14. Gym bros
The dream - memory, Rea remembers - always comes back after a time. Always ends the same way, too.
This time it's different.
Where is mom? I want to show her my new drawings...
"Rea, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find mom. Do you know where she went?"
"Maybe she is hiding in the bathroom!"
"Tickle time!"
"Rea, Rea, hihihi! I love you so much!"
I lifted my arms to hug my little brother. Instead of the contact with his puffy T-shirt, my surroundings started to change. In a brief second, I stood there, completely alone, in a dark space. There wasn't a single light source in the room... I panicked and tried to slow down my breathing.
...huh? I can't... I'm... not even breathing...
Oh, I see. This is just a nightmare. I'm...
"Yes, you are dreaming. But don't say it out loud, it can break the little room I created," came a cheeky voice from behind me. I instantly turned around and got in a stance. It wasn't a familiar voice, but it had me on alarm. Something felt wrong. Really wrong. "Juuust a moment, please~... and there! Now, we should be just fine."
I was speechless. There didn't stood anyone in front of me. It... it was just a purple mist.
A purple mist with the biggest grin I've ever seen so far. Creepy.
I gulped and tried to force out some words. My voice was clearly shaky - from the memories or from the current situation, I didn't know. Either way, I was a bit unbalanced. I felt more present, more... aware of things.
It was kinda like when I used Observation Haki a bit, but still different. It wasn't as pleasant, more like... frightening.
Heavy.
"Who are you?"
The... being just smiled wider and chuckled to itself. It turned a few shades darker... did it get bigger, holy fuck?
"Aww, already forgot me, eh? Maybe I have to give your phone back and message you again? Or I don't even have to, you should try and build one! Are you up for the challenge...?" my eyes widened more and more with each word and I started sweating. Chills ran down my spine while faint memories of a chaotic travel came back to me. Purple, purple and quick, so fucking fast, and in the next moment I didn't even know where I was, who I was, what I was...
"You..." came my breathy voice. I was slowly panting. What even tired me out this much?
The being just laughed and hummed.
"Me? Of course it's me. Who else?"
"You... from that website... the beer guy..."
It started to take a more human-like form. It's shape - because I still couldn't really decide if it was a woman or a man, but at the same time, it didn't even feel human - resembled one of a man. Just the outlines though. And that grin. Nothing else was visible.
"And we have a jackpot, ladies and gentlemen!" it spread both of its arms.
"Why are you here?" I suddenly blurted out. Even I was surprised at my low voice, full with rage, and sadness, desperation and fury...
What's happening?
The being took a few steps towards me. As to what it was walking on, I didn't know. I just watched - and waited.
"Why, you ask? Just entertaining myself! Haha, it always starts like this! It's so good!"
"What is 'it'?" I asked and I straightened my back. It was walking with its head up high, grinning menacingly and still laughing between his every word. I had to show a bit of the braveness that was left inside me.
Otherwise, I would've been broken by now.
"You, of course! Ah, we don't have to be mysterious, that stuff is boring now," it sighed and stopped right in front of me. I briefly wondered why. It felt like I wasn't even an obstacle in its way. It could easily walk just through me, because I was nothing.
Nothing to the being. Nothing to its power.
"In short, I was the one who took you here. I was bored! I wanted to play with someone new. C'mon, it's just a game!"
I was nearly reaching for its exposed throat. What the heck was it saying?
What? A game?
Oh, no, you fucking don't.
"I always win in the end, and that's the best part! You're doing so well, sweetie! Hihihi! Keep up the good work..." it stopped laughing and lifted both of its hands up high in the air. "... and die for me, my pretty little Gold."
I... won't...
The purple mist suddenly surrounded me from every side. All I could hear was hysterical laughter and crying - so much crying, crying in despair, who is crying? Where are they? - and I couldn't even move.
I was going crazy.
"My weak little girl..."
I flinched at those words. The anger came back in an instant. If I could just move my hands...
"I look forward to the day when you'll lose. It doesn't matter, what... a fight, a loved one, a crewmate, a person's trust, it doesn't matter! Oh, the beautiful day when I could finally sacrifice you..."
