The blonde glanced over at the younger boy standing next to him, watching the brown hair blow gracefully in the wind propelling the ship. "Schultz, are you sure you guys are okay with this? Being pirates?" He watched as the thirteen year-old first mate turned to him, emerald eyes meeting almost gold hazel ones.

"Of course, Captain!" Schultz smiled his usual bright smile, lighting up his dirty face. "We're all okay with this situation as long as we're with ya! That's all that really matters to us! What would ya do without us, anyway?"

The captain of the ship laughed, his voice breaking through the wind. "I don't know Schultz." The pirate stared over the sea, looking at the land in front of him. Dartmoor, England. If he could lose Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo anywhere, it would be there. His home turf. "Time for a chase, Schultz." His voice was thick with a British accent and he turned away preparing himself to leave his young crew behind on the ship. "You'll be in charge while I'm gone." He smirked back, his face and stance showing full well that he was a pirate. "Don't let any of us get killed."

They landed and the chase began. After all, he was the one the other pirates wanted, so he ran into the forests nearby, knowing full well he could lose all the men chasing him in the maze and that no one would go near his ship.

It was a cold night in the forests of Dartmoor, England in the midst of the Steampunk Era. Fairies flit around and Hellhounds chased down souls of the departed that had run to the moor. The blonde Brit smiled as he ran through the trees, losing the ones that were chasing him. He was native to this area and knew it well, not to mention that he was a favorite of the fairies, who guided him through in a maze like pattern that would confuse anyone that couldn't see the creatures. The boy smiled as the men chasing him gave up and yelled to each other to retreat.

"Did we do well, Arthur?" One of the small fairies smiled and rested itself on the Brit's shoulder. The others continued to flit around him, smiles plastered on their pretty faces.

"Very. Thank you, my friends." Arthur smiled brightly, his sandy blonde hair falling in his one uncovered emerald eye. "But now I must leave. My crew is waiting for me, you see."

"Of course! We understand! It would be our pleasure to lead you back, Arthur!" The fairies all shouted the words in unison, smiling at the teen. "But please come visit us again!"

"I shall. And I would be honored to have you lead me back to my ship." Arthur took off his black feathered hat and brushed it off before setting it on top the mop of sandy hair that covered his head. "I would prefer to stay longer but my crew is waiting, and more than likely worried. So I must hurry." Arthur smiled, his thick accent coating the words which hung in the air of the forest. "And when I leave, please beware the Hellhounds. They can be quite vicious." The British teen started walking, the small fairies leading him to the safety of the moor and his ship.

The crew smiled and waved to him. "Captain Kirkland! We were worried bout you! Almost thought ya'd been caught." Schultz bounded off the ship in excitement. "Good to have ya back!"

Arthur smiled and patted the younger teen on the head. Arthur Kirkland was the captain of a ragtag crew of teens and kids who were actually pretty good pirates. "I would never get caught on my home turf. I know this place too well." He boarded the ship, staring back at the moor and his fairy friends waving goodbye to him. "And I've got friends here who show me the way."

Schultz stared back in confusion. "Uh…if ya say so, Captain. Anyway, we gotta get outta here before those creeps come back! That was scary!" As the thirteen year old brushed his greasy, brown hair back, Arthur noticed that the boy's usually bright face was covered in dirt from the recent chase. "Let's hope that doesn't happen again."

"I really despise telling you this, Schultz, but we are PIRATES. We are ALWAYS going to be chased after." Arthur brushed the dirt on his red waistcoat off and fingered the white and gold trim and buttons. He had always loved this coat. It was the only gift he had ever received. He smiled softly as he walked down the stairs from the deck and to his cabin where he took off the jacket and hung it up before removing his black and gold feathered hat and hanging it up as well. "That is the truth. There is no way we can ever stop running and live actual lives." He stared at the jacket and sighed. "Or maybe that is just me. The others are still young. Maybe they can live." The teen fell onto his bed with a groan.

His black vest was coated in dirt and the white Victorian shirt beneath it was wrinkled and dirty beyond recognition. Arthur sighed again as he slipped off his brown boots and flipped over onto his stomach before pulling out the gold pocket watch he had stolen on his first time ransacking a village. He fingered it and closed his eyes, one of which was hidden beneath a pitch black eye patch. "Hopefully they can. I already know that I am not able to…" He let out another sigh as he drifted into the world of dreams.

Cannon fire woke him up early in the morning, as the sun just started rising. He jumped out of his bed and quickly redressed before running out onto the deck. "What bloody Hell is going on here?"

Schultz turned to him, covered in sweat and bleeding from a gun wound to the shoulder. "They surprised us, Captain. We didn't know what to do while ya were still asleeping so we started fightin back. Sorry, Sir." Schultz fell forward as he fainted from the blood loss.

"Who in the blazes is attacking us?" Arthur laid Schultz down carefully and ran forward to the railing, staring out at the other ship. "That ship…no way…"

"There you are, Kirkland! I've been looking everywhere for you! So you finally show yourself? Such a coward!"

Arthur shuddered at the voice. "Alfred F. Jones. I should have known that it was you pulling such a dirty trick." The teens face contorted in anger as he stared up at the other ship's captain. "How many times do I have to tell you to leave my men out of this?"

