Chapter 11: Under Pressure

Disclaimer: I only own the OCs and plot of this story (or lack thereof)

Shinn came to awake slowly, having suffered no nightmares about Rau or his father, but of Rey and the decision he might have to make.

He opened his eyes to see the blonde's arm around him, and felt his body pressed tightly against his. He rolled his shoulder to see if Rey was awake or not, but the other boy didn't move.

Shinn slowly pushed himself up with his arm and turned to see Rey sleeping peacefully beside him, a small smile on his lips.

Shinn frowned. 'He's so happy an' content with me, but I don' like him that way. How can I let him know that without breakin' his heart? I still want t' be his friend, but I don' want to feel awkward and uncomfortable wit 'im. Maybe I should just tell Kira. No, Lacus might be better; girls know this kind of stuff anyway.' He thought (well, at least some girls know what to do in these situations; I'm at a loss unfortunately…)

He sighed and started to swing his leg over Rey and onto the floor when he felt a strong hand clamp around his thigh. He froze in shock and looked down at Rey who was half-smiling, half-smirking up at him.

"Good morning, Shinn, mate." He said.

"Good mornin' Rey. Can you let go o' me leg now? As I've got t' be gettin' ready for the day." Shinn told him.

Rey frowned. "Can't ye stay longer, lad? I enjoyed last night, I did, very much, and so not ready to let ye go just yet." He said.

Shinn sighed again. "Rey, ye've got to lemme go now. We can't be t'gether, ye got to understand!" he exclaimed.

Rey's eyes narrowed into a glare and his hand clenched Shinn's thigh tighter. "No. I'm not lettin' you go that easily, Asuka." He said and then smirked, sliding his hand up Shinn's leg.

The red eyed boy gasped and tried to get Rey's hand off of his leg, but it was no use.

"Rey! Quit! Ye had your fun with me las' night! Wasn't that enough!?" he asked desperately.

"No. I want you forever, Shinn, as me mate. An' there's nothin' ye can do to stop me." Rey said defiantly.

"There's somethin' I can do ye blasted dog!" Kira growled from the doorway.

They both expressed surprise when they saw him standing there, enraged beyond belief. Shinn struggled desperately to get away but Rey pulled him close, pinning his arms together at his chest, and sat up to glare at Kira.

"Get your hands off me brother! Now!" Kira barked as he walked over to them. Just then they heard a pistol cock and Rey pointed the deadly weapon at poor Shinn's head, whose eyes were wide and mouth was open in complete shock and terror as he stared down the barrel ("…of a .45!" not really).

Kira was taken aback but quickly recovered, reaching for the pistol in his belt.

"Draw it and I'll blow his brains out." Rey growled. Kira continued to glare and asked, "What do ye want with him, Rey? Eh? Do ye really want t' kill 'im? 'Afore ye pull the trigger just think, don't ye want him t' be happy? Forcing him to be with you won't make him happy, Rey, but letting him choose freely and accepting who he chooses will most certainly bring ye both pleasure."

Shinn stared ahead, not really seeing, his heart beating faster than necessary as his mind went blank because of the shock.

"I would prefer he chose me." Rey replied through clenched teeth. "Putting a pistol to his head ain't gonna appeal to him, hate t' tell ya. Let's just talk this out rationally and I won't have to kill ye for threatening me brother." Kira said, slowly moving his hand to the hilt of his saber (sword).

"How's this for rational?" he asked and pointed the gun at Kira's own head. "Make one more move for your sword and I'll blast ye to bits and take Shinn as mine own." Rey snarled.

Kira stopped his hand right before it was about to close around the hilt. "Put your hands in the air so's I can see them." Rey ordered. Kira didn't want to, but he raised his hands in front of him, glaring at the blonde.

Shinn still hadn't moved, but was slowly coming back to reality…

A twisted smirk came upon Rey's features. "Yer a Captain, that means ye can marry people and such. Well I demand ye marry Shinn and me!" he declared.

"Wot!? No! I don' even know what t' say even if I were to marry a couple!" Kira exclaimed.

Rey's finger pressed slightly on the trigger. "All's you got t' say is a few lines that I'll be happy to give to you. Now do it or it's Davy Jones' Locker!" he yelled.

Kira looked around desperately, trying to think of a way out of this, if he just had more time, or a weapon of some sort, maybe he could get Shinn free.

"Rey, please just listen to me, Shinn isn't even aware of what's goin' on! I can't marry you two unless he knows what's happenin' at least!" he begged.

