As I walked up the stairs with the twins under my arms, they both tried to protest that they weren't tired. Eli ruined it by letting out a loud yawn, which was quickly echoed by Sora (who shot a glare at his younger brother). I just grinned at them and walked down the hallway. Shanks had told me that there was an empty room across from the one we had used earlier, so that is where I headed. I nudged the door open with my foot, revealing a room that was the mirror image of the one Shanks and I had claimed. On the chair by the door were the twins' bags, so he must have told them that this would be their room.

I set them down and started to pull out their pajamas, but both boys grabbed their bags from me. They protested that they were old enough to get themselves ready for bed. I held my hands up with a small grin and crouched down. I rocked back on my heels and propped my head up in my hands. Sora pulled out a dark blue yukata, about the same size as my own, and started to put it on. Eli followed quickly with his identical black yukata, but was having a little trouble with the ties. Sora helped his brother before I could, making me smile. Once the twins had brushed their teeth, they crawled into the bed. I stood up and walked over to the bed. I lightly kissed each of their foreheads and told them that I would be right across the hall. Sora gave me a disapproving stare, but said nothing. I winked at him and brushed a stray strand of crimson off of Eli's cheek. I bid them a goodnight and stepped into the hallway, turning off the light before shutting the door.

Despite trying to protest that they weren't ready to go to sleep, the boys were exhausted. Rightfully so, as they had had a long day. Not only had they used their Devil Fruit power to help me threaten the Little Bastard, but they had then gone on a scouting mission. Normally, that was enough to wear them down, but they had also helped with the stew. While it had been cooking, the boys would pause time in fifteen-minute increments. They always did that when I was cooking stew and didn't have several hours for it to cook thoroughly. So what had been about eleven hours for me was closer to fourteen for the twins.

As I descended the stairs, I could hear Shanks laughing like crazy. On light feet, I walked back into the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. Shanks was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face and slamming his fist down on the table as he fought to get a breath. I looked across from him to try and see what the crazy Emperor was laughing at. The Little Bastard sat slumped in his chair, looking so distraught that I could basically see the depression cloud hanging over his head. His face was so forlorn that I felt bad for the kid, even as my mouth blurted out what I was thinking.

"Damn, who died?" Everyone glanced at me as Shanks' laughter died down. The man took one look at me, turned back to Little Bastard, and started laughing again. I scowled and walked behind the giggling pirate. I wrapped one arm around his neck and covered his mouth with my other hand. "Shut up, Shanks! Can't ya see the kid here's upset?"

Shanks reached up and tightly grasped my wrist, but didn't pull my hand away, thankfully leaving his laughter muffled. His dark eyes sparkled mischeviously at me and his thumb started to trace circles on the back of my Little Bastard blinked several times, almost like he was waking up from a dream, and looked at me. Standing up abruptly enough to make me jump, he leaned forward and slammed his hand down on the table. "Tell me something," he snapped, a raw tone to his voice. "Are you the Hell Cat?"

I gave him a wary look and cautiously asked, "Why?"

"Because I need to know!"

I scowled at Little Bastard when he shouted at me, but Mask-Chan quickly said, "My Captain is a big fan of the Hell Cat and got excited when he heard that the Hell Cat had been recently spotted back with the Red-Hair Pirates." The blond man shrugged. "We just want to find him."

The Little Bastard's scowl turned into a smug grin. "He had one of the highest first bounties ever placed on a pirate rookie," he said excitedly. "And he wasn't much older than me! I was disappointed when I heard he'd been captured by the Marines, but I vowed to get stronger than him. So of course when I heard rumors that he was spotted again, I just had to find him so that I could challenge him!"

My heart flipped in my chest and I had to fight to keep my grin off of my face. "So, let me get this straight," I said calmly. "You're saying that the Hell Cat inspired you and Mask-Chan to become pirates, yah?"

The Little Bastard shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

I let out a whoop of joy and spun around Shanks. I sat on his lap and cupped his cheeks with a loud smack! "Ha!" I crowed with a wide grin. "You're not the only one to have inspired two of the Supernovas to become pirates!"

