Sanctuary was all that he remembered and more. Rin gawked like an eager hayseed at the sight of the harbor, suppressing a shudder of impatience while they awaited the harbormaster's signal. Most of the children born to the island were only now of an age to take up a living on the sea, but Sanctuary had been a place for misfits since its inception and Rin knew he was far from the only seafarer to consider it his true home. It was a ragtag outfit cobbled together of waterlogged wood and straw, more sand than a hundred beaches and sturdy stone to stand strong against the worst of the battering storms. Somewhere beneath all of that there must once have been an island, Rin was sure, a focal point that somehow held the mess together but to the minds of many the only true controlling force was Yamazaki Sousuke.

Once a pirate, Sou had long ago decided that he preferred a life of plenty and relative ease. Rather than spend the winters looking for easy prey, seeking out calm waters in the stormy season, he chose to pitch his proverbial tent square in the center of a city he had built through blood and willpower alone. More gold ran through Sanctuary than most of the major port cities Rin had ever sought harbor in, and there was nothing that could not be found in its markets except slaves. Sousuke employed only free folk to enforce his will, and no small portion of their bounty had come from hunting the hunters.

Intimately acquainted with chains and cages himself after years on the run, Rin had taken an immediate liking to the man. He didn't pretend to understand why Sou had taken such a shine to him in turn, but with his ship on her last legs and his crew desperate for any release they could find, he was especially relieved to know he had a strong and devoted ally here.

"You're not going to vault over the edge, are you?" Nagisa appeared from nowhere, resting his crossed arms against the ship and glancing up at Rin questioningly.

"Not into that water." Rin knew well where the city's waste went, and the stench in the air was nothing he wanted on his clothes.

Nagisa glanced down, pulling a face. "I'd just as soon stay aboard ship if it's all the same to you."

"No. We'll need lodging for the next few nights. Somewhere reasonably clean, with enough liquor to float an armada. Set a couple watchmen over the ship, rotate so no one pulls double duty."

"Done." Nagisa agreed easily, a whimsical smile spreading across his face. Guessing his thoughts, Rin snorted fondly; it wasn't often Nagisa got the ship or Rei all to himself. Both at once would be paradise.

!

!

They found a berth a mere hour after sending a message ahead to the harbormaster, no delay or haggling for a little extra coin. Rin wasn't sure whether to take that for a sign of good or ill fortune, but he wasted no time making his way off ship for the spire not too far in the distance. At midday Sou would be holding court in the pub that was his second home, likely listening to all the stories bandied about and evaluating them for their truthfulness or spinning a few yarns of his own to be carried abroad.

His legs still knew the streets well, carrying him through the market and past the merchants clamoring loudly for his attention, past a couple inns and even down a side alley or two where the brothels plied their trade. The first time Makoto and he had made their way here he had been worried, but on Sanctuary the prostitutes were as much entrepreneurs as any other merchants; they didn't call out to anyone from cages or struggle to hide wasting bodies under too little clothing. Makoto had insinuated himself among them, gathering tidbits of information here and there, reveling in the opportunity to exercise some of his more benign talents.

His wandering mind circled back around to Haru. Bringing him here was risky; Sousuke's code might very well preclude keeping a prisoner indefinitely, even one so troublesome as the pearl-hunter. Given the choice between keeping the man that had so captured both his and Mako's attention or staying in Sou's good graces, he hadn't decided which he would choose if it came to it. It might, if they weren't careful. If Haru hadn't damaged their ship all of this uncertainty might have been avoided, but then if they had steered clear of the island the result could have been the same.

Always a price to be paid. Ultimately the decision came down to whether he more valued his ship and crew or the man doubtless even now pacing his cabin plotting his revenge.

Tangling with increasingly troubled thoughts, he hardly noticed that he had stopped to stare up at the imposing building: a bronze spire atop one of the only stone buildings on Sanctuary, windows of glass rather than the common wooden slats or open to the elements. It hadn't changed at all since he had last visited. Rin relaxed infinitesimally and pushed the curtain hiding the entrance aside.

