Guest: Nami. Says so in the little tid-bit before the first chapter- or at least, it's implied. :)
I'm sad! This chapter is dull. Apologies in advanced. But I digress- enjoy.
CHAPTER SIX: A Meeting
We, we all have days full of doubt
We've all been lost in the crowd
We all fall short, we all make mistakes
But you, you pick yourself up and you fight
You do what you need to survive
So breathe every breath like it's the last you'll take
"You're seriously, the most ridiculous excuse for a captain I've ever laid my eyes on," Del said, checking the compass for the first time since they'd set sail. "Hard to starboard!" she called, and Will grunted loudly to show he'd heard. She'd hoped that Eri at least had some navigational skills, but apparently not. "So we need a navigator. Who cares? We can pick one up in uh... what was it, Shikamaru* Island?" Del sighed, resisting the urge to facepalm.
"Shimotsuki Village, baka." They'd agreed to going there on Eri's own discretion. She'd insisted that there was some sort of clue to her father's whereabouts there, and she didn't seem to really care that she was pushing back the whole 'Grand Line' thing. Del didn't really give a hoot nor howl if they did go there- all that mattered to her was that she regained her memory. Will and Raiden didn't seem to agree.
Del didn't exactly know what their dreams were, but the obviously relied on the Grand Line to help them out. She had ended up helping Eri's cause, though, bring up the whole part about how they would probably end up in the Calm Belt because none of them were very gifted navigators. Raiden was probably the closest thing they had to one, and even then... "OI! LAND HO!" Raiden shouted, from his perch in the bird's nest.
She nodded to herself. They couldn't get lost now. "So what's so important about Shimotsuki, captain?" she asked curiously. Eri hadn't really elaborated when they'd set sail days ago. Eri stood up precariously atop the figurehead and proclaimed, "Roronoa Zoro comes from here!" There was a thump behind them, and Del whirled. Raiden was faceplanted into the ground, ass in the air. He straightened, groaning and rubbing his nose.
"Roronoa Zoro! Why do you think he's got a connection with your father?" he asked, forgetting momentarily about his injuries. Del threw a sideways glare at nothing in particular as she muttered, "Goddamn machines..." "Well he was my dad's swordsman. Didn't you know?" Eri made it sound as if it was common knowledge. "Yeah, sorry if I didn't like reading up on pirates in a town with literally dozens of marine dogs at every corner," Raiden grunted.
"How are we so sure he's there, anyway?" Will asked, emerging from the control room with his shirt wrapped around his waist and sweat beading his forehead. It was a hot day indeed. "Well after I was born they kind of dispersed. Went back to wherever and that was that. I saw my mom once when I was about ten, and she told me that Roronoa Zoro went back to his birthplace. Which is here."
Del idly wondered who her mother was, but didn't pry. They docked the boat in a mostly empty harbor, and left Will to deal with its protection. He seemed glad to do so, as well, because he waved cheerfully as they left. "Lazy," Eri criticized. Raiden slapped her on the arm as if he were scolding her. "Sick," he corrected. Will had contracted an infection after all, and since they had none of the wonder medicine aboard, he'd been forced to take it easy. His monster immune system, of course, probably was already pushing the last of the bacteria out of him anyway.
"So... where do you think he is?" On cue, Raiden and Del fell to the ground in woe. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW, BAKA-MIZETTO!" Raiden yelled, irritated at the stupid grin on her face.
In the end, they splintered off once the village started and hoped for the best. Raiden, being the smartest (in his opinion) of the three, had asked a villager where the dojo was located, and was now standing before it, feeling a bit apprehensive. What if he'd slowed down a bit? THe man had to be at least in his early forties by now. For all he knew, Zoro could be at home, sipping tea and reading a novel on his front porch steps.
Raiden shook his head at the thought. Zoro was known for his monster strength. It wasn't like he was some white haired grandpa. Raiden passed the gates with renewed vigor and didn't let his shock show when a... rather old, man appeared at his side. His long, dark gray hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he wore a boring (also gray) robe. Just like that, all Raiden's confidence faded. "A-Are you Roronoa Zoro?" he asked.
He couldn't believe this man was a pirate. He looked more likely to teach yoga classes at the senior citizens' center. The man smiled. "Heavens, no! My name is Koshiro, I'm the master at this particular dojo." Raiden's shoulders dropped in relief. "Well, do you know where I could find him?" Koshiro's smile never faded, though he seemed to tense a bit. "And why would you want to find him?" Koshiro asked, dark eyes dropping down to Raiden's weapon belt and back again.
