(S)he's a Pirate

SUMMARY: When the Kraken demolished the port city of Trost, thieves took to the seas that had been abandoned by fearful men and made a name for themselves as pirates. The Red Captain is perhaps the most famous and by far, the deadliest of them all, and military man Jean Kirschtein has somehow managed to land himself on their ship. Jeankasa, pirate AU.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was supposed to be a cutesy Jeankasa fic that only spanned about 1000 words or so. Oh well.

Also, I listened to "He's a Pirate" (Hans Zimmer) and "Norwegian Pirate" (Two Steps from Hell) while writing this. They're great pieces so I highly suggest you listen to them while reading this to give it some sense of...excitement?

DISCLAIMER: Don't own.

The sea was on fire.

Jean sputtered, seawater spilling from his lips as he flung his body over a floating piece of driftwood. Clinging on, he watched the burning mast topple from the ship and crash into the dark waters below. Flames curled around the wood and if Jean wasn't so utterly terrified by them, he might have thought they were beautiful.

This was the work of pirates. They were thieves; scum in human form who navigated the oceans in the hopes of capturing a trading ship to pillage their goods. In some cases, they took prisoners, people they deemed valuable or if there was a substantial reward on their head.

His back stung as the saltwater made contact with the open wound. Jean was lucky in that he was facing the opposite direction as the explosion. Still, the burn hurt and without proper medical attention, would only get worse.

Shifting the upper half of his body so that it was covered more by the wood, Jean fought to keep himself awake. The lull of the water lapping against his body was rhythmic and combined with the trauma his body had faced earlier that night, he was nearly asleep.

Bits of wood tumbled into the sea around him and Jean was sure that if he cared to look closer, he would have seen the bodies of his comrades floating, some intact and some in pieces. Pirates were ruthless. If this was a raid just for the sake of supplies, there were to be no survivors.

He looked up at the dark wooden ship, its dark flag a warning to all sailors. However, this was not the work of ordinary pirates. Upon closer inspection, the flag appeared to be a deep scarlet; it was the colour of freshly-spilt blood.

This was the work of the elusive Red Captain. They'd appeared only a few years ago, yet their reputation spanned far and wide. Known for targeting only military ships issued by the King, they'd made a name for themselves and their scarlet flag struck fear in the hearts of even the most sea-hardened men.

Eventually, his exhaustion won out and Jean found himself drifting away. When he awoke, his back was to hard wood and though it screamed in protest, it seemed to be partially bandaged.

"Stay right where you are." A woman—no, a girl—stared down at him, one foot on his chest. Her hands cradled a shotgun that she had pointed right between his eyes.

"Don't scare him," another voice drawled. Rough, but distinctly female, it belonged to a taller girl clad in all black, her hair cut short. "Sasha, the Captain wants him alive."

"Where am I?" Jean coughed. Seawater spilled from his mouth. As he sat up, aided by the girl who'd previously threatened him, he took in his surroundings. He was on a ship, though no ordinary ship. Unlike the military ships he'd previously served on, this one was weathered. Mold crept up the wooden rails, while the deck appeared to be dipping in places. His eyes flickered to the flag above the mast and he found his worst fears confirmed.

"You're on the Rogue Titan and it's only by the good graces of our Captain that you're still alive," said the taller girl. "The name's Ymir and Sasha's the one with the gun."

"I demand that you return me to Trost," Jean demanded, wanting no part in whatever schemes the pirates had planned. "I am a man of the King."

Ymir's lips curled upwards in a cruel smile. "Now, the Captain is gonna be real pleased when she hears that." Jean hadn't noticed it earlier, but her hand was resting on the top of a double-bladed battleaxe. Its blade was dotted with dark spots of what looked to be rust, but Jean knew better.

"You killed the men aboard my ship. You're nothing but murderers and thieves. I want nothing to do with your filthy Red Captain."

Sasha flicked the barrel of her gun up to Jean's neck. "Watch your tongue."

Jean lunged for the dagger hanging on her belt, but was interrupted by a new voice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A tiny blonde girl hung from the ropes above, upside-down. She had anchored herself by her feet, but her arms were free to wield the crossbow that she, too, had aimed at Jean. "You're on our territory now, sheep."

