Safe Harbor

by Acherona

A crown prince framed and sold as a slave, a pirate with a deep hatred for royalty and government. With these to souls on the same ship, will the tide bring them together or tear them apart? Steampunk Pirate story.

2. Safe Harbor: Second Part

Disclaimer– We do not own Naruto or any of its characters nor are we making any money off these writings.

Warnings– Well boys loving other boys, language of the naughty variety, some violence and a little angst.

FOR DAYDREAMER79!

This is a collab between Trulywicked and Acherona.

AN – So this is the second part of Safe Harbor, there are some disturbing images in this chapter regarding the slave ships, just so you know. We would really like to know what you think of this story so if you have the time, please drop a line after reading. Please enjoy.

Safe Harbor.

Second Part.

Nearly two weeks later Itachi was swabbing the decks like a professional and enjoying it truth be told. It felt good to put his hands to work and to actually seethe results of that work. As the prince he'd never been able to truly see any results of all the political dancing and maneuvers he went through for his people and it had frustrated him, made him feel like he was spitting on a forest fire. Here on this ship though, he felt he was a useful part of something bigger and better instead of a tiny cog in an empirical machine. He'd seen the results of Pein's crusade against the nobles and though he'd yet to be allowed to join in the fighting, he felt that just by doing the jobs given him on this ship he was flipping the bastards off more than ever.

The work was fulfilling and the crew, his lips twitched. There were of course the usual rough and tumble scalawags who made up the 'cogs' of a crew, deckhands and such, but the main crew were the ones that drew his attention. The master at arms and master spy, Deidara, had developed a grudge against him almost immediately when he'd seen how Itachi filled out his old clothes. Deidara was volatile but was balanced out by his lover Sasori, the ship's blacksmith. Then there was the lookout, a hyperactive man named Tobi who never seemed to sleep. Kakuzu kept the finances in order and made sure each man was given his fair share. Hidan, surprisingly enough, was the ship's priest as well as helmsman and oddly wise for all that he loved to strip naked and dance when he'd had a bit too much rum. The engine master Kisame was a humongous black man who looked as if he could squish most people's heads between two fingers and yet he was quiet and more polite than anyone else Itachi had even known. Zetsu was the cook and made the meager fare found at sea better than anything Itachi had ever eaten at court. Konan was Pein's first mate and kept everything running smooth as glass so the captain didn't have to deal with idiocy that would disrupt him from the duties he had.

And then there was the captain himself, Pein. He drew eyes whenever he was on deck but none more than Itachi's. There was just something about the man that made him want to stare at him all day long, that or strip him naked and see if he was as muscled out of those clothes as he looked in them. A soft flush crept over the brunet's face at that indecent thought. He was a healthy man but he didn't like feeling so attracted to someone he knew wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire, not if Pein knew of his heritage. He'd kept his true identity as the exiled prince a secret at first because he'd thought it safer in case the nobles found out he was alive. Now though he kept it secret because if Pein or any of the Akatsuki crew discovered he was truly a royal, they'd probably kill him, or at least dump him off the ship.

It was a satisfied yet tenuous existence.

Pein let his eyes rest on the rabbit as he swabbed the deck once again. The man had fit in better in his crew than Pein could ever have imagined and he was thinking about letting him come along for their next liberation. Itachi had proved himself by doing all the work that was thrown at him and then some without complaint. His closest crewmembers liked him, even Deidara though the blond pretended he didn't.

"You're always looking at him you know." Konan came to stand beside him as she handed him an apple. They had gotten hold of a whole crate of fruit on the last ship they boarded and every bite was a treat.

"Don't start." Pein's voice had a warning edge to it. "I need to keep an eye on him, to make sure he fits."

"He's been here for two weeks now, he fits. You watch him because you want him. It's not a crime to find someone attractive you know." Konan had known Pein long enough to happily ignore his grumpy mood.

"Whether I do find him attractive or not is a moot point. He's a crew member now, nothing more and nothing less." Pein bit in to the apple and closed his eyes in bliss at the tart flavor.

Looking out over the ocean Pein spotted a tiny steam cloud in the horizon. "Get your game face on Ko, it looks as if we'll have work to do." He walked down the stairs to the lower deck to inform his deck boy of his new duties.

Konan watched her captain and her oldest friend walk away and barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Pein was too stubborn for his own good. It was clear how much he wanted Itachi. Her eyes narrowed and a wicked smile spread over her face. Maybe he needed a push in the right direction...It was time to have a little chat with Kisame. With a low chuckle she went to find the engine master.

Itachi wrung out the mop, aware of Pein coming towards him, and turned to face him, head tilted in question. He never challenged Pein right off, he waited to see if he would speak to him as the captain and give an order, or as a man and make one of his 'little rabbit' statements. The former got a respectful nod and a yes sir but the latter got the full brunt of Itachi sarcasm and smart ass mouth.

"Go find Deidara and get equipped with weapons. A steamer is coming and it's time for you to show off those fighting skills you boasted about." Pein wanted to reach out and run his fingers through that long dark hair but instead he took another bite of his apple.

Itachi nodded. "Aye Captain." He set his cleaning supplies in the small closet where it was kept then went below deck to Deidara and Sasori's workshop. A small clang hit the door just as he reached for the handle and was followed by the shouting voice of the explosive blond.

