Hey, I'm still alive… Look everyone! I survived the first couple of days of school! One comment on that: Pre-Calculus is now the bane of my existence.

#falls over in shock# 87 reviews! I got more than 10 reviews on one chapter! ACK! Yes, I know I'm a total review whore.

Smithy – Well, here's the thing: Yin Sao lost his brother so he can understand how Jack feels. Basically, that's the one thing he can't bring himself to force upon other people. It's just how he works. Well, hope you like this chapter and the ones coming up.

Sanquinedarkness666 – Purple giraffe. #giggle# And I like the purple hair. Glad you agree with where I broke it off. And yes, now we'll have to give Jack hugs too. Oh well, we don't mind, do we?

Marie Crosby – Yes, I do. I think the proper type of torture to use on a person depends on the personality of the victim. Jack just strikes me as the type who'd be more effected by the mental half of the torture spectrum more than the physical half. Here's the next chapter. Have fun with it!

MagRowan – I know it seems kind of random, but I do have my reasoning. You'll see soon. And by the way, that's cool. That thing about Japanese names, I mean. Yeah, I'm a total geek, but I think that was really neat. Thanks for the info, next time, I won't make that mistake. (And sorry it was obvious I know nothing about Japanese phonetics. I just knew they were Asian sounding names.) And here's that encounter you've been waiting for. Haha! The fun!

Dancin' – Calm down. Calm down, and here's the next chapter.

Daphnebandweenie – Thanks for giving me my folder back! I love you bunches! And I don't know about my Power Rangers shirt…

Mi Ana I Numen- Numen – Wow, I'm super glad you like my writing. And honestly, I hope there's a little bit more on Jack and Will's friendship in PotC2. Hope you get the e-mail I'm sending, and remember, you have been sworn to silence. SHHHH! Anyway, hope you like this chapter.

Silverpaw – 50 more cookies? Wow, I'm going to be fat. Hmmm, you know what, now I'm hungry. Hope this was soon enough for you. Enjoy.

SpufFan – You are totally forgiven. And yes, if you need ideas, come to me. I can come up with some major doozies. Thanks for the awesome compliment! And I agree with you. It's my personal opinion, as well as yours obviously, that Jack will always care about Will. Thus is the nature of friendship. Isn't it sweet? Well, hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Williz – I like the… delicate way you put that. Haha! And glad you liked the name. Here's the next chapter. Read, and tell me what you thought. Please? #puppy dog pout# And you were waiting for little Jackie to have his moment? Well, he'll have one of 'em here.

Okay, one more thing before the actual chapter. This one might be a bit… emotional. I made my cousins cry, so I thought I just might need to put a warning on this one. You've been warned. Things should be okay though, Well, with you guys, at least. Not sayin' anything about the characters.

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BlackSword

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Chapter 11

"Captain Sparrow, the Assassin is in view," Yin Sao called.

Jack looked up quickly, "It is? Thank the Lord." He glanced back at Miguel and Paul, letting a smile flash across his face. There was no mistaking the joy and excitement in his eyes for anything else.

He then turned back, eyes seeking out Jackie. The boy stood, blinking up at him. "Why are we after the Assassin, Captain Sparrow? I thought you were going to drop me off with my mom before you went after Blacksword."

"Slight change of plans. I, uh… had some unfinished business I needed to deal with, now." He then turned serious, more so than he'd ever been before. "Jackie, I want you to lock yourself in this room, do you hear me? There is a high likelihood of this ship getting boarded by Blacksword's crew, so I need you to stay here where you'll be safe. Miguel, Paul," he said, turning back towards them, "you two need to keep an eye on him, savvy?"

They nodded, but Jackie protested, "But, Captain, where will you be?"

Jack's eyes hardened visibly, "I'll be taking care of Blacksword." With that, he turned and left the room, heading up towards the deck.

"Nervous?" Yin Sao asked, joining him on the deck.

Jack's eyes didn't leave the ship that was slowly growing larger on the horizon, but he nodded all the same. "Afraid is more like it. Afraid that despite everything, I'll still have failed. That he'll still die."

Shrugging, Yin answered, "You cannot control death, no one can. At least no mortal. If he dies it will not be your fault. You are doing everything in your power; do not fault yourself."

Though he knew the other spoke the truth, it didn't mean Jack wanted to accept it. He merely stared at the Assassin, hoping he wasn't already too late.

"Best get ready, Captain. The Assassin will soon be in range."

"In range?" Jack asked in alarm. "In range for what?"

"The cannons, of course," the Japanese man answered nonchalantly.