Shanks chuckled and placed his hand on my hip. "I guess you're right, Kitten," he said smoothly, but I interrupted before he could say more.

"Are you going to call me 'Sempai', now?" I asked, turning around to face the other pirates while staying seated on Shanks' lap.

"Wait!" he shouted at me, his eyes wide and almost panicked. "You can't really be the Hell Cat! You're a Marine!"

"I became a Marine ten years ago, when Garp the Fist basically gained custody of me," I said simply. "Which is—"

"—Right when the Hell Cat was 'captured'," Mask-Chan murmured, slowly shifting away from his captain.

Little Bastard crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Aren't you a little too ol—ouch! Shit! That hurt!"

The Little Bastard glared at me with tears staining the corners of his eyes, rubbing the red, mug-shaped spot on his forehead. Mask-Chan quietly set my mug back on the table as I snapped, "I'm only twenty-six, thank you. I am not old! 'Sides, I turned sixteen the day my bounty was released."

The Little Bastard's frown deepened. "So you had your kids when you were—what?—sixteen, seventeen?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Why else do you think the Old Fart would take me in as his granddaughter instead of putting me in Impel Down?"

The Little Bastard's dark eyes looked over my shoulder at Shanks. "You seduced and screwed around with your ward? Who was still a minor in every country in the world?" His lip twitched in a smirk. "Nice moves, man."

I felt my cheeks blaze as Shanks' hand tightened on my hip. He started to say something, but I cut him off. "I seduced Shanks," I snapped. "It took me several tries, but I finally did it. And the World Government said the age of consent is sixteen; I looked it up when I became a Marine. So don't go praising something he never did."

Shanks snorted a laugh behind me as Little Bastard gave me a doubting look. "From what I remember, you looked like a guy back then," he said simply. Well, at least he believes that I was the Hell Cat now. His smirk turned snotty. "Are you sure lover-boy doesn't swing the other way?"

I opened my mouth to growl something back, but any words in my mind vanished with a small squeak. Shanks had placed his hand on my breast and pulled me tight against his chest with a soft squeeze. Shanks rested his head on my shoulder and gave the Little Bastard a smug grin. "Elle's clothing was baggy back then, but only because she refused to wear anything other than my clothing," he said congenially. "And she might not have been as well-endowed as she is now, but I found nothing—lacking."

A man can sense when another male has taken an interest in his female, especially when that interest is of a sexual nature. You can ask any man in the world and they will all agree. Shanks had felt that little instinct nudging his mind when that young pirate had first recognized Elle. But he was a sensible man and decided to ignore it. When they had met up again in the woods, that nudging had turned into prodding, but again, Shanks ignored it. The fact that he was able to full claim Elle as his not an hour later probably helped. When Elle had tried to attack the young man, Shanks had grimly assumed that the kid held a torch for the Cat-Woman. But any doubt that Shanks carried in his mind vanished when the shitty brat tried to drive a wedge between Shanks and Elle.

If a battle was what he wanted, then Shanks would give the brat a war.

Shanks' dark gaze met that of the younger man's as his hand slid up Elle's stomach. Shanks gently cupped her breast in his hand and pulled her flush against him. The little surprised noise that she made when he did so went straight to his head. And not the one on top of his neck. Shanks stifled his groan and placed his chin on Elle's shoulder. Shanks grinned at the other pirate, savoring his shocked expression. "Elle's clothing was baggy back then, but only because she refused to wear anything other than my clothing," Shanks crooned. "And she might not have been as well-endowed as she is now, but I found nothing—lacking."

Elle started to move, so shanks guessed that she was about to scold him. That would ruin the whole point of Shanks' display, so he needed to distract the woman. When her ass rubbed against him, Shanks was blessed with another wonderful idea. Holding the other man's gaze, Shanks slowly started to rub his finger over Elle's nipple. Shanks knew from personal experience that Elle did not wear very thick clothing, so she started to instantly react. Elle let out a soft sigh and Shanks felt her nipple stiffen under his finger. Out of the corner of his eye, Shanks noticed that Elle's face turned bright red. The other pirate only narrowed his eyes, so Shanks upped the ante.

