-Daiyu's POV—

I was still giggling about Violet and Killer every time I thought about them. I could see how much Vi thought about him and how he would turn his head just enough to be able to watch her. It was adorable!

I was still giggling when I rounded the corner, not paying attention. I ran into someone and almost fell over. I heard Kid's growl as I righted myself. "Sorry about that!" I said with a smile. "Not paying attention."

I tried to skip past him, but his hand shot out to grab my neck. "I should make you pay for that, bitch," he hissed.

I grabbed his wrist as he lifted me off the ground. My legs were swinging as he spoke again. "You need to learn your place."

As much fun as he was having, it wasn't as fun for me. I decided to fight back a little, push him further than I usually did. I shot my legs out, kicking him in the chest and making him loosen his grip. I dropped lightly to the ground and ran. I could hear Kid swear behind me and his footsteps following.

This should be fun. I smiled. I stopped for a moment when I reached the deck. Just as Kid reached to grab me again, I jumped off the second level and spun a couple times before landing- that was awesome! I looked around to see most of Kid's men standing around the deck. I smirked. Hm… Let's try something new.

I jumped and vaulted myself over the one closest to me, continually jumping between men. Each flip I did pushed me closer to the next person, but further away from Kid. I laughed when I landed on the railing. My feet hadn't touched the ground once!

I looked back to see Kid staring at me. "What? I was just having fun." I hopped off the railing and skipped between the people. They didn't make a move to catch me, so that wasn't any fun. I stopped so I was standing under the second level. "That wasn't nearly as much fun as I hoped it would be."

-Kid's POV—

I watched her walk into the ship. The way she had jumped between each man, spinning and flipping through the air was… surprising. She was acrobatic, to say the least, and she seemed to be able to use it quite well. I vaguely remembered that other girl saying something about how they were both named after other things and this girl was named after an assassin.

I smirked. A personal assassin could be a lot of fun to have.

-Daiyu's POV—

I sighed and swung my feet back and forth on the railing. I had followed Vi and Killer back out to watch her train. She was getting better as the days went by- and I was, too, although Killer spent more time with her- but I could still see her face flush slightly each time Killer would move her to fix her hands, stance, or whatever.

She glanced over at me and I laughed. I liked to tease her a little bit when we were alone, but I never went too far. Her face would be beet red each time, and I knew she remembered that whenever I saw her with Killer. My smile turned into a sigh. I was getting bored. I wanted to do something for fun, but Kid was never around and the rest of the crew were always busy with something.

I noticed Ash run up the mast and I gave a small smile. That could be fun…

I jumped off the railing and ran over. There was a ladder, but that was the regular and boring way. I went up the hard way, on the opposite side of the ladder using my hands and legs to keep me from sliding down. I glanced down at Violet and Killer, but they weren't paying attention to me. I smirked and kept climbing after Ash.

When I reached the top, I heard a small sound below. I hung over the edge and held back a laugh. It looked like Violet had fallen and pulled Killer down with her. His knees and hands were on either side of her body. I could see her bright red face from here, but I decided to not say anything.

They didn't have a whole lot of "moments," so I didn't want to ruin the ones they did have. I laid back when I noticed Killer slide his mask off. I hadn't seen his face, myself, but I thought that if he hardly showed anyone, except Vi, then I wouldn't try to look until he showed me. I lightly petted Ash while I gave the… "couple" - for lack of a better word- their privacy. I closed my eyes and drifted.

-Violet's POV—

I hadn't meant to grab Killer's hand as I fell… Or pull him down with me… But there he was, leaning over top of me while I laid on my back. I felt my face heat quickly. He moved his hand and removed his helmet, setting it to the side. He then leaned closer, pausing for a breath before pressing against me.

I could feel heat course through my body as I tangled my fingers in his hair. He held himself up with one arm and slowly slid the other down my side. I shivered as he paused at the end of my shirt and slid his hand underneath. I gasped as his fingers skimmed across my stomach and he took the chance to slip his tongue in my mouth.