Jack, though, looked shocked, and then fear filled his eyes. "No cannons," he ordered, "Will is aboard that ship. You are not going to blow it apart with him still on it."

"How are my crew supposed to provide a distraction if we can't use the cannons?"

"Do what you did with us. Fool them, don't start the fight until you believe I've had enough time to find him."

Yin slowly nodded, "Okay, we'll try." Eyeing the ship, he said, "Get out of sight, we approach being within seeing range."

Jack quickly did as suggested, hiding in the shadows of the Hornet Dragon. He listened quietly to the conversation that soon began.

"What do you want?"

Jack's jaw tightened as he realized it was Blacksword's voice he heard. It took much of his control not to burst out and throttle the other pirate captain.

Slowly, he slipped away on board the Assassin, being exceedingly careful not to be seen. Once on board, it was easy to disappear; all of Blacksword's crew were paying full attention to Yin Sao and his crew.

Carefully picking his way to the brig, he could barely contain the anxiety that was eating him up inside.

Quickly entering the brig, he froze when he realized no one was in the cells. Out of the ten odd prisoners that had been there the last time, not a one of them was here now.

Swallowing hard, he forced his body to once again respond to his commands. He hadn't exactly expected Will to be in these cells but still… it scared him, not seeing anyone in the room. Remembering the isolated cell Blacksword had kept Jackie in, he approached it slowly. In there, he would find what he both wanted most and feared most.

His eyes fell upon Will's unmoving form. Despite the bloody appearance of his friend, he couldn't stop the small thrill of joy that shot through him. He could see the faint rise and fall of the other's chest; Will was alive! Alive and breathing.

Had there not been bars separating them, he would have run over and hugged the other. As it was, the bars only slowed him or as long as it took to pick the lock, which was only a few seconds.

Jack was instantly next to Will and it took a great deal of his control to keep himself from crying with relief and joy.

The joy quickly turned to concern as he looked over Will. The younger man's face was bruised and bloody and both his lips were busted. Not only that, but there was a deep cut along his left cheek and a second over his right eye.

Anger flowed inside Jack as he continued to check over his friend. He soon noticed that Will's face was the least of his worries.

Will's chest was drenched in blood but his shirt covered his actual wounds, preventing Jack from seeing the full extent of his injuries. There was a small pool of blood under him, as if verifying that his wounds weren't all old and healed but many were new and still bleeding freely.

Slowly and gently, Jack took hold of Will and pulled him towards him. To his surprise, something stopped him, and Will jerked to a stop. Jack winced sympathetically and searched for whatever it had been that stopped him. His caramel eyes fell upon the shackles around Will's wrists and he stopped.

His eyes narrowed angrily. Blacksword not only had kept Will in a cell like a prisoner, but he kept him shackled to the floor like an animal.

Gently placing his hands on Will's shoulders- being exceedingly careful of the other's injuries- Jack gently shook Will. "Will," he said quietly, "Will, wake up." There was no response. Slight fear gripped his heart, "Will? Come on, Will. Wake up."

Once again, there was no answer. His hands tightened uncontrollably. "Will-"

Suddenly Will's dark brown eyes snapped open, an unchecked moan escaping him. As soon as his eyes focused on Jack, though, he screamed in sheer terror.

Jack flinched away from Will, eyes widening. As soon as his shock wore off, his hands snapped forward, clamping down on Will's mouth. "Will, be quiet," he hissed. "Come on, it's me. What's wrong?"

Slowly, Will's screaming subsided but the look of fear still remained in his large, dark brown eyes. "Wh… what do… you want, you bloody… bastard?"

Blinking, Jack reeled back in surprise, not comprehending his friend's emotions. "What?" he asked in shock. "Will… it's me," he repeated, "Jack. Remember?"

"Go to hell," Will responded bitterly. He began to tremble softly, his fear and agony rising. He knew Jack would probably kill him for saying that, but he didn't care. At least it would end his suffering.

Startled, Jack tried to shake the emotional numbness that threatened to consume him. "Will, what…? I don't under…-" Abruptly, his mind slid backwards, to what Chris had told him.

"Your best friend now thinks you were the one torturing him."

"Oh, God," he whispered. "Will… it wasn't me, I swear. I would never do that to you. It wasn't me… brother." The last word he didn't mean to add, it merely slipped out, and not only that, but it also felt right. Misery wound around Jack's heart. If Will wouldn't trust him…

"Sure."

