Fifty Three – Where to? Treading Without Sight or Direction
The next day begins with Toto coming in to check on me. My pride no longer putting up with all the special treatment, I try to assure him I can do things on my own, that all this really isn't necessary. He insists of course, so I just stand up forcefully, ignoring his old hands on my shoulders trying to keep me in bed. "I'm an active person." I tell him. "I'll get better quicker on my feet and movin' about, trust me."
He sighs. "Well, if you say so. But aren't you going to open your eyes?"
"I can't." I say. "I ain't got eyelashes to keep the sand out like you humans do."
"I… see. That's a problem, then. Will you be fine?"
To be honest, I don't know. "I should be." I say, but it's not with a certain voice. I think ahead to possible futures. What do I do now? Where do I go? Back to Sabaody, and eventually Fishman Island? I can't believe I got to make that long trek again. Will I even be able to? The Fang Frogs showin' up when they did and the Straw Hats followin' me everwhere I went were strokes of luck I don't reckon'll happen again. Definitely not the latter – I watched the Straw Hats' final moments. If they manage to find one another again, it'll take years… if ever. Though, I'm sure to find other pirate crews lookin' for hands; they're nary a scarcity on the Grand Line after all, even in a World Government country like Alabasta. But… after what happened last time I up and joined a crew, I think I'd rather not submit myself to pirates for a ride. Agh, but you're gettin' ahead of yourself, Aki! You ain't never seein' a boat again if you don't find a way out a' this desert first!
Toto notices the tiny stagger in my step. "You're sure?" He asks.
Can't know unless I try. I move my tentacles out into the air, feeling around for the walls. I end up finding Toto, bothered by the unprovoked invasion of space. I apologize, then take a couple cautious steps forward in blindness and find a wall. I immediately move up towards it, then start feeling around for the door. I find it, but not before finding a small, thin table and knocking it over, spilling something liquid onto the ground.
"Goodness, hold on! Hold on!" Toto cries. "You're just going to make a mess of things at this rate. Here, take my hand." I feel his calloused hands clasp around one of mine. Without sight, with only the sensation of touch to define him, I realize why I am so calmed in the old man's presence: in him I sense my father. It's not actually him, of course. My father died long ago – this I know. Though were he still alive he would almost be the same age as Toto. Although, thinking back, it really is hard to imagine my father without also my mother at his side. The two were an inseparable pair really, like peas from the same pod.
I don't like it, but I give in and let the old man guide me, to where I haven't a clue. All I can discern is that we're in a hallway, and from a distance, muffled through walls, I can hear a couple men chatting. When Toto opens a door before us I can hear them plainly. A blast of hot air washes over my face these they all go quiet, my presence the usual to any and all conversations. Toto tries to lead me in, and I reluctantly accept, though bumping my head on something in the process, most likely the top of the door frame. It's hard not to open my eyes, to walk about blindly, not knowing who and what is where; it drives the paranoid they're-out-to-get-me-because-I'm-fishfolk part of my brain mad.
"Sorry, this hall's a little too short for someone of your stature." Remarks one of the men. I can't discern from his tone if he's saying that to apologize or to berate. No one else is speaking; I would break the silence myself with something, but I can't find the voice to. After an awkward silence, the same voice speaks again. "Sure you're alright? You were half dead when I found you."
"I'm fine." I say, grumpy. If anythin's gonna make me ill, it's all this attention. "How do I get outta here?"
"Please, miss! Don't be so hasty!" Toto implores.
"Dad, if she wants to go, that's her business." The new voice responds. "Though, I have to wonder, where will you go?"
I feel for a chair nearby and sit down. "I need to find the nearest port." I say, plainly.
"Miss the ocean already, huh?" Nice guess, but no. "So how are you going to get there?"
"Well, I…"
"Yes?"
I groan, and rubbing the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. "I dunno." I feel stupid. I need their help, but I'm too stubborn to admit it, and I know that.
Fortunately, the subject is changed by another man in wherever I am, one of the man's friends, or coworkers, or what I don't know. "How'd you get here anyway?" He asks. I can hear a tinge of hesitation, of fear in his voice. "You know?"
My face still in my hand, I tell them "I doubt you'd believe me." Knowin' every other time I told someone that though, they'll still wanna hear.
"Try us." The first man, Toto's son, Kohza, replies. Right on cue.
"It was one of the Shichibukai." I say. I hear everyone gasp, a couple more people than I had thought were present.
"One of the seven warlords!?" The second man exclaims.
I nod. "Just four or five days ago. I was at the Sabaody Archipelago when I got caught up in some nasty business. When the bullets started flyin', so did I. Across the world, it seems. I dunno how he did it, some Devil's Fruit power I reckon." A cup is set on the table in front of me. Hesitantly, cautiously, I reach out for it and bring the rim to my nose, sniffing the contents. It's just water, so I graciously drink.
