Title: Lad looks like a Maiden
Pairing: Matsumoto Jun/Ohno Satoshi, mentions of a bunch of side pairings.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The maid uniform looked good on Satoshi. It looked so good that even sky pirate Matsumoto Jun got fooled by it.
Warnings: Crossdressing.
A/N: Hello there, shardaunei! I had a little bit of a struggle picking a prompt, but in the end I went for the queen kidnapping in shiyagare… except that Sho wasn't the one kidnapped here, hehe. It turned out to be more comedy than anything else. I hope you enjoy it!


When Ohno Satoshi heard about the sky pirates, he didn't think they'd come at all.

He lived quietly at Lord Kitagawa's castle, working as a baker. His mother and father had sent him and his sister there when an outbreak of the mysterious Red Plague occurred in a small island not far from their hometown.

"We will be fine, Satoshi," his father told him when they said goodbye. "Take care of your sister, alright?"

Satoshi waved at his parents as the carriage started moving. He didn't know it back then, but they would never meet again.

It was rumored that Lord Kitagawa had made a pact with the devil, which was why no plague could touch his people; others said that the erudite who lived with him had discovered a cure for all the diseases in the world, and that they had released an elixir in the waters of the lord's domains to protect everyone from the plague. Whatever the truth was, people started seeking refuge there. It was the only safe haven left in the continent. The people who lived in the islands in the north were slowly succumbing to the plague. Nobody had been able to escape, according to the reports Kitagawa's army gave to the civilians.

When they arrived in the castle, Satoshi started working in the kitchens. The baker took a liking to him and decided to train him as his apprentice. Meanwhile, his sister worked as a maid. She married a guard called Chinen around one year later, and gave birth to their first son, Yuri, around Satoshi's eighteenth birthday.

"Won't you get a wife someday, Satoshi-kun?" his sister asked him repeatedly, especially after her daughter was born, three years after the boy. "You should form a family."

"Not interested," Satoshi replied with a shrug. The truth was that he didn't like women that much. He preferred men, although that was frowned upon in their society. "I'm okay like this."

They lived in peace at the castle, working their hardest every day. They knew that things weren't as good outside, that many people were struggling to get by. Kitagawa wasn't exactly a nice man. He gave people protection, yes, but in exchange for that he made them work almost like slaves. The taxes were so high that most families couldn't pay them; some were tortured when they attempted to evade. The resentment and hatred against Kitagawa kept growing and growing.

Satoshi didn't like him either, but he never expressed it out loud. Risking his position in the castle wasn't in his plans. Sometimes he ranted about the injustices committed by Kitagawa and his allies, when the servants met after work hours, yet that was about it. Satoshi was no hero, he just wanted to survive. Sometimes he wished he could live in a different way. He dreamed of truly contributing to society, even if his skills were limited.

That was just a dream though. He was a servant, and would most likely be one for the rest of his life.

Two decades after the outbreak, Lord Kitagawa had control over at least three quarters of the land, excluding only the areas that were abandoned after the plague. And, for the first time, there were rumors of someone trying to overturn him.

"A group of sky pirates has been hired to murder Lord Kitagawa," Satoshi's sister told him one night. "All the women and children are leaving the castle three days from now under Takizawa-san's orders."

Satoshi didn't give any credit to the rumors. He had lost his hopes of being free again long time before that. He still helped the others escape though.

Only the soldiers and male servants remained in the castle. Takizawa, the chief of the lord's guard whom many believed to be the mastermind behind the coup, spoke to the men afterwards. "We cannot let the lord know about this," Takizawa said. "Some of you will have to dress as women to keep him in the dark."

Among the ones chosen to don the female clothing was Satoshi. Considering his short stature and his thinness, it wasn't a surprise that the long black dress fit him quite well. The white apron and bonnet looked a bit ridiculous in his opinion, and wearing that blonde wig was too uncomfortable.

"You look exactly like mom!" his nephew, who had stayed behind with him, said between laughs.

"Well, you also look like a girl, Yuri-kun!" Satoshi replied, sticking out his tongue. The two of them rushed to their posts when the trumpets announcing the lord's return were heard.

It happened very fast. The lord was walking to his throne when the sky pirates burst inside the castle. Not wanting to be caught in the middle of the battle, Satoshi ran away. Yuri followed him, screaming in complete terror.

"Yuri-kun?" Satoshi turned when he didn't hear the young man's voice anymore. He couldn't stop to look for him though, not if he wanted to make it out of the castle alive. He prayed under his breath that his nephew had been able to escape too.

Just as he was about to reach the kitchen, he tripped on the hem of his dress. He expected to fall face first on the floor, but it didn't happen.

"Are you alright?"

Satoshi looked up at the man who was holding him by the waist. The man was very handsome, one of the pirates without a doubt: he was wearing a white shirt and black slacks, and there was a belt secured to his hips where he carried two pistols. He was taller and stronger than Satoshi, putting him at clear disadvantage.

"Please don't kill me!" Satoshi cried.

The pirated chuckled. "Fear not," he said, his voice surprisingly soft as he cupped Satoshi's cheek. "I would never hurt you."

Suddenly, Satoshi felt his sight blurring. "What… wait…" he slurred as his legs gave in.

The last he saw before falling unconscious were the pirate's brown eyes glinting in the darkness.



Luck was on Matsumoto Jun's side that day.

