Understandably the doctor persisted on keeping the both in his practice a day longer, grim Arkas agreed. Though he asked himself where this stupid doctor had been, while the marine soldiers played squash with the boy.

These guys, he really gave them a proper lesson, but now he had no good feeling of it. Why these idiots had to tempt him so much until he brought his daggers into play, hadn't he sworn to himself never to use them again? Times ago they had been his recognition marking and he felt no desire to revive the past. Arkas was immediately drawn from his thoughts, when a little someone yawned noisy.

"Eh Kuro? Waked up?" With big beady eyes the boy looked at him.

Yes Kuro was a good name! Short, pregnant and something an adult would not have to be embarrassed of. Many names fit perfectly to little children, but not to the old people they're going to grow to. Buggy for example, nice for a little, fat child but not very suitable for a pirate. Buggy… Arkas had to laugh. This bloke was working damn hard until the other pirates stopped deriding him for his name.

"Hey little boy! Today I'll show you your new home! Looking forward to it?"

Little Kuro nodded, yawned again turned round and slept until they would start. Arkas raised an eyebrow; this lad really had something of a little kitty. °Hopefully you're familiar with something else than napping, Kuro! °

o-

Since two month, now Arkas had a cohabitant at his house, for what he wasn't prepared at first. Firstly he placed the boy on a chair and made some tidiness.

Leftovers, rubbish and empty bottles, what is normally found in a single's household, had been thrown away. Of course he packed away his alcohol, tobacco and porn magazines in a cupboard unreachable for the youngster, instead of as usual letting them lie around in the rooms.

Little Kuro naturally did not stay on his chair in the meantime, but started exploring his new home. After the cleaning it took Arkas two hours to find Kuro. This one was laying outside on the meadow behind the house, letting himself be heated by the sun.

At first there had been some little discrepancies between the both, about the time one would get up. Arkas was used to wake up around seven and waked the boy at this time, too. Completely drowsy this one had blinked at him, showed him his back and slept on.

When Arkas tried to wake him up again, the boy crossly stared at him as if he wanted to say: Eh! Old man! Let me sleep or you'll get some nasty trouble!´´ Arkas wasn't impressed by this very much, he kicked his ass out of the bet, what he got quitted with an angry hiss.

Then the boy decided to turn up the volume and started bawling. Arkas put some cotton balls into his ears and the problem was solved for him.

But Kuro wouldn't surrender that fast, he stopped his breath, Arkas still was unmoved and shoved up his glasses.

"Don't bother! You gotta get up!"

Slowly his face reddened, as it turned into bluish, Arkas went a bit nervous. The boy began staggering and closed his eyes, he passed out. Arkas stand with his arms akimbo and sighed.

"O-kay! You can get up when you want!" Kuro flung open his eyes and victorious laughed at Arkas.

"Hey! You weren't off at all!" A head nut later they had their breakfast.

o-

Meanwhile Kuro had accustomed to Arkas very well, though he still hadn't said a word. Sometimes it appeared to Arkas not to be true, that this boy once was such helpless and weaken. Because little Kuro had evolved quite well…to a hyperactive nuisance.

Preferably he snitched Arkas' morning newspapers or his spectacles from the breakfast table and had lots of fun being chased by the man. Astonishingly he had quite a speed for a two-year-old child!

When a straying dog lost itself on the plot of land, it was welcomed with a feral hiss, than the boy jumped on its back and scratched it. Arkas just could wonder why a child possessed such extremely sharp fingernails.

After a month he fixed a sign on the fence: Caution guard cat! Walk into on own danger! Trespasser may be killed!´´ Many people already had complained about his little charge, but it was ok for Arkas. He anyhow liked visitors, so Kuro was allowed to beat down everyone dropping in.

After Evelyn had begged to Arkas on her knees for forgiveness, he wanted Kuro to kick her out, but the boy was occupied too much with the little wool ball she brought with her.

So after some time Arkas allowed her to visit Kuro as often as she liked. Whenever she came to see him, she presented him something to play with. Mostly he liked that colourful picture book with the little kitties.

o-

It took some time until Arkas grasped Evelyn's intention to teach a new word to the boy with every gift. Indeed Kuro understood every word, he could attribute them correctly to every item, but this didn't mean that he showed some motivation to speak them.

Arkas was despairing, something blocked the boy. No matter what he did, no matter how much Kuro trusted in him, the boy kept mute.

So Arkas could help him to cope with his problem, if the lad would tell what depressed him! The strong man never expected how hard it would be to bring up a child.

Evelyn again and again tried to be a kind of mother to the boy but for some reason he refused to that. Arkas as well was the only one by which the boy let himself be embraced or anyway touched. When Evelyn tried to pet his head, he immediately flinched.

"Arkas! What are you doing to him! This child has a totally disturbed relation to physical proximity!"

He sent Kuro out to play; as for him the boy was looking too much interested in this conversation.

"I'm doing bloody nothing to him, me he likes! Besides, what you're expecting of a child that laid days next to a damn dead woman! Of course he has a disturbed relation to physical proximity, for god's sake! But we should worry 'bout his disturbed relation to speaking at first, or what!"

She had to agree with him in that point. If they solved this problem, the rest would possibly follow itself… hopefully.

o-

One year had past and still Kuro did not speak, however he otherwise was much further than most of the children at his age.

