I licked my lips. After everything had been arranged we had headed back as fast as possible while carrying the money. His crew had been confused but hadn't questioned their Captain as he fired off orders to depart as fast as possible, not wanting the army to show up.

I had my hands on the side of the ship, watching the waves. I was headed back to my ship, my crew. Sting. I smiled slightly at the thought, not noticing the person beside me until the cleared their throat. I started, looking up to see Salamander, in a similar position as mine, watching the waves.

"You like to watch sunsets...?" He asked quietly. I felt like there was something hidden behind his question, like it wasn't him just trying to make conversation. I sighed and shook my head.

"No...I don't watch them for me. I like watching the stars...ehm...I watch the sunset because Yukino use to love them... And since she can't watch them anymore sometimes I watch them for her." I explained awkwardly, looking back at the orange sun.

"That's...hm...I've never thought of it like that...Lisanna use to watch them too...she would force me to sit next to her and watch it. I stopped after I became Captain..." He said, his voice strained as if his throat had closed on him. I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

"I didn't know...I'm sorry..." I said quietly and he took in a deep breath before looking at me.

"It's fine...anyway! Tell me about how you and Sting came to be." He asked curiously and I raised my brow, why was he being so friendly? Regardless,I decided to indulge his curiosity.

"He was the guy who brought me to Sabertooth. He used to completely ruthless believe it or not. He still kind of is. I don't know though...I had been running from dogs after I ran away from the palace. I ran into him, Yukino, and Rogue...Sting wanted to just throw me out but Yukino convinced him and Rogue to take me to the ship and hide me. I spent two days on the ship before the Captain asked if I wanted to become a pirate...my life changed from then on. Suddenly I had a choice in what I wanted, if I didn't want to smile I didn't have to smile. I could say whatever I wanted to say to whoever I wanted to say it too. Sting was chosen to teach me the ways of a pirate and we just got really close. I saved his life a few times and he's saved mine…." I chuckled slightly, shaking my head. "I hope we get to the island in time...he said something about a certain time when Dragon Slayers come of age where they find their soul mate….is that true?" I asked and he looked taken back by my question, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well...he's not wrong. But I thought he's my age isn't he?" He asked and I tilted my head.

"How old are you?"

"20."

"He turned twenty not to long ago...why?" I asked and Salamander held his breath, pursing his lips awkwardly.

"Well...we're able to find our soulmate once we're 18...usually if we have a suspicion of them being our soulmate we start looking at them, finding out if their smell attracts us and just observing. But the only way to know for sure is if you kiss them. It doesn't have to be lip to lip, something simple like a forehead kiss will do. Then we know for sure. It's instinctual. Although we don't ever have an overwhelming too well uhm...mate until the spring or winter depending on the type of dragon slayer. Like an Ice dragon slayer wouldn't feel the overpowering urge until around this time of the year. Sting, like me will feel it around this spring...that is if we find our mates. If not then we're just easily frustrated or turned on." He explained and I blinked at him a few times, taking in what he had said. Sting and I had kissed plenty of times...and he had always said he wouldn't know for sure unless we did the deed.

Sting lied to me.

"I'm sorry…" Salamander said quietly and I sucked in a deep breath, shaking my head and looking at him, clearing my throat and trying to open it from where it had closed.

"You- uhm, no no...don't be...it's fine. Anyway...you seem like you know a lot about this? Did you find your soulmate?" I asked curiously. A dark sheen covered his eyes slightly as he looked at me.

"My real one? I don't think I have yet, if I have then I don't know...but in my mind...yeah I had one…" He said quietly, looking back over the sea that had now become dark, the sun gone. I tilted my head, looking at him.

"What was her name?" I asked him and his muscled arms tensed, his jaw setting as he stared out into the darkness.

"Lisanna."

-edited version-