When I finally moved my thumb, the world around me crumbled to dust, vanished in a single moment, the darkness broke into thousands of little pieces, and the purple mist... that... thing...
"Keep on going, loser."
Everything disappeared.
I woke up on the ground. Well, the floor, to be precise. It was morning already. The sun was shining through the little window in my room shared with Nami. I looked around, but she wasn't here anymore. Must've gone to eat breakfast.
Suddenly I found the idea of food in my mouth very appealing.
The fact that this time I didn't have to cook and I could eat Sanji's cooking also lifted my strangely depressed mood.
Billie jumped up to my legs and moved a bit, then she found the perfect position and space for herself and laid down. As I tried to move her with my right hand so I could get up, she started purring.
Huh. It's the first time she does that on a morning, without any pets or food. A gentle smile came across my face and I stroked her fur a bit.
We remained there for a good half an hour. Just me, Billie and my bed.
When I finally stood up to meet the world today again and remind the others that I'm still breathing and alive, I gave Billie a final pet on her head and with newly found excitement for the day, I opened the door.
...Maybe opening the door was a bad idea.
"What the heck was that, shitty swordsman?!"
"Are you deaf too, dartboard brow? Or is it just the incompetence?"
"Shishishishi! Zoro and Sanji are funny!"
"It won't be funny when that cook tries something funny with my little sister! Don't you dare touch her, Sanji, or I'm gonna kill you, you hear that?"
Why are your legs shaking a bit there, Nii-san?
"Maa, calm down, Usopp..."
"ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"
And that was what I walked in on. Maybe Billie had the right idea after all and I should have just stayed in bed. Oh well.
"Um..."
Several heads turned towards me in silence. I blinked and pointed at the kitchen door.
"I'm gonna go and have breakfast. Sorry for the intrusion."
I walked away with my hands in my pockets and went into the room. In the moment I closed the door, the shouting started all over again. Well, a little show to go with the food wasn't that bad. Zoro's, Sanji's and Usopp's bickering really was entertaining.
A few minutes later, the others finally calmed down a little bit. I was chewing happily on the corner of the remaining bread I found on the table.
I was humming and singing.
I let a shy smile crawl onto my face as I found new melodies and I got in the mood for a few old songs. It was a long time ago when I singed songs from home. Languages and different accents or dialects are a weird thing here. Even if I can sometimes detect a few differences in the way different people speak, I can't really categorize them. Everyone speaks the same language here.
I didn't really know how exactly that would affect english, or even spanish songs. It... didn't feel like it did? I mean, I sang in English, so maybe I could speak in English here too. I'll have to try that out.
On the other hand - even I didn't know, how - I was speaking the common language fluently.
Dimension travel is a weird thing.
The door suddenly burst open and a fuming blonde cook came in with a cigarette in his mouth. Sanji was grumbling under his breath and stomping towards the stove. I watched his angry steps with silent curiosity and continued to chew on my bread. I stopped singing though.
"Stupid swordsman..."
"He has his moments, I promise."
Sanji jumped a little at the sound of my voice and turned around with wide eyes.
"Oh, Rea-chan!" his smile I loved so much came back instantly. "I forgot you came to eat breakfast. Did my precious angel find the scrambled eggs I made?"
"Cut the flirting, Sanji," I laughed but then I paused. I looked at the remnants of the bread I was eating moments ago. Sanji looked at the bread too. I looked back at the cook. He looked back at me with disbelieving eyes. He rushed to the back of the room.
"Hey, you don't have to..." I tried to tell him that I already ate something, so he didn't have to bring me more food, but before I could finish the sentence, there already was a big plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of milk in front of me.
"Just eat, Rea-chan! Next time, just let me know if you are hungry, and I will make you something delicious," he smiled and bent down a little to put the plate and the glass in front of me, on the table. I watched him with grateful, gentle eyes as he arranged the cutlery too. I watched him move with precise, gentle movements. His eyes were halfway closed, paying attention to every little detail on the table. Even if it was just a simple breakfast. For me.
I didn't even feel my hand move. All I really realized was that Sanji has stiffened in surprise, my heart was beating faster, and...
