A/N: *nervous shifting*
Hey guys! So once again I'll try not to clutter the author note. Thank you everyone for sticking with me. I've been going through one hell of a rough time lately. The short version is, on top of everything else going on that's running me ragged, I also found out the surgery my mom had that wasn't supposed to be anything serious was actually to remove a ton of cancer. She thought it was kinda funny that she had the surgery on my brother's birthday and she's got a check up to see if the cancer is all gone today - my birthday.
So if I haven't been around much and the updates slowed to a crawl, I'm really sorry. I'm working on being a person and having the energy to at least try to answer people who send me messages, but it's a struggle.
That being said, there is a considerable time skip coming up in this story soon - and I'm collecting opinions on whether or not the post-time skip content should be in a new story or just continue to post the chapters to this one. I haven't decided yet.
Dedicated to Beyond Kailani, my wonderful little sister who makes my life brighter.
Special thanks to Beyond Kailani, Akatsuki-Celeste, Ascaisil, and Shishiswordsman - you guys are keeping me going. And thank you Akatsuki for the pre-birthday beta job, followed by driving me insane while you waited for the clock to strike midnight so you could be the first to wish me a happy birthday. Go to bed.
Bonds of Sea and Fire
Chapter 27: Thirty-Nine to Eleven
She hit the floor with a dull thud, the sword skittering out of her blistered hand and spinning all the way to the wall. The blunt edge bounced harmlessly off the wood - wood that had felt many blades and battered bodies over the years - and several sparring matches paused.
Lami pushed herself to her hands and knees, vision swimming and muscles screaming in protest. She brought one hand up to wipe the blood from her lip and nearly crumbled under her own weight once it was resting on a single hand.
"Are you okay?"
The sound of Haruta's worried voice only made her defeat more mortifying. "I'm fine," she waved off his concern with her free hand.
And immediately pitched forward as her other arm gave out.
Two sets of hands caught her before she landed on her face.
"I think you should take a break," Sabo cautioned. "Your lip's bleeding pretty badly."
"It just looks bad," Lami tried to protest. "I'm sure it's-"
"If it bleeds, it gets bandaged," Luffy's knowing voice interrupted. "You gotta get a bandage, Lamby."
"She's fine. You can all stop coddling her now," Bay's voice silenced them all as she came to a stop next to them. "She's done for today anyway."
"That's probably for the best," Ace agreed, looking worried.
"But I still-"
"Lami," Bay cut her off. "As your teacher - in both medicine and sword fighting for now - I am telling you to stop. Get your ass to the infirmary and let Vere take a look at your lip. I'll be in to talk to you in a minute."
Lami struggled to keep her face neutral even though her throat had tightened and her eyes burned with tears. Without saying anything to Haruta or the trio, she brushed herself off and used the last of her energy to run from the room.
"You could have been nicer," Sabo pointed out.
"I could have, but then it would have taken longer to make her leave." Bay glanced down at him. "Unless you think I should have knocked her down a few more times, first?"
Sabo frowned, then crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "No, but-"
"Then how about you get back to your training and let me handle my own student?" Bay suggested. Her words had a bit of a bite to them, but there was no impression that she was talking down to him.
"Well, it's not like you'd be mean to her just to be mean," Sabo relented. "You're such a softie, Bay."
"I'll kill you," Bay threatened. She scowled when he smiled back at her, knowing she couldn't follow through with her threats. All in all, Sabo was probably her favorite, if only because he understood her better than the others.
"Well, do you guys wanna go practice on deck?" Ace asked. "It's bigger."
Bay shot him a look.
"More open," Ace added.
Bay raised an eyebrow.
"Less chances to hit a wall," Ace continued, starting to get flustered.
"Yeah, I could go for some fresh air," Haruta chimed in, pushing his worry for Lami aside to give some support to Ace. "How about you guys?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Sabo agreed. "Oyaji's up on the deck right now, yeah?"
"Oh, is he? Well, he probably won't notice us," Ace said in a quick rush of breath, struggling to hide what they all already knew - that he wanted to show off for Whitebeard. It had been the same thing every day for the last few weeks, ever since Ace's secret had been spilled and he'd found the ultimate acceptance he'd always craved.
It was endearing to most everyone who had noticed it.
"Uh-huh," Sabo shot him a knowing look, but he didn't press the issue. He glanced back at Bay, but didn't say anything else. She met his gaze, then shrugged.
"Get gone already," she told them. "Go show Oyaji how much stronger you've gotten."
"I'll show him I'm the strongest!" Luffy boasted, dashing past Ace.
"Hey!" Ace protested, hurrying after him. "Don't get a big head! You're still a hundred years behind me!"
"Well you're both still catching up to me!" Haruta shouted, flashing Bay a quick grin before taking off after his brothers.
