Disclaimer: Do not own One Piece. Plot and OCs belongs to Volleys-chan and I.
March 9 - Pastime
It started out like his usual days, sailing upon his small Coffin Boat. The waves were calm and lazy, much like he was feeling at this moment as he was waiting to get to his destination. He had been dozing on and off thus far, not able to do much swordplay upon such a small vessel, but he was hoping that would not be the case for long. He had plans for today and he would be very upset if he could not follow through with them merely because he could not locate what he was searching for. He closed his eyes, focusing his haki to sense the area around him, searching for that one, familiar presence of which he was searching.
He smirked when he sensed her, honing in on her so that he could figure out how far away she was from him. His smirk widened when he realized she wasn't too far off at all and was unaware that he was even seeking her to quell his need for entertainment. Since Shanks had lost his left arm, he had no one to amuse himself with until recently. This woman was his plaything and currently his sole source of entertainment upon the vast ocean. He enjoyed playing with her, watching how easily he could frustrate, fluster, and pester her.
Outside of battle, she wore her heart on her sleeve, but the moment she drew her blades, her expression would turn to a serious, nearly unreadable one. Her eyes were calculative as she watched her opponent's every movement so she could plan her attacks and counter-attacks accordingly. She was talented in her swordplay as she always seemed to be improving and he surmised that she might actually be a threat to his title in a few years (decade) or so.
Currently, she was the only person he found interesting enough to willingly cross swords with. It wasn't so much her strength that made her interesting to fight, it was her sword style. He had never seen someone so young so rehearsed as she was in her katas. She knew each position and how to properly implement them in the heat of the moment. While most swordsmen he met would deviate from their katas and went with the flow of the moment, her sword style heavily relied on her knowing her forms flawlessly and though she did improvise, it always reflected those forms that were so deeply ingrained into her muscle memory.
He was pulled out of his musings about her when he heard the sloshing of waves up against another ship. He peeked open an eye, pushing the bill of his hat up as he did to take in the caravel boat before him with the magnificent and greatly stylized red dragon head as the figurehead. It was currently anchored since the sole occupant of the ship was busy with other things inside the vessel to pay much attention to sailing.
This day will be quite enjoyable after all, he thought to himself as he effortlessly jumped from his smaller ship to her ship's spacious deck where countless spars between the two of them had taken place.
Mihawk, whom of which was about to look around for female associate, suddenly was distracted from his original task. His eyes danced with mischief as he made a bee line for the laundry line that was currently out, drying an assortment of woman's clothing. Naturally, he gravitated towards the panties that were clothes-pinned to the white rope line. He 'hmm'ed as he studied the different colors of the undergarments, taking in that she wore dark or dull colors, like black, navy, maroon, and even a dull lavender. He had always pegged her for the type that wore white cotton panties.
Now Mihawk wasn't a pervert, but he used every chance he got to fluster his little female toy, reveling in the way she always got mad or actually had the gall to lecture him. Only his family had ever dared to scold him (and only as a child), so he found it comical when a girl easily half his age thought she could actually scold him for doing whatever he well pleased, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that in the end, he'd just do it again to bother her.
He had been ready to take a pair, if only to lord it over her later, when he heard the familiar tone of his little plaything.
"MIHAWK!" She squealed, her tone pitching in mortification. "What are you doing with my underwear!"
Mihawk turned his head to see the young woman, laundry basket in her arms, marching towards him with a indignant blush, as she quickly swiped her undergarments and hurriedly put them safely within her basket. Once she was sure her undergarments (and her dignity as a woman) were safe, she gave him a fierce scowl, telling him with her eyes to explain his reasons for even attempting to touch her panties.
He wasn't fazed at all by her behavior, inwardly he was pleased by her reaction, but he didn't let his satisfaction show on his face. He kept a nonchalant attitude as he told her a blatant lie. "I was merely curious about the texture of the material."
"Liar!" She accused him, eyes narrowing as she fumed even more. "I saw the way you were looking at them! You were ready to take them!"
Mihawk wasn't fazed at all by her accusing glare, he merely rose a brow, smirking slightly as he denied the thought had even passed his mind. "Now, Rei, what would I do with a pair of your undergarments?"
Rei looked slightly mortified as she fought off the chill that ran down her spine. She looked slightly ill as she muttered, "I really don't want to know actually."
He had to repress the urge to laugh at her amusing antics, pleased to get such an interesting reaction from his little toy with such a simple question. He watched her shake her head, as if casting away thoughts that had no right to dwell inside her mind and turned her marvelous ruby gaze back onto him.
"So, besides trying to steal a pair of my underwear, what are you doing here Mihawk?" Rei huffed, proceeding to take her laundry off the line and put neatly into her basket as she talked with him.
"Can I not visit a friend when I find I have the time to?"
Mihawk smirked when he noticed a vein bulge of her forehead as she clamped her teeth together, her annoyance with him taken up yet another level.
"You were just here a few days ago." She managed to say through her clenched teeth, her fist -that was gripping a now very wrinkled shirt- shook with her irritation.
He merely shrugged. "It came to my notice that my schedule was open. I figured I should do something to occupy my time till I have matters to attend to."
The look on her face told her that she didn't believe him one bit. "Matters to attend to?" She repeated in disbelief. "You don't have 'matters to attend to'. You don't work!"
"Ah, but that doesn't mean there are not things that need my attention. I am, in a way, self-employed."
"Just because people call you the 'World's Greatest Swordsman' doesn't mean you get to treat it like a job occupation, you pervy vagabond!" Rei snapped, finished taking her clothes down and stormed into the interior of her boat to set the basket down inside.
"Such wounding words, Rei. Is that anyway to speak to a friend?" Mihawk asked, a taunting look on his face as he placed his hand over his heart in a wounded gesture.
"A friend? No. You? Yes." Rei said sharply as she came back outside from putting her laundry basket safely inside and away from the would-be panty thief.
"Come now, I am the sole being of which you constantly associate with upon your journeys through Paradise. I believe that allows me the privilege to be labeled as a friend." He smoothly told her, watching her with his golden stare to see what she would say or do in retort.
"Fine." She snapped with a sour look, crossing her arms as she came to stand before him once more. "Now, friend, why are you here?"
"To play with you, of course," Mihawk answered her simply.