The place was unusually empty, only a couple old sea-salts bantering at a table in the far corner, a handful more men and women eating quietly at tables scattered around the place. Normally Sousuke would flit between them, making sure silence didn't dare to invade his home. He was there though, at a table in the back speaking to a woman decked out in vibrant clothes, bangles dangling from her wrists to show off her wealth. Anywhere else she might have had to worry about thieves; perhaps those were precisely the services she offered. On the table between them lay an assortment of metals and stones, as likely to be loot as honest merchandise.

Rin tried not to care, but as a merchant's son himself he couldn't help assessing the quality of the goods from afar until Sousuke caught sight of him.

"Rin!" Sousuke's face lit up and he pushed himself away from the table to bound over with unaccustomed enthusiasm. Rin threw his arms about him without hesitation, pounding him on the back with bruising force.

He felt like a traitor already, and it only got worse when Sou pulled away to beam at him. "It's been too long! I expect you have some tales to tell?"

"More than I'd like to admit. The Samenoe is in port; she took a beating in our last engagement."

"At least you managed to limp here. Drink?" Sou led him toward the back where the better vintages were kept, pulling down a mug from the top shelf and haphazardly filling it with a ruby liquid Rin was sure could knock him off his feet for the night. What the hell. He knew how to keep his secrets even falling down drunk.

"How long do you expect to stay?"

"Not more than a week."

Sou's disappointment was palpable, but he didn't betray it in either word or expression. "A week. You won't have time to see everything that's changed since your last visit, but I think you will appreciate what we've done with the Eastern harbor-"

"Before that, I have news."

"Ah." Sou instantly sobered, guiding Rin back to the table the woman had vacated, blithely ignoring the precious treasures scattered there though Rin had to clamp his hands together to keep them from wandering. "What manner of news?"

"I might have led trouble straight to your doorstep. Are you at all familiar with Captain Mikoshiba Seijurou?"

"I haven't had the pleasure." Sou murmured dryly, "but he has interfered with my supply lines a time or two." Sou sharpened, "You've come up a ways in the world if he's following you."

"It was a fluke, but we haven't been able to shake him." Rin growled. "I don't think he'd be so foolish as to follow me here, but I've underestimated him before."

Sou took another sip of his drink, humming noncommittally. "I won't let him take you from here, Rin, but we survive because of that code of neutrality. I'll hold him to the same rules as everyone else, but I won't deny him safe harbor if he appears here."

"All I ask is that you keep an eye out for him. Warn me if you spot him; he's become entirely too casual with the rules of engagement."

"Something of a pirate himself?"

"Maybe in another life."

Their half-hearted laughter died off quickly, leaving them in a friendly but pensive silence. "And Makoto? Is he here with you?"

"As always." Rin didn't play coy, Sou and Mako had been at each other's throats almost from day one. They had adopted a policy of mutual avoidance that thankfully kept any blood from being spilled, but Rin was sure Makoto would pry every detail of this conversation from his lips when he returned.

"Rei? Nagisa?"

Rin sharpened, "Always. Any particular reason?"

Sou pursed his lips and sighed. "I had a hunter through here a few months ago. He carried the names of most of your crew. Nagisa's bounty has almost doubled, Rei is worth a great deal as a corpse. Aiichirou isn't worth anything unless he is a corpse. I gather you all have been very busy, and I need to know exactly how determined Seijurou is going to be."

"Damn." Rin sank back into his chair, "I'll deliver the news tonight."

"I think that would be wise. But until then, perhaps a little more to drink? It washes the bitter news down nicely."

"Agreed. And I'm afraid that isn't all the news I have to impart. In fact, I need to call in a favor. Complicated enough to wipe the slate clean between us, and put me in your debt besides."

Sousuke hid his surprise well, but Rin knew him well enough to spot it.

