The moonlight was the only the only light that shown through the thick forest as she shuffled through silently. He had to mask his presence, as he moved closer to the edge of forest, enemies could be lying about. He reached the edge hiding behind some bushes his eyes listening in to any sound that sounded unusual. There was nothing unusual, the crickets played soft lullaby to one another, an owl nearby 'whooed' and the rustle of a bushes of nearby large cat having deciding Ace wasn't pray. A very calm night.
He shifted out of the forest, sprinting to a nearby boulder, hiding in the shadows. His brown eyes scanning the empty terrain for anything suspicious, but it would be hard to say. He would be in wide open space while his enemies would be lurking in the shadows. Still, it was a risk…a risk worth to take to see her.
He could see her blue eyes sparking with amusement as he would bring her the latest gift from behind the wall. He had stumbled on it when walking around the campus doing odd ends and jobs. It was part of his payment for taking care of pretty nasty weeds. A perfect gift for her. He wanted to see her soon after, he needed to see her. To take in her scent, to hear her laughter, to feel her skin on his. He needed to see her right away.
He was breaking the rules his father, Edward wouldn't be happy that he is beyond the wall and talking to a slave girl. But he will be forgiven, he knew Edward forgive him when he met her and understood his desire for wanting to see her. For wanting to see her laugh. For wanting to free her. He was still struggling on how to free her, the steps he would need to free her. He barely spoke about her for fear of life being in danger.
Hurring across the empty terrain he made it to the shadow of another boulder. He could see where the slaves were sleeping, she would be resting her eyes from a hard day's work there too. He knew her bunk and which window she would be sleeping under. The easy part long over, he now had to move stealthier, and to catch her attention without waking the other slaves or altering the guards.
His heart was hammering hard in his chest, as he inched closer to the base. He had already known where she slept having it all mapped out from his previous visits. He watched the shifting of the guards unaware he was there. He didn't fear being caught. He could handle being caught, but he worried what would happen to her if he was caught. He grimaced at thought and moved even more stealthy in the shadow avoiding any wondering eyes. It wasn't his style, but he had a lot at risk just to see her.
He thought of her warm smile, how her pretty face lit up whenever he spoke of his adventures with his brothers. How her laugh would warm up his cheeks on the cold night. The way her eyes lit up when she stared at the stars. All things that made his heartrate increase and made him feel more alive when he was around her.
He found himself longing to see her, he wanted to see her face light up when he showed her the new gift. Or the warmth he felt when he was with her listening to her as they whispered to one another about secret plans to help remove power from her capture and slowly give it to Whitebeard. Or when she asked questions about life inside the wall and what college life was like. She had other questions too but none that would depart her lips.
He could spot her bunker, where she had to share with a few other slaves. He knew he had to be more careful now with the steps he took. He could sense a guard near by a shift change. He had a very limited time limit with the guard shift. He found her window and gave a light tap to it. A secret code only both of them knew. Straining his ears, he could hear her answer with another tap his code. He waited outside; she would be coming out soon.
He was feeling strangely excited, his heart hammering hard in his chest. To see her pretty smile, to see her face twist in delight. Placing his hand on his chest to keep himself, the minute felt long. He listened to have little sound around him, the shuffling of the trees as the wind picked up a little bit, he could hear the soft snoring of the other slaves in the bunker.
"You made it," she her voice barely a whisper, surprising him when she was in front of him. He stared at her as he was greeted with bright blue eyes. Not even the stars could compare to the sparkle in her eye as he lost his breath and stared at her.
"Of course, I did," he whispered back, "every full moon we promised to meet," it was a common thought. They had been secretly meeting every six months during the full moon, it was something he looked forward to every month. He was sure his Pop's had long figured out these meetings. But he didn't say anything keeping quite himself from the meeting.
"Right," his face reddens, and he scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed at his slip up. Truthfully, he had worries, worries that she didn't like him and was using, worries that she would leave him when she found out who he was. But his biggest worry was that she would get caught and hurt because of these meetings.
