Serious: FLASHBACK THREAD: "How The Great Karasu met The Red Haired Thief" (Open to Karasu)

She had finally woken up. Karasu looked directly at her as she put herself up, she covered herself by instinct right afterwards. It was as he thought, they were both naked. Unlike Karasu though, she still had a few things to cover. Unfortunately, Karasus face started burning once more the second his eyes pictured the brief second of what he saw, the image gradually faded away, but the sudden hot feeling across his cheeks remained.

He looked down at his palms, quietly wishing that the answer to everything would be written on them, but they weren't, this was a mystery with an obvious answer, but nobody around to admit it. Karasu, a little disappointed at the image of himself giving into temptation, looked at Red, whom he had possibly.. spent the night with, but strangely felt no shame. He had small faint images of her and him before the wine he had drunken, but that was it.. he had no idea what happened afterwards.

He tried to think about something else, but the image stayed in his mid, the image of him smiling and having feelings that weren't hate or sadness.. he had never felt that peaceful, not in years. His personality was reflected with the constant emotions he felt: Coldness, isolation, and complete hate for those that are evil. Those are among the traits that described his personality, yet.. with this women he had so easily broken that image, and somewhat felt at peace.. like his old self from what felt like years ago. Worries of his past left with the booze he remembered drinking, and the only thing left was the feelings he felt for the women; those were feelings he neglected so easily before he started drinking, and embraced when his inner voice disappeared. He was just now realizing, he was neglecting his own emotions, and trying desperately to replace them with the new ones. However, at the moment, he didn't feel like he needed to distance himself.. to him, he was at the presence of someone that made him happy, something long thought to be impossible.

She asked the most obvious of questions, the answer was known by both him and her, judging by how hot his face had turned, and the redness he could feel neck-up. He tried to answer in the best of ways, trying not to give a hint of the thoughts that were swarming around in his head, he tried his best to relax himself by kneeling back, putting his hands behind his head.. a natural reaction from someone that just woke-up, this was done so that his body would try to decrease its redness, but it didn't help much. Even as Karasu was talking the hint of nervousness could be heard in his voice.

"Yes, I think we did.."

His eyes were covered by his hair, but he moved them to the side slightly to look at her as she was covering herself, no memories came back from the previous night.. even as he tried to recall something by looking at her covered body. Her figure though.. he remembered thinking about it, and no matter how many times he looked at it, she still looked as perfect as the first time. He looked away, knowing where his thoughts were heading. She probably had to leave soon.. and he's have to wait to see her again, when though.. he had no idea.

He sat up again, having his back to the wall behind the bed, trying not to look at Red. A sudden silence swept across the room. The silence would have been misguiding to some, thinking it was a bad sign.. but Karasu was enjoying the silence, more to the point, he was secretly enjoying her company.

He tried to think of what to do next, but even HIS mind went blank, he had to break the silence, unfortunately, to find her thoughts.. or how she felt.

"What do we do now? If you need a ride.." Karasu stopped himself mid sentence, the thought of her leaving seemed to overwhelm him, but he acted strong and continued the sentence, trying his best to hold back the emotions he was feeling so passionately. ".. I could take you to wherever you want to go in the grand line.."

After pretty much confirming Red’s hazy, drunken memory of their love-making the night before, Karasu went silent, laying back in a relaxed posture.
Anxiously pressing her lips together, she looked at him sideways.
His long, slender but muscled naked form was still enough to bring heat to her cheeks again, despite most of him being covered.

“Ah, I see,” she responded quietly before forcing herself to allow a gentle smile to come out on to her face. There was something rather amusing about the whole situation. Frightening? A little. Embarrassing? Quite. Satisfying? Presumably. Awkward? Very. Funny? Yes, in a way…their situation was a little funny and a part of Red wanted to treat it lightly, as Karasu was. This was despite the fact that even though she could only barely remember their evidently (if the ache in her hips and her still-warm skin were to be trusted) hot and passionate night together, she feared that she’d never quite want a man, in mind, body or soul as much as she’d wanted Karasu.
And still wanted him.

She giggled lightly, swallowing back her sudden swell of emotion and ignoring the sudden thudding of her heart. “If I remember correctly…well…it was a good night…so…uh…thanks…I guess.”

Red wanted to slap herself.
Even with alcohol, she was never this clumsy with words, ESPECIALLY around men.


