Song Title: The Last Firstborn by Celldweller


"Ve, thank you for helping us, ReeRee!" Feliciano chirped gratefully. "Everyone was so busy and big brother didn't want to get his hands dirty with this so…"

"Oh it's my pleasure, Feli," the Reaper said as he held the harpoon in one hand, poised and ready to throw. "I haven't done this in a while, so it's a nice change,"

Lately, the Draugen and its crew have been running low on food. A recent storm came and went out of nowhere, taking with it a portion of the ship's supplies and rations. Apparently, this part of the sea was known for unnatural weather phenomenon. But it was the fastest route to where the captain wanted them to go. However, with a slash in their supplies, rations were reduced and the chef knew that the others were growing restless, hungry, and angry. They were still out at sea, nowhere near a port to resupply and so in an attempt to fix the problem, he recruited the help of Ludwig, Berwald, and the Reaper to help him catch today's dinner. The doctor and Berwald helped to lower and row the small escape boat that usually stayed strapped to the Draugen's side while Feliciano and the Reaper speared the fish. But after a few tries and leaving a couple of the harpoons to sink into the blue waters below, the Italian settled to make himself useful by chatting up a storm and telling the others what dish he would like to make with what kinds of fish.

"Oh look, there's one!" Feliciano alerted the Finn to a small school of cod fish nearby. He pointed enthusiastically at the brown scales that flickered and rippled in the water next to them.

"Quiet, Feli, or else you'll scare them away!" Ludwig said in a hushed whisper.

"Ve, I'm sorry Ludwig!" Feliciano panicked when he got scolded.

"Keep your voice down!"

Berwald remained silent as he watched the Reaper concentrate on the area the chef pointed at.

Soundlessly, he raised the harpoon at a certain angle before just as quietly hurling it.

The harpoon broke the surface of the sea with minimum splashing, zipping through the water and bringing about a flurry of fins and scales.

The startled group of cod splashed violently as they dispersed.

"Wow!" Feliciano beamed, getting ready to gather the fish into the barrel next to him once the Reaper reeled them in.

In a single throw, the rifleman was able to spear several cods through, their bodies flinching as they struggled to pry themselves off the harpoon.

The chef smiled as he asked "Say ReeRee, is there a particular dish you want me to make with these?"

"Oh, uh," The Reaper gave it a quick thought before hurling the harpoon again and reeling in a couple more. "I don't have a particular one in mind," He then looked towards the other two blonds on the boat and smiled. "Any suggestions?"

Berwald only shook his head. He wasn't picky at all when it came to this – everything that he has eaten on the Draugen have all been better than what he ate for majority of his life. He was not about to start becoming ungrateful. "Anything really,"

"Whatever you make, Feliciano, I'm sure it'll be delicious," Ludwig said quietly, averting his blue eyes from the chef's brown ones looking up at him curiously. "We all trust your judgment on this,"

The Italian smiled with his eyes closed. "Really?"

The doctor was fighting a blush from rising to his cheeks. "Ye-"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

That sound…

All the members on the little escape boat whipped their heads back toward the Draugen.

"How can that be?" Ludwig was baffled.

"What? I don't see anything," Feliciano looked out at the placid waters surrounding them before ultimately looking back at their pirate ship with the leviathan figurehead.

There were no incoming ships on the horizon.

"How are we under attack?"

Without being told to do so, the two blonds rowed furiously back towards the Draugen.

"They're boarding!" Someone on the main ship yelled loud enough so that the four could hear. They were still several yards away.

Assuming his role as their rifleman, the Reaper instinctively reached down under the wooden seat of the small vessel, pulling up a rifle loaded and ready to fire. He stood tall as the boat continued to rock to and fro while making its way back. But when he raised the firearm and concentrated on the targets on the ship, his grip faltered a bit. "Why…? They're fighting amongst themselves…?"

"A mutiny?" the doctor suggested.

"What? Why? I can't see!" The chef began to panic, squinting to see the chaos raging on the Draugen.

