This one is one of my personal favorite chapters, and its a long one! Killer starts to open up a bit more, interesting things are implied and we have a special guest that shows up today :D
It wasn't very different than the rest of the place. It was just less occupied. Delta looked around for Killer but he was not in sight, just normal people walking back and forth.
"Well since he never said a time I guess I can just...look around. Delta twisted her mouth in confusion. She was a little irritated. She had no idea where she was and was probably pissing off every known outlaw by now. Not her ideal day.
She continued to pretend to read the map as she passed some empty buildings up. Not abandoned, just empty. The farther down the grove she walked, the more scarce life became.
Delta gazed at everything, taking it all in.
"I wonder where everyone is."
"Are you lost?" A male voice came from her left.
"I hope no-I mean no..I'm not" Delta corrected herself. Why the hell was she so honest here?
"Are you sure?" it asked.
"Ya" Delta reassured them by nodding her head and planting her face into the thin map.
"If anyone needs a map here, they have to be lost" the voice teased her. Delta could practically hear the smirk on the person's face.
"Maybe YOU'RE LOST." Delta snapped and tore the paper from her eyes to glare at who was messing with her. Upon noticing who it was, Delta clamped her mouth shut and crumpled up her map.
It was indeed a man talking to her, a terribly attractive one, sitting on a crate with his hands folded across his legs. He was a bit older than her and was very lanky and tall. He had lightly tanned skin and several tattoos across his arms. A white hat with black spots matched his blue jeans which were also covered in black spots. He had on a yellow hoodie with a similar smiley symbol that the map had. His had spokes on the outer edge though, making it resemble a sun.
Delta licked her lips and gulped. He continued to smile at her and seemed to be enjoying the fretting of Delta. Delta was embarrassed and once again the feeling of terror took her over.
Another feared pirate was within 6 feet of her and she might have managed to pissed him off. Trafalgar Law. The Surgeon of Death. Not known for his nice demeanor and or mercy. But god was he was hot.
"I uh...I'm not lost" Delta nodded at him.
Law leaned back and grinned at her. He was intrigued by Delta's...awkward innocence.
"Ok" He shrugged and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.
Delta frowned and turned her back on him, not sure what had just happened.
"How am I not dead yet?" Delta groaned and wiped her hand across her face.
A large tree crashed to the ground nearby, making Delta jump back screaming. She looked around wildly for answers. She panicked, and ran to a crate to sit beside Law who now had his head back up, but didn't seemed disturbed one bit.
"What was that?" She dared to ask him. If he hadn't killed her yet, she was probably safe.
"Just watch" Law chuckled. Another tree fell down in the distance, but this one was cut in half before it fell to the ground.
"I don't want that" Delta whimpered. She was so nervous her words were coming out all wrong. She hopped back up, ready to run away.
"Don't" Law pulled Delta by her arm and forced her back down next to him.
"WTF?!" Delta shook her head at him and whipped her hands out, expecting answers. Law raised his eyebrow at her and pointed back to the developing scene in front of their eyes.
Delta slumped forward and pouted. She didn't really plan on dying today but..well..at least it was with a hot guy right? Thats always something to look forward to.
Delta watched what was happening in front of them, waiting for the worst when she saw Killer speeding towards them.
"Finally.." Delta whispered. She thought he was coming towards her when she realized he wasn't stopping. And he had those scythe..things on his arms. Delta decided it was in her best interest to stay put and see what he was doing.
Killer passed Delta up without a word even though he had to have seen her.. He quickly jumped over a fallen tree and continued to run.
A large man dressed like a monk wielding a massive pillar stopped Killer short. The monk swung the pillar towards Killer who lunged forward and leaped above the pillar, pointing his two weapons at his opponent The monk continued to swing the piece of concrete, smacking it against trees causing them to topple over while Killer gracefully dodged the hits.
"Uhm...what are they doing?" Delta leaned in towards Law, not really frightened anymore.
Law smiled and shrugged. He had no idea. But it was at least entertaining.
There was nothing Delta could do but wait till it was over, although she wasn't particularly fond of being on the sidelines of this fight. These two knew no boundaries and weren't afraid to destroy everything in their path.
