Hongjoong stood at the helm beside Yunho with his arms crossed over his chest as the Illusion sailed towards Fitzroy. The docks were in their view, just off in the distance as they had managed to make good time due to the wind being in their favour.

"Almost there and then we can find out where they went next. This is good, I think we're catching up," Yunho said reassuringly as he noticed how tensed Hongjoong was.

"What happens if we're still a week behind? If they left a week ago. We'll never catch them," Hongjoong whispered, his shoulders slumping as he looked down.

"We will catch them Joong and we'll make them pay," Yunho promised. Hongjoong sighed but nodded, lifting his head back up and watching at the docks came closer. There was a soft thud a few seconds later and Hongjoong turned to see San hurrying over from the crows nest.

"Sannie you're supposed to be looking after yourself, not jumping around," Hongjoong said with a sigh. San didn't reply, just rushed over and shoved Yunho away from the wheel. He grabbed it quickly and turned it to the left, making the ship lurch slightly as it left the course towards the main dock. Hongjoong and Yunho stumbled but were quick in finding their footing once again.

"San, what the hell," Yunho grumbled.

"They're here. They're still fucken here in the ports," San said quietly as he steered the ship towards the back ports that were more hidden. Yunho frowned and looked back across the water to the main ports, glancing over the ships before gasping.

"Oh my god, they are. Hongjoong, their ship is still in the docks, they haven't left yet," he said quickly, turning to Hongjoong who was looking across the water with wide eyes.

"Seongie is here," he whispered.

"He has to be. I told you they would underestimate us. I'll go get the others and we can work out a game plan," Yunho said before hurrying off. Hongjoong's heart was racing as he stared at the ship in the distance, the ship that held his favourite person in the world, his other half. He was panicking but he drew in a deep breath to calm himself down. As much as he would love to storm there and kill everyone, he has no idea about this crew and all that would likely do is just get Seonghwa and the others killed.

"Dock us at one of the ports there so we're hidden but you still have a view from the crows nest," he told San as he turned to the navigator.

"Aye aye Captain," San said with a nod, making Hongjoong smile softly despite the situation. There was the sound of rushed footsteps and Hongjoong turned to see the others all running up.

"Is it true? Are they here," Wooyoung asked quickly.

"Yeah, they're still in the docks," Hongjoong said with a nod.

"Jongho, be reading to anchor us in, in about 2 minutes. Once you see the wood, drop it down," San instructed. Jongho nodded and hurried off quickly.

"What are we going to do? No one expected them to actually be here so we didn't plan for this," Mingi said.

"I don't know yet. Once we're anchored in, San will go up to the top of the crows nest and let us know how heavily guarded the ship is. We can go from there," Hongjoong said with a sigh. San steered the ship slowly over to one of the docking bays. As it got into the bay, there was the sound of the anchor going down. Everyone braced before the ship lurched to a stop.

"San, go have a look. Find out how many people they have guarding each part of the ship and hopefully we can find a way to sneak on board if we're going to outnumbered," Hongjoong said. San nodded and left the helm, going over to the crows nest and climbing up quickly.

"Don't overexert yourself," Hongjoong said quickly as he watched.

"Don't worry, he's fine. I did every test I could think of and other than the bruising and a slightly so sore head, he's in good health," Yeosang said softly, patting Hongjoong's shoulder. Wooyoung snickered at that, remembering how Yeosang had quite literally given San every single test. San spent 4 hours in the medical bay, bored to death but allow Yeosang to do everything he wanted for the reassurance that he would be ok. Wooyoung had been laughing to himself the whole time as he saw San's face drop every time Yeosang mentioned another test.