"Take him to the Captain?" Sasha asked Ymir, who nodded in response.

"I'll be the one doing that." A new person had appeared, but this one Jean recognized. Her name was Annie Leonhardt, though in her circles, she just went by Lionheart. The Crown had placed a bounty over her head with a wealthy reward of five thousand gold pieces. "The Captain will be seeing you, now." She extended a hand—her pinky was missing—to Jean, who spat at it in disgust.

"Your Captain can drown in the ocean along with everyone else he's killed."

Lionheart backhanded him across the face, the heavy silver ring worn on her middle finger only adding to the impact. "I should have you killed." Her hand strayed to the falchion around her waist. "But the Captain won't like that, so you should feel lucky, sheep." Grabbing him by the shoulder, she all but dragged him into the cabin and threw him to the ground unceremoniously.

Are there nothing but women on this ship? Jean thought to himself, rubbing his sore wrists. The fools hadn't even bothered to tie his wrists, but by the looks of their weapons—that they appeared to wield with great skill—they probably didn't need to.

"You're a man of the King." Jean saw their shiny brown boots first and as the infamous Red Captain stepped into the dim light, he was shocked by their appearance.

For starters, the Red Captain was a woman and a young girl at that. Her black hair was short around her face, framing a pretty face whose only noticeable flaw was a tiny, silvery scar that traced the side of her cheek. However, as light shone on the left side of her face, Jean gave a sharp intake of breath at the black eyepatch. Something about this girl was incredibly familiar. He was sure he'd seen her before, but not like this.

"Mikasa Ackerman?" The name was foreign and comfortable all at the same time and as it slipped past his lips, the face of the captain took on a ferocious expression.

"Know your place," said Lionheart, rapping Jean between the shoulder blades with the butt of her falchion. "Captain."

"Recognize me already, Jean Kirschtein?" The Red Captain, or Mikasa Ackerman—at that point in time, Jean wasn't sure which—leaned down to him, a vicious snarl on her face. "It's been so long." With a step back, she placed a hand on the hilt of her swords and it was then that Jean noticed she was armed with two.

"You're supposed to be dead." Jean's hands trembled against his will and when the Captain's one good eye darkened with rage, he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her. "When the Kraken attacked Trost, your entire family died."

"The Captain's childhood is none of your concern," said Lionheart. "Captain, if you wish to rid yourself of him, you need only say so."

"That won't be necessary, Annie," said the Captain. "Jean actually has everything to do with my past. Once upon a time, we were betrothed."

Lionheart stared between the two, an unreadable expression gracing her scarred face.

"Young Mikasa of House Ackerman, set to wed noble Jean Kirschtein." The Captain's voice dripped with derision as she strode around Jean's still body, her eyes never leaving his face. "If my family hadn't perished by the hand of the Kraken and you hadn't proved yourself to be such a sheep, perhaps it would have worked out."

"I refuse to marry anyone who calls themselves a pirate," replied Jean. His fingers ghosted the belt across his waist, hoping to find the knife he knew was hidden there. However, he knew that in combat against an Ackerman, it was futile. Even as a child, he remembered Mikasa's (not the Captain; they existed as two separate entities in his mind) mother, a peerless woman capable of taking out several men armed with a single sabre. Her daughter had inherited her aptitude for combat and Jean was sure that through the pirate lifestyle, it had only improved.

"I don't exactly want to marry you, either."

"Then, what do you want with me?"

The Captain leaned forward, reaching her hand behind Jean's head and despite himself, he flushed at the contact. In that instance, this was Mikasa Ackerman, the girl Jean had always harboured a crush on. However, the look in her eyes was purely that of the Red Captain. "You are going to help me find something."

"Find what?"

"Not what," interjected Lionheart. "Who."

"Two days ago, a ship left Trost Harbour." A voice came from outside the cabin. Sasha walked in, her arms laden with heavy scrolls which she set upon the table behind the Captain. "The Wings of Freedom is the fastest ship in the navy and within the night, it'll catch up to us."

"We want what's on it and you're going to help," added the Captain.

"What if I refuse?"