"It's not my fault you're too rigid and blockheaded to think outside the box danna!"

"If thinking outside the box meaning thinking like you and get us all blown to tiny little pieces then I'll stay rigid...You didn't complain about me being rigid earlier...In fact as I recall you rather liked it." Sasori's voice was just as soft and monotone as usual as he hammered out the broken blade, mending it to perfection. The mechanical flesh of his left prosthetic arm glittered as he moved.

Itachi grimaced and knocked before the conversation could go any further, opening the door to the odd couple. The blond sneered at him. "Oh it's you. What do you want pretty boy un?"

A dark brow rose. "I do believe you're calling the kettle black Deidara. As for my purpose, Pein sent me down to get equipped with weapons."

Sasori's rust colored eyebrows rose almost all the way to his hairline. "Captain is giving you a chance to prove your worth huh? About time." He continued working on the blade as he spoke. "What are your preferences then?"

"I'm best with blades, especially swords but I can hit whatever I aim at with a revolver. I'm not terribly picky as long as I'm not weighed down."

Deidara snorted and moved to sort through a weapon's cabinet. "Noooo of course not. The Captain's little rabbit's just going to weigh the rest of us down. I wonder how many times we'll have to save you, un!" He picked out two different swords, one appearing more like a classic cutlass and the other more like a katana only a bit shorter, and two six-shot revolvers. He placed them on the table and muttered, "Test the swords, see if either one's got the right balance for you while I get the ammunition for the guns. If neither one works danna's gonna have to make you one, waste of metal if you ask me."

Itachi's lips quirked as the blond continued muttering as he dug in a drawer for bullets and a light ammunition belt. He stepped forward and picked up the cutlass, his brows knit as he went through a couple of basic sword forms then shook his head, laying it back down. He then picked up the other, recognizing it as a ninjato as opposed to a katana, and sliced it through the air. His eyes sparked as he didn't detect any overt difficulties in balance and he shifted into more advanced forms to test the balance. By the time he'd run through the forms he'd determined that it would work well. "It's almost perfect, just the slightest bit heavy at the back, maybe a gram or less." He looked up to see Deidara and Sasori both staring at him, the blonds' mouth open while a black leather ammunition belt dangled from his hands. "What?"

"You got skills." Sasori shrugged and placed the newly mended blade in a bucket of cold water. "Don't mind lark here, that's his natural expression." Sasori nodded towards the still gaping blond. "He should learn how to play nice or he may just have to go to bed without a treat." The blacksmith held out his hand. "Hand it over and I'll adjust it for you right away."

Itachi smirked just a bit at Deidara's expression of affront followed by the pout and handed the blade over to the blacksmith. "I spent a long time learning how to use a sword, I'd better have skills or I'll have to visit my old teacher and make my displeasure known. As for Deidara, he doesn't have to play nice with me as I'm not nice. If nothing else it gives me a whetstone to sharpen my own wit against."

Deidara made a sound somewhere between a snort and an 'eep' when Sasori's eyes turned on him. The blond instead handed over the ammunition belt with two gun holsters on either side. "The revolvers are light so you'll be able to move as fast as you can," a long doubting look at Itachi followed that statement, "but since bullets are limited and it takes time we won't have to reload, as I'm sure you're aware Mr. Skills, use them sparingly."

"Hn." Itachi just cinched the gun belt around his waist, unaware of the striking sight it made with him in black, gray, and silver.

Deidara huffed and turned to the drawers again. "Side or back draw?"

"Back."

Sasori handed the ninjato back to Itachi. "Here try it now." He walked over to Deidara and pressed a kiss to the blonds' temple. "Good job on holding your tongue there, I can't wait to hear my lark sing to me later."

The blond tossed a strap that would hold the ninjato to Itachi's back to him and looked over at Sasori as they began fitting themselves with their own weapons. "Sing I will danna. It's always fun to make Zetsu and Tobi run from the cabin to get away from us." A bright grin crossed Deidara's face.

"Are you guys almost ready?" Hidan's head poked inside the doorway. "We're almost caught up with the steamer and if you don't get a move on we'll have all the fun without you." He shot Itachi an appreciative glance. "Looking good there."

The brunet blinked a bit in confusion and looked down at himself. "What do you mean?"

Deidara groaned in disgust at the way Itachi seemed so unaware of just how attractive he actually was. He murmured to his lover. "Danna I really hate him. How can someone look that good and not realize it?"

"Shh lark, imagine how obnoxious he would be if he didknow." Sasori soothed Deidara and petted his blond hair. "Besides, he won't stay ignorant for long with the way captain is looking at him. You may have a singing rival too before long."

"Don't mind them Itachi." Hidan nodded towards the whispering couple. "And we really need to get going so hurry up!"

Itachi nodded and followed Hidan back up to the weather deck, aware of Deidara and Sasori coming up soon after. His eyes lit on the emblemed hull of the steamer and recognized it as belonging to one of the northern dukes. A disgusted sneer came and went over his face as he recalled the fat bastard who owned the ship before them and how he'd petitioned for the empire's orphans to be put into workhouses as soon as they could walk calling it 'cheap labor'.

"I hope you really have fought before Itachi. It's going to get ugly on that ship." The deep rough bass of Kisame's voice had Itachi turning to study the other man, his lips lifting at both the huge claymore sword and the large hammer the black man carried.