Rei always hated it when he called their spars 'playtime' or anything of the like. Probably because she hated knowing that to him, it was really all one big game. She was his toy, the sole object of his entertainment, and what he used to pass the time away. He could break her so easily, like a cat with a mouse, and yet he chose to be gentle, if only to prolong his enjoyment.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was probably concerned about what would happen when she ceased to bring him amusement, but he already knew that if that time ever did come, she would be alright. He took care of this things- his guilty pleasures- and even if one day his attention was turned to something else, he would treat her well for all her devotion to keeping him from being bored- just like Red Haired Shanks.
Though... maybe a little bit better than Shanks. He actually liked Rei well enough. Shanks, well, he could stomach him for a time. And only for a small time. There were things that he could never forgive Shanks for, even is some of them were beyond the red head's control.
"Alright," Rei sighed, giving into the fact that she was just going to have to fight him whenever he well pleased. "Let me put my things away first and then we can start."
He nodded, watching her for a time before deciding to put the plan he had thought of earlier that day into action. "Perhaps, if just sparring has become too mundane of a commodity for you, we can make things a bit more interesting."
"How so," Rei asked him skeptically. Her eyes were staring at him in a calculative manner and she was on the defense, trying to figure out what it was that he was planning in that devious mind of his.
"A wager, of course. I name something I would like when I win and you name something that you'd like if you could win."
Rei narrowed her eyes as she pursed her lips together lightly. She didn't miss how he had worded that sentence. Both of them knew that he would win and she could only dream of beating him in this stage of her development as a swordswoman.
"So what you're saying is, is that you want something from me and instead of petitioning for it like a normal person, you'd rather force me into it by making it the spoils of a impossible wager." Rei reiterated for him in a deadpan tone.
"Where's the fun in simply asking? At least this way, you have the slight- ever so slight- chance of winning and getting whatever your heart desires from me instead."
She shift her weight all to one leg, arms still crossed as she gave a thoughtful expression. Her lips slightly pursed as she thought about the proposition. Though both knew she had hardly any chance of winning, there was still that small, very minute chance that she might actually come out on top. Now she was weighing the risks vs the rewards of even wagering against him. Mihawk had to suppress the sinister like smirk that threatened to take over his face when her eyes, which had been staring off in thought, met his once more with a determined look.
"If I win, I want your hat." She finally told him.
Though pleased that she was consenting to the wager, he couldn't help but grab the brim of his hat and adjust it in response.
"This is one of a kind." He told her truthfully, hoping she'd catch on that he'd rather not wager it.
She was unfazed by his subtle hint, either completely unaware of what he was trying to tell her without words or simply because she could care less if he had a fondness of his hat.
"All the more reason to try and win it." She smirked haughtily at how she had raised a reaction out of him from his usual stoic expressions. "Is that an appropriate wager upon my end?"
Mihawk stood there quietly for a while, thinking upon whether or not he'd risk his hat. He was not willing to part with the hat, that was for sure. There were many memories connected to his hat. However, Rei stood little chance in winning, especially if he did not hold back like usual, so he knew his hat would be safe to wager. Nonetheless, the threat upon his hat was not well received.
"I suppose it is," he relented, nodding hesitantly as he let go of his hat's brim. "If you could win, I suppose my hat would be an appropriate trophy."
"I am going to win." She said with a strong determination.
"We will see." Mihawk simply replied. "However, we have yet to decide what would my prize would be if I am the one who is victorious in this affair."
Rei scowled at him, eyes narrowing into slits as she gave her response. "I swear Mihawk, if your idea of a trophy is my underwear, I'll-"
"I promise you, it is not." Mihawk interrupted her with his assurance.
This time anyways. He would have to remember that for future wages if she ever was daring enough to wager against him again.
"Alright," she relaxed after hearing that. "Then what do you want if you win."
"When I win, Rei." He corrected for her with a conceited smirk. "When I win, I would like you to accompany me on a date. There is an island not to far from here that I would quite enjoy taking you to."
That had thrown her off-guard. She stared at him with wide eyes, all her defenses had dropped as she stared at him blankly. She blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just said and if she had somehow misheard him. Upon realizing she had not misheard him, her face flushed furiously, if only for a few minutes, as she was instantly on guard once more.
"A date!" She squeaked in bewilderment. "You want me to be your date? Why!?"
"My reasons are not apart of the arrangement, thus I do not have to tell them to you." Mihawk smirked, pleased with her reaction. "Will you acquiesce to such terms?"
"Fine. If you win, I'll be your stupid date for the day." Rei huffed, her displeasure evident in her sour expression. "But let me clean up the deck a bit first so you don't hack anything I might actually like into shreds."
"When I win." He corrected for her as he strode over to the mast and leaned against it, waiting for her to finish her activities.
He could see her desire to win as she cleaned up her deck and fetched her katanas. He remembered they were one of the reasons why, when they had first met and dueled, that he had decided to make her his pass time. They were some of the finest crafted blades he had seen outside of the known twelve Saijō Ō Wazamono. Her blades were called 'Ryu Chuushin', a crimson blade, and 'Ryu Dokyou', a teal blade. The amount of detail put into the two blades was amazing and from what he could tell, they were not stained the colors they were, it was completely natural.
When he had asked of their origin- the name of the sword smith that had crafted them- she had given the name of her father. He figured that her father had perhaps finished the katanas for her, but the true master responsible for shaping the blades into being was someone else, someone whom she did not wish to name. He could tell that there had been two smiths by the style the sheath, guard, and hilt had been designed, however similar the two styles happened to look. Her father was very talented if he could copy someone else's signature style, that much he had to admit. Her father was no doubt talented sword smith, a talented swordsman, and a talented teacher.
"Okay, I'm ready." Rei pulled him from his musings when she emerged from the door of her boat's cabin with her sheathed swords hanging at her hip by their holster.
He nodded, pulling Yoru out of its sheath, and got into his opening position as he watched her do the same with both her blades. "Then let us begin our duel. I do hope you dress up prettily for our upcoming date, Rei."
"I hope your hat will look good on my head, it'd be a shame if it doesn't suit me since I'll forever parade around in it." Rei retorted, a confident look crossing her face.
