Warning: Copious amounts of feels! You have been warned!
Chapter Five
When Killer opened his eyes, he wasn't laying on the sidewalk by the pier in a puddle of his own tears. Actually, he was lying on his couch in his apartment. That was strange. The blonde sat up with a groan, and instantly came to regret his decision. His head throbbed in the most brutal way he had ever experienced before. His eyes hurt, his throat burned, and the only thing that Killer wanted to do in that very moment was slip into a coma until the pain stopped.
"Oh, you're up."
The blonde turned slowly to see Bonney, standing the doorway of the living room. She had deep bags under her eyes and a frown was glued to her painted lips.
Killer tried to speak, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was a soft squeak that made him feel like he just swallowed lava. The blonde knew that he must have looked pathetic, but he couldn't help it – he was confused and in pain. He looked up at his friend, biting his lip. God, he felt so helpless.
Bonney rolled her eyes a little, and then disappeared, only to return with a pad of paper and a pen a few moments later. The pinkette stepped over to the couch, handing him the item, before flopping down on the furniture, watching him, expectantly.
Killer quickly scribbled on the pad, trying to keep his script neat, although he couldn't tell through his burning eyes. He showed the pad to her, and it read: What happened?
Bonney scanned the paper and shrugged a little, handing the notepad back to the part-time worker. "Not too sure. I saw you push me when you were leaving the stadium, but you didn't stop when I called you. I followed you out, but I ended up losing you in the town somewhere." She sighed, and reached out, gently brushing his blonde bangs out of the way. His eyes looked red and puffy. The man leaned into her affections, scanning her face, waiting for her to continue explaining.
"I called Drake to come and help me find you. It took nearly three hours. We looked all over town, but you were nowhere to be found. When we finally did find you, you were passed out by the pier in a small puddle."
Killer made a mental note to thank Bonney's boyfriend the next time he saw him. He supposed that waking up on the pavement would have been even worse than waking up on his couch, which was far more comfortable than concrete.
"Killer…what happened?"
The part-time worker couldn't help the fresh tears that sprang to his eyes – that made them burn even more. He quickly blinked them away, finding little relief, but his watery eyes did not go unnoticed by his friend.
The pink-haired woman wrapped her slim arms around him, pulling him close to her. Killer let his head rest in the crook of her neck – it was reassuring to know that someone was there for him. It helped him to choke back the fresh tears.
After a long stretch of time, where they just say there in companionable silence, Killer decided that it was time to tell her. He detached himself from Bonney, and began to dictate what happened on the paper. He wrote of how they announced the soldier's names – the soldiers who were never coming home – and how they had said Kidd's name in a way that made his heart stop. He scribbled his adventure through the town, how he cried, and then passed out. When he was finished, the blonde tucked the pen behind his ear, and handed the pad to his friend.
After a few moments of her violet eyes scanning the paper, a tear spilled down her cheek.
"Oh, Killer," she gasped, biting her lip. "I am so sorry. I know how much you cared for him." Bonney wrapped her arms around him again, squeezing him tightly, refusing to let go.
The duo stayed like that until the part-time worker slipped into that blissful abyss known as unconsciousness.
It took a long while for Killer to heal from this – at least, heal enough so that he could function properly without Bonney hanging over his shoulder like a mother hen. He ate, bathes, slept, and went to work all on his own now. If it wasn't for the pinkette, though, Killer was sure that he would be laying on the couch, just wasting away.
It had been six months to the day, and Killer had decided to take a trip down to the pier, seeing how it was his day off. Today was the date that Kidd had declared their anniversary, so he thought that he should celebrate accordingly.
The blonde stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked down the stairs of the apartment building. His mind was reflecting on the past, where it often resided these days. He stepped into the lobby, his head tilted downwards, lost in his own little world.
"Hey, Killer!"
The man in question looked up at saw Coby standing in the lobby, a mail pouch slung over his shoulder and an envelope in his hand – a blue one. The teen smiled brightly at him – after all, Coby admired Killer, even though he would never say it.
"Oh, hey, Coby," the older male said, giving him a small smile. "Did you get a new job?"
"Yeah," the teen chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "The pay isn't that good, but it's a start."
"Hey, if you need another job, I can put in a god word for you at the grocery store," the blonde offered. Coby was a hard worker, so he should be able to get hired easily.
"That'd be great!" The teen pinkette grinned, then handed the blue envelope. "This is the only mail you have today. I gotta go finish my rounds, but Bonney wanted me to come over later. I'll see you then?"
Killer took the letter, then nodded. "Yeah," he smiled. "I'll see you then."
With that, Coby left the apartment building, turning left, intent on finishing his route quickly. The elder male soon followed suit, stepping out onto the street, hooking a right towards the pier. He studied the envelope as he walked.
The blue envelope was indeed addressed to him, but the script was unknown to him. As he walked down to the pier, he flipped the letter over and read the words scrawled across the back: Send only if I do not return.
The blonde paused for a moment, then turned onto the wooden pier, ripping the envelope opened, and pulled out its contents – another envelope, this one yellow, and a letter. Killer walked to the end of the pier and stopped, opening the letter, and began reading.
