... is not to know how it ends

Chapter 2

Diez lay down next to Basil, still holding the other's hand. It's the first time, that I don't have to worry if he's safe… Drake mused, and closed his eyes. He soon fell asleep since the day had been more than exhausting – so full of events.

Soon a strange dream began to take over... haunting him: As many times before Drake was watching Basil in his cell on the third level of Impel Down. This time the captured pirate knelt on the floor screaming and tearing his hair. He transformed into the intimidating scarecrow which Drake had seen for the first time while they had been fighting Kizaru a few hours ago. The scarecrow went on screaming in an unbearable, shrieking voice which almost made Drake's ears explode and then it suddenly caught fire. In that dream Drake was still a marine and rattled on the metal bars to get into the cell but within seconds Basil had turned into ashes and everything went dark.

Drake woke up sweating with his eyes wide open. He gasped and felt a few tears running down his cheeks. When he glanced to his right, he was glad to find Basil fast asleep breathing evenly - he was alive. X Drake stood up and got himself some water from the kitchen. While he was looking out of the window, he poured the liquid down his dry throat. The wind was chasing the fleecy clouds over the light blue sky. Why do I have these damn nightmares? In every dream I see him dying… Diez frowned and slowly went beck to his cabin. Before he lay down next to Basil again, he closed the heavy curtains. Then he cuddled himself into the blanket and inhaled the musky scent of Basil's hair. He faced the said man's back and traced his fingertips over the muscular back which shimmered through the golden strands. He finally knew what he had wanted from the voodoo man all the time, so he could fall asleep with a smile on his face.

Basil Hawkins awoke late in the afternoon. Where the hell was he? He could hear someone breathing softly – into his neck! Furthermore he felt that someone was holding his left hand, embracing him while doing so! Basil exhaled deeply and turned around and saw Drake who was as fast asleep as he had been himself a few moments ago. That was a dream, wasn't it? There was no other word for the expression on Basil's face other than aghast after the man without any visible emotion had come to the conclusion that this wasn't a dream at all.

It couldn't possibly be that Diez Drake was so fond of him; nobody had ever been fond of him – not even his parents. It hadn't been long after his 15th birthday that he ran away from home because he was hated and bored.

Basil freed himself from the clutching man and got up. He suddenly remembered what had happened the day before because of the pain the wound at the right side of his lower upper-body still caused. The "Magician" gathered all the things which were spread around the cabin and left. He was glad the ship was still landed and only a few of Drake's crew members he passed gave him strange looks, bur did not say anything.

He stopped at the railing and looked around. In fact his own ship wasn't anchored that far away. He had to get his crew together as soon as possible because Drake was perfectly right when he mentioned that Kizaru wasn't finished with the Archipelago yet. He would want to arrest as many pirates as he'd be able to catch.

However he decided to enjoy the gentle breeze on the beach first. Who knew when the next opportunity was? Basil slowly walked along the sandy coast eying the vast sea. Sunset. How he loved sunsets. They really made him developing a slightly melancholic but somehow also romantic attitude. That was the reason why nobody was allowed to share those sunsets with him. Nobody should know even some of his true feelings – ever. The sun was almost completely gone when he stopped walking and it was getting significantly darker. Basil pulled out some cards. He certainly was obsessed with that stuff. What had to be done now, what will happen next? It couldn't even be called curiosity any more but rather a lack of motivation for anything else. "Special person to arrive." he murmured in a low voice. He turned around and there was a tall slender but muscular figure dressed in black leather and with a fancy feather hat walking towards him. Him? Everything I am obsessed with is his fault… Why him? Why does everything end up being about him? Basil pondered. He turned towards the sea again and crossed his arm in front of his strong chest. I didn't notice him at all… Basil told himself but was waiting, waiting for the other one to arrive in spite of him not really wanting it . The former marine Rear Admiral who was approaching him was the person he least expected or better said: wished to appear the least. Well, Drake wasn't as unwelcome to Basil if he had been honest with himself. What did the "Magician" want anyway? It seemed that he was rather unsure about everything concerning himself and the former Rear Admiral. Concerning Drake Hawkins seemed to get his wires crossed. He didn't know what the redhead wanted. Did he want to "settle things" from the past? There was nothing else to discuss than what had already been discussed. He looked at the sun that was offering its last ray of light, sighed deeply and turned around again since Drake was already standing behind him; the blonde could feel it. The almost full moon was lightening the scenery now.