There was a moment of silence within the world, all the noise of the ocean and the creaking of the boat disappeared as the two of them hyper-focused their attention upon each other. They both were waiting for the other to make the first move, anything really, even the slightest twitch, change in the facial expression, or even the skip of a heart beat.
He was the first to move, and she complimented his attack perfectly with her own strike. Using her swords, she redirected the flow of brutal energy from his attack on her to elsewhere. That was how her style worked. She took the strength of her enemy and either redirected their attack away from her or used it against them. She had very few purely offensive attacks, most of them were defensive, where she would redirect the attack to either to her adversary or to an vacant section of their sparring space where she then proceeded to engage her counterattack upon their person. Though she was extremely strong, especially for a woman, there would always be men much stronger out there than her, like him, and that was the brilliance of her sword style. Why bother trying to overpower the enemy when one can use their own strength against them? That was the basic principal behind her style entirely.
Their dance of blades played out for a long while. Though Mihawk was much harsher in his fighting this time around, he was impressed that Rei managed to keep up for as long as she did. However, he noticed that she was beginning to tire. Her form was still in superb shape, but she herself was growing weary from the continual onslaught that he was pushing upon her. Her arms were shaking slightly from how tired she was beginning to feel, but she left no easy openings upon her person, like always. Her style was too ingrained into her very being to allow her to even subconsciously leave herself open to an attack. If he was to finish this anytime soon, he would have to create an opening by overpowering her and her form.
Channeling haki through his blade, he forced both of hers out of her grip, shocking her entirely, before kicking her in the chest, knocking her off her feet, and swinging Yoru at her throat. He stopped short of actually cutting into the delicate flesh of her neck by a fraction of second.
"I win once more." He stated with a wide smirk. He pulled his weapon away from her neck and put Yoru back into its sheath.
Rei panted heavily, trying to catch her breath from her most intense session with Mihawk yet. Her arms were still shaking from the strain of having to hold up against his brutal hits and redirecting the movement of that massive amount of energy elsewhere. He was slightly surprised that her boat wasn't in ruins, but then again, Rei always put in the extra effort in aiming the energy into the open sky rather then the fragile wooden planks of her boat.
"Nooo~!" Rei whined once she was able to catch her breath. She was still sitting where she had landed after receiving the kick to the sternum, her arms limp as she still panted from her exertion. "I was really hoping to win!"
"Perhaps in a few years you might have the occasional victory." Mihawk remarked, glancing at the position the sun was in and comparing it to where it had been before they had started. "It would appear that you were able to last for a solid two hours."
Though Rei seemed enthralled at the idea that she had lasted as long as she did, her excitement dwindled when she remembered, "I have to go on a date with you now... Damn it."
"Did you really expect to win?" Mihawk rose a brow at her reaction. He knew that she would not be entirely enthusiastic to go on a date with him, one of the reasons why he even wanted to take her out on one, but she was acting as if it was a death sentence.
"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" Rei sighed, looking up at him with a playful but scolding look. "Plus, who would really wants to spend time with a pervy vagabond like you?"
"Many women, of course. I am, in fact, a shichibukai and that makes me desirable as a potential mate to many females."
"Well then, can't you ask one of them to be your date for tonight?" Rei said spitefully, not appreciating what he had just pointed out to her.
"None of them have proven themselves worthy, though some have tried greatly to do so. In the end, they are all disappointments." Mihawk told with a nonchalant manner. He paused, gauging her apprehension of what he told her. "Now, go get ready for our date. I will steer the ship to our destination until you are ready."
Rei nodded reluctantly, pouting slightly as she gathered her fallen blades and checking their condition before putting them back into their sheaths. Mihawk was already double checking to make sure his smaller vessel was tied securely to the larger ship before heading off to steer the boat to its new destination.
Perhaps Rei hadn't expected him to hear it, but he managed to catch what she grumbled under her breath as she made her way inside and into her room to get ready.
"I was really hoping to get his hat..."
Now Mihawk knew that she would never, ever get his hat. He would simple not let go of his precious hat. It was one of the few things in this world that actually meant anything to him, Yoru and even his coffin boat were two other items that meant something to him, but he figured he could come up with a good solution since she wanted a hat like his so badly. He could easily add that into his itinerary for tonight.
Mihawk had to wait a whole hour and a half on Rei. Now normally, he was a greatly patient man, but he was slightly impatient today because this would be the first time Rei had ever dressed up since he had met her. She usually wore simple tee shirts and jeans or sweats, not bothering with make-up or even doing her hair, which was always in a ponytail or a messy bun when she needed it up and out of the way fast. She was beautiful, he was not blind to her natural beauty just because he was not attracted to her physically. So he was very interested in what she looked like when she put in the effort to look nice.
He himself had brought an extra change of clothes so that he wouldn't look so conspicuous and draw unwarranted attention upon him and his date. It wouldn't do if he had to deal with some simpleton swordsman trying to pick a fight with him on his night off. He was rather fast at changing, not that he cared if Rei saw him changing on her deck, but she'd be rather angry for some irrational reason and it wouldn't do since he wanted her in a relatively good mood.
He heard her coming down onto the deck before he saw her. She hadn't seen him yet either and he was interested in what her reaction would be to his change of attire. Knowing his little toy, it was to be quite entertaining.
"Well," Rei drawled as she gave a quick spin on the ball of her foot, showing him what she had decided to wear, "I'm ready."
She was wearing a black kimono decorated with a design of white lotuses and falling pink petals, tied closed by an white obi. Her hair was twisted into an nice bun, a clip that had white ribbons tangled within its teeth that trailed down her back instead of her long ebony hair that was now tied up. Some basic make-up had been put on but not too much, not that she needed too much, just enough to amply her eyes and lips.
"A kimono, hm?" He said, admiring how fitting it looked upon her. The colors of the outfit really drew out the color within her eyes, enhancing their already striking pigment.
She was about to reply, turning to face him as she spoke, but was suddenly found at a loss of words as she stared at him. He frowned, befuddled at her sudden dumbfounded expression as she continued to stare at him. He was about to ask her if there was something the matter with his attire, but she had suddenly closed the distance between them and began to stare solely at his selected clothing for the night.
"You're wearing a shirt," she said in astonishment.
