YYF14: Thank you for the reviews! Ok, I know this chapter is short, but I kinda just wanted a chapter that got the rest of the past in and all that. Also, I'm kinda unsure of what's going to happen next... Anyway, nothing much else to say, so you can go ahead and read.

Once the two had gotten back to the Pearl, and Jack had reassured Will, Elizabeth, and everyone else who was awake that the boy was alright, the two went to Jack's room.

"You alright, mate? You've been quiet for a while now."

"…This is all so new. I'm… free." Koenma felt a slight exhilaration by saying those words. It felt so good to not dread each day, and to be around people who would care.

Jack smiled and sat on the bed next to the boy. "Aye. Feels great, doesn't it?"

Koenma stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, it does… Thank you for coming for me on that ship, Jack. I honestly wasn't expecting that…"

"You thought I'd abandon you because of that compass?"

Koenma stayed silent, and Jack sighed. "I wouldn't leave you, mate. Remember that I looked at the compass, too."

"Prove it."

Jack took out the compass and gave it to Koenma. "Open it. It still points to me, right?"

"Yes." Koenma gave it back to Jack, and saw the needle swing for a moment, then stop, pointing towards him. Jack closed the compass, and put it away.

"Does that prove it, Koenma?"

"Yes- you called me by my name."

"And is that a bad thing?"

"No… but you never have before…" Koenma smiled slightly, and Jack watched him curiously. The boy seemed elated that he had called him by his name. Koenma blushed.

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

"You're cute when you smile, mate. You need to do that more often."

"…Thank you?"

"You're welcome. What's that mark on your forehead about?"

Koenma looked at him confusedly. "You mean the burn mark? You saw."

"No, the other one."

"Oh." Koenma looked down. "The crew that had me before them put it on. They told me that I acted like a baby… So they put a Jr on my forehead. The skin's still sensitive, so they would burn me there a lot."

Jack nodded and thought for a moment as something occurred to him.

"How'd you live through all this, mate? You've been through enough to kill a person."

"I… I had some help…" Koenma took a small cloth bag out of his pocket. "They gave me this, too. It had two purposes. One, to make sure I wouldn't die on them, and two, it helped them make fun of me."

"Can I see what it is?"

Koenma blushed, but nodded, and took a pacifier out of the bag.

"This thing kept you alive?"

"Yes, surprisingly. According to them, it has healing powers, and I learned how to use it for other things. Gibbs caught me using it once. I was bored, so I jumped off the mast when he called me, and used this thing to slow down the fall. It spooked him, I'm sure."

"That's interesting… Can you use it to heal yourself now?"

"I guess…" Koenma put it in his mouth, and it started to glow blue.

The burns started to fade away, and Jack could clearly see the black "Jr" on Koenma's forehead.

"Sensitive, ay?" Jack murmured, brushing a finger over the mark.

Koenma gasped in surprise and flinched away.

"Sorry, mate. Did I hurt you?"

"No, it just feels strange… Not bad, though…"

Jack watched Koenma put the pacifier back into the bag, then lay down.

"Get some sleep tonight, Koenma. You're not in the rain tonight."

Koenma nodded and lay down, curling up. He watched Jack for a few minutes, then closed his eyes. It had been a busy day.

The two fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed.

YYF14: Okay, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Oh, just saying, I made a PotC forum this morning, if you want to look at it. And something unrelated to this site but still related to PotC- they have a PotC Battleship board game! It's really cool, at least to me. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, and review if you wish!