Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Let me know if you have any comments. I'm always happy to get feedback. I may not be able to update the story tomorrow, so I apologize in advance.

Chapter 5

It took nearly four hours for the ship to arrive. Lovino had tried everything, but nothing seemed to be able to distract him from the anticipation. He was just far too nervous and far too excited to think of anything else. The only distraction that came anywhere near working was Antonio's training on the basics of using a sword. Feliciano had chosen not to participate, but Lovino wasn't going to complain. Despite the fact that he would never admit it, he was glad to have all of Antonio's attention for himself.

"You're getting better," Antonio said with some excitement as he blocked Lovino's attack.

"Whatever, Bastard," Lovino responded trying his best not to show that the compliment meant as much as it did. He wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"However," The Spaniard started before knocking the rapier out of his hand. "You still have a lot of work to do."

"Shut up," Lovino said storming over to his sword. His face was red and he shot a glare at Antonio. It was received only by laughter. The laughter made his heart soar, which only added to his frustration with the bastard.

"Don't worry, Lovino," Antonio finally interjected. "This job won't actually require much fighting. It's a small ship, so it likely won't have many men."

Before Lovino could respond, he heard a man shout from the crow's nest. "Captain, they're here."

Antonio's face grew serious as he began to shout orders. "All hands on deck. I want to get right up next to her, so we can ambush her without doing too much damage. Remember, no casualties if it can be helped. We were sent to get the goods and that's all."

As the ship began to move, Lovino felt himself shaking. He couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he messed up? What if something went wrong? What if Antonio was wrong and they were under prepared?

"You know, I was nervous the first time, too," Antonio said. Lovino looked up at the man's understanding eyes and relaxed just a little. There was something about the man's smile that made him feel safe.

He looked away just a bit too quickly and folded his arms across his chest. "Who said I was nervous, Bastard." Lovino didn't look back up, but he could hear the man chuckle beside him.

They stood in silence and waited as the Calista grew closer to the other ship. Three men grabbed their axes and attached a thick rope to them. When they were in range, the men threw their axes and they embedded themselves in the wood. Lovino watched in amazement as the men used these ropes to board the other boat. Of course, they weren't left completely unopposed. Only a few of the sailor carried weapons, however, as they were just a merchant ship. They had no cannons and could only rely on their guns to shoot at the pirates.

One shot hit its target and Lovino watched in horror as the man fell off his rope. He hit the water with a splash and flailed around desperately. Apparently, the man couldn't swim. The Italian couldn't move as he stared at the man helplessly. The man was going to die and he was just watching.

He hadn't even noticed Antonio jump off the side of the ship, until he reached the drowning man. The Spaniard grabbed the crew member and moved with determination towards their ship. It was then that Lovino was finally able to take control of his body.

Without even thinking, he grabbed some spare rope and flung it overboard. He wrapped the side that was still on the boat around one of the masts.

Lovino held his breath as he looked back to where the rope left the ship. It seemed to take an eternity, but eventually both the man and Antonio made their way onto the deck. The man was couching vigorously and there was a growing spot of blood forming on his sleeve.

"Take him to your brother, Lovino." Antonio's words barely pierced Lovino's worried thoughts. All he could see was the blood.

"Lovino!" Antonio attempted once more. This time he took Lovino's face in his hands and gently turn his head so that he was looking him directly in the eye. "Lovino, I need you to focus. Feliciano can help him, but I need you to take him below deck. Do you understand?"

Lovino's mouth was dry and he couldn't talk. He slowly nodded, trying unsuccessfully to regain his composure. He didn't know what he expected to happen during an ambush, but this wasn't it.

Another loud gunshot was enough to bring him back to reality. He had a job to do, so he forced himself to run over to the man. Antonio was right. Feliciano, while not interested in fighting, had been quite fascinated with medicine. He had read nearly every book on the subject that he could get his hands onto.

"Fratello, ho bisogno di Aiuti," Lovino shouted as they neared the living quarters. He could hear the hurried steps of his brother as he placed the man on one of the beds.

"Mio Dio," Feliciano whispered upon seeing the man. He seemed frozen for a moment before running off in the direction of his things. He returned moments later with a small pack in his hands.

Lovino couldn't watch as Feliciano got to work with shaking hands. In stead, he found himself running. He needed some peace, he needed somewhere that he could be by himself. It wasn't until he stopped running that he realized his destination. Sitting on the floor of the Captain's office, he hugged his legs close to his chest and cried.

Fratello, ho bisogno di Aiuti (Italian)- Brother, I need help

Mio Dio (Italian)- My God