Before Mihawk could give his retort to her obvious observation she began to run her palms up and down his clothed chest, still too mystified by the revelation that he, in fact, owned shirts and knew how to wear them. She didn't even seem to realize what she was doing, too absorbed in her shock.
He smirked as he looked down at her face, willing her eyes to look into his. She seemed to sense his unspoken request and her ruby eyes met his sharp, golden ones. He let his lips fall into a dark smile as his eyes danced with promises that he would never let her forget this.
"Is there a reason you feel it is necessary to grope my chest, Rei?" He asked in a deep tone, his amusement evident in his expression and tone.
Rei immediately ripped away from him, her face flushing a new shade of red as she shook her head vehemently. He actually had to withhold the bark of laughter that wanted to erupt from his throat, less he lose his cool and aloof image.
"No!" She finally managed to say. "I was just... you never wear a shirt! It just caught me by surprise is all!"
"So you had to confirm what you were seeing by rubbing your hands up and down my person?" He questioned her, his lips almost pulling into a humorous smile as he teased her happily.
His little toy was always so much fun. He would never tire of her. Never. He almost felt sorry for the fool that would one day come into her life and attempt to court her.
If anyone thought for one second that he'd just let her go, they were sorely mistaken. She was his play thing and even if he allowed some man into her life, because she was in love with the man, he'd never let him fully take her away from him. He will always be apart of her life. That was that. If anyone decided anything different, he and Yoru would need to have a serious conversation with the dullard. Chances at surviving this conversation would be alarmingly low for the other man.
"So where are we going anyways?"
Mihawk snapped out his line of thought when Rei asked him of their destination. She had mostly recovered from her embarrassment and it seemed decided that the best way to move on from the pervious faux pas she had made was to pretend it never happened. For now, he'd go along with her little plan, but he would make sure she never forgot it. Ever.
He gazed at the island that had barely appeared from the horizon, the sun still in the sky telling him it was only around four o'clock. What he had planned would need to happen closer to when the sun was setting, so they had some time to kill before then. Actually, Rei would be the one with time on her hands, he needed to set up a few things in order for his plans to play out perfectly. So that meant keeping her preoccupied for a time on the island before they officially began their date.
"An island I visit around this time of year," Mihawk vaguely told her, trying to think of a good way to keep her occupied while he finished his plans.
"Oh, well what's it like?" She seemed genuinely curious about the island and its inhabitants, especially since he seemed to visit this island more than most.
"Patience. You will see."
Rei wasn't happy with his response, but made no retort. Instead she just crossed her arms and glared bitterly at the island, remembering that she was forced upon a date with a man who purposely tried to get under her skin simply because he thought it was entertaining. Soon enough they made port and Rei could see exactly what the island was like. She didn't disappoint him when she let out an indignant sound and looked at him with extreme displeasure.
"Everyone here dresses like you!"
"Hmm, I suppose so. We derive from similar cultural roots, so it makes sense that our attire is alike, though mine is much finer quality than theirs." Mihawk shrugged it off.
"But..." She clutched her hands close to her bosom as she looked around timidly. "I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb..."
"So?" Mihawk shrugged, he didn't care if people looked at them, as long as he didn't have to deal with foolish men trying to prove their merit as a swordsman when they had no skill at all.
"So?!" She turned his question against him, blushing fretfully about the whole thing. "It's bad enough when people stare at me because of my eyes! I don't want to draw more attention by looking out of place. Couldn't I get changed into something else?"
"Do you have anything akin to your kimono, like a dress?" Mihawk rose a brow in question, already feeling like he knew the answer.
"N-no..."
Rei looked down at her feet, her hands still clasped together as they hung limp against her body. Mihawk had a feeling that would be Rei's answer. She wasn't one to gussy up, so she probably had brought only one or two formal outfits to wear for special occasions, if they ever were to arise. Both were probably kimono's from what he understood from her upbringing. From what he could gleam of her childhood, standing out had caused her a lot of unwarranted problems and caused her to greatly dislike being the center of attention in public. But he wasn't about to let her dress down merely because she felt uncomfortable about all the attention. However, it would indeed cause unnecessary problems and he wanted tonight to be flawless. He glanced at the sun's position and smirked. A solution already forming in his devious head.
"Come along." He told her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders and ushering her off her vessel.
"Please Mihawk," Rei whined, unhappy with all the attention they were receiving. "Please don't make me walk around like this."
He ignored her pleas, looking around for something particular while pushing her forward through the streets as she tried to drag her feet. On a normal day, she might have put up more of a fight, but not after the session he had put her through not even two hours ago. No doubt her arms and legs still felt weak and shaky. He smirked when he caught sight of what he was looking for and steered her to a little storefront, opening the door and in one smooth motion, ushering Rei into the store. A bell above the door jingled, letting the staff know that they had customers.
Several women stopped what they were doing when they heard the bell and looked to see who had entered the store.
"Buenas tardes, Senoritas," Mihawk drawled in a deep tone, a playful smirk dancing on his lips as he gazed at the women before him.
They all stared a moment more before erupting into their own joyous salutations and a flurry of questions and remarks as they approached the two. Rei looked back at him, completely confused as to what the gaggle of women were saying since they only spoke Spanish. Mihawk, however, knew what they were saying, nodding or giving them the proper response to their questions in their native tongue. The women were all older than Rei, the youngest of them being about five years older than the 19 year old, and all of them were familiar with him due to prior visits.
He quickly spoke to them, pleased at their laughter and words of agreement to his request. They proceeded to grab Rei by the arms, one of them even slipping between him and her to further pull her into the shop. All of them were already talking among themselves about what they wanted to do while Rei turned her head to look at Mihawk with a panicked expression, unsure of why she was being dragged away from him.
"Mihawk! What are they saying? Where are they taking me?"
"Allow them to do whatever they please. I have a few things that need my attention, so I'll leave you to them. I will be back before the sun fully sets, Senorita Rei." He told her in a cool, teasing tone. He turned to leave, pausing for a moment to look over his shoulder. "And do be a good girl for them, won't you?"
"Mihawk! Hey! Don't leave me here! Mihawk!? Mihawk!" Rei shouted, her eyes wide with alarm as she unsuccessfully tried to drag her feet.