Karasu seemed fairly breezy and calm about the whole situation- yet despite his chilled out demeanour and speech, there was something thoughtful about his eyes, she noted. It was almost as if he was having some kind of internal argument with himself or trying to resolve a difficult problem.

“Well of course he is,”the sneery voice in the back of Reiko’s mind- the one that spoke for the part of her that doubted herself- snarled. “He’s got a strange woman in bed next to him and he’s probably debating how to get rid of her…”
Red gritted her teeth, pushing those thoughts aside.
There was no point in assuming the most negative or depressing situations just yet, though when Karasu asked her about hitching a ride with him, another hurricane of emotion rattled Red’s psyche.

On one hand, he was being gentlemanly and chivalrous and if he wasn’t just kicking her off the submarine after their one night stand, that was a good thing, wasn’t it? It meant that he didn’t find her company unbearable, right?
Part of her felt elated at this.
She wasn’t used to handsome, strong men of his calibre being so polite and generous and if she accepted his offer, it would be a chance for them to spend some more time together.

However, on the other hand, this offer underlined the fact that the two of them would soon have to go their separate ways. Red felt a sudden wave of disappointment and sorrow wash over her at this thought.
It was undeniable to her at this stage.
Somehow, Karasu- this man whom she’d barely known before that night- had managed to melt a part of her heart that she had thought was long-frozen and now she had feelings for him.
It was the part of her heart that felt no shame for having let him take her the night before.

“I want to stay with you…”
These words ghosted on her lips and burned in her mouth as she was desperate to say them. But no, her rational side decided. Karasu was most likely a lone wolf and asking him to allow her to remain with him would be both rude and intrusive.
“Besides”, she thought a little sadly for the first time. “I’m probably better off alone anyway.”

Red cleared her throat, laying down beside him once more and leaning on her elbow. “That’s a very nice offer, Karasu-kun.” She couldn’t resist speaking to him so sweetly. Every time she looked at his handsome face, he seemed to bring out her flirtacious side. “Actually, if it’s not too much trouble…could you just give me a ride to the next island? I can get by from there…”

She let another moment of silence pass between them before doing something on the spur of the moment, fuelled by her own bubbling emotions. Red leaned across the sheets, bridging the gap between them and kissing Karasu’s lips softly.
His scent, touch and taste brought back more memories of the night before but Red forced herself to pull away and smile gently. “Thank you for everything. I’ll make breakfast as a way of showing my gratitude…”

Quickly, she swung her legs over one side of the bed, feeling her lower half ache a little as she did so.
How long had they gone for?
Stretching, she kept the blankets close to her until her back was to Karasu and she leaned down to find her blouse and bra on the floor. “So did you…uh…sleep well last night?”

Karasu glanced over to watch her as she looked for an answer for Karasu. To him, she was probably debating whether or not she would leave him here, or accept his offer. Karasu, in all honesty, would rather her stay.. but he knew she had her travels ahead of her.. and Karasu had his own. To Karasu, Red was something he hadn't experienced in a long time. The emotions he thought he had gotten rid of yesterday had come back the day after. It was simple to say that Karasu had fallen for this women hard, but the extent of his longing for her was not expressed on his face.

Her face was lost in thought, although for what reason Karasu only guessed in, did she want to leave already? Did she have something to do she forgot about? Endless possibilities were swarming around Karasus head, but his thoughts were far from the truth. Red was by far an attractive women, but when Karasu saw her thinking, biting her lips, he couldn't help put place his fingers on his own.. remembering the night they kissed, it seemed like it was only a few minutes ago.. the sensation of her warm lips on his own was still maintained. It made him secretly long for her kiss, her lips (soft and warm as they are) against his own, it was like a new drug to him.. something that tingled his body more then any other pleasure from a drug could have given him, this drug.. was much more powerful.

In his mind, Karasu thought the only thing that could defeat the kiss was probably done last night.. he could not remember anything, but he did remember the feelings he felt, the long burning passion of the years he spent without meeting her, it all exploded into that night. He dozed off thinking about the night.. up to the point where he blanked out all he could remember was the wine he had chosen, and her body teasing him in a way.. drawing him towards her. Karasu then tried to picture what he remembered, but nothing came to mind.. however, the emotions were displayed as clear as a picture, those emotions.. were unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Karasu snapped out of it, hearing her answer to his proposal, it was a yes.. but her destination was short, the next island could be reached within a few days or a week, but at least it would give him the time he wanted with her. It would at least stall the moment where they had to part ways, and all that would exist to fill that gap would be the memory of her. Karasu couldn't find any words to say, it was a moment of sadness, and at the same time joy. Karasu was like a child at this point, wanting something, but never telling anyone.. then someone shows it to him, and unknowingly takes it away.. while the thing that he always longed for (without knowing it) slips away with the person. Karasu knew that it was fate that showed him this women, and it was fate that had taken her away.

