Soft morning rays filtered through the glass windows as I entered the small dining area. Inara was already seated, her silver hair cascading over her shoulder as she elegantly sipped from a steaming cup of Heaven Tea. Yann sat opposite her, intently hunched over his plate, as if trying to avoid looking in any direction.
"Good morning, Luca..." Inara raised her blue eyes to me, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Did you sleep well?"
"Thanks to your wonderful hospitality, yes," I replied, taking a seat next to her, deliberately closing the distance between us.
Yann didn't look up, but his fingers curled around the spoon for a moment. "There's fresh bread," he said in a low voice, carelessly pushing the plate toward me.
"Thank you." I reached out for a piece, deliberately brushing Inara's fingers as she offered me butter. "Last night was... refreshing."
Her fingers paused for a moment, then slowly slid away, leaving them slightly warm. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she whispered, her eyes flashing with unspoken memories.
Yann turned abruptly toward the window, as if searching for something more interesting than our conversation. "The weather... is bad today."
"On the contrary, I find the morning clouds very beautiful," I said, my eyes fixed on Inara, who raised the teacup to her lips to hide a sly smile.
At that moment, my foot brushed against hers under the table. She didn't flinch, but pressed gently, a silent signal that the game was still on.
---
I knocked on the door of the wooden hut that afternoon. It was only moments before Old Guru opened it, clutching a half-empty teacup.
"Ah, the new guy!" he said, smiling kindly. "Inara told me about your visit. Come in."
I sat down on the bench opposite him as he poured me tea. The warm scent of cinnamon filled the small room.
"I heard you're an expert on the Sky Islands..." I began.
"Ah, looking for Birka!" He cut me off before I could finish my sentence.
He put his cup aside and opened the worn drawer of the table, pulling out a small map marked with red ink.
"Head southeast," he said, marking a point with a chapped finger, "but be careful—the path there likes to swallow small ships."
I thanked him for the warning and the information, and left. "It seems I've been very helpful to Inara. If I succeed in obtaining the Thunder Fruit, I'll reward her."
---
I knocked on the door, carrying bags of meat and vegetables. Inara opened it, wearing sheer nightgowns that clung to her wet body, as if she'd just taken a shower.
"You're back... and brought dinner too?" she whispered, lips pursed seductively, her fingers plucking a bag from my hand, deliberately stroking my forearm.
"Dinner isn't all I'll be tasting tonight." I answered as I entered, my eyes roaming shamelessly over her curves.
From the corner of the room, Yan's trembling voice rose, "L-Luka! Didn't you leave?"
I turned to him, smiling, "The sky was... too turbulent for travel."
Inara moved closer to her husband, her hand running down his nervous chest. "My dear, the guest needs the rest of the day here. Don't you agree?"
Her fingers pressed firmly against his shoulders as her eyes stared defiantly at him.
"Of course..." Yan trembled under her touch, his eyes flicking between their shared bed and mine. "But... where will he sleep?"
I stepped toward them, my voice low and strangled. "Don't worry... I have my own ideas about how to spend the night."
Inara chuckled, her butt intentionally touching my thigh. "Maybe we could split rooms? You with me here... and him in..."
Yan's face turned crimson, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"I don't think that's necessary," Inara whispered, walking towards me with catlike steps. "After all... the bed is big enough for three... isn't it, my love?"
-----
Later, Yan cooked dinner with some help from Inara. After dinner, I went to exercise behind the house.
After the exercise, I took a shower and headed to Yan and Inara's room. Inara had persuaded Yan to let me sleep with them under the pretext that I was a child.
"If I knew what you did to your wife last night, I don't know what you would do."
I normally wouldn't be excited about something like this, but since coming into this world, I've begun to feel a strange sense of freedom, so I knocked on their bedroom door and entered. When I entered the room, I found Yann sitting on the edge of the bed wearing thick pajamas, while Inara brushed her long hair in front of the mirror. I stopped in the doorway, my hair still wet from the shower.
"Hello, little one," Inara said in a faux-motherly tone, her eyes meeting my reflection in the mirror.
Yann stood up abruptly. "I'll make some tea!"
But Inara grabbed his wrist. "No need, darling, it's time for bed." She pointed toward the large bed, where the pillows were neatly arranged.
I lay on my right side, pretending to be sleepy. "I feel like I'll fall asleep right away."
Inara laughed as she slid under the covers in the middle. "Children always go to bed early."