I pulled his body closer to mine just before he pulled his mouth away. We were both breathing heavily. He leaned back in to kiss me softly and then moved so he was sitting next to me. He replaced his helmet, but continued to sit on the deck. He let the fingers on his one hand trail down my neck and collarbone, the movements slow and continuous. I shivered at the touch, but didn't move.

I slowly sat up once he had stopped. I felt his arm wrap around my waist before he pulled me back to lean against him. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes. It was nice to relax against Killer's body, but we should probably get up before Kid or someone else comes along. I moved to stand, but Killer pulled me back into his lap. I half glared, half smiled at him. He laughed and my smile grew. I wrapped my arms around him before telling him we should get up. He slowly complied after thinking for a few moments.

Shortly after we had gotten up and dusted ourselves off, Kid stormed onto the deck and shouted, "Where's that bitch?!"

I looked confusedly at him and then Killer, but Killer didn't seem to understand either. "Who?"

He turned to him and glared. "I told her to talk to me after she ate, but she never fucking showed up!"

I moved slightly behind Killer. His anger was known to… lash out at people who didn't necessarily deserve it.

"But I haven't eaten yet!"

I looked up to see Dai hanging over the edge of the crow's nest.

Kid turned his glare on her. "Fuck you. You knew what I meant."

She shrugged and let herself drop. I gasped- was she trying to kill herself?

She reached out to grab one of the rungs on the ladder, letting the motion spin her around and rolling as her feet touched the ground. I gaped openly at her. She just dusted herself off and looked at me. "What?"

I shook my head- of course she wouldn't see anything wrong with that.

Kid stomped over to her and grabbed the back of her neck. "I said I wanted to talk to you," he hissed.

Daiyu looked blankly up at him. "What about?"

He growled. "About your stupid acrobatics." He dropped her and crossed his arms. "I want you to learn how to do it better."

"Ohh…" she said, holding out the sound. "You want me to be like a personal assassin or something, right?"

I felt my jaw drop- Daiyu as an assassin? There's no way. I shook my head harshly. I just couldn't picture it. She tripped over things and had a habit of hurting herself. Killer seemed somewhat shocked as well, from what I could tell from his body language.

Dai tilted her head and seemed to think about it. "I doubt it'll work." Then she started jumping up and down. "But if I do, does that mean I'll get to train more?"

I groaned- why did she have to be excited about that? Kid grunted an affirmation before turning his back to her. "And you'd better work hard."

-Daiyu's POV—

This would be fun! I would be able to fight other people, and do lots of spins, and learn to use lots of weapons, and maybe fight with my hands, and-

"Dai!"

Violet pulled me from my thoughts. "What?"

She sighed. "You weren't listening, were you?" I shook my head. "I said we should go eat before you start your training."

I stuck my tongue out- food was overrated. "I am the High Priestess! I have no need for food!" I scoffed dramatically.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, whatever you say, Miss High Priestess. Now let's go eat."

I followed after her back inside. I was pretty much shaking with excitement, though, and even Vi knew I was hardly going to eat anything. I danced out of the room before she was done, giggling to myself. I ended up back on the deck. I saw Heat leaning against the railing and I skipped over to him.

"Whatcha doing?"

He glanced at me before looking back at the ocean. "Waiting. I'm helping train you."

I clapped my hands. "When do we start? What will we be doing? Can I learn how to use swords? And maybe an axe? Oo! Or maybe use my fists?"

He was looking like maybe he was regretting coming out here. I giggled- it was fun to bother people.

"Give me your daggers."

"What? Why?" His request came out of nowhere.

"Fists only today."

I quickly handed them over and waited for the next part. But Heat continued to stand without doing anything. I opened my mouth to ask him when we were going to start when his hand shot out to push me. I leaned away, but he still hit me enough to make me fall backwards.

"Hey! What was that for?"

He stared down at me. "Be ready at all times."

I smirked and stood up, standing in a stance similar to Vi's. He moved quickly again, his hand brushing my shoulder as I dodged. We moved back and forth, he would try to push me and then I would try to punch him. Neither of us could seem to land a hit on the other.

I was getting tired of this- same moves, same pattern. I ran around him a couple times, trying to get behind him. He would shift his gaze each time, never letting me have a chance to do what I wanted. I grumbled under my breath- he was good, but I should have expected that from a pirate, more from a Kid Pirate.