And his hair was just as soft as when I left the last time.
I didn't know, why I stroked his hair - maybe because I missed him, maybe because of nostalgia. Either way, it felt really, really nice.
It was so fluffy and soft!
I continued to play with his hair for a few more seconds. We both didn't know what exactly to do now though...
So after a few silent and hesitant seconds, Sanji did the only thing I didn't expect him to do - he leaned into my touch and sat down next to me.
I was so surprised I moved my hand away for a second. But after I looked into his sparkling eye, the one not hidden behind blonde locks, waiting for me to decide and do something, I ignored both of our flashed faces, and I continued to play with the blonde locks and hair strands.
It was a moment just for the two of us.
...
However good it was, it became embarrassing after a few more seconds after all! Oh, my stupid self!
I lifted my hands and looked away from Sanji with a probably madly blushing face and bewildered eyes. The situation really became awkward...
"I'm sorry, it was sudden-... I don't know why I did that again..."
"O... Oh! Err, well, it's not like I didn't enjoy it... oh gosh..." muttered Sanji awkwardly too.
"I was just happy to see you and be with you again, so..."
"Yeah, I'm...," he looked down with a shy smile and whispered the next words. "I missed you too."
We would've sat there for a few more long minutes if Kaya's shout didn't reach me in the meantime. Apparently, Billie was doing a little mischief around Nami's tangerine trees and I was needed.
I quickly stood up and rushed to the door. Before I went out though, I looked back for a brief second.
"We should consider getting something like a music player and listening to jazz again... it can create a wonderful atmosphere at night..."
Sanji started thinking a bit about what I said then chuckled and grinned with closed eyes.
"If I see such a thing, I'll make sure to get one, Rea-chan."
I wondered if I should tell him he can let the honorific go, but in the end, Kaya opened the door before anything I could say and grabbed my hands to drag me to Nami's plants. From the corners of my eyes I still saw Sanji standing up and looking at the two of us.
The sight of his smile accompanied me through the whole day.
It didn't mean that I was happy the whole day.
I didn't know what caused my mood swings. I briefly remembered that I had a nightmare last night - though I didn't know, what exactly have I dreamt about. It couldn't be this bad!
I was grumpy and depressed. There's no other way of saying it. I felt reckless and restless, frustrated and lazy...
I didn't know what to do with myself. I was pacing left and right, I even walked in Nami's workroom on accident. Even her screams couldn't fix my weird mood. I was unbalanced and wanted something to do, yet I felt a barrier in front of me every time I tried to relieve some stress with drawing or singing.
It sucked.
In one of the rare moments when my thoughts wandered so much I didn't see where I was going, I found myself in front of one of the bigger rooms.
Zoro's training room. Huh.
...
I let myself in.
Not even two seconds passed, the door opened again - this time with Zoro himself walking through it. He was carrying some weights, probably for future exercises.
They were fucking inhuman and huge. What the heck, human anatomy? Don't you work here the same way as home?
When he noticed me, he gave me a questioning look and he stopped walking.
"I um... I don't..." I tried to explain why I got here. I started again for a few times but words failed me in every attempt, so I remained in silence.
Zoro was a patient person. I was glad he gave me a little time to really think about why I came here and to finally stop beating around the bush. I knew he was just like me, because I saw it in his eyes.
The sheer drive and ambition to get stronger.
"I'm weak, Zoro."
A single tear ran down my left cheek. My face was like a stone, filled with every little pent-up frustration, after-effects of fails, mistakes and helplessness. The swordsman grabbed a smaller dumbbell and put it in my hands without a single word, then he grabbed his own. I looked down at the training tool and tightened my grip on it.
It was time for a few warm-up exercises and more serious training. And I was sure - just as I could understand Zoro's feelings in this very moment, he was the only one who could understand mines too.
After the training session, Billie visited us in the training room and sat down on Zoro's lap. He couldn't convince me that he doesn't even like cats. He gave himself away the moment he caressed Billie's fur a little when she laid down.
We had a petting session after that, and with the quite relaxing bonding moment, we became gym bros.
This is how it usually goes, right? Pretty sure it is.