"You won't," said the Captain. "On that ship are weapons. Sasha, show him."

Sasha unfurled one of the scrolls. It was inscribed with a sketch of some odd contraption of metal and wire; two box-like structures that attached themselves to two blades with heavy twine. "This is called the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear and it will revolutionize the oceanic wars. In the wrong hands, this could prove deadly."

"And I'm supposed to help you steal it?" Jean asked, staring at the drawing curiously. Despite his high position within the military, he'd never even heard of the production of such a weapon.

"Its existence is known to few." Lionheart sounded as if she'd read his mind. "Only the King and a few of his confidantes, including the King's Dog."

At the mention of the King's most trusted soldier, the Captain scowled heavily. "You will help us," she turned to Jean, "because the King is corrupt and we need that gear."

"You need it to destroy Crown Ships and kill people," shot back Jean. If his life was to be forfeit, so be it. He wanted nothing to do with these pathetic excuses of human beings. "You are the corrupt ones and I will not contribute to that, even if that means I am to be killed."

Lionheart drew her sword in full view of Jean. "He suggested it," she said to the Captain.

"Not yet, Annie." The Captain placed her hand on Lionheart's arm, causing the other girl to calm down. "I'm sure you remember, Jean. The Kraken who attacked Trost seven years ago."

Jean remembered. After all, it wasn't as if it was an event that was exactly difficult to forget about. When the Kraken appeared, nobody was ready for it. An enormous sea creature of monstrous proportions, it had destroyed houses by the hundred, taking with it thousands of victims and as quickly as it had come, it had disappeared. Since then, the Crown had taken extra precautions, but the Kraken never resurfaced.

And just after the Emergence, thieves had taken to the seas which had been nearly abandoned in fear of encountering such a beast. The Red Captain had been one of these.

"The Kraken will return," said the Captain, running her fingers over one of the maps. "And I plan to be the one to kill it."

"That's nonsense," rebuked Jean, though his knees began to shake at the mere mention of the beast.

"Have you not noticed the turmoil in the waters, Jean Kirschtein?" Asked Lionheart, staring at him with abject disgust. "The way that the storms appear without warning, the reports of mysterious whirlpools, and large shadows that seem to devour entire ships? They are a sign."

"Captain!" The short blonde from earlier—the one with the crossbow—ran into the cabin, her eyes wild. "The Wings of Freedom!"

The Red Captain's eyes lit up with glee. "They're early."

The group led Jean out to the deck to witness The Wings of Freedom. It was a beautiful ship whose wooden hull appeared to sparkle in the morning sun. Its white sails were purer than snow and the royal purple flag with its majestic crest indicated its origin.

"Crew!" The Red Captain called out. At once, her people assembled themselves and Jean was surprised to see that there were men, if only a few. Three of them stood out the most. A burly blonde fellow with a scar sealing his left eye shut stood next to a tall brunette with a hook for a hand. Sasha smiled at a short man and Jean squinted at the pure brightness emanating from him, unsure if it light was coming from his shaven head or the golden hoop in his ear.

"The Wings of Freedom is approaching us!" The Red Captain called out. "They are here to bring us back to Trost as prisoners to be hung for our crimes!"

The crowd hissed at the name and Jean shivered at the waves of animosity he sensed.

"But, we won't give up that easily!" She continued. "Here, we have the fastest ship in our midst. Who are we to let a chance like this go by? I say, let us capture the ship! Let us give them a fight to remember."

The crowd cheered and even Lionheart cracked a tiny smile.

"Gather your weapons." The Captain's voice lowered and Jean had to strain himself to hear it. "If we die today, let us die as freedom fighters, bound to no man but ourselves!"

Jean watched the crowd. The stocky blonde man swung a heavy war hammer over his shoulder while his brunette companion shouldered a heavy claymore. The boy with the shaven head held a gun almost identical to Sasha's.

"Here." The Red Captain handed him a dirk. The long dagger was the first weapon he'd been entrusted with since boarding the ship, though in a fight against military men, he wasn't sure it was suffice.

"Are you trusting me with this?"

The Captain laughed. "You won't be leaving my side during the fight. I'll know if you betray me."

