Chapter 9

Lovino glanced down at the rough wooden pier that had suddenly appeared beside the ship, his wide amber eyes flickering up to take in the bustling port clogged with drunk sailors, loud vendors, and scantily-clad prostitutes.

"...Did I die and go to hell?" he asked wryly, not really expecting an answer.

Someone snorted behind him, causing the Italian to jump. Lovino glanced over his shoulder, his lips falling open in surprise when he saw Lars standing a few inches away, his thick arms crossed awkwardly in front of the broad, muscular chest that was barely hidden by a loose white shirt and his usual blue-and-white scarf. The Dutchman's lips quirked up into a small, reluctant smirk at the sight of Lovino's shock before he returned his gaze to the port, his light blue eyes narrowing protectively when he noticed Bella and Carmen walking past them on the pier.

"Waar denk je dat je heen gaat? (Where do you think you're going?)" he called sharply.

Both girls glanced up with raised eyebrows and shrugged.

"Inkopen (Shopping)," Bella yelled back.

"Alone?" Lars nearly growled, his expression shifting abruptly into a dangerous look that had Lovino inching away.

Bella and Carmen were unimpressed.

"No," Carmen retorted. "Lovino's coming with us. Aren't you, Lovi?"

Lars turned his glare on the confused Italian. "...Oh he is, is he?"

"Ah..." Lovino glanced down at the two women that were suddenly watching him with interest, their expressions bright with innocent smiles. "...They're armed, aren't they?"

"To the teeth," Lars admitted with a sigh. "You might as well go with them, they'll be able to take care of you if you do something stupid."

"What the hell?" Lovino sputtered. "What happened to that whole protective act you were pulling five seconds ago?"

Lars's cheeks flushed slightly and he shrugged. "...I'm still the older brother, dammit..."

The Italian laughed suddenly, much to the older man's surprise. "Dio, I know the feeling. Alright, I'll go with them."

"Wise choice," Carmen yelled. "Now get your ass down here, italiano (Italian). Isa will kill us if all of the good food is gone before we get to the market."

Lovino sighed heavily and hurried down to the pier, his brow furrowing thoughtfully as he fell into step beside the two girls.

"...Do they sell tomatoes?" he asked quietly.

*Spamano*Spamano*Spamano*

Sadik Adnan leaned casually against the corner of the tavern, his lips quirking up into a smug grin when he caught sight of several prostitutes leering at him from across the street. He winked at them, his smile widening when one of them gasped and fairly swooned into the arms of one of her companions. The Turk chuckled quietly and melted further into the shadows cast by the building as two other women passed by accompanied by an annoyed Italian.

Lovino Vargas didn't realize that he was being watched. Then again, not many did. Sadik often wondered how people could be so ignorant, how they could overlook things that were right in front of them...

A man's calm, unreadable features swam across his vision for a brief moment, his coffee-colored skin framed by soft white folds of fabric. Sadik grimaced and closed his eyes, struggling to force the image away before he could see the harsh, accusing light in the other man's golden-brown eyes. The Turk took a deep, calming breath and forced his eyes open once again. Another, more reluctant smile made its way onto his lips when he saw that the eldest Vargas twin had drawn closer to his hiding spot while his female companions stopped to peer into a shop window filled with gleaming swords and daggers. In one swift, silent motion, Sadik reached out and pulled the Italian towards him, his free hand fastening around the younger man's mouth before he could cry out.

"Merhaba küçük melek (Hello little angel)," he purred, his lips curling in pleasure when the endearment made the Italian stiffen. "Did you miss me?"

Several muffled growls escaped Lovino's lips indicated that he had not, in fact, been missed. Sadik snickered and tightened his grip on the Italian before slipping into the alley next to the tavern, his eyes locked on Lovino's friends behind his mask. He waited a moment before leaning close to the tense Italian, his lips barely an inch away from a scarlet ear.

