Smoker walked up and down the ship like a caged tiger and waiting for Serenity's sign to finally appear on the evening sky. After many torturous hours, he heard a shot and a bright fireball exploded on the other side of the cliff. "It's time" you told Tashigi, who stood right behind him. She nodded and walked off to inform the crew. It took only a few seconds and they all stood on deck. "All right! You all know the mission?" All marines saluted "Yes, captain!" "Good" he stepped off the ship, his men right behind him and made his way to the pirates' net and to the place his woman was waiting for you. What he saw when he arrived was a bunch of drunken pirates around a fire, all more or less conscious. But what he didn't see was the flaming red hair of Serenity, nor the huge form of Barnabee. "Get them into our cells, before they get sober" Smoker picked up a random drunk guy by his shirt and shook him "Where's Serenity?!" he shouted, feeling a slight victory when he flinched away from his booming voice "Keep it down man" he slurred, which only lead to the marine becoming even more furious "Tell me!" He shook the pirate some more and this time he answered "Last time I saw her she walked on the ship" Instantly he dropped his victim, who landed on the ground with groan. Smoker left his men to take care of the remaining pirates, then turned his body into smoke and moved towards the impressive ship. It was quiet there, too quiet ad Smoker searched his way through the different rooms and hallways. As he turned around the corner, and spotted blood on the floor. His heart stopped for a second but then his experience told him that it wasn't enough for a fatal injury. Still a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach remained. When he stepped closer to analyse the scenery, something crunched under under his boot. Taking a step back, he found small shards on the floor, looking like fragments of a stone. He picked one up but when his fingers immediately started to feel numb, he quickly dropped it again Damn! This were the remaining of a sea stone and in the worst case the one that had been inserted in Serenity's sword. Same sword, he found lying just a little farther away after looking around. "Damn it!" he shouted in anger and frustration as he kicked the shards on the floor, splintering them even more. Suddenly he heard pouting from somewhere near and a scared voice cried out "Hello? Is someone there?" Smoker looked around and found a door to his right, that slightly shook with each bump he heard. "Step back from the door" he told whoever was on the other side of the door and after he'd heard the shuffling of small feet, he kicked it open. The second it was open, something small tackled his legs. The initial reaction was to kick it off but then Smoker heard sobbing and when you looked down, he saw a small opped and turHͳ�w�m
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Leaning down you picked up the child and allowed her to cry in his jacket. "Are you Serenity's sister?" The girl's head shot up and she nodded "I'm Christine" A small smile appeared on her reddened face, then she sniffed again "Where is my sister?" "I'm searching for her" Smoker whipped some tears from her cheek "I'll get her back, don't worry" "I heard her" Christine sobbed and held tighter onto the marine's jacket "She called my name but then Barnabee appeared and there were crashes and strange noises. Then it was silent again" She started crying again and Smoker held her tight "I'll bring her back" he repeated sternly, then carried Christine out of the room, picking up Serenity's sword on the way, and left the ship. "Tashigi!" he called for hid lieutenant and when she arrived hr handed her the girl "Take care of her and do everything to keep her happy" "Yes, captain!" the woman was a bit stunned by her superiors order "But who is she?" "Serenity's sister" She immediately understood and nodded, pressing the girl a little tighter to her body. Christine clinched to the woman, already feeling that she would be save with her. Smoker watched the small girl for a few seconds with a small smile playing around his lips but then he concentrated at the task at hand. "Any information about Barnabee's and Serenity's whereabouts?" Tashigi nodded "We got it out of one of the pirates that he fled with serenity over his shoulder into the forest" she told you and pointed in said direction "I'll get him" He padded Christine's head, then leaned down a little to be able to look in her eyes "I promise I'll bring your sister back and until then this woman will take care of you". Christine looked at the man shyly, then lifted her small hand with her pinky stretched out. For a second Smoker was confused but as he eventually understood, he hesitantly and a little embarrassed hooked his own way bigger finger with hers. Tashigi trembled lightly and as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, he saw that it was because she was trying hard to compress a laugh. "Thank you" Christine's silent voice returned his attention to the girl. He smiled at her softly, then straightened up ran off into the forest.