It was the day of the mission. The chief of Lord Kitagawa's guards, a guy called Takizawa, contacted the leader of Jun's group around one month before to plan a coup against his lord. "I don't have any gold or treasures," Takizawa said, "but I can give you my aid to take him down. Anything you find in the castle is yours, just… just get rid of him."

Normally, Jun's group wouldn't have done anything without a payment. However, it was Kitagawa they were talking about, the man that had doomed their people to death and refused to lend them a hand when they lost everything.

They used to live in the island where the first outbreak of the Red Plague happened. They weren't pirates back then; most of them didn't even know how to fight. Jun was just thirteen the day his father didn't let him in the house, saying that he had to run away before he got infected. His mother and sister were inside, crying and begging him to go. It wasn't until two of his childhood friends, Nino and Sho, arrived that Jun moved.

"All the people who aren't infected must come to the beach immediately!" Chief Joshima and his men said in the streets. "Go to see Aiba-san!"

Aiba-san was an inventor. He was standing right next to a ship which had a huge steam engine. "Get in, boys!" he said when he saw Jun and his friends approaching. "Is everyone inside?"

"Yes," a soldier replied.

"Very well."

Jun saw when Aiba-san pushed a button, closing the only gate to the ship. Then, out of a sudden, the engine started and the ship elevated in the skies. On the pilot's seat was Masaki, Aiba-san's son. He was just a few months older than Jun, but he had the seriousness of an adult as he directed the ship somewhere safe –despite the tear streaks on his face.

"Let's make a head count now," someone said. It was Shigeru, Chief Joshima's eldest son –their new leader.

It turned out that there were only boys aboard the ship. No girls or women were found among them. Joshima ordered Masaki to take them to Lord Kitagawa's castle. "He's my father's ally. He'll surely help our people!" Joshima said.

He had been wrong. Kitagawa almost killed them that time. They had to run away, learn how to defend themselves, and start working as mercenaries. Their families succumbed to the plague, yet they didn't have time to mourn them. They had to survive, somehow.

Joshima didn't need to think twice before accepting Takizawa's offer.

"We will be most pleased to help you, Takizawa-san," Joshima said. "But when you say everything… do you really mean everything?"

Takizawa blinked in confusion. "I don't understand."

Joshima and the rest of the men laughed. "See my boy Jun over there?" Joshima pointed at Jun with his chin. "He's one of our best warriors. Fast as the wind and strong like a storm in the middle of the ocean."

Jun felt his cheeks reddening slightly at the praise. He smiled at Takizawa, who was staring at him in awe.

"He has just turned thirty-three," Joshima continued, "but sadly, he hasn't been able to get a wife yet. All his peers are already forming families, you see. Only him is still unmarried."

"I see," Takizawa nodded. "Excuse me, but… what does that have to do with anything."

"It's very simple, Takizawa-san," Joshima said with a smirk. "We will not touch any civilians, that I promise you, but would you be gracious enough to allow our Jun-kun here choose a wife among the women in the castle? He will not harm the lady, of course, we are not savages. She shall be treated with the utmost care."

Takizawa frowned. "What if the woman in question doesn't wish to marry him?"

"She shall be returned to you immediately," Joshima replied.

The doubts were visible in Takizawa's eyes. Most of the men who hired them before had the same expression upon hearing their strange request. Who would want one of their daughters or sisters to go with a group of sky pirates after all? And what assured them that the pirates wouldn't really harm them?

The promises were true though. The women they kidnapped always had a say in their fate. The ones who refused to stay with them were always freed, and the ones who stayed lived happily under their protection. Some even chose to fight by their husbands' side during the missions.

Jun didn't like the idea of kidnapping very much, but it was their only choice. With no females among their ranks, and very low possibilities of finding any families who would willingly allow them to marry their daughters, they had to resort to that technique in order to find wives. Relationships between people of the same sex weren't uncommon in their community, yet they knew that for reproductive matters that wasn't going to help them much.

If they wanted to preserve their people, they needed women.

Takizawa sighed. "Alright. He can choose whichever woman he likes, as long as he doesn't hurt her."

With that, the deal was closed.

Jun was so excited that he barely slept the night before the mission. How could he sleep, when his wish of having a family again was so close to coming true?

They arrived at Kitagawa's castle just when the man's carriage stopped in front of the iron gates. Jun wasn't going to join the squad for the attack as usual. He was ordered to stay behind, wait for the battle to start, and find a woman to take with him.

"Good luck," Joshima patted him on the shoulder.

Jun hid near to the kitchens. He heard gunshots and screams in the distance. Shortly after that, a maid came running in his direction. She had long blonde hair and an angel-like face.

Jun's heart skipped a beat.

She was perfect.



There was a familiar voice calling his name. "…Satoshi, uncle Satoshi…"

Satoshi rubbed his eyes. "Yuri-kun? Is it you?"

They were in a small room, with three beds. From the window on his right, Satoshi could see the clear night sky, illuminated by countless stars. No land was in sight though.

Damn. Were they in the pirates' ship?

Yuri threw himself in Satoshi's arms. "Yes! It is I, dear uncle!" Yuri sobbed, burying his face in Satoshi's chest. "The pirates… I didn't see them coming! They got Yamada-kun too!"

Right next to Satoshi's bed was standing Yamada Ryosuke, one of Yuri's childhood friends. "So they were looking for women," Yamada sighed. "This won't be good."

Indeed, the three of them were still clad in their maid uniforms. Satoshi frowned. "But why us? If it's a ransom they wanted, wouldn't it have made more sense to take one of the lord's daughters?"

