The Tiger ( One Piece - Eustass Kid )

17: What The Hell Is That?

17: What The Hell Is That?

Tiger's POV

"What do you mean?" Kid's face was unreadable; I pushed my fringe back and rubbed my eyes. "Kid... C'mon..." "TELL ME!" "Sometimes I think even I don't know, okay! We've never experienced that; we never had that... But maybe we did? Well we've always had each other right? When my dad left I only had you and you only had me..." I tried to use words but they just didn't seem to come out right, I kept tripping over sounds... Word vomit. "Yeah, that's right... But its different now isn't it?" "Does it have to be?" I looked up at him, he was 6'8 but I was still 6'2, very tall. "Did you hear something?" Kid placed his hand on his holster and steeped forward. "Don't change the subject!" "Sh!" I steeped towards him with an annoyed face but as I inched closer I could hear it too... Lightening crackling, electricity in the air like a whiplash.

"What is it?" I narrowed my eyes so I matched Kid. "Adventure?" He smirked at me and I grinned. "Let's go!" We ventured into the forest not knowing what awaited us but feeling the anticipation course through our bloodstreams.

We reached the center of the noise and our faces showed more than shock, I was... At real odds with what stood in front of me. Kid turned to me with a perplexed expression and so I returned it. "D-do you have any idea..." He peered at it and I laughed. "It's obviously a- HOW WOULD I FREAKING KNOW? YOU ARE THE ENGINEER!" "Hey shut up!" A door presented itself in the middle of the strange contraption; it was about three meters tall and one and a half meters wide, electrical bolts bounced off the four antennas in jolts and Kid's curiosity grew. "Maybe its like a teleportation device? It seems to be permanently molded with the forest dirt which means it's either been put here for a reason or its been here for a very long time." I pouted and encircled an arm around his waist. "Can't we just investigate tomorrow it's getting dark?" "What, why? It's here now and so are we." I pouted and rested my chin on his hunched back. "But it'll be here tomorrow too," "I still don't understand what you're getting at Tiger." I pushed him away and crossed my arms.

"Ya! You have always been really stupid Eustass, its like all those times you hit your head when you were trying to climb the mountains you fucked up something in your brain." Kid's face turned pink and he clenched his fists. "Why you little..." He started to chase after me. 'Wah oh no Kid! Now you're going to have to try and catch me all the way to the beach!" "Ah you little shit its too fucking hot to run! Come here!" Kid chased me all the way back to the beach and she suddenly just stopped running causing Kid to crash into my body, toppling both into the hot sand.

"You're a fox you know that?" Kid laughed with a small smile. "A what?" "A fox, cunning, sly, carnivorous, flirtatious..." "Aww all good things! But you're more like a bear, irrational, dangerous and deadly." I smiled running, my hands along the collar of his fur coat. "What's gotten into you so suddenly?" He sat up and pushed me into his lap, I move back against his big chest. "I realized today, how much I missed you after all these years and I regretted a lot of moments I may have hurt you so I tried to wipe my memory of you completely... I only was reminded when I saw you in papers and posters... But now that I've re-opened those doors... I really missed you Kid... I REALLY MISSED YOU!" I let out a wail and a string of sobs; he crossed his large arms across my body. "Shut up! It's not like I didn't miss you either! It's not like I didn't think about you everyday! Why would you shut your doors on me Hana, why would you do that?" I felt hot tears slide down my neck soaking her cheeks. "Don't call me Hana! I did it because it broke me apart, I realised too late how I felt and I tried to kill myself and... And that's when Sheesha found me... K-Kid..." no response followed, no breathing, no nothing.

"I love you." "Really? Because I keep trying to say I love you b-but you don't understand..." My voice came out in sobs more than words. "I loved you my whole life, how would I know to express it...? I'm not too good with this kind of thing..." I collapsed into his chest with a relieved expression. "Thank you, Kid..." Kid suddenly turned over and pushed me back onto the sand. "This is what you wanted right? This is why you wanted to come back right?" "What do you mean?" I looked at him with a perplexed expression. "This," Kid kissed my soft lips and caressed my golden brown skin which had lightened after months at sea, his pale flesh in complete contrast to my own dark skin.

For a long moment all they could hear was the crashing of the waves out at sea and their own noises of appreciation, until I broke the kiss and spoke. "Lets find the One Piece like planned Kid, then we can look at the world without guilt, worry or fault; for we will be the rulers." "Of course, I'll be king and you can be queen just as fated!" He shouted into the wind and I nodded, my head leaning on his shoulder. "Lets do that Kid, although let's sleep now... I want to see what that thing is..." "Yeah we should, goodnight Tiger." He kissed me again entangling his legs with mine.

~~

When morning light rose we once again trudged into the overgrown jungle in search of the strange contraption that held Kid and I's curiosity greatly.

"Kid... I'm a little worried about the rest of the crew, don't you think we should search for them first?" "Don't be ridiculous Tiger, this is my crew- doubting them is an insult." "I see... Also I think next populated island we reach we should start scouting for new crew members, don't you think?" "Yes, I agree; for now lets check this out." They looked at the strange metal contraption emitting energy in green bolts. "Why don't you try something with your devil fruit?" "Something is telling me I shouldn't but... It can only hurt to try." Kid's hand raised and suddenly the green bolts turned to purple and Kid was being dragged toward the machine. "K-Kid! What're you doing?" A small panic rose within me and I started towards him. "It's not me! The machine is pulling me towards it!" I grabbed Kid's arm in order to pull him away from the machine but as I touched his skin I screamed in white pain and suddenly- I couldn't pull away.

Everything was white.

Is this heaven?

Or...

Are we in hell?

Yes.

It must be hell.

BECAUSE I CAN SEE THE DEVILS RED HAIR!

Wait..

NOPE THAT'S THE DEVILS RED HAIR!