So, I'm now remembering how much I fail at keeping an updating schedule... I forgot to on Monday... In light of that, I will be uploading TWO chapters today. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. The OCs are mine.
Hotaru awoke in the morning to the feeling of soft pillows beneath her and a light blanket draped over her small frame. She slowly opened her eyes to see the form of a muscular blond man lying on the opposite side of the makeshift bed, his back to her. Hotaru gave the body a confused look and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. When had she fallen asleep? And why had she been sleeping in Marco and Anne's quarters? Where was Anne?
The ten-year-old girl pushed the blanket off of her body and stood, stretching silently so as not to awaken Marco. Her bare feet padded across the wooden floor as she exited the room without a sound. Walking down the hall, Hotaru quickly found herself on the deck of the Moby Dick with some of the older men of the crew working around her.
"I see the firefly is up," a male voice said and Hotaru whirled around to see the cook from the day before, Emile. "Anne said you fell asleep on the deck last night."
"What time is it?" Hotaru asked.
"A few hours after dawn. You hungry?"
"A little."
"Then let's get down to the galley. Just try not to make yourself sick again," Emile answered with a laugh, bringing an embarrassed blush to Hotaru's cheeks. Once in the galley with the cook, Hotaru sat at one of the long tables while a plate of eggs and a slab of meat was placed in front of her.
"The little lady is awake," Thatch called as he took a seat across from the girl while she ate. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Hotaru answered with a smile. "Where's Anne?"
"Anne takes look-out duty every morning after Marco's shift ends. She's probably finishing up now."
"Does she have other jobs?"
"A few, but she'll probably sleep before taking care of them. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering. Marco's asleep too."
"I don't doubt it," Thatch answered. There was silence between the two as Hotaru finished her meal, looking very pleased. Thatch chuckled lightly at her expression. "You look like that's the best food you've ever eaten."
"It is," Hotaru answered simply, causing Thatch's grin to disappear.
"You have it pretty rough, don't you?"
Hotaru shrugged. "I'm used to it."
"Sorry to hear that, kid."
"My name's not 'kid'. It's Hotaru."
"My apologies, Hotaru," Thatch answered with a chuckle. He figured Hotaru must have had people calling her 'kid' often in her town, and she wanted to show the pirates that she had an identity. He could admire that about her. "So, what makes you want to join the Whitebeard Pirates? Why not wait until you're older to leave home?"
"You're all like a family. I never had one. And I don't want to wait to leave because I don't like living where I do."
"Why not?"
"Have you seen me?" Hotaru asked. Thatch admitted to himself that the poor girl looked like she wasn't living in good conditions. Her clothes were old and ratty, almost as though they were the only ones she owned, and her eating habits were enough proof that she was generally underfed. "I'd be better off here."
"Won't your parents be worried about you?"
"What parents?"
Thatch pretended not to notice the bitterness in the voice of the ten-year-old girl sitting across from him. He did the same with the concerned glance given by Emile. The last thing they needed to do was become overly attached to Hotaru when it was very likely they'd never see her again. Still, Thatch thought, he wished he could've done something for the child. Moments later, Marco entered the galley with an expression that told the others he'd just woken up.
"Anne sleeping?" Thatch asked as the First Division Commander sat beside Hotaru, ruffling her hair again. The girl pouted mockingly and pushed his hand away. Marco nodded to answer Thatch's question before looking down at Hotaru.
"How long have you been up?" he asked.
"Not long. Emile and Thatch have been keeping me company," Hotaru answered with a smile.
"That idiot's not corrupting you, is he?" The girl beside him giggled, shaking her head, while Thatch yelled out an indignant 'Oi'.
"We were just talking about why I want to join your crew." Marco threw a glance at the Fourth Division Commander, who held up his hands as a sign of peace.
"Just making conversation," he defended.
"Hotaru, how about you come into the kitchen with me and you can help me start on lunch for the crew," Emile offered, sensing that Marco wanted a word with Thatch without Hotaru around. Of course, whenever Marco wanted 'a word' with someone, it was usually bad news for the person on the receiving end.
"You're starting lunch already?" Hotaru asked curiously.
"We have a big crew. Want to help?"
"Sure!" The girl answered and slid off the bench to follow Emile into the kitchen, leaving Marco and Thatch alone. Once they were gone, Marco gave the other commander a heavy stare.
