Hey everybody!

I hope you had a pleasent friday and are ready for the weekend. I know things are crazy right now in the world, so I'm glad I can distract myself a little bit with working on those fics, and I hope they give you a break of real life too^^

Thank you all for your kind words, I really appreciate them and you guys are the reason why I post these stories, so I'm glad to hear your voices (all of them ;-P)

Have a good weekend

Sharry


Chapter 32 - Family

-Zoro-

Yaone had not betrayed him.

Perhaps it was due to the lucky coincidence that Comil had arrived the same day and had more or less freed Zoro from his brittle situation, but the soldier with the blood-red hair had decided to spare him for now – as she had emphasized – and Zoro didn't mind.

It wasn't as if he didn't already have enough problems with Eizen, who was now standing in his room door, as always with a small smile on his wrinkled lips and a pair of impermeable sunglasses on his nose.

"You did well today," the politician praised, closing the door behind him.

Zoro disliked the whole situation. Whenever the other visited him in his private rooms it could only mean one thing. As if on command, Eizen pulled down his glasses and looked at him with a smile. Then his eyes flashed red.

"And how you settled that whole situation with the young soldier really impressed me. Whatever you told her, she didn't actually betray you, even though you almost killed her back then. Bravo." He put his glasses back on and applauded Zoro quietly. "That saved me a lot of work. Soldiers are always so uncooperative when it comes to secrets, most don't accept hush-money or anything like that, and my alternatives are limited."

"Stop this nonsense," Zoro disagreed, turning away from him. He would never admit to the other what Eizen wanted to hear. Eizen knew the truth, but that didn't mean Zoro had to admit it.

The politician raised both arms apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I know you want to avoid this provoking subject and of course it's quite idle to talk about this dark past in such an impressive place."

"Would you mind explaining why you honor me with your visit?" Zoro was tired. Tomorrow, he would finally leave. The meeting had been surprisingly brief, not even two hours, and the following announcement had taken only a few minutes. The headquarters of the Marines, which had been almost completely destroyed during the Great War, was to be moved to the New World. The proposal had been approved unanimously.

The politician laughed softly.

"Your patience is not as persistent today as usual, right?"

How could Zoro respond honestly without insulting the other at the same moment?

"You may be right," he quipped.

Eizen smiled broadly before his face became serious.

"Well, then I just come directly to the reason of my visit."

Silently Zoro took a deep breath, but outwardly he tried to maintain his poker face.

"I wanted to talk to you again about today."

That surprised Zoro. Less than an hour ago, he had sat in their common room with the politician and his assistant and discussed the very subject.

"I thought we already did," Zoro replied coolly, sitting down on the chair at his desk. His feet were burning, since the early morning he was already running around in these high heels, he hadn't worn for months.

"That is true, I would just like to draw your attention to a small but important matter. Did you notice the change of mood in the conference room after Ms. Rihaku gave her speech?"

Zoro nodded.

Of course, Rihaku had been the last speaker, and by the time of her speech, opinions had been divided and hostile. After her speech however, there had not even been abstentions in the vote, let alone votes against the move.

"Words have power, my dear, you should be aware of that by now. Ms. Rihaku has a distinct talent when it comes to harnessing this power, but even she can't keep up with your gift."

Zoro did not respond. He was tired of having to talk about it over and over again. After all, he hadn't chosen all of this here.

"And yet, your gift alone will not suffice. I can only put that many words in your mouth. All this is useless if you are unable to withstand and refute the opinion of others."

"What do you mean by that?"

Had the other not yet understood who Zoro was? He was confident enough to form his own opinion and wouldn't just overturn it because of a small speech. Especially not when it was Eizen's speech.

"Many of those present today had a strong will, I would like to think of them comparable to your own strong will, and yet a few wisely chosen words were enough to change their minds."

Zoro looked directly at the other. He didn't want to be intimidated by him.

"It's not just the will, your own opinion, that matters. I promise you that with the right words you can impose your will and leave the other in the belief that they just won. It is easy to lose your own intentions. When you negotiate, you quickly forget that it's not about the price." Zoro had no idea what the other was talking about. "Do you know what my goal at this congress was, my dear?"

"That's what we talked about," Zoro replied frowningly. "You wanted the Marine Headquarters to be moved to the G-1 base."