When San got to the top of the crows nest, he took out the binoculars and looked out to the deck of the ship in the distance. He scanned all over it, expecting to see at least 10 people on board guarding it, if not more. However, all he saw was two people sitting around a barrel chatting, not even checking their surroundings it seemed. It confused him as he would expect them to want to properly guard Seonghwa, given all the effort they took to get him in the first place. He scanned the ship again, wondering if he just missed people who were hiding but still, there were only the two people on the deck. He quickly but the binoculars away and climbed back down the crows nest. Hongjoong was down the bottom and his hand hovered over San as he climbed down the last few rungs.

"You ok," he asked, making San raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied quickly. Hongjoong nodded and stepped back while the others came over.

"So, what's the verdict," Mingi asked, bracing himself for San's next words. He doesn't care if there's 100 people guarding the ship, he would still do anything he could to get Seonghwa back, though it really wouldn't be fun.

"There's only two people on the deck and they don't even seem to be paying much attention to anything other than themselves," San informed them.

"What do you mean there's only two of them," Yunho asked with a frown.

"There's only two people on the deck. I even double checked but it was just them," San repeated.

"It's got to be a trap. There's no way they would just stop here and let us catch up and then not guard the ship where Seonghwa is," Mingi said shaking his head.

"Maybe he isn't on the ship and that's why they don't care. Perhaps they took him somewhere in town," Yeosang said.

"Wouldn't that be risky for them. It would be easier to contain him on the ship and taking him through town would most likely drawn attention to them and give him a chance to ask for help. I'm not sure they'd risk it," Wooyoung said, shaking his head.

"Then it has to be a trap. They must have people hiding below deck and are trying to draw us out. They wouldn't leave him so unprotected while knowing we would be after them," Mingi said.

"Or maybe they're still underestimating us. From what little I heard about them, they seem to think they're big fish. Maybe they just think they're better than us and think they don't need more people guarding him. Especially if they think they injured some of us," Hongjoong said.

"Joongie makes a good point. They were bold enough to attack us during a wedding on a fighting free island. They most likely think they're untouchable," San said.

"So what do we do? Are we going to just wait here or should we attack when they've got low numbers on board," Yeosang asked.

"You for one, are definitely staying here," Wooyoung replied quickly, making Yeosang roll his eyes.

"I think we should go now. From what it looks like, they're cocky and have only left two people which one of us alone could easily take care of. Despite that, I don't think we should underestimate them so Yunho, San, Mingi and I can go and sneak aboard. Jongho and Wooyoung can stay here with Yeosang but keep an eye out in case we need help," Hongjoong said.

"I think that sounds like a good plan," Yunho said, the others nodding along as well with his words.

"Are you ok to do that San," Hongjoong asked, turning to the younger who nodded quickly.

"As I've said, I'm completely fine," he replied.

"Alright, go get changed and grab your weapons you three," Hongjoong instructed and they quickly hurried below deck. Hongjoong hurried to his quarters and changed into his pants and a thin long sleeve shirt before slipping on his boots and tying them up. As he left, he slipped the purple hilted sword from the wall and hurried out. The others came back onto the deck after another minute. Jongho let down the ladder and the four going to the other ship climbed down onto the dock. Hongjoong turned around when San was climbing down and went to step forwards but Yunho grabbed his shirt and tugged him back.

"You're being a helicopter parent right now and he won't tell you but it's frustrating him," Yunho said quietly. He could see in San's eyes that Hongjoong has been annoying him with all his hovering but they all knew it was out of guilt so San would never say anything. Hongjoong winced at that but nodded and quickly stood back.

"Let's go," he said once they were all on the ground. They moved quickly down the docks, heading towards the ones where the other ship was situated. They made sure to stay close to the other ships and walls just in case someone was actually keeping an eye out. When they finally got to the ship, they went to the side where the ladder was hanging down. Hongjoong immediately grabbed Yunho's hand to stop him as he was the one walking in front.

"I don't like this," he whispered as he tugged everyone back to the front of the ship.

"What's wrong," Mingi asked.

"The ladder is down. Why the hell would they keep that down when they have a prisoner on board," Hongjoong said.

