My Flower: Lilly

By: Kuroi Neko-kun

Summary: His own crew does not know his past but what if a part of it comes to them, with a secret that she tries to keep from the straw-hat boy?

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I did. I DO own a Shanks figurine, which I treasure dearly.

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Chapter 1: Cruelty to the Innocent

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She had given up struggling, being weak from hunger and tiredness. Five men had pinned her down with lewd thoughts in their minds as they took her back to the ship. As they ripped off her clothes, they had done the same to her dignity. The physical pain she endured was no match for the mental pain of knowing that resistance was futile. Her only treasure she meant to give to someone else was forcefully taken from her. As they ravaged what was left of her virginity, her mind only thought of one person. Luffy-kun… Tears trickled down her face, without hope of seeing the boy again. And she wished not to.

~~~

The shock of finding a man cut in front of her was evident on her face but it died down from the anger that she had kept for days. Her eyes, adjusted to the ever-present darkness, were momentarily blinded from the light that came from the now open door. She strained to see the man that had killed her 'attacker'. Familiar red hair touched a scarred face with a shocked expression. She knew this man. But her mind could not register to it.

"Lilly?" went the familiar voice as the man covered her with his cloak. She closed her eyes, unshed tears fell from her face to the man's hand as he touched her. For the first time, it was a soft touch and not one that forced her down to submission. "Lilly?" Shame dawn on her as she wrapped the cloak more tightly around her. She huddled herself, forming a cocoon of self-preservation. Without a word, the man carefully carried her away.

~~~

The cigarette fell to the floor, abruptly extinguished as a boot crushed on its amber. Ben Beckman, first mate of the Red Haired Pirates, stood outside his captain's personal cabin with anxiety. The porthole of the cabin provided a window of opportunity as he watched the red-haired pirate talk solemnly to a female doctor. He noticed the relief on Shanks face. He had to know the meaning of it… and soon. He walked away from the platform and joined the rest of the crew or the older part of it who waited for the results. They watched Shanks escort the doctor off the ship and waited for him to return. When he stepped back into the ship, all eyes were on him.

"Lilly's fine. The doctor ran all sorts of tests on her. Priority of it all is she's not pregnant." There was a wave of relief in the crew. The younger parts of the crew did not understand it but to the older ones, the ones that had been on Fuchsia Village, Lilly was a big part of their lives. After all, wherever Monkey D Luffy was, Lilly was right beside him. The red-haired pirate silently walked to his cabin, stopping once to address their cook before continuing on. Ben followed soon after.

~~~

It was a sight not meant for seeing, at least to those weak of heart. The raven-haired pirate stared at a very disturbed Lilly. She had huddled herself at a corner, dressed in Shanks white shirt, clutching the cloak as if for dear life. Shanks touched her disheveled brown hair. The girl barely registered to him.

"The doctor warned me of a permanent mental disorientation. She suffered and she didn't deserve it," Shanks muttered.

"We all go through things we don't deserve, we just deal with it." The captain was slightly surprised by his first mate's bluntness. But the truth in his words was true. Shanks knew Lilly will deal with this. He did not know when, that's all.

~~~

After a few days of taking care of, Shanks felt that Lilly was ready to do things on her own. She had eaten by herself, dressed herself and took a bath as well. She would only listen to Shanks though. The red haired pirate feared that she would never recover from it and if he were to head to the Grand Line… He shook his head, entering the cabin. He expected to see Lilly perched on the bed, waiting expectantly for him. But she was not in the cabin at all.

"Lilly?" he called, looking around.

"Shanks!" his round crewmate, Lucky Roux, ran into the cabin. "It's Lilly!"

"What? What happened to her?"

"She's on the bow of the ship! She won't listen to us! If she—"Shanks left the cabin and ran to the front of the ship, where Lilly was standing, perching herself on the railing.

"LILLY! GET DOWN FROM THERE!!" Shanks shouted. She turned and gave him a small smile. "Lilly?" A confused look etched on the captain's face. The girl turned in front.

"Shanks-san…"

"Lilly, come back here!" She shook her head. Instead, she took another step. Shouts emanated from the crew for her to come back towards them.

"Lilly! Don't be stupid!" The raven-haired pirate shouted.

"Ben-san…"

"Lilly!"

"Lucky-san… Yasopp-san…" she started naming all the pirates' she knew on the ship. Shanks stepped onto the railing of the bow.

"Shanks, what are you doing?" His first mate asked.

"Getting Lilly back. She's not going to go until she keeps her promise to us."

"Her promise?" He lifted his eyebrow. Shanks was not going to let her die because of a promise? No, there was something more. Lilly has to see Luffy become who he set out to be. He watched Shanks grab Lilly's arm. Without anything else to support him, Shanks wobbled. "Please remember that you've only got one arm," Ben muttered. Shanks looked into Lilly's hazel eyes.

"Don't do this Lilly."

"Why not? I can't live with myself right now. I swore to keep myself for the person I love and now…" The tears streaked down her face but a small cruel smile was on her face.

"Because you promised us," he said," you promised to us when you were eight, Lilly, that you will take care of Monkey D Luffy." At the sound of his name, Lilly broke into sobs.

"Luffy-kun…" In her mind, she was reminded of the grinning straw-hat boy, the happy-go-lucky kid that she had grown to love. And she swore to these pirates that she'd take care of him.

"Luffy-kun! Promise me that you'll become King of Pirates!"

"I will, and you'll be Queen, Lilly!"

It was a childish, immature promise. But he meant to keep it. She knew he did. She glanced at Shanks and jumped into his arms [or arm], crying. They got off the bow and Lilly cried and Shanks comforted her till she was done.

~~~

A couple of week of training and Lilly was ready. She was determined to learn to start with. She stuck with Ben and Yasopp. Ben taught her how to fight while Yasopp showed her the art of shooting. She strapped the guns that Yasopp gave her to her belt. Then, she holstered two rifles to her back. Four guns, each to protect her limbs. She had told Shanks she would search for three more. A big one to protect her body and two small ones to protect her promises. It sounded farfetched but it was still logical. The guns were her mental stability and he could not argue. Now she was readying her boat with the help of a couple of crewmembers.

"You can always stay, you know," Shanks suggested. He was worried that she might crumble.

"I can't. Not if I want to meet Luffy-kun again. He left before me. Who knows where the boy is right now? He might be in Alabasta or had gotten One Piece already." Shanks laughed.

"No way, he doesn't have a ship or the crew."

"He's surprised you before, Shanks." A warm smile was etched on Shanks face.

"Yeah, with you," he mumbled. Lilly gave him a confused look, not catching what he had said. "It's nothing."

~~~

They watched her shove off to the vast ocean, with bittersweet responses. Shanks was still smiling. Ben stood beside him and patted his shoulder.

"You'd think she'll make it?"

"She's set out to find her childhood sweetheart. She'll make it." With that as a confirmation, Ben watched with a smile that mirrored Shanks's. They remembered something that happened a long time back, when two innocent kids were their friends.

"Shanks-san… can you keep a secret?"

"Huh?"

"I like Luffy-kun. Don't tell him, okay?"

"Okay, but promise us this. You'll take care of him for us. Just in case we leave, okay?"

"Hai!"

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