"Then maybe that's not what they want," Yamada replied, face blanching. "Ugh, I don't even want to imagine what they'll do when they realize we are men."

"They won't."

Yamada and Yuri turned to look at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We'll keep pretending to be women. Perhaps that'll keep us alive longer, don't you think?" Satoshi said with more firmness he thought he was capable of having.

"But what if… what if they expect us to, umm… to do things with them…" Yamada said.

Satoshi's eyes went wide. "Well, umm… that would be complicated…"

"It would!" Yamada grumbled. "I'm not doing it with a pirate, thank you very much! Especially not with that jerk who hit the back of my head with the handle of his gun! What is wrong with him? He could have killed me!"

There was movement outside the room as Yamada continued complaining about his captor's absolute lack of finesse. "Yamada-kun, keep it down!" Satoshi hissed. "They'll discover that we're awake!"

The doors opened. Too late.

A female pirate stood by the door, her lips curved in a smirk. "I see that you lovely ladies are up." Her clothes were similar to the ones the man who caught Satoshi wore, except that instead of pants she had a long black skirt. "Follow me. We are going to the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" The three of them asked in synchrony.

The pirate giggled. "Rejoice, fair maidens! For after tonight, you will be maidens no more," she said with a wink.

After climbing a wooden staircase, they ended up in the ship's upper deck, where the entire crew waited for them. The female pirate guided them towards the ship's bow. Four men stood there: the oldest one was shorter than the rest and was dressed as a captain –he was most likely the leader; the two men at his right couldn't be much older than Yamada and Yuri, despite being stronger and taller; and at the leader's left was the pirate that kidnapped Satoshi.

That man was staring right into his eyes. Satoshi felt heat rushing to his cheeks. It wasn't time to feel attracted towards a complete stranger, especially not the one who kidnapped him. Still, he couldn't help giving the man a couple once-overs, confirming that he was handsome indeed. He had manly broad shoulders, which contrasted with his very narrow waist; his hips were slightly wider and his thighs...

Focus! Satoshi shook his head, reminding himself of their current predicament.

The pirate chuckled. "Do we really need to go through all these formalities?" He asked, sounding impatient. "I believe my future wife is satisfied with what she sees, aren't you dear?"

Satoshi clenched his fists angrily as the pirate looked at him with a playful smirk. "You have been ogling at me from the moment you stepped out," the pirate said. "Not that I don't appreciate it."

The leader laughed. "You know the rules, Jun-kun. The ladies must give their full consent before you can proceed to consummate your union."

Jun groaned and walked towards Satoshi. He dragged him by the arm until the two of them were standing right in front of the leader. "Alright, ask her," Jun said.

The leader rolled his eyes at Jun. "You really should learn how to behave, Jun-kun," he chastised his subordinate. Then he smiled at Satoshi. "I must apologize for that idiot's attitude. He usually isn't like this."

Someone snorted at that, making a few of the pirates burst out laughing. Jun pouted at them and demanded that the leader stopped them. He looked kind of cute like that, Satoshi thought.

"In any case," the leader continued, "will you become Jun-kun's wife? I can assure you that he's a responsible, kind man who will do everything in his power to protect you. He might be a bit of an idiot, but he means well at heart."

Everyone went silent as they waited for Satoshi's reply. "I... I don't think that will possible, sir," he said, hoping that the pirates wouldn't get too mad at him.

"Oh?" The leader seemed surprised. "May I ask the reason?"

"It's something private, actually," Satoshi mumbled. From the corner of his eye, he could see how Jun's face fell.

"Is there someone else?" Jun asked in a small voice. "Or am I not attractive enough for you?"

"No! It's not that!"

"Then is it that I'm a pirate?"

"I have no problem with that-"

"Then what is it?" Jun made Satoshi turn to face him. He looked almost desperate, as if being rejected by Satoshi would break his heart. "Why won't you marry me?"

Satoshi looked away. What was he going to do? If he accepted to marry Jun, what was he going to do when the truth about his gender was discovered? Yuri and Yamada looked at him with worried expressions. He couldn't blow their cover now, could he? He'd just have to come up with a plan later.

Taking a deep breath, he said the words that unknowingly sealed his fate:

"Fine. I accept to marry you."



She said yes.

Without waiting for Joshima to make the formal announcement that they were now husband and wife, Jun pulled her by the waist for a kiss. She yelped in surprise when he gently pressed his lips against hers.

Joshima cleared his throat. Jun reluctantly separated from his wife and gave him a sheepish grin. "Save that for when the two of you are in private, please," Joshima grumbled. "Now, as the captain of this ship, I declare you man and wife." Everyone cheered loudly after that. Jun turned towards them with a triumphant smile, still not believing his luck.

Two other couples married that night. Takaki Yuya and Nakajima Yuto, two of their youngest pirates, found two maids in the castle and decided to take them back home with them. Yuya's wife was the shy, black-haired Yuri, who seemed to be afraid of him but blushed every time their arms brushed. They'd surely get along well in no time. Yuto, on the other hand, was having a hard time with his wife, the grumpy-looking Ryoko. She refused to sit next to him and shoved him aside every time he attempted to initiate contact.

"Poor Yuto," Jun chuckled, "that girl hates him!"

"He hit her with the handle of his gun," Satoko, Jun's wife, mumbled.

Jun's eyes widened. "He did that? Well, it makes sense then," he said, watching Yuto's poor attempts to get his wife to sit next to him. "I will have a word with him later. That kind of behavior is unacceptable."

