Vivi/Kohza (1)
(Flame of Love)
—(xXx)—
Vivi hadn't noticed until after everything was done and she had given her farewell to her unforgettable friends of the Strawhat crew.
Kohza was still recovering. Using one of the private rooms of the castle to rest in, Toto his father, had been so excited and angry at Kohza. No one had been willing to go near Kohza's room when the yelling had started but a few minutes after that she had heard Toto wail in happiness and she smiled. She had a feeling that everything would turn out alright between the father and son duo.
After that Toto had been given another room in the castle, right next to Kohza's. Though the older man was so busy running around and helping that he hadn't stayed in the room for very long.
Everyone was busy in fact.
So when they finally took a break and there was a lull in the work Vivi started to notice a few things that she had put in the back of her mind to think about later.
Like Kohza.
It was only the third day since the StrawHats had left. Though she supposed it was a good as time as any to overview the entire series of events.
Though...Kohza stood out to her.
She hadn't seen him in so long...
Last time she saw him they were still kids, playing warriors.
The royal family of Alabasta didn't have many rules and was very lax in their traditions.
Though... there was one tradition that wasn't always followed but was celebrated when it was. And that was the Kings, or Queens, being alpha's.
When Vivi was little and still playing with Kohza in the Sand-Sand clan, she hadn't presented yet, but in four years time it didn't matter anymore because she had finally presented. And she was an alpha!
She had been excited at the time, but also a little crushed. She knew that Kohza most likely would have presented as an alpha as well, and... well... she will admit she had developed a childish crush on the boy.
Though... seeing him now... she couldn't exactly call him a boy.
Those brief instances when she had seen him during the fight against Crocodile she had something tickling the edge of her senses, but she pushed it to the back burner, too preoccupied with more important things. When Kohza had been shot she had felt like she had been shot herself and she didn't know why.. she had even grabbed her chest at the time.
Now though... she recognized what had hovered around the edge of her senses back then, recognized what she had scented when she had touched him, pinned him,.. and... she needed to verify what she sensed before she jumped to conclusions.
So. That's what she planned to do.
Why she was standing in front of Kohza's door, her fist raised to knock. She hesitated a moment before taking a deep breath and knocking a few quick raps on the door before listening.
There was a rustle of cloth, and she heard a clatter of something metal hitting the stone floor before she heard him clear his throat and an short "Come in." Was grunted out.
She turned the handle and walked in, expecting to find Kohza sitting up on the bed, doing something to keep him from being bored, but she instead paused, her eyes slightly widening.
He wasn't on the bed. He was standing, a pair of dark pants on his legs and a shirt draped over his shoulders and unbuttoned, showing the multiple heavy bandages wrapped around his torso, his boots in one hand as he walked to the bed to put them on.
He looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, clearly not expecting her, before his expression cleared and her avoided her eyes lacing up his boots into his feet. "Is there something I can help you with Princess?"
'Princess..?' She felt a small insignificant pang of hurt before shaking it off alongside her shock. Concern and worry taking their places. "What are you doing up?! You shouldn't be leaving that bed for at least a few more days!"
Something flashed on Kohza's face before he spoke, his voice carefully controlled as to not give anything away.. he was still avoiding her eyes. "I'm going to go help the relief effort Princess."
A bit of anger sparked in her chest and fueled her words. "Your in no condition to be out there right now!"
Kohza stopped lacing up his second boot and looked at the floor at her foot with a hard look on his face, not hate, but a determined blank anger crossing his face. "With all due respect your highness I can handle it."
Indignation filled Vivi and she bit her lip hard before speaking, her words getting away with her more than they should have. "And what makes you think you can?!"
Slight confusion and what Vivi could finally identify as hurt crossed his face for an instant before going back to him impassive facade. "Because I can." He stood and grimaced slightly as he swayed for a moment before looking at her, but not in the face. "I'm going to help them Princess, please get out of my way."
Vivi leveled him with a cold angry look and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not going anywhere."
Surprise filled Kohza's face and Vivi smirked internally. Desperation started to color his features and she suddenly felt something uncomfortable curl in her gut.
"Princess-" Kohza went to take a step forward and cut himself off as his knees buckled under him, pain curling on his face, making his eyes slam shut tight. A gasp tearing through his throat as he fell.
Vivi rushed forward and caught him under his arms, keeping him from face planting with the floor. His breath came in stuttered puffs of air, Vivi absentmindedly tracked the unevenness of his breath as she felt them leave his mouth and roll across the skin of her arm. She sighed in worry and lifted him slightly to better support him. "Your body isn't ready to get up yet, much less strong enough to go move rubble."