The next time he reached his hand out, I gripped his arm and pushed myself over top of him. I spun around as my feet touched the ground and punched. He barely pushed my arm out of the way, but I was able to get another punch in- though his chest was hard, so it hurt.

I jumped back and shook my hand. "That hurt!"

I could hear Violet laughing behind me. I gave her a quick glance before focusing on Heat again. He didn't seem to want to fight anymore, though. He crossed his arms and walked past me. "Tomorrow."

I stood straighter and blinked my eyes a few times. "Well then."

"You looked like you were having fun," Violet said as she walked up to me.

I spun. "Yup!"

"Have you seen Ash? I haven't seen him in a while." She frowned slightly.

"Oh, yeah. He was in the crow's nest with me before."

She sighed. "Thanks."

I watched her slowly climb up the ladder. She was speaking- probably to Ash- but I couldn't hear her words. I just shrugged and waited for her to come back down.

She barely touched the deck when I ran up to her with a great idea. "Hey, hey!" I bowed slightly and held out my hand before smiling. "Let's dance!"

She looked a little surprised at my sudden question- it's not like I haven't said it before. A smile started tugging at her lips and she placed her hand in mine. Ash was in her other hand, so I put my hand around him. Now it was me, Violet, and Ash spinning around together.

We were both laughing. It was fun to just be ourselves and not have to worry about Kid or Killer. We would spin one way, stop, and then spin the other way. Ash was gripping our fingers tightly to keep from falling. She stopped for a moment and looked me in the eye. I knew exactly what she was thinking and I nodded.

We would take a few steps one way, twist back and forth, then step the other way. We even had our own tune to go with it. After the third time, we were laughing too hard to continue. Violet had actually fallen and was clutching her stomach. I was leaning over with my hands on my knees- we were ridiculous sometimes.

After our laughing fit subsided, I sat down next to her. The sun was already setting and it looked so pretty.

-Killer's POV—

I watched them dance from the shadows of the doorway. They both seemed happy; even the monkey looked like it was having fun. Their mood seemed contagious as I found myself smiling at their strangeness. For once, my eyes were not drawn to just the bronze haired girl, but the golden haired one, too. There was something about them being together that changed the air.

I shook my head. It was too easy to get caught up watching them. I heard a soft melody coming from the deck. Violet had started singing. Her eyes were closed and there was a small smile on her face. I held back my own. It was calming- I could see why she would sing to Ash.

I let out a sigh and pulled myself away. Kid would probably want to know what I had seen while watching them. I turned on my heel and walked silently back into the ship.

-Kid's POV—

I scoffed at Killer's information- so they dance? They really are like children still. "I thought they'd at least spar or something," I grumbled.

I had hoped to find out if they were really learning how to fight. If not, then I'd have to make them. I smirked. It would have been fun to force them though. Seeing that one girl look at me with terror in her eyes with anger hidden behind it, and then to maybe find a way to make the other girl show fear.

I frowned. She still wouldn't show fear. I had her in a death grip more than once and the only thing she would do is try to breath. Her eyes were always filled with her smiles or boredom- who gets bored that easily?

"Whatever," I growled. I'd catch them doing something one day. Another smirk found its way onto my face. I just thought of the perfect way to get at the other girl. If she won't fear for her own life, then maybe she'd fear for her friend's.

-Violet's POV—

I yawned. We had been watching the sunset until it was dark and I was getting tired. Ash had curled up in my hands already, but Dai looked as wide awake as ever.

"Hey," I started sleepily. "Don't you think we should go to bed soon?"

She looked at me before staring back at the ocean. "Probably."

I saw the smile on her face. "But you probably won't, right?" She giggled and nodded. I slowly got to my feet. "Well, I'm going to go to bed before I fall asleep on the deck. You should go to bed soon, too."

She said something in agreement, but I shook my head. She probably hadn't heard me. I walked slowly back to our room and sat on the bed. I set Ash carefully on my pillow and got changed. The cold air made me jump into bed quickly.

I looked at my wrist that had been horribly colored a while ago. It was slightly different colored now and I didn't even feel the sprain. I smiled. Killer had helped me a lot with it and I was very grateful.

