Aaaaaaand here's the happy ending for you guys, considering what I did to the other ending (gives you my best halo). It's pretty similar to the tragic ending, except you don't die and I've changed up some of the other things. Personally I would read the entire thing, but that's just me.

WARNING! Mentions of past abuse and violence,

Enjoy!!

~xx Avanni Cinders

[PLAY THE SONG NOW]

"So, tell me Y/n, how does it feel to be alone?" His voice became late laced with a cruel and vindictive spite, and he tightened his hold on Bloody Squall.

'Not like this,' you swore, eyes narrowing in determination. 'He won't see me die. Not today.'

With a roar, Lui slammed his sword down.

And you threw yourself to the side, rolling out of the way at the last conceivable second. Heart racing in your chest, you staggered to your feet and looked back to see Lui's sword buried in the ground, right where your stomach had been just seconds before, a piece of white cotton snared on the blade. You realised that half of your blouse had been torn off, exposing your midriff, but you didn't care, at least you were alive. Something moved behind you, and you allowed yourself to relax for a second as Kurt appeared at your side.

"I am never alone," you informed Lui, giving Kurt a half smirk half smile. "You're late by the way.

"You," Lui spat, standing back up, hatred gleaming in his one good eye. Kurt didn't hesitate, his gun was in his hand faster than your eyes could follow and he fired off a shot at Lui, who merely used his sword to deflect it. Kurt barely reacted, though he had probably expected it.

"I'm glad you're here," you whispered honestly, just loud enough for Kurt to hear. You could scarcely believe how lucky you were to have him with you. He wasn't meant to be there, he shouldn't have been, you had ordered him to stand guard back at the tower and instead he was here. You had never been more grateful for Kurt's habit of not listening to you then you were in that moment.

"It's okay," Kurt told you, offering up one of those rare, genuine smiles that he only ever seemed to reserve for you. "Rest and catch your breath for a second, I'll take care of him."

"He's right, we have some unfinished business that we need to take care of." Lui smirked, holding his blade at the ready.

Before you could say or do anything, the two ran at each other like the two impulsive males they were. Kurt ducked under the first of Lui's attacks, getting in close and sending a swift elbow into the other man's jaw. Lui got his leg in there and managed to kick Kurt square in the chest, sending him back a few paces, though Kurt didn't seem winded. Lui brought his sword down over head, and would have buried it in your first mate's head, had he not quickly reacted and raised his arms up, the blade glancing off the metal vambraces he wore on his forearms.

Kurt used Lui's few seconds of brief distortion to dance back, out of range and create distance between them. He got back ahold of his gun again and fired off another few shots, which Lui quickly avoided. A part of you, a very big part of you was terrified, you would have been mental not to be, but you also trusted Kurt to take care of himself. Lui might have beaten Kurt once before, but Kurt was the one who trained with you every single day, he knew your fighting style inside and out, and you knew that it was incredibly similar to Lui's. If anyone was a match for your psychotic ex, it was Kurt.

This was proven when those bullets turned out to be nothing more than a diversion to get back inside of Lui's personal space again. He punched the other man square in the jaw, jumping back and kicking Lui in the chest, much like Lui had done to him, the only difference was that Kurt's actually did something and appeared to wind Lui.

Something brushed your wrist, distracting you from the unfolding fight. You glanced down and noticed the long black ribbon, still attached to your sword's hilt. It was taller than you were, and normally it worked beautifully with your weapon, but all you had now was the hilt and a short length of metal that used to be longer. That was going to get really annoying, really fast.

Working quickly, you pulled the ribbon along the length of your broken sword and began sawing it over the jagged tip until it frayed and snapped so you were left with a much shorter ribbon attached and the other piece in your hand. You held one end on your right hand, and wrapped it around your wrist, looping it over again and again and pulling it just tight enough so that it wouldn't come loose by accident, tying up the last inch with the other end still in your hand. You flexed your hand experimentally, testing it to make sure that it was secure.

Satisfied, that it was, you looked back up, only to see Kurt throw himself out of Lui's way and stumble back, breathing heavily.

