Chapter 4

Rogue blinked his eyes open- it was his turn to watch the ship-he was sitting at the edge where the wood of the ship met the water. The boat rocked slightly in the faint moonlight, Cecilia's shadow quickly retreating into the lower bunkers of the ship. The outfit they had picked up consisted of a white skirt over laid with a black vest, and white ruffled sleeves down to her wrists. She was also equipped with boots that stomped her uneasiness in wearing the shoes clearly to his ears. Cecilia clicked the door shut the strum of her boots echoing to Yukino's room.

Rogue glanced at the texture awkwardly enwrapped around his hands. It was like she had never given someone something before. He smiled pulling the blanket further around himself. She had awkwardly placed it around him thinking she went unnoticed as he watched her through his eyelashes. It was at least some form of thank you. He glanced at the moon beginning to fade away. They would send Dobengal out for an exchange in shift soon.

It was nearly three a.m. when he spotted Cecilia again. He watched her through his eyelashes expecting her to come near him once again Instead she stared towards a metal clamp around the edge of the boat. Even if she wanted to leave she couldn't that metal didn't belong to their ship in the first place- Rogue snatched his sword up quickly making advances towards where she stood examining the unwelcome metal at the edge of the ship. "Cecilia, get back!" He shouted receiving the startled glance from the girl. She looked towards him already loosing grip with her boots about to fall overboard. No matter how fast he rushed he wouldn't be able to get to her in time. She was going to fall out of the ship. "Cecilia!" He shouted, it was his job to take care of her. He couldn't lose her on the first night that Captain Sting had agreed to let her stay amongst the ship's crew, also, he wasn't sure if she was able to swim on her own. Even if the tide was decent in the night he couldn't say how well she would handle the oceans with learning to swim and becoming under attack by enemy pirates at the same time. He found himself rushing towards her instead of hurrying to wake the crew hoping that somehow she could catch her before anything became disastrous with the enemy ship that was invading. "Sting, get up here!" Rogue shouted knowing that the crew wasn't able to hear his commotion from their sleeping quarters below the ship.

Footsteps echoed behind him, "who would've known that the almighty shadow pirate would eventually find someone that would make even the one-who-brings-nightmares drop his sword one day." The voice laughed mocking him as he turned slowly to the owner of the voice. A pirate of FairyTail. They were not only being invaded, they were being invaded by a pirate ship of a different class. One that was considerably a formidable enemy.

A voice snickered behind him, "if this woman's that important to you, you wouldn't have let her fall overboard in the first place. Also, you would've never dropped your weapon if you were afraid of something like this." Rogue glanced around it was dark and the moon was beginning to set he needed to know who he was surrounded by. Were they members of FairyTail he could take on his own? He would have to. Rogue edged his foot near his sword, if he could just pick his sword up he would be able to defend them both. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you. Now be a good little night pirate and stay still." The voice near the edge of the boat whispered swinging up a sword near Cecilia's neck. "If you call for the rest of your crew then you'll be in more than a boatload of trouble." Rogue grinded his teeth. They were already in a boatload of trouble they were being invaded and he was going to be forced to make a decision he knew he didn't want to be making.

Rogue grinded his teeth, "isn't this unlike the crew of FairyTail, I thought taking hostages was purely against their policies. Oh wait, you already have one of ours to begin with don't you?" Rogue shouted resisting the urge to spin around to whoever was behind him.

"FairyTail has no idea what you're talking about." The FairyTail's captain shouted from the top deck. Rogue frowned that would give him a gist of which crew members had invaded them. It was his unlucky day. That would mean the elite members of FairyTail had decided to attack them.

Rogue took a breath he would have to stall them somehow, "Where is she? I saw her the other night! She hurried away with you!"

The captain of FairyTail shook his head tiny pink hairs sticking out from underneath his cap, "we only had someone we rescued from the shore in town! She was injured because of SaberTooth's raids on the villages! We can also tell that woman doesn't belong to your ship!" Captain Natsu glared towards him.

Rogue felt his eyes flash in the moonlight, his foot instinctively drawing the sword up to his hand as he whipped it around to whoever had Cecilia in the darkness,"meet my demands or these people will die." Rogue shouted.

The captain of the FairyTail's ship eyes widened, a frown increased on his face. "You're telling me you'll kill them both?" Natsu asked a hand tightening on the swords in his hand. He was planning on combatting Rogue himself, if Rogue was completely serious. Rogue felt himself swallow this was a gamble he would have to take. He could feel the heat from Cecilia's breath already appearing on the sword that he had swung towards her. He wouldn't waver he couldn't or they would all know it was a ruse. She was afraid, they were afraid, and most of all he was the one that was afraid. He was outmatched with the life of his crewmates would slip out of his hands if he made a single wrong decision. He wasn't the shadow pirate that had devastated an entire ship because they had stolen his first treasure in one night for nothing. But this was FairyTail he was looking at, a whole 'nother level of pirates on their own. "How about you listen to our conditions before you decide it's worth killing at least two people over?" Natsu stated sitting on the railing near the door to the lower deck. The lower deck which kept the sleeping crew inside. He had turned his back to them, either he was mocking them, saying that he could beat every single one of them without looking, or he had determined Rogue to be a more painful adversary at the moment.