"Oh, no." Now Eizen laughed again and shook his head slightly, as if Zoro's answer were extremely naive. "That's just what I've discussed with you and Ms. Rihaku so that she would focus her speech on the benefits of swapping the two bases. My goal was a completely different one."

The politician grinned broadly while Zoro wondered how Eizen could have achieved his real goal if the politician did not want the headquarters to be relocated.

"All I wanted to achieve was for the headquarters to stay close to the Red Line, close to Mary Joa, to be precise."

Zoro could not deny being surprised. The Base of the G-1 was in the New World but was not really further away than the island of the current headquarters.

"You see, it never was about where the headquarters are actually located as long as it stayed within reach, so I was able to make concessions, concessions that weren't important to me. But my opponents believe that my concessions amounted to a surrender. They wanted to move the Marine headquarters and they won. But exactly where I wanted it. Do you see what the difference is?"

The much bigger question was why the other told him all of this.

"It is important not to lose sight of the real goal, my dear. Our opponents have lost themselves while trying to reach the transfer, thus they haven't even thought about the background."

Zoro remained silent as the other turned around and walked to the door.

"I confess that this is probably a lot for you. Think about my words in peace. Over time, you will understand."

The politician opened the door.

"Eizen." Zoro looked thoughtfully at his fingers before looking up. The other showed his polite smile as always. "Why did you want the headquarters to stay close to the Red Line?"

Shaking his head, the elder closed the door again.

"A good question, my dear. Very good. The answer is simple. Control is much easier if the headquarters of the executive is not on the other side of the world."

That answer was not enough for Zoro.

"You're not just about control, are you?" He said aloud. "Do you want to achieve a concentration of all powers?"

"But my dear," the politician laughed falsely indignantly. "I am only a representative of the World Government, in no position of power. So why should I do something so recklessly dangerous?"

So that was what he wanted.

"Well, I recommend myself and wish you a pleasant night's sleep."

The door fell close behind Eizen. What was the reason behind this visit? Did he just want to initiate Zoro into his plan? Or did he really want to teach him the sleight of hand in politics? But why did he do it behind Rihaku's back?

Or... Or... what was this about? A pure demonstration of power?

Zoro was confused. But as he walked through the room and finished, he realized something else.

Lost themselves.

For a second, his gaze glided over to his sword, which hung over the desk like innocent last he knew now what Mihawk had understood, so that was what he was afraid of, and now he had to decide whether he was ready to overcome that fear.

-Mihawk-

Hands folded in his lap or apart on the armrests?Should he stand or sit?Or maybe sit at the beginning and get up?

Shaking his head, Mihawk dropped onto the armchair, which almost resembled a throne, and stared down the three steps, along the empty hall to the large sliding door.

He did not know why he was so nervous, why he had to prove fact, he had never been concerned about what others thought of , he was rarely interested in anything like , even Mihawk was only a human being and could not quite acquit himself of these human qualities. There were a few people whose opinions were important to him, and he did not want to disappoint.

However, the visitor was not one of them!

Mihawk knew full well that he just wanted to prove himself to the newcomer, just to brag. Childish certainly, but nevertheless a small wish for its fulfillment he had been looking forward to for years.

Dull echoed the closing of the heavy entrance gates through the cold visitor had therefore arrived, welcomed by took a deep breath, finally, it was about could hear his heartbeat loudly, almost as annoying as the ticking of a clock while the few seconds seemed to stretch and then the gate-like sliding door finally his legs, Mihawk spread both arms slightly, as if he wanted to welcome the visitor, or only to show off what he called his own.

"Mihawk, I'm glad to see you again," said the newcomer, confidently walking through the large hall.

Now he got up.

"Nataku", greeted Mihawk coolly, "I would like to welcome you, but unfortunately your visit is far from welcome to me."

Homura Nataku, Vice Admiral of the Marine and the third best swordsman in the world, smiled slightly and stopped in front of Mihawk, had to look up at him thanks to the three small steps, which did not seem to intimidate him.

"Just as always, Mihawk," the elder replied, still smiling, before turning away and taking an expansive moment to inspect the throne room."You have chosen an impressive home here."

Ha! Even he couldn't deny it. Yes, this castle was a bit more magnificent than just a small estate, wasn't it?

"However, it is quite bleak, so many rooms that no one uses. Aren't you lonely, all by yourself on an abandoned island?"

