hi ! im minori ヽ(｀⌒´メ)ノ

Minori brought him peace.

The sheets were cold in the spot that had been previously uninhabited, but he knew that it would soon warm up due to his shift closer to her. A small laugh escaped him at her comment, a special sound full of genuine joy. Her comfort was always relieving. Tane’s lips met the swordswoman’s soft skin along her jawline gently, aiming to give her morning a good start like usual. It wasn’t rare for them to sleep together, in fact, it’d become extremely common for them as time progressed. He always greeted her with a warm and simple “morning, babe,” and some of his charming smiles; it seemed to help them forget about their past.

Yet, even with all of his efforts, no amount of smiles could erase the black eyepatch that remained over his left eye. They could never erase the scar on his back, or the scar on her leg that resembled a bullet wound. These things would always haunt them, no matter how many peaceful and serene mornings they shared.

“Well,” the gunner started, “even if it isn’t the bed, I still think you look hot against my sheets.” He couldn’t help but tease her every chance he got, and more particularly, whenever she was in his bed. There were just too many good comments to make. “Aren’t you glad I took you away from that boring work last night, beautiful?”

He’d already lost part of himself, hadn’t he?

As Tane pulled her closer, Minori found difficulty meeting his gaze. She knew exactly what she’d see, and feared the guilt in her heart would be clearly portrayed upon her face. His laughter served only to cause her pain, though she was ever grateful to whatever God watched over them that he could still laugh like that at all. That Tane was capable of JOY in the first place, was a blessing she could never cherish enough. His happiness was probably the most important thing to her, ranking above even her beliefs of JUSTICE and desire for answers. If she could live to see Tane through his dream for greatness, she could die feeling accomplished. With nowhere to go and no home to return to, the crew and their many aspirations were all she had. She only wished she were more DESERVING of them.

She’d already failed them once, who was to say she wouldn’t again?

Propping herself up, forearm pressing into the mattress, she leaned ever closer, sliding a palm up his bare chest to rest at his cheek. While her fingertips caressed his skin, running over black fabric, they touched with a gentleness that held both LOVE and FEAR. She touched him as if he were something precious — like fragile glass. Her actions had already left him wounded. Looking closely, one could clearly see her smudged fingerprints and the cracks left upon his skin from the roughness he’d been handle with. She vowed to never make the same mistake again. There were no telling how quickly something so beautiful could break, and she feared if her hands fractured him any further, he may never heal. Then she too, would shatter.

     ❝ You think I look hot in ANY situation, Tane. You’ve told me so         countless times. ❞

MELANCHOLY left her gaze in that moment, replaced with an overwhelming sense of affection and ADORATION. A smile worked its way to her peaceful features as the pad of her thumb brushed across his bottom lip.

Ｋａｇｕｒａ Ｍｉｋａｚｕｃｈｉ(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

The ship gently rocked on the ocean waves, as the crew had decided on the previous night to begin sailing to some other island. Tane never really paid attention to details; all he knew was that the island had some jobs waiting for them. The jobs would surely pay a lot, and that is all he needed to know. He got a nice night of rest, and woke up the following morning in his large bed. Fortunately, he didn’t have to use it alone.

The captain opened his eyes and looked over to meet the form of a sleeping swordswoman, her long hair sprawled out across the pillows. A small smile appeared on his lips, beams of sunlight finding their way inside of the room through a small window. It displayed the vast, calm body of water outside, along with the clear blue sky that contained not a single cloud. It was a beautiful sight, but Tane preferred to observe the beauty that rested beside him.

It was rare to see Minori in a peaceful state, which is why he enjoyed little moments like these. It was embarrassing to admit, which is why he’d never directly tell her about this, but it brought happiness to his mornings every single time. The smile remained as she slowly began to stir, showing signs that she was finally waking up. He moved closer to her, putting an arm around her waist lovingly. “Morning, babe,” Tane whispered, the grin on his face growing wider. “Sleep well? You always seem so comfortable in my bed.”

Even after all this time the wound was fresh.

She’d been a PIRATE for long enough now that she wasn’t even sure if MARINE was her end goal. She wasn’t really sure what she wanted anymore besides the TRUTH. Questions were fine till they began to eat her alive, and she had yet to get any closer to an answer. Frankly, it was exhausting, and she could only give so much until she had nothing left. She was stubborn though, and surrender would not be considered until she had truly destroyed herself.

Her only saving grace was, perhaps, Tane, who asked nothing of her, yet gave her everything. Were it not for him, she might’ve already exhausted what little energy and willpower she had left. He’d managed, somehow, to pull her away from her desk the night before and ( ADMITTEDLY ) waking up beside him in cool sheets was a far better alternative to unforgivably cold mahogany and ink stained papers. As rays of light peeked through the window, dancing across closed eyelids in a mildly IRRITATING fashion, brows furrowed and pink lips parted in a silent yawn. She felt his arms around her before anything else, not yet opening her eyes as she settled into his embrace. His voice filled her ears like soft music, words causing a muted warmth to bloom within her chest. A smile soon tugged at her lips while her fingers traced meaningless shapes in his bare skin and she replied.

                           ❝Shine on, you beautiful being,                            and if they cannot handle your light,                                        let their eyes burn.❞