Sabo was last, lingering behind for a few moments to grab his pipe before following. The smiles on their faces had Bay shaking her head with a smile of her own, but her smile faded after a few moments. She shot the others in the room a sharp look - which reminded them all to get back to their own training and stop looking at her like that - and decided to ignore the snickering to head to the infirmary. She could pay them back later.
Lami looked just as pitiful as Bay expected. Sitting all alone on one of the cots with her knees pulled to her chest and a tiny bandage at the corner of her mouth, Lami's bad mood was almost tangible. She didn't look up when Bay approached, and she didn't say anything as Bay sat down on the cot across from hers.
After several moments, it was Bay who broke the silence. "You look like crap, Lami."
"I know."
Bay folded her arms over her chest, crossing one leg over the other and waiting for Lami to look up. When she didn't, Bay scowled. "Have the decency to look at me. Or should I just leave, and wash my hands of this whole situation?"
Lami clenched her jaw, then lifted her head to scowl at Bay. "Why do you want me to feel worse than I already do? Isn't it bad enough you threw me out in front of everyone?!"
"I didn't do that to make you feel bad. I'm not doing this to make you feel bad, either. I'm a lot of things, Lami, but I'm not cruel. I'm not very sympathetic, either. Weird for a doctor, right? But trust me, empathy is not my strong suit. Which is why I'm the one having this talk with you."
Lami's scowl softened, but she didn't answer.
"Look," Bay uncrossed her arms, letting the heels of her hands rest on the edge of the cot as she leaned forward. "You enjoy studying medicine more than learning swordplay. You excel at taking my direction in the infirmary, and Chloris tells me you soak up medical knowledge like a sponge. Jiru said next time there's a real medical emergency, you should shadow the procedure."
Lami's eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs before she was able to school her expression, hiding her shock. "I want to be a surgeon," she reminded Bay.
"Right - so why are you forcing yourself to learn to fight, and being so hard on yourself when you don't get it right?" Bay knew there was no way to soften her next words. "Tell me honestly. Is it that you actually want to get stronger, or is it that you just want someone to tell you that you're strong?"
Cheeks flushing in shame, Lami's guard went right back up. "I want to be stronger," she argued.
"Why?" When Lami didn't answer, Bay leaned closer. "Tell me why you'd rather waste time blindly swinging a sword around than devoting yourself to medicine?"
"I'm already good at medicine," Lami snapped. "I should be able to get good at swordfighting, too!"
"You're not 'already good at medicine'," Bay corrected. "You have a natural aptitude for it, but you and I both know that's not how skill works. All the natural talent in the world won't hold a candle against learning, practicing - applying those skills. Somewhere in your past, whether or not you're aware of it now, you were learning about medicine. That's why you feel like it comes to you so easily."
Lami dropped her gaze to her lap.
"And, while it's true you could theoretically do both," Bay continued, "you're not going to get anywhere huffing and puffing and throwing your sword down when you don't pick it up in two practice sessions."
"I'm trying," Lami mumbled.
"Try harder - or quit," Bay stated with a shrug. "That's my ultimatum. If you keep up the way you are now, then I'm going to make sure no one lifts a finger to help you become a surgeon."
Lami bit down hard on her lower lip, eyes filling with tears. "Why does it have to be an ultimatum?" she asked once she found her voice.
"Because I need you to start taking it seriously. You think Haruta's good with his sword, right? It's taken him years of practice, of honing his skills, of staying up late and pushing himself until his muscles can barely take it - of knowing when to rest, and when to give himself ample time to master a technique. No one learns anything by rushing in and expecting it to work out just because they want it to. You have to put in time. Effort. You have to make sacrifices and devote yourself," Bay answered. "If you think you can do that, then prove it."
"I…" Lami lifted her head to look up at Bay, and found she couldn't simply claim she would - the words caught in her throat, doubt gnawing at her stomach. She already spent so much energy learning about medicine, trying to hear the mystery voice that corrected her and made her heart ache with a sense of longing and home… and she'd been spending time making friends when she wasn't fully absorbed in her medical studies.
"So think about it," Bay waved one hand, shaking her head. "And come up with the answer that works for you. But stop beating yourself up like this if it's not going to serve a purpose. Now - you're going to rest, and I'm going to go work with Chloris on my favorite activity. Inventory!" she added the last word with a roll of her eyes and a sarcastic lilt in her voice.
Lami swallowed, nodding softly. She didn't lie down on the cot, instead forcing her body to listen so she could at least make it to her own private sleeping area. What she really wanted was a hot bath, a gallon of hot cocoa and a book, and to be able to sleep for about a week, but none of those things were going to happen anytime soon, with how drained she felt, her only real hope was that she'd at least make it under the blanket before she passed out.
...
"Not gonna join them?"
