][Malice][ =One Piece=

:: Chapter Forty One ::

[Be prepared for a Feel Trip]

After nearly three days of endless torture, Malice found peace in what she thought was eternal darkness. All the pain subsided. It was a blissful limbo. In the recesses of her mind she could hear her heartbeat fading. Thirty beats per minute. Twenty. Ten. Five. It was finally over. She didn’t have to worry anymore. Because she was gone, Kid wouldn’t blindly try to save her. He could move on.

How long would it take for her consciousness to stop streaming? At least she could think solely about Kid in her final moments of consciousness. She could remember the touch of his skin, the gentle caress of his lips, and the feeling of his warm embrace.

I love you, Kid.

Finally, after so many years of endless torment, she was at peace. He made it possible for her to die with no regrets. If it was for his sake, she was content.

She felt a sudden spark. It was electric and warm and blurred blood red lines in the darkness. What was going on? Was this what it was like to die?

Another spark followed by a pulsating jolt she felt in her chest. What was going on? The numbness began to ebb away, her mind blanked as she was suddenly overcome with white hot blinding agony. Why was dying so painful?

Life was breathed back into her, bringing her back from her peaceful limbo.

Malice regained consciousness, coughing and sputtering. Blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth after effects of the violent shocks they’d applied to bring her back. She couldn’t even enjoy death.

“Sorry, you can’t escape that easily.” She had a new tormenter. The swordsman needed a break. It was apparently tough work torturing her.

It took every ounce of restraint and willpower she had to keep from begging them to kill her. Death would be easier. Every breath was agony. “G-go…t-to…” Blood pooled in the back of her throat and she coughed it up, “hell.” She managed between desperate ragged breaths.

The masked man before her backhanded her with enough force that it sounded like fireworks were going off in her head. Her head flopped to the side hanging limply. She didn’t have the strength to even put forth the effort to lift her head. Her vision was blurred from the last blow and she prayed it had caused her brain to hemorrhage so she could finally fall into death’s welcoming embrace.

“T-that…all…you…got?” Malice wheezed.

“Stupid bi-AH!” A loud resounding boom sounded from nearby and the lights overhead began to flicker as dust fell from the ceiling and the entire room trembled. There had been an explosion, a big one. “What the hell?” The masked man who had been tormenting her was now sprawled across the floor.

Shouts and screams reverberated from the corridor beyond her torture chamber. The door flew open hastily and one of Kaido’s subordinates slipped inside with a yelp.

“What’s going on out there?” Her new tormenter demanded.

“It’s a bloody warzone out there.” The young recruit squealed.

“We’re under attack? By who?”

“R-Red H-Hair-.” Another explosion, a closer explosion caused the young recruit to dive to the ground with a yelp.

Red hair? Malice’s mind flit to Kid, he had red hair, is that what the man meant? That idiot, if he dared to put his life in danger for her sake she was surely going to kill him.

The door nearly flew off its hinges and Malice struggled to lift her head as her heart swelled with hope. Was it Kid? Would she be able to see his face one last time? She felt a familiar burst of haki. Kaido’s subordinates hit the floor unconscious.

“M-Malice?” Her father’s voice nearly broke her.

Shakily she lifted her head, tears streamed freely from her left eye as she spotted him standing in the doorway. “D-Dad..” More blood bubbled in the back of her throat.

He rushed forward cutting her bonds in an instant and cradled her against him as she fell from her restraints. She cried out in pain as he held her. His touch on her broken body was agony. Shanks cringed at the sound of her tortured cries.

“It…hurts…” She choked as her frail blood soaked fingers gripped his shirt desperately.

“I’m sorry it took so long.” Shanks cried as he carried her from the room into the debris strewn hallway.

“Make…it…stop…”

“We’ll get you healed, baby.”

“No.” Malice coughed, “Kill…me…”

Shanks felt his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach. “Malice-.”

“Please…daddy…” She felt as if she were drowning in her own blood, “I..beg..you…Please…” Her delicate body trembled against him, “Kill me.”