Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece copyrights.

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The darkness settled around them like a blanket, broken only by the flickering light of the candle on the floor. Two figures sat in the shadows, leaning against the ancient bed side by side, their arms barely brushing against each other. The smaller one stirred, lifting a bottle to her lips while glancing sideways at the larger man next to her. Silence had followed his last wild tale and though she wanted to ask for another story, her courage faltered each time she looked at his troubled eyes. It was obvious that something was weighing heavily on his mind but she couldn't think of a way to drawn him away from whatever was eating away at him. She took another long drink and felt the alcohol burn its way into her stomach.

"It's quiet here." His voice finally broke the stillness and she latched onto the new conversation as if it was a lifeline.

"Yea, we're far enough away from the village that we can't hear a lot of the noise below a tavern brawl." She kicked herself mentally. Was this really, why she had crawled up into the attic with their 'guest'? Why couldn't she just say something intelligent? "The stars are also pretty nice… though, I guess you can't tell from here because the -"

"Kotone."

She winced and broke off from her rambling. "Sorry." She mumbled, her face heating up as she made a show of taking another big drink. She snuck a look at his face and froze. Once again, he had pinned her with the full focus of his dark eyes, their intensity pulling her into the black depths. Kotone waited for him to look away, but unlike the last time, he did not turn. It was Kotone, blushing madly, who torn her eyes away first, belatedly wishing she hadn't drunk quite as much as she had. He probably thought she was some country idiot. As focused as she was on not looking up at him, the warm hand that brushed her chin startled her, causing her to jerk her head up against the metal bed frame.

"Oww." she grunted, holding a hand to her throbbing skull. He laughed, placing his hand on her shoulder. Through the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, she glared at him. "What?" She snapped, annoyed that she was making such a fool of her self.

"Kotone. What do you know about the Revolution?" He asked, his face suddenly serious. The pain momentarily forgotten, Kotone stiffened at the intent look on his face.

"You want to overthrow the World Government, right? You're all fighting with the marines" He smiled almost ruefully.

"I can't give you any promises." He said, looking her straight in the eye.

"Promises?" She asked, confused, before he firmly caught her face in his palms.

"You deserve promises." He muttered, almost to himself, before his face dipped and his lips found hers. For an instant, Kotone had no idea what had happened before it dawned on her that he was kissing her. Her! It was as if she had actually fallen into the abyss of his eyes; the feeling was both thrilling and just a little frightening. His mouth moved over hers, asking even as it demanded. His hands tightened and she realized just how much strength this stranger had.

A warm feeling was curling in her stomach and she shivered. She had never felt anything like this in her life. Then, with a feminine sigh, she relaxed and let him take over. At the change, he tore his lips from hers and looked down at her, his eyes like the sea in a storm.

"I can't give you love." He said, his voice almost hard. Kotone shook her head numbly and he slid one hand from her cheek to the back of her neck. "I can't give you security." His grip prevented her from moving away. All she could do was stare up at him, lost in the fervor of emotions. "Hell," he muttered, closing his eyes in a wince before opening them again, an unspoken plea in his eyes. "I can't even give you the 'maybe I'll see you next time in port' line. There is a great chance you'll never see me again." Kotone swallowed hard and he swore again, watching her. His hands started to move away from her. In that moment, Kotone realized she had a choice to make. A lesser woman would have blamed it on the amount of alcohol she had consumed but Kotone was not one for lying to herself, nor for timidity.

"Ok." For a second, she was gratified by the stunned surprise in his eyes before they flared a heat that made her heart skitter. His hand slipped over the nape of her neck, pulling her closer. He shifted her closer so that she sat across his thighs, hands on his shoulders. He didn't give her a chance to rethink her decision, bending his head to kiss her throat.

She knew he was only trying to push away whatever thoughts haunted him; that she was a convenient escape. She wasn't a starry eyed fool who thought that for a second anything would come of his night… but as their bodies intertwined, skin rubbing skin, she couldn't help but feel that this was right. That somehow, this small encounter was worth something in the grand schemes of things. Maybe she was more of a dreamer than she thought.