Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII.

Nepenthe.

theme o16. pirate

She had the audacity to grin through the lashings. Blood ran freely down her back, staining the immaculate deck of the ship. She hadn't uttered a sound since the punishment began. She simply knelt on her knees, her wrists bound behind her as the whip came down upon her back.

"Enough."

"But Captain—"

"I said," repeated Vincent, "that is enough."

The lashings stopped. Silence curled like a slit-eyed cat on the deck of his ship. She did not crumple, made not a sound; the curve of her back betrayed uneasy relief. Vincent's boots resounded against the planks until he reached the edge of the scarlet lake that encircled her wretched form. She ignored him. Vincent eyed the rivulets distastefully; his men had truly gone too far.

"This is your last warning, thief," began Vincent, "or must I remind you that the plundering of royal naval ships is punishable by death?" His venture was met with no response. His eyes narrowed. "Shall we make a deal, then?" he said in hopes greed would move her tongue. "The names of your conspirators, and in exchange, an appeal for a more lenient sentence."

She tossed the limp, dark bangs out of her face. "I'm not a rat. You're better off whipping me until I die," she spat, her eyes fever-bright.

Vincent pulled her roughly to her feet by the ropes on her wrist. Her tiny body buckled, but she gritted her teeth and bore through the pain. "Bring the doctor to my cabin," he ordered. "She will die at this rate."

The stubborn pirate struggled against him, but the pain had begun to create dots of black in her vision. Soon, she passed into the realm of unconsciousness and could struggle no more.

She came to inside large, wooden cabin. The captain, a man dressed in royal red, with matching eyes, watched her noiselessly as she fought to regain focus. She mustered a feeble glare at him.

"It would be of no use to me if you perished before we were able to apprehend your brethren," he explained, ignoring her venomous gaze.

She blinked tiredly and turned her head, with great effort, toward the wall. "You will get nothing from me," she rasped. He brought a wet towel to her forehead. She slapped it away with a strength she no longer possessed and dropped powerlessly back onto the sweat-soaked pallet. "Kindness will get you nowhere, Captain," she said disdainfully.

"Your crew will return for you."

"No."

"You pretend ignorance," he said in measured, careful tones. She pressed her dry, cracked lips together, the only sign of weakness she had shown him since her apprehension. "Your clever contrivance ensured the safe retreat of your own ship, at the expense of your own life—admirable. But how long did you expect to deceive me?"

She balled her fists, the resolution in her stormy eyes breeding the first pinpricks of panic. Vincent took the shredded remains of her linen shirt and pulled down on her blistered, red shoulder. A black four-pointed star was etched in ink onto her skin.

"You do yourself a great dishonor, Captain Kisaragi."

A/N: AU Yuffentine? How could I resist? Just something fun I started to keep me from going insane these past few months of school. Expect brief, other-worldly shenanigans and spontaneous updates. I'd love to know what you think. Thank you for reading!