"We keep the ladder down when we leave the ship," San pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't have a prisoner on board and we have everything locked up. It's only so we can get back on board," Hongjoong said.

"We've got each other, we will protect each other," Yunho said firmly. Hongjoong glanced at the others worriedly but they all seemed determined.

"If anyone isn't comfortable with this, we will back out," Hongjoong whispered. As much as it killed him to say that, it broke his heart, he would never risk the lives of the others so recklessly. Seonghwa would probably kill him himself if he did that.

"No time to waste," San said, nudging Hongjoong forwards gently. Hongjoong went first, climbing up the ladder and slipping behind a nearby wall, the others following. Hongjoong squatted down and peaked around the corner where he could hear talking, seeing the two people San mentioned sitting on stools around a barrel while they played cards with their backs to them. Hongjoong glanced towards Yunho and the other nodded quickly, understanding what he was trying to convey. The two of them stayed crouched low, moving silently but swiftly over towards the two men. Hongjoong jumped up and immediately slit one of theirs throat while Yunho placed his sword to the others. The one Hongjoong sliced fell to the floor gurgling as blood seeped out his neck before he went still a few seconds later.

"Gi, stay with Yunho. Come with me," Hongjoong beckoned to San. San followed Hongjoong quickly, pulling out his own sword as they slowly and cautiously made their way below the deck. There was no one in the halls so they walked with their backs to each other and went door to door, looking inside and ready to attack but there was no one. They checked every single room but there was no one there. Hongjoong opened the door that lead further below to the holding cells and walked down quickly. San noticed and hurried to follow him for backup as he wasn't sure if Hongjoong would be thinking straight. When Hongjoong got to the bottom of the steps, he rushed to the cells, looking around quickly. It was dark and damp but he was still able to see that no one was there and the cells were all open. He noticed something in the corner of the large one and rushed over to see rope tied to the wall. His heart clenched and anger built up inside of him.

"He was here. He was in here in the cold and dark and they tied him up like a dog," he spat. San frowned and glanced inside to see Hongjoong clutching the rope tightly. Hongjoong growled before rushing out of the cell, brushing past San gently before storming up the steps and then heading above deck.

"He's gone. There's no one here," Hongjoong informed the other two who were still standing with the other person.

"Where is Park Seonghwa," Yunho asked as he turned to the captive.

"What's it to you," the man scoffed. This angered Hongjoong so he stepped forward and gripped the mans shirt with one hand, tugging him up angrily.

"Seonghwa is my husband you scumbag," Hongjoong spat. His words visibly made the other man scared as his eyes widened and his face went pale.

"Y-You're the P-Pirate King," he stammered.

"I am and you took my wi-husband," Hongjoong said angrily.

"Where is he," San asked just as angrily as he stepped up beside Hongjoong.

"I-I don't know, I swear," the pirate said quickly.

"I don't believe you. Where have you taken him," Hongjoong asked, his grip on the others shirt tightening.

"I swear I don't know anything. None of us actually know where he is right now. He escaped a few days ago with one of the crew members and hasn't been seen since. The rest of the crew has been looking for him but they haven't been able to find him so far," the pirate rushed out hurriedly. Hongjoong's heart skipped a beat at his words. Seonghwa had escaped? He had managed to find some form of safety and allowed time for them to catch up and find him.

"He escaped with someone? Who did he escape with him," Mingi asked in confusion. Who would Seonghwa know well enough to help him escape?

"His name is Jungwoo, I don't know his surname," the pirate replied. Hongjoong frowned, glancing at the others but none of them showed any recognition either.

"How many people are in your crew," Hongjoong asked. If he couldn't tell them about Seonghwa's whereabouts, they could at least get some more knowledge of the crew they're up against from him.

"There was 24 of us," the pirate replied.

"And how many of you are their now," San asked him.

"There's now just 19 of us," the pirate said quickly.

