Chapter 17: Eustass Kid

Mist. Poison mist.

Bodies scattered on the ground, dead bodies.

A low sorrowful cry.

A plea to save another person's life.

And a voice telling her it was all her fault.

And butterflies,

Dark-colored butterflies, their wings the color of ebony, with smoke coming out of them.

The poison mist.

Yulie jolt up from her bed, the beads of sweat forming all over her. She gasped as she felt the air get thinner, like she was suffocating, like she was drowning. She clutched on her chest and heaved out heavy breaths until it stabilized. It was that dream again, the dream that kept on haunting her every night since she had parted with Law.

Law, she thought as she smiled sadly at herself. She miss him, more than anything she misses him. She felt guilt when she had realized how she had kissed Kid yesterday but she didn't mull on it. She would never confine herself and her heart for only him.

Not when she remembered how he had been a coward himself. But she was in pain too, her heart heavy with so much regret and longing for him. On nights like this, she had wished for his presence. For his comfort and yet, she understood that they might never see each other again. Not with the way things ended between them.

I love you, she wanted to say. But what good will that bring now that they are seas apart? Her heart was breaking and yet it was angry. Angry at Law for being a coward, angry at herself for cowering, angry at the government and the elders for playing around with people of this world. She was so angry that even her butterflies could feel it.

Their wings fluttered with so much urgency it brought Yulie back to her senses. Her butterflies she stared at were starting to change its color. She scooped up one of her green butterflies and saw how there was a tinge of red starting to blossom on its wings, the color seemingly growing in it.

She abruptly stood from her bed and went near her study table where her other butterflies were. The yellow and blue ones remained the same, but the purple ones were starting to have the same red spots that the green ones have.

And the red ones she realized. She gasped as she saw the red ones slowly turn to black. The color of ebony was starting to creep up on their wings. The same color she had seen in her dreams. For the first time since she had them, Yulie became afraid of her butterflies.

She darted out of her makeshift house, the one the giants made for her as her accommodation and ran towards Saul. Her fear growing as she felt herself panting, the air growing thinner again. She remembered her dreams, of the last thing she saw, of the black butterflies emitting the poison mist.

She ran in the dark of the night only to stop when her face crashed onto an unknown figure. His metal hand quickly catching her before she falls. Yulie looked up to stare at the man standing in front of her.

His crimson hair shining through the dark night sky. His body uncovered with clothes and his skin bare save for the parts where it was bandaged. His dark eyes gleamed, glared dangerously when he recognized the figure he ran into.

He was about to mutter some harsh words again when he saw how Yulie was panting like crazy. How her eyes shone with fear he hadn't seen in her ever since they had met.

"Kid"

She breathed out, his name coming out as a whisper as her legs weakened and she fell on her knees.

"Hey"

Kid quickly knelt in front of her, scanning her for possible injuries but other than her rather ragged breathing, she looked fine.

"What happened?"

The words shot out of him before he could even stop himself from speaking. Yulie's head remained bowed as she tried to steady her breaths.

One. Two. Breathe.

One. Two. Breathe.

One. Two. Breathe.

She counted but cursed when she could feel her breathing becoming rather heavy, the air thinning as she inhale it. She was having a panic attack, she was so sure of it. Her eyes begin to water as she tried to have some control over herself.

Kid stared at her, almost too afraid to touch her but when he saw how Yulie's body begin to shudder and tremble, he didn't think twice and pulled Yulie into him.

Her small body crashing into his large bandaged one as his arms circle around her figure. His remaining good hand gently caressed her back as her body start to tremble. Kid muttered a silent curse underneath his breath as he carried Yulie into the forest. He sat underneath one of the trees and placed Yulie on top of him. His hands moved to grasp her chin making him have a good look of her.

Her eyes glisten with tears as her breathing remained ragged. He stared at those eyes cursing so loudly before his lips crashed on hers. Yulie's eyes widened as she grasped Kid's shoulders wanting to push him away but Kid held a tight grip on her waist.

His tongue darting inside Yulie's mouth tasting her as his metal arm coiled through the back of her neck holding it so she wouldn't pull away. Yulie repeatedly slammed her closed fist on Kid's chest as his kiss deepened.

She didn't want this, if she could she would have darted out and ran away from him as fast as she could but she couldn't. Not when Kid held her in place, not when she could still feel her legs weakened.

Not when she could feel the trembling in her body stop.

She stopped slamming her fist in Kid's chest and gently tapped him. Kid's gaze which never left hers quietly understood as he slowly withdrew his lips.

Yulie inhaled a good amount of air before finally settling down, her fists opening up to rest on Kid's chest. She was breathing steadily again.

"Better?"

Kid asked her rather quietly and Yulie just nodded at him. Kid nodded at her back as an affirmation but said nothing else. The two of them sat there underneath the moonlit night sky, their gazes never leaving each other. 

Yulie confusedly stared at Kid when he sucked in a deep heavy breath, his gaze leaving hers and staring downward into her body. It was then that Yulie had realized. She had ran out of her makeshift cottage with only her night gown on. The thin fabric clinging into her sweating body, hugging the very curves of her breasts, her waist and hips. 

Before Yulie could even say anything to get her out of that situation, Kid's lips were on hers again, devouring her, tasting her. His metal arm gripping her hips as he turn her over, laying her on the grassy fields of the forest, the kiss never breaking at his swift movement. 

His metal arm went to grip both of Yulie's arms putting them above her head, the cold metal stinging against Yulie's skin. Her body heating up as Kid palmed her bare breasts underneath her flimsy dress. She shuddered when she felt Kid's knee part her legs and went in between her. She bit Kid's lower lip so hard it made him pull back.

She could feel the heat circling inside her body but she knew it wasn't pleasure. It wasn't like how it was with Law. No, it was anger.