Delta leaned back behind Law to look for a safer place to wait it out. There was one of many empty buildings behind them. There was a door but it was wide open and seemed like a decent enough hideout.
Without warning Delta took one last look at Law and slipped into the building. He looked back at her, but didn't seemed to concerned with her leaving went back to watching the fight.
"This is better I guess." Delta tried to comfort herself in her newfound place. It looked like the place used to be a bar, but it was completely cleaned out except for a few tables and chairs. It was a little small, but enough to pass the time away while Killer did whatever he was trying to do. She set her bag down on a chair and went to the front of the empty bar to look around. Delta swept her hands across the bar counter, catching up what little dust that had collected on the granite top. She wondered how long it had been sitting there with no one around. There were worn out posters tacked into the decaying walls, and small wild plants had started to make their homes in the cracks on the wooden floor.
Delta took a deep breath and sighed loudly. She appreciated the silence the abandoned bar provided. She found it odd she couldn't hear the commotion outside. It was like she was in a completely different dimension when in reality she was mere feet away from the real world.
Footsteps coming from behind her caused Delta to look up from the kitchen counter.
"Oh, its you" Delta gave him a warm smile. Killer was standing in the doorway, with his weapons still at hand.
"What were you doing out there?" Delta questioned him. She didn't get a reply right away, but Killer did come towards her. He stood next to Delta, keeping his arms limp at his sides.
"Don't worry about it" He reassured Delta.
"Then why do you still have those out?" She raised an eyebrow pointing at his scythes.
Killer quickly detached them and put them away without a word.
Delta blinked up at the tall man. He looked the same as usual, although his hair was a bit more ruffled due to his tussle outside. He wasn't out of breath, but his muscular chest raised and lowered quicker than what could be normal. Delta noticed his chest quiver a bit when he inhaled.
"Are you hurt?" Delta asked gently.
"No" was the expected reply.
"You don't look well" Delta paced behind him to see if there were any visible injuries. She was no doctor, but being the klutz she was she knew a thing or two about not wanting to admit to being in pain.
"I'm fine " Killer growled and turned to face Delta as she observed him.
" sit down" Delta commanded him.
No response.
"Come on. sit down" She pointed towards one of the tables.
Killer huffed from under his mask and placed a hand on Delta's shoulder firmly, pulling her closer to him. Delta squeaked, a little surprised and searched him with her eyes wildly, fearful of what was to come. She had kind of forgotten who she was talking to…
Killer placed his hands under her armpits and pulled Delta up to meet his helmet. She was mere inches from him and she could feel the heat of his body against hers. She gulped and shivered. She couldn't even remember the last time she was raised off the ground so high. Her eyes searched his covered face for answers.
"You don't tell me what to do" Killer growled in her face. Delta shivered, afraid to even blink. Thoughts clouded her mind as she tried to figure out what to say or do next.
"...Please?" Delta whimpered. She was terrified but still couldn't drop the matter he may be hurt.
Nothing but Killer's labored breaths were heard. He then pulled his face away from Delta's and carefully set her back down on the floor. Delta rolled her shoulders around and frowned at Killer. His arm guards had hurt her, but she wasn't going to say anything. She was near positive that it wasn't intentional anyways.
While Delta looked her arms over, Killer sat down on a bar stool in front of her and watched her.
"Are you going to let me see what's wrong?" Delta didn't understand why she bothered asking again.
"I guess.." Killer mumbled.
"Oh..well..good" Delta nodded, happy he complied. She raced over to her bag and went rummaging through it. She pulled out a roll of gauze, a packed cloth, and a tiny bottle of rum.
"You carry that shit with you?" Killer sounded annoyed.
"Uh...yeah I guess I made a habit of it…" Delta grinned sheepishly while she dropped a bit of rum on her hands to clean them.
Killer nodded, not knowing what to say about that.
Delta carried the three items in her arms and set them on the bar counter. She stared at Killer in front of her, trying to pinpoint what was wrong and where. But his shirt was kind of...in the way.
