-Glomps all her readers- I missed you guys! But yeah, work is slowly draining the very soul from my body. On a side note, I should be around a bit more now except for next week. Then I have another 7 day stent with work. Like always no days off during that time but so far that's it. Nothing else for the rest of this month. I'm pretty happy to get back into regular updates.
Kuzan was at a loss. His mind was growing blank. "What's your name", the admiral inquired after realizing he had never thought to ask. She's a greeter at the welcome desk in headquarters and never once had it crossed the man's mind to ask. Honestly the three women were merely decorations to make the place look and feel more professional as noble dignitaries came and left at their whim. Now seeing the damage that kind of mentality could do, the officer wasn't thrilled to see that he was the same as everyone else.
"Frances Rain", the blonde choked. "I really didn't think anyone would take it this far…"
"Alright… Hold up. First off I'm going to have to make it clear you're under arrest and then I'm going to have you answer some questions", the marine calmly explained. It took a lot of discipline to not rush his words. He could feel the darker side of his mind surfacing. A sort of resolve he retreated too when the man knew he might have to do something his conscious didn't agree with but it was necessary. After all, they tried to smear his and other marines' careers with Katie's blood. Someone his heart had begun to reach out too. That same person who had earned the respect of Zephyr and a handful of other friends. There was no way the man would not react to this.
Rain nodded with long blonde locks that had stuck to her reddened cheeks. "Where do you want me to begin?" Her blood shot eyes gazed up and over at the man as he made his way to his circular kitchen table. To the marine's surprise, Katie had remained quiet and kept at a slight distance. He could feel her blue orbs following his movements but he wondered what was going through her mind.
"Well for starters… You need to tell me who all is involved", Kuzan darkly spoke. His deep voice reverberated in a tone that caused Katie to flinch. It was such an odd sound coming from a man she had only seen as an aloof individual. He never seemed to take things too seriously. As blue orbs snapped to his expression, she was frightened. Garp's granddaughter felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. This wasn't the marine she knew. He was almost dead pan with a deep scowl slowly creeping into his appearance. The brunette's first instinct was to reach out but she reminded herself that the curly haired officer was an admiral. Despite being in his home, this was official duty to him. He had managed to turn off the switch that made him human and likable.
Once Kuzan took his seat, Rain gasped at his distinctive fluid movements. The silence that followed was nearly deafening. The blonde tucked her arms close to her body as her own blue eyes stared intently at the wood next to her. "It's just the three of us. Noriko, Joveta, and myself."
The sound of Joveta's name caused a cold shiver to travel up Aokiji's spine. He hadn't heard that name in so long. The last time he knew anything about her was a year ago when her name popped up on an inspection form from Impel Down. It surprised him but the man didn't think too much on it. He could truthfully say she wasn't the last woman he had been with before his ten year dry spell but the relationship did put him in that sort of mind frame. Their falling out had come due to her twisted nature. It was a moment in his life that had been burned several times over. The reality of their union maybe lasted six months at the very most. If what Rain said was true, then Katie's life was absolutely in grim danger and Garp's granddaughter needed to get as far away from Marineford as she could until he got to the bottom of this.
"I thought Joveta worked at Impel Down. How is she involved? What about Izumi Nomi, Noriko's sister?" Kuzan bit the inner side of his cheek. The officer didn't want to reveal too much. He needed to keep his composure. His mind had started to race of the idea of that woman being involved. It took every bit of his own will power to keep from letting his thoughts grow astray.
"Well… To answer your first question, Joveta comes in every month to hand over prisoner reports. Afterward she'd come to visit us and gossip a bit about you…", the young woman tried to smile but failed leading her shoulders to slightly shy away from the admiral. "She put Noriko in charge of our little club to ensure no one gets close. Kind of keep you to ourselves…", the blonde whimpered before shrugging. "I don't know why you bring up Izumi's sister but there is no way she could be involved. She died in an accident when they were little. Blaming herself, their mom often saw Noriko as both twins but she managed somehow. Joveta understood her issues with her mother and offered some counseling through the marines. All she had to do was keep an eye on you. That was pretty easy since we already were doing so in our own little ways." Large blue eyes shifted upward towards the curly haired officer but his blank stare into the wood forced her to gaze back down.
The brunette inwardly cringed. Rain sounded like a stalker unaware of her own actions. Did any of them understand how Kuzan would have felt if he had ever found out?! They were so selfish! Not to mention how dangerous it was! If Aokiji had thought one of them was an intruder a single time, she doubted he'd hesitate to wipe them out. Did they not think of his own feelings if that was to happen?! The admiral cleared his throat before leaning back into his seat. The sudden sound tore Katie from her thoughts. She continued to watch on as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Does Noriko work at the hospital?" Kuzan didn't bother looking at the blonde. The more he discovered, the less he wanted to continue with the questioning but the man had to know everything. He didn't want his colleagues to have the pleasure holding anything he missed over his head.
"Uh… Yeah, she volunteers", Rain explained.
"That makes since now", Katie interrupted. "I remember distinctively telling you that your clothes smelled like medicine. They must have been going through some of your things while you were at work", the young woman sighed.
"No-No", the blonde quickly corrected. "We um… Well on the nights that he worked long hours we would come and do his laundry plus clean up the place." The young woman shifted and once again tried to smile but Aokiji's cold reaction caused her to flinch instead.