Craning his head back just enough to see behind him at the same time not disrupt his rowing, Berwald was able to make out crewmates struggling with each other – both parties were familiar faces.

The Finn continued to take aim, evaluating the situation before finally pulling the trigger and hitting someone from afar. With speed and efficiency, he quickly reloaded the rifle and shot again before the escape boat was near the hull of the Draugen. Once they were close enough, the Reaper dropped the rifle in favor of his twin pistols on each side of his waist. The platinum blond immediately set into action, using a grappling hook also left on the boat and latching it onto the polished rails of the massive ship. It was the fastest way to board at the moment.

"ReeRee…"

Before setting out, the aforementioned man gave the other three passengers one last look. His porcelain face was expressionless, his voice calm but stern as he said "I'm going on ahead. Please stay here and watch over each other while I'm gone,"

Ludwig nodded curtly. When it came to battles, he and the Italian brothers tried to stay out of it as much as possible. They were much more important after the fighting…although sometimes they had no say in the matter…

Berwald could do nothing but gaze up towards the deck, trying to decipher the situation.

What's going on up there?!

"Be careful, ReeRee," Feliciano pouted.

At this the Reaper's features softened and he promised "I will. Stay safe okay, Feli?" And with that he leapt off the small boat, pulling on the rope attached to the grappling hook and using it as leverage to run along the hull of the Draugen. He eventually gained enough momentum and landed on the rails, drawing his flintlock pistols. Above him next to the steering wheel he heard Emil's voice calling out to him.

"It's a mutiny…" the younger male said flatly as he removed his small curved blade from a gruff crewmate's torso. Some of the guts and contents from the stomach spilled out onto his navy vest, but the man didn't mind.

"Squawk! A mutiny! Squawk!" the second mate's puffin repeated. He was sitting on his owner's left shoulder, peering at the gutted man next to Emil's feet with his beady black eyes.

A blood-curdling yell of anguish was heard not far from where the two were standing.

"They are the men who moved to the white ship," Lukas informed them, having just parried a blow with his rapier and piercing the attacker's throat. Once he extracted Grim from his victim, the noble pirate pulled out a delicate white napkin from his light blue coat and wiped the weapon clean of blood. The napkin quickly turned red. "We've been too lax on them and left them to their own accord for too long," he said disapprovingly.

"They think they're their own crew," Emil's voice was equally strained, magenta eyes dark with a quiet anger.

"Where's the captain?" the Reaper inquired.

"I don't know. Last I saw him he was sleeping in his cabin." Lukas narrowed his eyes at a thought and his grip on the gold handle of his rapier tightened. "Of course they would attack us while that imbecile was asleep and you were away from the ship…"

"They've been waiting for this?!" Emil's voice was most incredulous.

"So it seems…" The Reaper leapt off the rail and landed onto the deck. Now that he was informed of the situation, there was the matter of quelling it. "I'll find the captain. Will you two be all right?"

"Oh, don't you worry about us, Reaper. We'll be fine on our own," Lukas replied lowly. He was composed, but his usually dull navy eyes were alight with something akin to rage.

"Go and find that idiot brother of ours, he won't be happy to what he wakes up to." Emil added wistfully, mouth twisting into a smirk as he twirled the Bitter Touch dripping with blood in his left hand. The other free hand went up to play with his gold hoop earring, twiddling it neurotically.

With his orders clear, the Reaper nodded his understanding and set off further onto the deck. He didn't know he would be stopped so soon.

"ReeRee!" Peter's voice called out for him.

"Shut up, brat!" A man with a braided beard grabbed the young boy by the neck tie. He stiffened when he saw the Reaper flit towards him. "Not a step closer, Reaper!" he threatened, holding Peter up. "Or I'll snap his little neck!"

The rifleman immediately halted in his tracks, face stern as he eyed the traitor.

"Drop yer weapons, now!" The mutineer demanded, addressing the Finn's white and blue pistols.

