Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. I only own Yami.

Chapter 38: This Is Crazy

"Go on and you'll make this a rape," she whispered, looking at him intently. "Please don't. Portgas, please don't."

But instead of letting her go, he bent down to continue with assailing her neck, biting down, sucking and licking the sensitive skin. It really did hurt – he was rough and didn't care about her injury. And despite the various shivers that were running down her spine, she could still think clearly now, and she knew what she had to do.

Transforming in a split second, she swooshed behind him, and before he could even grasp that she wasn't where she had been before, she struck out and crashed him into the wall face-first. He gave an agonised moan before sliding down the hard concrete and landing on the floor, out cold.

Yami panted heavily. Her hand still raised, she watched his slumped form until she was sure that he was knocked out. "Sorry, cowboy," she muttered silently, "but I'm not gonna be raped by anybody, not even you."

So there she was now, standing shakily over Ace's motionless body on the ground, and her hand slowly dropped to her side again. "Aah, fuck," she mumbled to herself, scratching her head. "What the hell, Portgas. Just what the fucking hell. Who forgot to tell you that you just don't do this to injured people."

What should she do now? Leave him there and look for him tomorrow? Yeah, and find him mugged and pissed and whatnot. Or picked up by the police for vagrancy. Or molesting passing women on the street.

No, she couldn't do that. Perhaps he'd wake up and everything would be okay. Whatever it was that had gotten into him.

Looking down on him, she sighed. She had to think functionally now. How should she get him anywhere like this? She knew from experience that unconscious people were at least twice as heavy, compared to the fully-alive version. And right now, she was in no state to just casually fling one twice-as-heavy cowboy over her shoulder and walk away with him. And apart from that – jeez, was she tired.

Her gaze darted back to where the bar they had just left was barely visible at the corner of the street, then to the street they had wanted to enter, where she thought she had seen a hotel earlier. Trying to estimate the distance, Yami decided not to rely on luck but go back to the bar. She would get the barkeeper to help her carry cowboy to a hotel – he should know where one was, too.

But first she knelt down next to her unconscious comrade and checked his pulse, just to be sure – it was slow and steady, nothing special about it. The wound at his forehead, where she had smashed him into the wall, was a mere bruise, not worth mentioning. Grabbing his hat, she stuffed it into her rucksack – no need to have the colourful item cry out "I'm the infamous pirate Portgas D. Ace, you can see me on my wanted poster at the corner!". She also double-checked whether he was really out cold, giving him slight slaps on his cheeks. Lifting his eyelid, she gasped once again, seeing the colour.

"Dammit, what is this …" she mumbled to herself. "Some kinda spell? Or …" When realisation hit her, she raised her head with a jerk.

Blue. Blue like the sea. Or … the drink he had had in the bar.

"Tsk," she growled. "Don't tell me …" One more reason to re-visit that guy.

She almost ran towards the bar, and as she threw the door open, the glass window rattled in its confines.

"You!" she yelled, drawing the attention of not only the barkeeper but every other patron as well to herself.

Being yelled at so suddenly, the young man flinched, looking rather scared. "W-what is it?"

"What, indeed," Yami hissed. "That's what I wanted to ask you! Why did cow- my companion just get blue eyes and tried to rape me, huh?"

Someone chuckled, but stopped after Yami's angry glare hit him.

"R-rape?" the barkeeper squealed. "T-that's not how it works!"

"Yah, whatever. You can tell me while you help me to get him into a hotel," she said, feeling incredibly tired once again.

"B-but I have to stay here and –" he tried to protest, but Yami's aura seemed to be so menacing that after she had only taken a few steps in his direction, his mouth snapped shut like a spiral spring.

"Just in case you didn't notice," she said, markedly calm, "I'm pretty much injured here, and it hurts like hell because I've just been tossed against a house wall, and I'm gonna make you hurt like fucking hell if you don't fucking come with me to fucking carry cowboy off. Fucking now."

The young man stared at her like the little bunny at the giant snake, but only for a moment. Then he turned to one of the patrons sitting at the counter, and asked him to watch business as long as he would be away before following Yami out.

"So, explain," she prompted, and he nodded.

