Chapter 10

With one last hiss from Skyler, Heat closed the wound that she had on her shoulder with one last stich. The man carefully bandaged her and warned her to rest her arm at all times until the wound was healed.

"Thank you Heat… Really, thank you." A weak, tired smile was drawn on her lips before she got up from the chair she had been sitting on.

They didn't quite have an infirmary, per se, but that makeshift closet was the closest they had and it was better than nothing. They could manage to take care of minor wounds in there while major operations she could only assume they'd attempt to find an actual clinic or hospital on the closest island they could get to.

Assuming the person could survive the journey.

She exited the room, followed by Heat, but she didn't walk far since she was stopped by Eustass' hulking figure. He wasn't wearing his heavy coat, instead using an open vest, leaving his chest out in the open.

Heat nodded at his captain before heading up to deck, leaving the two alone in the hallway.

Her green eyes scurried over his figure before stopping on his copper gaze. He seemed to have a more toned down behaviour towards her, his eyes reflected his need to show some level of care towards Skyler.

"Hey." He spoke, his voice coming out raspy and low, the sound sending shivers down the woman's spine.

"Hey…" Absentmindedly, she reached out to the edge of his vest with her good arm, her fingers tugging and playing with the hem of it. She took a step closer to him, moving her gaze to his bare chest and moved her hand to touch his muscled stomach, her nails barely touching his skin.

She could feel his warm breath on the top of her head, messing her black hair ever so lightly. Skyler felt his hand snake to the side of her neck, revealing to him the bandages that peaked out of her shirt. His touch burned her in a comforting manner, something that brought some amusement to her exhausted mind: that man was an incarnation of fire, after all.

She returned her gaze to his face when he tugged her hair lightly when he closed his hand in a fist.

His copper eyes held an amalgamation of contradiction emotions that left her puzzled: discomfort, desire, excitement, worry… She reached out to his face, her fingers caressing his jaw before moving to his hair. The man melted into her touch, letting out a breathed grunt of pleasure. The sound he made had her heart beating wildly, her body relishing in the sound he emitted.

"How's the shoulder?" He broke their comforting silence, his gaze turning to her bandages.

"Sore, hurting but I'll live." Her tone shifted to something more distant and cold as the memories of the fight came back to her. Skyler felt a tight squeeze in her chest as the image of the man she had killed seeped into her mind. She let her hand that was on his hair fall to her side, her nails digging into her thigh so that she could try and distract herself on something else. So that she could attempt to not let tears flood her eyes once more.

"Killer told me what happened." Kidd sounded proud when he spoke. She looked up at the captain and was disgusted to find an amused and sadistic smile on his lips.

"Are you kidding me?" It came out as a whimper but her words carried anger in them. He raised a non-existent eyebrow at her now flushed face. Her body had started to shake ever so lightly of rage and fear. "Are you actually smiling after what I did?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

She bit her lip, taking a step back from him.

"You think I wanted to do that?" Her voice grew in intensity, catching him off guard. "You think I wanted to kill someone!? To get rid of a part of my humanity by taking someone's life!?" She was now shouting at him. Whoever was close by could hear her loud and clear. "How can you be so fucking happy towards killing someone?"

"It's how things work in this ship." It was his turn to shout back at her, reaching to the collar of her shirt and pulling her towards him. "You asked to stay and you knew very fucking well how things worked here."

"How can you so easily dismiss a life?"

"Because they're in my way!" He shook her as he spoke those words, his copper eyes burning her soul. "And I won't let anyone stand between me and what I want." He let her go and crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't like how shit goes in this ship then just fucking leave."

"You…" She whispered, digging her nails into her arms. "You violent brute!" She shouted at him, smacking his arm. "You think you can just kill whatever and whoever you want and that takes you closer to what you want!?" She smacked him again. "You don't have to do that, you idiotic, sadistic man!"

"What!?" He grabbed her wrist, pulling her against the wall and effectively trapping her between the wooden surface and his towering body. He leaned forward so that his face was at the same level as hers, daring her to talk again.

"You heard me! You are a sadistic, insufferable, gigantic brute that doesn't understand that things can be resolved with a normal conversation!" She head-butted his forehead, hurting herself more than him since she hit his goggles. "Fucking hell Eustass! I didn't want to kill that man!" She struggled against his grip to no avail. "I'm no like you! I can't just kill and carry on like nothing fucking happened!" Her voice grew weaker, reaching a whisper. "He was afraid… He was so scared… just like I was."

