][Malice][ =One Piece=

:: Chapter Twenty Five ::

Once he was sure no one else was going to come barging in, Kid carefully removed his cloak from the seething girl. Her pale cheeks flushed once more. His hands reached for the thin layer of bandages wrapped around her slender torso hugging her ribcage.

                “Stop.” Malice hissed as she caught his hands in hers to keep him from removing the bandages. Delightful electric spasms shot through her fingertips as their hands clasped.

                “How bad is it?” Kid demanded.

                “If you were this concerned, perhaps you shouldn’t have stabbed me earlier.” She hissed.

                Kid winced slightly at her words, “I didn’t stab you.” He grumbled in his defense regretting his earlier actions, but it was for her safety, he wanted her to realize that he’d protect her. “Just tell me how bad it is.”

                Malice stared in awe for a moment at the soft expression on her captain’s face. He was really worried! Guilt wormed through her for making him feel bad, and it nearly made her sick. She released her hold on his hands, “You tell me.”

                She closed her eyes not wanting to see his reaction to her wound, but gasped in surprise as his strong hands gripped her waist and she was temporarily hoisted into the air. He set her down atop the bed and Malice opened her eyes to stare down at him curiously.

                “You’re short.” Kid shrugged.

                Malice rolled her eyes before forcing herself to look over the top of his head and staring intently at the door. She held her breath as one of his strong calloused hands found the edge of her bandage and slowly began to unravel the first layer. At the sound of Kid cursing she looked away from the door and looked down at him curiously.

                “What the hell is this?” His feral orange eyes were trained on her opposite ribs to an old cross shaped scar she’d received when she was thirteen. It was a brand, a dark putrid bubbled up brand.

                Malice shrugged, “Never mind that.”

                Kid shot her a glare and opened his mouth to protest.

                She silenced him by placing a slender finger against his lips, “How bad is it?”

                Kid grumbled something incoherently back at her before inspecting her newest wound carefully. Internally it seemed fine as far as he could tell from the coloring of her skin and her breathing, but the entry and exit wounds looked as if they’d slightly reopened. They had healed but she was overexerting herself too soon after her recovery and it put a strain on the mending tissue. A small amount of blood dribbled from the wound.

                “Did you get any bed rest?” Kid asked her with a soft growl.

                Malice scowled at this and threw him a look of distaste, “I don’t like bed rest.” She shrugged.

                “Baka! You’re making yourself worse!” Kid snarled.

                “I’ll be fine.” Malice shrugged only to have her feet knocked out from under her and to go tumbling to the bed. She gasped as the handsome captain caught her wrists tightly in one hand and forcefully held them up above her head pinning them to the soft mattress. “What are you doing?” Her voice came out sounding breathless and needy as her heart began to race.