"And what happened to the other five," Yunho questioned.

"Three were killed during Seonghwa's escape, Jungwoo went with him and you just killed another," the pirate explained.

"Jonghoon is the name of your leader, is that correct," Hongjoong asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"And you don't know where Seonghwa is, just that everyone is out searching for him," Hongjoong asked.

"That's correct," the man replied.

"Thank you," Hongjoong said with a hum before turning his attention to Yunho and giving him a nod. Yunho immediately sliced his sword across, the pirate dropping to the ground with a thud as Hongjoong released him.

"Let's go back to the others and inform them what's happening and then we can plan our next move," Hongjoong said. The others nodded and they deboarded the ship, heading back to the Illusion and climbing back on board.

"Did you find him," Yeosang asked quickly and Hongjoong sighed as he shook his head.

"No, but that's because he managed to escape a few days ago. They don't know where he is, just that he escape with one of their crewmembers but they're searching for him," Mingi explained.

"Well then we have to start looking right away. If it's already been a couple of days then they already have a head start. Seonghwa will be vulnerable because they've most likely hurt him and he's defenceless so we have to find him before they do," Yeosang said quickly.

"I agree, we need to find him first. If Seonghwa is found by them, they will most likely kill him for escaping," Jongho said. Hongjoong tightened his jaw as he heard Jongho's words but the youngest wasn't wrong. There's a high chance Seonghwa will be killed for escaping, even if he was originally meant to be a bargaining chip.

"We need to split up then, to cover more ground. We will have to go in pairs because I don't want anyone out matched in case they come across some of the others but we need to be able to search quickly and staying in only one or two groups won't help," Hongjoong said.

"I'll go with you Hongjoong. You're a well known figure and you're most likely the reason Seonghwa was taken in the first place. If they see you, they're attack with full force. You're good at fighting but the extra help is just an added precaution," Yunho said.

"I'm not staying on the ship. If any of you think I'm going to sit this one out and not look for Seonghwa then you're more stupid than I thought," Yeosang said firmly, straightening himself out to show how serious he was. Wooyoung and San glanced at each other, sharing a look before San sighed. They both knew there was no way they could talk Yeosang out of it.

"I'll stick with Yeosang. I can protect both of us and it's probably best he isn't alone on the ship anyway," San said.

"I'll go with Jongho, give him some extra support," Mingi said and Jongho nodded. Hongjoong turned to the remaining member.

"I'll go by myself. It will allow us to cover more ground and I'm good at blending in. Not to mention I'm quick and close hand to hand combat is my speciality with my babies," Wooyoung said, slipping a dagger from his waistband and twirling it.

"Are you sure? You can join a pair if you think it might be hard for you," Hongjoong said.

"I'll be fine. They're looking for Seonghwa and will know who you are but they probably don't know the rest of us so they'll have no clue who I am anyway," Wooyoung said with a shrug.

"Ok. Those are the pairings we will go with. Jongho, go grab the four communication devices. Each group will have one. Does everyone remember how many clicks for each message," Hongjoong asked and the others nodded while Jongho hurried off.

"Get everything you need and we will leave straight away. Remember to be vigilant and stay sharp, protect your partner as best you can. And Wooyoung, don't do anything stupid," Hongjoong said sternly.

"Of course," San said with a nod, patting Yeosang's shoulder softly.