Raiden could've laughed. This Koshiro guy thought he was here to assassinate him! 'I wouldn't push my luck with that one,' he sweatdropped. He'd probably die if he tried that one. "My captain wants to talk to him," he admitted. Koshiro seemed to deliberate. "...And what would pirates want with him? Surely you don't have any... ideas, correct?" The eyes flitted down to his belt again.
"Look. I have no idea what runs through a mind like her's. Just tell me if he's here."
Koshiro hmmed. "Your captain is a woman?" Raiden almost nodded, then stopped. "Well she's more of a girl. Younger than me, at least. Not the point. Is he here or not?" Raiden felt like he was wasting his time. Koshiro obviously was reluctant in giving up Zoro's location.
Koshiro hmmed again and said, "Tell you what. Get your crew over here, and then we'll talk." He then turned and walked away, leaving Raiden stranded at the gate. He grumbled a curse under his breath and stomped away to find his friends.
Eri was seated at a bar, shovelling food into her mouth. Yes, she was here for a purpose, but there was no law prohibiting her from feeding her starving stomach. "So, old man, you know if I can find a Roronoa Zoro round here?" she asked the barkeep, pausing in her assault on the flank of a lamb. The barkeep looked shocked that she was asking such a thing, and also a tad offended, since he hadn't even reached his thirty fifth birthday. "I hope you don't plan to cash in on his bounty. Any poor soul who's tried have walked away with their egos stripped along with half their bodies," he replied cautiously.
She fumbled around in her pocket and unearthed a crinkled photograph. It was the only thing she'd ever recieved from her mother, and was yellowed with age. She showed him. "I'm trying to find him." Her finger strayed towards Luffy to tap him right over his hat. "I've got a few questions." The barkeep's eyes seemed to pop. "H-HAVE YOU GOT A DEATHWISH?" he cried shrilly. Eri returned the picture to her pocket, shoulders jerking in laughter.
"I said I had questions, not that I wanted to off his head," she giggled. Idly, Eri wondered how many people blew through to try their luck against the Greatest Swordsman In The Whole Damn World. Probably alot; she guessed it was a pride thing. "Still, it's not a good idea, girly," the man insisted. Eri felt touched, but at the same time a bit offended. She could do anything she rightly liked, thank you! She didn't need somebody to tell her that it wasn't a good idea. She knew he was a good person- therefore, it was indeed a good idea.
"I think that I know what I'm doing, grandpa." She flicked a gold coin on the counter and stood, placing her hat on her head in finality. When she turned back around, the man looked terrified. "By the way. You never answered. Where is Roronoa Zoro?" The barkeep 'meep'ed and began to frantically clear her dishes from her spot. "He should be at the Isshin dojo, m-ma'am." She nodded her thanks and skipped out, as if she was ten instead of seventeen.
"Straw hat," the barkeep squeaked.
'Dango is seriously the best stuff out there,' Del thought happily, sliding another ball of the stick in her hand with her teeth. She had a box tucked under her arm that held another dozen. She'd gotten it from a weird street vendor guy, who was older than the hills... and pervier than them too. Shimotsuki village wasn't very populated, but there were many stands set up, and a few people very much liked that. Very few shops were there along the roads, and those that were were super sized and sold either food, or apparel.
Del snuck into a particularly dark one called 'Stud', a michievous smile on her face. Yes, she was sort of asking around for him, but every time she did people either would walk away with their noses in the air, or warn her off him and not tell her anything. It was maddening, and she needed a break. There was an entire bag of beli in her pocket, so why the hell not?
Stud was indeed dark. The only illumination came from the candles that were in holders mounted along the walls, and a single bulb crackling by a wire from the ceiling. 'How much you wanna bet they do this so you can't read the pricetag?' she thought in amusement. Most of the merchandise they had were men's clothing, hats and a few different types of shoes. There was a small patch in the left hand corner that held a few unisex satchels, but other than that, this store was obviously not meant for women.
The boy sitting behind the front counter was shamelessly flipping through a Playboy magazine, and didn't even look up as she entered. Del wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Sup man. You're lucky. This is half-off hour," he said boredly. "For your information, I'm not a man," Del replied caustically, eating another ball off the stick. She tossed the sticky, well, stick into a nearby bin and cracked open the box to grab another.