"He's cursed!" You called out to him. Kurt chanced a look at you from over his shoulder and gave you an incredulous expression. Kurt believed in a lot of things, the gods, the pirate's life, and for some reason, he believed in you. He didn't believe in witchcraft and magic.

"It's his bones," you rushed to explain. "He's always had it. It stops him from feeling pain."

"Well that's just cheating," Kurt panted, fixing his eyes back on Lui who was running at him.

Kurt went to meet him, but Lui leapt into the air, spinning in mid arc. He landed behind Kurt and slashed, an attack which Kurt was only narrowly able to block. Sparks flew from the vambrace. He fell over backwards, his hands flying out behind him.

He let his arms bend and used his momentum to flip himself up and over. You allowed yourself to feel a moment of pride as you saw this, having taught Kurt that move yourself. Lui clearly hadn't expected that from him but quickly recovered and chased after him. Kurt had expected this, he landed neatly on his feet, spun around and kicked Lui in the stomach, using it as a spring board to push himself up, the toe of his other boot clipping Lui's chin. He flipped backwards, and Lui brought his sword up and over, slashing it across Kurt's leg.

Or at least he would have, had it been Kurt's actual leg. Back when Lui had first caught up with you, years and years ago, you had been left with a scar, but you had been lucky. Kurt had lost his leg from about halfway up his shin, he had gotten a prosthetic and learnt to walk on it so well that you would never even guess by just looking at him. Still, while Kurt was able too avoid another serious injury, Lui's force sent him to the ground and a swift kick to Kurt's side made him go rolling. He came to a stop beside you, stopping just before he could go over the edge and into the waterfall.

The two of you exchanged looks, your's one of worry and caution while Kurt's was pure determination. You felt Lui's gaze upon you, looking from you to Kurt. You heard a roar leave his lips and looked back to see his gun in hand, pointing at the both of you.

"Kurt!" You screamed, a bolt of fear striking you. Lui would never shoot to kill you, no, he would always want you to suffer. But Kurt... Kurt was fair game.

You waited for the sound of a body hitting the ground, too afraid to watch your best friend die, but when none came, you couldn't help but to sneak a glance. What you saw stole your breath from your lungs.

Kurt was still standing, one arm raised to protect his chest, the other holding it at the wrist to support it, smoke curling away from the metal arm protective he wore. Cracks riddled the metal, a long jagged gash through the centre where a small bit of iron was lodged.

"How?" You breathed.

"He's a sadistic bastard," Kurt narrowed his eyes. "He would never kill me quickly."

It was true, you realised. Lui wouldn't hesitate to shoot Kurt in the chest as opposed to his head, so it wouldn't kill him straight away. How better to torment you then having one of the people who meant most to you bleed out in your arms, before murdering you and leaving you to die alone?

"Leave us alone," Kurt ordered, each word carefully articulated to leave no room for argument. He didn't look afraid and he didn't look annoyed. He was calm, and looked distinctly unimpressed with Lui.

"This is your last chance."

You took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of Gambol Shroud tightly, happy to see that the ribbon now on your wrist didn't seem to impede your movement in any way. Lui, to his credit, appeared perfectly serene, and not at all threatened by Kurt's words. He holstered his gun, gloved hand wrapping around Bloody Squall. He regarded Kurt for a moment before seeing something that made him smirk.

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just hoping to scare me away, so you don't have to die trying to save her?"

Kurt clenched his trembling hands, but they didn't stop shaking. You didn't miss the way his jaw clenched when Lui pointed out his weakness. You stepped up beside him and wrapped your smaller hand around his much larger one.

"He's not protecting me Lui," you informed him lowly, ignoring the way Kurt's eyes widened. "And I'm not protecting him."

You looked back at Kurt and smiled shakily.

"We're protecting each other. Just like we've always done."

"You never could beat me," Lui reminded you. "You just sat there and cried about it whenever you forced me to hit you, even when you had this one fighting for you, you couldn't win. Do you seriously think you have any chance now?"

"I don't have a choice," you admitted, refusing to back down anymore. "I have people relying on me, waiting for me to get back to them and to see me again. Those are people who care more about me than you ever did, and I will not let them down."