I snuggled closer to Ash's body and fell asleep smiling.


I heard a bang and sat up. What the hell was that? I heard some of the crew members yelling as they ran past my room. I changed into jeans and a long sleeved shirt, quickly grabbing my katana as I ran out of the room with Ash on my shoulder.

When I reached the deck, another ship was nearing us. I ran up to Daiyu and Killer. She spared a look at me before turning back to the Marine's ship. "Well shit."

Dai looked shocked as she stared at me. Then she burst out laughing. "You know it's serious when she swears!"

I rolled my eyes with a smile. It was true- I hardly ever swore. The Marine ship captain spoke, interrupting us.

"Eustass Kid! Give up now!"

Kid growled. "Like hell I'd ever give up to assholes like you."

The captain looked flustered by Kid's words. "Why I- Attack!" he yelled.

Their ship was close enough, so the Marines jumped across. "Oh, come on! Everyone knows that most Marines are actually worse than the pirates!" they paused slightly at my words. "Shit, that was out loud, wasn't it?" I grumbled.

Daiyu let out a laugh and pulled her daggers out. "Come on, Vi. Time for a fight."

I shook my head and unsheathed the katana. I may not want to fight, but I'll protect my sister's and my own life with every breath I take.

I slid up to the first Marine and cut him through. I refused to look at what I had done or think about what I would. My eyes flicked to Daiyu surrounded by men, she span around, dispatching each person. I gave a wry smile and continued. The Marines kept swarming onto the deck and I was barely holding up. They would come from behind, then from the side, then two at once; it was all I could do to keep going.

I heard a small whir of a blade and looked to see Killer kill one man who had raised his sword to my back. I gave him a nod of thanks before turning back to the fight. It was tiring, but somehow freeing- I cringed at the word. I didn't want to kill anyone, but this was all in self-defence.

"Oi! Purple girl!" I frowned at Kid's name for me. I saw him standing near the bow and I walked over to him.

"My name's Violet, you know."

He waved his hand and turned to me. "I want you to take him down," he nodded to the Marine captain still standing on the other ship.

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore my dread. I certainly didn't want to kill someone in cold blood, but he had ordered the attack… I raised my sword and the man looked at me.

"What are you doing?"

I could hear Kid smirk. "Meet one of my newest weapons."

I frowned at his words- I was in no way a weapon. "I am the Goddess of Thunder and you have bought my wrath."

His mouth opened as lightning shot from the sky to hit him. I looked away as the light cleared. Kid was laughing loudly and the Marines were staring at us. I fell to my knees, but I wasn't going to black out this time. Kid passed me and slashed down anyone who stood in his way. I heard a Marine run up to me, but I couldn't react fast enough.

Ash decided I needed his help. My eyes widened when I realized he had jumped at the man to distract him. I slashed my sword, taking him down. Ash jumped back to me. "Thank you…" I rubbed my cheek against his head.

Daiyu was making her way over to me. I could tell she was getting tired, but she was determined to fight. The number of Marines was dwindling, but the last continued to fight with everything they had. I blocked one attack and had no time to counter as a second man swung.

The second man pushed his blade against mine, forcing me lower. I grit my teeth and the weight was suddenly gone. Daiyu was standing in front of me with a grin. I smiled with relief. The first man dropped as well, Killer slicing him through with his blades. I could tell he gave me a small smile before turning back to the fight.

I sighed and leaned back. I was far too tired to keep fighting. Daiyu and Killer were both keeping an eye out for me. Every Marine had been disposed of and now the crew was dumping them overboard. The few that hadn't boarded us had escaped on their ship.

I opened my eyes when I felt someone's arms around me. I took a sharp breath when Killer picked me up. I blinked my eyes a few times before closing them again and leaning against him.

I heard Kid's loud laugh. "Looks like you are useful after all, girls."

I grumbled against Killer's chest- I didn't like to be told I was useless or only useful for killing. I felt Killer rub my back slightly before he continued to my room.

He lightly set me on the bed before brushing my hair back. "We'll be at the next island soon, so you should rest."

I nodded and closed my eyes. "Thank you, Killer…"