"You ready for this," he asked quietly. Yeosang took a deep breath before nodding, giving San a small smile.

~~~~~

"I said stay close to me," San whispered, slipping a hand back to grab Yeosang's and tug him closer. Yeosang had gotten distracted looking around the roads and ended up slipping back slightly. He quickly jogged to catch up, staying close against San's back.

"Sorry, got distracted," he said quietly.

"Well don't, it can be dangerous," San muttered, glancing around as they walked, analysing everyone they passed for anything that he deemed suspicious.

"You're so protective," Yeosang grumbled. San paused and turned to Yeosang's, raising an eyebrow.

"You're my boyfriend Yeosang, one of the loves of my life. You're a medic, not a fighter, you hate hurting people. We are in foreign and unfamiliar streets with a missing crewmate and another crew who probably wants us dead and already hurt half of our crew once. Of course I am protective," San said, taking a step closer so there was no space between them, their foreheads almost touching. Yeosang blushed but his hand squeezed San's tightly.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," he whispered. San chuckled and pecked his lips softly before pulling away, not wanting to let his guard down for too long as he didn't want Yeosang getting hurt. They continued to walk down the streets, looking for any possible sign of Seonghwa or the crew that had taken him. As they were walking, Yeosang noticed further down the street there was a man with a sword standing in front of a building. There was a lady in the doorway who was crying and the man seemed to be threatening her, the sword getting quite close to hurting her.

"Sannie, up ahead," he said quietly, notifying the navigator of what he had seen. San glanced up, instantly seeing what Yeosang had.

"Stay quiet and we'll get closer," San instructed him. Yeosang nodded quickly. As they got closer, they could make out what the man was saying.

"It's simple you whore. Have you seen a man about this tall with pink hair. If you lie to me, I will kill you. All I want to know is where he is," the man demanded.

"Stay behind me," San whispered as he grabbed Yeosang's hand and tugged him back slightly. Yeosang darted behind San, staying a few feet back to give him space. San crept up behind the man, slipping his sword out silently. Once he was close enough, he jumped forwards and wrapped an arm around the mans neck, his sword coming to press against their stomach as he held them tightly. The man froze at the feeling, going silent as he realised what was happening.

"Drop your weapon. Now," San commanded. The man scoffed but did as asked, the sword slipping from his grip.

"Go back inside and stay safe. He won't bother you anymore," Yeosang said gently as he ushered the lady into the building and closed the door behind her. San swung the man around and smashed his back into the wall, placing his sword against the man's throat.

"The guy you were just asking about, with pink hair, who is he," San asked. He already knew who it was going to be but he still wanted the confirmation.

"I'll never tell you. Rot in hell you bastard," the man spat. San growled and pressed the sword harder against the man's throat, drawing a few drops of blood. That seemed to spur the man into action to give him some sort of an excuse.

"He's a crewmate of mine and he went missing a few days ago," the man lied.

"Bullshit. Do you know who we are? We are members of ATEEZ. So I'm going to ask you one more time, who is he," San yelled. The man went pale at his words and shook his head in fear.

"I-It's Park Seonghwa. He escaped and we need him so we're out looking for him," the man replied quickly.

"We need the leverage," he added.

"Do you know where he is," Yeosang asked.

"No. I promise I have no idea where he is," the other replied. San scoffed, a sinister grin slipping onto his face.

"Then you're useless to us," San said before stabbing the man twice and dropping his lifeless body to the ground.

"They still haven't found him yet. That's, that's a good thing right," San said quietly.

"Yeah, it's a good thing. I'm sending a message out to the others that we killed one of them and Seonghwa is still in hiding," Yeosang replied slightly. Seonghwa is still out there somewhere, they have time to find him first and be able to protect him like they should have.

~~~~~

Wooyoung walked soundlessly through the streets, his hood tucked securely over his head so he would blend into the shadows and not be caught. He moved quickly, his eyes darted around everywhere that he passed, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Going alone meant he could do things quicker and easier, he didn't have to worry about protecting someone else and it was easier for him to blend in. One draws less attention than two. He noticed a few things here and there but after a brief and quick investigation, came to the conclusion that they didn't have anything to do with Seonghwa or the people who took him. It was only after about half an hour of walking through the streets that he finally took note of something promising.