While Karasu was thinking of this, a sudden feeling overwhelmed his body once more.. it felt familiar. Red's lips had pressed against his own, causing his body to tingle once more. He placed his hand gently on her chin, helping her elevate to his lips.. he didn't want that moment to stop.

She offered to make breakfast in exchange for giving her a ride to the next island, Karasu doesn't have taste buds, but he wouldn't mind having a meal that doesn't look like someone had purposely poisoned it to kill someone. He nodded, feeling a bit comfortable with the feeling of her cooking him a nice meal.. it had been months since he had something that looked nutritious.. then again, he wouldn't be able to taste the difference, but his body would appreciate it.

She stood up, walking a bit differently then yesterday, and then she asked the one question Karasu had NO idea how to answer without a detailed story, but he had to simplify to fit the situation at hand.. it seemed like Red would have to leave, the more he talked to her, the more attached he knew he would get before the goodbye.. The thought of her leaving made even Karasus stomach feel twisted, and he doesn't even have taste buds. he concentrated on her question, trying his best to answer it.

"I slept very well, the best I've slept in years.. Please don't be offended by my question, but do you remember anything specific about last ni-"

Right there it hit him, the night before gave him one brief image.. a very brief one. The image left almost as quickly as he remembered it, his headaches starting to kick in. It was her, on top of him.. calling his name. Karasu turned red suddenly and stood up, almost erect. He picked up his clothes, forgetting about the cover he was supposed to have kept to cover himself. He changed picking up his trousers and pants, leaving himself without a shirt.. since it was still the morning. He did this out of instinct, for a reason Karasu did not know. To some psychologists, they would assume Karasu was so embarrassed to have found himself naked with her, that he immediately put his clothes on to cover himself.

The brief image of Red, Karasu to admit, was much more.. addicting then he had originally thought, of course these thoughts remained in his head. He was not about to tell Red that her body was.. Luring to Karasu. He tried to ignore the image of her perfect body on top of him, and her voice whispering his name.. it was almost too much for Karasu to take. His composure was slowly deteriorating.

He knew Red was going to leave, but the image of her goddess figure... he knew he would have to kill many people in cold blood before he could even semi return to his old cold ways, if that was even possible. Red, without knowing it, had opened a part of him long thought extinct, and changed a part of him he never thought of changing. he muttered words out of instinct, not knowing whether or not Red could hear him.. but he certainly said it loud enough for the room. His words come out short of a mumble.

"Thank you Red.."

Reiko felt her knees go a little weak when he asked her about whether or not she recalled any specific events from the night before.
It was strange. Normally, the red haired thief never felt so unsure of herself around any man but Karasu…perhaps it was her evident feelings for him that made her so worried about her appearance around him and how he viewed her.

What had transpired between them was no ordinary one night stand. It was nothing less than a great release of passion and exchange of powerful emotions.
Her memories were hazy and blurred by the alcohol, though Red, (who hadn’t had quite as much wine in her glass as Karasu), could remember a few, delicate, intimate moments.
She felt the pulse in her neck quicken and strengthen at the mere thought of these moments. The question even seemed to be stunted as Karasu asked it, as if thoughts of it had suddenly entered his mind too.

Taking a little breath and tugging her shorts up and around her pale thighs, she tried to speak as casually as possible- hoping to eradicate any chance of appearing awkward or nervous.
“Uh, well…last night, let’s see,” Red began with an uneasy laugh. “Well, I can’t remember much of it…but I believe that we…kissed…a lot…and then I…er…stimulated you…and you did some favours for me too…and then…well, we changed position a few times if I remember correctly…” She dared herself to look at him over her shoulder as she shimmied her shorts up over her hips, smiling a little. “You…you’re quite an amazing lover…”
She immediately regretted saying these words allowed, even though she meant every one of them. Her mouth felt uncomfortable and dry. What would he think of her now?
She looked downwards, starting to fasten up her shorts.

”Thank you, Red.”