Mihawk continued his route out of the building, still hearing the desperate calls of his toy as the older women dragged her to the back. He tipped his hat to the sole woman that came back to the front of the store. She giggled at him before flipping the sign that said 'open' to 'close'. He smirked as he strolled off, confident that she would be ready by the time he returned.
He was sorely tempted to hum a merry old tune to himself as he headed down the street. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time.
When Mihawk returned, he was not disappointed. He had been ushered in, quietly listening to the flurry of compliments the women squealed about Rei. He would nod, giving them response that they wanted to hear, and allowed them to lead him by the hand further into the shop where Rei was.
Once he was inside, some of the women left his side to retrieve the young swordswoman. He could hear her light protests as they happily pushed her into the room and allowing Mihawk to see the fruits of their labor. Rei wasn't looking at him, just standing in the spot where they had pushed her and staring down at her hands. She was no longer wearing her kimono, instead wearing something the women here would wear on a nice night out.
She was dressed in a white ruffled top that left her shoulders and her collar bare. The sleeves were puffy and elegant and only tapering into a fitting form at the wrists, which was decorated in black lace instead. She was wearing a deep red decorative corset which complimented her hourglass form that was usually never seen. The skirt of her outfit as a simple, yet elegant black material that trailed down to her ankles and was given a filled out shape due to the underskirt she wore. Her black boots were suede with stiletto heels, which she looked shaky upon. They had even added a few accessories, like black gloves and a choker necklace with a simple white rose cameo hanging from the black lace material that made up the necklace. Her hair and make-up had been redone and now her hair was an elegant upsweep of curls and twists instead of a simple bun. Her lips were now a beautiful dark shade of red and the eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara only served to heighten the natural beauty of her marvelous eye color.
Mihawk was sure to compliment each one of the women for their hard work, giving them a peck on their hands and their cheeks. Rei stood there, trying not to look completely embarrassed as the women she could not understand gushed over what he had said. Mihawk was sure to pay them well for all their wonderful efforts before turning his full attention to his little date once more.
Still looking too proud of his idea to drop her off here for a while, he motioned for her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. She hesitated, thinking of if she actually wanted to go with him after all of this, but then recalled that she had lost the wager and had to go on a date with him.
She took his hand, glad for the balance it brought her as she tried to walk in her heels. He wordlessly prompted her to take his arm as he once more spoke to the women of the shop. They all laughed heartily, making even Mihawk want to grin lazily at what he had said to them. Instead he tipped his hat and bid them farewell, turning and leading Rei out of the shop.
"Feliz Cumpleaños, Senior Dracule!" They called out after them, getting Mihawk to turn his head and call back a 'Mil Gracias' in return.
When they were a safe distance from the shop, Rei finally looked at him, her anger evident on her face. "What was that all about!"
"Did you not voice your concern about standing out due to your state of dress? I believe now that you fit in quite well." Mihawk said with a pleased smirk on his lips.
"So you left me with a bunch of chatty women, all of which only spoke Spanish, so that they could strip me, wash me, and dress me up like I'm some sort of doll?" Rei seethed at him while clutching to his arm tightly to keep from falling over in her heels as he continued to escort her to their first destination for their date.
"Sí."
Rei gave him a dark look. "I am assuming, from the very little time I've had to learn this language, that that means 'yes'."
"Sí."
"Mihawk, you are on my shit list indefinitely, you know that?"
"Sí."
Needless to say, Rei didn't so much as look at him, let alone talk to him, for the rest of their slow walk to the next destination.
"A restaurant?" She couldn't help but question when he led her to a very nice looking establishment.
"Yes, I like coming here when I am in the area." Mihawk informed her before leading her to the front where a waiter was already waiting to seat them.
Everyone here knew who he was.
They were led to the second level and onto a private balcony so that the two of them could enjoy the warm night's air while being able to talk without straining to hear each other. Rei looked legitimately surprised when he pulled out a chair for her and made sure she was seated before taking his own seat and taking off his hat, resting it on the side of the chair nicely.
"So you can be a gentleman." Rei remarked, observing his flawless posture and table manners.
He noted that she too have her back perfectly straight and her hands resting in her lap as she had her legs tucked in a lady like manner under her chair instead of crossing them.
"And there is hope for you yet in being an actual lady," he responded with a teasing smirk.
"I may not dress like one all the time, but I am a proper lady. My father made sure of that." Rei informed him sternly.
"And yet you only brought kimonos as formal wear upon your travels."
"I did not think that I would be attending any events that would call for anything outside of casual attire." Rei shrugged. "Plus, I'm not very girly." Before he had a chance to comment upon her last statement, she quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what did those women call out to you when we were leaving, Senior Dracule."
He didn't miss the way she had teasingly repeated how they had addressed him. Though his name was Dracule Mihawk, he preferred to be called Mihawk or even Hawk-Eyes over his surname.
"They were saying their farewells to me. I don't visit often, only around-"
"This time of year. Yeah, you already said that." Rei interrupted him, waving off his repeated explanation. "But what does... Feliz... Cumpleaños mean."
Mihawk shook his head, telling her through that motion that he wasn't going to tell her. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't really important."
Though she pouted a bit, she nodded and tried to move onto something else. Rei grabbed her menu and proceeded to look at it, getting ready to order her meal since he obviously didn't want to talk about what had been said to him. However, Mihawk noticed with a smirk, she came to realize that the whole entire menu was written in Spanish.
"I can't read this." She said blankly, no longer really surprised since this was how her day had been going.
"I can." Mihawk told her with a smug smirk.
Her eyes narrowed as she sent him an unspoken 'of course you can, but that doesn't help me pick my food' with her facial expression alone.
"Do not fret. I will simply order for the both of us."
"As long as my dinner isn't something weird, I suppose..."
"I promise, your main course will be edible and appealing." Mihawk promised her with a nod.
Though, he never promised that the appetizer wasn't going to be extremely out of her comfort zone. But she wasn't going to know that till it was served, until then, she would be completely unaware of what had been said and ordered. He had ordered a bottle of his favorite red wine. He and his young associate were actually having a nice conversation about their upbringings. Rei had been quite shocked to hear that he was fluent in speaking, reading, and writing almost ever known language, including a few dead ones. She could read both characters and romaji since Water 7 had been littered with both forms of writing. He had teased her a bit, commenting on the fact that she had said she couldn't read the menu earlier.