"You're one to talk!" Satoko huffed, glaring at Jun with puffed cheeks. "As if drugging someone was better!"

"I'm sorry! I thought it'd be the safest option. I had no intention causing any harm after all." Seeing that Satoko continued glaring at him, Jun took one of her hands and kissed it. "Will you forgive me?"

Satoko sighed and nodded at Jun in response. She looked so cute that Jun didn't resist and pulled her in for a kiss. Jun had expected to be met with some resistence, but much to his delight Satoko returned the kiss with just as much passion as him. Encouraged by his wife's willingness, Jun sneaked his tongue in her mouth. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, her thin fingers tangling in Jun's hair. As their lips continued grinding and their tongues met, Jun's slid his hands to caress Satoko's sides.

"Stop that!" Satoko hissed.

Jun laughed. "I almost forgot you're inexperienced," he said, pulling Satoko closer by her waist. "Although you seem to be no stranger to kissing."

Satoko arched an eyebrow at him. "That a problem for you?"

"Not at all." Jun smirked at her. "As a matter of fact, I think you have become even more interesting in my eyes."

"Oh, really? Well, that's good to hear," Satoko deadpanned. She frowned when she saw Yuri and Ryoko calling her from a corner. "Excuse me."

As soon as she left, some of Jun's friends approached him.

"Congratulations, Jun-pon," Nino said, clapping him on the back. "You are a man now!"

"I believe I have always been one," Jun grumbled, making Nino laugh at him.

Aiba hugged him out of a sudden. "I'm so happy for you!" Aiba said. He was clearly drunk already, if his enthusiasm was anything to go by. "And you were thinking that you'd never find a wife!"

"That I did." Jun chuckled. "I was fearing that I'd have to get married to a man after all."

"Hey! There isn't anything wrong with marrying a man," Sho, who had just arrived, said with a pout. His husband, Junichi, was standing right next to him, laughing at Sho's expression.

"Of course there's not!" Jun replied. "Your case is different to others though. You're the only one in the crew who has stolen a husband instead of a wife."

"He was injured! I couldn't leave him to die there! That's why I brought him back with me!" Sho defended himself.

"Sure it wasn't just because you thought me handsome?" Junichi commented with a smirk.

Sho continued denying it, his face red with embarrassment. Jun and the others took turns to tease him for bringing an additional man to a crew that already had too many of them. It wasn't mean-spirited though, since all of them valued Junichi a lot; he was a good warrior and incredibly skilled at piloting, which was why Joshima didn't oppose to their union at all.

Jun had envied them for a long time. Nino and Aiba had married to two wonderful women some time after that, but Jun didn't envy them as much. Nino's wife, Erika, was a fierce fighter. She and Nino were a great team when it came to making strategies and applying them. Still, they had quite heated discussions when they were off duty –which they seemingly always resolved with long sessions of make-up sex. As for Aiba's wife, Asami, she was way better at battle than Aiba was and didn't need much convincing when she heard that she could join them. Aiba and Asami got along very well. They spent the whole time joking and teasing each other, like a pair of old friends. It seemed that their relationship was more platonic than romantic though.

That's why Jun still envied Sho and Junichi. They had no qualms in expressing their affection. Sometimes Sho got flustered with the things Junichi did in public, like that time he almost reveals to the entire crew what they did in their wedding night or whenever Junichi grabbed his butt without warning, but he still looked just as in love as he did the day they said their vows.

From the corner of his eye, Jun stole a glance at Satoko. She was laughing with her two friends as they heard Asami's stories. Sensing Jun's eyes on her, Satoko turned to him with a smile.

In that moment, Jun had no doubt that their future together would be great.



Escaping would be harder than Satoshi expected.

First of all, there were pirates everywhere. Most of them were in varying states of drunkenness, but they were still very much alert. Besides, the lady pirate who had been with them since they left the room wasn't going anywhere. Her name was Asami and, according to what they had heard from others and from her own stories that night, she could hold her alcohol better than most men in the crew and was far more skilled than even the captain himself in hand-to-hand combat –unsurprising for a woman who was raised by one of the deadliest female warrior tribes in the continent.

"Why are you here with them? Don't women in your tribe despise men?" Yamada asked her.

"The idea of sailing around the world, fighting and finding adventures was what seduced me," Asami replied with a smile. "Besides, these guys aren't as bad as their reputation says. They're just trying to survive, just like all of us."

"But they kidnapped you!"

"I actually followed Aiba-kun of my own free will," Asami said, chuckling at the disbelieving expression on Yamada's face. "Then I married him, because that was the only way they'd let me stay."

"And what about, umm… afterwards?" Yuri asked, his cheeks tinted in red. "Did you… with him…?"

"Why, of course I did!" Asami smirked. "What's the point of marrying if you won't enjoy the benefits, am I right? And trust me… Aiba-kun may not look like it, but he's very well endowed where it matters the most."

At least their surprise at Asami's openness helped them keep their cover as innocent maidens. Not that Satoshi was a virgin, but once Asami continued discussing the sexual prowess of the male members of the crew with a few other female pirates who joined their conversation, even he was getting a little bit flustered.

That was their second problem, actually: the lady pirates were intent on preparing them for their wedding night.

"We shall give you a rosewater bath, and dress you in a gauze nightgown!" a pirate called Erika said. "Your husbands will definitely appreciate it."

"That won't be necessary!" Satoshi insisted, trying to decline their offers as politely as he could. "There's no need for you to trouble yourselves with elaborate preparations!"