There was a guy walking around with a sword strapped to his hip and scars on the side of his face. He was the perfect image of what people would expect a pirate to be. Not to mention he looked really out of place in the streets and was looking around constantly. Wooyoung rolled his eyes at how obvious the guy was. He was at least being discreet while he was searching. The guy went down an alley so Wooyoung quickly crossed the road and followed him into it. He saw the man up ahead and quickened his pace, though he remained quiet. He slipped his dagger from his belt and pounced, slamming his foot into the back of the pirates knee, causing them to collapse to the ground where he instantly place the blade at their throat.

"Where is my Quarter Master," he asked angrily. The man lifted his head up to look at him and scoffed.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said.

"Don't even think about testing me right now," Wooyoung said with a frown, pressing the dagger closer to him. The man's eyes ran over his face before he grinned.

"You have a mole under your eye. Captain told us Jung Wooyoung has one in that very spot," the pirate said. Wooyoung blinked in shocked, not having expected the man to know who he was or to know his name. Their crew must be more well known than they all thought if they knew the defining features of every crew member.

"We've been looking for you." Wooyoung's thoughts were interrupted by the pirates words and he frowned in confusion.

"For our crew or me specifically," he asked slowly.

"Jung Wooyoung. Jung Wooyoung, you have a hefty price on your head. So big that the tales of the infamous Pirate King and his crew would not deter our great Captain," the pirate sneered. Wooyoung froze, the possibility of what those words could possibly mean scaring him.

"How does it feel Wooyoung? To know your Quarter Master, your precious elder brother was snatched away on his wedding day, was beaten, tortured and violated. All because of you Jung Wooyoung. It's your fault. He was taken to lure you in, he was hurt because of you," the pirate taunted. Wooyoung stumbled back slightly, his breathing picking up and his ears blocking in panic. It was him. It was his fault. Seonghwa was taken because of him. Seonghwa was hurt because of him. Hongjoong secluded himself and was rotting away in his room because of him. He went crazy and attacked San because of him. Sa-. Wooyoung's thoughts were abruptly cut off as there was a sharp, stabbing pain in his back. Quite literally, he realised a few seconds later. He gasped as he felt the sword be pulled from him before he was stabbed in the back again. He heard a dark chuckle from behind him and his eyes landed on the pirate still knelt in front of him, realising he was so distracted that he didn't notice the one coming up behind him. His hand came up shakily to rest over his stomach as he felt the sword be ripped from his body again. Something was smashed into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground, landing hard as he wasn't able to brace his fall. He barely felt it though, the pain flaring through his back far worse than anything he had ever felt.

"Dude what the hell? That's Wooyoung you idiot, we need him alive to get the money."

"Bro read the room you dumbass. He's from ATEEZ, they're here. They found us, not the other way around. They're pissed and out for blood and we have no plan and we're spread out everyone around town. If we don't leave now, we're going to be dead anyway so who cares." Wooyoung continued to lay where he had fallen, unmoving. He didn't even know if he could move. His head was aching, his thoughts muddled and the pain in his back not stopping. He tried to shift but that just shot aggressive pain through his spin and he screamed out.

"Fuck, we need to go now before he draws attention to us."

"We should just kill him, put him out of his misery. I may have hit his spin so he's going to be in unbearable pain until he dies of blood loss anyway."

"Come on, where's the fun in that. Let him suffer, it's funny. How long do you think it will be until he dies?"

"Dunno, a couple of hours I'd say."

"Yeah, just leave him. Come on, let's get out of here." Wooyoung was panting on the ground but screamed out in pain once again as he felt a foot connect with pain. He heard the sound of footsteps retreating before the alley went silent, the only noises being his sobs of pain and his weak coughs as blood trickled from his lips. 

A/N

Here is Chapter 15 everyone, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.

So, it' ended on a cliff hanger, been a little while since I last had one I think so I just thought, why not give you guys a good one cos I know you guys enjoy it oh so much :)

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, what you enjoyed reading and which parts you liked the most

What do you think will happen next chapter? Who do you think will find Seonghwa and what do you think will happen to Wooyoung?