This time the boy looked up. From the slight stubble that grew on his chin, Del guessed he was around her age, with dark and guarded eyes and a perminant scowl on his face. 'Why is that so familiar,' she thought sarcastically, a picture of Raiden forming in her mind. "Well, uh, you do know this is a guy shop, right?" he said awkwardly, casually sliding the magazine off the counter. It landed with a flop, and he didn't make a move to pick it up.
She felt like laughing. Instead she settled for smirking, her brazen attitude shining through. "Damn, again with this? I can't believe people have so many issues with crossdressers. Jeesh," she grumbled, crossing her arms for added effect. The boy waved his hands frantically. "N-No, it's just a b-bit surprising!" he said. Seeming to ignore the fact that she was in a blue-and white striped blouse and a denim miniskirt. "Dude. I was joking. I'm just bored."
As if proving a point, she began to peruse the racks of clothes until she got to the Wall O' Hats. There was everything there- cowboys hats, bandannas (did those count as hats?), helmets, even a multicolored afro that could probably be considered a helmet on its own. It even had that damned paperboy hat that Raiden never took off. Her interest was piqued when her eyes fell upon a tan packer hat, leather straps tied through two metal rings in its top and forming a loop to hang it from her neck.
She took it down from its hook and experimentally placed it on her head, glancing at herself through the grimy mirror that was mounted next to it. The hat seemed to dwarf her, almost dropping to her browline, and only a few pieces of her blue hair flipped up from under it. She looked like a child playing dressup, yet she couldn't help but squeal. "This hat is cool!"
She set the box down so she could reach for her bag of coins, glancing at the pricetag that hung from the bill and in her eyes. 400 beli. That was actually pretty cheap- she could live with that. She gripped the right amount in her hands and went to the counter to pay, rolling the coins casually over the glass at him. Then, remembering her real mission, she asked, "By the way, do you know where I could find Roronoa Zoro?"
The boy froze in the act of counting her money and stared at her. "I sincerely hope you aren't one of those idiots who think they can defeat him. Because really. Nobody can." Del didn't bother pointing out that his view was bias and said, "Noooo, my captain needs to ask him a few questions." The boy handed her back her change silently, and offered to remove the tag for her.
She ripped it off casually on her own instead and waited patiently. "...I heard he practices alot at Isshin dojo. That's all." He then turned his attention elsewhere, and she walked out happily. A lead! She walked up to the nearest pedestrian, an old woman, and asked the directions.
The woman, rather suspiciously, pointed down the road and said, "At the second intersection, turn right." Then walked away. Del didn't mind her terseness- she was kind of in a rush too. She just hoped her crewmates were having as much luck as she was.
The first person Raiden ran into was Eri. He'd gone to the 'rougher' part of the village on a whim, and she'd not dissapointed. "Hey so I went to Isshin dojo and-" he started, only for her to interrupt. "Oh, really? That's what grandpa in there said. How was it?" Raiden made a face. "The man there was really weird. He told me to round up my crew and then we'd talk." Eri laughed, "Weird people are always the best people. Where'd Del go?"
To which he shrugged. "Dunno. But she's probably gonna end up at the same place anyway..." he trailed off, eyes locking on the short girl that was darting down the street with a grin. He couldn't really tell from the back, but he was pretty sure that would be Del. "...Aaaand she's gonna beat us there. C'mon." He grabbed Eri (who was oblivious) by the elbow and ushered her on, going back the way they came.
He was happy that it hadn't taken all that long to round them up. But he was also worried- would the swordsman laugh at them once he saw the measly crew Eri'd slung together? He could imagine it now. "Is that everyone you've got?" the man would scoff. And then Eri would reply with a, "Nooo, my musician is guarding my ship for me!" and Del and Raiden would die from embarassment and the swordsman would cackle madly and not help at all.
Raiden sighed theatrically. He needed to lighten up. He'd inherited his pessimistic attitude from his father and it had stuck around like an annoying fly that just. Won't. Die. In all honesty, he was afraid of the coming events- which made him feel weak, considering that Del and Eri were chatting animatedly about it with large grins on their faces. Zoro had such a large reputation in the East Blue that it wasn't even funny.