Rogue tightened his grip on his sword, what kind of conditions would someone have for the enemy ship, the rival group of pirates? Obviously, they were being taken over. He would probably have some sort of rules to make the pirates succumb to their rule. It wouldn't bode well for the pirate crew that was he was currently in charge of protecting.

"First, you shall not wake your crew, instead you are going to go over there and quietly sit while we look around the ship for what we need. Second, you shall not tell your crew we were here. And third, we are leaving with that woman." Natsu stated pointing at the female whose neck was currently right next to Rogue's blade.

His words tumbled out quicker than a waterfall, "You're not going to touch her." Rogue replied the words tumbling violently inside of his ribcage.

He watched the enemy-pirate put a hand over his mouth, sitting down on the railing once again, and then glanced at him, "you can put the sword down, we know already that you won't hurt her. I baited you." Natsu laughed at him. A sadistic smile crossed his face, "but we might, she means nothing to us." The captain tilted his head, jumping down from the balcony slamming on the ship's deck. "Now tell me, where's your captain? Last time I checked he had something that belonged to me." Natsu smiled. Rogue felt himself more coiled then a sea serpent in an underwater volcano. He was going to suffocate by their demands and threats.

Rogue glanced down at his sword, he would have to give her life up for the rest of his crew, that was what he was supposed to do. Rogue flipped the sword in his hand so the blade faced Natsu and jammed it into the man who was keeping Cecilia hostage's face. Rogue grabbed Cecilia's hand pulling her closer in a violent motion, receiving a crack of a smile from Natsu. He was definitely planning on teasing him if he lived any longer on this ship. But Natsu wouldn't get the chance. "Cecilia, get Sting." He explained as Cecilia nodded already following in his footsteps clumsily running into the cabin while Rogue blocked Natsu's entrance. "I guess jumping down wasn't such a good idea." Natsu laughed running a hand through his pink hair, "hey Gray! I thought you were supposed to take care of any mistakes I make! Isn't that what backup pirates are supposed to do for their captains!" Natsu shouted.

"I'm not anyone's backup pirate!" The man titled Gray shouted back. Her footsteps faded into the distance as another pair of feet sped their way up.

The door slammed open, "I just saw Cecilia running down the halls in a panic! What happened?" He shouted as he unequipped both of his swords that were already prepared for the watch. Always reliable Dobengal preparing to be under attack on any night. "We're under attack?" Dobengal whispered as Rogue nodded. What else? No, they were just having a normal night drinking affair, how could he be mistaken with all of these swords drawn they were for the wine bottles and jugs that they weren't able to open previously.

"Where's your captain?" Natsu asked already clashing swords with Rogue as they attempted to use the pressure to back each other into corners.

Rogue glanced towards Dobengal already instinctively watching his back, "don't watch my back! Don't let them get to the door!" Rogue shouted watching the younger pirate nodded before changing his tasks quickly. Rogue felt a slight smile attempt to push its way to his face, it was somehow relieving to know that someone would always have your back in back especially on instinct. The SaberTooth ship was built off of many people like that and many people of different origins that meant different people with many capabilities. Rogue could feel Natsu was slowly beginning to over-power him in the sword fight, "where is she?" Rogue mocked placing his hand against the blade to give extra support, it was slowly cutting into his hand.

"Talk about a double-edge" Natsu shook his head at him. He knew how dangerous what Rogue was doing, yet it was something that had won Rogue many battles. Rogue swung his foot around dragging Natsu to the deck by shock. He would have to win this before any of the others from his crew were able to hurry to the deck. Rogue pinned Natsu down keeping his feet on Natsu's chest, he could feel himself panting struggling with the enemy pirate for every second, even the tiniest second of leeway where he would be able to catch his breath. He would need it to defeat the notorious captain of FairyTail. Not only was the captain of FairyTail known for his fighting abilities, they were a crew known for taking out other crews when they decided they wanted something from them. FairyTail had taken out PhantomLord, Twilight Ogre, and various other crews throughout the last several months all in a short time period. In other words, the FairyTail crew was on a rampage defeating other crews for no known reasons, yet. "Where is he?" Natsu asked again even under his crushed ribcage able to hold a conversation.

Rogue felt a growl rumble up his throat, "you won't find out."

Natsu cracked the slightest of smiles before flipping them over pinning Rogue down onto the deck, "oh I'd say some might say otherwise." Natsu laughed as Rogue found himself reaching for his sword. The elder pirate was too heavy to combat in a wrestling match he had misjudged his situation he could feel himself losing the brawl the cool air quickly turning into something that was burning and a struggle to absorb as the FairyTail captain jammed a knee into his throat.

"Rogue!" Dobengal shouted already trying to retrieve him. He needed to stop Dobengal or he would be in danger. Dobengal needed to pay attention to his own surroundings first and defend himself before he could rescue him or they would both be in grave peril.

The door to the deck slammed open, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Sting shouted his blazing eyes resting on Natsu.