Title: Good Riddance
Author: Seb Daryus
Pairing: Iceburg/Franky
Rating: PG?
Spoilers: Enies Lobby
Summary: There are some words that can never be forgiven.

---

"Franky's been gone for nearly two days now... Don't you think it's time you go out looking for him, Iceburg?" Kokoro asked the sullen young man worriedly.

Iceburg didn't even bother to look up from the Blueprints of a ship he had began drafting nearly a week ago. A ship he had been planning to build together with Tom, and maybe even that dumbass.

"No."

Kokoro let out a sigh, turning her gaze to stare out the window over the sink. The two of them were in the kitchen, Iceburg sitting at the table while she stood by the sink. Since they had taken Tom away, it seemed as though the world had stopped. Neither of them had eaten much and hardly a word had said between them in the past two days. What was there to say? I hope Tom's alright? The both of them knew better than to say something like that. I hope Franky's alright? Yes, maybe she had said that mostly to herself a few times, but Iceburg pretended he didn't hear it each time.

"What if something's happened to him? I think you should go bring Franky home now." She urged, setting her eyes on the dark haired man at the table once more.

Iceburg let out a soft scoff, turning a large page over to stare at the partially incomplete one below it. "Yeah, so what? Good riddance." He muttered, eyes narrowing.

Whatever it was that Kokoro had to say to his cold comment seemed to lay on deaf ears, her scolding going unheard by Iceburg completely. Yes, he knew it probably upset her to hear him talking like that about that dumbass. Hell, it upset him to hear himself talking like that – to know that he really did mean it. But even this didn't manage to change that emotionless face he had put on after he had wiped his final tears away sometime the day before. The entire world felt numb to him, and maybe he really shouldn't be saying things like that, but he couldn't stop himself. Of all the times Bakanky had done stupid things in the past, of all the times Tom had simply guffawed away, telling Iceburg not to be so angry with him for his ways... He couldn't bring himself to feel anything but hurt, anger, and maybe even hatred towards that bastard.

Just as Kokoro's chidings went unheard by him, so did the sharp, authorative-sounding knocks at the front door. Had he heard it, he might have wondered if it was the Government coming so soon for what Tom had passed down to him and that idiot.

There was a time where he could push aside his anger for Franky. Where those large eyes that seemed to glow with an innocence that seemed all too pure to be true could melt away his resolve in an instant if given the right opportunity. Where the only thing he could think of to shut his inane babblings of Warships was to pull him closer than what may have been right and wipe that look off his face. Triumphant, shocked, annoyed, whatever it was he could take it away from Franky just as easily as his own anger had been snatched from himself.

Iceburg raised his head from his blueprints when two men in suits entered the kitchen with a concerned looking Kokoro – but, then again, she had been looking like that ever since Tom had been taken away. Though there was something there that managed to drag the Shipwright out of his thoughtful daze. Almost as though she just knew what these men were here for.

He, of course, wasn't sure but he had a pretty damn good idea. With them no where to be found on Tom-san himself, it wouldn't have taken the Government long to realize that he was the one with the Blueprints now.

"Nma, what do you want?" He asked the men, sounding a bit harsher than he had actually intended.

"I'm sorry, but we're here to inform you that Cutty Flam died two days ago while attempting to stop the Sea Train from reaching Enies Lobby. You have our deepest condolences." Though by the way he said it, he didn't seem to be half as sorry as he claimed.

And as though he were staring into those stupid eyes again, Iceburg's resolve and anger – and even a bit of hatred – melted away instantly.

'Yeah, so what? Good riddance.' His own words echoed in his mind as he stared, paralyzed by shock at the tall man.

"What..?" He asked in disbelief, almost convinced that he had heard that completely wrong; that it was only his guilty mind playing tricks on him. His voice seemed a lot smaller than he had a moment ago, as though he had suddenly been sapped dry of any tough demeanor he had been putting up.

When he felt Kokoro leaning on his shoulder, crying out her woes, he dully realized he had already stood from his seat. His eyes never left the two men standing in the kitchen door way, awaiting for one of them to tell him he heard wrong. To tell him he didn't hear what he thought he had just heard, although it was all too obvious that was only wishful thinking now. However, they didn't look like they were going to repeat what they had just said, or if they had he simply hadn't wanted to hear it.

With a tip of their hats, the men had felt as though their little visit was over and were taking their leave of the house.

Iceburg was left there in the kitchen with Kokoro, feeling colder than he could remember before. Franky was dead. He couldn't just accept that, could he? It felt too surreal to be the truth. Franky was dead.

When he rose his hand to put it on Kokoro's back, he was nearly shocked to find how it trembled. Flashes of images appeared in his mind, the look on that idiot's face when he had first pulled him in his arms and made him shut up when he had been challenged to do just that. How peaceful he looked when he was sleeping - far too innocent to be considered natural on a face like that, or so he kept telling himself. That horrified look he had when he realized what all his monstrous beasts of ships had done to everyone and everything he loved.. The enraged, determined look he had last seen on his face before he stormed off to God-knows where.

Franky was dead. There was no denying it any longer.

Was this how Kokoro had been feeling for the past two days? Like a piece of her heart had suddenly been wretched from her chest and thrown away? Like the only thing that had made sense in the world was suddenly gone, leaving you alone and confused?

As Iceburg turned to latch onto Kokoro and spill tears he had thought he was long done with, he could only manage one thought in his mind. It repeated over and over, and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to be able to say it enough times to satisfy himself.

"I'm sorry, Franky."

After all, there were just some words that could never be forgiven.

--