Logue town never shut up about it, even after all the years he'd been supposedly 'out of commission'. Zoro did this, that, and he killed the other thing. Hey, did you hear Zoro sent one guy flying into the middle of the ocean and nobody ever saw him again? I heard he once chopped an entire village in half for forgetting his fatty tuna when he ordered it. Remember that time Zoro walked on water? How bout when Zoro used eight swords instead of three? The time Zoro took out a whole pirate fleet in the Grand Line because they disturbed his nap? No, that was Hawkeye Mihawk! Bullshit! I swear on my still-living grandmother's grave that it was Zoro!
He felt like he knew his life story from listening to the gossip. Now, he didn't believe half of it, but it certainly brought chills down his spine. "We're here!" Eri announced, thrusting the rusting gate inward theatrically. Del giggled and said something about pigheadedness, to which Eri replied that she didn't have a snout. Raiden rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to think up the best passive agressive way to handle things.
Before he could make them sit down and construct daisy chains, Koshiro appeared, a sword in his hand. He scoffed confidently at them, though he remained expressionless. "Pitiful." He seemed to leer at Eri when he said, "Of course women are a bit weaker than men, so I don't blame you at all, dear." Eri's eyebrows raised, and she looked back to Raiden as if for guidance. "Can I hit him?" Raiden and Del threw their hands in the air in unison. "YOU'RE THE CAPTAIN!"
Raiden shouldered past her to glare at Koshiro. "I did what you want. Now can we talk with him already?" Koshiro held up his sword and said, "If you can defeat me and make me drop my sword you may pass, knifesman." Raiden raised his eyebrows and released knife #1 from her sheath. This would be no target practice- and since #1 was the biggest of them all, well, he had to keep it as equal as possible. The girls plopped down against the cement wall as if readying themselves for a show.
It was alot like dancing. Raiden wasn't in his element here- he was more used to aiming to maim or seriously injure, throwing things and getting his way. Just powelling around with this man and trying not to kill him was figuratively killing Raiden as well. He knew little to nothing about swordsmanship, even if the knife and the sword were so closely related.
So he went with his sheer strength and brutality instead of stealth and grace, like Koshiro was relying on. Sure, he couldn't dance, but he could charge. And that was how it was for a while, Koshiro prancing around and faking him out while Raiden charged and aimed to hit the sword out of the man's white knuckle grip. Until Eri decided that she was bored and hollered, "Seriously, Raiden, just do it the way you know how!" Raiden snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked annoyed.
So he jumped back for a moment, sheathing #1 and removing a throwing knife. This time he danced awkwardly with the man until he got a good shot, and took it. The blade whistled straight and true towards Koshiro's hand, who immediately dropped his sword to avoid losing a pinkie and caught it out of the air with the hand. He tossed it back, and Raiden fumbled to catch it. Koshiro smiled. "Your captain is a wise person."
He led them into one of the buildings on the lot and down a hall, into a wide, expansive room. It was mostly empty, save for the bin of wooden katana by the door and a few straw mannequins pushed up against the side. In the middle of the room stood a man practicing on one of the mannequins. He said something with a voice too low to hear and charged, a blur. When he passed the mannequin and sheathed his swords, the mannequin fell apart, straw disks tumbling to the floor and rolling. The man kicked one with a socked foot casually.
Raiden and the others took off their shoes as they entered as well. "And these are the brats you were telling me about, Koshiro?" he grunted, staring at them cooly. Raiden self-consciously swallowed. Roronoa Zoro was even more intimidating than he'd thought he'd be. He was muscular and tall, and to top it off, shirtless. Even Raiden admired the work that he'd put in to get his body to look like that. "Yes they are," Koshiro said.
The man waved a hand impatiently. "So? Ask your questions already." In answer, Eri unfurled the rolled up photograph and flicked it at him with a finger. It sailed towards him and his hand shot out like a bullet to catch it. "My mother told me to show you this if I ever did find you," she informed as he stared at it a moment. He flung it back like a disk, and she pocketed it again. The entire exchange seemed to go in fast motion.
"I was wondering why that lump of old rabbit bedding looked so much like Luffy's," he admitted, much different from before. Zoro didn't seem so bored anymore; in fact, Raiden figured he looked a little excited. He waved them forward casually, and sat indian style on the floor. The trio copied him after a moment. "So. I don't suppose she sent you, did she?" he inquired. Eri shook her head. "Haven't seen her for years. But I'm more interested in Dad- considering I haven't seen him in... ever." Eri sounded a tad bitter.