Lui just shook his head.

"You made promises to me once. That you me, that you'd never let me down, and look at how well you've managed to keep it."

"Did she swear that to you?" Kurt challenged him before you could reply. "Or the person you were pretending to be?"

"So I wasn't good enough then? Is that it?"

"You *know that it's so much more than that."

"I know that you've made your choice," Lui argued. "And I've made mine."

Lui leaned forward, readying to pounce. Kurt moved, almost in unison with the bluenette, and after a moment, you too got ready to fight. You and Kurt were the first to act, charging at Lui who cried out and sprinted at you.

Acting as one, you and Kurt sprang into the air, twisting and creating an arc over him. Kurt landed a split second before you did and ran back at Lui who had spun, at the last second he dropped and slid across the ground, stealing Lui's attention so you could get in a hit. As soon as your fist made contact with his cheek bone, you were ducking under his arms, giving Kurt the opportunity to jump up and fire a shot off at Lui. You knew Kurt could sword fight, but the weight of the iron prosthetic he wore threw him off at times, and these days he preferred guns and fist-fights.

Gun and sword. It was a combination that wouldn't work for most people, but you and Kurt had the ability to work and fight together seamlessly. Lui might have been a match for you both, but at least the two of you didn't interfere with one another's fighting style.

Lui barely got out of the way in time, almost falling onto your broken sword as you made to stab him. You gritted your teeth, hating how you had to fight with a shorter weapon. You had the speed required to make it work, but it wasn't something you were used to and you hated having to rely on it to save you, especially against an opponent like Lui. You danced out of the way, his katana hitting the ground, getting stuck in the dirt for a split second, giving you an opening. You flashed forward, planted one boot on the thin flat of the katana, using it to launch yourself up and over Lui, narrowly avoiding the wild grab he made for you.

Kurt shot at him again, though it barely grazed Lui's arm this time, and not for the first time you cursed Lui's inability to feel pain. You stopped for a moment and watched Kurt as he moved forward and punched Lui in the stomach, his bigger frame dwarfing Lui's smaller one and forcing him back. Lui didn't let this deter him, you had barely gotten to Kurt's side when Lui's feet hit the ground and he launched himself at you again.

You ducked under and faked a swipe at him, easily dancing out of the way again. Kurt punched, Lui dodged, you swept his feet out from under him, stumbling over his leg when you didn't get out of the way in time. Kurt was there to catch you, pulling you out of the way in time, and despite the life or death situation you were involved in, he still found the time to ask you if you were okay.

"I'm good," you promised, feeling your face burn at your slip up and the close proximity between the two of you. "Just throw me."

Kurt didn't question it, trusting you implicitly. You didn't have time to overthink what you were about to do, or how reckless it was. He dropped to one knee and cupped his hands, you put your foot in the cradle he made and jumped at the same time as Kurt stood and boosted you.

You flew into Lui and went down in a tangle of limbs, rolling in the dirt, snapping and snarling like a pair of wild animals He couldn't use his sword at this range, unless he wanted to risk injuring himself. Lui's condition had a double edge really. On one hand, he couldn't feel pain, but on the other hand, if he was hurt and didn't realise it until it was too late, an injury could be fatal. He rolled you over and got his hands on your shoulders, pinning you.

Fear spiked through your very being, it wasn't the first time that he had had you in this position.

'You asked for this,' Lui hissed in your ear, his weight bearing down upon you. 'I wouldn't need to be doing this if you'd just done what I told you in the first place.'

CRACK

The sound of his palm against your face echoed throughout the barren hallway, bouncing off the stone walls and ringing through your ears.

"Break it and twist Y/n!" Kurt's shouting ripped you from your sudden flashback.

You didn't need any further instructions, Kurt had taught you a way out of this hold practically as soon as he learnt about your abuse. Lui didn't scare you, not anymore. You were afraid that he'd kill you or Kurt, but you weren't afraid of him.

You got one arm over Lui's hand and one arm under the other. Like a snake striking, you pulled your arms out and away from you, removing Lui's hold all together. At the same time you planted your feet firmly on the ground and surged your hips, unsettling the man on top of you. You staggered to your feet and backed away putting as much distance between the two of you as possible so he couldn't pull you back down again.

