Hi! Wow... I thought I'd never get through this chapter. Work tried but failed to keep me away! Woot! Yeah, I'm back but off an on. No promises until after my work season is over with. Hope everyone is doing great! Take care!
The admiral waited a bit. He was sure someone was watching them and it wasn't one of his own. Kuzan had made this place his home several years ago, mainly for the solidarity it provided. There was much in his career as a marine that had eaten away at his soul and the officer didn't feel comfortable letting others know about his personal fears or silent screams while he dreamt. It was Zephyr who saw his need for his privacy and recommended the place. With those thoughts in the far reaches of his mind, the man knew when something felt out of place and in his home… it did.
After the perception of his paranoia passed, the admiral let out a heavy breath. If the person targeting Katie was watching, he'd be sure to give them a show. With no effort, the man lifted himself to his feet and turned off the lights before making his way to Katie's new bedroom door. He had heard the lock prior but it posed no obstacle against him. With a simple touch the handle was froze to the point the locking mechanism inside had shattered. A simple, careful turn and the door opened.
It felt strange. The room was blanketed in shadow. Normal for nearly three in the morning but still with everything going on, no doubt unsettling. It took a bit for Kuzan's eyes to adjust but once they did, the sight before him left him motionless. Katelyn had taken up the center of the bed. Her small movements had kicked the blankets down to the back of her knees as she laid upon her stomach. Dark locks of hair spread across one side of the string of pillows which left a freckled cheek pressed against the fabric below her while the young woman had slept. Her head had been turned in his direction. The small breaths she took left dusty pink lips parted. He felt the draw to claim them again.
A shiver slipped down the man's spine. A simple realization had hit him. This beautiful woman, half his age, was in his bed. No other man on Marineford could make that claim. The feeling was nice and brought a slight simper to his thin lips. He could really see himself growing to enjoy this. How many more nights would Katie be here, the admiral contemplated. Just before his mind slipped deeper into thought, the curly haired officer lightly padded his way over to the bedroom furniture before slipping next to her.
Soft murmurs of sleepy protests slipped from the tiny woman. It tugged a full wry smile from his lips. Here was a man who was nearly in his mid-forties crawling into bed with someone he had already dubbed a babe. While his mind turned and twisted because of the wine, Aokiji sparked a devious thought. His large form leaned forward while thick fingers tugged the white fabric to her nightshirt upward. In this proximity, the marine could smell the waft of doughnuts just as Katie had mentioned earlier. The article of clothing really was more of a family heirloom than something to be tossed away.
In the twilight hours and in the confines of his home, the officer began to lay cherub kisses on each scar his eyes could find in the darkness. Katie squirmed lightly against Kuzan's gentle touches. A delightful gasp from her tiny form caused the admiral's heart to flutter. "W…Wha are you do'n", a sleepy voice broke free from the pillow that had been muffling the young woman's lustful stirs.
"Nothing", Aokiji hummed before putting his lips to the soft velvety skin in the center of her lower back. Her reaction wasn't one he was expecting. An unsettled shiver had traveled through Katie's tiny form which caused the man to lift his head. The admiral smirked as the long-haired brunette propped herself on her own elbows and arched her back to try and escape the tender affection.
"Sss…", the little female hissed. "…Stop", the young woman bemoaned as color rushed to her cheeks. Katie had buried her face into her pillow and began whimpering.
"Sensitive area", the officer asked with amusement. The smaller woman's silent squirming had been her answer and it had caused a situation that had broken the tense feeling in his shoulders. A snicker bubbled into full laughter. "I'm sorry…", the man swiftly apologized before slipping up the entirety of her body and pressing his cheek to her own. "Didn't mean to get a reaction quite like that", Kuzan continued to whisper with an unbreakable smile.
"Hush…", the young woman snipped back quietly. She couldn't help but let her lips curl up at the tips once the sensation of the officer's coarse unshaven stubble rubbed roughly against her soft cheek. The man ensnared her smaller frame with his longer arms and kept her back to his chest. Though his weight was slightly heavy, the feeling of the moment made her heart jump with joy. She was simply too tired to bask in the idea of him holding her like no other had.
Fingers slipped up and danced gingerly over the short coarse hairs that had begun to grow across the marine's jaw. "You know… Something has been bothering me…", the man lightly strummed with his eyes closed and a slight wrinkled nose from the ticklish contact.
"What's that", she inquired with her own eyes closed as she traced an invisible line over the structure of Kuzan's strong jaw.
"You had a pink cast over that hand. What happened to it and why do you not have another one?" The officer's question was gruff but light in nature.
"They cut it off when they re-did my chart. I asked to not have it put back", Katie answered without thinking about it.
"You're getting another tomorrow", the marine asserted.
"Ha", she mocked. "You and what…", the young woman paused as she heard the distinctive sound of snoring. The heavy exhales indicated that the wine in his system finally had taken over and allowed his body to fully relax. The brunette hadn't realize it was her presence that gave Kuzan the opportunity to finally get some heavy sleep.
Now fully awake and aware, the young woman shifted carefully from under her living blanket. Honestly Katie couldn't blame the man. He seemingly had been worried over her for some time now. The listless man had drained all reserves. The two couldn't even sleep throughout the night without having someone interrupting. Her brilliant hues had started to pick up the deep lines of exhaustion in the crinkles of his eyes. Though several times Aokiji had denied it, it was painfully clear he needed some solid rest.
The young woman slipped out of the room quietly and carefully. Through Garp's training, she could even walk up to a sleeping tiger. Katelyn then felt it. A presence that seemed to have clenched around her own heart. The ping of pain sent a shiver down her spine. The marine's granddaughter straightened her shoulders as a familiar aroma touched her nose.