"I could read the words and distinguish how to pronounce them somewhat, but that doesn't mean I understood what it was saying." She snapped at him. "Understanding is apart of reading and if one cannot understand what is being written, then that means that one is not truly reading it at all."
He laid off of her about it since she had given him such an insightful remark about the whole situation. Rei rolled her eyes, probably hoping that their first course would be there soon so they could move on to the other parts of their date. It did, but from the look on her face when she saw what it was, Mihawk could tell that Rei was torn between cussing him out or full out bawling in her vexation. She ended up just looking indifferent as she stared at what their appetizer was, an eye twitching as she fought to keep her chosen composure.
"Mihawk..." She started out in a dead pan, finally ripping her eyes from the dish to meet his golden stare. She paused for a second, taking in his smug, pleased expression before continuing. "There are snails on the plate."
"Sí." He couldn't resist saying before continuing on. "They are a delicacy here."
Rei stared at him a moment more, probably still considering whether cussing him out would actually prove to be fruitful or if attempting to stay numb to the whole situation would be better. She chose being numb. "Snails are a delicacy? I can understand fresh fruit or squid or sea urchins or even live octopus... but not snails."
That was right. Mihawk realized silently. She grew up on Water 7. They mostly had to import food to the man made island and most of what was caught natively was seafood. She wouldn't be use to such a notion as snails being eatable.
"Do not judge something before you have experienced it." Mihawk told her, taking one of the snails and ate it right out of its shell, dropping the remains back upon the plate. "You might find that something that looks strange is actually quite delicious."
Rei's left eye twitched, probably thinking about the last time she had eaten something she had thought had looked strange. It must have tasted repugnant from the look upon her face as she drew the conclusion from her memory. She looked at him again, hoping that he would drop the whole thing, but he made sure from just one glance that he wouldn't let the subject drop until she tried at least one.
She nearly groaned as she picked up one of the snails, looking at the seasoned appetizer with much apprehension before slurping it rather ungracefully out of the shell. She made a face as she swallowed, dropping the shell back onto the plate before taking a rather large gulp of her wine.
"Not the worse thing I've had, but it probably goes right up there with the live octopus." Rei admitted, taking another one and eating it with more manners than the first time.
Mihawk rose a brow, "Live octopus?"
He definitely wanted to hear this story.
"My father took me to a very expensive restaurant for a business meeting and the man in charge of the whole affair had already selected everyone's menu. Since it was on Water 7, live octopus isn't that outrageous and is seen as a more fun dish since one has to be careful when eating it. It's basically a live baby octopus that you dip into a sauce, which stuns them for a time, and you have to quickly swallow it whole. It can cause problems if you don't eat it fast enough and it recovers while one is swallowing it." Rei explained rather quickly. "That was the best part of the whole meeting, regretfully."
"I see," Mihawk couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "and snails are worse how?"
"They're slimy and mucus covered bugs." Rei told him with a shutter, taking another one and eating it despite her last statement.
"Yet you continue to eat it?"
Rei shrugged, he could see it had something to do with her childhood as she shook her head. "I don't like wasting food, Mihawk, no matter what it is."
Their main courses came soon afterwards, Rei was genuinely relieved when her main course looked absolutely delicious. Much to Mihawk's surprise, she was quite easily able to eat everything on her plate. Then again, she was an active swordswoman that needed the large calorie intake to offset the amount of energy she expended upon her training.
After dinner, the two of them wandered about the streets of the island, which happened to be having a festival that night. He and Rei both played a few of the festival games, competing to see who could win the most games. To Rei's chagrin, Mihawk always turned out the victor, no matter how hard she tried. She even asked him if there was anything he couldn't do.
"Lose" was Mihawk's simple, one worded answer and it greatly aggregated Rei.
Soon they were meandering through the streets once more, Mihawk was leading her into the general direction of one of his goal destinations, but wasn't in a rush to get there. Since there was a festival tonight, he knew the store wouldn't be closing anytime soon. Rei was still clinging on to his arm, slightly more use to walking in her heels than before but still uncomfortable walking in them without some support. When they finally reached the shop, Rei was rather shocked to see where he had taken her.
"Go on, choose one." He prompted her, pushing her forward with his hand on the small of her back.
Rei turned looked at him with surprised red eyes before looking back at the store. "They're hats! Like yours!"
Not exactly like his, since his was one of a kind, but close enough to make the young swordswoman happy.
"Sí, you expressed an interest in my hat, so why not indulge you a bit by giving you your own hat."
"Afraid I'll win it one of these days?" Rei asked with a teasing twinkle in her eye.
"No. However, I do not wish for you to become green with envy seeing as you think my hat is wonderful. Now off with you, find something that'll fit your fancy," Mihawk teased back before prompting her to go with a swift swat to her backside.
He quite enjoyed her indignant yelp as a blush erupted on her face while her back went ramrod straight and her hands flew to cover her rump. She gave him a dark scowl, hissing his name in fury, and stomped on his foot (which slightly hurt because of her heel), before walking further into the shop to find the perfect compensation for her recent humiliation. He laughed under his breath, fighting back the smile that threatened to break his unapproachable demeanor. His dear Rei was really something special.
After roaming the store a few times, Rei finally picked out a hat. It was quite expensive, something she normally wouldn't have picked out solely because of the price, but she was still quite vexed with him, so she didn't feel sorry about her decision. It was a marvelous hat anyways. It was a black, wide brimmed hat that was nearly identical to his, though his remained to be the best of within the whole entire room, but hers was close. The plumage, however, a deep red, matching her eyes magnificently and the ornament around the base of the hat was gold with a ruby like gemstone. It suited her, he thought. He paid for it without hesitation, watching as she carefully put the hat on over her hairdo, the curled locks cascading from under the hat in a elegant manner and her outfit looked complete with the hat upon her head.
Though she was still slightly mad at him, for multiple reasons, the latest just being the unnecessary swat to her rump, Rei took his arm once more as she was lead down the festival filled streets.
"Wow, is it some sort of holiday today?" She asked, mentally checking off holidays she knew it couldn't be for sure.