Sabo lifted his head and grinned up at Namur, leaning back on the railing and giving his fishing pole a light shake. "Nah. I told Luffy I'd catch a fish or two. I'm kind of tired. We've been at it all morning, ya know? And don't tell Ace, but it's harder to keep up with him now that he can just turn into fire and not have to worry about dodging."
Namur inclined his head towards the display. Luffy, bless his little heart, was trying for the twenty-fifth time to win against Ace, and it wasn't going well. They'd moved their sparring to the deck in plain view of Whitebeard, who was watching his two young sons with pride. It didn't matter that Whitebeard had watched - and taken part in - epic battles of legend. He could tell Ace and Luffy were giving it their all, and that commanded his full attention.
"Hah!" Ace's victory shout echoed across the deck, and Sabo shook his head with a wry grin.
"Luffy never wins against Ace," Sabo commented to Namur. "He's never gonna stop trying, but he never even comes close."
"Does he ever come close with you?" Namur asked.
"No, not really," Sabo admitted.
"Do you ever let him win, to keep his spirits up?"
"Pfft!" Sabo shook his head. "Not even a little! He won't get stronger if we let him win." He tilted his head a bit. "You don't think that's bad, do you?"
"Nah," Namur answered, sitting beside him on the railing. "Luffy doesn't seem like the kind of person to get discouraged because he's not winning. I think it makes him try harder."
"It does," Sabo agreed. "It doesn't matter if he can't tell he's getting better. If he isn't winning, he's working towards winning. He works really hard, you know."
"Yeah, we can all see it," Namur assured him. "No one underestimates you kids, you know. We all started somewhere."
"I know." Sabo grinned up at him. "I can't help reminding everyone, though. Back on the mountain, Luffy worked really hard to try and keep up with us. Even when winning seemed impossible." He glanced back at Luffy, grin softening. "Even if it still seems impossible."
Namur returned his grin, chuckling. "He's getting better, though. It'll take time, but he's going to be a great pirate someday."
"We know," Sabo agreed. "He's a bit of a weakling right now, and he cries a lot - but he's only going to get stronger from here." He watched Luffy stomp around and whine about how he'd beat Ace next time - watched the others laugh, and Rakuyo toss Luffy up onto one shoulder to cheer him on. Fossa came over to join, propping Ace up on his much larger shoulder, and Ace threw both hands in the air with a victory shout. "I love seeing them like this."
"It's nice, isn't it?" Namur's voice was wistful. "Seeing your family happy. I'm glad Ace opened up to us, even if it happened… the way it did."
"Yeah, I thought it'd take a lot longer." Sabo reached up to adjust his hat. "I guess ripping the bandage off was the way to go. In the long run, it saved Ace a lot of stress and fear. We were all worried about how the others would take it - well, maybe Luffy wasn't, but Ace and I were - and now we don't have to worry anymore."
"Do you ever get tired of it?"
Sabo's head snapped up in surprise, and he stared at Namur. "Excuse me?"
"Do you ever get tired of sharing Ace's worries," Namur clarified, meeting his gaze. "Do you ever just wish you could ignore it and focus on yourself, especially in situations where you know there's nothing to worry about?"
Sabo frowned, then scowled. He thought about snapping at Namur, but the question, despite sounding harsh, was an honest one, and he knew Namur wasn't asking it to be a jerk.
"Sometimes," Sabo murmured, still frowning, "it's exhausting. But I'd never trade Ace for anything. Even if it gets exhausting, even if he needs me to repeat what I've already told him, if it reassures him, I'm going to do it. And I'm never going to let him see that it's inconveniencing me - that's on me, not Ace. Why are you asking?"
"I wonder about the others sometimes," Namur answered, reaching out to put a hand on Sabo's shoulder. "I didn't mean anything by it. When I first joined, I had a pretty big chip on my shoulder, too. People used to stare when we docked. Kids were afraid of me. I was used to it, but my new brothers and sisters weren't. Not the same way, anyway." He grinned, looking a little menacing. "Now we cause way more of a stir than I ever did, but I used to think my siblings got exhausted dealing with me."
"Because you're a Fishman?" Sabo questioned.
Namur nodded. "Even now, people are usually wary of me just for being who I am - and then they're wary because of the crew." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Except that girl."
"Girl?" Sabo echoed.
"The one who helped us find Ace back on Lockport," Namur explained. "She approached me before anyone else. And she was nervous, too. She's the one who told us Ace ran into the forest."
Sabo was quiet for a few moments, filing that information away for later. He doubted they'd ever see the girl again if they'd left her behind on Lockport, but if Namur ever pointed her out, he'd be sure to thank her.
"Hey, Namur?" Sabo asked after a few moments. "I know it got pretty emotional back there in the forest… but do you think everyone would have felt the same way if we'd run away?"
"Thinking of running away?" Namur asked.