The pain, heartache, and sarcasm in Will's voice nearly broke Jack's heart. There was no way for him to know what his friend had been through. He closed his eyes sadly. What could he possibly do to convince Will of the truth when it had been kept from him for so long?

"Will, it wasn't me. They… did it to you, not me." Pain shot through him at the thought of the cruel mistreatment that had befallen his friend. "What can I do to convince you of this?" his caramel eyes were soft and pleading for Will to believe him.

Will continued to shiver uncontrollably, almost ignoring his question. "Please, don't hurt me," the young blacksmith whispered.

Bowing his head, Jack almost began to cry; Will's plea was heartbreaking. His hands tightened around his friend and he rested his head on the other's chest lightly. "I won't hurt you," he whispered back. "I couldn't. You're more than my best friend, you're also the only family I have."

Staring in confusion, Will watched Jack as best he could. He could feel the other's hitched breathing and knew that, for whatever reason, Jack was on the verge of tears. He couldn't understand what was happening. It was almost as if the old Jack was back, and God, did he ever want to believe that...

"You have to believe me," the pirate said again.

Before Jack could say anything else, he was cut off as the young man in front of him burst into tears and held onto him for dear life. Will's left arm was holding Jack against him as he quietly sobbed against the captain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Will repeated quickly and miserably.

Jack was caught off guard by Will's sudden shift in attitudes. Once he realized what had happened though, he hugged the other fiercely and reassuringly.

"What are you apologizing for?" Jack asked, forcing back his own tears. "You didn't do anything to me." He didn't care that the blood that covered Will was getting all over him, nor was he aware of it. He was only aware of the harsh, racking sobs escaping his friend.

"S… sorry I… didn't believe… you," Will said, continuing to cry. His grip on Jack hadn't loosened and his tears continued to roll down his face onto Jack.

Swallowing hard, Jack pulled Will as close as the shackles would allow. "I'm the one that should apologize," he said quietly, face only inches from Will's. "I tried to be here sooner, I swear I did. I never would have left you alone for so long had I known. I promise…" he trailed off, noticing for the first time the way Will only moved his left arm and kept his right perfectly still. "Will, are you okay?"

He realized a few seconds too late the stupidity of his question. Of course Will was not all right. He didn't wait for his friend's answer; his hands were already running along Will's arm in an attempt to discover what was wrong. At first he was confused; he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but a few seconds later his fingers found the break in the other's shoulder.

He winced in sympathy; the bone hadn't even been set and had obviously been broken for several weeks. Even the gentle touch of his hand was enough to send hot spokes of agony through Will, and he whimpered softly.

Jack didn't miss the quiet sounds of pain that escaped his friend. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, moving his hands, "Sorry."

Will had squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to control his pain but he couldn't. He felt the light brush of a hand across his neck and he reopened them to see Jack gently fingering the knife wound along the bottom of his throat.

"He actually did cut you there then," Jack said, eyes finally meeting Will's. The dark brown eyes were glazed and full of pain, but all things considering, were actually fairly clear.

Slowly nodding in answer to Jack's question, Will reached over with his left hand and gently took hold of Jack's. "Thank you. For coming after me." He began to fade away, eyes rolling into the back of his head, but Jack stopped him.

"Will, stay awake, okay? The last thing I need after all this is for you to die on me now." Slowly, Will's eyes regained focus and Jack sighed in soft relief. "Will, do you think you can stand? We need to get out of here."

Will blinked then said, "If it'll get me out of here, I'll follow you anywhere."

Laughing softly, Jack hugged Will one final time, then gently released the young blacksmith. "Okay then. Let's get you out of these shackles," he said, raising his eyebrows. He was unsure of Will's injuries and he didn't want to further hurt him, so he wanted to know what his friend through of this.

Nodding as much as his injured body would allow, Will finally began to relax. Most of his tension drained away as he finally started to fully accept the fact that Jack was there to help him.

Reaching into his belt, Jack pulled out the knife he had used to pick the lock on the cell door. He started in surprise when upon seeing the knife, Will screamed.

Will couldn't help it; though he had now accepted that Jack had not been the one behind his beating, there was no escaping his hellish memories. Seeing Jack, bending over him, knife in hand caused his mind to slide backwards into the darkness of his nightmares.

Jack had frozen, trying to figure out what had triggered his friend's reaction. Suddenly, he realized the knife in his had had to have done it. He flipped the blade around so that the edge was facing towards him, but he didn't drop it.

"Will! Will, calm down. It's okay," Jack said, comfortingly. "Come on, calm down." His hand once again clamped down on his friend's mouth, but he hated himself for it. His friend had been through hell, so he loathed his inability to avoid traumatizing his friend further.