Rey growled and then shook Shinn. "Shinn, love, I promise not to hurt you if ye just do this one thing for me." He said more softly and calmly. He knew that it wouldn't be real unless Shinn spoke the words "I do", and he knew that Shinn was still in shock and wouldn't be able to say anything along those lines, at least not coherently.

Shinn began to shake his head, finally coming back to himself, and took in the scene before him; the pistol now pointed at his older brother whose hands were up, and Rey saying something about "I do".

"Shinn? All you have to say is 'I do' after Kira says your name, alright? Then I'll put the pistol down and we can leave; together." Rey was saying.

Shinn looked to him, and the blonde looked into his eyes lovingly.

'Now!' Kira thought and quickly grabbed the pistol and then Shinn. He pointed it at Rey who was beyond furious.

"Blast you! Give him back now!" he shouted and stood up, Kira stepped back and Shinn clung to him.

"No Rey, ye had your chance, but now I have t' kill you. Ye could've avoided this fate, however, if you would've just listened and been reasonable-like." Kira stated.

"Pshaw! Ye don' have the guts to kill me you lily liver!" Rey said, livid with anger.

"Kira, please don' kill him, I know what he did was wrong but…I just can't help but…to pity him." Shinn said and looked up into Kira's eyes.

"Fine." He said. "Go get some rope so's we can tie his hands." He ordered Shinn and he left.

"What are ye goin' t' do to me, Captain." Rey sneered. "You'll see." He said and Shinn came back with some rope. Kira put the pistol to Rey's head and Shinn tied his hands together behind his back tightly; a good Sailor's knot.

Then Kira grabbed him by the arm, gun still pointing at his head, and lead him out into the hall, down the steps, and out the back way of the Inn and Tavern.

They went a ways along the deserted beach to a small dock that had a small boat tied up to it. The house near it was abandoned so he untied the boat and put Rey in it.

"Shinn, you stay here and keep watch, if somethin' happens, get Athrun, got it?' he said and Shinn nodded, casting one last glance at Rey who stared at him as Kira took up the oars and rowed out into the sea.

"I wonder where Kira is, he went to wake up Shinn almost half an hour ago, and I don't see either of them." Cagalli said, looking around in the tavern. "I don't see Rey either." Athrun commented.

The others (everyone basically, Yzak was back) looked at him grimly. "I'll go see what's wrong, then." He said and got up.

Lacus looked worried and wondered if her beloved and his little brother were okay.

Mwu and Dearka turned to look hardly at Yzak, who was still sour from the other day. "Wot? Ye think I had somethin' t' do with this?" he asked.

"Ye might not have done somethin', but if anythin' happens to Shinn it'd be your fault and ye know's it!" Dearka told him and Mwu nodded. "Ye shouldn't have said nothin' last night, mate; ye should've kept yer mouth shut for once." He added.

"Shut yer gobs, the both of ya! What's done is done and I don' wanna hear no more 'bout it!" Yzak barked and glared at his friends.

Cagalli also glared at him while Nicol looked to the top of the stairs where Athrun was descending with a concerned look.

"Kira, Shinn, and Rey are all missin', and I have a bad feelin' 'bout this, mates." He stated.

"Alright, we're splitting up! Lacus, you stay here with Nicol if'n they come back, Athrun's comin' with me, Yzak, Mwu, and Dearka go wit each other and don' get in no trouble, ya hear?" Cagalli commanded.

"Right." They all said. The three boys stood and went out the door while Lacus and Nicol stayed in their seats. Cags squeezed Lacus' hand and smiled at her before leaving with Athrun.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" the pink-haired girl asked Nicol quietly when they had gone. "I dunno, Miss, I sure hope so though." He replied.

Kira stopped rowing when they were plenty far out into the ocean but still in sight of the shore. The water was black and deep, and the sky above was gray and cloudy, looking ready to burst with rain.

"I won't kill you, not directly." He said and shoved Rey over the side facing away from the shore. "If'n you make it back to shore, be sure to stay clear o' me and me crew, 'specially me brother, or else I'll kill ye for sure." He told him and started rowing back.

Rey tread water with his feet, trying to keep his head above the dark waters, and vowed revenge against the brown-haired captain of Freedom.

Shinn saw Kira shove Rey over the edge of the small boat and then saw no more of the blonde-head. He stood there, slightly shaking, as Kira rowed back swiftly. Just then he heard some voices and turned to see Athrun and Cagalli running down the beach to him.

The wind was picking up now and Shinn waited for his friends to reach him.