"Then we should certainly have a drink, and perhaps a stroll."

!

!

!

Sei had never met the man before sunrise that very morning, but he already knew he was going to loathe Shigino Kisumi with every fiber of his being. Not that Kisumi seemed a man particularly worthy of loathing: He was cheerful, outgoing, a dab hand with the ropes. He was, in fact, the very model of all that an officer was meant to be. Therein lay the rub.

Gou was delighted to make his acquaintance. Sei's eyes hadn't missed the appreciative quirk of her lips as she shook his hand or the way she lingered just a minute longer over her greetings the better to ogle his bare chest. For once Sei hoped for rain, perhaps then the man would put his blasted shirt on. As it was Sei was reduced to fuming quietly as he and Miho hammered out their plans in the small bunk that passed for captain's quarters aboard such a small ship.

All the while Gou happily carried out her tasks, stopping only to pester Kisumi with questions about the ship, the island, Sanctuary… He was all too eager to answer, taking up with her as though they had always been the closest of friends, flirting outrageously whenever their light duties permitted it. Gou blushed, giggled, and flirted right back without a qualm much to the delight of her newest friend.

Miho pointedly cleared her throat for the third time in as many minutes, fixing him with an exasperated look once Sei finally yielded and glanced in her direction.

"You're smitten with her." She murmured, tone surprisingly gentle considering they had been shouting each other down not an hour ago deciding who would take charge once they made Sanctuary. Sei didn't trust their new entente, not for a second.

"Yes." Blunt and unashamed. He had no reason to deny it.

Miho arched a surprised brow, smiling despite the pallor of her face. She had spent the first twenty minutes in deep water emptying her guts over the side, and even now the steady rocking of the boat was not treating her kindly.

He forced his eyes back down to the map before them: crudely drawn, faded and missing entire sections. By his estimation it had to be at least five years old and well used. Sanctuary would have changed since then; very little ever remained the same from month to month in the city on the water, let alone after so many years-

Laughter drifted to his ears, high and wild such as he had not heard from Gou in weeks. Sei gritted his back teeth and hid a clenching fist beneath the table. He was jealous, terribly so, and he hated that petty part of him that begrudged her that laugh. After all she had done, all she had been through, Gou deserved whatever moments of joy she could find.

"I'm sure if you look at Rin like that he will surrender without a fight." Miho said dryly.

Sei glared, sitting up in his chair and shrugging out of his authority it conferred on him he had already willingly surrendered.

"Are you finished?" He queried, a touch of frost in his tone. It was not his place to tell Gou whose company she should keep, but it was his place to find a way to take her brother into custody. A fact he was still wrestling with with in the privacy of his own thoughts. As an officer he should not have concerned himself with whether she would forgive him, but he was concerning himself with exactly that and the answer was disheartening.

"No. I wonder what you mean to do with her, I wonder if you've considered what you've already done in allowing her to stay. I wonder if you know what you are doing in bringing her along to arrest, imprison, and transport her brother to his execution." Miho shrugged, and her expression returned to the same benign smile and carefully blank face she had worn since she first set foot on the deck. "But there are more pressing matters at hand, and I doubt even you know the answers to those questions."

Sei knew better than to rise to the bait, especially now when they were so very close to their objective. He spared a second to collect himself, determined eyes flicking up to meet her own across the table. "We cannot make port before them. By the time we put in I'm sure they'll have repairs well under way. Were I in their place, I would stay with my ship."

"Typical." Miho snorted, "Matsuoka's concern for his ship will come second to the needs of his crew. These men have no threat of discharge to keep them in line; he'll need to turn them loose. I doubt any one of them will be found near the ship. We'd have better luck scouring the whorehouses."

"The Samenoe was property of the Matsuoka family long before Rin commandeered her; he won't be far."

"We will check with the harbormaster once we make port. In any case I doubt it will be as simple as informing them they are under arrest."