"I've fought before. Though it's been some time since a life or death battle." He nodded at the ship. "If memory serves though the Duke of Mirage's men like to fight dirty."

"Oh aye they do but don't worry," a large hand lit gently on Itachi's shoulder. "We'll all watch each other's backs."

Pein's eyes flashed when he saw Kisame's hand on Itachi but he didn't say anything as he checked his revolvers and sword. He called out for the crew to ready the hooks and cannons.

Adrenaline coursed through his body and he already tasted the thrill of the fight. This was what he lived for. "Okay crew you know the drill. Sasori and Deidara take the upper deck. Tobi and Zetzu, go with Hidan and Kakuzu to the machine room, take any spare part we might need. Kisame, you take the bride and rabbit you're with me." Pein walked closer to Itachi as they got ready. "How do you know of the Duke of Mirage anyway?"

A dark brow rose. "I was born and raised in the central part of the Uchiha Empire. It's hard not to run into Mirage men there." Itachi could see the excitement thrumming through Pein and could see the anticipation in the blue-gray gaze. It somehow made him look all the more attractive, as if the gods had decided to gift him with a glamour to enhance his handsomeness. The brunet turned back to where the steamer was, stowing his body's reaction to the pull Pein exerted over his senses into a tiny corner of his brain. He couldn't afford the distraction at the moment.

"Hn...Yeah the man likes to leave his mark." Pein's voice dripped with hatred and disgust as he spoke of the Duke. He only wished that the noble himself would be on one of his steamers some time but the man was too smart for that. The nobles had learned the hard way that Pein was out there. As long as he breathed he would never stop making them pay. He gave Itachi a sidelong glance and pulled out a thin leather cord from one of his pockets. Pein walked behind the other man and gathered his long, silky hair in his hands before tying the leather around it, securing it in a ponytail at the base of Itachi's neck. As he removed his hands the knuckles of his fingers brushed against Itachi's pale neck and a jolt went through him, he hurried to pull away. "So that you won't be caught by your hair." He said roughly as an explanation. "A snared rabbit is a dead rabbit."

Itachi had to swallow hard to clear the lump that had formed in his throat and suppress the shiver he felt at the oddly gentle touch. It had been like a cool breeze had soothed him but also brought every last nerve he had to attention. Pein was, quite honestly, bad for his concentration but he wasn't about to ruin his chances to get a little of his own back so he controlled his reaction to the Akatsuki's captain and nodded. "Thank you."

Pein gave a short nod in acknowledgement and turned his eyes back to the steamer. "Mirage puts a lot of effort in making sure his cargoarrives safely, this will mean plenty of hired muscle to be sure to keep your guard up. There has been times when Mirage's men has dressed as slaves and hidden among them, trust no one." Those words showed that Pein had taken a huge leap of faith in letting Itachi on to his ship in the first place. "Are you ready?"

The brunet nodded, his emotions icing over and a calm collected soldier stepping into the place of the sharp tongued, playful man. "I am Captain."

"Good, cause here we go." Pein gave the sign and the cannons blared to life, firing at the huge steamer to the left of them. The hooks were thrown and thick ropes and chains bound the Akatsuki to the other ship. Gun in one and sword in the other the captain was the first to take a leap and land on the other ship.

Itachi followed, making the leap smoothly and moving more like a large cat than the rabbit Pein called him. Mirage's men poured from out to take them on and Itachi unsheathed his sword fluidly and stood at Pein's back. Wielding his blade effortlessly as he cut through the opposing force with barely a hint of effort. He could see Kisame taking out several men in one swing of the claymore he wielded and alternately bashing others with the hammer as he made his way to the bridge. One by one the crew of the steamer was falling beneath their assault. Though the noble's men had numbers on their side, the crew of the Akatsuki far outstripped them in skill.

He didn't feel any satisfaction as he killed his opponents, just a grim acceptance that this was how it had to be. If they attacked him, they died.

There was no question about Itachi's skill and Pein thought it had been a good move to have brought him along, especially since the dark haired man didn't seem to find any joy in killing. He kept one eye on Itachi and one eye on his own fights as they battled their way deeper into the ship. He heard that his men were holding their own and that they were all unharmed, at least so far. Pein's crew was his family and he would do anything in his power to keep them safe. Fight they had to do on their own though, it was good that they were the best of it.

Going deep below deck the sounds of crying and whimpering along with the foul stench of hundreds of unwashed bodies crammed together like cattle alerted him to the fact that they were getting closer to the cargo hold. Pein ran his sword through the chest of one charging guard and shot another in the head at the same time. It was always best to get clean kills to begin with, saved you the trouble of being stabbed in the back by someone you'd left alive later.

"Get that door open." He called to Itachi and pointed towards a looming steel hatch.

A short nod was all he got in reply as Itachi cut through another crewman and made his way to the hatch. He had to sheath his sword to grip the hatch's locking wheel with both hands; otherwise he'd never be able to get the hatch open. He trusted Pein to guard his back as he spun the wheel. The huge metal door creaked as it swung inward and gained momentum to slam into the wall. The sight that met him would have made even the most seasoned warrior flinch.