Cagalli and Athrun got there first, having run the whole way.

"Oh Shinn! I'm so glad you're alright lad! But where's our brother and Rey?" Cagalli asked and hugged Shinn. He turned to see Kira coming closer and they also saw him. "But, what's this, then?" Athrun asked, thoroughly confused.

"Rey tried t' take me, but Kira showed up, he tried to save me but then Rey put a pistol to me head, I sorta blanked out after that, and the nex' thing I knew the gun was pointed at Kira and Rey was tryin' t' get him to marry us since he's Cap'n and all. Then Kira got the gun from him an' tied his hands an' took him out on that boat and just dumped him into the sea." Shinn told them just as Kira reached the shore.

"Wot!?" they both exclaimed. They looked to Kira as he walked up to them. "His fate is up to the sea now. Come on, looks like a storm's comin'." He said and put an arm around Shinn who clung to his side. They all walked back into the town and caught up with the others.

When they got back to the tavern Kira explained everything to them, and by the end of it they all sat grim and saddened.

"I never meant for this t' happen, ye got to believe me! I just wanted the truth to be out, but I never expected this!" Yzak exclaimed when they all started glaring at him.

"No one expected it, Yzak. It's no one's fault. Although I can't help but wonder how he got into Shinn's bed and managed t' get Shinn on top of 'im." Kira said and turned to his younger brother.

The young boy looked like a fish what just been pulled form the sea to flop around on the deck of some ship; all wide-eyed and wishing to be back home-like.

"I-I…he came last night…I t-tried to tell 'im I only liked him as a friend but he would have none of it, so's I just agreed to let 'im lay there nex' to me, thinkin' this would solve things, and then he went on 'bout he wasn't goin' t' let me go. I…I didn't…I just wanted 'im to leave me alone! Why can't everyone just leave me alone!?" he wailed and raced out of the tavern into the city- where a storm was taking place.

"Shinn!" they all exclaimed. Kira cursed and ran after him, Athrun close behind him.

They saw the boy kneeling in the middle of the street balling for all he was worth, shouting out to the heavens.

Athrun hung back as the wind whipped his hair and clothes around while Kira ran toward the boy and put his arms on his shoulders. He saw Shinn try to shake him off but didn't succeed, and then he saw the boy go limp and heard his cries increase in volume.

Kira picked him up and carried him back to the tavern, but inside of going ion the front he took him to the back way, he carried him up the stairs and laid him on a bed, curling up next to him. Shinn struggled some more but Kira held him close, whispering words of comfort and hushing him.

Shinn finally clung to him and continued to cry until finally he fell asleep. Kira stayed with him well into the day and Athrun told everyone to just leave them alone for a while, and they did.

"Sir! There's someone in the water!" the call rang out onboard the S.S Voltaire and Rau looked over the railing to see Rey clinging to a piece of driftwood as the storm raged around him.

They threw over a line that Rey held on to and Rau himself hauled him up onto the ship's deck.

"Rey my boy, what on Earth are you doing stranded in the middle of the ocean!?" he asked.

Rey's eyes were filled with anger and he recounted the story of his downfall to which Rau frowned deeper with each word.

"How dare he…I swear to the gods above that Kira Yamato and Shinn Asuka shall meet a most painful end! He had the nerve to throw my own son into the depths and left him for dead! Blast him! To Hell with him!" the man swore loudly.

"Father, when we catch them, may I keep Shinn as a prize? You know, instead of killing him with his brother?" Rey asked.

"That's up to his father, my boy, but you are certainly allowed to take one of the wenches to be your mistress." Rau told his son.

"I want Shinn, father. I'll kill Durandal himself if I have to." Rey said determinedly.

"I doubt that, boy, but if I feel merciful when we capture them I'll let you have him." Gilbert Durandal, Shinn's father, came up on the deck. Rau saluted him, along with everyone else. Rey nodded to him, the determined and defiant look still in his eyes, but he said no more as someone brought him a towel and took him below deck.

"To La Strike Island it is, then. What a great day it will be to see the surprised and fearful expression of Kira Yamato, newly assigned Captain of the Freedom and son of the fiercest and most stubborn woman on all Seven Seas." Gilbert said and smirked as they headed for the Pirate Island where our young heroes had no idea that they would soon be in grave danger.

-Author's Note: How's that for a comeback!? I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I've been busy and this is my only day to update for about a week, but after that I'll be able to update more. Please review and tell me what you think! I actually had a plot for this chapter! Yay! Well, peace out ya'll, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!-