Tze, how did this tramp dare?

"I appreciate my peace," Mihawk grumbled cold, noting the other to take a seat while he also settled down on his chair, "and I do not live here by myself."

The soldier followed his request and sat on the wooden chair from the kitchen.

"Are you talking about this maid over there?" Nataku asked, nodding over to the ghost girl still standing in the door frame. "Or do you mean Lady Loreen, who is just travelling with Rishou Eizen?"

The chair creaked slightly as the soldier folded his arms and smiled smugly.

"We should have a drink. Maid, please bring us a..."

"Her name is Perona and she is a guest here on Kuraigana," Mihawk interrupted him, "and you have no authority here."

He then nodded to Perona, who quickly left the room and closed the door behind her.

"And of course, my protégé has the freedom to pursue own projects without my presence. Incidentally, I do not know why Lady Loreen's activities would concern you."

Nataku's smile only got a touch slimmer.

"You are irritated, as always, when I meet you, Mihawk."

"I am not a friend of the unnecessary pastime, Nataku, so be so kind of finally telling me the reason of your presence and stop wasting my time."

The soldier's smile disappeared, but instead he looked almost depressed to the ground.

"This subject doesn't seem to matter to you, Mihawk."

"It does not just seem like that."

Now Nataku stared at him with his eyes wide open, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"We're talking about your father here, and instead of taking to your heels to rush to him, you let me come here and treat me like an insignificant messenger."

Mihawk shook his head. "Are you here to blame me or to fulfill your mission?" He asked, unimpressed.

"Do you really not care at all?!"To his surprise, Nataku jumped cold blade of justice seemed to be extremely irritable today. Mihawk had almost won this game."Or don't you understand it? Gat is seriously ill; it might be that he..."

"I do not care," Mihawk replied cold. "Only a fool indulges in such amounts of alcohol and then wonders, when the body capitulates."

"Don't talk so disrespectful about..."

"About who? My father? Oh, please, this man is as important to me as a grain of dust on a picture frame. Whether he lives or dies is not important for my life."

The Vice Admiral trembled with anger, clenching his had to be frustrating wanting to beat some sense into someone, but just being too weak to do so, not that Mihawk could relate, he had never been that weak.

Complacently, Mihawk rested his right elbow on the armrest and stroked over his beard. He almost enjoyed watching the other like this, finally seeing him so helpless – powerless - in front of him.

Shaking his head, Nataku stared to the ground.

"I can't believe what I hear you say. I never thought that you would let this family..."

"What family, Nataku?" He interrupted him again. "The Draclue family has ceased to exist a long time ago."

"And what about your father, Mihawk? What about me?"

"Do not dare to act like you are family member of mine!" He hissed. "You are nothing more than a greedy freeloader, you are nothing."

Nataku wanted to respond, but Mihawk kept talking: "And as for my father: He betrayed this family a long time ago, he let down the islands, the duties of the name Dracule, and his children; everything that had ever been important to his wife."

The soldier dropped on the chair.

"He made his mistakes, Mihawk, but he had lost his wife and daughter, can't you understand that? Now he may be dying, and you don't even want to say goodbye to him?"

"Tze." Mihawk laughed coldly and rose. This was almost ridiculous. Still smiling, he walked around his throne and then grabbed the back of his chair with both hands. "Now that he is running out of life, he suddenly needs the certainty that everything is forgiven, that I will mourn for him?"

Mihawk tried to stay serious, but how could he face such ridicule without sarcasm? Not only that his father had just now decided to care about blood relatives, but Nataku as well acted as if he were a family member?

Mihawk had little choice but to take it with humor, otherwise the uninvited guest would hardly survive his wrath.

"You are right," Mihawk continued, but now deadly serious. "I do not know what it means to lose wife and child. But you know what, I lost my mother and sister that day, and what does my father do? He disappears to the end of the world, leaving me - a twelve-year-old brat - in charge of the five islands. He was not there when I swore allegiance to the Marines, nor when I broke that oath, not even when I became a Shichibukai."

"He mourned, Mihawk, but he never rejected you."

Why did he have to justify himself to this guy, to this parasite?

"No, he did not reject me. He abandoned me, exposed to death like cattle in a burning barn. So no, I am not going to come to him now. If I survived almost thirty years without a father, then he can die without a son."

