Dad; tou-san
Mom; kā-san
Older brother; nii-san
Older sister; onê-san
F-BOMB WARNING! Exactly three F-bombs. It's Kid (2 F-bombs) and Killer (1 F-bomb) this time!
WARNING! WARNING! ANGST THIS CHAPTER! If you've been reading this story for humor, you might want to skip the section that begins; "Bast was asleep on board the Polar Tang." I will leave a summary in the endnote so you don't miss anything.
SPOILER ALERT FOR VOLUME 77 in that same section.
I don't own One Piece, yoi! (said in the voice of Marco)
Bast shifted uncomfortably in her bed on board Eustass Kid's ship. She moaned quietly and clutched her pillow tightly with one hand, the other balled on top of her blanket.
"No… help… tou-san…" She mumbled.
She was dreaming.
Bast walked down worn wooden stairs into a kitchen. Kā-san sat at the wooden table reading thepaper, cigarette dangling from her lip.
"Tou-san?" Bast asked. "Where's Tou-san?"
Kā-san stood up and glared at Bast."I'vetold you so many times! Your father left you and your mother! There's no use crying for him, you stupid girl. He's not coming."
"NO! I have fathers! Law tou-san and Kid tou-san! They will protect me! Go away, you evil witch!" Bast glared and balled her fists.
"Them?" Kā-san laughed, long and hard and cruel. "Listen, they aren't real people. You just imagined them. Now stop with these fantasies and leave me be. I have more important things to do than talk with brats."
"You're wrong!" Bast yelled. "They're here, see?"
Bast ran to the front door and yanked it open. On the rickety porch stood Law tou-san, Kid tou-san, Killer-san, Bepo-san, Heat-san, Penguin-san, Wire-san, Shachi-san, Scar-san, Ikkaku-san, all of her family, all of her Nakama. But as soon as she stepped foot on the porch, they disappeared into the morning sunlight.
"Tou-san!" Bast cried, sitting upright in bed. She looked around. Toys and models littered the once empty room. A lamp sat on a new bedside table. A wardrobe held all her clothes.
Her heart was pounding. She wiped her clammy hands on her pirate flag patterned pajamas and slid her feet out of the mess of tangled sheets and onto the cold wooden floor.
She padded silently out of the room, stepping over stuffed animals and puzzles. She pushed the door open and walked out down the hall. She passed one door, then stopped in front of another. Above it was a sign. It read;Do not enter. Bast ignored it and tried the knob. Locked, of course. Bast gripped the padlock. One quick bolt of electricity and the door was open, the lock melted.
"Tou-san?" Bast called as she pushed open the door the rest of the way.
She studied the room. There were records displayed in an arc across the far back wall. Swords and guns hung on displays all around the room. Also against the far wall was a large bed, Kid relaxing against his pillow. He was awake, though.
"Bast?" Kid said. He sounded confused and sleepy, but not angry.
"I had a bad dream," She said, walking to the side of his bed.
"Mmkay. What was it about?" Kid asked, sitting up. His hair was a mess and he was barechested.
"I dreamed that you and your crew and Law tou-san and his crew, I dreamed that you weren't real and I was back with Kā-san, except I don't know why I call her Kā-san, she's not even my real mother and It was so, so horrible and you guys weren't real and-!" Bast started crying.
"Oy. Do I look real to you?" Kid asked, putting one hand on his hip.
Bast sniffled and grabbed Kid's hand. "Yeah," she said.
"Good, cuz' I fuckin' am," Kid said.
Bast smiled through her tears. "Good." She started to climb up into his bed.
"Oy! Hey! What are you doing, Brat? Go back to your own bed!" He said, frantically trying to shove the child off his bed. He didn't succeed, and soon the four-year-old was in the bed with him.
"No." Bast snuggled up against his side. "You're warmer."
"Baaast?" Kid said, blushing. He tried to scooch away, but Bast snagged a fistful of his hair and yanked his head down onto the pillow.
"Go to sleep, Tou-san," Bast said, smiling.
…
in the morning…
"Kid?" Killer called, knocking on the redhead's door. "It's morning."
No answer.
"Kid, I'm coming in." Killer tried the door, and was surprised to find it unlocked.
What? I'm the only one with the key to Kid's door, and he always remembers to lock it… Killer thought. He glanced down at the padlock. Or what had been the padlock. Oh. Bast, you seriously… man, Captain's gonna be PISSED.
Killer pushed open the door. "Kid?"
"Mmph, Okay, okay, I'm up," mumbled Kid. He opened his eyes and stared at his first mate. "What?"
Killer's jaw dropped open as he froze with shock.
"What the fuck, Kid? Why is Bast in there with you?" Killer finally managed to stutter out.
Bast was clutching Kid's right arm like it was a teddy bear.
"Oh, yeah. She had a nightmare, sooo…" Kid said. "Bast, wake up and stop using my arm as a fucking teddy bear."
"Morning?" Bast mumbled.
