Chapter Ten:
The Crews' Diary:
The red-haired pirates decided to let Kaia rest for the night and set sail when the first ray of the next morning punctured the darkness. Shanks forced her to sleep in his cabin, the bed was comfortable yet she couldn't sleep for awhile because of the burning pain not until Akagami's hand found its way to caress her head. His fingers softly moved between her locks bringing her peace of mind in their motion, his hand was not smooth due to his years and years of training but it was big, warm and secure. She long forgot how having a father felt like, Kaia sank in the blissful moment letting her conscience drifted away.
When Kaia woke up, the sun was on its zenith spreading sparks all over the room as it emerged from the rounded windows. Shanks was nowhere beside her and if his cold spot was any indication then he had gone long ago, well she kind of overslept.
She swung her legs to the side of the bed, and shivered once they touched the chilly floor. Kaia was about to leave the cabin when the wooden door opened ajar with a creaking sound and a certain red head pooped from the gap,
"Oh! I though you would be awake," he said with a dazzling smile while heading inside the room, she noticed a platter above his hand once he did so, then Shanks added chuckling when he caught her eyes on what he was holding "Hungry?"
The smell of appetizing food assaulted her noise, she wanted to agree badly but instead knitted her brows faking a frown "No." Her stomach disapproved instantly growling louder for Shanks to hear its opinion.
A moment of silence hovered in the air, the girl has a scowl stuck on her face and the red-haired was pokerfaced before he burst in laugh,
"Hahaha…Then, is that a ninja way to assimilate wolfs Kitty?" He sat besides her placing the food, he almost spilled, between them.
"I can walk you knew," She pouted her red cheek in a sulking gesture.
"You should rest," He uttered calmly, and honestly Kaia could never get over how he shifted character in mere seconds.
"I'm really –really- Fine," She persisted.
Kaia wanted eagerly to go to the galley, it was her favorite place because the meals gathered every pirate on the ship, there she could meet and speak with almost all of Red-haired pirates. It was always lively with laughter, a bright place where she could forgot about the whole damn world and she wouldn't tolerate staying in bed all the day alone.
Kaia had just discovered that she feared loneliness more than anything.
"Just for today. Tomorrow you can go to the galley," Shanks said as calm as he managed after all he knew what her actions was all about, since up to that point he could read Kaia as an opened book.
Though Kaia was the secretive type and didn't like anyone to invade her comfort zone, she was quite happy Akagami comprehend what she was incapable of saying "Okay."
He ruffled her messy hair with a beam then he picked up the fork and loaded it with sea fruit and vegetable –what she hated the most- before carried it to Kaia's mouth, she flushed red,
"I-I CAN EAT BY MYSELF DUMMY." Shanks thought he would take benefit of the situation, tease Kaia as much as he likes but he was surprised when she charged on him with her head. That did the trick.
Kaia finished her meal peacefully, she was grateful Shanks kept her company the whole time. Once she muttered a thank you word Shanks stated,
"I have a favor to ask you." the red-haired wore his straight face but more importantly he never asked her for something, she was curios and excited thinking she would be useful to her savior.
"Anything for you Akagami." With the spoken words he giggled at the seriousness of Kaia, then held his hand for her which she took gladly,
"How about dyeing your hair red so we could match?" She could tell he took advantage of her answer, he literally asked with sparkles on his eyes. Thinking that maybe she misplace the word 'Anything' Kaia sighed,
"I prefer to cut my injured arm so I could match you, at least we won't look like a pair of ketchup bottles."
"Is that a no?" She hummed at his question.
He leaded the way toward his desk, grabbed his chair and gestured Kaia to set. When she did what he wanted she noticed that the wooden furniture was bigger than it seems since she barely reached its top surface, she heard Shanks trying to suppress a chuckle then glared at him. Well, maybe she was a 'little bite' short.
There were eight drawers, four in each side and the Red-Haired pirates Jolly Roger chiseled on all of them. Akagami's hand hurled to one in the middle she didn't notice and thought was an unmoving part, then he took out a big seized book which was covered by some animal's brown skin and also held the Jolly Roger of The red-haired pirates.
"Is that…" She had a good idea what it was, but why would he show her such an extra-personal stuff?
"The crew's diary," He finished the sentence for her since she seemed not willing to. He watched her fingers roomed the cover gently caressing the Jolly Roger like the item was a priceless treasure that she had just discovered.
"C-Can…Can I read it?" The hesitation was obvious like she was asking for something impossible and she would be refused for sure. Well, if it wasn't an important book why would he bother hiding it? All their adventures and secrets were there, between the lines.
"You don't need permission Kaia." Came the smooth answer that had her break her intense stars aimed at the item and look up, Shanks just stood there with a wide smile, certainly he wasn't teasing her. Akagami added before Kaia jump on him from happiness "But first…"
'Oh! The favor he wanted to ask,' she kind of forgot.
As he opened the book the smell of ink and paper filled the air, it was a surprisingly well combined. He flipped countless pages and stopped at the first blank one that was waiting it turn to be etched with the tale of a new adventure.
"I want you to write what happened at Harpies Island."
She darted her face to have a clear view of Akagami, her blue orbs widened in shock when she gasped his words it felt like her brain registered the sentence slowly this time.
"You are a right handed, right?" Shanks quizzed in a failed essay to drag the girl out of her hysteric silence however Kaia didn't speak a word instead just stared at Shanks with unreadable expression, a blank one.
Shanks thought that maybe he missed up, after all she was orphan maybe she didn't know how to write "You can write?" he muttered nervously then droplets started oozing wetting her cheeks, Kaia didn't seem to notice till Akagami bent in front of her and wiped them with his hand, it was in times like this that he wished he had his two arms.
"Kaia…" he said apologetically but she cut him off answering his previous question "Yeah…silly."
He was confused, if it wasn't that the case then what it was? No matter how much he wiped her tears they just rained again.
"Thank you Shanks," She leapt on him in a heartwarming hug squeezing his neck with her tiny arms, indeed the pain of her left arm was unbearable but what she felt that moment was far from that. Kaia was overwhelmed with happiness, the sweet feeling filled her to the last inch of her body and soul till it seeped vitreous droplets from her blue orbs.
If that world was dream then she wished to never wake up, if she was in coma then she hoped to never heal.
Shanks had just offered her to stump her small presence on the crew diary, it wasn't a question of some ink on a non-eternal paper, that book was his treasure and he asked her to write her name on it, to be a part of his cherished memoires.
After a while of thinking Akagami hugged her back, he understood what was going on, the girl never said 'sorry' or 'thanks' unless she did really meant it.