Blood pooled on the floor and slid down into a drain in the middle that usually was put in slaver ships' cargo holds for piss to drain out. Small, beaten, and obviously starved bodies were sprawled on the floor in unnatural positions like dolls tossed and dumped out of a toy box by and angry child, their throats gaping open where someone had taken a blade and cut through the jugular. Itachi's stomach twisted and he felt a wave of coal spread through him as he noticed that almost all of the bodies were children, a few adults were found here and there but the majority were under the age of ten.

The exiled prince's jaw clenched as did a fist as his eyes scanned the carnage. He committed each broken, hollow-eyed, little body to memory and swore that the Duke of Mirage would pay in blood for each child here.

Pein clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth actually creaked. He had had an uneasy feeling even before Itachi had open the heavy door since the crying noises had all but stopped. He was so filled with rage now that it had nowhere to go. Instead of lashing out and roaring in pain like he wanted to everything turned cold and crystal clear. He saw a large burly guard still standing at the other corner of the room, his knife still dripping with the children's blood and a huge grin on his face. The guard's eyes shone with a manic gleam and it made Pein's stomach turn.

He walked into the cargo hold, ignoring the wet sounds his boots made in the sticky, cooling blood. Pein grabbed the grinning man and slammed him up against the rusty, steel wall. "Why?" He wanted to say so much more, to rant and rave and curse but that single little word was all that he could press out. Pein had seen more horror that he would like to remember in his life but nothing...nothing could explain this mindless slaughter.

"Why do you think Pein of Akatsuki?" The man grinned wider. "My Lord, the Duke of Mirage is a great man, a glorious man. Your name is well known...The pirate who targets the nobles, robs them blind and frees the slaves. My orders were that if you showed up and it was clear My Lord would lose his profit I was to kill the cargo before you could free them. Every death here is your doing. If you hadn't interfered in My Lord's business they would still be alive." The guard laughed manically even as Pein run his sword through his stomach and ripped his guts out.

Itachi stood silent, eyes on the rigid back of the pirate captain as the guard's viscera spilled out onto the floor and the agonized scream echoed off the walls. The guard sobbed out cursed, insults, and taunts as he bled out and died. A faster death than he deserved if one was to ask Itachi. He lifted a foot to take a step forward then froze as a soft gurgle reached his ears. He spun and searched for the origin of the sound, at first seeing only the unmoving bodies of the dead, then, over in a corner far from the one the guard had occupied, her body hunched over something protectively, he saw the woman. Unlike the others she'd been shot in the back of the head instead of had her throat cut and her arm was moving. Swift strides brought Itachi over to her body and he crouched, gently moving her arm to see a newborn male infant, still covered in blood and birth fluid, squirming and rooting about. He inhaled sharply just as the baby set up a loud wail proving that he was indeed alive.

He ripped off a sleeve then reached out and picked up the infant carefully, not caring that the unspeakable birthing stuff would get on his clothes, and cradled the tiny body in one hand as he swaddled the child as well as he could in the soft worn gray material.

Sharp eyes locked on Itachi at the first brittle wail and Pein saw how carefully Itachi handled the infant. He was still in absolute turmoil over what have happened here but he couldn't show it. He was captain above all else. "Bring the child, we're leaving." Pein turned on his heal and walked out the cargo hold, barely able to keep the content of his stomach down. A few steps out they ran into Deidara and Sasori both panting heavily and weapons coated in blood. "Strip this steamer down, take everything that can possibly be useful and then torch it...I want to see this ship burn."

Sasori took one look on his captain's grim face and nodded sharply, dragging Deidara with him down the narrow hallway.

Deidara, for all that he enjoyed explosions and burning things down, didn't like the sound of that. He glanced into the cargo hold as they passed it and paled as he saw the reason for Pein's fury. "Sweet gods."

Sasori pulled his beautiful bird close, not even knowing what to say...The sight before them too horrible for words. "Let's go lark, let's carry out orders and get the hell of this floating tomb." He pulled the door to the cargo hold closed, sealing the bodies inside.

The blond swallowed and nodded. He'd be the one setting the charges and lighting the flames but he knew that this would be one time when the fire wouldn't please him. This wasn't going to be transient art or making a point to the slavers, it was going to be a funeral pyre.

Itachi was half a step behind Pein, one arm holding the infant close, the other near a weapon in case some crew member had escaped death and was just waiting for the opportune moment to attack. They stepped out onto the sunshine lit deck of the steamer and Itachi looked around to see that Akatsuki's crew had done their job well. He noticed Kisame looking in their direction and the giant man's jaw dropping when he saw the infant Itachi carried but no other slaves exiting behind them.

"Release the hooks, get everything on to the Akatsuki and get us as far away from here as fast as fucking possible." Pein was pale under his tan as he jumped back to his ship, for once the familiar deck didn't make him feel better. Konan emerged from under deck and Pein's heart clenched; he could only imagine how she would take this news.

Konan walked up on deck when she heard the familiar thump and footsteps that indicated that her comrades were returning. Her smile slowly wavered and faded when she saw the expression on her old friends face. Pein looked far too grim for it to have gone well and Konan's stomach knotted itself into a thousand tiny knots when she thought of all the things that could have gone wrong and which friend she might have lost. Then she heard a tiny cry and turned her eyes on Itachi, noticing the infant cradled in his arms, almost without thinking about it she took a step closer, her arms suddenly feeling achingly empty. "What happened?" Her voice was small and soft.

