Forget Me Not - One Shot Series

Sir Crocodile - BITTER

"Get back!" You roar, haki and emotions flaring, pushing Crocodile back despite his desires. "You bastard!" You growl, still moving away from him, pulling off one high heel and then the other.

You were dressed in silk and pearls, elegant and extravagant, the worth of a small island tied up in the diamonds that glittered against your neck. They were heavy and choking right now, you were sick that you had accepted the gifts with a smile on your face and need in your heart.

You rip the precious stones from your neck, the hot sting of skin ripping against the white gold doesn't even make you flinch, bare feet against the pavement. The words echo in your mind, the accusation from the young man was soaked in truth and facts.

You'd taken Crocodile's word all this time, but you couldn't refute his cruelty in the face of the young man's words. Couldn't refute your part in it.

But no more.

"I should've known," tears sting your eyes and your body shakes as you glare at him, keeping distance between you however you can. "I warmed your bed through it all, and I should've known."

"It is unfortunate," he replies, golden amber eyes narrowed dangerously. He was furious, not only at you, but at the fact that you had learned the truth. "Let us talk about this back home."

You laugh, it's full of anger and disbelief, "Big bad Sir Crocodile," you spit. "Can't have the news coos seeing you've lost control of your trophy whore, huh?" You pull the ring free from your finger and throw it at him. It thumps against his chest before he catches it easily. "You used me."

"... Perhaps." He nearly bites the word off. "Come back here and-." He grunts as you push back again, anger and haki flaring in equal measure. If you keep this up you're going to exhaust yourself, but you can't risk going easy on him.

He's not the Desert King for nothing.

"I can't believe I bought so many lies!" You rage at no one in particular. There's no crowd gathering, none would dare. A spat between the King and his Queen was an event no one wanted to witness. "For the small price of my soul." You grunt, body tense, muscles searing with the strain of haki and your own emotions.

"To love as a lie as well," you shake your head, feeling your heart twist.

"My love-."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" You bellow, his words shattered by your anger more than your haki. Despite your waning strength he stands still in the face of your words, giving you more space as you continue to back away.

You use the buffer to collect yourself, keeping a lookout for Daz Bonez, knowing he'd do whatever was necessary to force you into the limo at this point. He's almost more of a danger to you than Crocodile, since he doesn't have any love for you like his boss does.

"I'm not going to just fold to your will and-." Bright lights fill your eyes, a frantic horn nearly drowns out all other sound, but you can hear your voice like fire and ice from his lips.

The impact shatters the final sputtering remnants of your neglected haki, and your world goes dark.

A terrible flood of pain shuts your body down and your mind swims in and out of memories that danced, sweet and sorrowful, along the edges of your consciousness. Muffled sounds and incoherent questions assail you, but nothing prompts you to react.

Exhaustion eats at your marrow, and anger gives way to dull aches and nauseating throbs. On some level you know you're alive, you think, because being dead wouldn't hurt so much.

Time comes and goes in fits. Darkness prevails for long stretches, and muttered voices that are too far away to be understood speak hastily against a steady beep. The stench of cleanliness burns your nose, and the scent of something familiar eases your soul.