Darkness instantly met her hazy gaze as she slowly opened her eyes. Blinking for a couple of times did her eyes finally adjust themselves in the dim place she was confined in. She tried to prop herself up using her arms but found much difficulty in doing so. Every fiber of her muscles hurt, and it was like all of her bones were broken. The woman took a deep breath and started to focus just for a bit; she could still feel pain but only the throbbing sort of pain. From what caused it she cannot remember.

Once more, she tried to move into a sitting position but failed in an instant. Before she could even raise her head properly she dropped back down the bed with a painful yelp. A sharp, searing pain suddenly shot on the left side of her torso, making it hard for her to breathe. The woman then tried wracking her brain for any logical reason that might explain why she was hurting. But no decent answers came, only fragments of blurred images flashed in her head. She tried remembering again but gave up eventually when the same thing happened.

The village was burning.

Marines scattered everywhere.

Her father, dead, with a smile on his lips.

The woman closed her eyes as tears started to form in them. She can't even remember why the man who kindly raised her up died. Is the world out to persecute her now that her only defender left her?

Something warm ran down her cheeks all of a sudden. The woman didn't bother checking out what they were, she knew them all to well since childhood. So, she remained as she was: Lying on the bed almost motionlessly and crying quietly. She carried on like this for a few good minutes when something unfamiliar floated in her head and appeared before her mind's eye.

Red.

A shock of red hair, to be exact.

She opened her eyes as the faint laughter rang in her ears. It didn't only hold glee, but...

"Ah, finally. The princess is awake."

It was then that she noticed something, or rather someone, moved towards her. Heavy footsteps accompanied by rough chuckles reached her ears and the ability to move finally returned to her. She slowly tilted her head to the left and saw a tall silhouette standing just a few steps where she was. The faint candlelight didn't help her make out the person's appearance. Her eyes traveled from the stranger's feet up to his face, his eyes the only ones she was able to see clearly. They were dark red, and were locked against hers, painted with amusement and seemed to stare right through her soul. She could read death in them, but surprisingly didn't feel any kind of fear towards him herself. Utterly surprising that it almost knocked the wind out of her.

A hand reached towards her slowly, then positioned itself on her forehead. The woman didn't move and just stared at the man's eyes, waiting for his next move. Gently, the man pulled his hand away and moved to sit on the bed, gaze still locked on hers. They just stared at each other for a few moments quietly, the silence keeping them company. She was the first to look away, one of her hands making its way down to the lower left side of her torso to clutch at the said area when the pain throbbed once more. A slight whimper escaped her lips and she closed her eyes. Moments later, she attempted to move again but a huge hand stopped her from doing so, pinning her back on the mattress.

"I won't move too much if I were you."

She looked up at the man whose features could now be seen as he shifted a bit on his position: He was a pale, muscular man with bright red hair, resembling flames. He has black circles around his dark red eyes, and dark purple lips. His nose has a particular shape, being quite pointed and having little protrusions on both sides. She blinked, taking in his appearance which made a somewhat creepy smile appear on the man's painted lips.

"Don't look at me as if you're wanting for something to happen." The man laughed almost evilly then shook his head, pulling his hand on her shoulder away and settling it on his side. "What's your name?"

The woman blushed faintly at the words but answered truthfully nonetheless. "I-I-I'm s-sorry... M-My... My name's Blanc..."she muttered, gathering the sheets with trembling hands to cover herself with which the man just laughed at. "W-Where am I? And... w-who are you?"

The rain stopped, but the skies remained dark. Killer stood on deck, hands resting on the railing as his eyes staring at the empty space in front of him. He was thinking about the woman Kid brought with him, wondering what made his captain interested with her. He had asked Wire, another crew, about her and the taller male told him that she might just be the newest addition in their small group. Killer's grip on the railing tightened at the thought. It still wasn't confirmed but by the looks of it, it might as well become a reality.

An annoyed hiss emerged from his lips. He will not let that woman be a part of their crew. Once she's fixed up and healed, he will personally escort her out of the ship, maybe throw her in the ocean if the situation calls for it. A grin formed on his lips. The second option seems wonderful, he could even arrange some sharks to soften her fall. Killer could almost imagine the woman being torn to pieces by the megalodons' powerful jaws, her blood coloring the waters.

He entertained more thoughts when Kid suddenly spoke from behind him. The blond straightened up lazily then faced the redhead. Kid was smiling, arms crossed over his muscular chest.

"Her name's Blanc."

Killer raised an eyebrow. It's as if he cared. "So?"he asked, returning his gaze back at the sea below.

"She's an interesting woman. I'd like her to be a part of our crew."

The blond could only let a vein pop on his temple as he fought the urge to cut the railing in front of him using his scythes. Kid only chuckled upon sensing the masked man's frustration.

"How could you do this?" Killer muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the waters once more. He was trying his very best to keep calm but with much futility. He tore his gaze off of the sea then looked at his captain darkly. Fists clenched, teeth gritted with frustration, the blond shook his head then let out a harsh breath. "We're pirates, for crying out loud...! We're not some freakin' pirate crew who-"

Kid raised a hand to stop the blond's tirade. A grin graced the redhead's lips, eyes narrowed with much interest and Killer could swear that his captain's dark red orbs were glinting with an emotion he couldn't define. "Killer." The captain looked at the blond, the glint in his eyes disappearing. "I know what I'm doing. That woman won't destroy the reputation we built for ourselves. In fact, she could even raise us up... To the point that no one, no one in this goddamned shithole, would dare laugh at us anymore. I can feel it. So strong that I wanna rip someone's heart out." Kid then laughed as he turned around to leave. Killer, on the other hand, wasn't convinced.

"A weak-hearted woman won't make me believe. And to be honest, I don't believe what you just said right now," said the blond impassively as he followed his captain with his gaze. Kid laughed then gave him a last glance.

"Never judge a book by its cover, Killer."

Killer snorted. "That one's old, Kid. You can't use that against me."

"What are you gonna do now? She's finally awake," Kid then informed him. Like an animal, Killer's ears slightly twitched at the information. He pulled himself away from the railing then walked past his captain.

"Toss her out of the ship, maybe?"

Kid laughed uproariously. "I'd like to see you try, Killer," the captain said in an annoying tone that almost made Killer whack the redhead using one of his scythes. Instead, he gave Kid an evil smirk hidden by the mask.

"Go and watch me, then."

Second chapter, served...

I feel like I'm changing Kid and Killer's personalities here... I dunno. For me, they're like... out of character. -chuckles awkwardly.

To Miss Doflamingo, you're the very first person to give my work a review. It made my day. However, I would like to apologize for all of the errors in the first chapter, "Found". I wasn't able to create a rough draft for it, I just typed what came in view. Thanks again. Here's chapter two for you, though Blanc's story will be showed in the next chapter. please bear with me. -smiles-

To Guest 13, finally. I was waiting for those types of review. My explanation is the same with Miss Doflamingo's. I'd like to thank you to for having the time to read and review my story. Your review perked me up, it made me re-read the previous chapter and realize my folly. Thank you so much for being straightforward. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you a huge hug for it. -hugs- I hope you'll continue reading my works and give me your views about it. Thanks again.