Naturally, she wasn't good at this subterfuge kind of thing but Katie didn't want to wake a sleeping officer either. At least not until she had a better grasp of this situation. The young woman tipped toed down the hall and entered the kitchen area. "Hello", she whispered in the form of a question. The brunette was afraid of waking a certain person; she was going to keep her voice low.
"Hi", another female's voice answered back meekly. From a dark corner of the connected living room appeared the blonde from the greeting desk. Her angular cheeks puffed and red with eyes swollen from crying. Her clothes tattered and torn, dirty with scrapes covering her fingers.
Blue hues widened. "Oh dear", Katelyn murmured quietly upon instinct. "You look awful. Come-come…", the shorter brunette waved over for the troubled woman to have a seat at the kitchen table. The slightly taller woman limped over and in the better light, the petite female got a closer look. The greeter was still dressed in her midnight colored office attire from work. Her white button up stained with dirt and blood. The woman's smooth skirt was torn at the seams with soil and sand caked into the fabric. It was perfectly safe to assume a tussle on the beach or somewhere nearby, except for the brunette whose nose could smell Kane's cologne off the blonde's clothes; the lack of fear and sweat accompanied with the manhunt going on was another red flag. Why would a man fight with a woman on the very same beach where he could easily be spotted?
"What happened", Katie inquired in a normal tone with hopes she could wake a sleeping giant.
"I honestly don't know… I had been walking home from work when a heavy arm came around", she muttered softly.
Garp's granddaughter raised a brow as she went to the cupboard to get something to drink for Kuzan if he got up. The younger woman hadn't forgotten about the wine the admiral had drank before bed. "Then what happened", the brunette asked again.
"From the size and cologne, I could tell it was a man as I was dragged through some alleys. Marines running by everywhere… I tried to scream; somehow get attention but I couldn't… Finally, he threw me into beach after calling me useless before running off…" Katie took note that the blonde's long golden locks didn't appear to be disheveled. The volume of the female's voice was still low which irked the brunette. But lastly if there were Marines everywhere, then why come here?
"You know… I'm not that smart but like Grandpa Garp, I know when I'm lied too. You need to work on that. There are so many holes in your story… I stopped counting." It was a lie but Katie needed her to raise that voice of hers.
"What", the blonde hissed lowly. "I can't believe what I'm hearing", she barked under her breath. "I came here personally to tell you it was Kane. You of all people should know where he is. You fought him already", the greeter explained with tears rising to the corner of her eyes.
Katie shook her head. "No. You make no sense. Those tears are fake. It's like watching a three year old. You know the type of kid that falls and when no one is looking gets up but… if mommy is there, the cheeks turn red and the water works turn on? You also keep minding the tone of your voice. You know Kuzan is asleep and only those that have been watching us would know that. Let me further explain the massive hole in your story other than the lack of fear." The shorter brunette paused to fill a glass of water but only turned on the faucet.
"You said there were marines everywhere. Yet once you got away, you didn't stop to tell a single soul. If any of the guys saw you as you are now, they'd stop you with a list full of questions. So, you either had to have sneaked around or come from the eastern side of the coast line." Katie gave the woman enough figurative rope to hanger herself with. She wanted to see what the blonde would do with it.
"I came from the east… yes", the greeter was quick to jump at the chance to clear her name.
"No. That's impossible", a deep resonated tone filled the living room. Kuzan's looming form stood in the hall entry that led into the kitchen-living area. A large hand pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired, the wine in his system didn't help, thus the headache that throbbed in the front of his mind.
Katie had filled the empty glass of water and handed it off to the taller man before turning off the faucet. "The east side is nothing but a sheer drop. There is no beach", the brunette explained.
Wide blue eyes from the blonde darted over to the admiral. A full pink bottom lip quivered as real tears poured down her cheeks. "We didn't mean for it to go this far", she choked. "All we ever did was scare the others to stay away…", she continued to utter through exasperated gasps. "I just wanted to be helpful!"
The marine appeared as confused as ever. Katie watched him cock his head to the side and nearly gaze downward at her, sideways. His thin brow arched before the twenty-three year old sighed. "I'm going to assume she means the other women who have been romantically interested in you. Ever wanted to know why the nicest admiral on Marineford had never been approached by women in general? I'm sure you coughed it up to work or your towering height but I've been on the island for two, almost three, weeks now. I have figured out what a glory hound or a trophy hunter is. It's a woman who seek men for their status. They're crawling all over the place. Some are pretty nice and good looking too", she explained.
"Being a marine of the second highest rank in a world power pretty much guarantees a cozy life with bragging rights for their other half." Katie crossed her arms as her own blue hues narrowed on the blonde who only nodded her head to support what the brunette was explaining. "I'm also going to go out on a limb and say this woman and her friends has a heavy infatuation with you… That's why they went to such lengths to protect you… Then I came along. You didn't even know me but you already had me move in next to you. You set me up with volunteer work to get my bearings and in their eyes, introduced me to your work colleagues. Far more attention than you have ever given one of them…"
The blonde quickly cupped her face into her hands and began to wail. Kuzan didn't know what to think. It felt surreal to him. All of this had to have been a dream. Guilt filled the man as he was purely responsible for putting Katie in danger. Had he paid more attention to his surroundings, the officer could have avoided her getting involved in the first place. Anger began to well up but he didn't know where to put it. The situation was mind numbing. So many questions rushed through his thoughts but all he could do was wince at the woman's pathetic wails.