"I have more information on when they are moving the next supply," she was all business. He could feel a little sting, was she excited about seeing him. Maybe his worries were right. They never confessed their feelings, other than whispering at night secrets their past and who they were a mystery.
"D-do you?" he stuttered his first line cursing himself, he sighed and gave her his full attention. He knew was reaching for something that wouldn't be. He had long given up on hope that she would accept his affection for her and for now he would enjoy her, the limited time they had till he freed her from her shackles.
"We can't talk here," he pointed to the yellow glow of a light approaching them. Grabbing her hand, they moved away.
"So they are heading east of the ancient ruins," Mor spoke as they found a secluded cliff that over looked the bunkers. The only light that they had was the full moon lighting up the map as Mor was pointing out routes that would be help corner her captures. He listened agreeing before throwing his own ideas as well.
"I think if we attack from the west of them, they will know we are coming, it is nothing but open fields," he wasn't afraid of the challenge, "I am sure seeing pops would cause them to panic," Ace told her. He barely thinking ahead his mind only focused on the fight. They would win, this battle like every other battle.
Her palm smashed into his temple surprising him with her brute strength, she would have knocked down a weaker man, "We can't do that," she hissed, "they aren't stupid," she had saw them gathering strong men, watched as they trained the slaves weeding out the weak. She had been one of the few they decided to keep, "They are getting stronger, they are preparing for a bigger battle," she warned him, concern in her eyes. She swallowed her worried about what might come next if they didn't plan right.
She had adjusted to his personality; in fact, she had learned to love his headstrong ways. How he charged into battle but still had a plan for winning she was sure he would win but she was sure their would-be causality, and more deaths. Death of other slaves, her friends and comrades that shared her same pain. She couldn't lose any more of them.
Ace found himself memorized by her blue eyes his eyes reading her emotions, "I will tell Pops not t hurt the slaves," he told her. He was sure his pops had no intention of killing the slaves and freeing what they could he wanted to free her as well, but her shackles were thicker and harder to remove and by the time Pops would have moved to her she would have been gone.
"I know," she whispered, "I trust your Pops and you," this made his heart rate increase knowing she trusted him. They were still strangers in many aspects. He still didn't know her name and she still only saw him as a pirate. Every time he did try to learn her name, she would change the conversation or direct him away from every learning one another's name.
"You can trust us," he grabbed her hand, they were so small compared to his, but scratched and hard thanks to years of hard work and difficulties she was put through. Kissing her fingers stuck between his massive palms. He couldn't understand why was attracted to this woman. Was it her strength that shown when fighting, or the fact she was still gentle to everyone despite her harsh conditions and situation?
"I know," a faint pink could be seen on her cheek even in the moonlight. The corner of his mouth begging to left. He leaned closer to her wanting to capture her lips, there breaths mingling, he had to kiss her to taste her. Maybe it would work like those old fairytales were the princes would kiss the princess and free her from enslavement.
Prince?
He frowned, titling his head down. He was no prince. He was a son of a criminal, his hands already dirty since he was born. His father was the reason why more criminals were running around, the reason why outside of the city and the grandline were so disjointed. Why she was probably in this situation, thanks to the criminals running the show. The reason he agreed to keeping their names a secret if she knew the criminal that ran in his veins.
"I am sorry," he said to the confused woman before him. He couldn't kiss her temptation he wanted too but he knew it but he was lying to her too. It wouldn't be fair for her.
"Your hands are always warm," she broke the long silence between them. Mor had been hoping for a kiss, she wanted to taste him too. But she was hesitant it would be her first time kissing a man and being in the situation they were in it wouldn't be romantic. But there was something romantic of the moonlight night being their only light.
"It is the devil fruit," he explained, "I am always hot," he lit his back on fire giving them a warm glow. He smiled a faded smile that didn't fully reach his eyes. He was obviously still distraught in his own thoughts.