In spite of everything, you were ecstatic. You had done it, you had really done it. You had overcome your trauma and stopped him from hurting you. Yes, Kurt had helped, but you'd still done it

Your ecstasy was short lived. Lui lunged at you unexpectedly, colliding with your legs much more quickly than you could react. His arms wrapped around you knees, tugging you harshly and throwing you off balance.

"Y/N!" Kurt's voice rang in your ears. You hadn't realised how close you were to the edge of the natural walk way until Lui had thrown you over the edge and you were falling towards the crashing waterfall.

~Revolution~

"NO!" Kurt cried, a piece of him shattering as he stretched a hand out helplessly. He never could have made it in time. A raw, unadulterated white hot fury filled his veins, igniting him with its rage.

How dare he?

How dare he?!

Lui had taken everything from you, and now this.

You didn't deserve any of it.

"Moment of truth," Lui's mocking voice called, getting back up again and giving him a twisted grin. Kurt spun around to face him, hands balled into fist at his sides, practically itching to get a hold of his guns.

"Do you think you're faster than you were the last time you risked it all for her?"

Kurt's eye widened and he drew in a sharp breath. Despite how tightly he clenched them, he felt his hands begin shaking again. Even his leg began to quiver dangerously.

Lui let out a low, taunting laugh and smirked. "Yeah, I don't either."

Kurt was strong, Lui was fast. Brute strength didn't always win. If you could stab a giant enough times with a tiny knife, then he would come crashing down eventually. Lui Shirosagi had truly earned the title of Tyrant. Just how had you lived under this man's thumb for so many years? How were you able to be comfortable around men, around himself and the rest of the crew, without flinching when they laughed or breaking down every time they raised a hand? You were strong, stronger than he had ever been and stronger than he could ever hope to be.

And that was one of the many things he loved about you.

That thought fuelled him, possessed him. When Lui ran at him again, it was like an unknown entity was controlling Kurt's body. He moved without even thinking about it, like his muscles knew what do do and where to take him before his mind even had the chance to catch up.

He wove under Lui's kick and slipped back when he needed to. It was uncanny how similar your two fighting styles were, but at the same time, Kurt could see where you and Lui differed. The problem was, once you had learnt how to fight, Kurt had only been able to beat you a handful of times.

Lui's fist caught him between the ribs, making him double over reflexively in pain. Kurt barely had time to curse before Lui's knee collided with his chin and sent him reeling.

"You can't beat me," Lui pointed out, voicing what Kurt himself had been thinking. Panting, Kurt struggled to his feet again. How many times had he gotten back up now? But when he got there, he simply raised his fists and waited as Lui stalked towards him.

~Revolution~

Your boots scrambled for purchase against the crumbling stone, and you whimpered when they lost their grip.

One arm.

That was the only thing still keeping you alive. Your grip on the tiny ledge tightened, your muscles were burning, your entire body was screaming for you to just give up. Gods did you want to give up.

Giving up sounded so good at that moment. To just let go and fall, to allow the water to embrace you and sweep you away with it. All you had to do was let go and it would all be over, the pain, the exhaustion, the fear. All of it would be gone if you just let go.

Then you remembered the sound of Kurt screaming you name as you fell. The sounds of fighting from above you told you that he was still holding his own against Lui. That's when you knew that you couldn't give up, you quite literally and figuratively had to keep holding on. You had to get back up there to Kurt, he couldn't win this fight alone.

You needed to tell him that you loved him.

Grunting with exertion and resisting the urge to scream as you felt like your arms were about to be torn from their sockets, you threw your other arm up there with the other. Two hands now holding onto the tiny ledge, you began to pull yourself up.

~Revolution~

"JUST FIGHT ME ALREADY!" Lui roared when all Kurt did was stand there.

"Come and have a go," Kurt found it somewhere in himself to grin, using the battle cry that you were oh so damn fond of. "If you think your hard enough."

Lui shouted and swung Bloody Squall. Kurt ducked, which Lui was anticipating. He brought the sword back around and would have cut Kurt's throat open had he not flipped himself over it.