"Of course there is!" Erika said. She grabbed Satoshi's arm, to pull him in direction to the stairs.

In the end, the lady pirates dragged them to the bath, which was already prepared for them. Both Yamada and Yuri blanched when the women demanded that they took off their clothes and got into the water. By the looks on their faces, Satoshi sensed that they were starting to suspect something wasn't right.

"We'll get in the bath, I promise," Satoshi said, "but would you leave us alone for a moment? This is our first time outside of the castle, and it's been an overwhelming experience. I hope you don't take offense in this. We just need some time to prepare ourselves mentally with the only close people we have left now. I'm sure you understand what we feel, don't you?"

The women exchanged looks in complete silence. Satoshi's heart was beating furiously against his ribcage, as if it would explode in any moment. Would they accept? Would they force them to undress and reveal their deception to their captain, to have them executed?

"We understand," Erika said. Her soft smile put Satoshi at ease. "Alright, we shall leave you for now. Asami and I will be guarding the door, and we'll escort you to your husbands' rooms as soon as you're done."

Satoshi heard Yuri and Yamada sigh in relief. "Thank you," he said.

When the pirates left, the three of them undressed and got into the water. They discussed their situation the entire time in hushed tones, hoping that the walls were really as thick as they appeared to be.

Their third problem for their escaping plans was that the ship wouldn't dock for the next three days. "We're going to a small abandoned village that they're planning to use as their new permanent home," Yuri informed them. His 'husband', Yuya, had told him a lot about their destination. "Yuya-kun told me that we'll be living in a cottage near the lake, and that the sky looks beautiful at night there."

"You actually like that pirate, don't you?" Yamada laughed at him.

"I do, and I think he likes me too." Yuri bit his lip, blushing a little bit. His expression turned worried right afterwards. "I'm not sure he'll like me that much once he finds out that I'm a man."

"What will we do about tonight? They'll definitely want to have sex with us!" Yamada said. "I don't want that jerk anywhere near me, much less on top of me!"

"He's handsome though," Yuri commented, earning a glare from his friend.

Satoshi sighed. The more they analyzed the situation, the less likely it seemed that they would be able to escape from there unharmed.

Around an hour later, they came out of the room wearing the white nightgowns the pirates had provided for them. Erika and Asami guided them to their respective rooms with a smile, wishing them good luck. Satoshi waved the two young men goodbye before walking away.

"I've heard he's got a really insatiable sex drive, and that he has the body of a god. You are a lucky woman!" Erika whispered in Satoshi's ear between giggles before pushing him inside the room.

It only took Satoshi a couple of seconds to get the proof for her statements.

Jun pinned him to the wall as soon as the door was closed. He was completely naked. "What took you so long?" he said in Satoshi's ear. "I've been waiting."

As Jun pressed their bodies closer, Satoshi felt his erection. Jun smirked at him and rubbed himself against Satoshi's body. With one of his hands, he lifted the hem of Satoshi's nightgown…

And screamed.



Satoko was a man!

Jun stepped back in horror after seeing with his own eyes the dick hanging between his sweet bride's legs. "You…" He pointed with a shaky finger at Satoko- no, at the man who said that his name was Satoko. "You're male!"

The man sighed. "I am."

Jun shook his head in disbelief. "You were wearing a maid's uniform! Why… why did you do such a thing!?"

"I was just following orders. Lord Kitagawa couldn't find out that we had made the women and children leave the castle-"

"What?" Jun cut him off with a yell. The man startled and jumped a bit back. "You made the women and children leave?"

The man gnawed on his lower lip nervously and nodded. Despite knowing that he wasn't a woman, Jun couldn't help finding him adorable. "The chief of the guards warned everyone about your arrival the previous night. He said that all women and children had to abandon the castle before dawn."

"So you're saying that there wasn't any woman in the castle at the moment of our arrival?"

"I'm not sure." The man pursed his lips in thought. "The lord's daughters usually are in their chambers, in the last floor of the castle's highest tower. I work in the kitchens, so I can't tell if they were still there."

Jun clenched his fists. "That bastard Takizawa!" he shouted as he flipped a table in anger, making the objects on it crash against the floor loudly. The man flattened himself against the wall in fear, staring at Jun with wide eyes. "He deceived us! He promised that we could take women from the castle to make them our wives!"

"I'm sorry," the man mumbled.

Jun paced around the room, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Why didn't you say anything? Why did you keep pretending?"

"I thought you'd kill me if I told you the truth!"

"And didn't you think that I'd find out sooner or later?"

The man lowered his head. "At the moment, I was more concerned about buying time for us. I thought that maybe we would be able to escape once you guys got drunk enough. I was obviously wrong," he chuckled bitterly. "It might not have been my best move, but what would you do if your nephew and his friend, whom you have seen grow up since they were babies, were in mortal danger? Wouldn't you try to protect them?"

In spite of his anger, Jun had to admit that the man had a valid point. His fears were not at all irrational. Had the truth of their sex been revealed before the ceremony, they would have been thrown overboard. But now they were married to three members of the crew, which meant that they were protected by their people's laws…

Their laws!

"Fuck!" Jun cursed out loud, covering his face with his hands. "This is the worst! The worst!"

"What?"

Jun let out a deep sigh, and turned to face his –whether he wanted to accept it or not– husband. "Our people's laws don't allow divorces, unless one of the parties commits adultery," he explained. "And, since same-sex marriage is a normal practice, that means that our marriage is valid. You cannot leave, and I cannot refuse to take you with me, even if the two of us are men."