Sei pressed his palms against his eyelids until sparks danced behind his eyes. "On that we agree. We don't have the numbers to take them either. My priorities are Rin, Makoto, and Aiichirou."

"Oh? Have you come this far for three men?"

"They are the only three I want alive." Even that was negotiable with respect to Mako. And Aiichirou… he had entirely separate orders for him, but this woman didn't need to be apprised of them.

"As long as you can assure me they eventually meet their ends, I have no qualms with that."

Sei blinked, a little surprised to hear the venom under Miho's words. He had expected her to be bloodthirsty, had counted upon it even, but the smoldering embers in her eyes warned him she took their mission more seriously than he had thought. He nodded in acknowledgment, letting a natural silence settle over them.

It wasn't his nature to sit idly by, but what else was there for him to do aboard this ship? It wasn't his and the woman across from him had charge of her own meager crew. His own brother was resting, perfectly content to wait until they made landfall. For the first time in far too long Sei was entirely at loose ends. He didn't care for it.

A new thought struck him and he glanced quickly out to the deck, verifying that Kisumi was otherwise occupied. Meaning Gou was alone, probably struggling to find busy-work as much as he and for once he had no pressing need to be elsewhere. No ship to monitor, little crew to direct and the only heading a sanctuary city he was woefully unacquainted with. Both of them could benefit from studying what blueprints they had, and if it gave him the chance to speak with Gou without the tension of authority between them it would only sweeten the bargain.

To his gratification, Gou immediately left off her conversation with Kisumi as soon as she noticed he had drifted away from Miho, skipping across the deck to him with all the grace a lady was expected to possess. He smiled warmly, remembering the first days after her discovery when she had struggled to find her sea legs. Ships were her second home now, and he didn't think she would take to life on land half as well as she used to.

"Are we nearly there?" She beamed up at him, rocking up on the balls of her feet and plunking firmly back down.

"Nearly. You can sleep in your very own room tonight," he teased.

Gou's smile took on a wicked edge, "Must I?"

"Yes." He said sternly, wondering what had possessed him to prick her. She didn't stammer and blush any more, too long among sailors and men to be intimidated by them. That and she was devilishly certain she knew what she wanted. Trouble was if she insisted much more there was every chance he was going to agree.

"Would it be so bad?" She needled, "My reputation is already ruined. If my stealing away in the first place didn't accomplish it then I'm sure this jaunt will. A woman alone with all these men on a lawless pirate's island? No one will be able to resist that tale."

She would be lucky to make it home without a vicious flogging. Sei sighed, this was the very last matter he had hoped to discuss with her now, but she had insisted. "How much more lurid do you think that story would be if we married?"

"Huh?" Gou's voice rose to a very unladylike shriek. Sei winced, but he didn't bother wiping the smirk from his face. There was one way to render her speechless apparently.

"Weren't you the one to suggest we could spin this lovely web of deceit into a grand romance? The lady secreting herself aboard her lowborn lover's ship, pressing him to use his rank to marry them, returning home an officer's wife."

"I didn't… I didn't suggest that at all." Not in so many words, but he could see the thoughts flying behind her eyes now. All this time they had been together, most ladies of her rank never got the chance to spend so much time with their betrothed before marriage. She knew him in and out as well as he knew her, and malicious tongues would say they had likely got to know each other a lot better than any honorable couple should before their families consented. Yet she was a low-ranking merchant's daughter, and he an officer with rank enough that her family would appreciate his pay.

He was unquestionably beneath her in every way that mattered but if she returned in disgrace with her brother already bound for death, he knew it would salvage some of the Matsuoka pride if she at least returned an officer's wife.

"It's only a thought." He added, "But the more I think on it, the more I think it's a damn good thought." He flashed her the smile she liked best, warm and bright. It was a slim chance, so slim he didn't want to even breath a word of it to her, but if he could bring Rin home like this, if he could make the case that he owed the Matsuoka a debt for allowing him to marry their daughter and position his rise through the ranks so obliquely, maybe he could finagle a stay of execution for Rin. Maybe with time, and no small amount of bribes, the two of them could find a way to have the sentence lessened.

