Chapter 5 Reasoning:::

Her wavy, moss colored hair pools around her, in a pretty way she herself never recognizes. His sinewy skin is exposed by his lazily buttoned shirt and cropped pants. His sandals are kicked off to the side somewhere in the sand below them. The hammock that carries the two sways with the gentle sea breeze that passes through the island.

He has his arm cradling her head, a pillow that's almost too firm, yet just right for her. His fingers run though her hair, playing with stray curly strands. His feet and legs are tangles with hers, and she presses her freezing feet against his calves.

"Makino!" He exclaims in surprise at her temperature and the sudden cold on his legs, like a slab of ice touching his warm skin. Makino smiles evilly, placing her freezing hands on his exposed chest. He cringes in discomfort, but she shifts at one point so that she is lying on top of him. Her smiles up at her, and pulls her lips down to meet his. They welcome her home, all soft and firm, and they kiss blissfully. He bites her lip playfully and she bites back. He can practically feel the tug on his lips from her and he growls while she heaves a quiet breathy moan. He squirms under Makino and she smiles into his lips.

Suddenly, he's tracing her spine through her thin shirt and she is blushing. Seaweed girl is blushing so badly he teases in his head. Makino pulls back, smiling and catching her breath. She is about to lean in again when the hammock swings and their weight is shifted in such a way that they flop over the side. They topple into the hard yet soft sand below them. His big protective hand catches her head as they flip over and drop, cushioning her fall. Sand finds a home in her thick curls, and he is about to get up off of her when he realizes just where he is: on top of her. He smirks and gazes down at her underneath him.

"Shanks?" She questions. The sunrise makes her look even more beautiful, Shanks thinks in his head. Her purple brown eyes stare into his, and he can't get over her beauty. Her seaweed hair fans out around her, the green standing out against the white surf of sand. He notices her cute little beauty mark on her shoulder becuase her shirt has slipped down just slightly. He sees her lips stick to her teeth as she catches her breath; as if she can't breath in his presence and he loves that he can effect her in that way; Take away her breath, steal it, and hoard it like the pirate he is.

He has missed this; he has missed her.

Something tugs at his self-conscious at that thought, that he misses her, before he lowers his face down to hers. With her eyelids fluttering closed, he leans in to kiss her. He can almost feel her feathery, soft pink lips against his. He is almost able to sense her rare breath, puffing against his mouth, hot yet chilling. He can feel the rise and fall of her chest against his, he can feel her, and then as he is cenimeters away from capturing her lips with his, the breathing stops.

Shanks is face first in the sand below his green hammock. The sky is bright paired with a sweltering sun above him. Shanks grumbles, but swiftly turns and looks for the woman he knows not to be there. The hammock swings behind him, vacant. The sand under his hand slips away, empty. No, Makino is not on this island. No, Makino is not here with him.

Dreams are sometimes rude, Shanks thinks with a rare frown tugging at his lips (not the way her teeth tugged though, that sensations was marvelous).

It's been years since he's last seen her, but there hasn't been a day when he hasn't thought of her. Maybe the thought was fleeting or occasional like: "Makino would love this scarf", or " Makino would love this book", or "Makino would..." Anything. Fill in the blank: Makino would... Oh, well, except come to sea with him. Not that he ever asked. No, he knows better. And it wasn't out of pride that he didn't invite her, nor out of fear, just the content that he knew and respected that silent decision Makino made to never join him on the blue depths.

His eyes are dry from the hang over, he thinks as his eyes prickle with nerves. There is sand in his eyes, he reasons as he lets a lonely tear fall.

The wind blows, and, in a weird way that reminds him of her, the earth is all he smells. He breaths her smell in, wondering if somewhere back in Fussha he is stealing her breath from her. Makino smells like moist dirt and fresh mint leaves. Like sweet liquor and laundry detergant. Shanks only smells the moist dirt and sweet liqour on the island (no way do his men, or rough territories in his section of the new world, smell like mint leaves and laundry.) but it reminds him of her, and his thoughts are no longer his own.

He remembers her laughter, her smile, her skin and the curve of her back as she slept under th thin sheets next to him. He recalls sensations only she could give, because even tHough he is an honorable, loyal man, temptations are temptations and after all these years he's been tempted by wider busts and blacker lusts; empty as they were, a few times he took them to sedate his desires. And after all those druken nights where he realeased pent up stress on womens willing bodies he lay awake after, as the stranger next to him sleeps. He remembers the cuvre of Makino's body, like rolling calm waves. Shanks remember her hesitation, then her silent words : "I love you too, Shanks."

His heart thumps thinking of it now, and he gets a sinking feeling in his chest that sounds like time wasted. And as he comes to terms with it he thinks in his head:

"I miss her."

He grasps the sand in his palm again; trapping all the grains in his tight fisted grip- this missing her isn't healthy, he thinks, as he come to terms with it.

He stands, taking the sand with him as he stumbles his way over sand dunes to his rising crew at the eastern side of the island. His voice rings with leadership as he tells his awakening crew:

"We are going to Fuusha Island, boys!" His smile shines through, and as his crew cheers with loyalty resounding in the sea breeze, Shanks thinks of a taunting dream and a beautiful seaweed haired girl. Missing her isn't healthy? Yeah, well, he'll just have to go pay her a visit then.

Shanks ignores the nagging in the back of his mind that tells him she might not be there anymore. And if she is, there is a slight (but huge) possibility that her heart is no longer there for him to teasingly take, let alone attempt to steal. It's been four years after all. Seaweed girl might've…settled down, and had kids or something.

He dismisses the thought with a shake of his head and a swig of his rum, and the liqiud burns his throat as it slides down; his black pirate flags flies and he's off to meet his love.

A/N::: I just had to get this out. There may be a few corrections i didn't notice (spelling errors D:) and i'll fix them when i have time later. I'm lazy, but i'm also determined!

I am WARNING you all now though , it will be a while before the next update. I have finals coming up... and seriously with my grades- i need to learn/re-learn everything. UGH. My soul cries just thinking about math. Thus, I will not be seeing you for a while. Plus, (if you can believe it) my laptop broke! D; And the other computer in my house is always taken, so as i said, it will be a while. The next update should be around... Winter break-ish. I'll probably end up updating on chirstmas, just you wait and see! :3