When I watched the Water 7, Enies Lobby part, one of my favorite Galley La characters was Kaku, so I was a little shocked when I found out that he was a CP9 assassin. He didn't seem like an assassin to me so it had me wondering where he came from and what his history might be, which is how I came up with On a Bright Spring Day. I know it's a little short, and I'm not sure if I want to continue it or not, but please enjoy ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own anything One Piece!
She remembered the day he left. She could still remember the wind that caused her to shiver in her capris and simple T-shirt and the seagulls squawking in the air above. She could remember frantically running to the dock, stumbling over and over again until her knees were bloody in her haste.
He left without a word, not even a simple good-bye. She ran after him hoping she could convince him to stay, but the ship already left, and she was left all alone on the dock, tears streaming from her eyes. Whenever she remembered this day, she would always think how ironic it seemed that such a parting occurred on the brightest and clearest of all spring days.
She remembered the day they met clearly. He had saved her from some particularly rambunctious boys who decided they wanted to follow her around and torment her. They had called her names and pelted her with old fruit and vegetables. One of the tomatoes intended for her head had hit his nose instead, and he chased them away with a few well placed kicks. He didn't save her on purpose, she always knew that, but he saved her none-the-less. He had just been in the right place in the right time.
So she began to follow him around. She was all alone in that little village, her parents both gone somewhere on the sea, and her relatives cold and unyielding. He became her ray of hope that got her through the day. She followed him everywhere from his rounds in the village to the tranquil spot by the river where he ate. He would rarely say a word as she followed his footsteps. She would always ramble on and on about whatever came to mind, and he would stay mostly silent, but he never once pushed her away.
They had the oddest of friendships, but it never bothered her. For once she had a warm body next to her instead of the rough, textured pages of a book. He helped her cope with her loneliness by just simply being there. He was a loner too. Growing up with only his grandfather in a small house by the woods, he was constantly busy with chores and other work that was required in the up keeping of a house. The other children made fun of her for the permanent book that seemed to engulf her nose everywhere she went, and they made fun of him for that square nose of his. Personally, she thought the nose made him look handsome, but she would never voice such a thought. Maybe this loneliness they had in common was the reason why he never seemed perturbed by her constant presence.
She thought at first that he didn't care in any way about her due to his seemingly indifferent exterior, but every once in a while he'd surprise her. When she began to shiver because of the wind, he'd offer her his jacket. When she was relentlessly teased by the other children, he fought them off. When she stumbled, he would catch her. When her stomach growled because her relatives only fed her bread and odd bits and ends, he always bought her a warm meal.
But he still left, without a single word. For a long time, she wondered why he suddenly went away. She wondered if it was because of his grandfather's death or because there was a rumor his parents were still alive on the Grand Line. She wondered if the reason he left was because she did something wrong and angered him. She wondered if it was because he was now truly all alone without any family, but then she'd wonder if he cared about her at all. It was just so sudden, and she missed him fiercely in the first couple of months after he left, but eventually the pain began to dull. Soon, the pain she felt was reduced to a sting and then to a dull throb. The hole his absence made never went away, but she learned to cope and eventually she began to grow up.
About ten years passed before she received any information about him. There was an article in the newspaper about an attack on the great Enies Lobby. It was then she found that he had been a CP9 assassin for the World Government. She read through the article at first thinking that it couldn't possibly be him. She couldn't imagine how he had become an assassin. When she knew him, he would fight, but he wasn't a killer. A sudden sinking feeling weighed down her heart. What caused him to become an assassin for the World Government? What had happened to her childhood friend, her older brother like figure? A thousand thoughts raced through her head, but none would stay, and she could only remember a gentle fourteen year old boy.
She glanced at the ragged picture that she found fondly as it rested on top of the newspaper. Did he remember her? Did he ever think of her or miss her? She gave a heavy sigh and rested her head against the cool finished wood of the small kitchen table in her small apartment.
The wind breezed through the open window toying with the light curtain and her unbound hair. It was just like the day he left, cool, but sunny with a lazy breeze rustling through everything like a puppy snuffling in a new environment. She could feel tears well in her eyes, and the only thought in her head was an unanswered question whose answer she desperately needed. Finally letting the tears fall, she continued to rest her head staying completely still even as the sun began to set.
Kaku… Why did you leave? Why did you go?
Please read and review! I'm an aspiring writer so constructive criticism is more than welcome ^^