The jumps and flips were your thing. All of those showy aerial cartwheels and fancy split kicks had always been your thing. It spoke volumes about how confident you were in a fight. Kurt preferred the straight forward approach of hitting someone hard enough so they wouldn't get back up, but against someone who couldn't feel physical pain, he needed to adapt his style. Those flips you did were coming in handy now.

"WHAT DOES SHE EVEN SEE IN YOU?!"

The hilt of Lui's sword cracked into the side of Kurt's head, making him see stars. The next strike he was able to block, albeit clumsily, and he found himself falling to the ground. Thankfully, he was able to regain his sense and roll out of the way, just as Lui's boot stomped down where his head had been mere seconds ago.

~Revolution~

Gritting your teeth, you continued to pull yourself up. A sharp rock cut into your stomach, drawing blood. You didn't have to look down to see that it was a mess down there, your blouse torn and filthy, stomach a collage of scrapes and bruises, most you had earned from dragging yourself back up again.

Tears blurring your vision, you continued to climb.

~Revolution~

"YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS HER! A COWARD!" Lui raged when Kurt stood again.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Lui brought his hands down over his head, driving his sword mercilessly into Kurt.

A gloved hand wrapped firmly around his wrist, catching it in mid strike, and when the dust cleared, Kurt had him in hand.

"Got you," Kurt smirked, and with an almighty howl that tore itself out of Kurt's throat, he punched Lui in the stomach, all the while keeping hold of his wrist. Lui was forced to drop his sword as he went flying, and Kurt caught it neatly by the hilt.

"I'm not as fast as you," Kurt panted, watching the realisation that crossed over Lui's face when he realised that he was no longer in possession of his Bloody Squall. "But I'm stronger than you, and I'm smarter."

"NO!" Lui cried out helplessly as Kurt threw the katana over the edge and into the waterfall.

He ran over just as a hand reached over and grabbed at the solid ground. A shout tore itself from between your lips as you pulled yourself up and over, only to see Lui hurtling towards you. Somehow, from somewhere, you got your feet under you and threw a punch, and there was a loud crack as Lui's nose was broken. He stumbled, tripping over the remnants of Gambol Shroud that lay discarded.

In perfect unison, your and Lui's eyes fell to the hilt, and realising what each other was thinking, you both dove for it.

You reached it first, and without even thinking of what you were doing or any of the possible repercussions, you wrapped your hands around the hilt and drove it up into Lui's chest. There were twin shouts, one from you and the other from Kurt as the tip of your sword, covered in blood, emerged just inches from where you had buried your own part of the weapon.

"Oh." Lui breathed raggedly as he looked down and saw what you'd done. He blinked, and you pulled the blade, getting out of the way as Kurt did the same.

He stepped forwards on unsteady feet. He took another step, and then another until he finally fell to his knees on the edge of the naturally formed stone that spanned the length of the ravine. You listened as he drew in one final breath, releasing it raggedly as his eyes rolled into his head and he pitched forwards. You hurried over and watched as his body fell into the water.

A sob left your throat and you fell to your knees, dropping the hilt of your sword. There were footsteps behind you and Kurt crouched down next to you, pulling him away from the edge and into his arms. You clung to him tightly, wrapping your arms around his body and never wanting to let go as his hands tangled themselves in your hair.

"I'm sorry," you sobbed. "I'm so so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Kurt promised you, pulling back and looking deeply into your eyes. You leant your forehead against his, tears still streaming down your cheeks.

"Yes."

You had blood dried on your chin from where you'd split your lip at some point, contrasting with your pale skin and you were covered in scratches and bruises. Your hair had long since come out of its braid twigs and leaves tangled in it, matted with Kurt's blood from where the tip of Gambol Shroud had cut into his hand. Bits of gravel were stuck to your skin, you had lost your coat and your blouse had fallen open, revealing the wrappings that bound your chest and the mass of injuries that you had accumulated, though thankfully none of them were fatal.

To Kurt, you were as beautiful as you had ever been.

