Hinata was still trying to wrap her head around the contradictions in his personality. One minute Captain Menma was cruel, starving her or cutting off a man's fingers, then next he was gently wiping her tears and looking at her with deep blue eyes full of what could possibly be mistaken as compassion.
Maybe he wasn't really as ruthless as he appeared. Maybe it was a front to assert his dominance over his crew. And maybe, just maybe, if he does have a heart, Hinata could appeal to his sympathies and convince him to let her go without taking all the money Neji had to his name.
But first, she needed to get closer to him. Learn more about him and understand what made him tick.
Hinata decided she would try harder to converse with Menma when he was inside his quarters. He was always trying to use his charm to confuse her, so maybe she could try a similar tactic.
When Menma returned to his quarters, he walked in and kicked off his shoes without acknowledging her. "Umm, how was your day?" Hinata tried, her voice coming out much more timid than she would've liked.
"Oh, you're awake." Menma spared her a glance, but completely ignored her attempt at polite conversation and began unbuttoning his vest.
Pale eyes widened when he removed it and tossed it aside before he removed his shirt to reveal hardened muscles covered in tanned skin. In the dim light, he nearly looked like a bronze statue with the only imperfections being the numerous scars that littered his body.
"Are you enjoying watching me undress?" he asked with a teasing smirk.
Hinata shook her head and quickly averted her gaze down to her hands fidgeting in her lap. Her cheeks colored a bright shade of pink as she mumbled, "I-I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't mean to stare."
"Stare all you want. Hell, come touch if you're so interested," Menma husked.
Hinata could feel her face growing hot as she turned to object to such a lewd suggestion, but he was much closer to the bed than before.
"I —" Hinata choked on her words the moment she found herself trapped in his ocean blue gaze. Suddenly, she forgot what she was going to say.
"You?" Menma loomed over her with an amused smirk on his lips.
"I —" she tried again, but nervously swallowed before any words could come out. His fingers gently skated over her jaw, making her skin tingle from his heated touch.
He leaned in closer and Hinata could feel her heart beginning to accelerate, anxious, but also weirdly excited to see what he might do.
"Move over." Pales eyes blinked at him.
"I want to go to sleep, so move over," Menma clarified. Hinata furrowed her brow, confused at her own disappointment as she moved to one side of the bed and watched as Menma plopped down and closed his eyes.
Unsure what to do, Hinata set her head back down on her pillow and laid there silently for several long moments. But even as she told herself to just go to sleep, she still couldn't tear her eyes away from him. The scars on his arms and torso seemed to vary in age and tell a thousand tales.
The temptation was too great to control and Hinata found her fingers softly tracing over a darkened scar over Menma's chest. Then her touch traveled to the next one and the next one. A soft smile spread across her lips at the way her tender ministrations inspired goosebumps on his skin.
His chest rose and fell with steady breaths as her nimble fingers skated through the ridges of his abs. There was something about exploring his heated skin and healed wounds that made him seem more human. Less monstrous.
Hinata mentally shamed herself for her curiosity when her hand lingered over the hem of his pants.
Pale eyes flickered up to his face and her entire body froze when her gaze met darkened blue. Her hand retracted quickly, tucking itself against her chest. "I-I'm sorry, Captain."
She had thought he was asleep, but to know he had been a witness to her exploration of his body made her entire face grow hot with embarrassment. Hinata flopped back down on the bed and turned her back toward him to hide her mortification.
"No apology needed," Menma said simply, before closing his eyes and actually going to sleep.
As Hinata sat on the bed in Captain Menma's quarters, willing the days to pass by quicker, her attention seemed to fixate on a shelf full of worn, black leather-bound books above his desk. Curiosity tickled at the back of her mind, asking a dozen questions of what those books may contain.
A log of all the treasure he's stolen? A list of names of all the men he's killed? The women he's bedded? With a man as mysterious as Menma, it seemed the possibilities were endless.
Opal eyes flickered to the door every few seconds. Her heart was pounding at the thought of getting caught, but she needed to know more about him if she was to move forward with her plan. Tentatively, Hinata reached out and pulled one of the books out at random. She stood beside the desk, peeking over her shoulder once more at the door before venturing to open the book.
The pages were aged and some seemed a bit warped, likely from exposure to seawater. But what she was most surprised by was the neat script inside. It didn't seem to be any sort of list like Hinata had imagined, but rather a journal of sorts.
Her eyes scanned over the words on the page as they regaled Menma's excursion to a deserted island off the coast of Kiri. His words were surprisingly eloquent and the imagery he painted of the white sand beaches made her feel like she was there.
Her attention was completely consumed by the stories he recorded. Page after page she wanted to read more. The way he described himself bathing in a crystal blue waterfall or the interesting people he encountered in the various villages he docked at made Hinata feel so… envious.
She had assumed they were close in age, but it truly felt as though Menma had done at least three times as much living. Especially if all these leather books were full of his stories.
Hinata found herself wondering if she could even fill one journal about her life. Her highlights felt lackluster in comparison to the adventures and shenanigans Menma found himself in.
This particular journal must have been older, maybe from his adolescence. The voice of the writing is younger and he frequently alluded to working for a Captain Jiraiya, who was apparently incredibly perverse.