"For them it is. It's the day of birth of one of their local heroes. Apparently, he had saved them from a local monster, a Chupacabras I believe it was called, that had been plaguing their village for years. So now, every year on March 9th, the day he was born, they celebrate his deeds by holding a festival." Mihawk explained, shrugging his shoulders as he continued to talk. "It is honestly the first time I've ever attended, I usually am elsewhere, participating in a different event."
"Oh. I see." She paused for a second before looking back in a panic. "March 9th! Today is March 9th!"
"Sí," Mihawk nodded, surprised at her reaction. Surely, she did not know that... "Why, is there something special about today for you?"
"Yes," Rei said with great despair, "Today is Franky's birthday and I almost forgot!"
She quickly looked around, oddly enough they had stopped not too far off from a stand that had been selling cupcakes with a candle in each one. She quickly pulled herself away from him and carefully approached the stand, pointing at one of the cupcakes. Mihawk frowned slightly as she came back, lighting the candle with her ability to produce fire.
"Since he's not here, I'll just make a birthday wish for him and hope he gets it." Rei told Mihawk, grabbing onto his arm once more as she closed her eyes to make the birthday wish for her friend who was far, far away.
She opened her eyes again, readying to blow the flame she had lit upon the candle out, when he quickly swooped in, blowing out the candle with a single harsh huff of air, removing the candle from the pastry, and in one bite, snatching the whole cupcake from her fingers. She let out an indignant "hey!" when she realized what he had done, but he had already finished chewing and swallowing it by then, standing back at his full height.
"That was Franky's birthday cupcake!" She told him with aggravation.
"He wasn't here to enjoy it." Mihawk simple shrugged, pulling her along as he began to head back to her boat for the last part of the event.
"I know that, but I would have shared it with you after I had made the wish!" Rei informed him, trying to drag her feet (and failing) in retaliation.
"I didn't want to share," Mihawk simply said.
"Why? It's not like it's your birthday or anything!" Rei huffed, pulling her arm loose and standing there with both hands on her hips.
He stopped, turning his head to look at her from over his shoulder, "Come along, Rei, there is still one last part of our date before I let you off the hook."
Rei stood there, looking utterly confused and annoyed with him. She didn't want to go anywhere with him at the moment because of what he had done with someone else's birthday cupcake, but she was eager to be released from her end of the wager and finally caught up with him. He took her by the hand once more and lead her back to her boat.
She blinked, confused at why the last part of the date would be here, but when he sat down on the top of the staircase leading to her upper deck, she realized something was going on. He prompted her to sit next to him on the narrow staircase, which she did with much prudence. He merely gestured at her to watch the night sky above the village, which from this spot on the deck they had a great view of. Suddenly, she heard the familiar whistle of a rocket being propelled into the sky before a brilliant flash of light appeared in the night sky, the deafening boom echoing long after the lights of the firework diminished. She glanced at him with an excited look in her eye and he could see that she was greatly pleased at the idea.
"Fireworks!" She gushed happily. "I haven't seen fireworks in forever!"
She then turned her attention back into the sky as the show of lights in the night sky continued, her eyes never wavering from them as it continued on for the next half an hour. At the finale, where the night sky was littered in the colorful lights of a plethora of fireworks, Rei clapped happily, laughing as the colors danced off the reflection of her eyes.
"I have not seen fireworks since I was a little girl!" She confided in him, still happily laughing as the show finally ended. "Thank you so much!"
"I see, then I am glad that I could be of assistance." He tipped his hat to her. "I hope that, despite the few times you became vexed at me, it was a wonderful night for you."
"Yes," Rei nodded, calming down from her earlier mood, "I did have a good time."
"Perhaps we could have a repeat of this night another time then?"
"Go on another date?" Rei asked in shock before shaking her head. "I'm not sure I'd go again with you."
"Why ever not?" He couldn't help but ask, watching her facial expression pull into a very wary look. He could see the clogs in her mind working, trying to figure out why he would even ask her such a thing, no doubt running through all their time together seeking an answer.
Though he was ready for some outlandish comment about him being a pervert, he had not expected to hear what had come from her mouth.
"Teasing me, spending your spare time with me, going out of your way to be with me, asking me on dates, getting me expensive gifts and trinkets, pampering me, buying me dinner, being jealous over Franky's birthday cupcake...You're not in love with me, are you?" She asked cautiously, leaning away from him in fear that her suspicions might be true.
Mihawk blinked at her with wide eyes, shocked at what she had just said before bursting out into a full out laughing fit.
"Wahhahhahhahhahhahhahha~!"
Rei's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he practically doubled over in his seat from laughing so hard, realizing how preposterous the notion even seemed now that she had voiced it. She quickly got tired of listening to his booming laughter, feeling rather indignant at why he was laughing, and tried to get up to lock herself in her ship's quarters.
"Okay I get it. It's funny. Haha." She muttered as she tried to flee the scene, her face still red with embarrassment.
However, he didn't let her, grabbing her by the waist as she got up and made her way down the stairs and sitting her on his lap as he continued to laugh. His forehead resting on the back of her shoulder as he held her tightly to him so she couldn't break free, no matter how hard she tried to. She gave up after a while, going limp as she listened to him still cackling loudly at what she had said. He was using her back now to try to muffle his dying laughter as he fought to compose himself.
"I... haha... have not laughed like that in a long time, if ever." He told her with a light tone, still trying to control his urge to continue laughing.
"I'm so glad I could help." She sneered, trying to turn her humiliation into anger to make herself feel better.
"Now, now, you caught me by surprise." Mihawk told her, moving to rest his chin on her shoulder so he could better look at her. His hat had fallen behind him when he had jerked his head back with his first bark of laughter. "Not many people can do that."
"It's even worse that you're trying to make me feel better after spending the last fifteen minutes laughing at me." Rei deadpanned.
He couldn't hold back the chuckle as he hugged her frame closer to his, pleased with how she wasn't fighting him any longer about sitting on his lap. "Well, I will tell you, I am not in love with you the way you implied, but I am quite fond of you."
"But hopefully never in love with me?" Rei checked, just too make sure she wouldn't have to worry about such a thing later.
"Not in that way, no. I see you more like a little sister I never had growing up, if I had to draw the comparison."
"More like you're the crazy uncle that likes to play horrible pranks on me than a big brother. I already have two of those in my life, thank you very much."