"Tell me what you want or do I have to figure it out myself?" Basil was waggling with his deck of cards in front of Drake's face as he said it. Drake wondered how Basil was able to be so snappy with that emotionless face and that overly calm voice. Drake had always been the quiet and composed guy himself but Sir Hawkins managed it to make him really upset being so freaking cold and repelling towards him. What did he do to the "Magician" to receive such a treatment? Hadn't he done his best after he had felt sorry for certain things in the past? This time Drake grabbed the cards by their ends and threw them into the ocean altogether. Now Basil's mouth fell open. An expression of astonishment was twitching on his face. The tall man's eyes went wide, the pupils getting even smaller than they already were. Unfortunate for him the moon gave the sentiments away in detail. Drake mirrored Basil's grimace perfectly because he was as startled as Basil, just for another reason. All of a sudden a grin showed up on Drake's face. "Now that's something different. Finally!" he remarked a bit too happily. "B-but, you-u just –" Basil stopped, trying hard to gain his serenity back. He succeeded eventually and gave Drake a cold glare. "Well, whatever, so I just get some new cards." the tall blond man stated and tried to shove Drake roughly out of his way. But that man in front of him didn't move at all, not even the tiniest little bit. "NOW!" Basil growled loudly. Why hadn't he foreseen it? He cursed himself for that.

The blonde was trembling and Diez snatched his wrist to hinder him from moving around his obstacle. Drakes face turned looking very serious now and he gaze slightly up into Basil's eyes. They were fiery, full of anger. Basil was a bit taller than Drake after all. When Basil was holding on him earlier he got the wrong impression of the captain's real height which made him a bit intimidating now.

"What do you want, Drake? I really don't see any reason why you disowned me of my precious cards and why I should stay with such a rude person as you are! I was gravely mistaken thinking that you are one of the nobler personalities! I think I made it clear that I do NOT wish your company! Stop following and stop caring for me!"

"I thought you could at least guess what I feel like, I thought your cards did tell you what I want." Drake sighed.

Basil paused to think for a moment. No, in fact the cards didn't tell him everything. They only told him what he asked them for and Drake was someone who Basil rather forewent than occupy himself more than necessary with him. There was no future for them together, there couldn't be and there shouldn't be. Drake knelt down still holding Basil's wrist clenched, picked up the card which had fallen into the sand when he threw the other ones into the ocean and thrust it into Basil's hand. It was the Page of Cups. Why was he always getting cups lately? Basil watched Diez with an expression of revelation. No, that couldn't be. Was that a demand by the cards to him? What's this stupid fate right now. Is it joking with me or what? That card he held in his hand now was all about love; love he never experienced, didn't want to experience and which he was afraid of. This card is telling me of opportunities – now. That's so goddamn ridiculous! He could never love anybody, emotions were for the weak and he had been weak enough recently. He didn't want to go back to that. The redhead's face and body in front of him were somehow getting alarmingly close.

"Don't come any further or I'll have to hurt you, Diez." Basil uttered almost stuttering with a fragile voice. Oh darn… I addressed him with his first name… why am I getting all that personal?

And as expected Drake rather took it as an invitation to embrace Hawkins instead of letting him go and so he pressed him fully against his own body. Basil tried not to tremble but he couldn't resist it. Diez' body felt so utterly good. However he just couldn't let himself go. "LET GO OF ME! RIGHT NOW!" Basil roared and broke the embrace rigorously by jostling Drake away. His face was red with anger.

