Ahoy, me mateys! THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed and favorited, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Sorry it took so long to get this up, with school starting and blah blah you don't wanna hear my excuses. read on! Also, yes, I am obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean so this story is going to bear some similarities to it xD I guess I should widen my disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Soul Eater, or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Maka stood at the bow of the ship, her feet atop the railing and her hands holding a firm grip on the edge. She grinned as her hair blew in the ocean breeze, inhaling the already familiar scent of seawater and fresh air.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…" She sang softly.

"Having fun?" came a sweet voice from behind her. Maka was so startled she nearly fell off the railing.

"Ah, sorry!" Tsubaki called. "Didn't mean to scare you!" Maka quickly re-found her footing and turned to face the woman.

"It's okay," She smiled. "I was just lost in thought. It happens to me a lot," She admitted with a laugh.

"I just figured you'd want to know more about this port we're heading to? The captain told me you've never been out to sea before."
Maka laughed again, "More like never been out of my castle before. You can't possibly imagine how free I've felt these last few days." Tsubaki unexpectedly frowned a bit, but continued on.

"Yes, well, I just wanted to…Well, I wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into. Our captain is probably the most respectable, kind pirate you're going to find. He's harsh when he needs to be, and that's rarely. We only steal from terribly rich royal families and he doesn't permit any of the crew to succumb to acts of rape or murder for any reason. But there are also the pirates you've read about."

Maka nodded solemnly. She was a quick learner; she'd realized this pirate ship was probably not the way all were run. Even within her castle, she'd met her fair share of nasty characters- she could only imagine how much worse it got without the confines of town rulers.

Tsubaki continued, "At Tortuga, you're going to meet some very lively, wonderful people. But you're also going to be in danger constantly. In danger of having your things stolen, of being hurt or worse. So today and tomorrow, I've convinced the captain to prepare you for the life of a pirate." Suddenly, her voice softened. "Maka, this is your last chance. The captain has a soft spot for you; he'll take you back if you can't do this. Life as a pirate is one of incredible adventure, but also extreme jeopardy. Do you want to do this?"
Maka didn't have to think twice. She knew she was probably naïve to think she could live on a ship forever without some drawbacks. But she was ready to learn whatever skills she needed to keep this life. This freedom.

"Yes. What do we need to do?" Tsubaki looked pleased that Maka was so willing.

"First, you're going to need combat and sword lessons. Of course, these are only to be used as self-defense, but chances are you'll need them in Tortuga. Also, the second we get there, we're going shopping." At this, Maka looked confused. "You'll need to, er, dress as a boy when we make port at a place like Tortuga. You don't want to be taken advantage of in any way."

Maka nodded. "Makes sense."

Tsubaki looked surprised. "Really, that doesn't bother you at all?"

Maka chuckled. "What, you think because I'm a princess I automatically love dresses and curly hair? No way. That was never for me. I actually stole my brothers clothes when I snuck out at night."

"Oh thank god. When we told Liz about this rule, she threw a fit. We practically had to force the outfit on her."

"Liz… that's Patty's older sister, right?"
"Oh yes, you two have probably not talked much, eh? Well, she'll be coming with us when we get our clothes, so you two can meet formally then."

"Alright, sounds good. So..when do I start my sword fighting lessons?"

Tsubaki giggled at the delighted look on Maka's face. "Are you excited?"

"I've always watched my brothers sword fight and, well, wanted to try it out.." She admitted sheepishly.

"The captain actually offered to give you lessons himself. You're to meet him after breakfast."
"Wonderful!" Maka chirped, and headed off to eat as fast as she could chew.

"Gah!" Maka cried as Soul pinned her again. He was careful to make sure never to stick her with the end of his sword, though.

He smirked. "You didn't think you'd be able to beat me after only a few hours of practice, did you?"

Maka narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Yes."

Soul laughed. "Quite the determined one. I must admit, you're an extraordinarily fast learner. Watching your brothers probably did you more good than you know."

Maka beamed at his praise. Her heart was pounding from the exercise, and from Soul's close proximity, and from his sword almost piercing her to death. She didn't understand why, but this was the most fun she had ever had in her life. Soul looked to be momentarily caught up in her presence as well, and she took advantage of the moment, swiping her sword at him like he had taught her. He snapped out of his daze just in time to block the shot, and they swung their blades for a good few minutes before Soul caught Maka again.

She huffed. "Damn, I thought I had it that time!"
"That, was not fair." Soul panted.

At least I'm giving him a challenge, she thought smugly. Though she had to admit, she was feeling a little worn out, too.

"Let's take a break," He offered, and Maka accepted gratefully.

For the next day, Maka switched off learning sword fighting and hand combat skills, all from Soul. He seemed perfectly fine with neglecting his duties as captain to monopolize her time. She didn't mind it either, though..

At night, Tsubaki told her stories from their travels, which fascinated Maka like nothing else. Captain Soul Eater's crew had sailed through parts of the whole world. She was living in a dream. She'd all but forgotten her old life until Tsubaki brought up a peculiar story of her past.

"This boy, I've never met anyone like him in all my years of piracy. The funniest thing is, he was my enemy- a boy from some lord's ship. I don't know why they attacked us, but it turned into a fierce battle. I was just 9 years old at the time, but I had been living on this ship since I was very young. It was my home. I didn't know what else to do but hide in the crew's quarters. This boy came down and spotted me- I was terrified he would kill me. Instead, he sat with me and we talked until the fighting was over. I got the impression he was upset with what his ship was doing to mine, attacking for no reason, but he never said it. Instead," She laughed, "he said the most arrogant things. Like how he would surpass God and become the strongest lord in the world." She shook her head. "Such a strange boy. But I fell for him. I've been searching for him ever since. The sad thing is I never got his name; His father found us before he had a chance to tell me. He convinced his dad not to kill me, and then they were gone…"

By the end of Tsubaki's story, Maka was white as a ghost and barely breathing. She knew exactly who Tsubaki was talking about, probably better than anyone else in the world. Just to be sure, she tried to sound nonchalant when she asked, "What else do you remember about him?" but her voice sounded flat even to her.

But Tsubaki was still gazing dreamily into the distance when she replied, "His hair. It was so odd, this strange shade of blue. Like the summer sky at high noon…" There was no question now.

The boy she was talking about was her brother, Black Star. What could Maka do? There was no way she was going back home- nowhere near it. Her father was sure to be searching for her, and her brother may be accompanying him. Tsubaki would never meet her love without Maka being caught and dragged back to her father's abhorred castle. She couldn't bring herself to admit the connection to Tsubaki. Not yet, at least. But she vowed to herself that she'd have Tsubaki meet her brother again someday.

Late the next morning, Maka heard Kid shout from the lookout post, "Land ho! Tortuga is in sight!"

She sprinted to the front of the ship to see. There, a small patch of colours among the blue horizon, stood the port they were headed toward. Soul approached her and declared, "We should be in port by noon." Maka's heart soared with excitement. After her preparation, after all the stories, she was finally at the famous Tortuga.

Alright, I know this is super short! Don't worry, I had a chapter almost three times as long but I broke it into two. I'll put the next chapter up right after school tomorrow, or even tonight if I get reviews :D

Speaking of reviews...(See what I did there?)

PLEASE REVIEW, LOVES! It makes my day to see people read and appreciate this story :') It's been a challenge to write so far. You'd be surprised at how much you need to look up for a pirate story, haha. Anyways, I keep updating because of all your incredibly kind and helpful words!

And as always, thank you for reading~