[CLOSED Backlog] - Death of a Pirate Lord...

[steel_mistress]

Character(s): Tenten [Light Blue] and Gaara [Red]
Date: Gaara at age 16, Tenten at age 18; Early Autumn 1658
Setting: 愛 Tavern, Trinidad
Summary: Tragedy strikes, and Tenten can only think of one place to turn to for help.
Warning(s): R/NC-17 for lime-implied sex scenes



She waited until it seemed like the tavern was closed for the night, Tenten finally made her approach. It had been a few hours now as she stood out in the rain simply watching the people wave in and out of the doors. Hand pressed against a more irritating bruise on her arm, she was at a loss of exactly what to feel, still in a state of shock as it seemed. So much had happened in a short amount of time, and their night together only weeks before felt like nothing more than a distant memory.

The men were scattered, the ship was hidden somewhere safe, and she... her first thought was to come here, though the young woman could not understand exactly why. She just needed to see someone who could possibly help, his name the only one to come up.

Quickly scanning the road for witnesses, she crossed the street and knocked on the hard wood of the door.

Gaara had found himself, yet again, late in his room just above the Tavern he owned, indulged in work, nothing of export papers this time. A map spread across the table with an open book off to the side, perhaps for reference to an ancient treasure he was pondering a riddle for its coordinates. The candles were flickering lightly to the light breeze from the open widow, the rain pattered gently on the window sill trying to spill in all it's efforts inside the room.

As it was nearly time for him to call it an evening, a bath was drawn for the young man to find relation on his own, without the company of another for just this once. Or so he thought when removing the black coat trimmed in gold, the one he had made when the last one was stolen, taken by a woman he thought he would never lay eyes on again, a girl who had stolen much more than his jacket, but something else he could not dare to admit...not even to himself.

She found herself shivering, not only from the cold wind that blew against her drenched form, but from so many memories of that night. It had been a simple raid, or so they thought. But they had been betrayed and when the crew of the Flying Dagger came to shore in hopes of taking and procuring items for their next hunt, they found themselves surrounded by the British Navy.

Tenten had barely made it away alive, and only by the sacrifice of another... Bolting away from that thought before her memory could go any further, she knocked on the door again.

He had just pulled his hand from the water, testing the warmth of the temperature against his skin (perfect as usual), when he heard a faint knock on the door downstairs. Gaara gave a cock of his hairless eyebrow as he glanced to the direction of the soft noise. It was obviously a woman, a man would have some what of a more dominating rattle...but women were always so delicate in their mannerisms, whether they were a street whore or a Nobel woman.

Wordlessly, the young pirate made his way to the door. He would have normally bellowed out for them to just enter... but for some reason he felt compelled to open the door himself to see what await the other side. To his great shock at he sight before him, a bruised, battered drenched Tenten he had last seen weeks before. "..."

He broke a moment trying to decided what actually happened, trying to work out he scenarios in is head at the poor girl at his doorm his eyes growing wider the longer he thought things through. The only words he could come up with were simple and to the point, just as he always had been. "Why are you here?" And then it clicked. "That raid..." Of course he had heard of it, news such as that spread like wild fire throughout the pirate community.

Weary, unable to give him an answer to his guess as to why the young piratess was there, she did her best to remain standing, though the woman's posture was notably less than her usual confidence. Certainly, she was not the girl Gaara had grown to know as a hand reached out to press against the wood of the doorframe for support. Her breathing was not exactly labored, but it was quicker than normal. Worse of all, she could feel herself shaking like a leaf in the wind, for so many reasons that kept bleeding in and out of her thoughts. And then there was the cold chill of the rain nipping at every nerve in her body.

She was only covered in the thin layers of a simple dress, meant to be a disguise for anyone who happened to pass by while she had stood alone on the streets. The jacket she had been wearing had been disregarded long ago when the rain had soaked through the fabric, choosing merely to clutch it in her hand.

Tenten was, at best, a drowned rat with nowhere to go. And all she wanted was somewhere safe. Ironic, she would think later, that her first instincts had brought her here.

