…Niji. 

"Uh…h..hey…" I greeted him with a stutter, backing off only one step as he approached, looking to either side of himself before he settled his hidden eyes on me. 

"If you were trying to run away, this would have been a problem." He lifted my wrist by pinching the red corsage Ichiji had gifted me before we had entered the party, and I quirked a brow. 

"A flower would be a problem..?" I questioned, confused. Clicking his tongue, Niji spread the petals apart, revealing a small, black square in the centre. 
"Tracking device. You would have been found before you even set foot off the island." He explained, as though I was stupid. 

I was, though. I hadn't even considered the fact that something like a tracking device had been placed on me. It kind of hurt, knowing Ichiji hadn't had enough trust in me, but then again, he had been right. I wasn't trustworthy in this case. 

"I'm sorry…I just…I don't know how much more I can take…and Katakuri-" 
"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're thinking. I'm just glad I caught you in time." Niji cut me off, dropping my wrist and peering around again. He seemed to be very on guard and it made me look around too. 

Are we being watched? Is something going on? 

"Listen, do you trust me? Be honest." Niji asked, and he didn't have to wait for an answer. 
"Of course I do." I was being completely truthful. I trusted him entirely. I had no reason to doubt him. Niji seemed kind of surprised by my answer, but didn't dwell on it. 

"I have a plan, and once I go through with it, you'll be free. You can stay, you can go, it'll be entirely up to you, but you have to hold out just a little bit longer. Can you do that?" He took me by the shoulders, and I nodded shakily. He was being really intense right now. 

"Y..Yeah, I think I can…but what's the plan? What are you going to do?" I was curious, but at the same time, I was really worried. Niji had been in a very fragile state of mind for a while now, so I wasn't sure he was thinking clearly. 

"I'll tell you, but not right now. Just trust me, okay? People will get suspicious if we stay out here much longer, so come on." He released me and motioned for me to follow him, and I hesitantly did as he instructed. 

I don't want to go back inside…but I trust him. Just play along and do as you're told. 

"There you are. Where were you?" Ichiji took hold of my hand the second he saw me, but he was glaring at his brother, daring him to start something. 
"Calm your tits. I saw her wander outside and herded her back in for you. A thank you would be nice." Niji snarked, waving the red head off as he made a beeline for more alcohol. 

Ichiji grunted in irritation, turning his attention back to me. 
"What were you doing outside?" He asked, and the pressure was on. I wasn't the best liar, but I had learned a thing or two from Crocodile, watching him play the part of a hero for the Alabastan public. 

"I was getting kind of anxious while you were talking to the Charlottes, Your Highness, so I went to get some fresh air. I wandered a little too far though, and His Highness Niji lead me back." I told my story, and he smiled, hopefully believing me. 

"Well, as long as he wasn't trying to force himself on you again." I didn't like that he was trying to keep up with the lie that Niji had tried to take advantage of me that night after we had returned from the tavern. I knew it to be false. Whilst hazy, I remembered him hovering over me, but then tucking me in and storming to the bathroom. He was innocent. 

The night went along as best it could have. Ichiji paraded me around as his arm candy, and showed me off on the dance floor. I cared about him, very much, that was true, but it didn't take long for me to realise how shallow he was. At least in the public eye. 

Yonji was content with just eating three times his weight in horderves, the waitstaff catching on pretty quickly and delivering entire trays to him instead of just offering as they passed by. It was amusing to watch. 

Niji stayed pretty quiet. Kept to himself, and acted like the arrogant brat he was known to be. He had been sipping on the same drink since we had returned from our little chat, snubbing anyone who dared try to talk to him. 

It was his normal, but I knew better than that. He kept stealing long glances to me, and even longer ones towards his father. His expression was a sour state of blank, but there was a fire inside of him, I could tell. He was seething in silence. 

Finally, after hours of being held there against my will, the party came to a close, and we ended up back in Germa, sailing away into the late night. My feet were killing me, and I was sure I'd have deep indentations from my corset once I was able to remove it. 

"Did you have a good time?" Ichiji had insisted upon walking me to my room after Judge had, surprisingly, praised me for my job well done. It had been weird, and I didnt at all like anything that ever came out of his mouth. 

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for allowing me to accompany you." I hadn't had a good time, but I wanted him to think that I did, both to spare his feelings and to save me from feeling guilty. 
"No, thank you for accepting, even though you weren't really given a choice in the matter." 