"Does it hurt?" she was questioning him trying to pull him out of his mood. Mor had learned to read this man over the course of two years. She needed him to focus, seeing him every fullmoon was her only relief she had these past years knowing she had a friend to talk to and distract her from the situation she was in, to help plan and outsmart her prisoners.
"No," he shook his head, "my body became fire the moment I ate the flame-flame fruit," he said shaking his head, "I can walk into a burning building and not feel a thing,"
"You should have become a firefighter and not a mafia leader," she joked she could sense he was starting to lighten his mood. The distraction and conversation of the devil fruit lightened up the mood it had a strange magic of sorts as their conversation became lighter.
They had planned for next weeks raid to stop the shipment the Celestial Dragons, the people were left starving outside of the walls and inside the walls people were left clueless and ignorant. The horrors this world faced. Something Mor would have been oblivious with if she wasn't in such a situation now.
"Do you want to dance?" Ace asked, their night was ending with a heavy heart neither wanted to leave. But the moon was starting to set if they didn't leave soon neither would get a chance to sleep and rest and Mor knew the silver haired woman would need to rest for a bit, but one last dance to make up for the kiss that couldn't be.
"What?" she questioned a bit surprised by his sudden question. Mor had never danced before, she never had boys wanting to dance with her during school dances due to her awkward height and growth spurt. No boy wanted to dance with an awkward string bean of a girl whose body didn't develop. Here she was as a slave being asked to dance by a handsome stranger who stole her heart. Did he love her too? She hesitantly took his hand.
His large hand overtook hers and helped her up. He smiled gently at her, calming her down he must have noticed the panic expression on her face, "It isn't hard," he said, "put your hand on my shoulders," he guided her hand to his shoulders, "and I rest my hands on your waist and we dance,"
"But there is no music," Mor giggled a bit. She could feel her heart hard in her chest she was curious if he could hear it.
"We can hum," he told her as he began leading her gently. He began humming off key an old love song that had been stuck in his head he had heard in Marco's room. He could barely remember the lyrics ore the melody but he was going to attempt to create music.
Mor titled her head back and laughed at the strangeness of it all. She would store this memory in the back of her mind as they shifted around awkwardly together. Both trying to figure where they should step and move but it the air was filled with laughter as they stumbled around one another. Something even Ace found found himself thinking about
"They are running late," Edward spoke waiting for the merchants to come. They had been waiting for over an hour time of the original time, "are you sure your friend told you the exact time and place," he asked staring at the horizon suspiciously.
"She said this was the place," Ace said glancing at the horizon worried. He had to check to see if she was okay something went wrong. Did she get caught? He found himself growing concern. He began to fidget a bit before grabbing his bored, "I am going to check on her," he said.
He was panicking, he thought about her. The way the way the silver hair gleamed under the moonlight as they danced slowly. The way her blue eyes gleamed while they held one another. Or how her body warmed up under his touch in the cold night. He had to see if she was alright his own he grabbed Stiker and began zooming through the desert. He had to go to the base to find if she was alright.
He didn't give her gift yet, their last night with one another fighting the urge to kiss her and hold her tight. He didn't' want to leave her that night he wanted her to stay in his arms, he had been concerned when she left watching her shadow disappear into the night. It ahd felt like the final good-bye, something he had been ignoring with in his gut.
"Damn it," he said as he sped towards the base camp. He had to see if she alright, he she was okay. His mind jumping to the worst-case scenario. Trying to stop himself from going crazy. He still had her gift he wanted to give her, a cheap sapphire ring he bought.
He could see the base in view and stopped something was wrong.. There were no guard stationed at the doors, the place looked abandoned. He took slow steps towards the buildings expecting to be shot at for the guards to be alert, but nothing was moving. He continued his steps not seeing anything and knowing his worst fear were coming true.
Standing in front of her bunker he listened ot any sound of life…there was nothing. He had lost her. He wouldn't see her again. Falling on his knees he found himself hoping she was safe and that she escaped from the danger of being a slave and wishing to see her again. A prayer he hoped would come true.