For you fan-peoples out there who have the PotC Soundtrack, when the practice sword-fight starts, play track 3 and let it go on to 4. Yeah. Yay! Eleven chapters! That makes me happy...

Chapter 10:

Sword Practice

July 31st.

It has been terrible here, with Jack and Aravis making out every five seconds, and they making me do all the work while they are below deck...I don't even want to know what they are doing. I hate them both. They are sickening pirates. I would never be a pirate. It doesn't suit my gentle nature. And, the other day, Aravis crossed her fingers while making out with Jack for the hundredth time. I don't know why. Will wrote quickly, but terribly in an old notebook.

And there was this girl named Ciara, who Aravis seemed to hate, and she even killed her! I like Ciara, because she was pretty, and she disliked Aravis. Though, she did try to sleep with Jack. That's what Aravis said, anyway. But I'm not sure if I can believe her. There are also these Sea Serpent things that Jack keeps steering us into. I nearly got eaten by one, but luckily, I am so strong that I defeated it single-handedly. And also-

"So, don't like the ship, do we?" Aravis glared at him. He groaned.

"You know, I really hate you." He stood up. "So much, that, I don't care if you were one of my biggest customers. You are going. Ta ta!" He picked her up roughly, and chucked her over the edge. He did, in fact, forget that she was a pirate. She clung to the ship's rail, and she let out a screech so loud that Aja and Kamar probably heard it. Jack raced up the steps, and had pulled Aravis up within a minute. Her scream had been enough to make anyone deaf.

She quickly let her reflexes put Will at sword point. "I think one of our crew members needs to walk the plank," she said angrily. "Aye, Jack?" Jack thought a moment.

"Aye, but at Tortuga, so he can have his bonny lass." He smirked. "Besides, he makes a good slave-dog," he whispered, and Aravis giggled silently. He turned away, and took Aravis' hand. They walked, together, back down the steps. "I don't know what's come over me," Jack said to himself as he looked at Aravis' pretty face. They sat down on the bed. "So, why don't we..." Aravis glared at him. "Sing some more pirate songs?" he said, a sheepish look on his face.

"Jack, we have to save some for Tortuga," she said, while staring deeply in his eyes.

"Then why don't we..." He made pointless gestures with his hands.

"Why don't I slap you?" she asked, in a reprimanding tone. She didn't even give him the courtesy to slap him with the palm of her hand, but backhanded him. "Keep your rude remarks to yourself," she warned him. She sighed as he stared at her. "I don't suppose you deserved that one?" she giggled, and let her lips sink into his. They broke apart, but they were still close. "I think you deserved that one." He smiled. She held her arms together like a loop around his neck, and she swung over onto his lap.

"So, do I deserve this?" he asked, and pulled her onto him. They kissed again, but for a very long time. She sighed happily when they finished.

"We really should practice our sword-fighting skills, Jack. It wouldn't be presentable if we got to the Aja Tournaments and couldn't beat the living daylights out of them," she joked.

"Why not, love?" He stood up, pulling her with him. He took his sword out of its sheath, as did Aravis. They crossed swords. Jack enjoyed sword-fights, but not when your opponent was a girl that you liked. They began.

Jack was stronger than her, but Aravis was quick. She was able to dodge his blows, and she also re-cut his scar, the one that had an A. "I see you still have your scar, the one I gave you four days ago," she said competitively. He smiled a little, but then frowned.

"Love, what is that on your hand?" he asked as they clashed swords. There was a black glove-like thing on her right hand.

"It's where you cut my hand and knocked my sword far away," she replied, and parried a blow from him. "I've learned since then." She smiled. "It's made of leather. I got it in Kamar. So, you can try and cut my hand to pieces," she said sarcastically. "But you'll only scratch my hand protector."

They clashed swords again, but Aravis dove between his legs and put her swords around his throat. He started running backwards, and Aravis let go and moved out of the way. He backed into a wall. She snickered. Jack came up behind her and had her in a headlock.

"Not very original, Jack." Aravis shook her head as she whipped her right leg around his, and pulled forward. He let go, trying to re-gain his balance. "That trick always works," Aravis smirked. She brought up her legs and wound them around Jack's neck, and lurched them the other way, making him fall over on his face. She put her sword to his throat. "That always works too," she taunted. Jack clashed his sword with hers, and brought it away from his neck. She attempted to kick him, but he grabbed her leg.

"That one works too," Jack said sarcastically. He pulled her leg up, and she put her hands down so that she wouldn't hit her head on the wooden floor. "Sticks and stones, love," he grinned. She grunted as she put down her other leg, the one he wasn't holding, and winced as it touched the floor. Jack raised both eyebrows. "Bugger." She held out both of her swords, and had them both at his neck, while doing the splits.