Barnabee carried Serenity over his shoulder and every time he jumped over a root or a stone his shoulder rammed into her hip, causing the sea stone fragment to dig in deeper. She tried to move to put up at least a little bit of a fight, but all her strength was gone and all you could do was hanging there like a sack of potatoes. Suddenly she heard heavy footsteps behind her, roots and twigs being crushed under a pair of boots. Forcing her head up, she smirked when she could see white smoke in the distance. Barnabee seemingly noticed, too, since he stopped and turned around. "What is that?" he mumbled while the smoke came closer and closer. Eventually you were surrounded by the thick cloud, before it redrew, compressed, and slowly formed a male body.
Barnabee was too full of himself that to use his time to flee, nor did he try to cover his tracks. Instead he took a nice walk in the woods, so it hadn't been that hard for Smoker to find him. "Who are you?" the pirate growled when Smoker's body took it's form again and looked him up and down "I'm captain Smoker of the marine head quarter" He took a look at Serenity, she wasn't moving but she didn't seem injured that much. Barnabee noticed his gaze and turned the shoulder she was lying on away from him "If you plan to take this woman from me, forget it! She's mine" Pure male possessiveness awoke in the marine and he growled, causing Barnabee to laugh "I see, you're the one who turned my Serenity against me. But she will come with me" "We'll see that" Smoker replied, then his smoke shot forward to wrap around the pirate. Shadows emerged from ground and tried to stop your attack, but they weren't able to grasp the white clouds. The black tentacles, cut through the smoke, without stopping its movement and it hit Barnabee's chest. He flew backwards and dropped Serenity, who Smoker quickly caught in a white cloud and carried her back to him. The smoke reformed his arm, in which Serenity now was lying and to his greatest relieve she was conscious, though she seemed tired. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly with worry and she weakly nodded "Good" He carefully placed her on the ground, her back resting against a tree "This will be over soon" Smoker tried to get up again but Serenity held onto his arm. "What about my sister?" She just had to know to know and Smoker smiled softly "She's save. Tashigi takes care of her" A huge stone fell off her heart but when Smoker once redraw, she still held him back "Be careful". A smirk spread across his face and he leaned down to kiss her hard and quick "Don't worry. I will" Suddenly he was ripped away from her, black shadows wrapped around his limps. "Take your hands of my woman!" Barnabee shouted furious but before Smoker reached him, he turned completely into smoke and slipped out of the shadows. Barnabee attacked him again and again but Smoker's devil power was the perfect defence against his shadows. The pirate captain usually was a smart man but his short temper and the anger about the marine not only daring to touch his woman and being able to slip out of his grasp clouded his mind. Attack after attack he threw at Smoker, used all of his techniques but they he wasn't able harm is opponent, while he grew weaker. Smoker enjoyed teasing the pirate, watching him get frustrated and become undone whenever his shadows simply went through him. But then, his gaze washed over Serenity again, who hadn't moved a bit since he had laid her down by the tree. The only wound that Smoker was able to make out was a cut at her hip. Unpleasant but it wasn't even bleeding much and shouldn't cause that much trouble. Serenity should have recovered at least a little by now, yet she still seemed as weak as before, if not weaker. It was time to end this and get her into the infirmary. Smoker returned his attention to the pirate, who once again tried to grasp him with his shadows, drill through his body with their pointed tips. He turned his whole body into smoke, rushed through the black tentacles and reformed in front of his opponent. For a second, he considered using his jitte to hit him but in the end, he chose a more physical way. With satisfaction he heard a crunching noise as his fist hit his jaw, barely feeling the pain in his own knuckled. Barnabee was thrown backwards and Smoker quickly followed, throwing punch after punch at him. Eventually the pirate was lying on the ground, with a heavily breathing Smoker looming above him, his gloves splattered with blood. Though the man on the ground wasn't even moving anymore, he quickly grabbed his sea stone handcuffs, pushed Barnabee onto his stomach with his feet and secured the cuffs around his wrists. Multiple footsteps echoed through the now once again silent forest and a few minutes later marines appeared from the trees. "Get him out of my eyes" Smoker ordered and when everything was done, he walked back to Serenity and carefully lifted you up. She was awake, yet her head fell feebly against his chest. "What did he do to you? You're not injured that badly" Once again he checked her body but wasn't able to find another wound than the one at her hip After a short silence, Serenity started to talk, her voice only a weak whisper but he was able to understand "He placed a shard of the sea stone inside of me" Smoker shot the pirate, who was already carried away a dirty look and if he hadn't already beaten him into a bloody pulp, he surely had down it by now. Still he was relieved that only this small problem had caused Serenity's condition and not some severe injury. He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead "The doctor will take care of it"