That was not how the whole thing was supposed to work. Mihawk knew he was superior to this tramp, so why did he feel the urgent need to throw Nataku out right now?

"You're so selfish," Nataku muttered, looking up at him, but remained seated. "I'm not saying that Gat was a saint. Of course, he has not been spared from misdeeds, but you act like he had left you in the streets. After your mother's death, your father rushed to work, but you were in good hands, Kanan and Tenkai were at your side as counselors and role models."

"Tze."

"You say your father left you behind, but he was there after you betrayed him and turned your back on the Marines, only thanks to his word you became Shichibukai and Jiroushin and this doctor were allowed to keep their lives." Now it was the soldier who continued to speak and did not allow Mihawk to interrupt. "You say Gat left you behind to die and yet you didn't have to go hungry or worry about money for a day in your life. Your name alone is worth more than the lives of many. Even now, as a criminal, you go in and out with the rich and powerful like in a public bath."

For an eternal second, they looked at each other.

"Do you think that is what I care about," Mihawk asked, and decided to flip the scale back in his favor. "About the name Dracule, about the money and prosperity? Tze, as expected from a have-not like you. But you are wrong. If my inheritance requires me to forgive my father, I do not want it."

He remained calm as he supported his forearms on the backrest and leaned forward.

"For all I care, you can snap it all up, Nataku. I do not care. A burden less, Sasaki has not been my home for a long time and besides, my father has always preferred you in the role of the son over me."

"That's enough!" Once again, the other stood up and placed one foot on the lowest stair. "I'm tired of your fuss, Mihawk. You are still the little brat from back then, who feels sorry for himself and blames the world."

His words did not impress Mihawk in the least.

"In your deformed perception, you pretend to be the outsider in your family, the unwelcome addon, but we both know that you chose this place yourself. Your parents have given you everything a child could wish for and you..."

"Do you think you are in a position to judge my childhood? You are nothing more than..."

"Don't pretend to be the victim in this story!"

Now they were directly opposite each other, only the throne between them.

"We all lost a lot that day, you know? It wasn't just your sister and mother, Taruchie was also Gat's wife, Sharak was also his daughter and my..."

"Don't end this sentence!"

Mihawk swept the chair to one side.

"Don't place yourself on the same level with me, Nataku! You only used her, she was for you nothing but your way into a world of glitter and gold, of power and honor. She was never much more than a step on the ladder for you. Like my father with my mother, you didn't want more than her name and her money. So, don't you dare..."

"I loved her."

For a moment, the world froze. But only for a fraction of a second.

"Liar. You took advantage of her, weaved her into your spider web of flattery and fairy tales. You changed her; she was just a shadow of herself after she fell for your intrigues. That wasn't love, that was..."

"You didn't change, that's the problem! Despite your height, despite your age, you haven't matured a bit, Mihawk! You've always been so obsessed with her; you circled her like bees round a honeypot. No, you have rather guarded her like a dragon his treasure. You were so afraid that someone might come and even steal one single coin from you, but she never belonged to you, she wasn't a subject under your control."

"Do you even listen to this..."

"For you, Sharak was always just your sister, but you never saw her for what she was. A young woman with dreams and ideas, a warrior with a unique sense of justice and also a..."

"Don't you dare talk about her dreams! I know all her dreams, she wanted to see the world, explore cultures, but then you turned up and took it all from her. Suddenly she was supposed to settle down, start a family, give up everything she ever loved."

"She hasn't given up anything!" Nataku grabbed him by the collar, tears threatened to betray him. "She's gotten older, damn it! Her view of the world has changed. She was no longer a child and so her dreams had changed. But you held on to your young sister in such a way that you couldn't see that she had grown up. You just didn't want to see how happy she was."

Mihawk remained silent, he would not be captured by these lies.

"At some point you have to grow up, Mihawk, and then you might long for things other than great adventures. I would never have forced her to do anything she didn't want. I would never have asked her to leave the Marines to raise children. But she has thought about this possibility, because she wanted to, because she wanted something different in her life."

"No."

"Yes, I know you don't want to see it, Mihawk. But Sharak was happy with me and I loved her."

"No!"

Mihawk slapped the other's hands away.

"Enough is enough," he growled, turning away, but Nataku simply continued.