Shanks started to softly kiss Elle's neck before giving it a gentle bite. He started rolling her hardened nipple between his fingers and was pleased to hear the Cat-Woman unable to hold back her breathy moans. The entire time Shanks kept his gaze firmly locked on the other pirate, silently daring the other man to look away. Elle arched her back, pressing her breast into his hand while simultaneously brushing against his hardening member. Shanks couldn't hold back his pleasured grunt and the other man's eyes sharpened. Elle was his, and Shanks wasn't about to let some upstart, rookie, wannabe pirate take her away from him.

The savage thought was born from an intense jealousy the likes of which Shanks had never felt before. And the realization shocked Shanks. He had slept with Elle only on two occasions; it was the first time in a decade that Shanks had spent more than moments with her. Shanks had had plenty of sexual encounters in the past, he even had had a few lovers. But when their attention waned, or when those woman had gained the attention of another man, Shanks had never been jealous. He had simply asked the woman who they would rather be with. If it was him, great—he had a partner for the remainder of his time on that island. If it wasn't Shanks, he was never sad to let them go. But Shanks could never be so calm if the woman in question was Elle.

Shanks' sidetracked thoughts gave Elle the perfect opportunity. She quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from her body. In the same smooth movement, Elle had Shanks locked in a tight headlock. "Enough of your Alpha Male bullshit!" she growled, squeezing tightly before abruptly letting go.

Elle stood up and glared at Shanks, but he could only give her an easy smile. Elle rolled her eyes with a put-upon sigh and sank down into the chair next to him. When Elle kicked up her legs and placed them across his lap, Shanks felt relief. No matter how she acted, Elle wasn't truly mad at him. Elle flung her arm over the back of her chair and Shanks started to gently rub his hand over her shin. Glancing back at the younger pirate, Shanks' sense of victory grew. The young man was keeping his gaze studiously placed somewhere just over Elle's shoulder. It might have just been alpha-male bullshit, but Shanks had won.

"So what was your condition for helping us?" I asked, breaking the harsh silence after Shanks and the Little Bastard's pissing contest. I mean, really. It was incredibly immature of Shanks to do that just to prove to the Little Bastard that he could. Especially when it was taking all of my willpower not to jump Shanks right there on the table.

Focus, Elle! I shook my head and tuned in to the rest of what Little Bastard was saying. "—lready 'helped' me." He scowled at Shanks. "And because of this dickhead, I'm stuck helping you despite you doing jack-shit to help me."

Seeing my blank look, Shanks chuckled and said, "Kid here just wanted help finding the Hell Cat. I made him promise to still help you before I told him that you were the Hell Cat."

My heart did a little flutter at the reminder that I was basically this kid's hero. I grinned at the Little Bastard and said, "You never answered if you are going to call me 'Sempai', now." When he just glared at me, I shrugged. "I don't really mind either way. I'm just happy that my disciple has a higher bounty that Shanks'."

Shanks chuckled and lightly squeezed my knee. "But mine's still stronger," he said simply, looking at the Little Bastard out of the corner of his eye.

Little Bastard turned his glare on Shanks as I poked his stomach with my toe. "Stop picking fights," I chided.

Little Bastard looked incredulously at me. "You're not going to dispute that?" he snapped.

I shrugged again. "What can I say? I'm the one who trained Luffy for most of his life; insulting his power is akin to insulting myself," I explained.

"Your brother complex is showing, Kitten," Shanks murmured. I poked his stomach again. "Oof!Dammit, Kitten, that hurt."

Okay, maybe it was more of a kick than a poke. I made a face at Shanks and he quickly leaned forwards, grabbing my tongue before I could pull it back into my mouth. Shanks grinned triumphantly at me, so I glared at him and tried to bite his finger. The swift bastard let go before my teeth connected, so I ended up biting my own tongue. I cried out and glared at Shanks with tears in my eyes. Lisping slightly, I told Shanks that that had hurt. He suavely offered to kiss it better, which only returned my mind to the dirty track I HAD JUST GOTTEN OFF OF, YOU DICKWAD!

"Oh, will you two just shut up!" Little Bastard snapped before I could respond to Shanks. "Enough with the flirting."