"You know she can't," he said.
"I didn't say she should. I asked why she wanted to. The kid's an orphan," Thatch answered.
"She has a mother."
"Not according to her. She obviously starves half the time. She wants a family, and she'd be willing to take a criminal one over nothing."
"You know it's not our decision."
"No, but we can bring it up to Oyaji. Damn, Marco, I thought you'd be thrilled with this."
"What are you-"
"The whole crew knows you and Anne want a kid," Thatch answered. "You're already treating Hotaru like your own." Marco's jaw tightened as the Fourth Division Commander held his stare.
"I'm taking her home today," he answered sternly and stood from the table.
"The best home you'll bring her is this ship!"
Marco ignored Thatch's final comment as he entered the kitchen, where he found Hotaru standing on a small ladder as she helped Emile put vegetables into a large pot. There was a large grin on her face and she looked proud of herself to be helping the cooks. She seemed to speak easiest to Emile, but the other three currently in the kitchen seemed to be getting along well with her already.
"Hotaru, I'm heading into town," Marco said, earning the attention of everyone in the room. A slight frown crossed Emile's lips, while a wide grin came across Hotaru's.
"Can I come?" she asked hopefully.
"I figured you'd want to. Come on."
Hotaru followed Marco out of the kitchen and towards the small boat he would be taking into town again. It would be his last trip, he thought as they rode the waves to the dock nearest them. Hotaru's smile never faltered and Marco could feel a wry smile form on his lips. Walking through the marketplace, he felt a tug at his heart every time he looked at the little girl beside him.
"What do you need to get today?" Hotaru asked at one point.
"Hotaru, I'm not getting anything," he answered seriously, earning a wide-eyed expression from the child. "You need to go home."
"What? But… I thought… I mean, why can't I come with you?"
"You're too young to be on a ship full of pirates. Besides, your mother-"
"Don't say she'd be worried about me. She doesn't care. She hasn't seen me in weeks." Marco's eyebrows shot upwards at this news.
"You haven't been home in weeks?" he asked.
"I don't have a home. I thought you figured that out already. Ranka hasn't taken care of me in years. I was always dumped off on someone else."
"Hotaru?" a woman's voice yelled and Marco looked up to see a woman in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. Her hair was long, brown and held into a low ponytail at the base of her skull. She was dressed relatively casually, but far better than Hotaru. Her green eyes held resentment and Marco could already feel Hotaru's hand clutching the fabric of his shirt again.
"What do you want, Ranka?" the girl asked, though Marco could tell she was actually frightened of the woman staring her down. She seemed to be inching ever closer to Marco as she held the harsh stare of her mother.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Are you this girl's mother?" Marco asked, hoping to divert the wrath of this woman away from her daughter. She scowled at him.
"Yeah, what of it?" she asked harshly. Marco found it surprising she didn't try to put on a nice act for him. Most people who would treat their children badly would behave like model parents in public. "What're you doing with my kid?"
"Taking me away from you!" Hotaru yelled, earning another angry glare from her mother.
"You actually want her? She's useless." Marco looked down at Hotaru, taking in how strongly she held herself in the face of the woman she obviously feared. The girl was brave, strong. A survivor. He frowned at the woman's claim of this child being worthless.
"Hotaru, we're going back to the ship. I'm going to talk with Oyaji about you joining our crew," Marco said, his hard gaze never leaving Ranka's eyes. He was daring her to speak against him. The woman backed away slightly under his stare, but sneered anyway.
"Take her," Ranka said and turned away, leaving her daughter in Marco's care. The First Division Commander turned his eyes to the child beside him, his gaze softening considerably, and she grinned up at him hopefully.
"You really mean it?" she asked. "I can come with you?"
"If Oyaji approves."
Days later, the Moby Dick was far away from Hotaru's home island and heading for the next one on the Log Pose. Hotaru had been permitted to join Whitebeard's Crew, after the captain had heard of the situation with her mother and previous lifestyle. She now lived among the crew, slept in the women's quarters and worked in the kitchen with Emile and the other cooks. She finally felt like she belonged somewhere, like she had a family.
"Hotaru!" Anne called from the upper level of the deck and Hotaru turned away from the sea to grin up at her.
"Coming, Nee-chan!" the girl yelled as she ran towards the woman.
Nice, cute ending to the chapter, huh? Please R&R.