"No, nothing like that - this is our home now," Sabo assured him. "It's just that Luffy and I made a deal with Ace. If he ever wanted to leave, we'd go with him. If we hadn't been sure Ace wanted to stay here, we would have all run away and Ace would have believed everyone except Marco hated him." Sabo tugged on his fishing rod a bit. He was never very successful with fishing on the Moby Dick, but he always managed to catch something, and then Luffy's eyes would light up and it would make Sabo's whole day.
"I'm glad it didn't come to that," Namur chuckled, putting his hand on top of Sabo's head. "You three have been family since you stepped into our home. If you'd run away, it would have been a devastating loss. But we wouldn't have forced you to come back. Everyone here wants to be here." He watched Whitebeard for a few more moments. "The old man's gonna hate it when Luffy goes off on his own."
"Well, that won't be for another nine years," Sabo murmured. "I'd say there's a chance of talking him out of it, but…" A proud smile lit his face. "My little brother is going to be the Pirate King."
Namur grinned, flashing all of his teeth. "I look forward to it."
"Oi, why don't we not talk about the kids growing up?" Curiel's grumpy voice had Sabo turning to look at him, flashing a grin when he saw the scowl on Curiel's face.
"We won't stay little forever, if that's what you're thinking," Sabo joked.
"True as that may be, you should enjoy your youth while you have it," Curiel muttered, shaking his head.
"He says, as if he's some old geezer who can't lift his guns anymore," Namur mocked with a smirk.
"Oh, blow it out your ass, you oversized guppy," Curiel snorted. "I'm just saying… the faster they grow up, the faster Luffy leaves the ship - the faster they start setting out on their own."
"Curiel, are you getting sentimental on us?" Sabo pretended to gasp in shock, widening his eyes.
"Oh, ha ha, tease me," Curiel retorted, knocking Sabo's hat off - onto the deck rather than into the water, as they'd learned their crazy new trio of little brothers had a habit of jumping in after their possessions - and ruffling his hair. Curiel's grin at Sabo's indignant huffing only made Sabo scowl harder. "But I'm not as young as I used to be, either. I've seen many a new face come and go. Doesn't get any easier."
Sabo's scowl softened as he hopped down off the railing to collect his hat. "Do people really leave that often? I thought everyone was family here."
"Well it's not like they leave forever," Curiel sighed, shaking his head. "But once you go your separate ways… well, you'll understand someday. You'll look back on these days and wish they'd lasted longer."
Sabo regarded him for a moment, but before he could mull the words over and decide if he wanted to dwell on them, his fishing pole jerked in his hands and nearly flew over the side of the Moby Dick.
"Whoa!" Sabo tightened his grip on the fishing pole and tried to yank backwards, excited that he was finally getting something - and hoping it would be something edible - laughing when Luffy was suddenly there, wrapped around his waist and trying to help tug. It hindered more than it helped, but Luffy's enthusiasm helped his own determination, and with cheers from their new brothers and sisters, Sabo was able to reel it in.
It was Thatch who lifted it - a large, angular fish with bright yellow scales - and Namur who declared which parts were edible so that Ace and Sabo could stop Luffy from trying to take a bite out of it on the spot. Thankfully, Whitebeard himself scooped all three boys up before Luffy could get free, and Thatch made off with the fish and a promise to bring back something tasty.
"Oyaji!" Luffy whined. "I was hungry!"
"Oi! It was poisonous! Didn't you hear Namur?" Ace scolded.
"He said some of it was!"
"Yeah…" Sabo laughed, plopping down on the armrest of Whitebeard's chair and enjoying the sun. "The entire outside of it, which is where you were trying to bite."
"Besides, Sabo caught it, so it's his," Ace reminded Luffy.
"Sabo said I could have some!"
"After Thatch cooks it," Sabo stated, closing his eyes to relax. "That was the biggest fish any of us have caught, huh?"
"Yeah!" Luffy agreed, plopping down next to Sabo.
Ace hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, we've caught some pretty huge fish."
"That was definitely the biggest," Sabo retorted, smirking up at Ace. "I'm surprised the rod didn't break."
"I bet I could catch a bigger one," Luffy commented, resting his hands behind his head and looking up at Whitebeard. "Oyaji, have you caught bigger fish than that?"
Whitebeard burst out laughing, amused by his sons' topic of conversation. "Of course I have!"
"So have I," Haruta proudly boasted, climbing up to sit with them. "You guys gotta see the kind of fish they have in the New World!"
"Are they even huger?" Luffy demanded, already starting to drool.
"Way huger," Haruta agreed, laughing at the look on Luffy's face. "I'll show you guys how to catch them!"
"You mean you'll show them how to nearly get yanked into the water, get stuck in the railing due to stubbornness, and have Fossa reel it in for you," Rakuyo teased.
