Warning: Strong sexual content. Mature readers only. Borderline N/C near the beginning.

Later that afternoon, Perona fell asleep, or rather passed out on the sand, whether due to drink or sun she wasn't certain. When she awoke, it was already dark and her arms felt cool. The breeze has returned but Dracule Mihawk hadn't. Perona peered into the darkness surrounding her but she couldn't spot Mihawk anywhere.

"Mihawk," Perona whispered into the dark, feeling suddenly afraid to be alone again. "Mihawk, where are you?"

"Here," his deep, rich voice rumbled from behind her. He scooted closer to her and brushed his fingers across the back of her hair. "No need to be afraid."

"Oh, I wasn't afraid." Perona was a little embarrassed that her trepidation had been so obvious. "God does my head hurt," she added and massaged her temples. She still felt woozy and realized she was still fairly drunk.

"Hm." Mihawk shuffled around in the sand behind her and he scooted closer until he was directly behind her. Without warning, he leaned in and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"More rum?" Mihawk circled his arm around and held the lip of his bottle just under her chin. She shook her head.

"Just one sip, the hair of the dog is sure to cure any ill," he assured her.

She shook her head. "No, Mihawk. I've had too much already."

"Still drunk, are we?" He pushed the bottle towards her lips again. "Then drinking more won't be a problem for you, except to cure what ails you, love."

Acquiescing in hopes it would get the bottle out of her face, she grabbed it to take a swig.

Mihawk shook his head against her shoulder and held fast to the bottle. "Allow me," he drawled out. Before she could protest, he placed the lip of the bottle against her lips and turned it up. She took a few swallows before she managed to shove the bottle to the side.

"I'm not a rum-guzzling pirate like you, you realize," she told him as she wiped away the rum which had dribbled down her chin.

"Ah yes. So you say," Mihawk purred in her ear. "But last night you proved that you could more than hold your own against me." He lifted the bottle to her lips again and this time he allowed her hands to steady the bottle. "Of course, you've proven yourself to be a quick study on more than one occasion, my dear Perona." As he continued his almost-hypnotic diatribe, Mihawk eased his other hand slowly around her waist. "I'm ever impressed by any soul that can outlast me…." He continued speaking in a low, soothing voice as he shifted and repositioned his legs so that they were splayed on either side of Perona. She found herself being pulled back flush with Mihawk's chest until she was cradled between his thighs. She didn't protest. A pleasant sensation of warmth had settled in her belly, which she attributed to the rum. Mihawk's silky voice in her ear was making her feel lightheaded. Or perhaps that was the rum as well.

As she allowed herself to relax into his embrace, Perona was conscious of the fact that each movement Mihawk was making at the moment was done with the intention of seducing her. Mihawk was drawing her in ever so slowly through a series of small, subtle steps, each so unobtrusive and decidedly pleasant one could hardly complain, until his arms were around her waist and his hot breath was against her ear. Mihawk was accustomed to balancing and predicting the actions of others in order to get what he wanted. He was a master manipulator of people and situations; an opportunist.

Perona realized all of these things and yet she didn't protest as Mihawk let the bottle roll to the side and lifted his now free hand to gently trail his fingers across her cheek. Perhaps the rum, sun, and isolation were all serving to chip away at her inhibitions and Perona found herself unwilling to resist the thrill of excitement garnered from having Mihawk play her body like a finely tuned instrument. He wanted her, she knew that. And Perona wanted to know what that felt like, to give in and allow herself to be entirely selfish for once in her life!.

As Mihawk's seductive voice continued to muddle her brain, she thought again of the vulnerable look in his eyes after he'd confessed that he dreamed of touching her. Sometimes he was just a man, after all, touchable and flawed, and somehow that thought excited her more than anything. Perona allowed her head to fall back against Mihawk's shoulder and she was rewarded by the intimate feeling of his warm breath against her exposed neck. Goose bumps spread across her arms and chest and she felt a tightening in her chest. Mihawk shifted the hand around her waist to a lower position, until his splayed fingers rested just below her navel. He paused there, as if waiting for any protest, before he moved his hand downward at a torturously slow pace. Her breath hitched in anticipation and she felt a rush of heat between her legs. Warning bells should have been going off in her head; she'd already repelled similar advances this very morning. But again, instead of retreating, Perona found herself rolling her head further to the side and back against his shoulder. Her exposed neck was now tantalizingly close to his mouth.

Yes, I want this. I will allow this, just this once. Perona placed her hand against Mihawk's arm and moved it slowly down until it covered his hand. She entwined her fingers with Mihawk's. It might have seemed an innocent gesture, had it not been for their close contact.

Dracule Mihawk ceased his softly spoken urgings and his breathing became slightly ragged. He hadn't expected her response. Perona held her breath, not knowing what would come next.

Mihawk pressed his lips ever so gently against the side of her neck and Perona shivered in response.

His fingertips flexed just above the spot where the heat was pulsing between her legs. Perona gave a sharp intake of breath. At that sound, Mihawk's grip around her waist tightened and he began moving his mouth and tongue across her neck like a man possessed. Mihawk pulled his other hand free from her grip and brushed his fingers tentatively over the underside of her breasts, then across her belly, and over her thighs, as soon the caresses became firmer, more forceful.

It was then that he moved the hand poised so close to her sex. Perona closed her eyes and almost gasped when his fingers made contact there. He dragged his thumb across her and Perona dug her fingernails into his thigh as she leaned into him.

"Mihawk," she moaned softly. She couldn't help herself.

Her response must have stirred something in Mihawk, because he quickly pulled her down into the sand and was on her within seconds.

