TURNING TIDES

Summary: When a Hyuuga merchant ship is raided by pirates, Hinata is taken as collateral by the ruthless Captain Menma. MenmaHina (RTN Menma x Canon Hinata). Pirate AU.

Hinata stood at the front of the ship allowing the cool sea breeze to rustle through her long indigo hair. The ocean waves rocked the ship ever so slightly, but it was no bother to Hinata, she was too captivated by the way the water stretched out to the horizon in all directions.

She had held many curiosities about the vast ocean her father and uncle had sailed so many times, but she had always been confined to the island she had grown up on. Always forced to live vicariously through the experiences of others.

Hinata had been told since she was young that the open sea was no place for a delicate maiden such as herself, but those warnings did very little to deter her interest.

It wasn't until the past week when she begged Neji for the millionth time to accompany him on his deliveries that he finally relented.

Hinata had stood aboard the Hyuuga merchant ship several times before, observing as the crew loaded their supplies, but being out on the ocean with its endless blue skies and salty sea air was truly a dream.

A dream that soon deteriorated into a nightmare.

It all happened so quickly, one moment Hinata was laughing with Neji as he allowed her to take the wheel, the next she was cowering in a corner behind some crates trying to remain unseen by the dozen or so pirates forcefully boarding their ship.

The vicious intruders were heavily armed and easily overpowered everyone aboard the Hyuuga ship. Hinata covered her own mouth trying to contain her terrified whimpers. As each member of the crew was restrained with heavy rope, she quickly realized there was no way anyone could fight back.

Her heart ached as she watched Neji's anguished features as the awful pirates raided the storeroom for all the valuables aboard their ship. Her pale eyes filled with tears as her beloved cousin's head fell with defeat and the men walked off with every barrel of merchandise and every last bag of coins.

The last glimmer of hope that the pirates would just leave after they had taken everything slowly diminished as an authoritative blonde man sauntered over to Neji, who was bound to a banister of the ship watching helplessly as the pirates ransacked all the goods they were supposed to be delivering.

His billowy white shirt was unbuttoned and his chest was puffed out with arrogance as his deep blue eyes unsympathetically scanned over Neji's dejected form.

"Captain Menma," one of the pirates addressed the man. He stood at attention with his back straight as he reported everything the pirate crew had collected. Menma scowled, seemingly displeased with their haul.

When his fierce blue gaze returned to Neji, Hinata could feel her heart hammering against her chest.

Each step Menma took closer to her beloved cousin seemed to compound her anxious horror. She was the only person from the Hyuuga crew that wasn't incapacitated, and yet she was petrified in place. Completely useless.

Hinata listened as Menma demanded Neji somehow produce more money even after the pirates had taken everything. "I swear we don't have anything more," Neji muttered weakly.

Seemingly unwilling to believe or maybe just unwilling to accept that, Menma reached into the holster strapped to his thigh, before he pressed his revolver between Neji's pale eyes.

Hinata heard the horrified screams before she realized they were coming from her own lips. Without regard for her own safety, she scrambled out toward Neji, sobbing and telling those detestable men to get away from him, to just take what they came for and leave.

But the moment Menma's deep blue eyes landed on her an intrigued smirk spread across his face.

"Hinata, stop! Get back!" Neji cried desperately when he noticed the pirates' attention turn to her.

"The girl," Menma said simply and one of his crew quickly stepped toward her and grabbed her by the arm.

"No! No!" Neji pleaded with a furious shake of his head. "Please!"

Menma cocked his gun and frowned, "I wouldn't move if I was you."

Neji scrunched his eyes closed with a nervous whimper as the cold metal pressed harder into his skin. It was obvious this pirate captain was ruthless.

Hinata struggled in the hands of her captor as he not-so-gently dragged her over to where Menma stood. Critical blue eyes look her up and down, from her beautiful porcelain skin to the swell of her generous chest. She was quite the looker.