Itachi noticed the wistful, sad expression on her face and somehow knew that this would hit the feisty, normally merciless woman hard. He kept his voice soft and gentle both to avoid upsetting the infant and to make it easier for Konan to hear. "The captured slaves were killed, all except for this newborn. His mother saved him."

"That's what mothers do." Konan's voice was hollow as she remembered her own baby girl ripped from her arms almost as soon as she had given birth to her and the love of her life killed in front of her eyes. She still saw Yahiko's smile every night before she fell asleep. She couldn't understand the evil that human kind was capable of, even after seeing it firsthand. "Will you let me hold him? Her?"

The old pain in her voice made him hurt for her though he didn't know the cause of it. Itachi transferred the infant into her arms. "He's a boy and I imagine he'll probably be very hungry in short order."

Konan cradled the baby gently a tiny smile lifting the corner of her lips as she looked at the sweet little face. "Then I better find something to feed him." She walked away towards the mess to find something suitable for an infant to ingest.

"Her daughter was ripped from her arms the second she was born." Pein came to stand beside Itachi. "And her lover was killed trying to stop it. I met Konan on a slaver where we both were cargo. She's lost everything to the nobles of the Uchiha empire...She still doesn't know if her child lived or died. The corruption in this empire must be stopped and I won't rest until it is...I don't care if I have to wade waist deep in blood to do it."

Itachi thought back to when he was packing and his brother had come in, giving him a sealed letter to take to Konoha's secondary prince. He and Sasuke had had a brief veiled conversation and he knew that his little brother would be doing all he could subversively to stop the nobles' corruption. He nodded. "It will end. One way or another the corruption will be exposed and stopped. It can't go on forever."

Pein's hands clenched before he forced them to relax again. He turned towards Itachi and for once his eyes were totally an unguarded, vulnerable and molten shade of gray. "I wish I was as sure of that as you are. I fought them for so long...I don't even remember a time not fighting and nothing has changed."

A dark brow rose. "You cannot be much older than I am, I'd say no older than thirty. How long has it been since you got out of slavery?"

A sardonic smile flashed over Pein's face. "I'm twenty eight. And I've been out of slavery for seven years...After eight years as a slave."

"So you've been fighting directly for seven years to change corruption that's been concealed for the past hundred. It's a drop in the bucket comparatively but you have made an impact. Before I was knocked out and dumped in the hold I saw nobles who once wore only obscene amounts of fine cloth and jewels forced to sell the bulk of those fine clothes and jewelry to pay their gambling debts. Instead of silks and velvets they're wearing linen and cotton, well tailored and of exceptional quality yes but still it's a come down for those fat bastards. Things are already changing and the nobles can't hide their corruption from those in authority over them much longer." He turned and placed a hand on Pein's shoulder. "Don't let the words of one warped guard change your course. The only one at fault for those deaths is the man who ordered them."

Pein was surprised by the amount of comfort he felt from that simple touch and he had to fight the urge to pull the other man into his arms. "I can't help to think he's right though. If I hadn't ordered the ship to be boarded they would still be alive, without freedom but alive. The little boy with Konan would still have his mother." Pein sighed and stared as a loud boom followed by a huge cloud of fire and smoke rose from the gigantic steamer. It looked as if Deidara had done his job. "What was your life before you were taken?" Pein looked at Itachi again. "Do you have family waiting for you?"

Itachi looked out at the ship as it burned. "Parents, and a younger brother." His lips quirked in amusement. "He'd be rather put out if he knew I was on a pirate ship right now. He was forever wanting to go on an adventure and forever being denied, at least until he met his blond pain in the ass." A soft chuckle escaped him. "Sunshine drags him into adventure whether he wants one or not."

"Sunshine?" Pein raised a brilliant red eyebrow, his piercings glinting in the light of the fire. "It sounds like you have a wonderful family. I hope you can return to them sometime." Pein felt weirdly relieved that the little rabbit hadn't mentioned a spouse of some kind, though he didn't want to admit even to himself why he felt so relieved.

Before Itachi could say anything, Deidara and Sasori came over and gave a quick accounting of what was stripped from the steamer. While they did that Itachi went to see how Konan and the infant were doing. He found her in the galley patting the baby's back, a small wineskin setting on the wooden counter a bit of white leaking out of it. "You found something for him?"

Konan nodded as she rocked the sleeping baby close to her chest, heartache and longing clearly visible on her face. "It's goat milk mixed with water. It's not ideal for him but it's the best we have until we get to the next port."

"That's what my brother's nurse used when my mother's milk dried up early, only she added a bit of molasses to get him to eat more. Little brat was more finicky than a cat."

"Molasses huh? I'll see if Kisame can scrounge some up then. Thank you." Konan smiled at him as she pressed a soft kiss to the baby's downy head. "Your brother sounds like quite a handful, do you miss him?"

"I do. It's strange not having him around to tease unmercifully." He leaned against the counter.

Konan chuckled. "I know the feeling. I've always teased N...Pein for as long as I've known him. I don't think I could stop even if Í tried. He's my family in all but blood." The infant squirmed a bit and she changed her hold on him until he slept soundly once again.

Itachi heard the small slip but let it pass. "Well I can certainly understand the provocation. Besides someone has to keep the captain in line, and who better than a sister?" Itachi's eyes met hers with a twinkle and invited her to join the fun.