Lionheart appeared behind him, her ring poised under Jean's chin. "If you do, you'll be the first to die. And it'll be by my hands."

"Here it comes!" Shouted Christa from her post. "Brace yourselves!"

The Wings of Freedom bumped up against the Rogue Titan, causing the occupants of the ship to slide to the opposite side. At once, planks were propped up against the pirate's boat and soldiers rushed out.

"Attack!" The Red Captain immediately unsheathed one of her blades, a two-handed weapon with a narrow, single-edged blade. Its squared guard set it apart from the other swords and Jean recognized it from his books as a katana.

Immediately, the soldiers overwhelmed them, outnumbering the pirates by far. However, the Red Captain's crew was not without its own talents. On one end of the ship, the burly blonde man swung his hammer from side to side and each strike was like that of a death gong, causing men to fall where they stood. His partner, with his hooked hand and curved sword, was in possession of such a height that made him a target for soldiers, but made up for it in how many he managed to kill.

Sasha and her comrade stood back to back, shooting at anyone who ventured near them without breaking a sweat. When one of them needed to reload, the other covered their back and Jean had to marvel at their teamwork.

"Come with me," said the Red Captain to Jean, Lionheart, Ymir, and Christa. The four followed her up the planks, standing a little ways behind their captain as she cleared a path. Once they set foot on the Wings of Freedom, the true fight began.

Jean had seen combat. He had watched soldiers fight, soldiers with exemplary skills, but it was nothing compared to this. The Red Captain seemed to weave in and out of enemies, taking them down without landing a single scratch on her. Lionheart hadn't even drawn her sword, preferring to take enemies out using a combination of her physical skill and their own weapons.

Christa had clambered up the shrouds and was hanging by her feet, shooting arrows at all that passed by her while Ymir stood underneath and made use of her battle axe.

Jean dodged as many soldiers as he could, preferring not the kill any of his own men. He had yet to unsheathe the dirk given to him by the Red Captain and would only resort to it in the most dire of circumstances.

"So, you've graced us with your appearance, you thieving pirate scum." A voice rang out and as Jean looked up, he couldn't find the speaker. The Red Captain appeared to be having the same problem. The voice cleared their throat and Jean looked down.

His name was Levi, though he was better known as the Dog of the King. He was the best fighter in the entire military, often said to possess the skill of a hundred ordinary soldiers, though Jean would be hard-pressed to say that the rumours were false. He'd only witnessed Levi in combat once and once was all he needed.

"Elite guard!" Levi stretched his hand out and three shadows passed by him. His Special Operations Squad, prepared specifically for missions such as this one. "Kill them all. Leave no survivors."

Two of them aimed for Ymir and she was quickly overpowered by them. Shoving her to the ground, one of them pressed the tip of their gun to her forehead, execution style.

"No!" A high, clear voice rang out. "Don't touch her!" Christa swept down like some avenging angel of legend and with the butt of her crossbow, knocked one of the men away before they could shoot. Aiming her weapon at the other, she launched an arrow at him, but he avoided at the last minute. However, Christa's aim was true and the arrow managed to pierce through his arm. "Touch her and I will kill all of you!" She glared at the other soldiers and with her wild hair and even wilder eyes, she looked like an angry goddess about to unleash death.

"I'm fine," said Ymir, standing up and dusting herself off. "Let's just help the Captain."

Christa nodded, but her hands hovered around Ymir, searching for any sign of injury. The taller girl laughed boisterously and pressed a kiss to the crown of Christa's head. "We have some sheep to kill," she said lowly and at the mention of the military, Christa nodded gravely.

Jean witnessed this and at the display of affection, felt vaguely touched, as if it had been him whom Christa had saved. This wasn't what pirates were supposed to be like. They weren't supposed to love. They were thieves and scoundrels and the type of people who would betray you at a moment's notice.

The Red Captain, while putting up an admirable fight, was losing. The Dog of the King was older and more experienced in combat than she was. Eventually, Levi cornered her and knocked her katana out of hand, sending it sprawling across the deck. As she reached for it, he stepped on her hand, pointing the tip of his blade at her face. "Your move, Captain."

