][Malice][ =One Piece=

:: Chapter Eighteen ::

“They’re at it again.” Shachi, a man of average height with chin length auburn hair wearing a white suit and an odd puffy blue green hat with a red rim, sighed as he and the other Heart pirates lounged around one of the giant mangroves near their ship playing a hand of cards. Their captain was currently arguing with the woman who’d been left in their care by the Kid Pirates.

“You do realize I can knock you out with my brain, right?” Malice growled venomously at the handsome captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law.

“I’m beginning to think you can’t.” Law smirked as he inched closer to his stubborn patient who was currently trying to walk toward the town.

“What?” Malice asked perplexed by his nonchalant attitude.

“You keep threatening to do so, but you’ve yet to act, I don’t think you can use that power right now.” He deduced.

Malice’s garnet eyes widened at this, how could he possibly know that? “Why do you care about what happens to me?” She demanded as he caught up to her and gripped her arm in his hand to keep her from fleeing.

“You’re in my care and it wouldn’t look good on my reputation if a half dead weak little girl escaped me.” He shrugged.

Her garnet eyes narrowed into a glare, “I’m not weak.”

The others chuckled at this, “She doesn’t debate the half dead part.” Someone laughed.

Law cut her off before she could snap at his crew and put a strain on her healing wounds, “Don’t push yourself too much, they haven’t left yet.”

How did he know that’s what she’d been worried about? “What are you talking about?”

“The reason you’ve been hindering your recovery and pushing yourself too far. You think they’ll leave without you.” He noted and Malice felt the loneliness she’d fought so hard to suppress grip her heart.

Images of Kid flashed through her mind, all their silly fights, all the bickering and even the moments where he protected her. Would he leave her behind? Was she really such a burden to the world? She closed her eyes as they began to burn with tears for fear they’d slip from her stony mask. It was bad enough she’d let Killer see her cry, she’d be damned if she’d let anyone else see her weakness. With her eyes closed, her mind began to wander. She could feel him, his warm body heat as he laid his head against her arm, his well toned chest as he held her against him to avoid a cannon blast, and for a moment she could hear his voice calling out to her.

“Malice!” That one sounded like Killer.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes, fearful that it was just her own wishful thinking that she could hear their voices so clearly. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart skipped a beat as she met his feral orange gaze. It was Kid! He was back! They weren’t going to abandon her. Law released his hold on her arm as he felt her muscles twitch in anticipation. He smirked slightly as she suddenly vanished from sight only to reappear about halfway between the two pirate crews gripping her side and gasping slightly.

“Malice!” Killer, Heat and Wire panicked as they all ran to her aid.

A dazzling smile lit up the cryptic young woman’s face and she laughed softly, “I’m alright.”

“Baka!” Kid reached her first, “You’re supposed to be recovering not making yourself worse.” He grumbled as he hesitated at her side not sure of what to do.

Killer reached her side a moment later and swept her into a delicate hug and the tension in the air suddenly became suffocating as Kid threw a glare at his first mate. It wasn’t the fact that his first mate had hugged the girl that had angered him; it was her reaction, the way she melted into his embrace as if that was exactly what she had needed. Kid wanted to kick himself, he knew that, it should have been him, but he hesitated.