"The truth is, neither has your father left you, nor have I taken your sister from you. You were obsessed with her and didn't want anything to change; you wanted to stay forever this little boy that your big sister was looking after. But she has changed, she has evolved, and you have never gotten over it."

"You overstressed my patience, Nataku. Enough is enough!"

"You have blamed the whole world for losing your sister, the Marines, the pirates, your father, me. But the truth is, the only reason Sharak was on that ship that day was you. She took your place because you were too lazy to fulfill your duties as a son, because she did not want to let your mother travel alone. So keep playing the victim, Mihawk, but we both know that the only one guilty here is... Uff!"

Nataku crashed against the back wall, only a few feet next to the large sliding door, just a few inches next to an old bust.

"I said it's enough!" Breathing heavily, Mihawk stood on the edge of the three steps and looked down at the man who dared to blame him for his sister's death. The woman for which he had done everything, for which he had lived, who had been his life, his sole purpose in life.

Suddenly Nataku laughed out loud and held his jaw.

"The oh so mighty Hawk Eyes."

Mihawk clenched his trembling fists.

"You should see yourself trying to run away from the truth. It's pathetic." The soldier rose, leaning against the wall with one hand. "You always act so noble, so well educated, and so serene. But that's all just an act. This is your true self, short-tempered, badly controlled, and so full of anger and bitterness. All of this just because it's easier for you to curse the world than to live with your own guilt."

Slowly, Mihawk walked down the steps. It would be easy lose his temper now, but that was no longer necessary, instead of uncontrolled rage, he was now filled deadly anger, clearing his mind, sharpening his senses.

"Is this the reason why you have always opposed me, Nataku, so that I may atone for my guilt?"

"Quite right. It was me who betrayed your crew and I also killed this weakling from the East Blue. I wanted you to pay for what you did. I wanted you to lose everything that has ever been important to you, just as you took everything from me."

"And that is why you are after Lady Loreen."

"Oh no. In fact, this does not have as a vile motive as revenge." Nataku moved his jaw slightly, as if to check if everything was still working, then he folded his arms and approached Mihawk. "I just want to prevent you from doing the same to her as you did to Sharak. Even now it's obvious how obsessed you are with this girl. You guard her as if she were your property, as if you had any say in her life."

"You should choose your next words with caution, Nataku."

"Oh, I was careful with you long enough, Mihawk. I never cared what you did with your life. Sharak loved you, but you didn't deserve it, and now you've once again caught an innocent being and I'm not going to watch you destroy another life."

"You have no idea what you are talking about."

Again, they faced each other.

"Yes, I know. You're mentally deranged, Mihawk. You think you love someone, but the truth is that you want to dominate, control, own that person. This has nothing to do with love and at some point, Loreen - just like Sharak did then - will wake up and go her way and leave you behind and you won't be able to allow that. Because you need her so much that you can't live without her. But she doesn't need you in her life, you restrict her and hold her back. You are like a poison that kills every plant. But believe me, this girl will bloom, just not as long as she's trapped in your garden."

They were silent for minutes.

"Are you done now?" Mihawk asked cold, pinching his eyes slightly. Every word was wisely chosen and wisely pronounced. "You can go now. Your services are no longer needed. Tell my father that I do not plan wasting a single breath on him, even if it is his last, no matter what happens to my inheritance."

"Is that all you have to say about this?"

"I did not let you come to my house to accuse and insult me, so leave now and pray that we will never run into each other again, Nataku. For, if not for my sister's, you will have to bear the consequences for Roronoa Zoro's death."

For a second, it seemed as if the other was looking for something in Mihawk's eyes.

"Obsessed," he muttered. "Your obsessive delusion will bring you down one day, Mihawk. This obsession could be your death sentence, do you really think Sharak would have wanted that?"

"At least it will be your death sentence if you do not leave now, I can assure you."

"As you wish. Farewell, Mihawk."

Nataku turned around and walked away. He stopped at the door.

"You know, I was really trying to be like a big brother for you back then. I really tried to love you, because of your sister. She would shed tears over today's conversation. She would mourn the man you could have been if you hadn't decided to become a monster. She wouldn't have wanted you - her brother - to betray everything she had ever wanted."

The door closed.

Breathing heavily, Mihawk stood in the middle of the plain room.

He had... lost.