She glared at Kid and spat the words.

"Let go, this isn't a game Kid"

That had made Kid blinked. He stared at Yulie's glare and finally realized what he had done. He gulped down before letting Yulie's hands free, one of them instantly flying towards his cheeks. The sting from her palm waking him fully up. 

He hadn't deny it, couldn't deny it. He had thought about wanting to claim Yulie, yesterday when their lips met for the first time, earlier when her tears made her look beautiful in his eyes, and when the moonlight made her seem ethereal. He wanted her, and he almost did it without her consent. The feel of her soft skin against his rough one made him crazy. He had imagined of making her cry out his name and breaking her over and over again and it made him go insane.

He looked at Yulie whose tears were starting to form in her eyes again. He wants to taste her, he thought. 

He was a brute, he admitted, and he would always let his instincts get the better of him. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to think about the attraction budding inside of him for her. No, he just wants Yulie, naked and screaming for his name.

"I'd rather you think of it as a thank you than a game"

He said making Yulie's eyes widened. He gripped on Yulie's chin and moved so close to her, he could practically kiss her again but he didn't. Instead, he grinned, a menacing look on his face as he said.

"I doubt you want anyone seeing you like this don't you? Crying, having a panic attack, so vulnerable and on her night gown at that note. Did you think anyone would have spared you if they saw the state you were just in?"

He muttered and Yulie had finally realized what he meant. He wanted her to be grateful that it was him who found her in this state. In her state where anyone could have taken an advantage of her much worst than what he had just done to her.

"What do you want?"

Kid grinned at her, his fingers trailing down the length of her shoulders before gripping her throat just enough that she would still be able to breathe.

"You. I want you"

Yulie gritted her teeth as her fists clenched in her sides. She realized that Kid was a man who would always let his instinct take over his rationality. And he would take her, however he want to, even if she had refused.

"You realize that I don't owe you anything."

Yulie hissed to which Kid just laughed at. He had already realized that, she was helping him recuperate which made them even with how he had helped her tonight. But. that wouldn't stop him.

"I don't care, I still want you and I will have you. One way or another Yulie"

It was the first time he had called her by her name and how he loved the sound of it coming out of his lips. He smiled before pulling Yulie up on her feet regardless of her protest upon him touching her.

"Not now maybe, but I will have you and I wouldn't stop until you scream only my name and come from my fingers, mouth and cock"

He gave Yulie a menacing grin before leaving her in there and walking back to his crew. 

Yulie shuddered as the cold night air blew through her. She felt angry, embarrassed even and yet she felt relieved that Kid was the one who had found her. That Kid had helped her despite his attitude. She let out a sigh as she fix herself and walked back to her cottage. Her thoughts ringing, repeatedly telling her, Stay away from Kid. And that was she had done.

For the next few days, she did everything she could to steer away from being alone with Kid. Something that didn't faze Kid as he kept on sticking so close to her, annoying the hell out of her. 

It had been one sunny morning when Kid was pulled by most of their crewmates leaving Yulie to tend to the remaining few who were still recuperating. Killer walked up to her, his words being accompanied by laughter she would never understand.

"Kid is all healed up"

He told her, to which she nodded at.

"I estimate a day or two for the others to completely heal too"

She answered to which Killer laughingly thanked her. Her eyebrows knit in the middle as she queried. 

"Hey are you alright? You, always laugh"

Killer stiffened but smiled sadly through his mask, the expression invisible to Yulie's eyes.

"I ate a smile fruit and became like this"

"Smile fruit?"

"It's an artificially made devil fruit. The defective ones made have this effect were the one who ate it would always smile and laugh"

This made Yulie's eyes widened, she hadn't heard of anything about it. Hadn't even know something so diabolic like that had existed.

"Where? I mean who made that?"

"It was roaming around the lands of Wano. Most poor people in there had eaten them, and I really don't want to talk about it"

Yulie pursed her lips as fear struck every vein in her body. Wano, the land where his brother had just been. An artificially made devil fruit. A devil fruit. 

Yulie thought as her gaze went to the place where Saul was. If it was a devil fruit made by a man then they can find a cure for it. Before she can even ask of it further, Kid's voice rang through her ears making her grimace. He was back and he was going towards her direction. 

"I guess something happened between the two of you"

Killer had said before he laughingly waved goodbye to Yulie the moment Kid had reached her.

"What?"

She demanded, one of her eyebrows raising at him. Her arms crossed in front of her chest but Kid only grinned at her. 

"Want to do it?"

He asked playfully earning a kick on his leg from Yulie. He laughed loudly as he pulled her towards him, his metal arm coiling around her thin waist.

"Let go dumbass"

"You do know that the more you fight me, the more I just keep on wanting you"

Yulie pursed her lips as she delivered a blow on his abdomen, earning a groan from him. Kid had never failed to tell her that he want her for the past few days. He didn't even try to conceal it from his own crew as he would pull her close to him at any given moment. But he never tried anything else like kiss her or touch her aside from her waist to which she surprisingly grew accustomed to.

Kid grinned at her and Yulie had to fight the urge to slap him across his face once again. Her anger at him had dissipated but that didn't mean she appreciate his advances. No, she still felt as if she was cheating at Law and she couldn't take that feeling. 

Both of them turned towards the water when a loud horn rang through the summer breeze. Her eyes widened as she saw two ships sailing through the waters of Elbaf, towards their direction. 

One of the ships was a large one, no doubt one of the giants but what caught Yulie's attention was the other ship. The smaller one sailing beside it. It's jolly roger the one she would never forget. The one wearing a strawhat. A wide smile crossed her face as she saw the familiar figure. His black hair blowing with the wind as his hand flew to hold the strawhat sitting on top it.