The man gaped at Jun. "Wait, that can't be... No..." He shook his head frantically, looking as horrified as Jun felt in that moment.

"Trust me, I dislike the prospect of spending the rest of my life with a man as much as you do," Jun said. "I had plans, you know! I wanted to have a wife and form a family with her. Now I'm stuck with... you!"

"Hey!" The man pouted at Jun. "It's not like I wanted to come with you in the first place! This is your fault for not making sure you abducted someone of the right sex! I don't even look that much like a woman!"

"That can be argued," Jun said, laughing when the man's frown deepened. "You were even checking me out!" The man blushed at that. Jun arched an eyebrow at him. "That wasn't fake, was it? You do find me attractive!"

"What if I do?"

It would have been a lie to pretend that he wasn't flattered by the man's admission. Still, it wasn't time to think about it. He had to inform Joshima about what Takizawa did. Nobody who dared to trifle with them like that could get away with it. Nobody.

With that on mind, Jun went to pick up his clothes. "What's your name?" he asked the man, who was still standing on the same spot.

"I'm Ohno Satoshi," the man said.

"Ohno- no, technically you're not Ohno anymore," Jun mumbled, more to himself than to his husband. "Satoshi-san, I'll need you to stay right here for a while. I must talk to the chief right now. Do not leave the room, no matter what happens. You can change into other clothes if you want."

"Sure…" Satoshi nodded.

Jun didn't think that Satoshi would try to escape, but just in case he locked the door from outside. As he was making his way to Joshima's quarters, another door opened.

"Wait! Ryosuke-kun, calm down!" Nakajima, one of the other pirates that had gotten married that day pleaded. He ducked right on time to avoid being hit by a flower vase. Then he slammed the door closed and locked it.

Jun had observed everything with an amused expression. "Everything okay?"

"I think he hates me," Nakajima replied, laughing nervously.

The door right next to his opened. Leaning against the frame was Takaki, wearing an opened shirt and slacks. His hair was disheveled, and there was a love bite on his collarbone.

"Lucky bastard," Nakajima grumbled.

Jun rolled his eyes at them as Takaki gloated. "The two of you are coming with me. We need to talk about this."



The door was locked.

Jun had left him alone inside the room after discovering his secret. His reaction had been less violent than Satoshi expected, save for his little outburst after hearing that Takizawa had evacuated the castle. Satoshi hoped that if the pirates did take revenge, they would only do it against Takizawa and leave the rest of Kitagawa's servants alone. Nobody else knew about the deal Takizawa had made with the pirates after all.

Seeing that his only way out was now blocked, Satoshi decided to get in the bed and try to sleep. He couldn't. He kept thinking about his sister and niece, hoping that they were safe; about his brother-in-law who was still in the castle when he was abducted; about Yuri and Yamada, wondering how things went for them.

He also thought about Jun.

Earlier that evening, Satoshi had heard the pirates making fun of one of their peers because he had married a man whom he had brought onboard after one of their missions. Would they mock Jun too when they found out the truth about Satoshi's sex? The idea of Jun being the butt of everyone's jokes didn't sit well with Satoshi for some reason.

Eventually, his eyes must have closed. He thought he heard the door opening as he fell asleep, and someone walking to the bed. When he woke up, he was wrapped in a fluffy blanket and there was a note that said "meet me at the upper deck" on the night table, but Jun was nowhere to be seen.

Following the instructions, Satoshi cleaned himself and put on the clothes that had been left for him. He tossed the blonde wig in a trash bin, knowing that it wouldn't be necessary to keep up the pretense. This time, when he went to open the door, it was unlocked.

"Morning!" a cheerful-looking pirate, whose name he couldn't remember very well, greeted him as soon as he came out.

"Morning," Satoshi replied, bowing at the man.

"I'm Aiba Masaki," the pirate said –and, if Satoshi's memory didn't fail him, Aiba was Asami's husband's last name. "Jun-pon sent me to look for you. It's pretty late!"

"Is it?" Satoshi tilted his head.

"Almost noon," Aiba said. "Jun-pon is freaking out. He thinks that maybe you ran away while he wasn't in the room." Satoshi couldn't help laughing when Aiba did. That man had a quite calming presence, in spite of being a pirate. "We tried to reason with him, but he's kind of… how should I put it?"

"A pain in the ass?"

Satoshi was startled when a new voice joined them out of nowhere. It belonged to a short man, who was eyeing him with a mischievous expression.

"Watch your mouth, Nino," Aiba chastised the newcomer. "Jun-pon's husband might take offense if you talk about him like that."

Nino snorted. "Right," he said with a little laugh. "So… you are J's husband, huh?"

"Cute, isn't he?" Aiba said. "No wonder Jun-pon liked him!"

"Yeah! Maybe you'll be the one who makes him stop being in denial!" Nino slung an arm around Satoshi's shoulders. "J's been trying to convince himself that he isn't into men ever since he was, what, fifteen?"

Aiba nodded. "He had kind of a crush on Sho-chan back then."

"It was all about Sho-chan's butt," Nino commented between laughs. Satoshi stared at him in confusion. Nino just patted his back. "That's an old story, you have nothing to worry about. Sho-chan is married to Okada-cchi now, so his butt is off-limits for everyone in the ship."

"Seriously, don't even look at it," Aiba whispered in Satoshi's ear. "Okada-cchi hates it when someone else is watching Sho-chan's butt."