Alfred grinned. "Now, now, Arthur. These boys are hardly men. Now as for you…you've grown quite a lot since I saw you last. Quite a lot more disheveled, aren't you?" Alfred smiled and looked at Arthur's worn and dirty clothing then down at his own clean outfit.

"You bloody wanker!" Arthur yelled the words, making his crew stop firing cannons to stare at him. He pulled out a pistol and pointed it directly at Alfred's head. "We shall end this right now!"

"Sure we will, Arthur." Alfred grinned again and walked away. "Things between us will never end." He turned back around to the Brit, his sapphire eyes suddenly insatiable. "You should know that, Artie."

Arthur's emerald eye widened in shock and his pale face flushed at the hunger in the two pools of twisting sapphire waters. "What…what nonsense are you speaking? There's nothing but hatred between us!" His sandy blonde hair blew in the sudden gust of wind he created as he turned away.

"I'll make you a deal, Artie. If you come aboard my ship, then we'll let all the others aboard your ship go free. Erase their record. How's that?"

Arthur's eye widened in shock again as he looked around at all the boys he had been traveling with for months or years in some cases. "Would that be a promise you would honor, Alfred? They would all have a clean slate?"

"Captain! Ya can't do this! You're just gonna abandon us after everything? Besides, ya deserve an empty slate also!" Schultz sat up, holding his hand against his shoulder and flinching from the pain. "Ya can't go through with this! We won't let ya!" The defiant words lead the entire crew of the ship to let out yells of agreement.

"Listen, you all will get clean slates. It will be for the best. My staying with you would just bring misfortune. Besides, it is too late for me." Arthur smiled to his crew and turned back to Alfred, letting his face drop as he did so. "It is a deal, Alfred. As long as you promise to keep your side."

"Of course. I'll send a bridge over in a minute for you to come on over." Alfred grinned again and turned to his crew. "You guys heard me!"

"Captain…Kirkland?" Schultz's eyes filled with tears and he hurriedly wiped them away. "We'll miss ya, Captain. Try to be careful, stay safe, and have a good life, ya hear?"

Arthur glanced around at all of the crying faces and smiled. "Yes. Same goes to all of you. I am very proud to have called you my crew."

"You ready, Artie? Come on over." Alfred smiled as he said the words and dropped the bridge which Arthur climbed onto and walked over from his ship to the other, not looking back. "We got him. Full speed ahead, boys!"

"I still hate you, Alfred." Arthur muttered the words, ignoring the farewells from the ship he had walked away from. "I always will."

Alfred grinned, his eyes filling with hunger again. "If you hate me, why do you still wear that jacket I gave you?" Alfred fingered one of the golden buttons. "You would still look like a pirate without it. There's no reason to still wear it if you hate me." The American grinned like a fox as he leaned over and pulled the jacket away from Arthur's thin neck, which he then kissed.

"I-It is not because it was you! It is…well…because I like the way it looks!" Arthur turned away from the other blonde and blushed, pushing Alfred away. "That is it! I hate you, you wanker!"

"You don't hate me. But it's okay for you not to admit that yet. Wanna know why? 'Cause I love you, Artie. Always have and always will." Alfred grinned like a fox as he spun the pirate around and to his chest. "So it's okay for you to stay ignorant. Makes you cute."

"Y-You bloody git…" Arthur leaned his head against Alfred's chest and looked down at the wooden planks beneath him.

"Cute! Now then, you aren't a pirate anymore and you need to get back into the swing of society. Come with me so you can change into more modern clothes." Alfred grabbed Arthur by the hand and dragged him down the stairs and to a cabin full of clothes.

"You…are completely off your trolley, Alfred!" Arthur grimaced and wrenched himself out of the American's grip and stood in the doorway blushing as the taller blonde raced around finding clothes to fit the smaller teen. "Bloody wanker."

"These should fit! Now, go change!" Alfred threw a pile of clothing in the Brit's arms and grabbed the teen, dragging him to a spare cabin. "Here!" The American pushed the smaller boy inside and closed the door to wait.

Arthur sighed and undressed, pulling on a pair of loose fitting brown pants that perfectly matched the brown vest he pulled over his white button up shirt and matched his thick, brown boots. He stared at himself in the dirt-caked mirror and pulled his eye patch off, blinking his matching emerald eyes as he ran his rough, calloused hands through his pale hair. He sighed and pulled on fingerless leather gloves the same shade of brown as everything else before he pulled the pair of goggles on to rest on the top of his head. Arthur grabbed the gold pocket watch and hid it in his pocket. He took one last look in the mirror, surprised to see that he actually looked his young age, before pulling open the door to face Alfred.

"You keep getting cuter, Artie!" Alfred took Arthur's hand in his and led the Brit to his cabin where he sat on the unmade bed and pulled the smaller blonde onto his lap. "Now, be a good boy and stay in here with me until we get back to town. Then you'll have a clean slate with me. I'll say…that I saved you from pirates! Not too much of a lie!" Alfred smiled and fell backwards, dragging a flushed Arthur with him. "We'll have a life together. It'll be nice. No more stealing though. You're too cute for that! I'll supply you with everything you need."

"I hate you, bloody wanker." Arthur hid his flushed face in Alfred's grey vest in embarrassment.

"Love you too, Artie."