A firm hand reached out wrapping around her forearm tugging her upright and into him. The cool feel of the rain seemed much colder against his dry warm skin. Shutting the door behind them and guiding her through his quarters upstairs, shutting the open window as he passed. It was like an unspoken conversation to which she had told him everything, yet...nothing at all. He really did not feel it was in his right to ask her such things, his own job now, was to offer what she was seeking in those large brown, lost eyes of hers.

Calling to be cared for, it was an odd feeling to be needed in such a way. And it was with a slightly nervous shake in his hand at that thought when he reached around her back to untie the drenched dress that soaked against her body, allowing the fabric to fall from Tenten's shoulders and finally pass the feminine curve of her hips in a soggy heap on the floor. He had again returned his attention to removing what was left, his pale eyes hardly able to rip from her stunning frame, the one he had so rightly remembered as she was left standing there in her nakedness. Every nook and cranny still just as beautiful, every dip and curve. But now, bruises and small cuts were scattered over perfect flesh, and he could not help but feel a swell of anger build up at the thought of anyone ruining such flawlessness.

"..." Again nothing was said while a guiding arm helped her towards his drawn bath, allowing her foot to dip in to test the temperature.

Her body came willingly, welcoming the warmth of his body as it did well to breath life back into her own while Tenten leaned against him and trusted her life to another, for once. The rain water seemed so much colder now that she was in the shelter of his tavern, wind nipping at her pale and bruised skin. But words were not necessary. He knew what she needed and did it without question, strange and comforting as it was. Gone was the person who did as he pleased with little regard to anyone else, and here was a young man...doing his best to take care of her, even when she was unsure of what she wanted or needed.

She was still shaking when the heavy clothes, drenched with the rain, were stripped off layer by layer, exposing the full extent of her injuries to him. And for some reason she cringed at having to show him her weakness, of letting him see the imperfections of her mistakes, more so than exposing the feminine lines of her body. Those he had seen before, and they would always be there so long as she took care of it and kept it strong and fit. She was supposed to be a strong woman after all, a pirate wench that could stand to be a match to any man who dared to challenge her.

To be reduced to this...and in front of him no doubt. It was enough to make her flinch away from his touch, though she fought the instinct to do so when he led her to the bath, sinking into the water and letting it drive away the storm's icy breath.

The silence was a killer, but he knew not to ask questions. If she wanted to spill what had happened he would allow it on her own free time. A quick glance over his shoulder, his eyes scanned her body partially submerged in the warmth of the water he had prepared for himself. Thin smooth legs peeked from the surface, a hint of goose bumps from the change from the cold rain that soaked her body to the comfort of the relaxing bath. How to go about this? Really, comforting was not something the young captain figured he was capable of. Caring for another was not in his nature. But her, she was different, even though the day she had left him behind had left him feeling used, at the same time it was a sort of awakening for him. He had done very much the same thing to other woman on more than one occasion.

He paused a moment before making his bold decision. If he was going to try this 'romance' shit, now would have been a good time, to comfort and hold someone. He could feel the uncomforted rising in his aura as he shifted to removed what remained of his clothing stepping behind her he tapped her lightly on the shoulder, a silent order to allowing him room at her back.

There was nothing to say, nothing she could say. Still in a state of shock and confusion, she could hardly begin to understand all the events that had happened when they first stepped foot onto the seemingly empty docks. And more importantly, she was still at a loss of why it had been allowed to happen. Who had betrayed them to the navy and condemned them all to hang at the gallows? She could only guess. It was so hard to tell enemy from ally in this line of work, and her father had been relatively well liked by most, or so she believed until she saw a stream of smoke from a bullet slowly steaming out from her father's back. And all she could do was stand there and watch his face contort in pain, yelling at her to run; just as there was nothing she could do now but stare wordlessly at the calm surface of the water...until she was jerked out of the torment of her mind with the touch of his finger.

A quick glance over the curve of her shoulder told the young piratess all that she needed to know and she inched her body forward in the tub, though she took the opportunity to curl more into herself, drawing up her legs and wrapping her arms around her knees to rest her head on.

Only taking him moments to take the open opportunity, dipping his foot in and following with the other to slip down at her backside, leaning against the warm metal of the tub. He was still very much in a state of confusion himself. He had heard of the raid gone bad, but he would say nothing more of it. It was to his great disarray that he questioned why she had come here, to him, a man she had know to be cold and harsh. Someone like Gaara Sabaku who did not know the first thing about loving or caring for another. But if he had not known, why in this world were both of his arms reaching out around her shoulders pulling her back, flush against his chest?

