job before Kate comes back and yells at you."
Alfred winced and resumed watching the ocean, his brow furrowing as thoughts of Matthew flickered through his mind. Damn, he couldn't believe that it had taken so long for him to remember his brother...
"Please be okay, Matt," Alfred sighed.
Matthew Williams shuddered and slid further into the corner of his cell as the Cuban from Francis's crew slipped into the cell. His violet eyes widened as Alejandro approached the two Italian twins that huddled on the other end of the cell. The twins stiffened and stared up at the Cuban with wide, frightened eyes. Alejandro smirked, enjoying the fear in their gazes. Without a word, he stooped and roughly yanked the older twin, Lovino, up from the ground. Lovino screamed and let loose a long string of swear words, his arms flailing uselessly in an attempt to free himself from the larger man's grip.
Feliciano cried out and tried to get to his brother, only to be held back by Gilbert as the albino came up behind him.
"Hurry up and get the kid out of here, Alejandro," Gilbert snarled.
The Cuban shrugged and flashed a final smirk at the younger Italian before dragging the screaming Lovino out of the prison.
Feliciano choked on his cries and slumped limply in Gilbert's grip, his shaking hands reaching up to cover his streaming eyes.
"F-fratello," he croaked. "W-what are they g-going to my fratello?"
"Sorry, kid," Gilbert sighed, his scarlet eyes tightening. He glanced up to meet Matthew's curious and horror-stricken gaze, his jaw tightening even more.
"I didn't know that you were awake, Birdie," he muttered.
Matthew frowned at the new nickname, not entirely sure how the albino had come up with that.
"Wh-what's going on?" the blonde asked quietly.
"Francis has had another idea," Ludwig stated flatly. The blonde German walked quietly into the room, his blue eyes locked on the sobbing Feliciano still clutched in his brothers arms.
Ludwig sighed and hurried into the cell, his expression conflicted as he glanced down at the Italian. Feliciano sniffed and stared up at the German, his hazel eyes filling with tears once more.
"V-ve, what idea?" he asked quietly. "W-why does he want my f-fratello?"
"He wanted you," Ludwig admitted softly, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "But.. I convinced him to leave you here."
Gilbert smirked and backed away from the remaining Italian. Feliciano barely noticed, his hazel eyes locked on Ludwig with something akin to horror.
"You... did what? Why?" he nearly shrieked, his eyes tightening.
Ludwig flinched at the accusation in the Italian's tone, his blue eyes flickering uneasily towards the blonde Canadian that was watching the entire interaction.
"I-I couldn't let him send you," he muttered. "You... Francis's missions are dangerous. Hardly anyone survives and you... you wouldn't have had a chance."
"So you let mio fratello take my place?" Feliciano demanded. "How is that okay? You save me by letting Lovino die in my place?"
"Dude, Feli, calm down," Gilbert interrupted from beside Matthew.
Matthew jumped and stared at Gilbert, wondering how the albino had managed to sneak up behind him without his noticing. The albino simply winked before turning back to the Italian that was still glaring at his brother.
"Listen, Feli," Gilbert sighed. "I know West screwed up but he was really just trying to protect you, okay?"
Feliciano said nothing, his expression unusually somber. The Italian glanced up at the German one final time before turning away, his auburn head bent over his shaking hands. Ludwig watched him for a moment, his clear blue eyes hurt, before her turned away and left the room, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I'm going up to see if they've made anything for dinner yet," he called hollowly.
Feliciano flinched at the sound of Ludwig's voice but refused to look up, leaving Gilbert and Matthew in uncomfortable silence.
The albino sighed and glanced over at Matthew, his lips turning down into a frown when he saw the stricken expression on the blonde's features.
"You okay, Birdie?" he asked carefully.
Matthew shook his head, his violet eyes pained behind his glasses.
"I- what did Ludwig mean when he said that hardly anyone survived Francis's missions?" he asked cautiously.
Gilbert sighed. "No, he didn't mean- Look, I'm sure your brother will be fine, okay? The only ones that we need to worry about right now are you and Feliciano."
Matthew frowned. "What do you mean?"
Gilbert sighed and ran a hand through his white hair, his red eyes screwed shut in frustration.
"Francis gets people to do things by threatening the people they care about," he sighed. "How do you think he got your brother to agree to that damn mission? He did the same thing to me to get me join this fucking crew in the first place... And right about now he's probably doing the same thing to Lovino."
"He threatened people you cared about?" Matthew wondered, unable to hide his curiosity.
Gilbert chuckled humorlessly and nodded. "Yeah..."
Matthew waited for him to continue, not quite able to bring himself to ask who Francis had threatened. Gilbert sighed and absently patted the blonde on the top of the head, his scarlet eyes pained.
"Someday I'll see her again," the albino murmured. "And I'll get mein bruder off of this hellhole so he can actually be with people like Feliciano... So we can both be happy."
"She?" Matthew prompted shyly, his cheeks reddening to a delicate pink.
"Oh, sorry, Birdie, did I crush your dreams of being with the awesome me?" Gilbert joked. A soft smile flickered across his face. "Oh man, if you could've seen her, Birdie... She's so tough, and half the time she acts like a guy but... She's beautiful." The albino glanced up at the blonde through strands of his pale hair, his red eyes hopeful. "Have you ever, I don't know, looked at someone and just thought... wow. And-and you just want to know what makes them happy so that you can see them smile... And you would do anything, anything in the world, so long as they are safe... Even if it kills you inside."
Matthew nodded, his violet eyes glowing with an understanding that shocked Gilbert. Out of the corner of his eye, the Canadian saw Feliciano watching them, his hazel eyes intent.
"Y-yes," Matthew murmured. "I know."
"Who?" Gilbert asked quietly.
Matthew shrugged, a small hint of pain flickering through his violet eyes.
"D-doesn't matter," he sighed. "He's not coming back."
"Ve~ Why not?" Feliciano broke in, his voice slightly hoarse.
Matthew offered the Italian a small, sad smile. "Because I let him go... So he could be where he wanted to be."
Feliciano frowned, his thin face turning unconsciously towards the door that Ludwig had disappeared through only minutes ago. Matthew sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze meeting Gilbert's. The albino smiled quietly and patted the blonde on the head.
"It'll be alright," he murmured. "I'll protect you, Birdie."
"I'm more worried about Al," Matthew sighed. Because he has no one to protect him...
Haha, yay! Another update! Ok, so I don't really know if I'll get the chance to get another update in before Christmas because I really need to focus on my presents for my friends. I will update Stolen Lullabies, but after that... I don't know. Just please be patient with me? If I have time, I'll try and get up a special present for all of my readers but... Again, please just stick with me!
Thank you to all of the people who have read/reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! You guys all rock! XD please keep it up! Review, please! Tell me how I'm doing.