Everything became a blur. His mouth seemed to be everywhere at once, pressing against her lips and neck, sliding across her bare shoulders. She arched up on her elbows to meet him, wanting and needing to feel the heat of his mouth and tongue against her skin. His hands roamed over her body and then under her dress, pulling and tugging if up and off. She didn't realize that she was completely naked beneath him until she felt the cool sand beneath her back. He kissed her roughly as he struggled out of his own clothing. Her bare skin burned where ever he touched her, but she was not prepared for how deliciously his skin would feel against her own. She gasped out loud. She wanted to touch him. She reached up and tentatively ran her fingertips across his shoulder and down his chest.

"Yes," he hissed in her ear. "That's right, touch me, Ghost Girl."

Before she could comply, he was there, poised at her entrance and pressing into her.

"Wait, Mihawk!" She had a moment of panic. She hadn't expected things to progress so quickly.

He stared down into her eyes with a strained, determined expression. "This may hurt Ghost Girl," he told her.

And then he was moving inside of her in a white hot flash of pain. Perona dug her fingernails into his shoulder. "No!" she sobbed out. A wave of regret washed over her. What have I just done?

Mihawk gave a strangled groan against her shoulder and ceased his movements. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth with obvious strain.

Neither of them spoke or moved for a few seconds.

Mihawk took a deep, steadying breath and lifted his head to look at her.

"It's is done, Perona," he told her huskily. "It can't be undone now."

Perona stared back at him with tears brimming in her wide eyes. "It hurts. I want to stop."

"Just relax" Mihawk's expression was unreadable. He leaned in to kiss her.

"Please," she whispered against his lips.

"The pain will go away, love. This won't take long. It's driving me mad. Self control was never my forte, and being here on the island with you has definitely been pushing my limits, Perona." Mihawk's voice was ragged and she realized that he was trembling. "I fear…that I want you more than is wise, admittedly more than I've ever wanted anyone. Let me have you, just this one time."

Mihawk closed his eyes and began to move inside of her again. Perona stiffened.

He leaned down until his forehead rested against her own and whispered desperately, "it's not fair for you to do this to me, to make me fall in love with you when I can never have you. And now that you're under me, naked, now that I'm inside of you, you ask me to stop. Don't do that to me, love."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks. He said he was falling in love with me. Dracule Mihawk had stopped and she felt him pulling back a little.

"No," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back. "I do want this, Mihawk." He groaned against her then and drove himself deeply inside of her. She relaxed and arched her hips against him. He was telling the truth about one thing, at least, the pain did subside and a sweet pressure bean building in her loins again. He increased his pace and began to thrust himself into at a near-frantic pace. She arched up to meet him again, trying to press him in deeper as her entire body began to thrum with pleasure. Mihawk's eyes were closed and lips slightly parted as he moved above her. He opened his eyes and she was awed by the raw passion she saw there as he leaned down to capture her mouth once again. He was the very picture of raw sensuality and it was stunning. As she watched him, Perona lost herself in a feeling so intense that she cried out Mihawk's name. Mihawk trembled violently and threw back his head, giving a series of shuddering breaths before he finally collapsed on top of her. He lay there, breathing heavily and slumped against her shoulder.

Perona's head was still spinning, but after a few minutes, she realized it was getting difficult to breath and she nudged Mihawk. He didn't move and she worried for a moment he'd fallen asleep

A though occurred to her and she smiled. "Was that it?" she asked him. "Is that all?" Perona knew that if he were conscious at all, that would certainly get his attention.

Mihawk didn't raise his head, but he did reply. "Weren't the one who wanted it to be over fast?" His chuckle was muffled against her shoulder.

"Stop pretending sleep and roll over."

"So eager to get me away," he sighed in mock-hurt as he rolled to the side.

"No, that's not it," she told him as she snuggled against his chest. "I just think I should be the one on top, that's all."

With that, he dragged her on top of him. "Do you now? Let's have it then."

"Mihawk," she chided as she rolled back over. "I don't know if I could do that again right away."

"Pity that."

She snuggled against him again and drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke, it was still dark outside. The wind whipped in the palms above the stretch of sand where they lay together. The moonlight shone through the palms and cast strange, sharp-edged shadows across the sand. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed how dark the water looked. No moonlight sparkled across the eerily still and dark stretch of sea on her right side. The moon must be behind her, she thought, as she turned around to look. She was rewarded with the sight of a thousand refracted pieces of light spread across the black waters. It was hauntingly beautiful. She almost woke Mihawk to show him as well, but he looked so peaceful and content as he sleep there, stretched out on the sand, with his lips parted slightly and features lax. She ran her fingertips over Mihawk's chest. She couldn't find it in herself to regret what had happened. But she wondered, a little fearfully, if she'd be able to go back to her former life after this. Will I be scarred as well now? she wondered cryptically. She couldn't help but question if she would she be unable to forget this time with Mihawk, the way it felt as she tucked her head against his shoulder just now, or the way he'd looked at her this night with his eyes pleading and his yearning for her laid bare.

As she lay there on the sand in the middle of the night and trailed her fingers lightly across Mihawk's cheek, Perona almost believed, for a moment, that it might be she that he'd been searching for all these years.

Perona's eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep again, her head still tucked into his shoulder and her arm draped over Mihawk's chest.

The early morning light revealed a ship poised on the edge of the horizon.

Perona rushed up the beach and towards the docks, waving madly. She quickly realized. Dracule was smirking " What do you think?"

Perona looked at the repaired ship, it was bigger then before looking more like a coffin shaped small ship, it had a cabin now with living quarters and sails, Dracule's seat still remained though.

" Its perfect, what did you name it ?"

" The Gospel of Dismay, now set sail Ghost girl."