"Exactly, you are very right indeed." Konan's eyes twinkled in mirth. "He takes himself too seriously sometimes, thinks he need to carry the whole world on his shoulders. I'm here to take him down a peg or two when that happens. No matter what he thinks he's still only human." She regarded him with twinkling eyes. "You understand the captain very well."

"You're fishing milady." Itachi's lips twitched. If he wasn't so sure he'd be keelhauled for his birthright he'd be more than willing to share his past with these people but he had things to do and being tied to a rope and thrown under the ship would be very counter-productive.

"Maybe I am but it looks as if my net will come up empty this time." Suddenly Konan grew serious. "Don't hurt him, that's all I ask. I really don't care about anything else but please don't hurt him, I'm not sure he could take it."

Itachi grew still though his eyes took on a troubled sheen. "I have no intention of hurting him Konan and I'll do all I can to keep from doing so. I came aboard Akatsuki for two reasons, one I have a bone to pick with the nobles, and two this ship is the safest place in the world for me right now." He picked up some kind of tuber and studied it as if it held all the mysteries of the universe. "Now I'm making connections with you all and I'll be honest Konan," he raised his eyes to hers, "that scares me more than facing an entire armada."

Konan took her time before answering, mulling Itachi's words over. "The Akatsuki is a safe place for all of us onboard; we have nowhere else to go. You're part of our crew now and this haven is yours for as long as you need it." She slowly got up from her seat, moving carefully so she wouldn't jostle the sleeping infant. "Connections are good Itachi." She smiled at him. "It keeps you bonded to the world and make you feel, don't be afraid of them. Bonds sometime break and hearts bleed but where would we be without them?" Konan looked up at him. "Now if you excuse me I need to find someplace where I can put this little guy down so he can sleep."

He nodded and watched her walk away to find a place for the infant to sleep then turned to look out porthole. He knew how important bonds were, the bond he had to his family, the odd extended family he'd gained through his brother's lover, and the bond of responsibility he felt to his people were all precious to him but there was something different about the bonds he was forming here, especially the one being forged between him and Pein. He knew to the very depths of his soul that if he allowed those bonds to form and solidify, that if they looked at him with hatred when they found out the truth of him it would shatter something inside him so vital he'd never be a whole man again.

"Is something wrong?" Pein had walked into the mess for some fresh water when Itachi had caught his eye. The dark haired man had a look on his face that made Pein want to do anything to wipe it away. The little rabbit had been nothing but strong while on the Akatsuki and for some reason it felt very wrong seeing such a sad look on his face.

Itachi's gaze whipped to the redhead in surprise. He'd let his guard down enough that he had zoned out, that boded badly for any hope of staving off the bonds that were forming. The concern in the blue-gray eyes struck the heart of him and made his stomach feel light and jumpy. Concealing his reaction, he shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong."

Pein continued to look at him with piercing eyes, something told him that Itachi was holding back but if the other didn't want to talk about it Pein couldn't force him. "Okay, if you say so. I was getting some water, do you want some?" The insane urge to wrap his arms around the rabbit and comfort him was still there and Pein had to hold himself back so that he wouldn't do it.

The brunet considered, realized he hadn't had any water yet today, and nodded. He moved aside to allow Pein further into the galley and nearly shuddered as the warmth the man gave off. He had to catch himself as he almost leaned in to the ship's captain. He backed off, reaching for a pair of small water skins that would each hold a ration of water. "Is there anyone else who wants water?"

Pein had reached for the skins at the same time and their hands brushed making a jolt go through him. Pein quickly pulled his hand back and moved towards the water tank instead. "Yeah I suppose there are more who wants water; most likely all who was in the raid will want some."

Itachi felt an uncomfortable heat in his cheeks and knew that he was blushing damn it. He picked up one of the large water skins instead of the two small ones and handed it to the captain, not meeting the other man's eyes out of his embarrassment of the blush. "Then I suppose it would be better to pass this one around."

"Hmm." Pein agreed with a soft hum and took the water skin from Itachi. He filled it with water from the tank being careful not to spill any of the precious drops. When he was done Pein wrapped his lips around the nozzle of the skin and drank deeply, letting the water cool his dry throat before handing the water skin to Itachi.

The brunet swallowed hard as he accepted the skin and tore his gaze away from the other man as he raised it to his own lips to drink. He'd been mesmerized by the strong throat working as Pein had swallowed the water and since he was a man he couldn't help it as his mind jumped to just what elsethe redhead might be able to do with his mouth and throat. He forced his mind away from those thoughts; it wouldn't do for his body to react to them while wearing the tight black breeches, and finished his own drink before starting to walk out to offer the skin to one of the other crew members. "What's our next port by the way?"

Pein couldn't help but look at Itachi from the corner of his eye as they walked out from the mess to bring his crew men the water skin. The man was gorgeous and with each passing day he found it more and more difficult not to reach out and touch that pale skin that not even the sun seemed able to touch. "Our next port is Ame, we need to restock provisions, all rations are growing meager and you don't want to be around Kisame and Deidara when food is low. In Ame we can trade our profitto money, the market there is perfect since it's filled with merchants from all lands."

Itachi nodded. He'd asked more because of the infant than anything else, hoping that their next port would be somewhere they could find the baby a good, safe home, but he also needed to get some kind of message out to his brother or his brother's lover so Sasuke would know that he was okay. Ame would be perfect for both purposes. "So how much worse does Deidara get?"