…
The Kid Pirates were shocked that, when a new lock was purchased, three keys were made for it. One for Kid, one for Killer, and one for Bast. "So we don't have to keep buying locks," Captain said.
But everyone knew the real truth.
…
About a week or so later…
Bast was asleep aboard the Polar Tang. A deep, peaceful sleep. She dreamed she was going on a picnic with her fathers and brothers and sister. There wasn't any bread or curry udon or umiboshi in sight. Everybody had their favorite food, and there was a lot of fun games, and everyone was having a great time.
Only problem; Bast woke up hungry. She yawned and stretched. It was still night, she could tell from how dark the sea was outside her window. She walked down the halls to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Some cold chicken, a greenish carrot, a tub of clam chowder, and a container of pesto. A little farther back was a jar of jam, a bottle of ketchup, and a plate of rice balls. Bast grabbed the latter and sat down on the floor to munch.
"Okata filled. My favorite." Bast murmured to herself. "Good thing we're stopping at a port tomorrow. We're almost out of food. Shachi and Penguin should stop with those the night raids, and everyone knows where the leftover fish went, cough cough, Tou-san, cough cough," she said, taking another bite of her (stolen) rice ball.
She ate one more and put the last three back in the fridge. She walked out through the mess hall and started down the corridors. But when she reached an intersection with a stairway, she stopped.
"To get to my room, I go straight. But…
Then she felt it. Sadness, welling strongly from an upstairs room. Bast dashed up the stairs.
She couldn't tell where it was coming from, at first. It was just so strong and deep that it soaked into everything. She took a deep breath and focused.
It's to the left, She thought. Then down the next corridor. Then right. Follow that corridor to the end, then another left.
Bast walked a few more steps down the hall and stopped in front of the door. The door to the Captain's quarters.
"Tou-san? Are you okay?" Bast asked.
"Mmphcll," The Surgeon of Death mumbled.
"I'm coming in."
"Wait… No… Don't…" Law called.
"Too bad." Bast pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Law's desk was against the same wall as the door. It was covered with stacks of paper, carefully organized. No carpet on the metal floor. There wasn't much decoration, aside from the Heart Pirates flag painted on one wall, and "Death" lettered above the desk. Against the far wall was a door and the bed.
"You should be sleeping, Bast-ya." Bast watched her Tou-san carefully. Law was on his bed, curled up against the wall. The sheets covered his legs and waist, his chest obscured by his knees. His hat was off, clutched between both hands. The shadows beneath his eyes were darker than usual. He wasn't crying, no. Bast knew Tou-san never cried. But the dim light reflected brightly in his yellow eyes, brighter than Bast knew it was supposed to. Law stared at his hat as if it were the answer to all his problems.
"So should you." Bast said stubbornly, not moving from the doorway.
"… leave." Law still hadn't looked up at Bast.
"I won't."
"You will."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will."
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"NO!"
"Yes…"
"NO!"
"Fine… just please don't shout." Law said. He uncurled slightly and finally looked at the girl, although he wouldn't meet her eyes. Bast grinned victoriously. "What are you doing here?" He said.
"What's the tattoo for?" Bast asked. Suddenly she was on the bed next to Law. Law flinched.
"...This?" Law touched the elaborate heart design on his bare chest. The corner of his mouth twiched upward slightly as he traced the grinning face in the middle of the pattern.
Bast nodded.
"You sure you want to know? The story isn't pretty." Law fiddled with the wide rim of his hat.
Bast nodded again.
"It's for the man who saved my life, Bast." Law sighed and uncurled completely, stretching his legs out across the bed. He looked Bast in the eyes for the first time that night."I wasn't in a good place back then. If it weren't for him, I would have died alone and mad, but he saved me. I owe him everything. He was the one who gave me the Op-Op fruit."
"What was his name?" Bast asked
"I don't even know." Law gripped his hat tighter. "His codename was Corazon. That's what everybody called him. It means "heart" in Spanish."
There was silence for a time.
"Do you want to know why I am still awake tonight, Bast-ya?" Law asked.
"Yes."
"This is the anniversary of his murder. Today, eleven years ago, Cora-san was shot to death by his elder brother."
"His own brother…" Bast said, scowling. "Family shouldn't do that to each other."
"No, they shouldn't."
…
There you go, peoples! In case you skipped it, the angst was when Bast learns what happened to Corazon. Law was feeling depressed and Bast's haki sensed his sadness and she went up to his room to see what was wrong. (Hah! See what I did there? Okay, moving along) Law tells her about Corazon and his death, revealing that the current date is the anniversary of Corazon's murder.
This is my first time writing angst for the public! If you would be so kind, comment and tell me how it went. Plez? If you tell me that it was good, there may be some more angstyness in my stories. If I did a crap job of it, I will practice and practice and then publish angst. This story will wind up with sad parts, as Bast will have to be present for Marineford and (most probably) Dressrosa. Just tell me if I did a crap job of it? Please?
Oww… I've got a fever and my head is killing me. Should be fine, though! :D
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed! You guys make my day!