The Reaper did just that, unable to do much else while Peter was being held hostage. Kuutamo and Huurre fell to the floorboards with a heavy clack.

The poor boy looked so frightened.

"It'll be all right, Peter," the Reaper offered softly, his amethyst eyes reassuring as they peered into Peter's ocean blue ones to calm him.

The blond hiccupped, on the verge of tears as he was held by the gruff pirate.

The mutineer sneered while he pulled out his own pistol from its holster. "Now killin' ya would be a piece of cake! I'll be the one to kill the legendary Reaper!"

"Run ReeRee!" Peter shouted when the man pulled the trigger.

But after the sound of gunfire resonated, the rifleman remained standing. The bullet landed next to his left boot.

"Damn you!" The bearded pirate held onto Peter tighter in his right arm. "Stand still and lemme shoot ya or I'll just kill the boy-!" The mutineer's head completely detached from his body and fell limp, revealing a tall blond in a black long coat and eye patch.

"Captain…" The Reaper quickly retrieved his weapons now that the threat was eliminated.

"Uncle Matt-!" Peter turned around to thank his role model, but cowered before what he saw.

Mathias had come up behind the mutineer taking Peter hostage and chopped his head clean off with a single swing of his axe. The metal blade was painted with the fallen pirate's blood as the North Sea King hoisted the weapon over his shoulder. "You pathetic pissant!" Without even looking at the young boy, the Dane growled and cursed at the dead body. In his fury, he kicked the decapitated head with his brown boot and watched it sail over the rails of the ship before disappearing out of sight.

Peter whimpered, taken aback by the action and words. He only nodded numbly when his savior addressed him, the captain's blue eye bright and livid. He dared not approach the man any closer, fixated in his spot next to the body bleeding profusely from its neck.

"Now wasn't that just an awesome kill, eh Peter?" Mathias' voice was high with madness, his smile toothy as he eyed the younger blond. There was blood pooling around a stab wound near his torso that dyed his beige undershirt a bright crimson.

A bit further down the ship, a similar struggle was occurring between Erland and another mutineer. The burly pirate had the redhead by the wrist and was wringing him like a fish.

The Reaper was quick and about to head that way when he saw that it wasn't necessary. "Berwald?"

The Swede had climbed back on board the ship and charged at the two. He was currently mauling the mutineer with his steel staff, only faintly remembering that it was the same man he was pit up against when Mathias forced him to spar on the deck some time ago. His expression was grim and terrifying as he tore Erland away from the other's clutches. Of all the pirate battles he could have gotten into, the first one he was actively engaged in was against the men he once worked alongside with…

"Ber…" Erland looked up at the taller blond in disbelief.

Berwald could not believe what he was doing, what he was getting himself into. But he just couldn't sit still in the safety of the small boat while the screams and yells of the crewmates resonated above him. He had to do something, and was so glad he did when he saw Erland grabbed by the hostile crewmate.

The North Sea King's maniacal laughter could be heard all throughout the Draugen, over the fights and chaos breaking out on board it. He eyed the Reaper expectantly. "Now that that's settled," He strolled towards the rifleman, leaving blood red boot prints behind him. "There's nothin' holdin' ya back now. GO...KILL...THE TRAITORS!" he ordered. "Kill them all, Reaper! And don't you dare spare a single one or show them a shred of mercy!"

"Yes, captain." The Finn bowed slightly and then he was off.

"As for you, Berwald," Mathias bellowed across the ship so that the Swede could hear. "Take the kids somewhere safe - the storage room oughta do it. Once yer done I want ya to start throwing the bodies overboard. Not a single limb is to be left behind, understood?" All the mirth usually found in the Dane's voice was gone, an authoritative and cruel tone taking its place.

Berwald knew this was no time to be rebellious.

The killing intent has returned in the captain's eye.

He merely nodded and grunted his understanding, collected himself, and looked down at Erland. "Let's go."