"No matter what you did to save my life, I DIED in Impel Down already! I am solely an empty shell, squashed like those mussels we were trampling on! It's like being a restless ghost, but without any connection to the world around you, wandering this earth without any real goal. I wanted to go on living after you helped me to escape but I couldn't live on as before! Can you even imagine how it is to sit in a damp, small and cold cell waiting all day, waiting for anything to happen? To yourself? Not just knowing what hundreds of other people live to see? You have to cauterize your perturbing feelings and that leads you to goddamn emptiness! You regrets came too late, Diez Drake!" Basil fought with tears and he won the battle this time. Weakness only led to Impel Down, where he would die again and again. But he had just done something he had never done before: he had confessed his feelings – to the person who was responsible for them in every regard. Basil was confused since he actually had very ambiguous feelings about Drake and it finally dawned on him. For a former marine Drake had always been very kind and charming.

The blonde looked lost, really lost with his lowered head. Diez wanted to hold him again but he feared that the other man might get even more aggressive. This aggressive side was surely interesting but also scary. Before he could say anything else to Basil, he had to look around worriedly because he heard strange noises of cracking wood. They should better run because the Kizaru was certainly still around. They could never know who or what was making the noises. Leaving the Archipelago as soon as possible would be the most reasonable thing they could do now even though the things that were just going on between them two weren't reasonable at all.

"Let's go, Basil, these islands here are far more dangerous than they once were now that Kizaru is lurking here, even though it won't be for long." Basil nodded and advanced Diez just to plunge him into the moist sand and kiss him violently. Basil's tongue forced itself into Diez' mouth who met the kiss with sheer eagerness when he locked his arms behind Basil's back. Drake moaned: "Are you doing this for real, Basil?" Basil caressed the side of the other's upper body with his glowed hands, the sand scrunched under Drake and crawled under his cape to meet his bare skin when Basil pressed further into him. He decided he must be awake since it was too good for a dream involving Basil Hawkins. "Seems so, yes." Basil huffed into Diez' ear in return and pressed their lips together one more time their tongues playing insolently sweet with each other.

Suddenly Drake stopped jolting up and whispered alarmed: "Did you hear that noise? Sounds like marines." Drake looked from the beach into the jungle nearby. What he had heard had been voices! Orders! For sure! Basil was looking into the same direction as Drake now but didn't seem to be as aware of the danger as the other man. The former Rear Admiral rolled on top of the other pirate, rose and reached out his hand which Basil grabbed immediately to get up as well. Yet he felt a bit forlorn because he didn't exactly know why Drake had just stopped. Out of desire he hadn't listened to Drake at all who had in fact made it clear before. Furthermore he hadn't heard anything than Drake's panting, heartbeat and voice.

But then - out of nowhere - the blonde was forcefully pulled after Drake and suddenly heard some rifle shoots. It dawned on him why. "Damn!" Drake cursed. Hawkins stumbled after the redhead until his high-laced boots found halt in the sand and the right pace to adequately keep up with him. "When the marine mob is around, the admiral won't be far away, which means we will get caught if we don't get our ships ready and set sails as fast as possible." Drake proclaimed sincerely while he was running rather fast, seemingly without much effort.

"But I can't possible leave members of my crew behind!" Basil exclaimed rather upset.

"The ones, who aren't on the ship by now, are already captured by a chance of 100 %." Drake responded calmly in Basil's manner.

"If we head to the New World and are able to gain an advance, they won't follow us since they need to return to the marine headquarters for Portgas D. Ace's upcoming execution. They need every reinforcement they can get since a war against Whitebeard is not to be taken lightly. Thus they can only imprison those who are along the way so to say, due to a lack of time." he continued.

"You are very well informed… " Basil admitted. He couldn't add anything productive since his tarot cards – except one - were floating in the waves of the ocean.

Drake's ship was the first one in sight and their ways parted since they both had their own duties as liable captains.

"Until we meet again." the former marine Rear Admiral said with a deep bow and jumped onto his ship.

"Why won't you stop helping me?" Basil yelled up to the other captain and added a faint "I am not worth it…". "It's the same reason why you kissed me." Drake smiled in response and disappeared out of sight.

To be continued…

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