"Alright then, I concede to being the crazy uncle as long as I can call upon you whenever I so desire." He still had his head resting on her shoulder, pleased with this turn of events.
"I'm not going on a date with you ever again." Rei clarified, crossing her arms and looking down at his eyes.
"We'll see." Was all he said about that subject.
After a moment's silence, that though it was pleasant was rather odd since she was still sitting in his lap and had yet try to free herself from him, Rei spoke another question that had been nigging at the back of her mind.
"So... why did you want to go on a date with me if you're not in love with me?"
He smiled slightly, deciding it would be okay if he told her now. After all, she had yet picked up on any of the hints that had been dropped. "Because, it is my cumpleaños."
"Cumpleaños? The women at the store said that as we were leaving. You said it was nothing."
"Well, it's not really all that important in the long run of things, just to me, my family, and this small, insignificant island, I guess. Just like this Franky's cumpleaños is to you."
She jerked in his grip as she turned to get a better look at his face, hers completely in shock as she looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Cumpleaños means birthday doesn't it? Feliz cumpleaños means happy birthday! It's your birthday today!"
And just to piss her off ever so slightly. "Sí."
He was surprised when she swatted him hard in the shoulder, making him flinch at the harsh pain that ran through his nerves.
"You jerk! You could have told me that it was your birthday!" Then she had another realization. "You saved this island from the monster! That's why they all like you!"
"Sí."
She hit him again, this time upside the head for being a little shit with his stupid one word, Spanish answers.
"You are so stupid sometimes! You know, I would have come with you if you had told me it was your birthday!" She raged, angry that he had done all of this just so she would celebrate his birthday with him, even if it was without her realizing it.
"Would you have really believed me if I told you this afternoon that I wanted you to accompany me to an island on a date without leaving in the middle of it because it was conveniently my birthday?"
He had her there. She would have never believed him and the look on her face told him so. She still huffed, finally pulling herself out of his lap as she stood up to look down at him.
"No. But next year we do this right. You do not get to buy me dinner. You do not buy me presents. And most of all, next year you eat your own birthday cake, not Franky's. Got it?"
He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. "So you and I will be celebrating my birthday together next year?" He'd like that a lot. It would be a lot better than what he usually did.
"Yeah, sure." She said, shrugging and waving it off. "I'll even make you a cake and grant you one birthday wish that is well within my power."
"I look forward to it." He nodded, pausing as he thought for a moment. "What about this year?"
"You got your birthday, however underhanded it was." Rei snorted as she put her hands on her hips.
The town had slowly turned out their lights and now the only thing that was producing light was the full moon in the night sky. Rei's eyes glowed like embers in the dark, the only thing other than the moon that gave an iridescent glow.
"Then I wait with an eager heart for next year." He told her.
She sighed, realizing that he was going to find her, no matter where she was that day, and make her live up to her words, no matter how sarcastic it had been. She did have one last question though before attempting to kick him off her boat.
"So... what have you been doing for your birthday previously?"
-Somewhere in the New World-
"Benn! Benn! Benny-boy!" The slurred words of his captain reached his ears as the drunken red head crashed into his back. He sat there, hoping, praying that the man would leave him alone.
"What Okashira?" he muttered finally when he realized Shanks would not go away till he humored the drunken bastard.
"Do you know where -hic- Hawk-eyes is? He ne'er misses our birthday bash!" Shanks asked him, leaning in too close for Benn's tastes as he could smell the ale on his captain's breath.
"No, I don't. He probably decided that he didn't want to spend another birthday with people he didn't like and decided not to come." Benn agitatedly told his captain, muttering under his breath 'lucky bastard'.
"Well then," Shanks stood once more, wobbling from how drunk he truly was, "We'll just have to party harder so he knows he missed a great time!"
Benn wished he could have missed this party.
-Elsewhere in Paradise-
He was greatly considering gnawing off his own hand at this point, slouching at the bar table while yanking on the cuff that kept him there. He was desperately trying to tune out the sounds of "SUPER BIRTHDAY FRANKY" along with all the other drunken antics of the men and women of Franky House.
He desperately wished Rei was here, partying it up with Franky and his cronies. Maybe if she had been here, they wouldn't have kidnapped him for the night to force him to celebrate Franky's birthday with them.
"Can I go home!" He hollered at them for the hundredth time that night, making Franky pause in his 'Super dance'.
"When it's not my birthday anymore, Otouto!"
"Stop calling me that! My name is Kaito, dammit, and I want to go back home!"
"But it's my super birthday..." Franky instantly looked downtrodden at Kaito's refusal to celebrate.
Kaito groaned, rolling his eyes up to the heavens and asking for strength. "Okay Franky. I'll stay and participate. Happy Birthday, okay?"
The roars of joy within the room as he was unchained from the counter and was forced to stand next Franky while he continued dancing on the table could not make Kaito regret it more. But he liked Franky enough to want him happy on his birthday.
"Just remember... it's for today only... got it... Aniki?"
"BEST SUPER BIRTHDAY EVER!"
Did Kaito mention he missed Rei?
Haki-Amibition
Saijō Ō Wazamono-Supreme Grade Swords
Ryu Chuushin-Dragon Heart
Ryu Dokyou-Dragon Courage
Yoru-Night
Shichibukai-Warlord
Buenas tardes, Senoritas-Good afternoon, ladies
Mil Gracias-Many Thanks
Okashira-Boss
Otouto-Little Brother
Aniki-Big Brother
A/N Edited: An updated and better version of Mihawk's birthday is finally up, thanks to Volleys-chan. As I have said in my original notes, this takes place later in The Dragon Chronicles, my main fanfiction that will get there in time. Also, the portrayal of Mihawk's character will be further explained when the main story gets there. For now, I'll point out that Mihawk found new entertainment to keep him occupied for quite a long time. I feel sorry for Benn in being around a drunken Shanks.
Kaito is one of the pivotal OCs I have mentioned on my profile and he'll be seen later in the main story also. And there's a reason why he's called 'little brother' by Franky, which I can't reveal till my main story arrives at that point.
Did anyone else knew that Mihawk, Shanks and Franky share the same birthday? I found it comical and ironic. Happy birthday to awesome three guys!
Comments and thoughtful reviews are welcomed, but flames will be deleted.