Once again, after a few minutes, Will's screams died down. Jack was incredibly glad when it was over. "Will, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. All I'm going to do is get the shackles off, okay?"

The fear had slowly drained out of his friend's eyes, yet he could still feel the gasping breaths Will was struggling for. "Okay," Will answered softly, trying to force his now tense body to relax.

Slowly, Jack spun the knife around and attacked the locks holding Will. A few seconds later, the first shackle fell away. Jack stopped for a second and stared at Will's wrist. It was raw and bloody; the inside of the shackles stained permanently dark with his blood.

Grinding his teeth together angrily, Jack then turned his attention to the last chain. Will was soon free and he was extraordinarily glad to be so. With his left hand, he gently rubbed his right wrist, although that was the least of his problems.

"Thanks, Jack," Will said softly. "You have no idea how-"

He was abruptly cut off as Jack motioned for him to be silent. Curiously watching his friend, Will cocked his head, wondering what had alerted Jack.

Jack noticed the confused look on his friend's face so he hissed an explanation, "I'm pretty sure I heard something."

Will's eyes widened fearfully. If there was anything worse than Blacksword finding him free, it would be finding him free with Jack Sparrow. He began to shiver uncontrollably, terror consuming him.

Noticing his friend's distress, Jack gently placed his hand on his friend's chest. "It's okay," he said softly, voice low and comforting. "Don't worry, there is no way he's going to hurt you anymore. It's over." He could feel his friend's rapid heartbeat and knew his friend needed to calm down.

Silence filled the room and Jack began to wonder if he'd been hearing things. Suddenly, the loud explosion from a cannon shattered the quiet. Jack jumped; whatever he had been expecting, it had not been that. 'Yin must have had to quit his charade,' he though to himself.

He turned his attention back to Will. The younger man's face was white with fear. Dark brown eyes met his caramel ones. "Jack, we have to get out of here." His voice slowly rose in panic.

Jack quickly nodded his agreement. "Come on, before this whole ship blows up." Rising quickly to his feet, he then bent to help Will up. It was difficult, given the broken shoulder, but he had to. Once on his feet, Will wavered uncontrollably and it was only because of Jack's support that he didn't go crashing once again to the floor.

Grunting softly as he supported most of his friend's weight, he thought to ask, "Will, do you think you can walk?"

Will nodded slowly, although he wasn't really sure. Jack could see the uncertainty in the young blacksmith's gaze. To his surprise, Will pulled away from him, determined to stand on his own. Jack allowed the other the freedom to try, but he stayed close in case it proved impossible. Will wavered but managed to stay on his feet.

Another cannon explosion rocked the ship, sending Will crashing into Jack. Jack caught hold of his friend and somehow managed to keep them both upright. Slowly, he helped the younger man regain his balance.

A look of pure gratefulness cross Will's face, causing Jack to feel strange. "Let's get out of here; some friends of mine are about to blow up this ship, or so it seems."

Nodding, Will followed Jack out of the brig, glancing nervously around. Jack understood his friend's fear; he didn't exactly want to meet up with Blacksword either.

Unfortunately, though, as if fate decided to spite the two men, about that time Black Andrew came around the corner, trailed closely by Ricky. They stopped dead, staring in shock at their freed prisoner and the captain they had been hoping to draw there.

"Will," Jack whispered softly, "run."

Without hesitation, Will obeyed his friend's command, with a strength spurred on by adrenaline alone. Jack was right behind; he was not stupid enough o attempt to fight Blacksword at the moment.

A gunshot echoed through the hall, almost overridden by the now near-constant cannon explosions. The bullet smashed into the wood immediately beside Jack, causing him to jump. He also knew the sole reason Will didn't turn to make sure he was okay was because of the sounds of the pirates slightly erratic footfalls.

Jack heard Blacksword and his crewman still following them. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Jack hissed to himself. He and Will were in way too much trouble for them to be able to deal with.

"Damn it, Sparrow. You're dead when I get my hands on you; so is Turner."

Ignoring Blacksword's threats, Jack continued after Will. Finally, they gained the deck but Jack instantly saw their problem. There was nowhere for them to go to escape from Black Andrew.

Will must have reached the same conclusion, either that or his strength gave out, because he stopped, doubling over and panting heavily.

Jack stopped as well, turning to face the angry pirate captain. Slowly, Jack edged between Black Andrew and Will; he had told Will that he would not allow Blacksword to hurt him further, and he intended to keep his word.