Not that he expected Rin to thank him for it.

"Was that a proposition?" Gou pressed, blocking the sun with a hand the better to meet his gaze straight on.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered honestly. The last thing he wanted was for that desperate bid to fail and Gou to end up married to the man that might as well have slaughtered her kin personally. But. He glanced away to Kisumi, sunning himself on the deck with his chores seen to. The jealousy he had felt while she fawned over him had been almost another presence in the room; if she came to him now and told him she no longer wanted him, Sei suspected he would waste no time trying to convince her she was wrong.

Much as he wanted to be the sort of honorable man that could wait until he had negotiated with her family for their permission he would rather his reputation was slightly tarnished with Gou still at his side. Losing her now would feel almost like losing his good right arm. He said none of these things though, let her watch him and wonder at his thoughts. Let her decide if she was ready for what she wanted of him, and best of all see what manner of scheme she put together to bully him into it.

!

!

If Rei had thought Nitori found their last conversation at all off-putting he had been wrong. Nitori was waiting for him when he disembarked, thrilled to have his feet on dry, solid ground.

"I thought I would accompany you to the market." He offered by way of explanation, falling into step beside Rei. It didn't escape Rei's notice that Nitori was using his body as a shield between himself and every other person on the dock. It was a role he had played many times aboard ship, and whatever their feelings for Nagisa, Rei found he still enjoyed acting as Nitori's erstwhile, and evidently unnecessary protector.

"Does the captain have any other duties for you?"

"No." Nitori said simply, retreating into his own thoughts as soon as he had answered; Rei recognized the look from the few dozen suppers they had shared together in the rowdy mess.

The walk to the bazaar felt like a return to Nitori's early days when he had seized on Rei's offer of friendship and clung to him as stubbornly as a limpet. Rei waded through the crowd and Nitori followed on his heels like a faithful hound, flinching away from anyone that drew near enough to touch him. Rei did his part to ensure there weren't many. As soon as they had reached the colorful stalls Nitori was off and dragging Rei in his wake, a surprisingly strong hand clamped about his own.

He made immediately for a stall where glass wind chimes danced in the wind, bright and colorful. Only it wasn't the chimes he was interested in but the glass the merchant had cut them from. Rei watched, surprised at the pang of fondness when Nitori began to paw through the merchandise, firing off question after question as he held each piece up to the light to inspect it for flaws.

"With this I can reshape your vision." Nitori finally spoke to him, smiling with satisfaction.

"We should gather the essentials first-"

"This is essential." Nitori countered, "How much?"

He willfully ignored Rei's disapproving glance; Rei found he wasn't set on winning. If Nitori could sharpen his eyes with a pretty glass bauble then he would say his thanks and accept it without complaint. Nitori didn't seem even slightly surprised when the merchant named a price that could have kept Rei and he comfortably for a week on Sanctuary. Rei nearly swallowed his tongue but Nitori was already cajoling him down, far kinder to a stranger than Rei would ever have expected.

He turned back to Rei with glass in hand, presenting it like the feather of a roc or the head of a dragon. "This is worth its weight in gold."

"It cost near as much." Rei muttered dryly, but he had enjoyed watching Nitori come to life, casting off the masks he so often wore and daring to show his enthusiasm for something other than a surgeon's bloody work. Perhaps this is what he had been like before Rin had taken him, before either life or his own nature had warped him nearly past recognition.

"Nitori."

"Hm." Nitori looked away from the rainbow light dancing across the back of his hand, tucking the glass away protectively into his pocket.

No. This was neither the time nor the place for the questions he wanted answered, and Rei was leery of ruining this new yet familiar entente between them. "We'll need to haggle that much harder to resupply now. I expect your help."

"Of course."

!

!

!