"The news came in about what happened in Sabaody two days ago." Kohza says. "They said an admiral was even called down and a few of the groves were destroyed. You're telling me you were there?" I nod again, setting down the cup. "Why would the Shichibukai target you though?"
I pause for a moment, ejecting a heavy sigh. A door, presumably to outside, opens, and a pair of booted footsteps make their way across the stone floors, then stop, and I hear their owner sit down. Answering Kohza's question, I continue. "To be honest, I ain't got a clue. I think I may a-just been in the wrong place at the wrong time." I can't tell them it's because I was consorting with pirates.
No one had much to say for a little while. I finish the glass of water, and resist the urge to rub my eyes. After a time, it is Toto's voice I hear. "We too have had problems with a Shichibukai." He says. "Not long ago, this town- no… this entire country was in shambles thanks to him, but we're doing much better now; we're on the track back to revitalization."
"They're nothing but a bunch of lowlifes if you ask me." Kohza grumbles. "So maybe… just maybe I'm feeling a little bit of sympathy towards you, fishwoman."
"Aki." I interrupt. "It's Aki. Aki Sinagra."
"Kohza." He replies. "That is, if my dad didn't tell you that already." He did, but I don't say anything. "I, as well as a number of others, are leaving next Thursday to the port city of Nanohana on a supply mission. I wouldn't mind carrying an extra person if it meant a strong pair of fishfolk arms to aid us."
My heart lightens. "That'd certainly be a huge relief." I say. Being honest with him though, I add "But I kinda got a vision problem at the moment. I dunno how much help I'll be to you blind. At least till I get out of this desert. But I do wanna leave as soon as I can!"
Kohza thinks it over for a moment. However, it is not he who responds. It is a person I was unaware was in the room, listening in on our conversation. "I'll take her." comes a snide voice.
"Larson?" Kohza says. He's not the only one puzzled. Say what!? Why would he help me? The hell is that asshole schemin'? "What, you mean with you tomorrow? But you're not even heading for the coast, you're off to Alubarna."
"I can make a detour afterwards. I'll still get there before you." Larson assures him.
"But why?" I demand. He's the last person in the world I'd expect to gimme a helpin' hand.
"You turning down my offer? Thought you wanted outta here quick?" He quips back. I stammer for a moment, without finding a response to give him. I did say that, but… I dunno… should I? Can I trust him? "You've got till tomorrow morning, princess. Take it or leave it."
The rest of that day comes and goes and I still can't make a decision whether I should accept Larson's offer or not. I do need to return to Sabaody as quickly as I can, but… for sure I can wait a couple weeks more, right? After Larson and Kohza give their propositions they both leave the building, which I learn to be a makeshift bar and inn, though no customers have come since the reconstruction of Yuba began. I stay in the bar for a while, talking with some of the other workers. Living in a desert country, they rarely ever saw fishfolk and were naturally curious. I answered loads of questions, some I didn't know the answer to, and most of them embarrassing. "So are you some kind of blindfish?" "What's it like breathing water?" "How do you move those tentacle things?"
"No, I'm a squid, it's just like breathing air, and I dunno… I just do?" Eventually they lose interest and I am able to calm down a bit, though I quickly lose interest as well. Or rather, I need something to find interest in. The bar empty, I carefully feel my way through to the exit, and upon swinging open the crickety wooden double doors, I am welcomed with a dusty wind, a scorching sun, and a blasting heat that instantly seeps its way into every fiber of my body. I'm terribly curious as to what the town of Yuba actually looks like, but of course it would be a lesson in pain if I opened my eyes. I dunno how everyone else here ain't at least a teensy bit irritated by it. I guess growin' up here they're naturally protected? Bleh… Following the side of the building by touch, I come upon a shaded area and decide to sit down. I rest there for several minutes, tired, parched, until someone spots me.
"You… you're that fishwoman they found, aren't you?" She says.
"D'you see another?"
I hear her scoff. "I guess the stereotype you're all assholes is true."
"Err… My apologies, Madam. I ain't at all used to this desert." I try to apologize. "It even dried up my tone."
"Yeah sure, I bet. Why aren't you inside?"
"I dunno. Restless, I guess. Hey," I lift myself up off the ground, "could I ask a quick favor of you, Madam?"
"Only if it's quick. I'm technically still on the clock."
"Could you get me somethin' I can see my way with? A stick, or a pole, or somethin'?"
A brief pause. I hear a couple footsteps leading away, then the sound of dry wood snapping. A few seconds later, "Here. In front of you."
I move my hand about to see what she's talking about, and meet what feels like a branch from a dead tree. I clasp it with another hand and feel its length, making sure it won't break, then lower it to the ground and test it, moving it around to see. "A thousand thanks, Madam."
"Don't mention it." She says, then adds "Literally."