"Uhh, well. The drink you've both had … it's full of aphrodisiacs. It's this island's speciality. And I seriously apologise – seems like two's way too much for him," he said ruefully. "Wouldn't have thought … he's got the build of a man who can stand a bit too much …"

"He had three of them. I didn't like mine, so he drank it," Yami informed the guy, sighing inwardly.

The barkeeper gasped. "Oh … oh, I'm so sorry … why didn't you tell me so?"

Yami only barely refrained from shrugging, which would have hurt very much. "We thought the problem was with alcohol. And he's quite good in holding his liquor, so …" She sighed again. Who was to blame now? Who could she be angry at now? Damn it all.

"Normally one is enough. I just thought it'd help you …"

She gave him a glare. "And what made you think so?"

"Ehe …" He scratched his neck sheepishly. "You seemed to me like you had the hots for one another, and just couldn't get over your inhibitions …"

Yami face-palmed. "Seriously. You should stop thinking, man. Do I look to you like I'm fucking shy?"

"I … I'm sorry," he mumbled.

By now they were arrived at Ace's slumped figure against the wall. "Yah, well. Here he is," she said.

She saw the young man swallow hard. "What?" she asked, pretty impatient now. "We don't have the whole century, you know. He could wake up any minute. Perhaps he'll be after you then, who knows."

"You … You knocked him out?" he asked, again with that squealiness in his voice that made him into said bunny.

"Yah." When he just stared at her incredulously, she raised her hands in a can't-help-it gesture. "Whaddaya know. When you're panicking because your friend just turned monster and tried to jump your bones, you can be quite strong. Or so I found out."

He nodded hesitantly, then bent down to take Ace's arm to lift him up. "Could you … take the other?"

"I'll try." She ground her teeth as Ace's weight on her shoulder sent a sharp pain through her upper body. Tsk. Other people in my condition are recovering in freakin' beds. "When will this be over?"

"A few more hours, perhaps. It'll be faster if he's sleeping."

To her relief, the hotel really was where she thought she had seen it. Convincing the receptionist that Ace just had had one too much, with which the barkeeper helped a lot, the elderly man took over from Yami and together the two men carried him upstairs, heaving him into a bed.

"Jeez," Yami sighed as they had taken their leave, the barkeeper wishing her luck so that he wouldn't wake up, at which the receptionist looked questioningly but said nothing. "You sleep," she ordered the unconscious figure on the bed, and sank onto a chair. She was exhausted. And as it seemed, this would be her sleeping place tonight. Yay.

After a few minutes of inner struggle, Yami had convinced herself to go get her toothbrush – leaving it out wasn't healthy at all – and to at least put on some comfortable clothes, if she had to sleep on the floor.

She dragged herself towards where she had dumped her rucksack, rummaged her way through until she had found her necessities, then shuffled to the small bathroom.

She had already changed into her sleeping shorts and shirt and was halfway through the procedure of teeth brushing when she heard a sound coming from the bedroom. She stopped short and listened intently, but could hear nothing. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, she thought, finishing brushing her teeth, and spat out the foam. With an exhausted inhale, she grabbed for her hairbrush next – but she didn't get that far.

A loud crash made her jump with fright, and the brush fell to the floor with a clattering sound. She whirled around – to find herself confronted with (really, who'd have thought it!) Ace's broad frame blocking the doorway. He was holding himself upright with one hand at the frame, his dark brown hair dangling wildly around his eyes, his uncannily glowing blue gaze focused directly on her.

Well, fuck.

"Why can't you sleep like a normal stupid idiot?" she asked him, not expecting an answer and not getting one, anyway. Instead, he let out one of those low growls that sent shivers down her spine and would have, under different circumstances, made her melt like butter in a microwave.

Not that she wasn't already starting to melt, though. Here he was: untamed, featherbrained, incredibly strong, randy and ready to go and give her the ride of her life. Or to just fuck her brains out. And wasn't that charming.

But she hadn't any time to consider anything, for now he started to swoop down on her. And in this tiny cabin called 'bathroom', she had nowhere else to go.

"Damn … cow…boy!" she cursed as she fended off his advances with both hands, which didn't only hurt a bit. And of course it was fruitless. In no time he had overcome the little distance between them, pressing up against her and almost crushing her between himself and the porcelain sink behind her. She still had her hands up and before her mouth, trying to prevent him from 'kissing' her once more, but that only made him resume to licking and biting the skin around her neck.