"Um..I need you to...take...that off" Delta's voice cracked as the embarrassment flowed through her. She never thought she would ever be saying that to any man in her life. Luckily Killer didn't say anything, he just grunted gently at her again and complied.
"What does that even mean?" Delta wondered. She didn't know if that sound meant he was dissatisfied or god knows what else.
Killer peeled off his shirt and tossed it on the counter. He inhaled softly and coughed as he let the breath go.
Delta was busy biting her tongue and hoping she wasn't blushing. She rested her eyes on Killer's bare skin. He was muscular and his skin was a soft creamy peach, slightly turned pink by the sun. Delta turned her attention to his upper chest where a large dark spot was forming. It looked like a bruise.
"..Did he hit you?" Delta whispered and lightly touched Killer's chest near the purple bruise. His skin was surprisingly soft. It was taking everything Delta had to keep her composure, but she was actually doing okay.
"I don't think so" Killer said. He didn't really move when Delta touched him, but he did tense up a little.
Delta nodded and looked behind him. There were a few cuts on his upper back, parallel to where the bruises were on his chest. Delta guessed maybe he got nicked on his chest in battle by the pillar and was forced against a tree because of it. It sort of made sense.
"You just have a couple of cuts back here, you're fine." Delta reassured him.
"I told you" Killer reminded her.
Delta scoffed at him and snatched the bottle of rum from the counter and the towel. She poured a little on the cloth and gently dabbed it at Killer's back. She had to stand on her tip toes and strain her legs to reach the spot but she didn't say anything about it. When the wet cloth met Killer's back he flinched a little but kept quiet.
"Does that hurt?" Delta asked concerned.
"No..." Killer sounded slightly offended.
"Oh." was all Delta could say. She quickly tapped the cloth to Killer's back who flinched again. Well he said it didn't hurt, so Delta was going to take his word for it.
Delta finished up and returned the cloth to the counter. She gently trailed her fingertips over Killer's wounded back. For what she didn't know. Maybe to comfort him? He may not be hurting, but there was a reason why he was recoiling so much.
"You can stand up if you want" Delta said as she screwed the cap back on her bottle.
"Thank you." Killer responded. He reached for his shirt on the counter and slipped it back on his torso. He carefully rose from his seat and faced Delta as he buttoned his top back up. Delta's face turned hot. She pretended he wasn't even there and fumbled with her cloth.
What made you decide to come back?" Killer asked as he fastened the last button.
Delta twisted her mouth in thought.
"I'm not really sure." She had become more comfortable now that she was back with Killer, but the excitement she felt from the night before was still fresh. Delta spent her whole night trying to pinpoint what was making this so wonderful to her, but she still couldn't figure it out.
"Hm" was all Delta got for a reply.
"What were you doing anyway?" Delta turned the questions on him.
"He attack me." Killer said.
"What for?" Delta pressed.
Killer shrugged. Either he was hiding something or he really wasn't sure.
He walked away from Delta without warning and headed for the open door of the building.
Delta followed him with her eyes still intrigued by him. Killer stopped in the doorway and rested his arm against the wooden frame.
"Are you coming?" He asked, tilting his head back to Delta.
"Uh..yeah" Delta scooped up her supplies on the counter and shoved them back in her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and paused at the table.
"Where are we going Killer?" Delta asked him.
Killer's eyes widened briefly under his mask. The girl had never said his name before.
"Well wherever it is I can't stay too long, I have to go into work still" Delta pouted.
"Then let's go back to your side." Killer suggested.
"Do you really want to?" Delta beamed. She was glad she would be able to get away from the chaos for a while and still spend time with Killer.
"Yes" Killer replied and waved his hand, beckoning the girl towards him.
Delta followed his hand and walked under his arm still resting in the doorway. She stopped right between the door and the grass outside. She sure as hell didn't want to go crazy monk or anyone could be out there. She lifted her face to stare up at Killer with a worried look.
"It's alright, I'm right here." Killer reassured Delta.
"Can you go first?" Delta whimpered.
"No" Killer gently nudged her forward.
Delta sighed loudly and took her step out. It was clear, so she marched right into the forest rather quickly with Killer right behind her. Delta still had to wonder if he could be fully trusted. Why was he so pushy with her?