And even though he was making lots of mischief, Arkas decided to let him stay alone at home for longer periods. After all someone had to earn the money, they could not life just of fish.

Although Kuro had developed a certain affinity to fish! As soon as Arkas roasted some, the little one was magically drawn into the kitchen. Chicken also savoured him, meat in general, just vegetable did not attract him very much.

In principle he was only eating things that had have at least two eyes, so potatoes yet went with it. Arkas' regular phrase at lunch was: "Eat your green-stuff you anti-vegetarian!" And at such a hyperactive child some more proteins and lipids wouldn't harm.

But meat costs money, so Arkas had to went out for fishing, or helping to build up houses. Not many people moved to the little island, just sometimes pirates burnt down some houses. Arkas couldn't understand these idiots, what had this in common with glorious piracy!

And Kuro almost always stayed home alone. Usually he still slept when Arkas came back, but if he was awake, he could do what ever he'd like to. There was just one rule: Demolishing nothing! Little Kuro followed this rule… mostly.

o-

It had been stormy out there on the sea. Arkas had to fight hard not to have his boat capsized and his catch was rather meagre. It took him lots of time; he actually wanted to be at home long ago. Grumpy and with a just half filled bucket of fish he started his way back.

Kuro interim had applied his time relatively useful, from his sight at least. He namely realized the plan on which he had worked on for already a while.

Foremost he had to push the big table to the kitchen cupboard, which was really hard work. To push the chair to the table wasn't much easier as well. In several trials he was piling up some books on the table until it was high enough to reach the cupboard.

At last! He opened the door and tried to get out the stuff. Apparently his construction wasn't fully ripened, the book pile started toppling, while he was holding these strange things in his hands. Seconds later he fell together with six thick books and the cupboards content onto the hard floor.

A bit perplexed he sat up. What had been in that cupboard? He looked around, everything was scattered on the ground. Strong stinking strange brown stuff that somehow crumbled and fluffed. And the other things?

A sharp pain stung through his hand, he had cut himself on the broken glass. This water really looked weird… sometimes ruby, sometimes slightly golden but like normal water, too. And it smelled so sharp, that it was nearly burning in the eyes.

This plan really did not pay! Possibly beside this multicoloured picture books, lying between all the useless stuff, but they were totally soaked.

o-

Arkas had brought his catch to the fish-store and was now nearly at home, when the sky cleared up. With the appearance of the sun his mood improved decisively.

When he entered his house a peculiar pong tickled his nose, actually it smelled not bad, but strange somehow. What did it smell like? He needed a moment to recognise the odours… Wasn't that tobacco, wine and whiskey? But it was impossible; he had packed away these things!

He followed the smell and was nearly blown out of his shoes when he entered the kitchen. There on the floor sat his little foster child amid spilled whiskey, broken glass of wine bottles, which had been older than the boy, and soaked tobacco. Hopefully the lad wasn't aware of what he was leafing through!

He innocently looked up to Arkas and was happy to see him again. Arkas was fuming, the brat had done some shit before, and he coped with this. He had just given him one damn rule and not even this one he followed!

°This brainless impish scallywag! Had been my best whiskey, I got that from the Grand Line damn it! Never going to get there 'gain! °

Arkas hands clenched to fists, really he was hot-tempered person and this boy had strained his nerves yet too much. He could not hold himself calm his rage overwhelmed him. In this moment the boy realised, having done a mistake, but it was to late! Arkas lifted his arm to strike.

"YOU DAMN CRAPPED JERK!" and he brutally punched into the little one's face.

His head banged backwards on the hard ground; with watery eyes he looked at Arkas. This made the man even madder of rage again he raised his hand.

"DADDY PLEASE!" Inches from Kuro's face he stopped.

"…What've you said?" Arkas shoved up his glasses. The little one protected his head with his arms and sniffled.

"…I…I'm sorry…I didn't wanted to… I…" His voice broke down, Arkas calmed himself.

He had compassion with the child, he hardly recognised himself! The boy felt how he got gently held in someone's arms.

"Alas Kuro… so what to do with you?" Arkas rage had faded away.

Kuro spoke… he appeared to have surmounted his trauma… even if this wasn't the quite best method to cure a heavy mental breakdown…

o-

Arkas turned his nose up at Kuro.

"You smell as if ya' d come directly from a port's shady dive!"

He placed the boy under the shower and turned up the warm water. Kuro began to feel better, he had been really shattered but now he appeased.

Wrapped in a fluffy warm towel, he now sat on the kitchen table and watched Arkas mopping up the alcohol. Suddenly he jumped down and dashed into the bathroom, surprised Arkas looked up.

Some minutes later, little Kuro came back dragging a large water bucket after him.

"Gonna help you…" Arkas considered whether the pail wouldn't be to big for the boy, in the very moment this one stumbled…

The bucket discharged on Kuro, soaked to the skin he sat amongst a water puddle and peeked completely stunned. Arkas was rolling on the floor in laughter it was just too comical.

"Tis' not funny!"

If he hadn't got such a cute child's voice, Arkas certainly would have stopped, but so he had to laugh even more.

Sulky Kuro marched into the bath, tugging his sodden towel, dripping after him.