"We weren't flirting," Shanks and I both said.

Little Bastard glared at us before growling, "Yeah, and Killer's my lover."

Shanks had just teased Elle, joked around with her like he always had. Admittedly, when he offered to kiss her bitten tongue, he had had an ulterior motive. But he wasn't flirting with Elle. And she obviously hadn't been flirting with him; she had said so herself. So Shanks was irritated when that bratty pirate rookie had sarcastically replied that some guy named Killer was his lover. One glance at Elle, though, showed she wasn't feeling the same way. She had covered her mouth with both hands and was looking at the pirate with stars in her eyes.

"Really?" she gushed merrily. "I'm so happy for you two! You make such a cute couple!"

The masked pirate put his head in his hand, almost like he was facepalm—oh, he must be Killer. Shanks shrugged in agreement with Elle. The two men would make a cute couple. The captain obviously didn't agree, as his face turned red and he shouted, "I was being sarcastic, dumbass!"

"I know that," Elle snapped, her face moving smoothly from a happy grin to an irritated scowl. But the disappointment Shanks saw in her eyes meant that he now had new material to tease her with. "Mask-Chan's too good for you anyway."

"Hey—!" the pirate started to respond before shaking his head. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh through his pointy nose. "Y'know what? Whatever," he said, defeat heavy in his tone. The pirate opened his eyes and gave Shanks and Elle a pointed stare. "There's no way the way you two just acted couldn't be considered as flirting."

"We've always been like this," Elle snapped, with Shanks nodding in confirmation.

The pirate's face stayed locked in a deadpan. "Then you two have always flirted."

"We—," Shanks started to say when he caught sight of Elle's face.

Her full lips were pursed tightly and her amber gaze was harshly glaring at the younger pirate, but there was no denial on her face. Shanks started to think back on their relationship, how they had always acted around each other. When they were growing up, the two had always joked with and teased each other. But now that he was thinking back on it, he noticed that their relationship had changed drastically a few months before Elle had turned fifteen. Elle had never been big on casual contact, but she had suddenly started touching Shanks a lot. Nothing indecent, just more and more frequent hugs, casual kisses on his cheek, sitting on his lap...

Shanks stared at Elle as her voice echoed in his head. I seduced Shanks... Shanks had figured she had been talking about that night, but what if she hadn't been? Had Elle tried for years to get him to notice her as a woman and not a young girl? Shanks desperately wanted to ask her, but one glance at the other men in the room froze his tongue. Yes, Shanks wanted to find out if Elle really had spent years seducing him, but this was not the time. Shanks settled back in his chair, giving the younger pirate a cool stare.

The other man nodded and said, "Good. Not that we've gotten that out of the way, what's the plan?"

"Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we go to the hot springs," Elle stated, as if that cleared everything up.

The rookie just gave Elle and incredulous stare. "I thought you were here for that Brutus-dude," he said, his non-brows drawing together in a scowl.

Elle stared back at the pirate, her brow raised as if she were mentally questioning how smart the kid was. "I am," she stated. "The boys told me that you guys found his lab, but that you might have been followed home. I am going to assume that they have us under surveillance right now, or at the very least tomorrow. So we are going to act like we only came here for a family vacation. Tomorrow night I'll go check out the lab to see if I can find a way in."

The pirate rookie snorted a small laugh. "Good luck sneaking in," he stated. "The place's like a fortress."

"And you're looking at the sneakiest Marine in over thirty years," Elle retorted, holding two fingers up in a V. When the brat just continued to give her a skeptical look, Elle snapped, "Fine, if I can't break in, I give you permission to say, 'I told you so!'. Fair?"

The other pirate grinned and said. "Deal. Now, you guys brought swimsuits, right?"

I let out a low groan and flopped down face-first on the bed. I heard Shanks chuckle behind me as he shut the door, but it sounded tired. As it should. We had just spent the past two hours negotiating with that stingy Supernova.

When he had asked if we had swimsuits, Shanks and I had just asked what the hell he was talking about. We were going to the hot springs, not some swimming pool. Mask-Chan had explained that these hot springs had a special pool. Apparently it was a special pool that even Devil Fruit users could float in it. Something about a high salinity making it impossible to sink to the bottom. A cool fact, but Shanks and I still didn't understand what that had to do with swimsuits. So Mask-Chan had gone on to explain that it used to be a normal, albeit unisex, hot spring. But women kept getting harassed and scandalized by the men, so they stopped going. In an effort to make women feel more comfortable, the owners of the hot springs had implemented a mandatory swimsuit rule.

So that had explained why we needed swimsuits, but had just brought up a different issue. The twins and I didn't even own swimsuits. We hadn't ever needed them, as I've never been able to swim and the boys hadn't been able to for the majority of their lives. No problem, the Little Bastard had said. There's a swimsuit shop in town we could stop at on our way. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Shanks had spent most of the money Ben had given him on lunch, with just enough left over to cover our entrance fees to the springs. I, on the other hand, had no money. The Old Fart has never trusted me with any large amount of Berries after one small shopping trip. I was the new owner of several excellent blades, my boys had brand new toys, and I had even bought my brothers a bunch of their favorite sweets. It's not my fault the total had come to more than what my bounty had been. The shop keepers had obviously swindled me, but I was still just a child, so how could I have known better?

Yeah, Garp didn't buy my bullshit either. So I was stuck with a small monthly allowance. As the Marines covered all of my room and board (on the rare occasions I wasn't living with Dadan) and the Old Fart made sure the boys and I had clothing and shoes, it was not normally an issue. Until events like this happened. I spent all of the money I had on that inn, and Shanks spent his on lunch... The other Red-Hair Pirates couldn't even bring us some more money without violating the terms I set with Kaido, so we were forced to accept help from some rookie pirate who hadn't been on the Grand Line for a year.

"Fuck no. Buy your own shit."

Okay, maybe we had to beg, plead, and eventually barter for him to help us out. After two long hours, I finally managed to make that damn Little Bastard buy swimsuits for us. But on a few conditions. I was to reimburse him with 58% interest (knocked down from 90%), which wouldn't be a problem. The Old Fart might have taken away my direct access to money, but I still managed to spend as much as I could whenever I could (being a relatively infamous Marine means I can buy a lot—and I mean a lot—on credit). The second condition had me a little more worried. The Little Bastard would buy me a swimsuit, but he had to choose it. Shanks and the Bastard had had another long, intense stare-off before coming to some silent agreement and Shanks agreeing without even asking me.

I heard fabric rustle and rolled over onto my side. I propped my head up and started to watch Shanks undress. The man paid me no heed as he undressed, humming and old pirate love ballad. I smiled wistfully, the song making my heart give a bittersweet twinge. He was humming the first song I had ever learned how to sing, the song he serenaded me with until I finally felt comfortable around Shanks, Buggy, and the rest of the Roger Pirates. I opened my mouth to sing along with his hums, but the words died in my throat as Shanks' pants fell to the floor.

The bastard had to be a voyeur, because he was at full mast. I found myself licking my lips and standing up. I still felt the after effects of his pissing contest earlier, and the sight of Shanks' beautiful, naked body just brought that lingering heat back to the surface. Obviously Shanks wouldn't mind if I helped myself to what he was so clearly offering. I knelt down in front of the grinning pirate and looked up at him. I gave Shanks a wicked grin before I stuck out my tongue. I watched his smile grow as Shanks slowly tangled his fingers in my hair. And I savored the moment when his grin disappeared with a small groan as I lightly licked the length of his member.

Shanks could feel Elle's eyes on him as he started to undress. Glancing over at the Cat-Woman sprawled on the bed sent a lick of fire down his chest and straight to his cock. Her eyes were a bright yellow and locked on his chest. Shanks could see that Elle was unabashedly staring at him, lightly licking her lips. A light blush spread across her defined cheekbones and Shanks noticed her breathing speed up. Shanks had to fight to keep a straight face when he decided to show the enraptured woman just how much she was affecting him.

The soft sound of Shanks' pants hitting the floor was drowned out by the sound of Elle inhaling sharply through her nose. Her pupils dilated until her eyes were almost entirely black, her iris only a thin golden band. Elle greedily licked her lips and slowly stood. She sauntered over to Shanks, allowing the pirate to full take in her sensual walk. Elle lightly ran her fingers over his skin as she crouched down in front of him. Shanks felt his smile grow as the Cat-Woman gave him a sultry grin before slowly sticking her tongue out. Shanks reached out and lightly grabbed her soft hair, greatly anticipating what Elle was about to do.

Shanks couldn't hold back his groan as he felt the silky heat of her tongue caress his cock. Shanks tightened his hold on her hair and looked down at Elle. She gave him another carnal smile and looked straight at Shanks as she lightly swirled her tongue around the head of his cock. Shanks let out a small grunt and his hips moved towards her mouth of their own accord. Elle let out a throaty chuckle as she reached up and softly wrapped her hand around his member. Elle finally broke eye-contact with Shanks and looked down at what she was doing. Elle licked her lips once, twice before she slowly took him into her mouth.

Shanks let out another low groan and found himself leaning back against the door. Shanks watched through half-lidded eyes as more and more of his cock slowly entered Elle's mouth. The slick heat of her mouth was amazing and it was taking all of Shanks' willpower not to thrust his hips towards her. Elle gently wrapped her free arm around his thigh, the other hand softly stroking him before his cock entered her mouth. When Elle finally stopped lowering her head, her hand was almost placed flat against Shanks' stomach. Abruptly those amber eyes looked up at him and Elle let out a small hum. Shanks almost lost himself at the sensation of her throat vibrating around him, his hips jerking towards Elle as his hand pulled her towards him.

Shanks bit his lip to try and quiet his deep moan. He was breathing heavily and trying desperately to keep himself still. Shanks opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them. Elle was still staring up at him. Shanks could see equal parts of amusement and lust in her amber gaze and had to take a deep breath. Elle's fingers started to gently stroke the back of his thigh as she slowly started to pull back from him. The lewd sight of his flesh leaving her mouth almost proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

With a rough growl, Shanks pulled her head back. Elle gasped loudly and looked at him questioningly, her tongue still hanging partway out of her mouth. Still holding her hair, Shanks urged Elle to her feet. Once she was standing, Shanks spun them around until Elle was the one pressed against the door. Shanks gave her a rough, deep kiss, his tongue reaching into her mouth to stroke where his cock had just been. Shanks released her hair and dragged his hand down her body. He paused at her breasts, caressing and teasing her nipple until he could feel it straining against the fabric of her shirts.

Shanks' hand didn't tarry for long and continued it's journey down. Shanks broke his kiss with Elle, moving instead to kiss down her jawline and neck. His hand made it to the waist band of her shorts and made quick work of the button. Elle's hands were trying to pull his head back up to kiss her, but Shanks ignored her request. He continued to kiss and nip at the sensitive skin of her neck as his hand pushed her shorts down. Elle wiggled slightly, making her breasts rub against his bare chest and bringing forth a groan from each of them. Elle's shorts fell to the ground with a whisper of sound that was almost drowned out by the little noises coming from Elle's throat.

As his hand tightly cupped her sex over her panties, Shanks found the most sensitive part of her throat. Elle let out a sharp moan as Shanks focused all of his bites and kisses on that one spot while he caressed her. The heel of his hand rubbed against her most sensitive flesh and his fingers lightly toyed with the growing wet spot. When he gently nudged her panties aside to continue his ministrations unhindered by the fabric, Elle cried out and dug her nails into his shoulder. Shanks slowly started to penetrate her folds, his palm still grinding against her sensitive clit. Elle was emitting soft moans into his ear, sighing his name as Shanks gently teased her.

Shanks bit her neck harder than before, making Elle gasp loudly before he suddenly dropped to his knees. Shanks hooked her leg over his shoulder and pulled her panties aside again. Shanks' tongue filling the spot vacated by his fingers. Elle tasted sweet as her hip pressed towards him and she let out a growling moan. Shanks moved his fingers and started to explore her depths once again while his tongue focused on her clit. Shanks let out his own groan when Elle cried out and tightly grabbed his hair. Shanks increased his speed and added another finger, twisting and moving them until he found her special spot. Elle was nearly sobbing out her moans, her entire body trembling as she urged Shanks eve closer to her. Shanks' teeth gently replaced his tongue, sending Elle crashing over the edge.

The room was spinning around me and my legs were shaking like a newborn fawn's. And still Shanks continued. His hair was soft between my fingers and I couldn't tell if I was pushing his mouth away fro me, or trying to pull it closer. His shoulder brushed against my thigh, urging it to rest over his shoulder. Now all of my weight was resting on Shanks, only making him closer to me. His fingers started moving again and I cried out, the noise turning into a small sob when his teeth lightly nipped my clitoris. There wasn't enough air and my nipples were rubbing harshly against my shirts.

Shanks suddenly pulled his mouth away and my hips jerked towards him even as I cried out. Shanks stood up, pressing his body tightly against mine, until I felt the heat of his member brush against my inner thigh. Before I could make another noise, Shanks slanted his mouth across mine. His tongue was tangy as it intertwined with mine, his groan filling my mouth as he rubbed his cock against my most sensitive areas. His hand tightly grabbed my thigh, pulling it up to hook over his hip. And then, before I even knew it, he was filling me.

With one sharp thrust, Shanks was almost sheathed entirely in me. On the second one, his pubic bone was grinding against my clit. I was moaning, crying at the overload of senses, and Shanks swallowed them all. He set a slow pace, letting me feel every inch of him as he pulled nearly completely out before slowly pushing back in until he pressed tightly against me. And still, Shanks kissed me, his tongue leading mine in a tango set to the same pace as his thrusts. My arms were curled around his neck, pulling him ever closer as my hips arched to meet his every move.

With a groan, Shanks broke our kiss and pressed his forehead against my shoulder. As I gasped for air around my moans and cries, Shanks' pace stuttered before speeding up. He was letting out soft grunts and his fingers were holding by hips with bruising intensity. I couldn't see, couldn't think. All I was, all I had been, boiled down to that moment. The feeling of Shanks filling me, the press of his lips against the skin of my throat. My body started to shake and I had to bite something to muffle my growing cries. Shanks let out a low moan, his lips sucking at the skin of my neck and his hips pressing hard against mine. A slow shudder passed over Shanks and I felt himself coming inside of me. I cried out, my own orgasm rushing over me as my body arched towards Shanks.

When my senses returned to me, I was naked and lying down on the bed. I pushed myself up on shaking arms, looking around the dark room for Shanks. I found him when he walked out of the bathroom, the skin around his shoulders and neck damp. He saw me and smiled sweetly. Shanks walked over and gently kissed my forehead before asking if there was anything I needed. I shook my head, but stood up at the insistence of my bladder. I rummaged around in my bag for a moment before walking into the bathroom.

When I came out wearing my lavender Yukata, Shanks frowned at me from the bed. "Why'd you put that on?" he asked, voice slightly petulant.

I gave him a crooked grin before crawling into bed beside the pirate. "Like you're one to talk," I teased, pointing towards the boxers he had on. "But I got dressed because my boys have a habit of crawling into bed with me. They don't sleep well in strange places, and it's not very often we sleep this far apart from each other."

Shanks nodded. "I see. You don't want the walking in on their parents naked," he said sagely.

I let out a tired giggle before moving closer to him. I placed my head on his chest and crossed my arm over his stomach. I felt something brush against the top of my head as Shanks' arm curled around me. "Good night, Shanks," I murmured before slowly drifting off to sleep.

A/N: Okay, I didn't get to the shopping in this post. But it's long and smutty, so I hope that makes up for it! As you can see, I've decided that both Shanks and Kid are massive perverts, and I will totally play that up in the story. Also, in case it wasn't made clear, Kid is attracted to Elle. I am also going to elaborate on that in future chapters, so look forwards to that!

As it is, I hope you guys enjoyed the newest chapter! Reviews are always appreciated and I get a little heart flutter every time I get an email telling me someone favorited this story, so keep 'em coming! (^_^)b

~Shini

P.S.: This is the longest chapter I've written for ASN, so I hope you're happy!

~~Shini