Pein gave an exaggerated shudder. "Even Sasori starts avoiding him." A grin spread over his features. "Does that answer your question?" The two of them walked up on deck and handed the skin to Kisame who met them. "We should be in Ame late tomorrow or the day after that depending on the weather. When we get there we'll get you some clothes and boots that fit you."

"Hm? Oh," he glanced down at the slightly worn clothes and his lips curved in amusement when he compared how much more himselfhe felt in the hand-me-down pirate clothes than he ever had in the tailored court uniforms he'd had to wear. "Well I'd certainly appreciate some bigger boots."

"We should be able to get you that." Pein's voice was filled with amusement.

Sasori walked up and grabbed the water skin from Kisame, drinking deeply before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at both Pein and Itachi with unreadable amber eyes. "Bring your blades to me when you can, they always dull after striking bone, I'll sharpen them for you." With that he turned to walk back to his workshop, his robot leg creaking slightly as he walked indicating that it needed to be seen to and oiled.

Itachi frowned in concern, unaware that he was already picking up the moods of the others. "Is he all right?"

"He will be." Pein looked after his blacksmith as the shorter redhead walked away. "Give him some time with Dei and some time to check his prosthetics and he'll be back to his usual charming self. The secondary engine keeps having problems and Sasori and Kisame is barely able to keep it going, when we hit port they'll be able to get some needed spare parts...That will brighten his mood too."

Itachi slid a look over at Pein and nodded, understanding that the man knew his crew well.

Pein walked to the railing and looked out over the seemingly endless sea; this was the one place where he felt totally free. At sea, standing on his own ship nothing could control him. His crew longed to feel solid ground under their feet and Pein understood that. He always got a knot in his stomach when they made port though, fearing something would happen to keep him there, keep him on land without beautiful water and free winds to surround him. "What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?" Pein looked over his shoulder at Itachi. "I wanted to be a gardener of all things...Now I can't think of something that I'd hate more than then being stuck on land, digging in the ground all day."

The brunet blinked and his brows furrowed. Had he ever had a childhood dream of what he wanted to be? Had he ever even been allowedto dream of being something other than the heir to the throne? No, never. From birth he'd been told that he was to be the king one day and was taught, told, and shoved into what was considered the proper mold of a crown prince. He'd shifted that mold and used what he'd been taught to form his own opinion on what a crown prince and a king should be, a champion for his people, but he'd never even thought of what else he'd have liked to be. "I didn't have an idea. I was told what I was to be and never allowed to think of being something different."

Pein gave him a surprised look. "Who can keep you from dreaming? Not even the slavers could take my dreams from me." Pein stepped closer to Itachi in an unconscious move, once again wanting to wrap his arms around him. There was so much about Itachi that he didn't understand and so much he wanted to learn.

Itachi's lips lifted wryly. "Slavers don't love you, nor do they pin all their hopes for the future on you. To a slaver you and I were just commodities to be sold and forced into making a profit for them but parents? Parents, at least mine, can strike a dream away before it's formed just by saying how proud they are of you when you're taking the path they've set out for you. I couldn't disappoint them by wanting to be anything other than what they wished for me."

In some ways it seemed that Itachi had been just as trapped as him growing up, Pein realized that there could be several forms of captivity and that being trapped from love could be just as difficult as being trapped in chains. "We come from such different backgrounds...And still we ended up in the same place."

A soft, mirthless chuckle came from the brunet. Pein had no ideahow different their backgrounds were. "I wonder if that's a statement for or against fate."

"Hmm, I wonder the same." Pein agreed softly, his eyes locked on Itachi's lips. "Fate does have a cruel sense of humor so I figure it remains to be seen."

"True enough." Itachi looked out at the horizon and considered just how cruel fate would be with him.

"Maybe we can master fate before she masters us." Pein continued to look at Itachi until a soft grunt escaped him. "Now if you excuse me I think I need to find Konan and have her stitch me up." He pulled his coat away to reveal a large red spot on the side of his shirt. "It seems as if that pig in the cargo hold nicked me after all."

Itachi whirled and reached out with the speed of a cheetah, yanking up the side of Pein's shirt to inspect the gash there, dark eyes narrowed. It wasn't a bad wound, just barely on the side of needing stitches, but the fact of the matter was that someone had injured the redhead and Itachi found himself wanting to find the culprit and drag him out of hell just so he could kill him again. The irrational fury Itachi felt scared him but he shoved it aside in favor of raising a brow at his captain. "She went to put the infant to sleep and is likely still trying to get him to settle but I can stitch it up if you like."

Pein's eyes had grown wide in surprise as Itachi whirled on him and yanked his shirt up but now they narrowed in suspicion. "Will you know what to do?" He gave the other a crooked smile, he had already made up his mind, the upsides to having Itachi's hands on his skin more than made up for the chance to have an ugly scar, he had plenty of them already. "Let's go under deck and you can use the needle on me."

"Hn." Itachi turned and lead the way to the washroom, pausing only to grab a nautical first aid kit from the sickbay to stitch up the wound. He could feel Pein amused gaze on him as he pointed to a stool. "Sit, take the shirt off, and I hope you don't whine like a baby when you get stitches." He turned to wash his hands as clean as he could possibly get them.