The man had raised his large hand and covered both his eyes with it. "I assumed it was housekeeping", he muttered in frustration. Kuzan groaned in annoyance. He didn't know whether to be flattered or disturbed. The officer noticed he was both and couldn't figure how he should feel about all that he had just discovered. If what the marine gathered from this was correct, they admired him to the point of breaking into his house, sneaking through his belongings, threatening people who got too close, and tried to keep him? Like he was some sort of pet to them...? The lengths they went to astounded the man; even to the point of what they had done to Katelyn without a single drop of hesitation. No doubt Joveta had a hand in this and that simple private little thought sent goose pimples down his spine.
"So… Is this Joveta the brunette at the greeting desk", Katie asked while she cleared her throat.
Rain shook her head. "Um no. That's Mimi. She doesn't know about this. She uh… I mean she likes someone herself but doesn't have the courage to even talk to him." The blonde began thumbing over her own fingers as she laid them neatly in her lap.
"So why are you telling us all this", the brunette continued with her own questioning. It was perfectly obvious that Kuzan's voice was failing. His jaw had begun to twitch which was a result of the man clenching his teeth.
The painful gaze the blonde shot the brunette seemed real. Rain's lips slowly parted before closing again. "If I tell you… You wouldn't believe me and if you did, you'd think I'm a fool", she bitterly explained.
"Well from my point of view, you don't have a choice", Katelyn also elucidated in a dry simple tone. The greeter flinched.
"I'm… I'm Kane's niece. I'm here because he tossed me away like a piece of garbage", the slightly taller female choked. Her thin blonde brows furrowed while her nose wrinkled in disgust and disbelief. "He said this was all my fault", her voice cracked with anger as she began to tremble. "That bastard said I ruined everything for him. He proceeded to point out how stupid I was to trust someone like Noriko. We should have not gotten involved with you…", Rain added with a vexed expression towards Katie.
"But you know, it's not my fault! It's yours…!", the blonde snarled towards the brunette. The shorter woman moved to Aokiji's side and slipped a trembling hand onto his bicep. Even sitting in a chair, the man was still taller than she but it didn't stop the little woman. A warm heavy hand cupped over Katie's. His thumb traced over the back of her knuckles. Despite his own disbelief and foreign emotions swirling inside his own mind, the marine knew she needed his support. It wasn't much the curly haired officer could offer but it was better than nothing.
"You ruined his career, you hurt my friends… for what", the blonde spat. "So you could prove to your grandpa that you were fit to be a marine?" Tears streamed down her cheeks as her glare revealed more of Rain's malcontent.
"I remember you now", Katie exasperated. "You're one of the kids I took apart with my bare hands. I ruined your future as a marine... That much is true but don't... Don't put your faults on me... Its you who decided to become a greeter." The future café owner felt the prickles of her old self begin to rise up into the dark reaches of her mind. She didn't want to show how much of a monster she could become in front of Kuzan. In the end, the admiral could wind up getting hurt and that was something she'd rather die than let happen.
"Such a strange choice for someone who basically was thrown away by the marines because she can't do sit ups now." Katie didn't mean to lash out but her words were stony. A self defense mechanism she had developed during her time training nine years ago. The reaction caused her to silence her words but it wasn't lost on the admiral. Kuzan noted there was a colder demeanor about her. The officer felt the young brunette cling to his arm with an iron grip. Worried, his sharp eyes glanced over in time to see the twenty-three year old drop her blue orbs to the floor. He knew the vertically challenged female wasn't an aggressive type of person nor did she seem like the type to hold grudges but he could sense trouble brewing. It was time to end this questioning and hand Rain over to those more suited to do interrogations. If this inquisition was to continue the commissioned officer was afraid Katelyn was going to become further involved and that wasn't going to do anyone any good.
"Alright", he sighed. "Let's go", Kuzan enunciated. He was tired with broken sleep. The man had been drinking prior to wash down the foul taste in his mouth and now every mixed with his ill feelings. The marine found himself robbed of any energy he had left. When the admiral brought himself to his feet, he laid a heavy hand on the blonde's shoulder. Without warning Rain was frozen solid. He wouldn't risk Katie's life if any of this had been a trick. That was his first concern. Second, the man took in the bantam brunette's feelings. The officer easily assumed this was just as taxing on her.
"Are you alright", his thick baritone voice permeated the sanctity of their home while his legs closed the small gap between them. He watched her nod several times before swallowing hard. Color had left the young woman's features and suddenly he felt helpless again. Deep down, the marine wanted to make it all better but that didn't seem to be in his capabilities.
"Going to be sick?" Aokiji's inquiry was met with another quick succession of nods while he watched her shoulders tremble. Large warm hands slowly slipped up and over them; the towering man could feel through his sympathetic affection, Katie had relaxed to a degree.
"Go on. I'll take care of this…" Without another word, the young woman disappeared into the shadows of his home. With sharp ears, the admiral could hear the tawny haired woman's vile guilt begin to regurgitate everything her stomach had stored. Kuzan's gag reflex had been tested but he was able to control it. He didn't like leaving the woman's side but there was no other way. It was a risk that had be taken and Rain was too valuable as a witness.