Chapter 5: The Ceremony

It was finally time. Lovino walked out onto the main deck to be greeted by the stares of the entire crew as he made his entrance. The familiar part of the ship didn't look too different. There were a few torches lit to make things visible in the darkness before dawn, but besides that, nothing had changed. And yet, Lovino felt as if he was standing in a new place. Something wasn't the same as before. Maybe it was the way the men were looking at him, like they were noticing that he was there for the first time- that he wasn't just someone who had been rescued out of pity or the Captain's pet, but one of their own. Could it be that he was just imagining it?

"Lovi," Antonio said, coming up behind him and placing one hand gently on his shoulder, "are you ready?"

"I guess so," the dragon replied warily, trying to hide his nervousness. He still wasn't exactly sure what was about to happen in the final part of this ordeal. Antonio had refused to tell him, the bastard. Lovino wasn't the kind who liked surprises. He had come across far too many in his nearly two and a half centuries of life to be very fond. "When are you going to tell me what's going on, dammit?"

"Soon, soon," the captain promised. "How are you feeling? Is your arm okay?"

"I'm fine, bastard," Lovino growled. "You already bandaged my wounds. There's no need for you to keep treating me like a hatchling."

"Just checking," Antonio said with a smile. "You'll be happy to know that you won't actually have to do much for this last thing."

Lovino frowned and raised an eyebrow, a gesture that he had copied from Antonio and other men in the crew (and which he had seen directed at him far too often).

"What do I have to do?"

Antonio pointed as one of his men brought out a barrel and placed it in the center of the deck.

"Just sit there."

Lovino dragged his feet reluctantly as his captain led him over to the "seat" that had been prepared. He didn't like this at all. What was the point of just sitting in the middle of the deck like an idiot while everyone stared at him? Were they going to do something to him while he resisted the urge to fight or run? The dragon snorted, blowing out a puff of smoke through his nose as he glared at those watching him. He'd show them he wasn't afraid. Let them do their worse.

Lovino took a seat on the barrel and watched as Antonio called for the men's attention. It didn't take much to quiet them down. They were already turning their gazes to the captain expectantly.

"Today the sun will rise with a new man in our ranks. Lovino has passed the tests of piracy by proving himself both a capable thief and a formidable fighter. If anyone still wishes to challenge his right to become a member of this crew, speak now."

Every pirate on board remained silent. Even the angry burned Raul bitterly held his tongue, though Lovino didn't miss the hateful glare thrown in his direction. The dragon ignored it and studied each of the men carefully, wondering if anyone would raise his voice. None did, even after another moment of Antonio waiting.

"Very well then," the captain said. "Lovino will now complete his initiation. Bring the supplies."

The dragon watched as a few men brought a torch and some strange tools over. He didn't recognize them and had no way to guess their purpose. As he eyed them nervously, Antonio came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be nervous, Lovi. I won't lie- it'll hurt a bit. But if you go through with it, this crew will have no choice but to accept you, and you really will be one of us."

"Just what are you going to do to me, bastard?" Lovino growled, his patience wearing thin. He couldn't take this anymore. He had to know what was about to happen to him before he could consent to it.

Antonio hesitated, and by the look on his face, Lovino could tell that he was still hesitant to tell him the details of the procedure his men were preparing for the dragon. Finally, the captain sighed and gave the other his best reassuring smile.

"You're going to be marked, Lovi. Just like every other man here."

Antonio stepped back and removed his coat and shirt. Then, turning around, he exposed one distinct tattoo on his shoulder blade. It was a cross with a message written in an elegant hand that Lovino couldn't understand. Lower, on his hip stood an eagle struck by an arrow. The dragon didn't know what it meant, but he figured it must have been symbolic somehow. Maybe Antonio was the only one who understood. There was one more strange marking on the captain. It was a single word on the back of his neck that Lovino couldn't read until Antonio had lifted the ponytail out of the way. Vive.

Lovino stared at it, frowning. He knew the man had not been born with these marks, but he had never learned how it was done. Did all the other crewmembers really have such strange markings on their bodies?

"So I need to get one of those markings to be accepted?" Lovino scoffed. "You humans are so strange. Fine. Just get it over with. I really don't care."

The dragon tried not to look uneasy as he spoke, but in all honesty, he was still not sure about this. After all he had been through however, it seemed foolish just to quit here. He hadn't robbed a house and fought another pirate for his life only to end up shying away from a silly marking. He wasn't afraid of the pain, and he didn't care much for his human body or what it looked like, so there was no valid reason to refuse.

Lovino took off his shirt and waited. Antonio seemed to be preparing something. Finally, the captain approached him and held something sharp and covered in ink readily in one hand.

"What would you like, Lovi? You can choose the design. Anything you want."

The dragon scoffed.

"I don't care. Just give me…something suitable," he replied, crossing his arms. The pirate's eyes glinted in amusement.

"You want me to choose? Are you sure?"

"I told you I didn't care," Lovino growled. "As long as it's not something stupid, it's fine. Don't make me regret this, dammit."

Antonio nodded, not wanting to cause the other to change his mind. He already knew exactly what would be most appropriate.

"I'm going to put it here, okay?" Antonio asked, touching the left side of Lovino's chest, right over his heart. The dragon gave a slow nod of consent.

The first jab of pain made Lovino flinch. He growled beneath his breath, but kept himself from spitting fire. It hurt like hell, but the dragon gritted his teeth and endured the pain. It felt like forever before Antonio had finished, and the skin around the marking was bright red by the time he was done. Lovino looked down at his chest to examine the image. It was a black dragon, claws in the air and mouth open, showing off its sharp fangs. Lovino traced a finger close to it, staring.