"Why you…!" The traitor who had just held the redhead hostage struggled to get up, holding his bruised face. He glared at Berwald through a black eye.

The blond readjusted the glasses on his face and held the metal staff in front of him.

Bang!

The burly pirate never got up again this time.

Berwald turned around wide-eyed.

"Are you all right?" the Reaper appeared silently next to the two. He didn't wait for an answer as he continued to fire off rounds into oncoming mutineers. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let them live."

Near and far, the former crewmates' bodies hit the floorboards, unmoving.

After he had fired off all his rounds from his flintlock pistols, the Reaper decided to pillage the weapon from the dead pirate near them and held the cutlass steadily. He turned to Berwald. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The bespectacled blond nodded affirmatively. He had no choice in the matter. "I have to."

The Reaper looked troubled. "If you're not comfortable with killing them, leave them to me and I'll take care of it." He then leaned in closer to Berwald and whispered so that only he could hear him. "Watch over Peter and Erland. Keep them safe…and don't let them see," he warned cryptically.

And before Berwald even realized it, the Finn backed away and flitted past him. He nodded numbly before taking Erland by the hand and meeting up with Peter.

The poor blond boy was still glued to the same spot where the mutineer had dropped him, a pool of blood surrounding him and drenching his black shoes. "B-Ber…" he squeaked when he saw the taller man's shadow.

Berwald picked him up and held him in one arm as he escorted the two boys down the stairs that led to the lower levels of the ship. Before the deck was completely out of sight, the blond turned around just in time to see the captain swinging Maelstrom wildly and hacking away at a former subordinate. The Dane's laughter followed them all the way down until they were in a hallway.

"W-Why are they attacking us? We're friends, aren't we?" Erland couldn't wrap his head around what was happening.

"I…I don't know…" Peter stammered, clinging onto the material of Berwald's beige coat.

It was starting to become apparent to the Swede now. The two young boys, although taken aboard, had the romantic idea of what it meant to be a pirate. The exact same stories Berwald has heard before by those who visited the brothel – the ones in which everything was going to have a happy ending. What neither of the boys didn't know and what he had to go through personally back when he was on board his former employer's ship was that there were hardships before the ending. There might not even be a happy ending, such as in the Swede's case. There was struggle, pain, terror, and blood. The boys seemed fine with the violence from a distance, watching in the comfort and safety of the ship. But when it was too close to home, when they could smell the blood wafting around them, see the guts and flesh torn open, when they were up against pirates who genuinely wanted to kill them, they weren't ready.

The Reaper's warning became apparent.

Not only did he not want the two boys to suffer at the hands of the enemy, but the rifleman also didn't want them to see the carnage their own friends, their role models, were capable of causing.

Berwald said as he led Erland and Peter to the empty storage room "Stay here. It'll be over soon."

"Wait, Ber!"

He tried to give them a reassuring look and ruffled their hair. "Don't worry, the Reaper is takin' care of everything," he attempted to comfort them.

"ReeRee's still out there?"

Berwald nodded.

This fact seemed to calm Peter down a bit, but Erland was still dubious.

"Y-Yeah! He'll beat the bad guys! What about you, Ber?"

At this the bespectacled man averted his gaze but held on tightly to his steel weapon. "Yeah…I will too…" he said slowly.

The blond boy tried his best to give his taller companion a confident smile. "Then go get 'em, Ber! Hit 'em once for me and Erland!"

"Yeah!" the redhead finally had the courage to say.

"Mm. I'll come get ya when it's safe." Berwald promised before closing the door behind him. He sighed heavily. The second part of his job was about to begin, and he was already behind.

The Reaper did his job well.

Along with the help of the remaining loyal crewmates, many of the mutineers have already been killed. Their bodies lined the hallways as Berwald leaned down to pick up as many as he could without becoming overburdened, going up the stairs and onto the deck to cast them into the water.

It wasn't like carrying and loading cargo.

It was a morbid and horrible experience.