His thin pale legs cradled around her as the heat of the water absorbed him in comfort. The hefty beat of his heart was strong in his chest as he had felt the first night they spent together. Yet this was different, fear pieced through those sweet honey eyes of hers, sorrow radiated from her aura... What did she need? ...What could he possibly provide, Gaara pondered as the gentle caress of her arms played between his fingers, stroking the bruised skin.

Letting herself fall into his arms, the curves of her back fitting against his chest almost perfectly, she slid a bit further into the water in hopes of hiding all the scars of her memory, if only just for a moment. But even as she turned her head to the side against his shoulder to stare blankly at the far wall, the memories were still there haunting her every breath. A small part of her registered the movements around her, appreciated the effort that Gaara was making. But still, the sorrow was too much to give much of a response.

It had only been nine years ago when her mother had been taken away and there had been nothing she could do then, just like there had been nothing she could do when her father held back the soldiers in order to give the crew time to escape, those who did not abandon their captain upon discovering their betrayal that is.

"...Tch...cowards." But even as she scowled and wished for their deaths, she wished for hers more, wanting only to be rid of this ache in her heart, this emptiness that her father had left behind.

His head tipped downward, lips barely brushing her ear when he finally spoke to answer her in a low whisper. "Trust no one....that Way you will never be disappointed."

He shifted more comfortably after his words,the truth he spoke was more describing his own life. Since the death of his father he was taught that no one would ever weasel their way back into his life, to become so close that it would leave him venerable. No man, or woman despite their beauty and kindness would ever find their way into his circle of trust. This woman was no different when she made off the first time without a word. As entertaining as the night had been, his thick wall had only grown thicker.

Yet it was a time such as this where he could not and would not push her away, it was an enchanting effect that no one had ever had over him where he would find himself cradling her protectively. His hands stroking along the flesh of her arm, finding his thick fingers weaving with hers tightly.

Blinking slowly, she found her fingers responding instinctually to his, squeezing them in return for his touch, his attention, simply letting her eyes ease closed to feel the weight of that one gesture he was willing to give. Because he could have just as well turned her away when she had appeared so suddenly and unexpectedly at his door. After the manner in which she had left him, he had every right to...and yet he didn't. And now he was speaking of trust as if it was a foolish sentiment meant for hopeless dreamers with the stars in their eyes, and not for the living reality that they lived.

And she could not help but agree, having come so close to signing her life away with a faceless man back in China who would only wish to control her, not once thinking of love but of power he would hold over her because of the beliefs of that society. "To be honest...other than my father, I...never have..."

"The way you speak of crowdedness, it would lead me to believe you had some level of trust, even in it's smallest fraction.... It's why I hardly sleep, my failure to trust in others." He rebuttaled against her, again more of a reminder than eye opener to her. But for him it was the way he had grown to be and the moment he allowed his guard down even now finding it hard to build that damn wall he built up for so long only to be torn down by a single woman...a Woman?

He skewed his expression slightly at the thought before dropping his pale eyes to the top of her dark hair. "Why did you come back?." Thick fingers trailed over her skin, tracing out the dips and curves that made up the perfection of her neck. Sliding up and across the jaw line to the point of her chin, easing her gaze to meet his. For a moment time seemed to stand still, all conversations to a nil, all sounds faded to nothing the only thing left large brown eyes staring back... His soul getting lost at the mere sight of this oriental goddess she had once already taken him, and was close to repeating the same action again.

The glide of his fingers over her scarred skin felt so wonderfully gentle and surprisingly tender, as if made with a lover's care. The ironies of that singular notion alone was not lost to her as she gazed into the eyes of one who was known to be cruel and unforgiving to all those he had come up against. But when she searched the sea of aquagreen for the answers, she could only come up with more questions, more confusion as to his reasons for indulging her company.

