My dreams get worse, my mood as well. Maybe it's already too late, maybe I'm completely and absolutely drawn into him. I wish the submarine could at least submerge and give me the opportunity to dwell in the fresh air. But everything is not that easy, we can't just swim on the surface day and night - exposing ourselves to every kind of possible enemy attacks. Especially since the Heartstealer started his collection - the beating hearts, lying in the wooden box of the storage room, the not so silent reminder of our true mission. The rumors are spreading like a living fire, that he's hunting for them - unseen under water, just like a hungry shark always ready to attack, to devour the hearts of the living souls. It's kind of funny, those stories, picturing him as a crazy demon from hell.

Some days he doesn't even come out to eat and those are the worst ones. The other days, completely devoured from his absence - in spite of how I've made up my mind - I end up watching him. The way he eats, how he gently takes the rice cakes from his plate, the way his mouth touches the delicious food, the way his eyes lay absently on the faces of his crew mates while he talks - like he would be actually far far away from here, thinking, plotting the next steps for his secret goal.

I like the sound of his voice, the calm soothing tone, so reassuring like nothing could ever go wrong. I like his northern style clothes, the sprinkled hat, the spotted blue jeans, the lurid yellow of his shirt, which matches the colour of his submarine. Everything about him screams that he's not afraid of anything, just like my Nii-san, convinced he can achieve everything.

I'm lying on my stomach, deeply wrapped up in the blankets of my bed and stare out of the round window above it. The sea is calm and I can even see the surface of the water from my point of view. It's raining, the small dots are spreading trough the plane which separates the air from the deep calm water. I like rain, it somehow fills the emptiness of my soul.

This is not just bad, this is a catastrophe.

"Aaargh, where is the rum?" - I hear Shachi groaning trough the kitchen. "We had at least 20 bottles the last time I checked! It couldn't have just disappeared like that! Penguin, by god if you drank my portion ... !" I ignore both of them.

I'm really not in the mood for anything childish. I'm actually not in the mood for anything, but staying in bed and never come out again. But my stomach is rumbling - declaring his protest about my self inflicted, love caused hunger strike. "... stop assuming that everything always is my fault! The captain is drinking more than usual, if you dare, you're welcome to direct your objections to him personally."

Shoveling both of them aside I load my arms full with meat and strike wordless past them back into my room. "Oi, what's wrong with you again? One day you're cheering around like a bird, the next you're even in a worse mood than our captain!"

Turning around I just throw a giant meat leg on his head and wordlessly leave the room. "Don't you want to eat that?" I hear him chewing the tasty chunk of food I discarded so selflessly.

I try to lighten up the frozen situation with small talk. "So, what are you up to this days Heartstealer?"

He looks up from his food, surprised that I've spoken to him, after a whole week of complete ignorance from both sides.

"Well if you mean besides sedate human organs ... we'll soon arrive on an tropical island, where a really famous pirate captain resides." Bepo is the only one who dares to interrupt. "Ne captain, why don't you just collect hearts of every pirate we come across, instead of getting only those of captains?"

The question must have bugged many of them, then as soon as the one started the topic others promptly join in. "This will only be the 17th heart, we could really have more than thousand otherwise." Penguin decides to specify. "Well on the last Island we were lucky enough to get 3 hearts at the same time, because those members of the crew all had over 30 million belly on their heads."

Law is clearly annoyed. "Baka, the marines won't be interested in merely ordinary criminals. There will be only one chance to achieve the Warlord title and I'm not willing to take any chances."

With this topic closed, Bepo starts another - less treacherous ground. "A tropical Island? Captain, I really can't handle the heat, can't we go somewhere else instead?" The bear is so cute when he whines, involuntary I smile in sympathy and talk before thinking. "Don't worry Bepo, this time I think I can replace you - our training with the ero bird progressed so far, that I can actually fight without slaughtering everyone around me." Suddenly realizing that I just practically invited myself, I glance alarmed in Laws direction - but he only shrugs indifferently.

Facilitated Bepo huggs me so tight, as if I just have saved his kitten from a burning house - but I try only to peel myself out from his cushion death grip again.

Well at least some things may even go back to normal again.