Red stopped in her tracks, her fingers fumbling with the clasp of her belt as she heard the words leave Karasu’s lips, her ears drinking in the words.
He was thanking her. But why?
If anything, she should have been thanking him.

Not only had he saved her life and offered to take her- a strange pirate woman whom he’d only known for less than twenty four hours- to the Grand Line in his private submarine. Whether or not drink was involved or not, he still had also taken her in when any other less-honourable person could have turned her in to the Marines or left her to fend for herself.
He had also touched her in a way that no man had ever touched her before and she felt as if some strange, forbidden force was drawing her to him.
She smiled to Karasu Ammo again, pulling her boots on and speaking in a soft voice. “Don’t thank me. I really should be thanking you…”
And with that, she left the bedroom/cockpit, heading towards the kitchen.

After a few moments of sifting through freeze-dry packets, she came across the appropriate ingredients to make some pancakes and a few moments later, a warm stack of pancakes was on a plate beside the stove and another pancake was sizzling on a frying pan in Red’s grip.

Red tried to explain the night before in a way Karasu could barely understand, although he did take advantage of what he could understand. Red and him had done what he thought they did.. this was confirmed with her sentence. However, he had no idea about the favors he had made for her, and the positions that she talked about. It was probably something to do with the only image in his mind. He continued hearing her, watching her perfect body press on the shorts she was tugging on. He tried to focus on her hair.. it seemed like the most mesmerizing thing about her. She ended her brief explanation with her own opinion.. and Karasu could not have felt his heart beat any harder. It felt like his chest was about to break from the pressure his heart had given. He tried to calm down, taking deep breaths so his heartbeat would slowly return to normal.. an old trick he learned. He tried not to turn around as she continued talking. The image of her and him kissing a lot continued on in his head.

Karasus thank you had definitely reached Red's ears. Red had not known it, but Karasus thank you was for saving him from his despair, although not even Karasu knew that the thank you that came out of instinct.. had a reason behind it. Karasu watched Red walk away, now focusing on how beautiful her hair was in the morning.. even when it wasn't managed. She never spent hours on the mirror to get herself ready, she just woke-up and left as she was. Karasu realized her beautifully red hair was more like blood then he realized, since he pictured blood as a perfect form of gentle liquid.. one that is not easily ruined in color, and always maintains its beauty (Karasus an assassin, Blood is very visible in the battles).

What came next seemed more like a surprise then anything, she had thanked him for something. What she thanked him for though, he had zero idea. He put his curved index finger in his lips (It's how he thinks, makes it look like a hook almost), dozing off into the blank wall in front of him. He couldn't remember anything in particular he did for her, nothing more then the help from yesterday.. but Karasu thought he was being selfish at that moment, not wanting the marines to have her.

Once she disappeared from his sights Karasu sat down on the bed and rethinked everything that he had done so far, and quickly realized that he was completely out of his usual routine.. he didn't feel as much hate as he did last week. Somehow he felt more forgiving, and less capable of killing then he did before.. of course that would not stop him, but it would definitely affect him. The first thing that popped into his mind when re-thinking the morning is his vision.. he kept looking at Red while she had turned away. He felt more comfortable looking at her when she was turned. He kept gazing at her. The next thing he noticed about himself, is his natural reflex to turning red.. the only OTHER time he had gotten red, that he could think off, was when an explosion had nearly cost him his entire body.. and his redness was mostly hematoma. The list kept dragging on, he already knew his heartbeat was irregular.. half of him knew why, but the other half was still denying it. Karasu tried to ignore what he could, but it continued on as a voice in his head.

Soon he could smell the pancakes Red had made. The odor was delightful for Karasu, but his taste buds were not feeling anything. It was like smelling perfume in the air.. your saliva never reacts to it, but the nose enjoys its fragrance. He stood up and walked over to the hall, leaning his head forward to take a look before he stepped out. He noticed he felt a bit tired.. he could've sworn he had enough sleep to last days at a time after that night, but he still felt like energy was missing.

"What did I do last night that used so much? It feels like I ran a marathon" (Karasus thoughts)

While stumbling down the hall he witnessed Red creating something he was not familiar with, it looked round.. and so far, it looked white. Looking beside her Karasu could see some more of whatever it was she was making, only this time it looked a bit more ready.. and the fact that they were on a plate gave Karasu the impression he could eat it. His body gave off a small grumble, forcing Karasu to place his hand over his stomach. Karasu was hungry. It wasn't a surprise to him after his shape this morning, feeling so tired meant he needed food.. the cause of what he did to be so tired was half there, he knew they made love.. but never had he felt this tired afterwards, could it have been something else? Or was he just somehow overlooking the obvious.