"What do you think you're doing?" Menma's deep voice growled against her neck. His warm breath fanned against her skin, sending a terrified shiver up her spine.
Pale eyes widened as the journal slipped from her trembling fingers and clattered onto the desk. Hinata had been so engrossed in her reading that she hadn't even heard him come in.
His rough hands gripped the desk on either side of her waist, effectively trapping her between the wood surface and his heated presence. Despite her fear coursing through her veins, Hinata was tempted to surrender, to lean back, and just melt against his firm body.
"You know what happens to those who touch what doesn't belong to them, don't you?" Menma rasped.
"Please don't cut off my fingers," she peeped nervously.
He exhaled a mischievous chuckle that made her skin prickle. "I think you deserve a different kind of punishment, my little pearl."
Hinata sighed, her body visibly relaxing as Menma stepped back. She leaned against the desk to help support her quivering legs as she peeked over her shoulder, watching him sit down on the bed and beckon her over.
She stood there frozen as anxious opal eyes met dangerous blue. "Wh-what kind of punishment?"
Even as she asked, she figured anything would be better than getting her fingers cut off, right?
"Why don't you come here and I'll show you." His voice was laced with salacious promise that made an unexpected heat pool between her legs. Hinata bit her lip as she took a tentative step toward him.
But the moment she was close enough, Menma grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to lay face down across his lap. Hinata struggled in his hold but his firm hand pressed against her back, keeping her pinned there.
Pale eyes grew wide when he started pulling up her skirt. "What are you doing?!" she cried, half-heartedly kicking her legs.
"You promised to behave, but then you keep being so naughty." Menma folded over so he could whisper into her ear as a sadistic smile played at his lips. "Do you know how naughty girls get punished?"
Her breath hitched when he pulled down her undergarments and Hinata's entire face grew red at the humiliating position he had trapped her in. Menma's calloused palm softly skimmed up her pale thigh to knead at the plump flesh of her generous bottom.
The moment she realized his plans, her eyes clenched shut and her hands fisted the sheets below her, waiting for the inevitable blow.
A harsh slap against her bare ass forced the air from her lungs with a sharp gasp. She hardly had a moment to process the stinging pain before he spanked her again.
It hurt and yet she could feel the moisture pooling between her thighs and her nipples grow hard with unwelcome arousal. She was trapped and at his mercy, desperate to escape, at the same time desperate for more.
"Ooh~" she mewled involuntarily as the next hit connected with her tender flesh. A furious blush bloomed across her face at the lewd noises she made each time he spanked her.
Hinata buried her face into the bed, trying to hide the wanton moans that tore from her throat. Never had such unladylike sounds spilled from her lips, and yet every harsh slap of Menma's palm sent a jolt through her body that made her pussy throb with need.
Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes after about half a dozen blows. Her body was tingling, overwhelmed by the confusing mixture of pain and pleasure. Menma was clearly enjoying himself, she could feel his stiff erection pressing firmly against her hip.
Hinata inhaled a shuddering breath as she felt his fingers gently skating over her cheek. Her pinkened bottom seemed especially sensitive after his abuse. Her eyes widened and her hips bucked when his wandering fingers neared her weeping core.
"Aah, aah~" Hinata whimpered as he traced over her wet slit, coating his fingers in her silky essence. Her traitorous body pushed against his hand in a silent plea for more.
"You really are a naughty girl." Menma husked, his voice dripping with desire. "You loved being punished, don't you?"
"No!" Hinata whined. But her response was met with another rough spank against her tender ass that made her cry out and her pussy quiver.
"Don't lie," he smirked. "I know you like it, you're fucking drenched." She sighed as two fingers slipped inside her, stretching her tight warmth.
Hinata whimpered and writhed against his lap as his thick fingers continued to plunge in and out of her wet heat. She could feel her core clenching around his intrusion as he stroked her moist walls and drove her closer to madness.
"Ooh, oooh~" she moaned breathlessly as his steady fingers circled her clit and pushed her over the edge. When the tension building in her low belly snapped, Hinata cried out with overwhelming pleasure as she came, her wet pussy fluttering around his probing fingers.
After taking a few moments to calm her labored breath, she peeked at Menma over her shoulder. He made heated eye contact with her as he sucked her heady juices off his fingers. The sight made her eyes widen and her core stir with renewed arousal.
"You really are something else, my little pearl," he said in a raspy whisper as he fixed her skirt. Hinata wasn't really sure what he meant by that but her cheeks heated with embarrassment.
"This was fun, but I do have work to do," he stood and deposited her on the bed before adjusting himself in his pants. He walked over to his desk, returned the journal to the shelf, and grabbed something else, which must have been the original reason he came to his quarters.
"I don't think I have to remind you to be a good girl, do I?"
"No, Captain," she whispered with a shake of her head. Her bottom was so sore, but her body was humming from such a powerful release.
She tensed when leaned over her, meeting her gaze with darkened blue eyes. "Or be naughty. Either way works for me," Menma winked and then sauntered out the door, leaving Hinata reeling.
A/N: ahhh! thanks so much for reading! I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter!