Second Chance

Shaad's unconscious body was roughly yanked off the ground and dragged away from the transformed leader, still scowling at how things had transpired. As he was being manhandled, the two booklets taken from Rooster's office fell from within Shaad's hoodie. The books' edges had been frayed in the conflict, but the leader, Luo Qan, recognized the card stock on which the notes had been written as well as the 'Hen House' letterhead as he bent over to pick it up.

As Luo Qan sat back down in his throne, a mysterious figure appeared over his shoulder. Only a pair of sharp yellow eyes - with pupils slit like some snakes - were visible from the darkened shadows, half shaded by what appeared to be the brim of a hat.

"Is the whore taken care of," Luo Qan gravely questioned the figure.

"Yes, Master," came the calm, haunting reply.

"Good; Boss Black will likely send an Emissary to audit our branch here soon. We need to make sure to have our affairs in order by then. I need you to find the other whore and take care of her along with any other loose ends."

"Of course, Master."

"Now, Rooster may have been a weak, overconfident ass, but he was by far the best numbers man we had. Replacing him won't be easy, and in the meantime, it's important we trim our ranks; far too much trash has been allowed to accumulate."

With only a silent nod of his head, the figure slunk back into the darkness, leaving the leader alone in his throne room.

Shaad awoke hours later. . . resting snugly in the lavish expanse of his hotel room's opulent bed, and with the curvaceous backside of a woman he soon recognized as Raine nestled comfortably against him while she slept soundly. An even more pleasant surprise for the young pirate, though, was that, aside from a lingering sleepiness, he felt fully energized and reinvigorated, a far cry from how he last remembered feeling when he had to make a deal to ensure his (and Raine's) continued survival past that singular rainy night.

He didn't understand how it had all turned out like this until his mind lingered on the subject a few minutes longer and he remembered the treatment (using that term loosely) the young Luna had used to tend his wounds.

'No, that couldn't have actually -', he thought, thinking back to the vile concoction she made for him to drink, claiming it would fully replenish his energy and make him feel better. He didn't believe her in the least, but he knew the naive little girl's heart was in the right place and downed the entire glass in one go, consequences be damned.

'That was just dry leaves and random plants crushed in hot water. They hadn't even been cleaned properly.'

But, despite how little the entire thing seemed to make sense, the results were undeniable. And, with that in mind, Shaad scrambled to a sitting position as quietly as he could manage, hoping not to wake the sleeping Raine. Throwing off the sheets he found himself lying under, Shaad saw that most of his body was indeed wrapped in white medical bandages, and contrary to what he half expected, there was no soreness in his joints or even a lingering sting from the innumerable injuries he'd accumulated across all of his fights the day before. He ran his hands over his arms and stomach, tracing the locations of the many scars he remembered suffering. He then ripped away the bandages wrapped around his chest to see that the three slashes Vega's claw had gouged into him were also gone. From his defined abs to his chiseled chest, Shaad's hands worked their way up to check his face, finding that the cut across his cheek was indeed also gone, completely healed after only a single night's sleep.

Sparing a glance over at Raine's sleeping form, Shaad let a small smile creep across his lips. She seemed truly peaceful, almost childlike like that, he thought before he laid back down and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. There were still a few hours till noon, far too early to be getting up without good reason.

But, before he slipped back into slumber's warm embrace, Raine's voice sounded sleepily beside him.

"Sorry."

Shaad didn't know what to say. Sure his brain was ahead of his body in getting back to sleep, but Raine's voice sounded almost weak, vulnerable, something he'd never before sensed from the provocative, strong-willed woman. It was as if the little girl inside was peeking through, and Shaad felt strangely guilty for being there when it happened. But, he then felt the bed fluctuate as she rolled over. He looked down at her.

Looking back at him through half-lidded eyes, she repeated, "I'm sorry."

Now Shaad was really confused. Her voice sounded truly sincere in her apology, but she had nothing to apologize for as far as he was concerned. She was right before when she said the problems were due to his own shortcomings, his fault. But, Raine just kept looking at him with those sleepy, almost doe like eyes and he remembered something.

He'd made it back to the hotel after Raine. Not long after, having walked in on her getting undressed. He'd woken up after being discarded by the entrance and, stumbling groggily through the elevator doors, was met by Raine turning and teetering into his chest just after her panties had been pulled off. She came onto him more forcefully and forward than her usual playful flirtations - but she was drunk and he was tired so he pushed her aside with little regard and lay down.

"No; I'm sorry for being so rough; you were drunk and I had a lot on my mind. Let's just forget about it."

Raine's response was soft but forceful, in a dazed and sleepy sort of way. "No, I mean about everything. It's just. . . you're kinda weird." Shaad donned a confused, somewhat insulted, expression at that comment. In what way was he weird? Sure his disposition was different than most, but that was mostly due to his upbringing and what he'd been through (and he still didn't really know how much of that story Raine believed). "You're not like most guys," Raine continued, oblivious to any change in Shaad's demeanor. "I've teased you a lot," Shaad thought he heard a low chuckle after that statement," and most guys would've tried to make a move or called me a slut and created distance. I mean, I know you're not gay by the way you look at me." Shaad really didn't know how to take that last statement; Raine's tone seemed genuine behind the haze of sleep and a hangover, but the way she now lay on his arm, she could've been gauging his reaction.

"You're a gorgeous woman, no doubt. While your personality is just a bit too. . . friendly for my taste, I do fantasize sometimes, " he didn't know why he was being so open right now, maybe the part of his mind that would usually filter his statements still hadn't woken up, but he just felt so open with the two of them laying under the covers cuddled as they were. 'Hopefully,' he thought, 'she wouldn't remember this when she recovered from her hangover.' "But, I can't help but think I actually want to live a long life."

The two shared a light laugh at Shaad's wise crack, and he could feel Raine's unrestrained breasts nestle against his arm through the thin fabric of the white tank top she wore, causing an unintended stirring below the covers.

It was then that Raine's voice purred directly into his ear, "I made the right choice staying with you; your reactions are so cute."

'I'm still not so sure,' Shaad silently mused with a slight smirk. Lost in his thoughts, he willed himself to calm down even as he felt Raine lift her head and nuzzle into his strong chest. His smile broadened as he looked down at the peaceful, contented expression on her face. This was definitely, in his eyes, the most beautiful she'd been since they'd met, and it was in that position that they each allowed themselves to fall back into the sanctity of slumber.

While Raine and Shaad slept the day away, the hidden shadows of Tatihara were awake and lurking. Over on the outskirts of the westernmost coast, an abandoned warehouse lay in a state of dilapidated disrepair. Inside the building, past the wire mesh fence and caution signs, three bodies lay decomposing in the empty facility's center: a skinny man lying in a pool of dried blood from the slit in his throat, a large muscled man clutching at his abdomen, the contents of which resided beneath his hunched body, and a once beautiful, blonde woman dead in the chair she was still tied to, mutilated beyond recognition as if tortured before finally being put out of her misery. The rotting flesh had long since attracted flies and other insects with larger scavengers no doubt not far behind, but it would be a while still before they would be discovered (if ever) as the facility resided far outside the territory of any of the island's major towns.

Meanwhile, citizens of the central city, Kankenru, hustled through the wide streets, loud from the midday clamor of the people from throughout the island. Kankenru was the main trade area of the island outside of the ports and served as one of the few designated 'safe zones' on the island where only minor thugs occasionally stirred up a little trouble, careful to avoid attention from the watchful eye of those higher up on the food chain. On one of the bustling streets lined with various shops, a young couple strolled along happily. The attractive woman hung on the arm of the finely dressed and intimidating man to her right as they eyed a few of the finer shops while whispering between themselves, the entire time unaware of the mysterious man stalking them from behind.

The man in question was like a ghost among the people, moving forward unencumbered by the crowds, his physique hidden by a long trench coat and only his sharp eyes visible peering out from underneath the wide brimmed hat that shaded his features. Even as the stranger ate up the distance between the couple and himself with quick strides, the enamored pair remained oblivious to his presence until it was already too late and the well-dressed man had been driven through by a hidden blade.