Why such kindness to her when all she had given him was one night of bliss and a morning of disappointment. Why did you let me in, she wanted to ask in retort, but the words were stuck in her throat, fighting to stay there and never come out. Instead, her lips turned down just a fraction in a frown, thin brows already knitted together with disapproval at the thought of those men. "I call them coward because the lacked the courage to kill my father themselves, relying on the force of the British Navy to rid them of their burden. I can hardly call such a character a man, let alone a pirate."

His breath had stopped a moment at her words... Her father had passed, a man of great importance known throughout their world as a strong, a dominate of the sea was finally met to his end by a circle of his own men betrayed. Lifting his eyes to a single flickering candle, it was a fate known to all who had chosen the path of piracy, surly she knew this. "I would have gladly killed my father with my own hands. Still his death came by them in the least...." Dark-rimmed eyes shifted once more to gage her expression and mood while he continued to speak. "Your father knew of the life he chose as do you and I... Take what it hands you without regret... He will be missed, of that I am sure from the look in your eyes."

His nose tipped back down to her, his words were meant for comfort but...how was he to dish out such a thing when none has ever given it to him in return. "His legacy will be strong with you." Half of him was eager to stop this uncomfortable conversation and just relax, but the other side told him not to push her into something she did not want at this time... He was fighting a great battle with his own wants and needs, something that he never really had to deal with before. Gaara would have normally just taken what he wanted with no questions asked.but it was different.

Why was it different with her? It was beginning to drive him mental just trying to pick apart, and analyze what he had done wrong to allow such a thing to happen. With the final thoughts clashing in his mind he leaned forward grasping her bottom lip between his in a gentle suckle.

Her fingers clenched harder around his at the rising fury that was building inside of her with every lingering second she thought about the failed raid. They were disgraceful, cowardous, and foolish men who deserved a thousand deaths in front of a firing squad for their betrayal to her father. He was a man of great admiration, not only for his position as a leader of the Brethern Court but for his diplomacy among the pirate captains across the globe. Though Shirou was a pirate, he was an honorable one for the most part, a rare trait to have in a profession that thrived on deception and double dealings. And he was loved, she knew it to be true. His strength, his integrity, his character, they commanded loyalty form those around him. And she knew a great many men who would have gladly died in his place.

And now, she was the one left with the burden on her shoulders, to live up to his reputation, his...legacy as Gaara had said. "...Legacy..." The word mumbled against his lips, whispered softly while she was pulled into his care, indulged in it, she could not help but wonder about that. Would she be worthy of such a thing, be able to live up to what he had left behind? What would be expected of her as the child of someone like the Dragon of the East? And did people even know of her existence? Her father had been careful to keep her identity a secret for want of protecting her from those who might wish to seek revenge against him by threatening her life. There were so many uncertainties, so many doubts...and they frightened her so much.

In the loss of this slow kiss, it had finally clicked...she had come to him to forget...to have him take her pain away, even if it was for only one night. It was the only answer he could devise from the many thoughts passing through his head and plucked the most reasonable answer he could. With the thought finally confirmed his lips passed over hers with greater intensity.

The suckles at her soft flesh suctioning back against his own before his tongue finally found slipping past her lips, gently probing and drinking back the sweet taste of her juice, the flavor that was stolen from him weeks prior and was not able to have it again until now. The thought annoyed him responding in a deep growl in his chest. Finger tips passing over the dips and curves of her neck, keeping a tight hold, as the light splash of the water swaying with every movement of their two bodies. His dominance was returning, the swell of escalating heat rising as it once did the first time. His hand unweaved from hers only to find a spot where his palm cradled a plump breast.

"Hum yes." It was a long awaited response between his lips, but agreed again she will become, if it was what she had chosen.

And slowly, with his lips and his hands roaming over her body submerged under the water, she could feel some small semblance of pain slip away from her. Whether it was what she needed or not had yet to be determined, but it just felt so good that she did not have the heart nor the strength to stop him. But there was still the fear to contend with, and she was too far inside of her head and her thoughts to let the fear go so easily. It consumed her every breath, every movement, every touch.

Her hands felt the cold steel of a gun barrel against her throat instead of his fingers, she breathed in the sea-salt breeze of the night on the docks instead of the sent of the bath water. And her eyes...they saw her father overwhelmed with Navy soldiers while his crew of men fought to flee the scene with their lives in tact.