"Dangit, that hurts," Aravis said. "Too bad you didn't get a hand protector." Aravis grinned. She put one of her swords to his hand. "Stick and stones, Jack," she smirked. But before she could cut his hand, he let go of her leg, which surprised her, and she fell backward. He caught her, but had his sword at the back of her neck.

"Sticks and stones." Jack smiled. "So, do you give up?" he asked. She sighed.

"No," she replied, and she kneed him in the stomach. He grunted, and put his hands to his stomach.

"Nice trick," he commented, while cringing his face.

"Thanks," she replied, and held her swords at his neck again. "So, it appears that I have the upper hand, doesn't it?" she asked. Jack grabbed her arms, and pushed so that his arms were crossed but her swords were off his neck. He pulled her close, but instead of a kiss, he gave her a headbutt. She cried out and put her hand to her head. "Oh, gosh, dangit," she gasped. "Oy, you have a really hard head!" She winced. Jack put his sword at her neck.

"Do you give in?" he asked, but then he looked at her face. Her eyes rolled back into her head. "Love!" he yelled, and shook his hands wildly. He dropped his sword, and grabbed her. "Love! Love! Answer me!" Her eyes swept back into vision, and she pulled him closer, and they shared a kiss again. Then he felt a sharp point at the tip of his neck. "You're good," he complimented.

"Thank you." She shook her head. "You should know by now, Jack," she told him.

"Know what?" he asked.

"That you should never trust a pirate."

"True," he agreed. He pushed his hands apart again, so that her swords were not at his neck, but his right hand brushed the side of one of her swords. "Agh!" He clutched his hand. His sword had fallen to the floor.

"That's what it's like," Aravis smirked. He ran to the bed, picked up the snakes, and threw them at her face. "Violent!" she said, shaking the cobras off. While she got them off, he put his foot under his sword and kicked it up. He caught it, and had it in his left hand.

"You never know when that can come in handy," he said, referring to the snakes and to his ambidextrous advantage.

"Nice trick; I never learned that. You might have an advantage," she said jokingly.

"Perhaps," he started. "Or perhaps you're planning on turning my advantage around so that it can be your advantage, aye?" Aravis frowned.

"What?" she asked, confused. She raised one eyebrow.

"Never mind." They clashed swords again. She snickered a little.

"Right." They talked about random things; the weather, types of rum, the size of Tortuga, the number of scattered islands, the amount of rum they had, how annoying Will was, the amount of rum that could be made within an hour, if they should stop at Kamar on their way back, the list could go on and on.

They kept clashing swords while they talked, and one would get the upper hand, but then the other would use a trick that gave him or her the upper hand. Then the other would do something that caught the other off guard, and...well, you get the idea. It went on and on and on and on.

It had taken so long that Jack finally said, "So, what are we to do? Keep on clashing swords as two fine swordsmen-" Jack stopped. "-Swordsperson-until we get to Tortuga and our skills are good but our hunger and sleep are terrible? So terrible that we can't beat the bloody heck out of them?" Aravis smiled.

"No. We just wait for you to say the words," she laughed. Jack rolled his eyes. "Or we could call a tie." Jack thought about that suggestion. They both breathed heavily, trying to catch their breath. Both of their faces were red, and they were sweating. They had been doing this for at least two hours.

"Deal," he said at last. Aravis smiled, and nodded.

"Deal," she said, and they shook hands. "Well, I should go to the crow's nest, since it is my job and it's probably already late in the afternoon," she remembered, and she put away her swords. Jack did the same.

"Right," he nodded his head. "I'll get the rum." She smiled, and darted above deck. Jack walked drunken-ly to the kitchen, and took his time getting the rum. There was no point in hurrying, and, his muscles ached from sword-fighting for more than two hours. He watched the snakes slither around while he slowly grabbed the bottles. He grabbed an apple, and bit into it. He got one for Aravis, too.

Will saw Aravis holding a bird, but she was on the other side of the ship, so he couldn't make out what type it was, or what she did with it. But he could tell something was fishy. Or birdy.

Hi! I'll try to have a short author's note this time! Ouch. I hate the splits. Oh no...what's Aravis up to? Oh my gosh! Yay! Backhanding! That was for you, Rabid Rabbit's Rampage! Yay! They're going to dump Will! Yay! No Fluff! Thanks to Mean Titan and Rabid Rabbit's Rampage for reviewing continuously. Yeah. Bad pun. "Birdy." Bye!