The bodies felt so heavy for some reason. The smell of death around him was even heavier as he repeated his routine throughout the ship, floor to floor, room to room.

Once he passed by Lovino who turned his nose up in disgust at the sight of the bodies in the hallway and cursed. There was fear poorly suppressed in his hazel eyes. The older sibling had seen the Reaper swoop in like a gale and slit the men's throats, some of the blood spilling onto the Italian's apron. "That freak…" the Swede heard him mutter as he passed him to pick up the corpses there.

Berwald's own clothes were slowly beginning to seep red with the dead's blood. Thankfully, he didn't come across any mutineers who were still living, as he wasn't sure if he had the heart to kill, even if it was to defend himself. When he went up once again with a couple of bodies in his arms, he was greeted with a sight.

"Ready the cannons!" Emil ordered, pointing his silver dagger in the direction of the white ship they have stolen. "Fire!"

Boom!

The thunderous and piercing sound of cannons being fired reverberated on the ship.

The surviving traitors, seeing as though their coup failed, cut off the boarding planks and were retreating from the Draugen and back onto the smaller vessel. But the artillery thrown at them hit squarely in their hull, causing water to slowly enter the ship.

"We need full sails, Emil. They're trying to make a run for it," Lukas observed.

The pursuit was short-lived as the Draugen was upon the white ship in minutes with all its sails unfurled. The leviathan figurehead loomed menacingly over the traitors.

"Fire the cannons again, and use the shrapnel cannonballs!" The second mate smirked. "We'll sink 'em this time."

The white ship soon disappeared under the blue sea, many of the mutineers jumping overboard in a desperate attempt to swim away.

But that was where the Reaper came in again, rifle in hand. He, along with the remaining loyal crewmates who could still fight, stood along the rail of the deck. Taking aim, the rifleman shot down any surviving traitors in the water.

It morbidly reminded Berwald of how the other speared the fishes earlier that day - with precision and efficiency.

The Finn didn't stop until only their bodies bobbed or sunk in deep, dark red waters below them. His face was solemn the whole time, silent as a grave. There was no movement in the water by the time he was done.

"So ya thought you could kill me in my sleep, eh?!"

When an eerie silence fell upon the Draugen as the chaos subsided, everyone turned towards their captain when they saw the spiky-haired blond dragging something behind him.

It was a man – bound by the wrists and legs with rope and a ragged look to him. One of his eyes was already clouded over and some gashes adorned his chest. He was coughing but other than that remained mute, utterly defeated and his men all killed.

"Ya know, I'm a pretty good captain," Mathias started, throwing the man into the center of the deck.

The remaining crew members, including Berwald, crowded around the two.

Curiosity got the better of the Swede and he paused in his morbid work to observe what the ruckus was all about.

"I can be lenient…" His blue eye darted at the "leader" of the attempted coup in front of him. "But if there's one thing I can't stand…it's mutiny!" He spat at the bound man, who seemed like he was dead already. The North Sea King was furious beyond measure. Without warning he raised his pole axe over his head and brought it down on the traitor.

Splat!

The poor pirate could hardly worm out of the way before he was nearly spliced open vertically. The blade sunk into the crown of his head and kept going down until it stopped near his chest. His body twitched and oozed blood from the two split ends. Some of it splashed onto the captain's face and coat.

No one dared utter a word among the crowd.

Oh dear gods!

Suddenly Berwald wished he couldn't see so well again. He could see all the carnage so clearly now, the blood so thick and red, the flesh torn open to reveal bone and organs. It was making him nauseous, bile rising up to his throat. It burned as he swallowed it back down. He was doing fine handling the dead bodies until now.

"You bastard!" The captain brought the axe down on the mangled corpse again and again. He was hacking away at the body until the mutineer was unrecognizable. The blond didn't stop even as it began to storm all around them, the rain carrying the spilled blood over to the side of the ship where it dripped off into the sea. Then suddenly the captain looked up to turn to his remaining men and pointed at the late traitor with his weapon. "Let this be an example for all of you!" he snarled, blue eye shining despite the dark clouds overhead. "Let's make sure this is the last mutiny I see."