Satoshi made a mental note about that, although he was a bit curious. What could be so special about a guy's butt? Maybe he could steal a glance at it just once, to know what the big deal was.

"Besides, I think you're more of J's type than he was, right, Aiba-shi?" Nino continued.

"Definitely!" Aiba exclaimed. "Jun-pon likes the cute ones. I think he even had a thing for Nino when we were younger."

"I have a handsome profile," Nino said smugly, turning his head to the side for Satoshi to see.

Satoshi could barely follow his companions' conversation as they made their way to the upper deck. They mentioned a lot of names that he didn't recognize, and talked about what they planned to do once they arrived to their destination. Aiba wanted to continue working on some projects that his late father had started, and Nino would spend as much time as he could on his couch. They complained that Sho and his husband had claimed the best house in town, because they had a hot spring in their backyard. They also mentioned that Jun's house had a lot of machines inside, but that Jun had no idea of what they were for.

"He didn't accept to trade with me!" Aiba pouted. "And Asami-chan said that she wouldn't move there anyway because that house was too far from the town square. It's not that far!"

While the other two continued rambling about house locations, Satoshi looked around them to see if he could spot Jun. Instead, he saw a man with big round eyes approaching them with a smile.

"Are you Satoshi-kun?" the man asked. Satoshi nodded at him. "Nice to meet you! My name is Sho."

"Nice to meet you too," Satoshi replied.

"Matsumoto-kun is waiting for you over there," Sho said, pointing with his chin in direction to the ship's bow.

Right there, bathing in the sunlight, was Matsumoto Jun. The breeze ruffled his brown hair softly as he stared into the distance. He looked devastatingly beautiful in that moment. Satoshi wished that he could always remember Jun like he was right then, regardless of what happened after their conversation.

"Satoshi-san," Jun turned towards him with a smile.

Satoshi's heart skipped a beat. "Good morning, Jun-san."



The meeting with Joshima hadn't gone according to plan.

"I'm sorry Jun-kun, but you know our laws," Joshima said. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Can't you make an exception?"

"Not possible," the man sitting at Joshima's right, Nagase, said. "The Sea Goddess, mother of our people, instructed our ancestors very clearly about the nature of marriage. If we turn our back on those teachings, we might as well forget our people's traditions completely!"

Jun wanted to tell Nagase that he was exaggerating, but he knew that it would be of no consequence. The Nagase family had served in the Goddess's temple for centuries; it was no surprise that the last survivor of the family would defend fiercely the beliefs they had preached during all that time.

"Besides, you've been married for less than one day!" Kokubun, the man sitting at Joshima's left, commented. "How can you be so sure that you don't want to be with this man? You haven't even given him a chance!"

"That's because I wanted to marry a woman!" Jun replied. "I want to have children, and you know very well that men can't impregnate each other!"

"You could simply adopt a child," Kokubun said. "If that doesn't satisfy you, then the two of you could choose a wife and have children with her. It's not that complicated!"

"But I didn't want to marry a man!"

"Then you should have made sure that the person you brought with you was a woman!" Kokubun snapped at him. "Takizawa may have lied to us, but you were the one choosing after all. Whether you like it or not, you are the only one to blame in this case."

After hearing that, Jun stormed off the room. He was so angry that he ignored the voices of his friends asking him what happened and headed straight to the upper deck. He lay on the floor to watch the stars, wondering if there was any way out for him now that the chief and two of his closest advisors had denied him the possibility of annulling his marriage.

"What are you doing here?"

Jun grumbled. "Did they send you to knock some sense into me, Sho-san?" He sat up, glaring at Sho.

"No," Sho replied. He sat next to Jun with a concerned expression. "I heard about what happened and decided to come. Thought you might need someone to talk with."

"I'm fine, no need to worry about me."

"Liar," Sho said. "You wouldn't be here if you were fine. Talk." He poked Jun's side, right where he knew that Jun was the most ticklish.

As usual, Sho was right: Jun needed to talk. He ranted for nearly an hour, complaining about the unfairness of some rules their ancestors had made. He also spat insults about Nakajima and Takaki, who hadn't minded much that their brides turned out to be men.

"The uncooperative little shits! Couldn't they pretend to be a little bit upset to help a man in need?" Jun grumbled. "They had to go ahead and gush over their cute little husbands and- damn it, could you stop laughing?"

Sho was doubling over on the floor, hands on his stomach as he continued laughing out loud. "I'm sorry!" he said, not looking apologetic at all.

"I thought you were here to comfort me, not to laugh at me!" Jun scowled at Sho. "You are a terrible friend."

"Sorry." Sho patted Jun's back. He cleared his throat and sat upright, schooling his features back to a serious expression. "To be honest, I agree with Kokubun-san," he said after a short pause. "You should at least try to live with your husband for a while, see if things work between you guys."

"But…" Jun sighed. "This isn't what I planned! I don't even like men!"

Sho arched an eyebrow at him. "Really, Matsumoto-kun? You think you can lie about that to me, of all people? May I remind you about the times I caught you staring at my ass? And that night you made out with Aiba after you got drunk celebrating after your first mission? And your comments about Nino's handsome profile?"

Jun felt his cheeks heating up. He ducked his head, trying to hide despite knowing that Sho couldn't notice his blush in the darkness. "That… that was not…"

Sho sighed and put an arm around Jun's shoulders. "I've always wondered why you can't just accept it," he mumbled. "Back when you were little, you were either all over me or pushing me away. I thought it was just me, but it wasn't, right?"

