A Fairy's Tale (Kidd X OC X Killer

Chapter 25: Hypothesis

Despite the teasing, Killer really was hoping she'd remember in time to be able to at least defend herself if needed. The thought of Loklynn being injured or worse because they couldn't be there to stop it was... unpleasant.

Almost as unpleasant as knowing how afraid she was of him.

He was aware enough to admit to his own mistakes, aware enough to regret them. He knew she wasn't like other pirates, and definitely nowhere NEAR as rotten as him. He knew she didn't deserve it, yet... he couldn't seem to help himself when it came to her. For the first time in years, he found himself resenting his own nature. Killer had been so fucked up for so long that it was hard to break off from his cruel proclivity for taking pleasure in other's fear; spending so much of his childhood running for his life always made punishing the world that rejected him that much sweeter.

But then there was her.

Maybe it was some fucked up desire for her to hate him as much as everyone else did. If he could push her past her astounding ability to forgive... all would be right with the world, and he'd go back to living in that familiar, violent peace.

But then the aftermath of their spats nearly slaughtered him. Every. Fucking. Time.

God damn her.

About a week ago, he'd have loved it. At first, he'd liked to tease her just like any other prisoner, loved those shiny tears that filled her eyes. At first, she was no different... until he realized that she was.
Killer didn't know when he'd decided this, nor was he quite sure why; was it the way she still managed to give him those cute little snaps of sass despite her nerves? How he could make her blush or gape like a goldfish with a simple comment? The way she felt in his arms, maybe?

Those were all things he definitely liked by themselves, but he'd seen them in other people as well; none of those provided him with a valid explanation as to why he now wanted to fix her rather than break her.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of waiting patiently for her to gather herself. There were only five more days before they'd be docking in Sunnyway City; they didn't have any more time to waste on twiddling their thumbs and trying to get her to open up to them on her own. As much as Killer would have loved to refrain, he knew that if she wouldn't tell them about her powers... they'd have to dig up those secrets on their own, and fast.

He needed to pull her memories out to make sure that she could defend herself freely from Sunnyway's rotting criminal cesspool. They had to know everything she did to figure out why the government wanted her and what steps they'd need to take to keep her and their own crew safe.

Killer already had a hypothesis about what she was hiding. A plan to test his theory had been baking in the back of his head since breakfast that morning, a way to force it out of her without physical injury.

She wouldn't be hurt, but it was still fucked up enough that she'd probably hate his guts afterward... but it was for her own good.

He had no choice. That, at least, was nothing new.

_____

"The territory we're planning to touch down on isn't the friendliest. If you want hostility, that'd be a good place to find it. For your sake... I hope you remember how to fight by then."