Berwald took a furtive glance around the crowd and immediately saw that the pirates' faces were strewn with fear.

Except for Lukas, Emil, and the Reaper.

Lukas and Emil wore the same expression as their brother but were a bit more controlled. However, their eyes were the same - burning with animosity, as if Mathias' voice called out to something shared among the three.

The Reaper, standing in the distance, held a blank expression on his face. His amethyst eyes were unfeeling and void as he stared at the pile of flesh and skin. The rain streamed down those pale cheeks in rivulets, creating the illusion that the man was crying.

No one was the least bit concerned that it started to rain harder and thunder was booming across the sea.

The captain then let out a strangled cry that was nearly inaudible due to a clap of thunder. It was a heartbroken and pained wail, one full of regret. He continued to slash the corpse. "Why?! Damn you! After all we've been through!" His breathing was ragged as he continued swinging his axe. "I trusted you!"

It was strange, but at that moment Berwald was beginning to feel sorry for Mathias rather than terrified of him. The man looked so broken and torn, his wrath crumbling into deep sorrow.

When the whole mutiny finally came to a close and the tension dissipated, the three brothers went back to their respective rooms and locked themselves up for the rest of the day.

The Reaper took command, being the point of contact for any issues. He pacified the remaining crew members and the ship's operations resumed shortly afterwards. A substitute was placed behind the steering wheel and guided the Draugen along its charted course. The last of the bodies were thrown overboard, fed to the sharks that have smelled the blood and death and were in a feeding frenzy below them.

Berwald threw his last corpse along with the contents in his stomach over the rail, the beasts below paying him no mind in favor of tearing the limbs of the traitors apart. He hardly gave himself time to heave and wiped away the rancid substance off his lips before heading downstairs to retrieve the two boys and then help in the kitchen.

The mutiny took with it about a third of the Draugen's crew. This meant that although there were fewer mouths to feed, they were also understaffed. Therefore, every surviving crew member had to work harder to make up for his lost kin. Their food problem still remained, however.

Before the Swede knew it, day turned into night and dinner was served. There was less on everyone's plate than usual.

"Ve, Ber, do you mind bringing ReeRee his dinner?" Feliciano had set aside a portion of the fish he made on a silver tray. "Ludwig and I are gonna go deliver the captain, Nyk, and the Deacon their meals,"

"Mmn."

"Do you know where Reaper's room is, Berwald?" Ludwig asked to make sure.

The taller blond nodded. "Yeah, I'll go on ahead," he took the tray and walked out.

"Okay!"

When Berwald was in the grand hall and in front of the door that was slightly opened, he knocked tentatively.

"Yes? Come in," the Reaper's voice floated through the oak door. There was a creak and sound of movement on the other side. "It's not locked."

Berwald pushed the door fully open with tray in hand. "Yer dinner's ready,"

Upon seeing who it was that visited him, the Reaper's smile brightened up a bit, as if happy to see the Swede. "Wonderful! Thank you, Berwald." He set aside the map he was looking at on his desk next to his twin pistols.

Outside the windowpane, the skies were still dark with clouds and rain pattered mercilessly against the glass.

He looks so tired…Berwald observed when he got closer to set the tray down on the Finn's desk.

Although they were warm and welcoming again, the Reaper's eyes were also sunken, jaded and overworked in the lantern light. He looked like he hasn't slept in days. His smile was weak as he asked "Did you eat yet, Berwald?"

He nodded his head. There wasn't much to eat anyway, and he had given some of his food to Peter, Erland, and the younger crew members. They needed it more than he did.

"Are you sure? Here," The Finn picked up the silver fork on the tray and began cutting up a portion of the fish. "Take this piece for yourself. You fought hard and well today, so you deserve it."

Berwald didn't know whether he should accept or not. He was still hungry, but it wasn't right that the other should starve on his behalf.