When she didn't move, Levi had his men pick her up and bring her to the centre of the deck. Her hands were bound behind her back and head tipped backwards, as if awaiting some sign from the heavens while Levi loaded a gun.

"Normally, we'd bring you back to Trost to be hung, but Erwin promised me this," he said, experimentally aiming the weapon at her. "You deserve to be resurrected just so we can kill you again for what you've done."

Jean was frozen in his spot, hidden behind the thick wood of the mast. He belonged to the military and not only had he served them his whole life, but so had the entirety of the Kirschtein family. But, seeing Mikasa like this was…difficult. Part of him still saw the young girl he'd fallen in love with, and his repulsion at pirates was at war with his past feelings. No one had bothered to bind him, as he was still a recognized man of the King, though the dirk he held suggested otherwise.

"Give him back to me," she murmured.

"What?" Levi cupped an ear around his hands.

"GIVE MY BROTHER BACK TO ME!" She strained against her bonds, her hair messy around her face and one eye burning with hatred.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Levi, but his hands shook.

"Give him back to me!" She shrieked again. "You killed my mother in cold blood, you monster! He's all I have left! Give Eren back to me!"

Jean felt a pit of dread grow in his stomach. Like this, she looked so helpless and so young, as if Mikasa had never really left her. Perhaps all of this, all of her searching and fighting, was for this single cause. Perhaps, she just wanted to find her brother.

Levi walked up one of his soldiers and from them, took a sword. "Unbind her," he said to one of his squad members. "She will fight for her life and if she wins here, I will let her live until we reach Trost."

"If not?" They asked, voice solemn.

"She will die where she stands." Levi waved the sword in the general direction of the Captain. She stood up shakily, rubbing her wrists and if glares could kill, Levi would be dead several times over. "Are you afraid, little girl?"

She took one of her swords from the place where it had dropped it and slung it to rid it of any accumulated blood. "No, but you should be."

Immediately, they flung themselves into the heat of the battle. Jean had never seen anything like it. They looked as if they were dancing more than anything. Each time their swords touched, a great clang sounded out. The Captain rushed in, but Levi countered. Still, she pressed on, growing closer to his face until their noses almost touched. Then, they were forced apart and continued their dance until Levi eventually began to gain the upper hand, causing the Captain to back up until she was right up against the side of the ship, her back to Jean.

The Red Captain was losing.

As before, her blade was knocked out her hand, clattering across the wooden deck. Levi slashed forwards and while she managed to jump back in time, the blade cut a shallow wound across her chest. With every step, she neared Jean and the dirk in his hand grew heavier. With a single stab, Jean could end this. He would return to the military, to Trost as a hero. He would have ridded the seas of a formidable enemy.

"The Kraken will return. And I plan to be the one to kill it."

"GIVE MY BROTHER BACK TO ME!"

Was this truly who the Red Captain was? Was her bravado, her utter disgust with humans all a façade?

Jean made up his mind.

"Mikasa!" He called to her and she immediately responded. He tossed her the dirk and with a smooth motion, she picked it up and unsheathed it, bringing it to her face to protect herself from Levi's downward slash.

She leapt up, reengaging Levi, armed with only a dagger. She appeared to be laughing as she blocked his blows. Ducking around his seemingly erratic swings, Mikasa tore off her eyepatch, turning to wink at Jean.

Her left eye was as red as freshly spilled blood.

The fight only stopped—and it was lucky for Levi that it did, as Mikasa had begun to turn the tides and probably would have killed him within the minute—when Lionheart finally reappeared at the top of the quarterdeck with a burlap sack in her hand. She tossed it at Levi's feet. "You can surrender now."

Levi only looked confused.

"Captain Erwin is in our custody. He's alive, but a little shaken."

Jean had wondered where Ymir and Christa had disappeared off too, though now he supposed he had his answer.

Lionheart pointed at the sack. "And that's what remains of your fiancée."

To his credit, Levi barely lost face, though his eyebrows narrowed and he stared at Lionheart with such hatred that Jean was surprised she didn't instantly burst into flames.

"Good job, Lionheart," said Mikasa, wiping the side of her mouth. "Petra, was that her name?"