"Do you like it?" Antonio asked.

"It's tolerable," Lovino murmured, which was practically a compliment coming from him. A dragon was the only mark that was worthy of him, even if it would also serve as a painful reminder of what he used to be. It could have ended worse, the dragon decided, but it turned out he had thought so too soon.

"There's one more thing you need," his captain said, suddenly looking uneasy again.

"Whatever it is, you're sure acting like I'm not going to like it," Lovino growled suspiciously.

"It will hurt, too," Antonio replied honestly, "but only for a moment."

"What is it?"

"This," the captain said, bringing one finger up to flick the gold earring hanging from his earlobe. "To give you one, I need to make a hole."

Lovino leaned away from him, biting back a protest. The crew was watching him intently. Some of them seemed amused by the reluctance on his face. The dragon glared at them, blowing smoke out of his nose again in anger. He didn't want the stupid piercing! But it was such an insignificant thing once he got over the revolting idea of having a hole made in him.

"Do it," he huffed. "Fast."

It wouldn't really matter once it was over, he attempted to convince himself. If this is what it took to earn the respect he deserved, then fine. Anything the rest of the crew had was not too much for him. He could handle this-

"FUCK!" Lovino roared, too busy thinking to realize Antonio had just stabbed him through the ear with a hot needle. He opened his mouth in surprise and pain and let a burst of fire stream across the deck, nearly destroying part of the ship. A few pirates scattered, even though they hadn't truly been in danger of getting hit. The captain himself staggered back a few steps and frowned at the dragon.

"Be careful, Lovi!"

"You just poked a fucking hole through my ear!" Lovino snarled, whirling around to face him. "You think I was supposed to just sit calmly through, that? Bastard!"

The dragon reached up to touch his earlobe, but stopped. The area was still throbbing in pain. It would just take some time to heal. It certainly wasn't the worst wound Lovino had ever had. He snorted out another puff of smoke and crossed his arms, calming down.

"So what now?"

"Now?" Antonio asked, trying very hard not to look like he was about to run for cover. "Now you're a pirate!"

Lovino wasn't expecting the Spaniard to grab a hold of his hand and raise it in the air.

"Welcome to the crew!"

Suddenly, several shouts erupted across the deck. Lovino's eyes widened. They were cheering- for him. They were acknowledging him. They were accepting him as one of their own. The dragon realized that part of him had never though it possible, but here it was, in front of his own eyes.

Of course, not everyone was happy. Raul and a few other men stayed silent, not offering any sort of welcome or congratulations. Fuck if Lovino cared. He didn't need their approval. He had passed the tests he had been given and earned his place on this ship. If a few bastards couldn't accept it, that was their problem.

The short time remaining until the dawn was full of celebration. Lovino felt as if the men on the ship were having a better time than he was- full of rum and starting up the horrible singing that came with it. The dragon would have rather gone away and hidden in Antonio's den, but the captain insisted that he stay and wait for the sunrise. They waited together on the upper part of the deck while the crew sang drunkenly below them, tempting Lovino more than once to see if his flames would add a dance to their merriment. Antonio chuckled, as if guessing what the dragon was thinking, and Lovino soon felt a hand settle on his shoulder.

"Don't mind them. They'd celebrate anything to get more than their share of rum…but today is special, Lovi. You're truly one of us now- a real pirate. And I'm glad to call you part of my crew."

He ran a hand over the dragon's hair, much to Lovino's protest. Lovino pushed the man's hand away and bared his teeth at him, but it was mostly just to cover up his own embarrassment and secretly growing pride. He had never thought he'd want to join with these pirates. It hadn't been his choice to come here, yet he had chosen to stay…at least for now. The dragon took a wistful glance at the sky. Was the start of a new life here the end of his old one? This human body had been his prison for longer than he cared to acknowledge, but everything still felt so different and new. So far he had found it difficult, if not impossible to accept that there might really be no going back, that all of this was...permanent. Maybe I'll never get used to being this way…I know I don't want to. There was still a hidden hope that his state was only temporary. He'd find a way to break this curse, and then, he'd return to his proper form- that of a strong, proud dragon. The way he belonged.

"Don't get used to it, bastard. I'm here for now, and I can tolerate living among your unsightly excuse for a clan…but as soon as I'm free from this curse, I'll have a new path to follow. As if your lousy ship has enough room for a dragon anyway. You'd have to build a fucking bigger one."

There was a heavy silence that followed, and the way Antonio stared at Lovino made the dragon uneasy, very quickly.

"W-what, dammit?"

"Lovi…did you just make a joke?"

"I- what? NO!"

"Yes! Yes, you did!"

The first rays of daylight finally did shine themselves down on the ship's newest member- but even the sun was hardly as bright as the fire that spewed from Lovino's mouth as the jeering captain ran to save his clothes and skin from the burns that were sure to follow. Below, most of the men had fallen asleep, bottles still in hand, and those that were awake had the unhappy task of cleaning all the wreckage that was left behind from the dragon's rampage. Keeping such a creature on board would bring both risks and benefits, not all of which the crew was even aware of. One thing was certain, though: life on the ship would never be the same again- but for pirates well accustomed to change, that was hardly a surprise at all.

The End

A/N: Finally, the conclusion! Sorry this took so long to wrap up. I hope you enjoyed the story. I might write another fic for Dragon!Lovi someday, but for now, I'll probably try something new. Comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

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