She started walking him backwards and eased him into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. He slightly curled around the wounds on his torso, his face and body trembling in pain as he grit his teeth. He forced his eyes open, his eyes glaring through pain and shifted his eyes to Vivi. "I-I can h-help."
Vivi looked at his in sympathy and put her hand on his shoulder lightly. "You are helping. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but by you taking your time to let your body heal you're giving a lot of people comfort by knowing that you and the other wounded are getting better."
He grimaced, his words turning biting. "I can't just sit here and lay around all day, I should be out there doing something useful."
Vivi sighed and knocked her knuckles lightly against his forehead. "I know you don't like feeling useless, but the only thing you'd be doing out there is making other people worry."
He paused at that and his mind flashed back to his men, the ones who repeatedly kept asking about his gunshot wound before and during the fight between the royal army and the rebellion.
At his hesitation Vivi smiled slightly. "You've done so much Kohza, rest. Let the others do a bit for now."
He huffed out a weak chuckle. "Now aren't you calling the kettle black." Vivi blinked before smiling slightly.
"Yea, maybe." She exhaled as she sat beside the previous rebel leader, enjoying the time she had to just...be. She didn't get this often, and with Kohza it felt so natural.
Kohza looked at her through the corner of his eye before quickly averting his gaze.
They sat in silence for a moment, the pain in Kohza's torso slowly easing back down to manageable levels.
Kohza's slowly exhaled as the pain ebbed and glanced over at the Alabasta princess' new tattoo on her arm. The black x standing out, contrasting against her skin. "Those.. stawhats.. how'd you meet them..?"
Vivi stated and looked over at him quickly before following his gaze to her tattoo and she paused before smiling.
She chuffed in amusement before speaking. "Well.. I actually tried to kill Luffy at out first meeting."
Kohza froze for a second, her answer not at all what he was expecting, though thinking back to his own first meeting with the princess of Alabasta.. he didn't put it past her completely.
"Oh yea? Sounds a little familiar doesn't it.."
Vivi blinked, a slow smile forming on her face as she connected the dots to what he was thinking. She chuckled. "I guess so.."
They fell silent again before Vivi sighed. Too uncomfortable with the silence and the mental distance between them. "So tell me, what's changed in the great 'leader's' life these past few years?"
Kohza raised an eyebrow at the title from their childhood and snorted. He paused for a moment before tilting his head slightly. "Well... other than the rebel army.. nothing significant has really changed. Not even Dad's reprimanding.." he paused before glancing at her. "Though it seems a good bit has changed with you.."
Vivi froze for a split moment before raising an curious eyebrow, looking over at him with a slightly mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh yea? Like what?"
Kohza grunted expressing uncertainty and squirmed slightly in his seat in uncomfort. "Well.. you've grown into quite the leader for one.."
She frowned slightly, teasing. "Oh, are you really saying that the only thing that's changed? That I'm still a klutzy child?"
Kohza jolted in his seat and started sputtering. "I-I didn't mean it like that..!"
Vivi could no longer hold her straight face and laughed. Kohza stared, finally looking at her face, and relaxed his suddenly tense body.
"Oh Kohza! You're easier to tease then you used to be!" Vivi spoke, the last few chuckles dancing at the edge of her voice as she composed herself. Her voice turning slightly into something hard for Kohza to identify. "Though... you may not have noticed many changes with me.. I've noticed them in you."
Kohza looked at her in confusion, a question sitting on his lips, before he was cut off by the princess herself. "Like how you've become a better fighter, how you've tried to follow your heart but are constantly torn between trying to look after the people, how you are always trying to help others, and a lot more but... there is one thing I'm not sure about." As she spoke she got closer and closer to his face with her own, Kohza leaned back with each inch she closed between them and even had to put his hand on the bed to lean on when she didn't stop.
He swallowed hard, suddenly nervous but unwilling to shift his eyes away from the princess' own. "A-and what would that be?" He mentally cursed his stutter and uncertain tone, but he wasn't answered as Vivi's pupils displayed by a few centimeters as she was deathly quiet.
And then suddenly Vivi's hand was on one side of his neck while her nose was buried in the other. Kohza's eyes went wide as she ran her nose from the slope of his ear down to his collarbone, inhaling.
He knew what she was doing and he felt a flash of fear in his gut. Afraid that once she found out she would be disgusted with him. They had joked as kids, Vivi constantly pegging him as an alpha... but.. but he hadn't been so lucky.
Kohza closed his eyes tighter as she inhaled significantly deeper, afraid to see her reaction.
But.. it didn't come.
Vivi lifted her head and blinked back into reality. Locking eyes again with Kohza.
Kohza swallowed hard as she spoke, fear and nervousness flashing across his face. "You're an Omega."
