A Pirate's Life For Me

Alone Again

A/N: Be open-minded, put yourself in his situation.......desperate times call for desperate measures, and fear makes people do bad things.

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The door doesn't open all the way. That should've been my first clue.

It opened about a foot, enough for light to shine through and blind me, enough for my squinting eyes to see the outlines of the bolts and chains strung across the space, connecting the door and the wall. The door was still bolted.

That should've been my second clue.

Look who's back so soon, I wanted to say. Couldn't wait for more, could ya? But I couldn't. Now, it's not only my safety my words reflect on.

"Colette?"

They called out to the girl. That was clue number three. Ding ding ding, we have a dumbass.

At the time, I'd been positively astounded when the black figure darted through the opening and collapsed at the feet of the girl, but now, as I watch the couple embrace, everything clicks.

"Lookey here," I whisper softly, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "Your phantom prince in ninja fatigues has indeed come to your rescue."

Both of them ignore me, speaking fast in hushed tones as the newcomer frantically unties her. When she's free, they hug again, and the girl cries into their shoulder. I want to roll my eyes, be upset, be petty and make some snarky comment about how picturesque the moment is, and can I get a highlight on this sight? There. Perfect shot.

But I don't.

I settle just for being glad for her.

"She'll be okay," I venture as the ninja fusses over her. "She got a little beat up, but she'll heal."

Lightning fast, the ninja struts over to me and smashes my diaphragm in.

"It's all your fault, you pirate bastard," the ninja growls as I choke on air.

There. That's what I was expecting to hear.

"Jackson!" Colette whispers, her voice angry but strained. "Leave him alone!"

"Listen to your girlfriend," I wheeze, throwing my head back to open up my lungs. I know I'll be fine in a minute, but for now I can't breathe. Breathing is good.

The ninja lowers their hood and gets real close, closer than I like anyone to be.

"You're the reason they dragged her down here." His words are venom, splashing and burning as he echoes what I've already told myself. "You're the one who did whatever they did to her. You deserve everything they're doing to you."

Ouch. Even the starvation? I want to ask, but I don't have enough air.

"As much as...I...agree with...you," I gasp instead, "you...have to...go...The night guard...could be here...any...minute..." As well as Icas, I think inwardly, and I can't help the shudder that crawls through my body.

What will Icas do when he finds her gone?

Dear God, what will he do when I'm still here?

The ninja continues to glare at me.

It's dark but there's enough in that sliver of light to shine on his hair and glint it gold. His eyes are narrowed, tiny slits in the defined cheekbones and jaw that edge his face. His nose brushes mine, just once, angry breath dusting across the sweat on my cheeks. Shoulders jut beneath his black overshirt, broad, stretching the fabric enough for me to sense the threadbare patches on the curve of his arms. I know those patches well. I live with them.

All at once I can breathe, and with that breath comes anger.

"Go," I say again, more forceful than before, bumping out foreheads softly, though still harder than I should. "They'll—"

My cheek smarts, a thousand other older injuries burning underneath the new hand-print on my face.

"Don't touch me, pirate," the not-so-silent ninja snarls, sounding disgusted at the thought of my stained, dirty, pirate skin touching his.

Fury boils beneath that tainted skin and I glare at him for all I'm worth, telling him with my eyes how much I hate—

Except...

Even though I can't see the color to his eyes, I can see the worry that laces his irises, the fear dilating his pupils to tiny slits when I can barely see across the room in this darkness, the panic pinching his eyes together so he looks angry. And he is, but not as angry as he is scared.

He's just scared.

And just like that, I'm not mad anymore.

I'm not exactly happy with him, but I can't be angry. All he's done is come to rescue his girlfriend, and he finds her bruised and hogtied in the corner, with the reason chained a few feet away. Hell, I'd go mess with it. He's just trying to get her out.

Metal clanks sharply from down the hall.

"Go." I repeat for the final time. "They're coming."

"I don't take orders from pirates," he snaps back.

I want to chew him out. Calling a pirate a "pirate" as an insult doesn't really make much sense. Is your head as dense as your fist? Wow, I'm a pirate, I had no idea. Great choice of ninjas there, Blondy, he can tell who a pirate is on first glance.

Instead, I toss my head at the chair in the corner behind the door.

The guards make a fuss about my door being propped open, but they freeze when they see me watching inside. Like idiots, they don't look for the girl.

"You! Why is your door open?"

"There's an intruder!" I wheeze out, pretending to be short of breath, which isn't hard. I pull at my chains to mask the animal grunt from behind the door. "He—He freed the girl that was in here with me! They just left—you can still catch them!"

They shine their light on the empty corner and sound a cry of alarm, shouting down the hall to their buddies.

"Left! They went left!" I scream, ignoring the sharp pain in my throat. Saving them is more important than my well being. Though I don't know how long that mindset will stay in place once the doctor walks in... "He looks like a pig, a real asshole—you can't miss him! They went left—he's trying to get out with the garbage!"

It's a long shot, considering I have no idea where anything is in this place, or if there really is a garbage shoot, much less whether it's left or right, but whatever I say seems to work. The soldiers go screaming into the abyss to the left of my door.

The ninja and Colette pop up from behind the chair.

"Thank you," says Colette, smiling at me. "I'll get your wris—"

"We have to go."

He doesn't leave any time for deliberation, looping an arm around her waist and slamming the iron door behind him.

Now, I let myself think.

The ninja hadn't been too convinced when he left. My stunt must've confused him as much as it had the guards. Slightly peeved that I'm not free as well, I tug half-heartedly at my chains and sigh. Why did he have to be an ass at the end? I mean, he's right, they didn't have much time, and if they added me to their group they wouldn't get far at all, but he didn't have to be an ass about it. He should let me be free. At the very least, I would've had my hands free. Maybe I could've done something. But then again, maybe not.

I've only got a few minutes before Icas comes back.