Karasu looked around his submarine and realized something rather odd.. he never had someone over, so he never bothered to put some tables to eat with. He was accustomed to eating on the floor, on his bed (without making a mess) or simply on the hallway, he never bothered to put a table for him to sit in. he walked over to the nearest room, the one across his vultures room.. which still seemed to be sleeping. This must be that special time of the month when the overworked hours catch up to him. Karasu walked to the other room only a few feet apart, opening the metal door and taking the table from the room. he tried to move through the halls with the table, but no matter how hard he tried the wood would always make a sudden burst of noise when it hit the metal around the submarine.

He finally placed the table on the kitchen room, placing a few bags filled with weeds and grains around the table for seats. Karasu was usually not the type to have company, neither was he the type to care about small thins like tables and chairs, but was definitely proud of his new dining table. The Den Den Mushi on the table was taken, and placed in his pocket. Once he sat on the sac of grains he waited for Red to finish, it was rude to Karasu if he took the plate she had already made, since she did cook the unknown delicacy she was creating.

Karasu made sure to leave his pistols in his room, something he never did in the past.

"Well Reiko, I am assuming this delicacy you are creating has a name? The fact that you managed to make it out of the small amount of ingredients on this ship is almost amazing.."

Red looked over her shoulder, hearing Karasu start to fumble and move things around behind her.
She felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips.
The kitchen wasn't exactly homey in terms of furnishings- then again considering the only two occupants were usually a man with a high-action lifestyle and a vulture, this didn't come as much of a surprise to her.
That said, Red wasn't picky when it came to living surroundings and however unconventional Karasu's bedroom and kitchen were, she still found them comfortable and welcoming.

"They're just pancakes," she responded offhandedly, flipping the last one with a flick of her wrist before adding it to the stack beside the stove. "I made them from some milk, eggs and any grains or sweet herbs that I could find around here. I'm pretty good at making things from scratch."
Slicing the pancakes up and adding a little extra dried sugar for a garnish, she put them before Karasu on the table top. "Here. Enjoy," she prompted with a wink, sitting down on one of the sacks opposite him. "I could always make a few snacks for your vulture too, if you'd like."

Red could feel herself getting less and less formal when it came to talking to Karasu and she felt decreasingly awkward around him too. There was something distinct about his posture- about the way he spoke to her, the way he always seemed so relaxed yet prepared for anything.
She leaned on her hand, elated by the feeling of warmth that rose inside of her as her eyes traced over Karasu's form. Red sighed a little, pouting her lips.

Without a mapping chart, she couldn't be one hundred percent certain of which island it would be but from her general navigational know how, Red knew that from their current position, the nearest island would be at least ten days away.
She couldn't help but smile a little, her heart already thudding with anticipation and delight at the idea that they'd have at least that long to continue to get to know each other.

Maybe she'd get to see if this powerful feeling he evoked in her would get any stronger...if it would blossom?
Maybe this was merely the beginning of some kind of marvellous voyage?

A kind of voyage that not even the great assassin nor the navigator thief had been on before...

(Timeskip: Eleven days later)

Red felt tears starting to prickle in the corners of her eyes as she clambered up on to the deck, a warm sea-breeze tugging her hair.
It was a hot day and the glowing rays of golden sunlight from the wild blue heavens above seemed to dance in perfect harmony with the magnificent curls of sparkling sapphire waves that lapped against the gleaming black hull of the submarine.
Despite this, Reiko Fujiwara took no delight in the beauty of her surroundings.

It was the inevitable moment that she knew had been coming; the submarine had finally reached land and now it was her time to part ways with Karasu.
Just like watching a blade sweep towards her chest, Red had known that this moment was going to come but that knowledge didn't prevent her from feeling such a pain inside now that it was finally here.