A while later she was placed on a bed in the infirmary of the marine ship. "I'll get the doctor" Smoker told her, but she called for him to stop "Please, I want to see my sister". She looked at him pleadingly and smoker took her hand to press a gently kiss on her fingers. It was a strange behaviour for him to be that gently and.....cuddly. He flinched at the inside at this word, yet it fit. But with Serenity it felt so naturally, and he always felt this urge to touch her. Not only sexually, thought he couldn't wait to roll with her in the sheds once again, but also just to feel her close. He cleared his throat as Serenity looked at him expectantly and he realized that he still hadn't replied anything to her wish. She on the other hand had grown nervous at the marine's silence and his intense gaze, worried that there was something with her sister that he hadn't dared to tell her until now. "She is save, I promise you. But first of all, we'll stitch you" Serenity was about to protest, growing impatient with the lag of information she was given. Smoker notices her change of mood, so he quickly went on "Or to you want the little one to see you like that?" He motioned to the still slightly bleeding wound and she followed his gesture "You're right. Chrissy had been through enough and doesn't need to see me bloody and dirty to top everything" She gave in and Smoker squeezed her hand, then left to get the doctor. It didn't take long, and Serenity were prepared for the small surgery. After the doctor had inspected her, he sat down on the bed beside her "It isn't a difficult task but you still will be under anaesthetic for safety reason, since I can't say how deep the splinter has drilled into you" A needle was injected into her arm and she felt a warm feeling spread through her body from that spot. Before she was able to finish her next thought, she was already out.
When she woke up again she felt something warm beside her on the bed. Still sleepy, she opened her eyes to see something pink. She rubbed her eyes and was finally able to recognize it as her sister, who was sleeping peacefully beside. Though her own mind was still clouded, she quickly and without waking her up you checked if she was injured and sighed relieved when she couldn't find anything. She laid back down and gently stroked Chrissy's hair. "I couldn't keep her in her room anymore" a low voice said and when Serenity looked up, Smoker sat down on a chair beside the bed. "It's all right" she looked her sister with a sad smile on her face, her heart arching "It's great to see her one last time" "What do you mean?" Smoker was irritated by her strange answer and furrowed his eyebrows. Did she plan to leave her sister after going through all of this just to save her? His heart skipped a beat. Did she plan to leave him? "Smoker, I was a pirate and I'm still your prisoner. We can't deny that" her voice became hoarse and she tried to hold back the tears as pictures about was would happen entered her mind "There still is a penalty that I have to face" An in her case penalty meant at least prison, if not worst. In Smoker's eyes she could read that just like her, he had forgotten about that fact and so, he sat there in silence, deep in thoughts. "I'll take care of that" he eventually said and abruptly about to leave the room. "Please, do nothing that endangers your position" Her words stopped him and as he faced her again, she looked at him pleadingly, yet desperately. He already had done so much for her and Serenity didn't want him to destroy what he had accomplished over many years of hard work. She may wish nothing more to spend more time with this man and explore this new feeling that had grown so suddenly but she wasn't worth this. She was a mere pirate, a thieve, a intruder into his life. Smoker looked in her stern gaze, trying to read what she was thinking. He stepped back to the bed, cradled her face in his hand and kissed her deeply. "Just leave it all to me" he told her once again, then turned to leave "And now rest". No matter what he had to do, he wouldn't allow anyone to take this woman, his woman away from him. He may still not fully be able to understand what he was feeling for her, but he knew that he liked it and that he wasn't willing to let go of it so fast. This woman belonged to him and not even justice will keep him away from her.