The lights went out, leaving only pale moonlight filtering through the window curtains. Inara turned to face me, her silver hair cascading like a silken waterfall onto my pillow. "Tell me, Luka…" she whispered curiously, her fingers playing with the edge of the bedspread, "What would drive a young man your age to embark on such a dangerous adventure as coming alone to the Sky Islands?"
Under the covers, her warm foot slid to touch my leg. I slowed my breathing slightly before answering, "The search for power."
"Power?" She raised her eyebrows, her blue eyes widening with genuine interest for the first time since we'd met. "You mean like… those legendary fruits sailors talk about in taverns?"
"Devil fruits," I corrected quietly, my hand under the covers grasping her tiny foot. "Each grants its eater a unique superpower."
From the other side, we heard Yann shifting nervously. "These are myths! The whole world knows they're just legends invented by pirates."
We ignored his protest. Inara leaned closer, her heady scent filling the pillow space between us. "And... have you found what you're looking for?" she whispered, her warm breath caressing my lips.
"I'm getting closer every day," I replied, my fingers tracing a slow path up its smooth stem. "The Thunder Fruit... legendary, even among other fruits."
"Inara!" Yann broke the silence abruptly, his voice trembling. "This boy tells fairy tales!"
She turned her head coldly. "At least he has the courage to follow his dreams." Then she turned back to me, her eyes shining with obvious admiration. "How brave you must be to search for something like this alone."
Under the covers, her hand now sought mine. When our fingers met, they intertwined tightly. "Tell me more... about this fruit."
"Imagine..." I began, leaning into her ear, "a power that allows you to control lightning itself. To be the mistress of storms, the goddess of thunder."
"Oh, my!" She laughed in admiration, her body trembling slightly. "And after you find her... what will you do with this supernatural power?"
"Inara, that's enough!" Yann stood up suddenly, his face flushed in the moonlight. "You can't believe in these fables!"
This time, she turned to him angrily. "My dear, if you have nothing to add, why don't you just sleep?" Then she returned my gaze with an apologetic look. "Go on... it's exciting."
I leaned on my elbow, completely ignoring Yan's presence. "With this power... I can rule the Heavenly Isles. To be free like never before."
"Freedom..." She whispered the word as if tasting it for the first time, her eyes shining with desire for something more than mere physical arousal. "Sometimes... I wish I could fly away like the clouds."
"Inara!" Yan protested again, but his voice sounded weak this time.
Under the covers, my leg wrapped around hers, and our bodies pressed together, blurring the distance between us. "With the Thunder Fruit... I can show you a world you've never dreamed of." I whispered in her ear.
Her lips parted slightly, her breath quickening. "It seems you're... not the child you claim to be."
"I'm only a child in your husband's eyes." I laughed wickedly, my hand sliding to her soft waist.
Yan suddenly got up from the bed. "I... I'm going to get some air."
But Inara didn't even notice his movement this time. Her eyes were fixed on me in obvious admiration. "Tell me... how do you find her? Where is she?"
"I've heard rumors about her whereabouts on Sky Island," I replied, my fingers tracing the curves of her body under the covers.
Suddenly, she leaned her face toward mine and kissed me with surprising force. When we parted, she whispered, "I think I found what I was looking for, too."
After Inara's lips left mine, her blue eyes still stared eagerly at me, her hot breath fanning over my face. Her hand moved under the covers and squeezed my arm tightly.
"Yan..." she whispered without looking up, her voice soft but carrying an indisputable command, "I think I heard a sound in the kitchen. Are you checking?"
Yan froze at the foot of the bed, his eyes widening in the darkness. "But... I didn't hear anything!"
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"Maybe one of those stray cats," I added with feigned innocence, my fingers groping Inara's backside beneath her silk nightgown.
Inara finally turned her head toward him, a fierce look in her eyes. "You're going to let me go dressed like that?"
That was the coup de grâce. Yan slowly sat up, his feet as if made of stone. "I'll... I'll check it out."
As soon as he closed the door behind him, Inara slumped against me, her silver hair forming a curtain around our faces. "Tell me you'll be back," she whispered between kisses, "after you get the Thunder Fruit."
My hand slid under her shirt, feeling the heat of her skin. "I'll return with a power that will make all the Sky Islands burn with jealousy."
She laughed eagerly, then violently pressed her lips against my neck, leaving a red mark. "Careful, I might be the Devil Fruit you can't escape."