Haruta's cheeks flushed, and then hel smirked, puffing up his chest. "But I still technically caught it."
"Aye, he's got a point," Rakuyo conceded. "No matter who helps pull the bloody thing out of the water, whoever's holding the rod caught the fish."
"I'll catch the biggest one," Ace declared.
Sabo rolled his eyes, but he knew Ace was trying to impress Whitebeard, and well… Sabo didn't mind letting him have that one. "We'll see," he taunted, despite knowing once it came down to the competition itself, Ace was going to win.
...
Haruta tried not to let his worry show. It had been almost a week since Bay had sent Lami out of training, and while it wasn't like they hadn't seen her on the ship - studying medicine or eating meals with everyone - she hadn't returned to spar with anyone at all. He only looked around when he wasn't actively fighting - both Bay and Vista would exploit his distraction to teach him a lesson and his bruises were finally fading from the last time - but somehow he knew she hadn't even come to the room that week.
He glanced back to the training area, where Ace and Sabo were fighting their last match. Haruta had to admit, Ace was impressive with and without his fire. He worked hard whether or not he was showing off for Whitebeard, and now that he had no secrets with his new family, he seemed to throw himself into everything he did without reservation. Pranks, chores, training - Ace was enjoying himself, and it warmed Haruta's heart.
And then Ace slammed Sabo into the ground with a painful looking kick, smirking as he landed nearby. "Hah!"
"That one looked painful," Haruta commented, walking over and offering Sabo a hand up. Sabo took it, grumbling and dusting himself off. His hat had been knocked across the room with his goggles, and his hair was disheveled and unruly.
"Oh, it was," Sabo dryly remarked, limping a little. "You mad at me or something, Ace?"
"Tch, that wasn't any harder than usual," Ace retorted, sticking his tongue out.
"Wow," Luffy commented, hands clasped behind his head as he rocked on his heels near the scoreboard. "Ace won by a lot today!"
"Barely," Sabo muttered, the comment putting him on edge. His eyes flickered to the scoreboard and he paused, looking over the marks and re-counting them in his head as if he'd come up with a different number than what he was seeing.
Ace had not only beaten him more than usual - it was just as Luffy had stated. He'd won by a lot. They were usually evenly matched enough to tie twenty-five to twenty-five, maybe faltering a few victories on each side depending on how it went…
But Ace had beaten him thirty-nine to eleven. That wasn't normal. Worse yet - Ace had gotten his fifty matches with Luffy out of the way first, and while Luffy was still a pushover in a fight against one of them, it still took energy and effort to win fifty times. Sabo shifted from one foot to the other, then shrugged and tried to brush it off. He almost made a snippy remark about how Ace had an advantage with his Devil Fruit, but thankfully, he caught himself before he actually said it.
He knew it would hurt Ace if he lashed out like that just because his pride had taken a hit over what was likely a handful of losses due to distraction or fatigue. Sparring with an Ace who could turn into fire was not new, nor was it an excuse on his part.
Haruta opened his mouth, clearly about to ask if Sabo was feeling alright, so Sabo cut him off.
"Oh well," he said, affecting an indifferent attitude as he retrieved his hat, plopping it on his head. "Doesn't matter - you still aren't going to beat me even once," he taunted Luffy.
"I've been getting stronger!" Luffy boasted, already in his fighting stance.
Ace had an unreadable look on his face as he cleared the area with Haruta, but no one spoke about the scoreboard again as Sabo and Luffy got started on their matches. It looked effortless and incredibly one-sided as Sabo readily beat Luffy back down fifty times in a row, save for a random match near the middle where Luffy actually landed a hit on Sabo - though it seemed to do nothing.
As he landed from the last match - which had basically consisted of Luffy trying to spring himself into the air and get the drop on Sabo and ending with his utter defeat as always - Sabo brushed himself off and shot their youngest brother a cocky look. "Looks like you're still nowhere near as good as me," he taunted.
Luffy struggled to pull himself from the weapons wrack he'd launched into, stretching his neck when his head got stuck. "Just you wait! I actually hit you today. Next time, I'm gonna win!"
Sabo snorted. Comments like that usually amused Sabo, but he was still on edge. "Keep trying, Luffy. Don't get cocky over one hit."
"He has a point, though," Ace spoke up, walking to the weapons wrack and shoving Luffy's head down a bit. Luffy immediately suffered from the recoil, head snapping to the rest of his body and sending him tumbling with a yelp. "He hit you."
"One hit doesn't mean he's going to win," Sabo dryly retorted. He couldn't explain why he was getting so irritated - but he also couldn't figure out why they were dwelling so heavily on the sparring matches. It wasn't like he'd lost to Luffy - It was one hit.
"But it does mean you're not on your game today," Haruta pointed out. "I mean, you lost more than normal against Ace, too…"
"Yeah, you've all mentioned that," Sabo responded with a scowl.