"It wasn't," Jun admitted in a tiny voice.

"You know, this could be a sign," Sho said.

"A sign?"

"Life is giving you a chance to be yourself. It'd be foolish not to take it." Sho smiled at him and stood up. He held out his hand to help Jun get to his feet as well. "Go back to your room now and think about it, okay? What do you have to lose?"

That last question continued echoing in Jun's head as he sat on an armchair right across his bed. Satoshi was sleeping peacefully, his lips slightly parted. Without the wig, he looked even better. His short dark hair was soft under Jun's fingertips. Satoshi was shivering a little bit, so Jun got an additional blanket for him. He smiled when Satoshi curled up under the covers.

What do you have to lose?

"Nothing," Jun said to himself, watching Satoshi sleep. "I have nothing to lose."

Not wanting to disturb Satoshi, he chose to sleep on the armchair for that night. He woke up early, left some clothes and a note for Satoshi on the night table before going out.

Around noon, when Satoshi came to the upper deck, Jun had come to a final decision about their situation.

A smile spread on his lips once his eyes fell on Satoshi.

Their future together would be great. He'd make it so.



Three days later, as soon as the ship docked, Jun and Satoshi were the first ones to leave. They had said their goodbyes to their friends earlier, saying that they wouldn't be available for the next week or so. Aiba made some jokes about sex –Jun and Satoshi hadn't consummated their marriage yet, not that he knew of course or the teasing would have gone on forever. Nino, who had no intention of helping Jun at all, chose that moment to give Satoshi an extensive lecture about "Jun's weird butt-related fetishes" and to warn him about Jun's "sadistic tendencies" both in the bedroom and outside of it. For the first time, Sho wasn't there to stop him because he was too busy convincing Junichi that Satoshi wasn't doing anything funny that time Junichi caught him trying to poke Sho's ass –Satoshi revealed to Jun that he was just curious because he thought at first that it was fake.

And, to make matters worse, Satoshi teamed up with Aiba and Nino instead of defending Jun. "Your face when you're frustrated is cute," Satoshi said with a wink when Jun protested. "I think I want to see it more."

Jun couldn't be happier to leave those bad influences behind before they corrupted his Satoshi too much.

The last three days in the ship had been perfect. Jun and Satoshi spent most of the time together, talking about their lives and the things they had in common. Satoshi, just like all of them, had lost his parents to the Red Plague. His only family left were his sister, his brother-in-law, his nephew Yuri and his niece. He was glad that, in spite of the circumstances, at least he and Yuri would still be close.

Satoshi told Jun about his life as a baker. He seemed to really enjoy his job, judging by the way he talked excitedly of grains and types of pastries. "I'll bake a huge cake just for you," he said, eyes shining happily. "We can pretend it's our wedding cake!"

The idea was so adorable that Jun started asking around if anyone knew where he could find an oven in their town. Nobody had seen one so far, but Aiba promised to help them build one if they couldn't get their hands on one.

As for the plans to take revenge for Takizawa's deception, two of Joshima's trusted men, Matsuoka and Yamaguchi, were working on it at the moment. They didn't share many details, but laughed like maniacs whenever someone asked. Jun couldn't wait for the moment they executed the plan. Satoshi made him promise that they wouldn't harm anyone but Takizawa, so he hoped he could convince the others to do exactly that.

For now, Jun had no time to think about ovens or revenge though.

"There it is!" Jun beamed at Satoshi, pointed excitedly at the three-story house where they would be living together from that day on.

"It's beautiful!" Satoshi said, squeezing Jun's hand tight as they made their way inside.

The furniture was dirty, but Jun deemed that most of it would be usable once they cleaned it well. Next to the kitchen was the room with the huge machines that he didn't know how to use. Satoshi's face lit up at their sight though.

"It's an oven!" Satoshi exclaimed, rushing towards the machine. "It looks just like the one we had at the castle!"

According to Satoshi, most of the machines inside the room could be used for baking. A secret door also led to a cold room. Whoever lived there, had stocked up the room with a great variety of grains, which seemed to be in good condition.

"It's a baker's house!" Satoshi concluded.

Well, wasn't that a lucky coincidence?

Jun was happy to see Satoshi so excited about the machines. And come morning, he'd let him tinker with them as much as he wanted.

But not now. There was no time for baking now.

"…this one's a mill! We can-" Satoshi shrieked when Jun scooped him up. "What are you doing?"

"Has anybody told you that you get really talkative when it comes to bread?"

Satoshi pouted at him, arms folded across his chest. Jun chuckled and kissed his cheek. He was just about to make another joke when Satoshi pulled him for a kiss, almost making him lose his balance.

"Sorry!" Satoshi laughed when Jun put him down. He wrapped his arms around Jun's neck to continue kissing him.

Was it too soon, Jun wondered as they started caressing each other through their clothes. Even if they had already gotten married, they had known each other just for a few days. A little voice in his mind reminded him that he was ready to consummate his marriage right on the wedding night back when he thought Satoshi was a woman, so he soon pushed his doubts aside and went with the flow.

By the time they got to the bedroom, they were completely naked. Jun gasped in surprise when Satoshi pushed him to the bed. As he writhed in pleasure under Satoshi's body, Jun discovered that he didn't mind not dominating all the time.

His married life hadn't gone according to plan so far.

No, it had been better than he expected. Way better.

And they were just getting started.