Pulling off his shirt Pein winced when the wound stretched and pulled open, making it bleed more. His torso was just as tanned as the rest of him and being shirtless he revealed that both nipples and navel was pierced with shiny metal too. "Look at me little rabbit; does it look like I'm afraid of needles?" One red eyebrow was raised and the corners of his lips were turned upwards in amusement.

A dark brow lifted again and he looked over his shoulder at the other man. "You don't have to be afraid to whine about getting stitches." He barely got the rejoinder out considering the rather shocking leap of lust that had assaulted him at the sight of those tiny bits of metal adorning Pein's body. It made him wonder where else the man was pierced and thatbrought a flood of warmth to his face. He rinsed his hands, gathered the alcohol, needles, surgical thread, clean gauze pads, and a small sterile basin to soak the needle and thread in so they were sterile and went to crouch next to Pein, his attention now focused on the wound.

He soaked one of the gauze pads in alcohol. "I'm sure you know this is going to burn." Then he started cleaning the wound with the pad without further ado, aware of the stiffening of the redhead's body and the low hiss the man made at the burn of the antiseptic.

Pein did his best not to squirm in his seat but fuck that burned. The antiseptic was worse than the actual stitching. To take his mind off it he concentrated on looking at Itachi's hands, watching how the long slender fingers moved over his skin made Pein wish that Itachi would touch him under different circumstances. He watched in almost morbid fascination as Itachi threaded the needle and brought it to his skin, seeing it pierce his skin and coming out on the other side as Itachi quickly pulled the wound closed. "Where did you learn this?" He asked in a husky voice since everything about Itachi aroused him, even having him run a needle through his skin.

The brunet didn't look up from his work and barely noticed the tone of Pein's voice, which he attributed to discomfort. "It seemed a prudent thing to learn when I began studying swordplay. If you're in a fight then it's likely you or one of your allies will be injured and there isn't always a doctor around to stitch you up. So I learned and it's come in handy from time to time."

"Handy skill indeed." Pein nodded and resisted to lift his hand and thread it through the thick, dark hair that was just within his reach. He couldn't quite comprehend the whole studying swordplay bit, he had learned by doing but he couldn't deny that Itachi was skilled.

"Hn." Itachi finished the stitching and began to bandage the captain's injury. "Did you get caught anywhere else?" He raised his eyes to Pein's and was caught by the intensity of the blue-gray irises as they studied him.

Not able to stop himself Pein raised his hand and ran his thumb over Itachi's lips, feeling the soft fullness under the pad of his finger. He shook his head without looking away from Itachi's eyes. "No, no I didn't get caught anywhere else...At least not by that pig." Still Itachi, his little rabbit had managed to catch him completely and Pein still wasn't sure if he wanted to get away or not.

The dark eyes widened at the touch and he knew he should back off, knew he should pull away and stuff the incident into the 'things to be ignored' box but he couldn't. That touch held him captive just as strongly as iron chains. The hands that had been wrapping the bandage around Pein's torso stilled and rested on the warm, tanned skin. Part of him screamed that this was a hideously bad idea, that he'd end up getting hurt as soon as Pein found out who he was but a larger part of him wanted nothing more than to sink against the other man and to touch and be touched by him.

Pein could not look away from those eyes, the more he looked at them he realized that their darkness his an incomparable shade of midnight blue and now, right now he could swear he saw tiny flecks of silver in them. Like stars on a midnight sky. He moved his hand away from Itachi's mouth to the back of his neck, cupping it as he brought Itachi's face up to finally taste those tempting lips. He pressed his lips against Itachi's and made a pleased sound in the back of his throat as the other man open his lips beneath his probing tongue. Pein was just about to deepen the kiss when the door to the sickbay swung open and Tobi rushed inside. "Captain, there's a large group of fish nearby and Kisame wants to know..." Tobi broke off when he saw how close to two men were together and he blushed fifty shades of red. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I should have knocked."

Pein sighed and pulled away from Itachi reluctantly. "It's okay Tobi." He got up from his seat and pulled on his coat without a shirt under since the one he'd been wearing was all bloody. He gave Itachi one last heated glance and walked to towards the doorway. "Come on Tobi let's go see Kisame."

Itachi didn't move from his crouched position as they left the room but the instant he was alone, his butt hit the floor and he pressed his forehead to the stool Pein had been sitting on. 'Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!'He almost wanted to cry. That single, almost chaste kiss had hammered something painfully home for him. He was in love with the ship's captain. He was in love with a man who hated everything Itachi was born to. A man that, if he ever learned who Itachi was, would happily slaughter him. Pein was right, fate was cruel and this realization hurt.

Following Tobi down the hallway and up on deck Pein was stunned to notice that his legs were shaky. He couldn't even try to pretend that it was from blood loss or being stitched up, the jelly in his legs was all Itachi's doing. Itachi and the kiss that almost happened. When Tobi showed up Pein felt the urge to pick the smaller man up and throw him overboard for interrupting, those lips felt so wonderful against his and Pein had only wanted more. Despite guarding his heart for all these years the rabbit had managed to steal it. He had never meant to fall in love, had not wanted to fall in love but he had.

Straightening his shoulders he got up on deck and walked over to Kisame, wanting to learn what this thing about fish was. For now he had to be captain but Itachi was on his mind the entire time, he was happy and terrified at the same time and Pein only hoped that Itachi felt the same.

Continues in part three…