Levi stared at the bag. Tendrils of sunset-coloured hair poked out of the opening. Then, he lunged at Mikasa, but was knocked aside by an orange blur. He found himself staring down the edge of a curved blade wielded by a petite woman with orange hair.

"Apologies, Captain," she said. "I wouldn't have made myself known so quickly, but your life was in danger."

"Your loyalty is much appreciated." Mikasa smirked. "Sailing Master Ral."

Levi's eyes flickered between the two women, his expression one of complete shock. "Petra, you're alive?"

Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Not for your sake." She turned to Mikasa. "The crew of the Rogue Titan has subdued the soldiers and there are none left on the Wings of Freedom, Captain."

"But, why?"

"A society woman only has one choice," Petra said bitterly. "And that is to marry up, no matter what skills she may possess. Then, she is expected to spend her life serving her husband. The Red Captain has offered me a spot on her crew."

"Pirates are scum," he spat.

"The military is scum," retorted Petra. "You keep your technology and wealth to yourselves and when the people are in danger, you cower behind your stone towers. When the Kraken attacked, the King retreated to the inner walls, leaving all of the people to die."

"The Kraken will return," added Mikasa. "And if you're too scared to face it, I will. But, I'll need your ship and my brother back. Strip him of his weapons and take him to the hold."

Jean watched from his hiding spot as Levi—Dog of the Crown and the greatest fighter in the military—was stripped down to his underclothes and made to be imprisoned like some common criminal. The rest of the survivors were also bound with rope and watched over by the burly blonde and his partner, whose names Jean learned were Reiner and Bertholdt.

"Thank you for what you did," said Mikasa to him once they had a moment of privacy. They stood on the quarterdeck of the Rogue Titan, watching the sun dip lazily in the deep blue waters. "You could have killed me, but you didn't."

"Anyone would have done the same," said Jean.

"Anyone else, save for my own crew, would have killed me." She rubbed her shoulders painfully and started when Jean placed his hands over her own and rubbed them for her.

"You have a way of inspiring loyalty in people," he said. "I guess I just couldn't really forget about you, after all."

She relaxed under his grip, a surprisingly trustful gesture considering Jean's earlier proclamations of his aversion to pirates.

"Did you mean all that you said?" She suddenly tensed. "That you're looking for your brother and that you're going to kill the Kraken when it reappears?"

Mikasa sighed and turned her gaze away from Jean, her blood-red eye looking almost the same colour as the sunset. "When the Kraken attacked Trost, I was saved by a sea-witch named Carla Yeager and her son, Eren. They cared for me and taught me everything I now know. However, witchcraft is declared illegal by the Crown so when soldiers found our home in Shiganshina, they killed Carla in front of our eyes and took Eren away. I managed to escape through a hidden tunnel."

"And your eye?"

"I told you. Carla taught me everything she could and she had to take into consideration my limits as a human being." Mikasa offered no further explanation.

"How do you know Eren is still alive?"

"I can feel it," she said softly. "Eren is alive and along with the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, he is our key to defeating the Kraken. That's why I need to find him."

"We."

Mikasa looked up at Jean with eyes he recognized. This was the Mikasa he remembered and loved so dearly, the girl who'd shown wonderment at the first knife he was given. This was the girl who craved adventure and clambered into trees after him.

"I'm going to help you find Eren. Even if that means I have to become a pirate."

"I thought you said you hated pirates."

Jean pursed his lips. "I still do, but I suppose I can make an exception this one time." He let go of her shoulders, but wound his hands around her torso and hugged her close. To his surprise, she didn't jump away or demand that he let her go.

She hesitantly touched her hand to his, the sensation like the soft touch of a feather, but then grabbed on and held tight to it. "If you ever spit at me again, I'll rip out your tongue."

"Sounds like a deal."

She scoffed, but it was, as far as Jean could tell, without any venom. "That's hardly a deal."

"What's your idea of a deal?"

Mikasa turned around to face him, her eyes glinting with a combination of mischief and happiness. "Think you can become a pirate for me?"

Jean mulled over it for a second. "Only for you."

Her lips curled up in a smile. "Welcome aboard the Rogue Titan, Sailor Kirschtein."

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