And it was with that image of a glinting blade raised over her father's head that she flinched away from Gaara suddenly with a gasp, still haunted by it even as she pressed a palm to her forehead to will it away.

A confused look had passed his features, the crinkle of his nose the light scoff at her rejection. his back automatically sinking back against the edge of the tub, hands releasing from round her as his elbows rested along the edge. It was odd, he was usually very good at reading people's emotions, maybe it was his hormones that were making the choice for him, as it seemed to do that in a lot of cases.

"Then why have you come here...." The statement came out more like a harsh snap. "You obviously want me to 'help', yet you pull away from me."

Ah, there it was his usual, cold self returning. It was more of the fact that he was wrong about what she needed that irritation of her withdrawal from his comfort. And Hell only knew, she was the ONLY one to see the side of him, and here she sit bare back to him cowering away from his touch. But the lustful animal in him wanted to feel her as he had before... The urge to want her again was growing far too much. His patience's was wearing thin as it usually had when something wasn't going his way.

"I...I don't..." She was at a loss of what to tell him, unsure of what she wanted or the reason why this place had been the first that popped into her mind when she had escaped. It was instinct, it was a feeling, it was a want to see him again, or a need to just be anywhere else but there where reality was staring at her in the face. It was for so many reasons and more, yet perhaps none at all that she had come to him. For all sense and purposes, she could not give him a clear reply that would satisfy his curiosity or quiet his frustrations because she was unsure herself. This was not his problem and she had no right to burden him with her guilt, her life tragedies when he was sure to have his own to deal with. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

With what strength she could muster, she pulled herself from the bath and rushed into the next room, only to stand in the center with no idea what she was going to do and no other urge but to cover her face with her hands, breathing out a shuddering sigh in hopes that some of her own frustrations would simply leave so she could think more clearly.

It was like he was giving in, a cave in his own mind of what had just happened. He was left there alone as she rose herself and took off in the next room. A pondering moment passed before he shifted himself from warmth of the bath to follow her. He hadn't known why he even gave a shit. And it was not that the reason she was here to seek refuge, it was the fact that he was acting so out of his character and it scared him. No one was ever able to see this side, not even his father... or the crew who stood behind the boy through his trials. He was an empty shell, emotionless until now... Just her presents seemed to melt the thickest walls of ice frozen around his heart.

The cool chill of the room air now evaporated against his pale skin as an arm reached out placing it to her shoulder. "I am not sure what you need..." Pausing a few moments, he turned his cold cheek to the side, gazing falling to the floor. "...I can only offer my sym...pathy..."

He rightly cringed at the word now spilling from his lips. Sympathy, where he had felt none... It was hard to even form the syllables of that word, as simple as it was.

They had been following her, haunting her steps since the night her life was once again changed forever. She had spent sleepless nights looking out the window of her quarters lingering on the edges of dreams and reality in hopes of saving her from them, but to no avail and to her utter ruin. All she wanted was for the memories to go away, if only to give her peace of mind again for one simple night, to allow her to collect her thoughts and become the strong woman she once was, to be the true daughter of a great Pirate Lord and the person she had spent years becoming. "...What I need..."

And for a brief moment, he had given her that with his touches, his lips, his hands. Gaara had made her forget for one moment in time with something as simple as a kiss. She could forgive him for the false words of sympathy (because indeed she could hear the emptiness of his offer) if he could just give her that moment again and stretch it, build on it until the night and the demons disappeared.

"...You ask why I am here..." Turning to face him, she quietly stepped into the circle of his arms, her own hands wrapping around his torso to lightly press against his back, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder with little thought of whether he would accept or reject her touch after sending such mixed messages through her delirious state.

"I...I am not quite sure of the answer, myself but..." In a bold move, she brushed her lips against the bare skin of his shoulder, applied a bit of pressure along the slope of his neck, whispered against his jawline. "...for one night, I just want you to make me forget why I care..."

Responded almost immediately to the soft brush of her lips, the embrace of her arms... and the sweet sound of her voice filling his head once again. His chest hitched a moment, dark sockets closed over pale eyes absorbing all she has balled up inside. His chin tipped downward lips at the lobe of her ear. "Then don't run from me..."