Glaring angrily, Blacksword said, "Well, I must admit, I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it here in time, Sparrow." He had to yell to he heard over the cannon fire.

Looking around for someway out, Jack realized that no one else was on board the Assassin. All of Blacksword's crew was aboard the Hornet Dragon, attempting to kill Yin Sao and his men and take possession of the ship.

Ricky walked around Black Andrew, training his pistols on the two men. One was aimed between Will's eyes and the second was aimed similarly on Jack.

"I'm also surprised you managed to sneak your friend out of the brig without me noticing earlier."

Jack didn't answer or move; the fear of getting his best friend killed kept him still.

"Now, the question is… who should I kill first?"

Jackie rummaged furiously through a chest he had found in the room he was locked in. Though he may have let Captain Sparrow lock him in the room, he didn't intend to just sit around quietly.

The eight-year-old was confident in his protectors' abilities. Over the last week, he had gotten to know Miguel and Paul better and knew they would not allow anything to happen to him.

Finally, he found what he had been looking for. Grinning, the boy pulled out a beautiful, oriental knife. He couldn't help but examine it; it gave him something to do. The knife was beautiful, but- in Jackie's opinion- it was nowhere near as nice as some of the blades his father had made, nor was it as well balanced.

Lost in thought, Jackie was not expecting the sudden thump as something slammed into the door of the room. He jumped and eyed the door, his hand instinctively tightening on the hilt. Another thump caused him to jump again. 'What are Miguel and Paul doing?'

"I know you're in there, boy," a voice from outside cracked.

Jackie's dark brown eyes widened; that was not Miguel's voice, nor was it Paul's.

"It's only a matter of time before I get to you," the voice said again.

Backing away from the door, staring at it with huge, frightened eyes, he ran into the chest. He looked back, noticing for the first time what else was in it. He spun around, dropping to his knees in front of the chest. Reaching in, he pulled out three more small daggers and shoved them into his belt. He also spotted a small jar inside as well and, despite the fact that he had an angry pirate attempting to break down the door, he stopped and lifted the jar. It was filled with a thick, white, milky substance.

On impulse, he picked up the jar and turned to face the door, wondering how he was supposed to take on a pirate with no one to help him. His dark brown eyes fell upon a small ledge above the door and his sharp mind quickly began to pull together fragments of ideas and combine them.

Running over, despite the splintering door, Jackie jumped up, placing the jar on the ledge. The next time he jumped up, he grabbed onto the ledge and hauled his small body up onto it. Carefully, he balanced himself on it, knife in one hand and the jar in the other.

About the time he managed to gain his balance, the door splintered again and shattered inward. Two burly pirates entered in, glancing around for the small boy they were supposed to be hunting.

Silently, Jackie drew back his arm, readying himself. He was scared, yes- hell, he was terrified- but it was understandable. He was only eight-years-old but here he was, about to have to kill to survive. Swallowing hard, he threw the knife hard, aiming for the nearest pirate.

The knife buried itself in the back of the pirate's neck, the blade cutting through his spinal cord, windpipe, and the tip actually jutting from the front of his throat. The pirate gurgled, blood pouring from his throat, and dropped.

The second pirate spun around just in time to get a glimpse of the boy he'd been hunting before a hard, glass jar smashed into his face, shattering into small, dangerous fragments.

Jackie jumped down from the ledge and started forward, but stopped in sheer horror. Where the thick, milky liquid had touched the pirate's face, the skin had begun to melt away, leaving only muscle and bones.

Lurching forward, Jackie rushed up and jerked the knife from the dead pirate' throat, despite the sickening grinding as the blade passed by bone. Then he staggered backwards, still staring in fear at the one live pirate as his face continued to melt away.

Helplessly gurgling, the pirate flailed about, trying to grab hold of the child that had done this to him. Finally snapping completely out of his shock, Jackie turned and bolted out of the door, still clutching the bloody knife in his small fists.

Running down the hall, he became aware of the shouts alerting the rest of Blacksword's crew. He had to find somewhere else safe to hide, and as quickly as possible. Fear spurred him on as he frantically searched for another unlocked room.

The sounds of men following frightened him and he couldn't help but wonder where Miguel and Paul were and if they were all right. He certainly hoped so; the thought of perhaps causing their deaths was highly disturbing.

Finally spotting an unlocked room, he raced to it and jerked it open. Before he could slip inside, though, one single gunshot ripped down the hall.

TBC

Lookie! I have a cliffhanger! Fun for me… At least, until I start getting death threats.