'Dear Killer,
You do not know me, as we have never officially met before, but we have heard many things about each other. My name is Eddie Heat, and I know that you are the one that Kidd had been exchanging letters with. He has written a letter in which I have enclosed in this one, perhaps seven or so months after I had met him. I thought that it was unfair that you did not receive this letter. So, I have decided that if we…meet an untimely fate, it would be unfair to you, if you never had the chance to read this strange letter.
If this is the only words that we ever get to exchange, I wish you to know that both Wire and I would have loved to have met you. We both consider you a good friend, even if we've never spoken.
With all this said, both Wire and I bid you adieu, and I greatly hope that this lever is never sent to you by pose. Instead, I hope to be able to give it to you personally.
-Eddie Heat'
Killer sat on the edge of the pier, his legs dangling over the edge, as he let the words sink in. Why wouldn't Kidd send him a letter that he wrote – especially if it was written for him? It didn't make any sense to the blonde, but he was thankful that Heat had decided to send him this letter.
The part-time worker felt his chest warm slightly – he had wished that he could have met both Heat and Wire, but the letter and its words brought him a great comfort. It was as if all four of them had been good friends, and Killer wouldn't shake this feeling. Not that he wanted to. With his interest piqued, the blonde grabbed the yellow envelope, tore it open, unfolded the letter, and began to read.
'Killer –
God, I can't believe I'm writing this. But, I have a feeling that if I don't write it now, I'll never have enough balls to do it later on down the road. Sending it, though, will be another story entirely.
I asked Heat and Wire how I should go about this, but neither of their suggestions were helpful, so I'm just gonna come out and say it – erm, well, write it. You know what I mean!
Killer, I love you.
I have ever since that moment when you first smiled at me. As soon as I saw you, and heart your voice, I knew you were different. When you asked me if I wanted to go somewhere and talk, my heart almost leapt outta my chest! I mean, how lucky can a guy get?! I couldn't help but agree and follow after you, wanting to ask you a million questions, just to hear your voice again.
As we sat on the pier, I was kicking myself for joining the army. I would have given anything to side by your side that day. I wanted you to keep smiling at me. I wanted to touch you, hold you, kiss you – even now, that feeling's still there. I just can't help it! You're on my mind all the time, and I can't get you outta my head! (Not that I really want to.) All I know is that I would give anything in the world – my job, all of the money I have saved up, hell even my left arm if I could just see your face, smiling at me, one more time. Then, I could die happy.
But, even though I'd do all of that, it doesn't change the fact that I'm way over here, while you're way over there. So, I have something to ask of you. I swear on pain of death that I will come back to you, if you'll wait for me. Can you do that? I don't know how long it'll take for me to come home, but I'll come back to you in the end. So, promise me… will you wait?
See ya later, Killer. I love you. So much.
-Kidd'
The blonde felt tears sting his eyes as he clutched the letter close to his chest. Tears streamed down his face as he felt his chest and throat tighten. Kidd loved him – he was too scared of rejection to send the letter! Killer understood now what the soldier was talking about in his last letter – something he felt that he didn't have the right to say.
Killer looked out onto the ocean, a smile on his face, and nodded. He waited for Kidd – now he only hoped the redhead would wait in turn. The blonde would go with him when the time was right, but hopefully it would be many years from now.
"I love you, Kidd."
Now, all they had to do was wait.
THE END
So, what do you guys think? I'm not that bad of a person now, am I? Yes, the letter was finally sent! It made me happy to write all of this mushy stuff, and I hope you'll all be happy reading it. I wanted to take a bit of a different turn than I normally do with all of my other stories which have happy endings. So, have a bittersweet ending! Still cute and mushy, but a little sad. Still, I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
I am sorry that I made you all cry, but it made me a little happy - not the fact that you were crying, oh God no. But, the fact that you were getting so into this story that you teared up. It made me feel pride as a writer, and brought some tears to my eyes. Arigato, everyone!
A BIGthank you to everyone who read this, reviewed, favourited, and followed this story! It helped my inspiration work a little better!
It is time...for the SHOUT OUTS! :D
To the anon-Candy - FAVORITE GUEST, no, this is the last chapter. I'm sorry for making you cry, but I fixed it! Thank you so much for reading!
To the adorable Candy-doggoneit, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that yes, Eustass Kidd has died in battle. I wish I could say something different, but I just can't - that would be lying. I'm very very sorry for making you cry! But, I hope this ending made you feel a little better... thanks for sticking with me until the very end! It made me very happy to read your ideas and it helped move the story along! Thank you very much!
To my wonderful Candy- LoveChocolateAndRock'nRoll, I'm so sorry I made you cry! I didn't mean to! Honestly! But, look! I made it better! Don't worry, Choco. Everything's alright again! *grins* Thanks for reading, and telling me all your thoughts about it. Makes me all happy and warm inside.
To the newest Candy- celticpuppy, its a good song, isn't it? I had it stuck in my head for a month, then I wrote this! Now it's gone, and that makes me happy. But, sad to say, there's a bit of a sad ending, but it's alright. Still happy. And calling me awesome doesn't make me happy, bastard! *happy Chopper dance* But, thanks so much for reading! It means a lot!