Before the woman could react though, her boyfriend slowly falling from her grasp, she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her away, the overwhelming presence stifling the scream she wanted with every fiber of her being to release. By the time the first person noticed the now dead man and the lively crowd reacted accordingly, the woman had already been led a fair distance away to a more secluded back road where, finally finding her lost voice, she released a shrill, ear shattering scream that spread far and wide before it and her life were quickly and unceremoniously cut off.

"What was that?" Shaad nearly shouted the question, shooting up from the bed in a flash.

"What was what?" Raine asked in an annoyed tone as she walked in from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her as she wrung out her long hair.

"I thought I heard a scream."

"Huh," Raine questioned. "Did you forget this room is soundproof? It was probably just your snoring."

Shaad could admit that he may have just been hearing things, but he couldn't let the secondary dig go without retort. "I don't snore, that's you."

Raine briefly shot Shaad a fierce glare, but the tired smirk he wore remained unfazed even as she threatened him, "You wanna get hurt don't you? You'll be hearing your screams, you keep making jokes like that."

Shaad simply brushed it away, moving past the whole thing and asking, "What time is it?"

"Almost two. I got up a little over an hour ago to order room service and take a shower."

"So," Shaad began, "are they still serving breakfast?"

"For me," came the short reply.

Shaad didn't quite understand, but didn't much care either. It sounded like a yes to him. So, he picked up the den den mushi receiver and made a call while Raine went back into the bathroom and closed the door.

It didn't take long for someone to pick up on the other side and Shaad promptly placed his order.

"We're sorry, sir. Hotel policy is to stop serving breakfast at 11," came the much undesired response, but Shaad answered without missing a beat.

"It's for the penthouse suite, Miss Raine," he said forcefully, implying the food was for Raine.

"The man on the other end was slow to respond, made nervous by the mention of Raine's name. But, upon recovering, he tried to respond, "But, she-"

"Good," Shaad interrupted before hanging up. 'How does she do it,' he wondered to himself. 'It's like rules don't apply to her.'

'You should know. You also do whatever she says,' the voice in his head snidely remarked.

Shaad pushed the comment aside, but didn't have a great deal of time to linger on the issue as room service made great time in bringing the food up. And, with perfect timing, Raine exited the bathroom in a pair of blue booty shorts and a white top that was barely more than a sports bra at the exact time they knocked on the door. Shaad bounded past Raine and into the bathroom, hurriedly asking, "Can you get that," as he passed.

Raine brushed it off and answered the door, smiling coyly at the flustered attendant as he carted in the tray of food and prepared to leave with a meek bow. But, Raine grabbed him by the shoulders and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, teasing him with a view down her top in the process, before pushing him out the door, his face now entirely a crimson red and his movements noticeably stiff.

"Should I be jealous," Shaad slyly remarked after the door closed, clearing his throat to alert Raine that he'd seen her little teasing.

"Hmph," Raine scoffed as she took a seat at the foot of the bed, crossed her legs and leaned back.

Shaad, meanwhile, sat in the comfortable armchair near the bed, barely registering Raine's next statement.

"Quite the appetite after a good fuck, eh? How many was it?" It was an absent-minded ask, but Shaad's reply brought about more questions.

"Too many," Shaad answered casually before the full breadth of Raine's words settled in his mind and he tried to clarify while choking on a slice of pancake. But, his declaration that it started with two women earned an intrigued, raised eyebrow and an almost impressed, nonverbal ponderance that Shaad took to mean so much more.

The swordsman and pirate captain looked to his navigator with mouth agape as he, finally stopping the coughing fit with a big gulp of orange juice, struggled to find the words to elaborate succinctly. "I. . . I," Raine raised eyebrow turned expectant while her smirk remained playful to the point of teasing, enjoying watching Shaad stumble in his search for words. "I didn't sleep with them," he finally managed.

"I never said you did," she toyed over semantics, finding amusement as Shaad looked to have trouble just breathing.

He didn't quite know why it flustered him so, but Shaad's response came quick and forcefully. "I didn't have sex with them! Or anybody. Two women drugged and robbed me. I'm pretty sure that bartender was in on it, too. They used that to play me, tie me up, and knock me out." From there, Shaad relayed the details of what happened with him the night before, covering everything from the failed attempt on his life to recovering his property to the deal he was forced into to ensure both his and her safety.

"Tied up," Raine finally commented after an extended pause. "I didn't know you had that kind of kink."

