WARNING! Abuse, fighting, and character death! 

I'VE MADE IT CLEAR BEFORE AND I'LL MAKE IT CLEAR AGAIN! LUI'S ACTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR IN THIS STORY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE NOR ARE THEY EXCUSABLE! I have magnified his sadistic traits, he is a very bad person this.

Heads up, originally I mentioned somewhere that Lui cut off Kurt's hand. I've changed it to part of his leg better suit the story. If you've seen How To Train Your Dragon, imagine Hiccup's prosthetic leg, except Kurt hides it.

Please enjoy!

You're gonna hate me for this :)

[PLAY THE SONG NOW]

"So, tell me Y/n, how does it feel to be alone?" His voice became late laced with 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 gasped as Kurt collided with Lui, tearing him and his sword away from you. You pushed away your pain, aided by the adrenaline pumping through you and scrambled to get your hands back on the hilt of your sword. You made to get to your feet, and hissed in pain, falling back down to one knee, looking up just in time to see Kurt disentangle himself from Lui and dart back to your side.

"I'm never alone," you reminded him, smiling weakly at Kurt.

"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.

"Kurt," you whispered, unable to believe how lucky you were to have him beside you.

"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 overhead, 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 quickly pulled up your blouse, baring your midriff, hunching over so no one else could see, wrapping it around your midsection and tying it off. Hopefully, it would do what you needed it to do for now.

Satisfied, you looked back up, only to see Kurt throw him 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 at the height of his 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. 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 springboard 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 to 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, as loathe as you were to admit it, fear, 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 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.

"How?" You breathed.

"He's sadistic," 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 finally got to your feet, tightly gripping the hilt of Gambol Shroud and quickly checking to make sure the ribbon around your waist was secure. 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."

"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, people who care more about me than you ever did, and I will not let them down."

Lui just shook his head.

"She made promises to me once. That she loved me, that she'd never let me down, look at how well she's kept it."

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

"So I wasn't good enough for you? 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, ready 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 cheekbone, 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 for 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. You almost stumbled, feeling woozy as the world spun around you all of a sudden. Kurt was there to catch you, 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 lied, shaking your head in an effort to clear it. "Just throw me."

Kurt didn't question it, trusting you implicitly. You didn't have time to feel guilty. 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 thanking the gods that Lui wore black trousers.

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's leg came around unexpectedly and knocked 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 walkway until you were tumbling over the edge and 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. Kurt spun around to face him, hands balled into fists 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 your 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, 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. "If you think you're 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, and you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from screaming. The metallic taste of blood flooded your mouth.

Tears blurring your vision, you continued to climb.

~Revolution~

"YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS HER! A COWARD!" Lui 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 up and you punched him, 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 forward 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 forward. 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 own, tears still streaming down your cheeks.

You had blood dried on your chin, contrasting with your pale skin and you were covered in scratches and bruises. Your hair had long since come out of its braid and was 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 black ribbon tied around your waist.

To Kurt, you still looked beautiful.

So why? Why couldn't life ever be fair?

You just shook your head and pulled at the ribbon, tugging away the makeshift bandage to reveal the bloody stab wound in your stomach that was steadily pumping out blood.

"No! No! Y/n! When did this happen?!" Kurt demanded, feeling sick to his stomach at the sight that met him.

"Before you got here," you admitted weakly, the full force of your pain washing over you as the adrenaline slowly left your system. Kurt shifted you gently like you were the most fragile thing in the world and he was terrified of breaking you. He carefully propped you up against him and cradled you in his arms.

You were so exhausted.

"No, Y/n, stay with me, please." He begged, hot tears beginning to fall down his own face. At any other time, he would have wiped them away and felt embarrassed, but not now. He couldn't lose you, not like this.

Never like this.

"Yes," you breathed, somehow laughing.

"Yes?"

"Yes, I would marry you. A thousand times yes." You confessed, not caring if he had even meant it when he had first proposed to you all those months ago as a way to get you out of betrothal.

"I love you Kurt Baratier, so so much."

"I love you too Y/n, please, hold on. We can get you help."

"It's too late for me Kurt, you know that." You reminded him gently. "But if I'm going to die, I'm happy to die here with you."

"Y/n."

"Thank you, Kurt."

"For what?"

"For helping me to be a pirate."

"You can't just die, not after all of this!" He exclaimed, hating how utterly helpless he felt. You loved him, you actually loved him, and here you were, dying in his arms.

"What am I to you Kurt?" You wondered, staring up into his face with unblinking eyes.

"Treasure," he finally admitted, baring his soul to you. "The most precious treasure in the world Y/n. I could sail the world and never find something as priceless as you, Y/n De La Hoya."

But you never heard his answer.

You were still.

~Revolution~

A single stone stood proudly in the sandy earth of a hill overlooking the beautiful expanse of a crystalline ocean. The sun was setting, creating a watercolour painting of pink and orange streaking across the pale blue sky. A tall man dressed in a long black coat stood in front of it and stared at the engraving.

Princess Y/n De La Yoya.

Captain Winter

Pirate Queen

He smiled sadly and looked out into the sunset, leaving a beautiful conch shell on top of a leather box in front of the stone. Inside it was an exquisite yet deadly weapon, an ebony ribbon attached to its hilt, the blade itself newly repaired. It was almost as beautiful as the woman who had wielded it. Someone could easily come and steal it, but only pirates knew their way to this cove, hidden away in a corner of the Emerald Isles, and its previous owner would have approved of another pirate taking it to wield on their own adventures.

The man looked back down to the beach where a ship was waiting. He knew that somewhere else on that same island, another funeral was being held for the person buried at his feet, but in a sense, that was for an entirely different person altogether. She had been left in her pirate's regalia, as fearsome in death as she was in life, the only difference being the plain silver band that she now wore on her left hand.

He said nothing and left the grave, making his way to the waiting ship. He walked up the gangplank and ordered one of the crew members to raise it as he walked to the ship's wheel.

"Kurenai! Set a course." He barked.

"Aye Captain!" The scarred man saluted.

And glancing behind him once more toward the gave of his fallen pirate queen, Kurt Baratier smiled and sailed off into the sunset.

Sooooooo... I have a happy ending too if you'd like?

~Lui stabs her before Kurt gets there, that's why she gasps when he's pulled away.

~Hunching over is to hide the bleeding.

~Ribbon is used as a makeshift bandage.

~Adrenaline will do crazy things in life or death situations, it is literally the closest thing to a superpower that humans have.

~Head spinning, exhaustion, wooziness etc all point to the injury

~The bit about being glad Lui wears black pants is because the dark colour would hide the fact that she's bleeding out everywhere.

~Kurt is a little OCC, but he's fighting to save his life and the person he loves from the person who abused her for several years.

~Vambraces are a form of armour, of Kurt was a pirate I could totally see him wearing them.

~I actually have a design for Pirate Kurt AU.

~Tbh I have a pirate design for everyone.

~Lui's "curse" is a rare, real-life condition called congenital analgesia. Obviously, they wouldn't know what that was in this era so I described it as a curse.

Disclaimer: Fight scene is copied from the American anime-style web series RWBY created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth.

As you know, I use other fights in my fight scenes to give them better quality. The main storyline is mine though.

The concept, naming, design etc for Gambol Shroud is also RWBY franchise property.