A deep snarling whisper as his hands stroked over either side of her bare upper arms and with a light tug back and a swift foot around her ankle causing her to loose her balance. He allowed her to fall to her back against the soft sheets of his bed, something she was all too familiar with since their last encounter. And as he stood between her legs, he couldn't help but take a moment to take in the beauty that she has possessed him with. Her bruised body did not matter, there was only a woman he had longed to touch since the first time he had done so. And now he would indulge in all that she would give and more once again.

==================

He let out a growl of pleasure as the height of their union was met, only to loose momentum moments later when his body gave out and slumped against hers. His chest fought for clean, fresh air only to inhale the moist, musky scent that had filled the room. His mind in a complete fog, his limbs loosing all control, his eyes blinked and drooped once again, fighting the natural instinct to sleep. They would not win that battle this time though. He was very much capable at staying awake most of the time, though others had not given him such a gift as to completely knock him out as she did.

His forehead fell to the sheets in exhaustion his shoulders heaving up and down her fingernails still dug into his flesh, a feeling that he had not felt through the course of this session of the session before. His threshold of pain was too high to even notice with the massive amount of the natural drug she had pumped into him.

"..." All he could do was muffle a chuckle as his softening length eased from her womb, the juices mixed as one spilling from her depths over the sheets below.

Her chest heaved, rising and falling with the weight of him still very much a presence on top of her as she sank into the bedding. Tenten was sated and completely devoid of energy, and it was safe to assume that he was too the way his body slumped against her, endearing she would say because of the way he seemed to try and fight off the fatigue. Mind dull and muddled with the blissful aftermath of their orgasmic explosion, she removed her nails from his skin one by one and smoothed over the newly-made wounds, smearing the small trickle of blood she had caused.

Her palm glided across his shoulder blade and her fingers tickled along his spine, light touches and gentle caresses to soothe his body even further, her arm shifting around his waist to rub her thumb along the small of his back. They were that of a lover's touch, though lover was far from what she would use to describe whatever was happening between them. But as her fingers slipped into the strands of his hair to rub small circles into his scalp, she decided that sort of issue could be left to be determined another day.

Turning her head towards him, she nuzzled his cheek and placed a light kiss to his temple as one final tender gesture, letting her body settle into the quiet of the room and preparing for whatever questions that he might have now.

There were no questions to follow, only the silence that followed with the heavy pant of each breath trying to catch up with what was lost. That would have been the very same question he would ask himself on a later date. What exactly was this? This woman had only walked into his life less then a few times and yet she was able to crumble every defensive wall he had built up over the years with one touch, one brush of those tender lips. But now it was null and void. He had not known how to tip-toe around it, or more importantly why did he care so much. It was irritating and frustrating all at once, but he knew where he wanted to be right now... In her arms cradling him like a man instead of the scared little boy he had been for most of his childhood.

The fatigue was getting to him, his eyes began to close over in rest moving his body more to the side from her but his arm automatically wrapped around her waist tightly. If she was going to take off in the morning again she wouldn't be able to do so without waking him in the process, that way to prevent anything else of his being stolen from under his nose. His mind began to fade into a night of long awaited dreams.

She sighed quietly, merely a steady stream of breath flowing out her nose to caress at the skin of his cheek, her lips still pressed to his temple, though it soon shifted to his forehead to accommodate his movements, settling comfortably at her side. He had always seemed to her like a spoiled child in the beginning, always insisting that he get what he wanted without question or resistance. And everyone had feared him so much that generally that was how things went.

Perhaps it was a way to keep those around him from getting too close, or perhaps it was meant as a warning to all who even dare think of crossing him. The secrets of his past were something he completely refused to discuss, only adding to the mystery of his character. But she was always too strong willed and rebellious to fall in line so easily with the rest, and it has been all for the better she supposed.

Now a strong young man even as he laid so peacefully comfort in her thin and pale arms with his head and his nose buried deeply into her neck, she had managed to gain his respects and so much more, or at least appeared to have earned it, because she suspected that very few if any were ever allowed to get in this close and this intimate. But she would make no assumptions and simply take the moment for what it was: a instance in time where to souls could find solace and peace in the other where they could not find it elsewhere. Whatever would come of it will simply have to be dealt with when the time came. For now, she was content on leaving it at that.