You shook your head and laughed through your tears. You weren't sure how to feel. Relieved that finally, after all this time, you were free of Lui and what he could do to you, but at the same time, regretful that you had needed to kill him in the end. Mostly you felt happy, if not slightly hysterical, which was why you decided to take a chance and repeat yourself.

"Yes."

"Yes to what?" Kurt frowned, genuinely concerned for your mental wellbeing. You were a pirate, you had killed before, it unavoidably happened sometimes, but killing your psychotic former partner? The person who you had loved once upon a time? Maybe it had been to much for you to handle.

"Yes, when you asked me to marry you." You admitted, no longer caring if he rejected you. "I don't care if you only said it to get me out of my betrothal, I love you Kurt and I would marry you in a heartbeat."

Kurt pulled back from you to look at you properly. His other hand came up with his other to cradle your face, his thumb gently brushing over your cheek bone like you were the most fragile thing in the world and he was terrified of breaking you. He smiled softly, another one of those genuine, beautiful smiles that you loved so much and set your heart a flutter.

"I meant it."

"You did?"

"Of course I did," he told you, like it should be obvious. "After everything we've been through together. You're the most precious treasure to me Y/n De La Hoya, more valuable than any jewel I could ever find.

You grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled his face down to yours. Kurt didn't resist, immediately guessing what you had intended on doing. He leant in and covered your lips to his own, tentatively at first like he wasn't sure of your boundaries, before growing more and more confident with what you were and weren't comfortable with. You gripped his wrists, needing something to anchor yourself in the sea of raw emotions that were churning inside of you. Desire, elation, and most of all love, love for the person who you had come to trust with both your heart and your life. He had saved you, risked it all for you, and helped you to become the person who you were today, and now he was holding onto you and kissing you like you were the only two people left in the world.

All too soon, it was over, the need for air making itself apparent. You broke away from each other, gasping and panting in an effort to regain some semblance of control over your breathing. You continued to hold Kurt close, unable to wipe the silly grin off your face.

"Thank you Kurt." You said simply, meaning each and every word with every fibre of your being.

"For what?"

"For setting me free."

~Revolution~

The sun was shining brightly overhead, sky dotted with clouds as the crystal blue ocean century lapped at the sides of your ship. Instead of being outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and making the most of it, you were below deck in your quarters, busy threading dark yellow roses into your hair. Traditionally they stood for friendship and joy, amongst other things, but you wore them because they were the colour of your father's kingdom. even though you were a pirate and a captain, you still were and would always be a De La Hoya, and you were proud of your heritage. You dressed in a deep green corset, a practical one that you could move comfortably in without looking like some sort of prostitute and a white blouse under it, a well as a pair of loose fitting black pants made from a soft material, your favourite leather boots, and your newly repaired Gambol Shroud at your hip. When you were done, you went up to meet Kurt on the deck.

It differed very much from your first wedding in several ways, for one there was no underlying sense of dread and anxiety, not to mention that there was definitely not a heard of angry pirates lying in wait to kidnap you this time. Unfortunately, your father and your extended family couldn't be there to witness the ceremony, however you were surrounded by your crew mates, who in all honesty were the close enough to being the same thing. It was slightly odd for you to be officiating your own ceremony, but you wouldn't have had it any other way.

It wasn't huge, nor was it the elaborate affair that one would expect of a princess's marriage, but you were so much more than a just princess. You were Y/n De La Hoya.

Captain Winter.

Pirate queen.

And you were being married to the man you loved, loved more fiercely than you'd ever thought you had the capacity to love another human being. He gave you a plain silver band that he slipped onto your left hand's ring finger, and you bestowed upon him a near identical piece of jewellery. When it was all said and done, he kissed you soundly in front of your crew and they cheered wildly for your marriage.

Sure, you had experienced many hardships, trials and losses, and to say that any of it had been easy would have been a complete contradiction. In the end, all of your experiences were what made you who you are and without them you never would have found your wings and learnt to fly, you never would have learnt the true meaning of what it was to be a pirate and you never would have met Kurt, but finally you had found your happily ever after, and truly, you were happy.

Well? Thoughts?

Please vote guys, it'll make me happy. :)