For ten days, they had lived together.
Karasu had taught her about the submarine and how it functioned while she in turn had taught him various elements of navigation...(and one or two simple cooking recipes despite his lack of taste!)
She helped him with his work around the giant vessel, cleaning whilst he performed repairs and he, in turn, was always a gentleman.
He always seemed to put her needs first and was quick to check that she was always comfortable and content.
Red, who had lived alone for so long, wasn't quite used to someone being so concerned about her well-being and happiness yet still she embraced his concern and in return, did her best to take care of him whenever he needed help.
The two of them had talked about their interests, their hopes, their dreams, their fears...
Red had soon found that Karasu was very like her in so many ways and this only made her feel closer to him.
The two had laughed together until they cried, drank together, ate togther, read together, trained together...swapped stories about life on the sea and ideas about favourite fighting techniques...
Of course, there always seemed to be something mysterious about Karasu that Red could never quite figure out but she didn't mind that at all- if anything, it just made him even more attractive and alluring to her.

Red soon became aware of the growing crush she had on Karasu.
In some ways, it terrified and repulsed her at how much she cared for him. She had never been quite so taken by any other man before and part of her worried that this feeling would make her weak in the future.
She knew that she'd never forget Karasu and even if she did, she wasn't ever going to feel as strongly for another man ever again.

Mostly though, this new feeling enchanted Red.
She loved being with Karasu- this intelligent, charming, strong, brave, kind and handsome mystery of a man.
He still allowed her to sleep in his room with him and on the nights when the seas were at their roughest and Red was most fearful, he would allow her to hold on to his warm, strong, muscle-laden body beneath the covers.
She would press her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing, taking in his sweet, intoxicating scent, indulge in the heat radiated from his soft but firm skin.
She'd fall asleep like that sometimes- and these were the nights when she slept best.

Red, at this moment in time, was trying her hardest to swallow back tears as she shrugged her satchel up on to her shoulder. Coughing and forcing herself to smile, Red walked down towards the nose of the submarine, where it was closest to the island's pier.

"Well, Karasu," she said softly, turning around with a smile. "I guess this is goodbye then...huh...? You've really been too kind to me all this time. Thank you so much...I really have enjoyed our time together..."
As she turned around to look into Karasu's eyes, her words suddenly seemed cold, flat and completely unworthy of expressing her feelings.

Acting on impulse as she gazed up into his hazel eyes, Red lifted her hand, stroking his silvery hair and running her fingertips along the curve of his ear, tracing the tiny glinting diamond. "I really will never forget you..."

Her heart thudding, she very delicately brought her lips up to meet his, softly kissing him for a moment and relishing his unique, almost enigmatic taste as her other hand came to rest upon his toned chest. She parted from his lips, her warm breath coming in short, passionate gasps as she whispered. "Thank you...for everything...."

(Time Skip: 11 days after pancake dinner)

Karasu had enjoyed the days he had spent with her.. it was almost like he stood firmly in a dream, a dream he never wanted to wake from.

There were nights, he named these the nights of salvation, where a storm would be outside the submarine, on the outer layer of the ocean. The thunder could be heard from the distance, and it almost echoed through the ship, the waves were strong enough to move the submarine underwater. The problem with this, was that Red got scared.. she had a phobia of drowning, something that Karasu had barely remembered until the first night she was shaking. He tried to comfort her all of those nights, holding her as close to him as possible.. it seemed right. Every time these nights happened he felt like his past had left him, with the past gone he only had the moment to live in.. the moment of peace. These nights Karasu usually stayed up a little longer then usual, looking over Red as she slept.. it might have seemed weird in most cases, but he couldn't stop looking at her as her eyes remained closed.. she looked peaceful. He held her tight against him and felt her breath against his chest; his arm laid firmly around her.. he made sure to keep her close, assuring her warmth with his body.

There were moments when Red had jokes Karasu actually thought off as funny. He had laughed to the point of his eyes tearing up, something he had never done in his life. Some of the jokes that came out of Karasu were some he never knew he even had, but in his opinion.. the most humerus of moments were from her jokes.

There were days when they would spend hours talking of their adventures, some things that had happened in their travels. Karasu spoke of his old days, working as the first mate of a division in the Anubis Pirates.. the Yonku. Karasu also spoke of some of the members he had in the crew he was in, his captain being Leo, a magma user, and the ships doctor a man with sound powers. Karasu's first battle with them was in an island Anubis had control over, and Anubis himself was in that island. He spoke of days when him (in the past) would actually faint in the site of perverted moments with women.. which happened once. Of course, this was years ago before he gained some control and composure in his life. He even had a day where he spoke of a time when he was a child, he was 14.. and he had graduated the islands academy. His parents spent the night with Little Karasu, and even managed to celebrate with his first, and last, celebration cake. Those days, Karasu spent a lot of time talking.. but spent more time listening to Red. Her stories seemed more interesting to Karasu, probably because to him they were all new.