Haruka had expected to find himself confined to the rotting brig with no more than that yapping whelp Nagisa for company while the ship put in for repairs. Instead early evening found him in the common room of a proper inn, warm soup set before him and weak ale to wash it down. He tore into the meal like it was his last, uncaring that Rin and Mako were watching him with matching smirks as they pretended they weren't every bit as ravenous.

Rin had only returned in the past hour, red from the sun and reeking of drink. Mako seemed to have expected it but Haru caught the faintest suggestion of displeasure in his eyes. Jealousy? Yet another crack for him to insinuate himself in between them.

"You would think we haven't been feeding him."

"We haven't."

They shared a look Haru could almost read if he tried. Finally Rin shrugged, "Not much chance for a rest with the ship floundering." The pointed glance in his direction was easy enough to decipher. "And Sei in our wake."
Mako sipped his drink thoughtfully, but his eyes were all for Rin. Definitely jealousy. Rin had gone to see the proverbial king of the roost that afternoon, Haru knew. Mako hadn't had time to sulk between directing the repair crews and arranging for the supplies Rei had delivered to the berth. Now he was free to indulge his temper.

Only he didn't. Not really. Just watched, ate slowly and shared the occasional knowing smile with his captain. Having seen just such a smile during his first interrogation Haru didn't trust it in the least, but he couldn't deny the tingle of anticipation coursing just beneath his skin. Makoto had chosen to bring him ashore, just as he chose to make this quiet display of possessiveness. All of them knew it would eventually end in their room, and if he hadn't known better he would have assumed Rin was deliberately taunting Makoto throughout the meal.

"Did I tell you Sousuke has almost doubled his fleet? He has proper scout ships of his own now, even freight ships." Definitely deliberate.

"Does he?" Makoto questioned neutrally, tearing off a hunk of bread with his fist to shred it to pieces on his plate. "I thought I saw the two of you strolling the docks together."

Rin rested his chin on a hand, smiling up at Mako wolfishly, "You did."

Mako smiled back.

Haru barely resisted the urge to kick them both under the table. He was in a foul mood, skin itching and crawling like it was stretched too tight, heat gathering low in his stomach already as he imagined what Mako and Rin intended for tonight, and beneath all that the shade of guilt that he hadn't made even a cursory attempt at escape since they made land. Neither did he intend to. Not until he had another taste of what they had coaxed from him last night.

They had fit together like pieces of a puzzle and Haru still hadn't shaken the feeling that he had finally woken up. It was intoxicating. So he would take another night while he got a feel for this place, perhaps another after that if he so chose before closing the trap on them. Maybe, if vigilante justice was the way of things here, he could persuade this Sousuke that 'eye for eye' meant 'captive for captive.'

He finished his soup and ladled a little more into his bowl, downing it without ceremony. Rin was only rearranging the crumbs on his plate now; Mako was the only one of them that insisted on eating properly: soup and bread, ale and a blood-red apple that had appeared from thin air. He savored every bite while Haru and Rin watched surreptitiously, both of them tempted to drag him from the bench and up the stairs. It was Makoto's game though, and it didn't start until he pushed his bowl aside at last and stood, meeting Haruka's eyes across the table.

It was the first time they had shared such a look, one that asked and confirmed whether they were of the same mind. One that excluded Rin, partly the object of their frustration and lust and certainly the one who would bear the brunt of it. That thing inside Haru stirred again until he had to clench his teeth to keep it down, instinctively looking away.

It didn't matter. Makoto had read his gaze and knew the two of them were of one accord.

!

!

!

A.N. I kid you not this fic is technically finished. That's right, it has taken me two years just working on the smut scenes in upcoming chapters. Which are still not finished but this started off as a kinkmeme prompt so I figure I should keep a little kink in it. This sentence may or may not apply to the version. I'm seriously considering my stance on posting lemons here.

That said, it would be cool if I could finish all the fics I started in undergrad so here goes!

(Please do not re-read too far back. I am trying so hard to edit but my past haunts me every time I find two semi-colons in a sentence).