"I don't."

"Whatever," Raine waved his emphatic reaction aside, lowering her voice to seductive whisper to add on, "That sounds like it could be a lot of fun in controlled situations."

The full breakfast Shaad had ordered was splendid, but through trying to decipher exactly how much Raine believed his tale from only her flirtatious remarks, the disconcerting nods of assent and the critical gaze she kept leveled at him made every bite devoid of the usual pleasure he took in eating a wonderful meal.

Silence hung in the air as he finished the last few bites, Raine never letting up on her challenging stare and Shaad too nervous to meet her gaze head on. "So," Raine finally began, her tone soft and inquisitive. "If all of that is really true. . ." she paused for a moment, lifting up off the bed. Crossing the small space between Shaad and herself, Raine pushed the cart and empty plates of food aside so she could grab the arms of the chair, seductively leaning over him as she continued to stare into his eyes. Without warning, she tore open his shirt, scattering the buttons across the floor, and traced a manicured nail up his unblemished chest and across the smooth skin of his cheek, sultrily whispering in his ear as she continued her previous sentence, ". . . why don't you have any scars to show for it. I'm sure such an intense fight couldn't have been easy. . . even for you."

Shaad tightened up at Raine's lips so close to his ear, her fresh scent filling his nostrils from the close proximity, and she could sense that, but he answered with as much detail and honesty he could muster given not even he fully understood what happened. As expected, though, Raine wasn't buying any parts of a story involving a little girl with a Devil Fruit power that could heal injuries and completely restore energy over night with childish and completely nonsensical remedies.

"If this little Luna is such a magical healer," Raine stated, disbelief bordering on mockery evident in her voice, "why didn't she take care of the missing piece of your ear?"

That question immediately reminded Shaad of the piece of ear he'd lost in his bout with Vega and, like a sudden revelation, an answer poured forth from his lips. "Her power obviously doesn't extend to replacing lost pieces (I mean you can see she took care of the scars on my chest); makes sense given there are no simplistic methods to replace a limb a child might even begin to understand. But, that reminds me. . . I need a favor."

That night, Shaad and Raine went out, Shaad wearing an outfit similar to what he wore to the underground fights just a day before while Raine was dressed in a tight little black dress that accentuated her every curve and had just the right amount of cutouts to put her sexiness and eye-catching appeal at max without quite reaching the level of slutty even as her bosom was pushed high up on her chest without need of a bra and the stiletto heels highlighted her ass that extra bit. Raine knew how good she looked even without causing Shaad to stammer and almost drool upon first seeing her in the outfit, but his reaction was an added benefit for her. Their target that night was the hottest night club on the entire island, Paradise, and with the extravagant entrance and stylish, neon sign it was impossible to miss.

Though the line outside the club went around the corner and then some, Raine led Shaad straight up to the beefy bouncer and into the club while those in line (and the bouncer) either jealously glared at the pair or took in the sight of Raine's sumptuous ass on display in her suffocating dress. Once inside, Shaad stuck close to Raine, hardly able to think over the booming music much less speak. But his trusty navigator seemed unaffected by the noise, the dancing crowd, the smoke, and the rotating strobe lights as she led him through the rocking club, making a bee line towards a staircase in the back where two more muscle bound men in tight black shirts and slacks stood guard. Without even a word, the two large men stepped aside and let Raine through, allowing Shaad to follow only at her beckoning.

She then led Shaad up the stairs and to a wraparound couch situated at the far end of the upstairs balcony like area where two men - a man larger than any of the others at almost seven feet in a plain black ensemble of a dress shirt and jeans with matching combat boots and shades and a much shorter (barely five feet tall) and more rotund man dressed in a colorful set of fancy clothes with a size too big, fur lined coat nearly engulfing him and an expensive array of jewelry weighing on him - waited, the smaller man reclining on the couch as he drank directly from an expensive bottle of liquor while the other stood stoically off to the side. The smaller man stood up with outstretched arms as he saw the lovely Raine approaching, a wide smile on his face. They greeted one another with a friendly kiss on each cheek, and, without even acknowledging Shaad, the short statured V.I.P asked Raine with a smile, "So, have you reconsidered my offer?"