I had known it was coming, and I steeled myself for the kiss Ichiji initiated. It was hard to stop myself falling prey to his charm, like I usually did, but I was starting to understand. I did care about him, but he hadn't really changed much. I was more like a toy to him, whether he realised it or not. 

I wish I could change that, but I can't. 

"I so wanted to have you join me in my room again, but you look tired, so I won't ask tonight. Get some sleep." Brushing his finger beneath my chin, Ichiji stepped back and turned to leave, and I waited until he had disappeared around the corner before I entered the staff quarters. 

Everybody, much to my relief, was asleep, so it was a quick walk without anybody bugging me for details. Opening my door and stepping in, I had barely closed it behind me before I realised that I wasn't alone. 

Niji stood from where he had been sitting on the edge of my bed, and I muffled my own cry, clutching my chest and leaning against the wood of my door. 
"Shit, I think I peed a little..!" I wheezed, breathing out in relief now that I knew I wasn't in danger. 

Instead of teasing me, or apologising, Niji walked right up to me, keeping me against the door. Reaching up, he used the side of his hand to wipe my mouth, slightly smudging my lipstick before he leaned in and kissed me. 

Much unlike Ichiji's kiss, it was enough to render me completely helpless, and I melted into him, squeaking into his throat before he finally pulled back, licking the colour off his lips. 
"Couldn't leave that bastard's drool all over you." 

He's in some kind of mood tonight. 

"Uh…thanks, I guess..?" I cleared my throat, trying not to let my mind be clouded by just how wildly excited my body tried to become in response to him. "How did you manage to get here before me? You were still at the boarding ramp last I saw you." 

Returning to the edge of my bed, Niji loosened his tie, stretching his legs out to make himself comfortable. 
"Window. You really should keep that locked, by the way." He motioned to the window above my bed, which was small, but he was slim enough to get in easy enough. 

"Noted…" I mumbled, immediately watching him when I realised he was taking off his goggles. His eyes were just something else entirely, I could stare at them for days on end without getting sick of it. "You were really stiff at the party tonight. Are you doing okay?" 

Niji flopped down onto his back, staring at the ceiling of my room. He looked tired, so I wasn't going to tell him to go back to his own room. I didn't want him to, anyway. 
"Nope. I bet I'd feel much better if you sat on my face again, though."

Deadpanning, I reconsidered my decision about letting him stay, even though it was a tempting thought. 
"Niji…" I spoke his name sternly and he blew a raspberry into the air. 
"I was kidding. Jeez. I just feel like garbage and wanna lay here." He muttered, and I pursed my lips. 

He wants support. I'm more than happy to give him that… 

Unphased by his presence, I began to undress myself, kicking off my shoes and slipping out of the stunning dress, but the corset was far more difficult to get out of. 
"Sorry to interrupt your laying, but could you help me out of this thing? I forget what breathing feels like." 

With a slight 'hup' Niji stood up and walked over to me, hooking his fingers into the non-existent space between the cinching lace and pulling it apart. The whole thing tore open, and I dramatically gasped for breath, raising my arms victoriously.
"Hallelujah! Air, how I've missed thee!" 

Niji chuckled a little, but he sounded so beat down. Dumping the destroyed corset on the floor, he returned to the bed, this time falling face down into the mattress. 
"Woo." I was worried about him, but I could see that he was trying to wade through his problems. That was the best I could hope for at the moment. 

Wiping off my make-up and tossing on a clean shirt, I approached the bed and carefully climbed over to lay on top of him, my nose in his cerulean sweep of hair. 
"Hey, Niji?" I spoke his name and he grunted, barely shifting. "I love you." 

I meant it. The second I had seen him when I had turned around outside of the party, nothing had ever been quite so crystal clear. I loved him, and I wanted to be with him. I just wasn't sure how he was going to react to that. 

He remained silent for a very long time, and I almost regretted saying it, but finally he whined into the mattress. 
"Ugh…I love you, too…You know I do…" I could understand that it was hard for him to say, but I appreciated that he said it back to me. I knew he did, but hearing it made my chest swell. 

"So, regarding what you said earlier, about having a plan…" I started to ask my question, but ended up trailing off into a squeak when he rolled over, continuing until we were facing each other, side by side. 
"Isn't just knowing that I have a plan enough for you?" 

He's going to be difficult. He always is. 

The bags under his eyes were carrying all of his baggage, I could see that, and I reached to gently caress the side of his face. 
"You told me to trust you. The least you could do is trust me back." I pointed out, studying each and every one of his features. 