"Don't cry on me now, woman." He growled in complaint when he saw the first tears fall down her cheeks. "Fuck…"

"He was so scared…" She whimpered before her voice returned to a shout once more. "And I killed him because I was scared…" Skyler was shaking violently, her eyes wide open and staring at the ground. "I was scared to die…"

"You're so weak…" It was a lie. He knew it was a lie what he had said but he needed her to snap out of it somehow. He knew she was strong willed since the day she appeared on their ship and was willing to fight so that they'd help her. Eustass Kidd knew that the woman standing in front of him that was falling apart at the seams was a strong person.

"Fuck off…" Skyler choked out between her sobbing. "You're not any better either. You're hot-headed and you do things to your own advantage… You're so up and ready to kill anyone that stands in your way." As if a switch was turned, her sobbing ceased and that fierce spirit was installed in her once more. "So tell me Kidd, what are you so afraid of that makes you do all these irrational things?"

He was dumbfounded at her question, not because he didn't know what to say he just didn't know why his voice had left him. He did all of that because he, himself, was scared of not being able to achieve what he wanted. That insane, nagging fear of failure constantly nagging at the back of his mind; the noise he would always push back with his confidence and ego.

The ruckus he would always push to the darkest corner of his mind so that he wouldn't break under pressure.

He killed because he was scared shitless of dying before succeeding.

"I don't need to answer you." He finally stated, straightening his back so that he could look down on her.

"Coward." She gritted her teeth in anger but was startled, jumping in her place when he slammed his hand against the wall, right next to her head.

She looked like a deer on headlights, her green eyes shining brightly in fear and surprise. She had struck a nerve in him and that was all she had wanted to do: make him understand the true weight of his actions.

"You know nothing of this life we have." He growled at her, his eyes piercing hers. "I kill because I have to. I kill so that I won't be killed." He leaned back down to her level, this time looking more menacing, hunching over her like a hyena. "You better learn that fast if you don't want to die." Skyler could feel her heart beating in her ears, deafening everything around her. As he spoke, he sounded like they were in a tunnel, his voice echoing and dispersing down that hallway. He leaned closer to her, his cheek against hers, the shadow of a beard scratching her skin. His breath was hot against her neck. "Right now you shouldn't be afraid about the next kill you'll have to make." His lips pressed to her ear. "You should be afraid of me because, if you become an obstacle to me, I'll have no problem in getting rid of you."

"Then why keep me around in the first place?" She wanted to sound secure, confident but her voice was shaky, fearful. Her chest was rising rapidly, her breathing was loud.

"Because I saw strength in you…" He trailed his lips to her neck, his teeth grazing her skin. "All you need to do is stop being a crying bitch and grow a fucking pair." He hissed in pain when he felt her nails dig into his side, making him lean back to look at her face once more. He gave her an amused smile when he saw her eyes burning with the power and will he had seen when he first fought her. "Fucking hell…" He mumbled, the smile growing wider on his lips. Despite having said he'd be up to getting rid of her, he wanted her around for a long time. She didn't know her place and that irritated him to an extent but it was so entertaining for him. Skyler questioned his authority and he loved to show her where she actually belonged. Kidd placed a finger on her chin, leaning closer to her. "Open your mouth."

"No." She replied. Catching him off guard, she leaned towards his neck and bit hard on the flesh, not enough to make it bleed, but enough to leave a deep mark for a day or two. He hissed in paint but didn't push her away, instead he held her head in place, snaking another arm around her waist. Skyler bit him one more time before stepping away from him. "You want me to grow a pair? Sure, I'll do that." She snarled at him. "Don't expect me to obey your orders, though."

With that she walked away from him, heading up to deck to catch some fresh air, leaving Kidd behind.

The captain was left stunned in his place, a smile of sadistic glee plastered on his face before he burst out laughing. He was pleased with himself and he was thankful for that woman to be in that ship with them.

He was going to have such a good time with her around.

A/N:

Well I took my sweet ass time with this one. College has started once more so I'll be writing chapters slowly.

Wish me luck .-. I have to make so many paintings in just one week, I think I'll just pass out midway because of all the paint smell XD

Well this was… a fiery chapter for me to write. I enjoyed it! Hope you do as well! And I hope the wait was worth as well _

Anyways, One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda

I only own Skyler