Hinata whimpered as his rough fingers gingerly traced over her jaw. "How much is this pretty little pearl worth to you, Hyuuga?" Menma asked with a menacing grin.

"No, please!" Neji begged as hot tears pricked his eyes.

Menma shot him a cold glare and snapped, "I said how much?!"

"I'll give you anything you want," Neji sighed in defeat, and Menma's smile quickly returned.

"You hear that doll face, you're priceless."

"Neji..." Hinata murmured as tears started welling up in her pale eyes, imaging how much Neji was prepared to sacrifice just to keep her safe.

He had worked so hard to keep his father's (her uncle's) business afloat after his death and now he was going to lose everything because of her. Because she had insisted he take her on this voyage. Neji had repeatedly warned her that the open sea wasn't a safe place for a lady, but she didn't listen.

"Here's what's going to happen," Menma began. "You're going to meet me in the Konoha shipyard at midnight in two weeks with 100,000 gold coins, or the girl walks the plank."

"100,000?!" Neji gawked at him with wide eyes. "I-I don't have that kind of money."

An irritated Menma slapped Neji across the face with the butt of his gun. Hinata shrieked as his head lulled to the side, his face dripping blood from a fresh cut on his brow.

"Well good thing you have two weeks to get it," Menma scoffed.

"Let's go, fellas!" he shouted at his crew as he returned his revolver to its holster. The pirates began to disembark the Hyuuga ship with the last barrels of merchandise as her captor began tying her wrists tightly behind her back with a rough rope.

She gasped as he threw her over his shoulder and a sobbing Hinata was hauled off the ship screaming apologies to Neji she desperately hoped he would accept.

"Just bring her to the captain's quarters," she overheard one of the pirates say to another and before she knew it she was dropped onto a not-so-soft bed.

She tried to scramble up and run the moment she found her footing but Captain Menma was already blocking the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Let me go!"

"Just lay down and shut up," he scoffed as he pushed her down to sit on the bed. "You're not going anywhere."

"What?! I can't sleep in your bed with you! I'm a lady!" Hinata protested, scandalized by the mere idea as if she isn't completely at his mercy.

Her body tensed at the sound of Menma's humorless chuckle. "Here's your options, doll face. You can be a good girl and be quiet and go to sleep here, or I can throw you down into the crew's quarters and let them pass you around until you're a bruised and bloody, naked mess passed out on the wooden floor."

The imagery was enough to make her pale eyes widen in horror. His knee pressed into the bed between her thighs as he leaned over her, making her nervous heart beat even faster.

"My crew is effective, but they're absolutely vile. They don't care that you're a lady my little pearl..." Hinata trembled in fear as his fingers gently caressed her cheek. "...to them, you're just a tight, wet hole to stick their dick into."

"Um, I-I would prefer to stay up here with you," she whispered timidly.

Menma gave her a playful wink. "Good choice."

"Y-you're not going to..." her gaze fell to the tan skin of his exposed chest as she swallowed harshly. "... you know."

An amused smile spread over Menma's lips as he used two fingers to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze. His ocean blue eyes darkened like he was ready to devour her.

"Why? Do you want me to?" he husked, his warm breath ghosted over her lips, the proximity making her cheeks flush a bright shade of pink.

"N-no... but you..." she trailed off.

Menma chuckled at her insinuation. "Sure, I like my women with a little fight in them... but in bed, I want them begging for it."

Hinata exhaled a shuddering breath. There was something in the raspy way he spoke that made her entire body feel much too hot.

"I'd never..." she breathed with a soft shake of her head.

"You say that now..." he began, but then his surprisingly soft lips brushed against hers in an unexpected kiss. Hinata barely had time to process the fact that her body instinctively reciprocated before he pulled away. "But you never know," Menma hummed with a smug grin.

She stared at him with wide eyes, her lips still tingling from the contact as he sauntered out of the room, leaving a bound Hinata behind.

She had to get off of this ship and quick.

But how?

A/N: thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! please leave a comment!