"F…uck," she groaned, really tempted to just give in and let him have his way with her. It felt like he had his hands all over her, squeezing her butt, roaming over her back, up her front and below her bra, gentler this time but still with that savage undercurrent that turned her on like nothing else.

A moan escaped her mouth, which made him press his lower abdomen against hers, grinding a fully fledged erection against her core. She replied by digging her fingers into his sides in sensual agony, now seriously considering the possibility. What of it, anyway? He seemed to want it too, ohh yeah he did, and who was she to deny him that pleasure? Just a little bit of consensual sex didn't hurt anyone, right?

Right …

He half-kissed-half-bit his way up to her face, panting in the exact same way that she did, buried his hand in her hair and slightly yanked her head upwards, so that she had to look at him. And there was fire in his eyes, she saw it clearly. Not literally, no … but it made her breathless.

"I want you," he half growled, half moaned, and Yami's ability for rational thinking went overboard. She let him kiss her this time, and although fierce, it wasn't as brutal as his former attempts had been. He pressed his lips onto hers and stole what was left of her breath while his hand behind her head didn't allow any space to be between them. She gave a moan when his tongue entered her mouth, feeling, exploring.

Sweet nothingness in her head.

It was that little voice in the furthest back of her mind that reminded her of the absolute no-go-ness of this situation. She wanted to ignore it, but unfortunately, the bastard was persistent.

He's not in his right mind, and you know that very well, it said.

Yah, and isn't that a pity, she replied.

But you are. You have to stop this.

Why? That wouldn't be sensible at all.

I'm your reason, dammit! If I'm not sensible, then who is? And I tell you to stop!

What if I don't?

Then you're in serious danger of losing your only friend in this world.

…

Her eyes flew open, and she stared at the white tiles above the door. Ace was still busy with kissing her, but she had made a decision. The right decision.

Slowly, she took her hands up to frame his face, and broke away from his lips. "I'm sorry, cowboy," she said calmly. "We can't do this."

"I want you. Now," he responded, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Do you know how much I want you to say this to me? In your un-drugged state, that is." She ignored the delicious feeling of his hard-on pressing against her abdomen, and shook her head. "Please, come to your senses!"

He growled like a wolf, almost baring his teeth.

"I don't want to hurt you again, cowboy, so please stop it."

Her pleas had little effect on him, however. In the end she had to transform again, to get behind him and out of the bathroom. He darted for her as soon as he had realised that no, this wasn't Yami, this was air in his arms, and she jumped onto the bed. She already had a plan.

When he was only a few steps away, she swiftly put her palm onto his chest, concentrating, sending all her energy to this single place.

The effect was immediate: in less than one second, he toppled over, falling onto the bed with her. She followed him down, careful not to break the contact, always concentrating. For fear of suffocating him, she turned him around so that he was now lying on his back, and was met by his confused blue-glowing stare. "What …?" he mumbled weakly, trying to move – which was, of course, quite difficult for him.

"Sorry, cowboy," she muttered. "But as little as you like this now you'd like the other way when you woke up tomorrow."

"Please," he breathed, looking so miserable and pitiful that she had to avert her eyes. Nobody should see him in such a state, him who was so proud. "Please … do me …"

"No will do."

"It … hurts …" he moaned, arching his back as if he wanted to rub his erection against the inner surface of his pants to get at least some relief. "Please … please …"

"I know. I'm sorry. You'll understand tomorrow."

"Oh … please …"

"No! And will you shut up!" she snarled, resting her head on her hand while the other still held him down.

"Do me … it hurts so much …"

"Gosh," she mumbled wearily. "This night's gonna be fuckin' long."

Author's note: Wheeew! And what will he say when he'll wake up? So much fun to mess with the cowboy … ;-)

Coming up:

"Oh … God …" he groaned, holding his head. – Waking up is so much fun …

Oh God, please let me disappear right here. – Poor thing, I'm really always just messing with you …

"No, I don't see," he mumbled, already realising he had lost. There was just no beating her stupid self-invented logic. – It's just like Luffy logic, unbeatable …^^