"The Captain's getting a bit anxious, you know," he whispered silkily. "He figured Carriedo would make port here and sent me to see if you had made any progress." The Turkish pirate paused and took his time looking over the Italian, his gaze lingering purposely on a certain area of his lower regions. Lovino snarled and bucked violently against his grip, only to gasp when the action only caused Sadik to tighten his grip on his prisoner's neck.

"Ah, ah, ah," he hissed. "Now, judging by the fact that you're not dead, I'm assuming that Carriedo has decided to keep you around. Although, it doesn't look like you've made it into his bed yet..."

Lovino flushed bright red and glared at Sadik, not quite able to mask the slight trembling of his hands. He glanced up at the sound of twin cries of alarm, his amber eyes tightening above Sadik's hand. Sadik glanced lazily over his shoulder, a small chuckle breaking through his lips when he saw the two pirate girls run past the alley, their hands hovering anxiously over the sheathed weapons at their hips.

"Looks like your friends are worried," the Turk mused. "Don't worry, I won't keep you much longer; I just need to pass on a message: Stop fucking around. Captain Bonnefoy will be coming for Carriedo's ship in a week. Get the job done, or die trying. Your brother will suffer if you don't, anladın mı (understand)?"

Lovino nodded stiffly. Sadik grinned and leaned closer, trying to ignore the sudden, aching familiarity that he felt at the sight of the fire in the younger man's eyes.

Gupta had had a fire like that once...

"Make sure you get the job done, kid," Sadik murmured quietly. "Bonnefoy doesn't take kindly to failure." I know that more than anyone.

Lovino growled and struggled to escape, another whimper breaking through his lips when Sadik instinctively tightened his grip.

"...Let go of him, κώλος (asshole)."

Sadik stiffened in surprise and whirled around, his eyebrows rising behind his mask when he caught sight of a slender brown-haired man wielding a cross-shaped spear. The man glared at Sadik, his moss-green eyes flashing. Another, smaller man stood behind him, his wide brown eyes half-hidden beneath silky black hair. The smaller man bowed slightly in greeting, his own hands fastened around the hilt of a gleaming katana.

"Adnan-san," he called quietly. "Release the boy, please."

Sadik sneered and roughly shoved Lovino into the brown-haired man's arms, a low bark of laughter escaping his throat when the man was forced to drop his spear in order to catch the Italian.

"Take him," Sadik growled. "I've had my fun with him already, feta breath."

The brunette's eyes narrowed and he silently pushed Lovino towards his raven-haired companion, his green eyes never leaving Sadik's as he bent to retrieve his spear.

"Kiku," he murmured. "Take the boy into the tavern while I-"

"Herakles," Kiku interrupted urgently. "Please, this isn't necessary."

"He was assaulting-"

"Not here," Kiku urged. "Herakles. I don't want to be forced out of my home again."

The Greek grimaced guiltily and reluctantly lowered his spear.

"Get the hell out of here, Sadik," he snapped. "And don't let me see you here again, or I swear I will kill you."

The Turk offered him an elaborate bow and pushed past him onto the streets, his smug smile faltering slightly when Kiku scrambled out of his way.

"…It was nice seeing you, Kiku," he murmured quietly. He grinned hesitantly, hoping to draw an answering smile from the unreadable man. "You sure you don't want to leave this boring cat-man?"

"I am fine here, thank you," Kiku replied quickly.

Sadik smiled tightly and continued on his way, his steps faltering for a brief moment as Herakles's voice followed him out into the streets.

"Gupta sends his regards."

Damn you, Herakles.

Hi guys! I'm really sorry that it took me so long to get a chapter up…. Again. But thank you so much for having patience with me and for not sending ninjas to murder me in the middle of the night. I really hope that I can make my way towards a better updating schedule but, unfortunately, it doesn't look like my schedule is going to get much calmer for a bit longer. Please continue to have patience with me, and thank you so much to all the people who have read/reviewed this so far. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think, okay? Reviews give me more motivation to write!