"Are you actually getting mad right now?" Ace asked, shooting Sabo an uncertain look as he headed over to Luffy to yank him up.
"What if I am? Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?" Sabo glared at Ace. "Maybe I just don't feel like showing off."
"No one's showing off," Ace replied, his uncertain look becoming one of agitation. He'd bristled at the insinuation that his wins were a means of simply flaunting his fruit.
"Maybe you should both take a walk," Haruta diplomatically suggested when he saw the glares.
"You know what? I think we will," Ace tugged Luffy's arm, turning away from Sabo before they could start arguing. "C'mon Luffy. I bet Oyaji has more pirate stories to tell you."
Luffy cast a glance back at Sabo, but Sabo was refusing to look at them now, arms crossed over his chest.
"Okay," Luffy agreed, looking up at Ace. "Do you think he'll tell us another story about Shanks?"
"Sure," Ace agreed, leading him from the room and knowing if it was important, Sabo would come after them. If not - he'd sort it out on his own and get back to them later.
"Sabo?" Haruta ventured, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"That walk sounds good right about now," Sabo muttered, yanking away before Haruta could touch him and storming from the room in the opposite direction from where Ace and Luffy had gone.
He didn't bother waiting to see if Haruta or anyone else would try to follow him. He didn't want to talk about his matches with Ace or his matches with Luffy. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about the outburst that had followed it, either.
Thankfully, after about ten minutes of trying to evade anyone's company, he realized no one had bothered to try to stop him or follow him.
Which only served to irritate him further.
Scowling, he shouldered his pipe, which had been gripped tightly in his hand as he'd rushed through the corridors, and shoved the door to the library open. It was the one place he could be sure none of them would bother going if they weren't trying to talk to him. That thought came to a screeching halt when he headed up the stairs, turned a corner, and slammed right into Lami.
She yelped, flailing and falling backwards under a rain of books she'd had precariously stacked in her arms, and Sabo could only stand there, dumbfounded and flustered that he'd run into her at all.
"Sorry!" His brain started working again as the last book hit the ground, and he quickly moved to help her up. "Are you okay?"
Lami blinked herself out of a daze, looking around, before her gaze settled on Sabo. "Yeah, probably just a few bruises. Did any of the books get damaged?"
"Doesn't look like it," Sabo answered, letting go of her so he could kneel to start picking up the books. A moment later, she joined him, and they set the neat stacks on the closest table.
"Thanks - did I miss breakfast?" Lami asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"Breakfast? It's past lunch," Sabo answered, raising an eyebrow at her. "Dinner's in a few hours."
"Shoot," Lami scowled down at the books, then sighed. "Well, I'll just eat at dinner. I still have a lot to do."
"Have you been in the library all day?" Sabo asked, plopping down on the table rather than one of the chairs and shooting her a pointed look.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to be, other than tending to my chores," Lami grumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you even here? Aren't you usually sparring around this time?"
Sabo's expression darkened a little. "Done."
"That seems faster than usual."
"That's rich coming from someone who didn't even know when lunch was," Sabo snapped.
Lami's patience seemed to snap, and she scowled. "I have a lot on my mind right now, Sabo. If you came here to lick your wounds, maybe you should find a different table. I prefer to study in silence."
"Fine," Sabo muttered, jumping back down from the table. "Maybe I'll see you next time we're sparring - oh, probably not, huh?"
"Probably," Lami replied, obviously irritated. "Since I'll be working in the infirmary and you'll need your fair share of bandages."
"That's an awful lot of animosity coming from the two who seemed to get along from the start, yoi."
Both jumped, looking up with wide eyes as Marco came into view, approaching casually and raising his eyebrow. Sabo looked away and crossed his arms over his chest, while Lami lowered her eyes with shame and blushed.
"He started it," Lami mumbled.
"That's mature," Sabo retorted.
"Either of you want to talk about it?" Marco asked. "Or would you rather keep making snippy comments to take it out on each other, yoi?"
Lami's shoulders sagged again and she bit her lip. "I just don't need someone reminding me about my own shortcomings right now. I already know, okay? Bay made it very clear."
Sabo cringed. He'd actually forgotten the reason Lami had stopped coming to spar with them - and the way she'd been removed from it last time. "I didn't mean that," he mumbled, sounding apologetic and hesitant. "I'm just mad at Ace and Luffy. And Haruta."
"C'mon, yoi," Marco said, beckoning for them both to follow. "We're gonna get some air."
They glanced at each other with uncertainty and a touch of awkwardness, then hurried to follow after him. Even irritated, neither one of them wanted to upset or disappoint Marco. If he wanted them to follow, they had no reason not to.
...
"Okay, I'll admit it. That was really cool," Sabo commented, hopping down off of Marco's fiery back and landing with a dull thud. He offered a hand to Lami, but she simply jumped down on her own and landed next to him with a small grunt.
