Author's Note: What do you say to a man who just saved your life? Well, we are about to find out. I tried to show Eoleo's softer side as he and Amiti work things out. As I mentioned in Chapter One, this chapter is where I am unsure how to proceed. Should I leave it here, with this happy ending? Or is Realclothesshipping about to become valid? I just made that up, by the way.

Thanks again for reading, y'all!

Golden Sun love,

Raggy

…

They sailed in silence for a while, seated side by side at the wheel. The seas were much calmer, and the night breeze blew softly across the water, ruffling Amiti's ponytail and Eoleo's hair and cape as it passed.

Rief and Kraden were yawning and heading to bed. Sveta didn't look tired, but she went belowdecks with them just the same. They waved good night to their friends and disappeared down the stairs.

All of the Djinn were either set to their Adepts or were asleep belowdecks. The other pirates were smoking pipes at the ship's stern and playing dice. They hailed Amiti as he looked back at them. He waved back and turned back to the front of the boat.

"…Eoleo?"

"Ya?" The older man looked over at him.

"Um…thank you…again."

"I told you it's what shipmates do," said Eoleo. Amiti blushed.

"But I wasn't acting like your…shipmate. I was very rude to you. And your crew. And your father… I should have listened to you but I didn't because I was too stubborn, and I apologize." He was rambling, and he blushed further. He sounded like an idiot. But Eoleo seemed pleased.

"I appreciate it," he said. "And I wanna say I'm sorry for makin' fun of your homeland. I understand it's real hot there so you don't need a lot of clothes."

Amiti nodded. "Would you believe what I was wearing when I met Matthew and the others?" Eoleo shook his head. "Well, I was bare-chested…I had a thin pair of sandals and a wrap around my waist. And I had this funny hat on my head."

The pirate's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?"

"No. They actually had to tell me to change before I left the city with them…."

Eoleo let out a hoot of laughter and slapped his knee. "That is too good to believe!" Amiti smiled, too.

"Believe me, it has been quite a culture shock being out of Ayuthay for so long." He rubbed his temples as his head throbbed suddenly.

"I am sure you've already seen so much culture as you travel," said Eoleo. "And you'll see even more as we travel the Eastern Sea." He looked out to the horizon. A pink sunrise was just beginning to emerge.

"That's one thing about life on the sea. Everything's always changin'. Like the water, y'know, always movin' and shiftin'. Nothin' stays the same."

He looked back at the crew.

"Those guys were my dad's mates," he said. "But now he's gone, so I'm their captain. They mourned Dad's loss and moved on. I had to do that too. That's how we live out here. If you get caught up too much lookin' back you're gonna run into somethin' that slows you down. We're always movin' forward."

Amiti studied the captain as he spoke. Those were surprisingly insightful words, and they came straight from the heart. Keep moving…that's just what they had to do.

"Well, Eoleo, I'm with you," said Amiti. The Mars Adept looked at him and smiled, almost tenderly. Those weren't…tears in his eyes, were they? Amiti cleared his throat and spoke again. "Your dad would have been so proud of you."

They were tears. One fat one rolled down the Fire Adept's stubbly cheek and hit the deck.

"Thank you Amiti," he said. He put his arm around the younger man's shoulder and pulled him closer. Amiti rested his head on the pirate's shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment.

…gods, he was tired. He yawned and shivered. Eoleo unfastened his cape and draped it around Amiti's shoulder.

"Ya don't have to stay up with me," he said. "Go get some rest. You've been through a lot."

"So have you!"

Eoleo chuckled. "I'm used to nights like this. It's all right. I'll be fine."

But Amiti shook his head. "I'll stay awake! I promise. I…I want to stay out here." He pulled his head up and looked defiantly at Eoleo.

…

Several minutes later, he had slumped against Eoleo's shoulder again, fast asleep. The pirate smiled as the blue-haired Adept snored softly, and gently moved his friend's head so that he was laying across Eoleo's lap.

He hesitated and then gently lifted Amiti's hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. He looked fragile, fast asleep, and Eoleo remembered with a shudder how easily he could have drowned out there in the sea. Thank the gods that he had been keeping an eye on the defiant prince up there on deck while the storm had been raging.

But it was all right, now. The storm had passed. They would be close to Harun Island soon, and could make land by midmorning. The waves caused by the Grave Eclipse had blown them far from Belinsk. Thankfully, the other Adepts had saved him before the Eclipse happened, or he would have been an easy snack for the monsters up in that cage.

The princess, Sveta, had made her peace with him. He had not seen much of her during his imprisonment in Belinsk, but she was part of Matthew's group and so he trusted her. Even if her brother had wanted to kill him.

He let his mind wander for a bit, watching the sun as it began to rise. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned to see Matthew behind him.

"Hey, leader man," he said with a smile to the blonde boy.

"Hey yourself, Captain. Do you want me to sail for a bit?"

Eoleo rubbed his eyes. "…I may need just a little rest. Are you sure though?"

Matthew nodded. "I can't seem to sleep very much. Too much on my mind." He looked at Amiti, snoozing on Eoleo's lap, and smiled. "I think your first mate is too tired to take your place, anyhow."

The Mars Adept nodded. Gently, he lifted Amiti into his arms. The cape fell to the ground.

"Use it as a blanket if ya need it." With a nod to Matthew, he headed belowdecks.

The others were fast asleep in the main room below, and there wasn't a couch or chair left to be had. So, Eoleo took Amiti back to the captain's quarters where the Water Adept had recovered after he went overboard. He often let his crew members sleep in his bed when they were hurt or feeling sick, and his dad's ship had a much nicer room than Eoleo's old ship.

He set Amiti down and pulled the covers up over him. The younger man stirred.

"Eo…leo?" The pirate crouched beside the bed again.

"I put ya back in bed, okay? Rest here as long as you need."

"Please…you need rest too…"

"Shhh. I'm gonna go back upstairs and sleep by Matt in case he needs me."

"Stay…please…" Eoleo wrestled with himself for a minute. He had shared a bed with pretty much everyone in his crew. Older pirates, younger pirates, male pirates, female pirates…sometimes you just had to share sleeping space on long voyages. So why did he hesitate now?

Amiti weakly reached out his arms and Eoleo gave in. He unbuckled his heavy armor, took off his boots and crawled into bed.

The pillow felt so good against his head, and the sheets were so warm…he closed his eyes as they grew heavier by the second.

"Good night…" said Amiti as he curled up against the pirate's side. Eoleo smiled sleepily.

"Good night, my prince."