They talked about their hopes and fears, Karasu spoke of his worst fear.. which was never having a second chance for a family. Karasu mentioned to her his secret wish, besides wanting the world to be a pure place without evil or wrong doings.. he wanted a family of his own. It was weird that he would tell Red this, but it was what he wished for the most. Red was in Karasus mind as he spoke about his interests, although why he was thinking about her.. he didn't know. One day, he even mentioned his interests. Karasu told Red his only interest, or the only thing he loved close enough to call a hobby.. a delicate dessert called Flan, made of eggs, caramel, and a few other ingredients Karasu had no idea of. he mentioned he could not taste other foods, but Flan was the only food he found that would stimulate his taste buds. (It's custard)

There were nights when they drank, Karasu made sure to avoid the strong stuff, but they definitely enjoyed every moment of them. They had times when they read books Karasu didn't know were hidden in some of the tables, some of the stories seemed quite interesting to Karasu. Karasu even spoke about his favorite fighting technique, his bullet barrage. It was a technique which fired hundreds of bullets in one swing, what his enemies did not know was that this would be combined with his bullet curving... the attack would literally be from everywhere. He shared with her some of his deepest secrets, including his inability to hurt children.. even if they were somehow the enemy.

Even with all of those good times, some of the best times were when they were cleaning the ship. Something about both of them working on the ship made the shipwright in Karasu more aware of Red.. and what was more weird was that she seemed even more 'luring' as she worked with Karasu on the ship. In exchange for him showing her how to steer the ship and a few ways to fix the ship, she taught him a few recipes.. recipes Karasu would probably be using for a very long time. Karasu even managed to cook for the first time without making someone throw up. When they both cleaned the ship, he could never stop looking at her.. even while he was working.

He knew after the first few days that he had developed emotions for her. His feelings only increased the longer he stayed with her, and got to a very dangerous point for any assassin to be in.. yet he didn't care. His old voice of neglecting his feelings had completely vanished, the only thing remaining was his true self (most of him). Her beauty, luring voice, beautiful blue eyes, arousing red hair, and overall alluring atitude was what stuck to him like a scar.. he knew these feelings for her would never heal, and never go away. She had turned into something that attached to him, and when it left.. it left a piece of itself behind.

The day came when she had to leave, and a part of Karasu wished this day would never have come. Secretly, a part of Karasu had shunted this day since the day she agreed to move with him to the next island. There were times when Karasu had woken up in the morning, with Red still sleeping, and talked to her. He whispered to not wake her up. Karasu told her, at least a few mornings, how much he wished she could stay with him.. for once, all of the thoughts in his head agreed to wanting her to stay. He never woke her up this way, and wanted it to stay that way.. the last thing he wanted was to ruin the plans she had for herself.

The day came and she walked out of the submarine, Karasu could hear her breaking voice.. tears were not falling from her eyes. Karasus head remained facing downwards; a cold feeling had reached him. She walked up to him and kissed his lips one final time, the time around them had stopped completely.. like an eternity had rushed within a second. This, however, was too soon for Karasu. The second her lips left his she walked away, with her back towards Karasu his head dropped to the point where his hair covered his eyes. Tears could be seen moving down his cheek; he made sure to avoid showing her his tears. His voice was not broken but in one long cold tone, like when attending a funeral.

"Reiko Fujiwara.. I'll never forget you..... and thank you for saving me, even if it was for a short time.."

Karasu turned around, facing his ship located far away, and ran across the sea towards it.. he arrived in a slouching position. He took the slowest steps he could possible have made back inside his shell of a home, back to the darkness he had once loved.. but now loathed. He closed the hatch while looking at the area he said farewell to Red, eventually sealing himself in his submarine.

He walked towards his hatch and turned on the submarine, taking his time pulling the lever that would turn on the ship. Within a second the motor was heard rumbling, and he started moving through the dark ocean.. it was a long ride before the wound he felt would heal.. and even then, it would leave a scar.

As Red walked away, feeling a tear slip down her cheek, she knew that she'd never forget Karasu Ammo as long as she lived.

Reiko Fujiwara had no idea just how right she was.
She didn't know it, but a chain of events had already taken place that would ensure that Karasu would remain an eternal part of her life....


((Thread Closed!!!))