Marco transformed, craning his neck to one side in a stretch before looking down at them. He'd only intended to take them flying for ten or so minutes before touching down on the closest island, but they'd been enjoying themselves and talking about clouds and how far they could see and so many other random things… they'd been chatting as friends, enjoying themselves, and maybe he was a bit of a sucker for all five of his youngest siblings. It had been close to forty-five minutes since they'd gone, but they hadn't gone far; the Moby Dick was still in sight.
"I thought it would be colder - flying in the clouds like that," Lami added.
"No wonder Ace enjoys it so much," Sabo mused, glancing up at Marco. "It's easy to forget about everything else and just enjoy the freedom."
"I'm still getting used to being a babysitter and a source of free phoenix tours, yoi," Marco teased. "But I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. So," he took a seat under the shade of a willowy tree and looked to them, "who wants to start?"
Lami and Sabo exchanged guilty glances, before Lami walked closer to Marco and sat next to him, tucking her knees to her chest. "I'm struggling," she admitted to him, keeping her gaze down as Sabo came over to sit on her other side. "I feel like learning about medicine comes so easily to me, and I was used to being self-sufficient ever since I escaped from that facility… but when it comes to fighting, I'm not getting better at all, and it's so much harder than anything else I've done. I don't think I can do it - and I'm mad at myself for being a quitter."
"Lami…" Sabo trailed off. He couldn't deny that she hadn't improved, or that she was better at practicing medicine than wielding a sword, but he really had no idea what would comfort her. She wasn't like Luffy - she'd argue with him if he gave her a placating peptalk.
"Bay asked me if I really wanted to become strong - or if I just wanted people to tell me I was strong," Lami continued, clutching the fabric of her pants. "And the worst part is… I don't know the answer."
Marco nodded once, thoughtfully, then looked to Sabo. "And you, yoi?"
Sabo almost tried to divert the subject back to Lami - to focus on her so he didn't have to talk about it - but running from his problems wouldn't help anyone, least of all him.
"Ace is beating me more than usual," Sabo answered, crossing his legs and looking at Marco. "I mean, we always trade off. Sometimes he wins, sometimes I win… but today he beat me thirty-nine to eleven." He looked away, trying to pretend it wasn't bothering him as much as it was. "And then Luffy landed a hit on me and everyone made a huge deal about it."
"Thirty-nine to eleven?" Lami repeated softly.
"It's not a big deal," Sabo muttered, flicking a bug off his knee.
"It's not," Marco agreed. "But it's bothering you, yoi."
"Isn't it also good that Luffy's getting better?" Lami ventured.
"It means I'm not," Sabo answered, his voice tense.
"So you're both having the same problem, but for different reasons, yoi," Marco concluded. When they both turned to him, he inclined his head to the side a little. "Sabo hasn't been training as hard as his brothers - and Lami hasn't been applying herself to her own training. Both of you just thought it'd come naturally, yoi."
"I do too work as hard as Ace and Luffy!" Sabo snapped.
"I tried really hard to learn swordsmanship," Lami argued, her cheeks flushing.
"I believe both of you," Marco told them, holding his hands up in a show of peace. "I know you both work hard. But you both need to admit that there was a certain level of complacency involved here. It's not a bad thing, yoi, but if you expected more…"
Sabo quickly looked away, but Lami held his gaze. He waited patiently, his eyes filled with understanding, and she felt incredibly foolish for snapping at him.
When she finally spoke, her voice wavered. "When I found out I had some kind of hidden talent for medicine… it was like I finally found a part of myself. That was when I started hearing the voice, and it made me feel safe - and before that, I don't even think I knew what safe meant. And then I came here with all of you and I had a family who accepted me even though I couldn't remember my past. Even though I might have had powerful enemies who could come after me without warning." She clutched the fabric of her pants tighter. "I thought I'd be just as good with anything I really tried. I've never had trouble learning new things, but this was just so much harder…"
Marco reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to continue.
"Bay's right. So are you… I wasn't trying as hard, and when Bay confronted me I was so humiliated and frustrated, I decided to just focus on medicine, without her help. And I haven't heard the voice that made me start learning in the first place… not once, since that day," Lami admitted, bowing her head.
"What do you want, Lami?" Marco asked. "I'll ask you the same question Bay asked you, yoi. Do you want to become stronger, or do you just want us to tell you you're strong?"
"Both," Lami whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "I want you to tell me I'm strong. But I want to earn it. I want to be strong, and be a surgeon, and have time to spend with everyone!"
Marco looked to Sabo again. "And you, Sabo? What do you think?"
Sabo looked away. "I guess maybe I haven't been trying as hard as I could," he muttered. "But I don't think I've become complacent…" he fidgeted, clearly starting to get antsy. "Have I?"