When he wasn't scowling, Niji was a very handsome man. A sharp jawline, a strong nose, and of course, those dazzling eyes. Even when they were filled with storm clouds they were beautiful. 

"I do. You're just gonna say I'm crazy and try to stop me." I could appreciate his honesty, but that just concerned me more. He was planning something stupid and dangerous, that much was for sure. 

"Please tell me?" I asked once more, having to blink a few times when he puffed out a sigh directly into my face. He placed his hand over mine, which still sat over his cheek, and I felt his jaw tighten. 

"I'm going to kill Judge." 

My reaction wasn't great. I sat up with a start, staring back at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. 
"H..Hold up…Niji, you can't be serious..?!" I couldn't even begin to sort the list of fatal risks that came with that plan. It was essentially suicide. 

"What? You don't think I could beat him?" Niji huffed, but I could see plain as day that he was disappointed by my reaction, and that he was hesitant about it himself. 
"If it was just Judge we were talking about, then I don't think you'd be at too much of a disadvantage, but he isn't just one man…" 

No, we were talking about the entirety of the Germa 66 battalion, Reiju, Ichiji, and quite possibly Yonji as well. It wouldn't just be him versus his father, it would be him versus one of the strongest military forces the world had ever seen. 

Niji stood up and began to pace, his hands balling into fists and ramming down into his pockets. He often did that, and it seemed like some kind of a way to stop himself from causing damage to people and objects around him. 

"Well, yeah, but if I do it right, they won't know a damn thing until we're long gone. The cowards way. While he's asleep. I can do that. Easily. I can do it easily…" Now it just looked like he was trying to convince himself more than he was me, but I remained sitting on my bed, just watching him pace back and forth. 

I get what he means, but… 

"You said you couldn't do it anymore, right? Well neither can I! You're not the only slave in this room, (Y/N)! Hell, I was only born because that fuckin' bastard wanted to play God! Zero, One, Two, Three and Four! We're fuckin' numbers to him! Sometimes I think I would have been better off if I'd started out like this! An experiment gone wrong, like Sanji!" 

The more he spoke, the more distraught he became, but stopping him now would likely have made him more angry. He needed to get it all out, and I was more than prepared to listen. He'd never had anybody actually sit down and hear him out before. Hell, he'd never had the need to speak out until now. 

He's right. Neither of us can survive here. Not like this.

"A..At first, when I started to feel all of this, fuckin', whatever it is, I blamed my mother! She didn't protect us! She didn't stop him from doing all that shit to us before we were even born, but then I realised, how could she have stopped him?! He's insane! Hah! I guess that's where I got it from?!" 

If he keeps on like this, everyone will hear him… 

I stood up and cautiously met him mid-pace, raising my hands and placing them just below his chest to keep him from continuing across the room. 
"You're not insane, Niji." I stated clearly, and truthfully. He wasn't. He was just traumatised, and he had no idea how to work through it in a healthy way. 

Keeping his hands restrained in his pockets, he leaned down towards me a little, and I saw it. The agony in his eyes. He was done. 
"I have to kill him, (Y/N). He has to die for everything he did." 

All I could do was hug him. Arms around his middle, I pressed my face into his chest, and he leant into me, still keeping his hands in those pockets of his. There wasn't going to be any reasoning with him, at least not tonight. He was stubborn, and in a bad headspace. I could try to talk to him later. 

"Come on, we've had a long night, and you could really do with some sleep." I guided him towards the bed, but he didn't climb in. He just stood there, staring at it. 
"If I fall asleep, I'll just wake up freaking out like always…I'll go back to my own room…" 

Sighing, I pushed him just hard enough to make him flop down onto his stomach, quickly climbing over him and dragging him into my arms. Finally, his hands emerged from his pockets, and he cuddled up against me, just as I had hoped he would. 

Though seeing Niji not fighting against me was strange, and I didn't quite like it. The fire in him was petering out, unless it was directed towards that plan of his. It wasn't healthy, and I wished I could help him, even just a little. 

I couldn't get rid of Vinsmoke Judge, or the pains of his past, but I could offer my love and support going forward. That's all I could do. Reassure him, and show him that things could be good, for the both of us. He needed that right now. 

"If that happens, then I'll be here to hold you." I assured him, running a hand through his wave of cobalt blue. He pressed his face into my chest, hiding away, arms pulling me in as close as possible. With a leg hooking with mine, he turned us into a tangle, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

"I bet you're gonna regret sayin' that…" 

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***You chose Niji?

Same.

Next Time: Execution***