The platinum blond picked up on his hesitation and added "I don't eat much anyway." He then offered Berwald a small, sad smile. "I think I'll head in early tonight. Hopefully when we make it to the next town, things will get better,"

"Are you gonna be all right? Do you need help with anything?" Berwald offered without thinking. But then a wave of doubt hit him. Although he never understood the concept of loyalty or knew the traitors very well or for very long, the Reaper did…and was ordered to kill each and every last one of them…And kill them the rifleman did…

The Reaper followed his captain's order without question.

If Berwald were to try something…if the order was given by Mathias to kill him…

Would he…?

The spiraling thought unnerved him, sending chills down his spine but he refused to acknowledge it; he couldn't spare to think that way when those soft violet eyes were looking at him like that. Instead, he tried to focus on helping the man.

The feeling must be unbearable…

"Huh?" The Reaper blinked a couple of times, thrown off by the sudden questions. "Oh, no," he said slowly, his voice gentle. "This is only a temporary arrangement. Everything should be back to normal soon," He was just about done with his portion of the meal.

The man standing found that he couldn't take his eyes off the other as he ate, the same hands that held a rifle just a few moments ago now daintily bringing the silverware up to thin lips. It transfixed him.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, Berwald," The Reaper looked up gratefully into those cyan eyes, a small smile on his lips.

How is he still able to smile after all that?

Berwald felt his body stiffen and heart flutter a bit inside his chest.

It must be the hunger

"But I should be asking you that – how are you holding up? I'm sorry you had to witness all that…the captain doesn't take kindly to mutinies," he sighed softly. It was a light sound, but carried with it a tremendous burden and exhaustion.

The sound crushed Berwald's soul. "I'm…fine," he lied. Nothing was all right. The whole event had been horrible, utterly chaotic and traumatizing. What started out as an innocent fishing trip suddenly descended into madness and bloodshed in a few hours. The pure and senseless slaughter and pervading smell of death…it clung to Berwald, the Reaper, and the walls of the Draugen despite the crew's best attempts to clean it. It was embedded into the very oak wood the ship was made of. He didn't know if he could ever get used to such a volatile lifestyle that came with being a pirate. But he didn't want the other to worry – the Reaper was doing enough of that already. He didn't want to add to the burden and so for the rifleman's sake, kept his troubles to himself and remained strong. The fact that the Reaper even took the time to ask about his well-being was comforting enough for him.

"Are Peter and Erland all right? What about Feli and Ludwig? I haven't had the time to check up on them yet," The Reaper then remembered something. "I need to feed Hanatamago too…now where is she?"

"They're all fine; I'll feed Hana," Berwald spoke up when he saw the Finn rise from his seat at the desk. "Don't overwork yerself,"

The Reaper swayed a little from where he was standing, the tattered ends of his black coat swishing across the floorboards from the movement. He cocked an eyebrow at his visitor and asked dubiously "Are you sure? You don't have to-"

"I want to," Berwald cut in. "You need rest too."

The Finn smiled at him, his eyelids heavy with sleep. He gave out one last sigh before conceding. "Okay…if you insist,"

Berwald took the tray with half of the fish still on it. He then turned and was about to leave when a voice stopped him mid-stride.

"Thank you, Berwald. I really appreciate your help. And if anything comes up, please don't hesitate to let me know."

The Swede didn't dare turn back to face the Reaper. He just nodded to the doorframe in front of him and silently made his way out of the room. He didn't know what has gotten into him, but he felt light, conflicted, embarrassed, and flustered all at the same time. Who knew hunger could have such a profound effect on him? Yes, the blond has suffered bouts of hunger pangs before, but this was the worst one yet. Perhaps he really should eat the last of the fish the Reaper has so generously given to him…

After keeping his word and finding the whining Maltese stowed away in a crate near the kitchen, Berwald was able to feed her and put her at ease. She followed him to his cot where she slept on his chest. As he settled down himself, the blond found more coins than usual under his pillow that evening.