"As far as I understand it, yoi, you kids fought to become stronger on a mountain full of beasts, with new challenges every day and your fair share of enemies to defend against. Now you have an entire ship of brothers and sisters looking out for you, and your sole focus isn't training. You play pranks with Thatch, you fish, you read, you learn about building ships and engineering - you're doing a little bit of everything, yoi. It's not bad - but you aren't focusing as much as Ace and Luffy are," Marco said, shrugging. "Especially when it comes to Ace. If anything, he's become more determined to get stronger ever since Luffy dropped his secret to the whole ship, yoi."
Sabo looked up at Marco, expression uncertain. "So I have to what, spend my entire life training if I want to keep up with my brothers?"
Marco actually laughed. He shook his head, smile apologetic since he hadn't meant to laugh at their distress. "No, Sabo. But if you don't work as hard, you shouldn't expect to keep up. You should expect to lose a little more often, and for Luffy to get a hit in. And Lami, if you're not throwing yourself into learning to use a sword the way you throw yourself into the books you scour in the library, you're not going to improve any time soon."
Lami sighed and let her chin rest on her knees. "I know that."
Sabo pushed himself to his feet, walking a few feet away and then sighing. He took his pipe off his shoulder and twirled it, appreciating the weight of it in his hand. "It feels like a lifetime ago," he admitted quietly. "When Luffy got taken by Bluejam and I was at the mercy of my parents in Goa… it barely even seems real after all the time we've spent on the Moby Dick with everyone." He swung his pipe out a few times with no real aim, just moving it. "I'm proud of Ace. I'm proud of Luffy. The three of us are living our dreams - but today was the first time I've ever felt like I'm being left behind. Like I'm not living my dream."
"What is your dream?" Lami asked, lifting her head again. "I know Ace wants to be famous, and Luffy wants to be the Pirate King… I'm gonna be a Surgeon. But what about you? Didn't you say you wanted to write a book?"
Sabo lowered his pipe, looking out into the horizon at her words. He reached up to take off his hat, looking down at the goggles and turning it slowly in his hand. "I wanted to see the world," he recalled, a dull ache in his chest at the memory of that day. "I wanted to see the whole world and write a book about what I saw."
"You wrote a lot more when I first got here," Lami recalled, fidgeting. "Have you written anything lately?"
"No," Sabo's shoulders sagged a little. "I should." He turned back to them, plopping his hat back down onto his head. "Lami, I think you should go back to learning how to use a sword."
"You do?" Lami looked at him in surprise. "But I'm terrible with a sword."
"Well, right now you are," Sabo corrected, shrugging. "But you can get better. Would the mystery voice tell you to quit or tell you to push yourself?"
"I think… I think he'd tell me to push myself," Lami admitted. "But only if it's not detrimental to my own health."
"Sure - I've never heard a mystery voice so I'll take your word for it," Sabo joked, grinning. "What do you think, Marco?"
"I think Lami could be a great surgeon and swordswoman, yoi," Marco said, looking down at her. "I think it'll take years of practice, discipline, training - a hell of a lot of bruises and blisters - but surviving what she has, I think she has the tenacity and determination."
Lami's cheeks flushed at his words, warmth spreading through her entire body.
"And I know I can keep up with my brothers, fruit or no fruit - Pirate King or no Pirate King," Sabo chuckled, shouldering his pipe and cracking his knuckles.
"We just have to keep at it," Lami agreed. She looked determined. "Even if I have to practice hitting a dummy for the next five years. I want to be stronger."
"Well, I'm sure someone can hold Thatch still for the first year - after that he'll probably start complaining too much, yoi," Marco added thoughtfully.
"Marco!" Lami looked up at him and grinned. "That's terrible! Thatch is really sweet!"
Sabo tried and failed to hide his snickering. "I should tell him you skipped breakfast and lunch, Lami. He'll have a fit."
"Okay, we're going back," Marco decided, pushing himself to his feet. "You need to eat, Lami. And you need to talk to Ace, Sabo."
"Okay, okay," Sabo agreed, nodding. "We can go back." He clasped his hands behind his head and grinned up at Marco. "After a couple more laps around the ship?"
Lami hurried to her feet, looking up at Marco with hopeful eyes, and he sighed.
"You two are so spoiled, yoi."
...
A/N: The good news is, I got my tablet working so I can write more often, and I'm damn determined to keep updating since I love writing so much and I have so many things planned.
Quick note about the story - Lami is not an OC nor is she being set up as the focus of the story, however she is one of the main side characters whose plot is connected to bigger things. Likewise, this story has always had one larger overarching plot that is guiding the current story, and as much as I wanna Skip To The Good Stuff, I'm trying not to rush the plot, either. Thank you for having patience with me, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy :)
~Mithril