I assure her my lips will remain closed, and she leaves me to my blind wandering about town. I get lost a couple times, forgetting how many steps this or that way I'd gone, or which building was which, but I always hear voices nearby, sometimes speaking in hushed tones about me, but mostly talking about the work that needs to be done around the town. I ask if I can help in any way, but unfortunately Toto is around when I do, and absolutely isn't going to let me do any work. "You really shouldn't even be walking around like this!"
I sigh and assure him I'll return to the inn and get some rest. "If I knew which way it was." Everyone laughs, and one of the guys offers to show me the way. My pride won't allow me to be cast in the "helpless damsel" light, so though I thank him for the offer, I pass on it. "Just point me in the right direction and I'll find it." I am feelin a bit weak; I reckon I oughta lay down for a bit. However, when I find my way back to the inn and into my room (at least I'm pretty sure it's the right room), I find myself drifting off into sleep almost right away. I hadn't expected to get so tired, and certainly not so quickly.
When I awake, I am unsure whether it is day or night. I feel like I've rested a while, but I'm not going to open my eyes, and there is no window in the room to pour sunlight in, so I can't tell just how long I've been asleep. My stick is still leaning up against the wall, so I pick it up and quietly leave the room into the hallway, treading carefully just in case it is the dead of night, and I accidentally wake people up.
By the time I reach the bar and the double doors leading outside, I discover it really is the dead of night after all. The air is refreshingly cool, cold almost even. After a minute or so of standing outside, I get a shiver running up and down my spine. I decide to do something I haven't done in a long time. Something daring too, considering my circumstances – I climb up the side of the inn to sit on the rooftop. I manage to make it to the top without much trouble; it's only one story. Once I'm up there, I lie down on my back and, on a whim, open my eyes.
The sky is magnificient. Stars more than the mind can fathom litter the heavens, some large and bright, some small and faint, some pink, some orange, some faint blue. Among them hangs the moon, crescent, silver, radiant. From one end of the horizon to the other, like a vast indigo ribbon, the Great Starcloud stretches endlessly. I wonder for a moment what's all out there, what all that up there means – you know, the things everyone wonders looking up at the sky.
My pondering is cut short however, by a wind that carries with it fine particles of sand that get in my eyes, forcing them shut. I curse under my breath and roll over, waiting for the wind to pass. When it finally does, I hide my head in my shirt and try to wipe my eyes clean. Doing so gives me an idea however, on how to possibly fix this blindness problem. I'm still wearing of all things the somewhat frilly top given to me by Shakky on the last day I was working for her in her bar; I grab at the bottom of the white fabric, near my waist, and rip a sloppy tear in it, all around the clothing, until I'm left with a thin band of fabric. I bring the strip up to my face and cover my eyes with it, then pull it around to the back of my head and tie a tight knot, holding it in place around my head. Now, the test. I open my eyes, and brace for a stinging pain.
However, none comes. The cloth shield works. I can barely look through the stuff, but I can see well enough to spot my hands and tentacles in front of my face, the edge of the roof, and the blurry buildings beyond that, and that's enough. I breathe a large sigh of relief and lie back down. Up here on the roof gets to be too chilly though, so I make my way back down to the ground. Not at all tired, I decide to have a proper look around the town, see what I couldn't before.
There isn't much. The inn is one of only three buildings full constructed and maintained, the other two being Toto's home and a warehouse; everything else is either in ruins or has scaffolding around it. It's rather depressing really – I can tell Yuba used to be much more vibrant than it was. I wonder just what caused it to fall. A drought, maybe? Or a sandstorm? I even entertain the possibility that bandits may have ransacked the place once upon a time. It does look like the kinda place Gus woulda picked for a target.
By the time I've finished exploring, the sky is in twilight, getting ready for the morning sun. I decide to return to the inn, but a voice stops me halfway there. "Made your mind, princess?" I stop my leisurely pace down the sandy street, then swivel around slowly to spot a blurry Larson through the fabric. "What's with the get-up?" He asks, jeering. "You able to see through that?"
"Well enough to see your ugly mug ain't changed none."
He laughs. "Ouch. And here I thought I was being nice, offering you passage."
I cross my arms in front of me. "You think I ain't gonna be skeptical, Larson?"
His dim figure shrugs. "I don't really care what a damn fish thinks about me. Hate my guts for all I care. At least then we'll be even with each other."
"If you don't care, then why are you doin' this? What can you hope to gain out of it?"
He doesn't respond right away. He takes a while and makes me wait, anxious, apprehensive. When he does speak, it is in a lowered tone, with little emotion to speak of. "You in or not, princess?"
Now I gotta know. What's he hidin' from me? He knows somethin' I don't. "Fine. Let's go, then."
"Good, 'cause we're wasting time. I wanna get outta here before Kohza wakes up and piles more work on me. So get your shit and let's go."
"What shit?" I say with a tone as dry as the desert around me. "What you see is all I got."
Neither of us say another word, until Yuba is far behind us, out of sight, out of mind.