She wasn't being hyperbolic. "That doesn't surprise me. He always did do stupid things when we traveled together," Zoro empathized, looking awkward as he did it. "Do you have any clue where we can find him?" Eri asked, bouncing now. But she stopped when Zoro shook his head. "No clue. Last time I was in contact with him, he was in Raftel, and that was years ago." Eri blinked blankly at him for what Raiden thought were hours before Zoro muttered, "Oh wait, I forgot. You're HIS kid."
"Raftel is the last island in the Grand Line before you hit the New World," he clarified. She made an 'ohhh' sound then straightened. "It's an idea. By the way. Did you ever find the One Piece?" The question made Zoro stiffen as if he'd been electrocuted, and he gave her a guarded look. "...And why would you want to know?" he demanded, eyes narrowing. 'Real suspiscious guy we've got here,' Raiden thought, sweatdropping.
"Cause I want to know if there's something out there that's worth it before I start digging up the island looking for it," she replied bluntly. Zoro waited a bit, probably thinking it over, before he said, "There's something there, yeah. Worth it, maybe. What you'd expect, no." His lips curled into a slight smile, crinkling a scar on his face. He didn't really look forty when he smiled, Raiden thought.
"Look. If you're anything like my captain, everything will work out in the end. Now get out of my dojo-" -Koshiro interjected with a 'my dojo, you slimy invertibrate'- "Koshiro's dojo, and find the One Piece. If I see you again before you're Pirate Queen, I'll pound you and the rest of your puny trio into the dirt."
Eri grinned a million watt smile as she ammended, "Quartet! My musician is guarding the ship!" Raiden facepalmed. Was he psychic? Zoro raised his eyebrows. "I don't suppose it's a dinghy, is it?" This time, Raiden butted in before Eri could say anything more stupid crap. "No, we got rid of it." He stood, and politely offered an arm to the two girls still on the ground. Del accepted; Eri did not.
"I 'spose you don't want to join my crew, do ya?" she asked instead.
Zoro burst into incredulous laughter. "HELL no. I'm much too old to be doddering around with a bunch of brats like you." Raiden leaned towards Del and whispered, "Who the hell says 'doddering' anymore?" Del laughed quietly behind a hand and didn't reply.
Eri slumped as she stood, her cheeks puffed up to the max degree. "I thought you could help us find Dad," she whined. Zoro's face contracted ruefully, and he hesitated before saying, "You've obviously never heard the stories. I've got a bit of a... problem... with, er, navigating... and shit."
His face hardened as if daring them to comment and he stood as well, thrusting out a hand. "Come back when you're worth meeting." Eri grinned and shook it twice with surprising force. She turned away after that, and waved a hand. "Will do, jii-san," she sang. The trio broke for it in laughter as Zoro began screaming threats at their backs, Raiden barely blocking a flying mannequin. 'Fast,' he thought nervously.
They erupted into the sunlight in childish giggles. All of a sudden, Eri sombered up. "Well this was pretty pointless. He's got no clue where Dad is, he won't tell us what's at the end of the line, and he didn't join to help," she said, sighing. Del pressed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she replied, "You finally met someone close to him, though. Is that really so useless?" Raiden nodded in ascent. Sure, it wasn't THE Pirate King, but it was his right hand man. Surely that counted for something. "Anyway, let's set sail. I'll bet Will's feeling a bit annoyed right about now," Del continued, and took the lead.
Will wasn't feeling annoyed, actually. He'd had an enjoyable time all alone for once, away from everyone with nary a screech to be heard. And he'd gotten so much done, as well- he'd reviewed and narrowed down the islands his sister could be at from the maps Del had provided, though it was still pretty extensive. He held up the thick cardstock paper to the light, hoping for the ink to dry faster. "She's on one of those islands," he thought, running his finger down the numbers he'd listed them in.
His sister was predictable in a way that only he would know. She had interests that only he would know about- such as her hatred for muggy climates, but her equal distaste for the dry. She hated the cold, but she felt even worse towards the hot. All in all, it narrowed down the seasons of the islands and therefore, the islands, to just spring and fall. He'd figure out the correct route to go to hit them all as they sailed down the Grand Line, but he would take one step at a time.
He rolled up the maps he'd borrowed and stuck them back into Del's satchel that rested by his foot. She'd gone back to her temporary room as soon as the marines were taken out and grabbed everything she'd ever need, ever. Including the wardrobe she'd been able to collect in the few days she was there. 'Women,' he sweatdropped, and pushed back his chair. His hand ached. There were more islands in the Grand Line than he'd thought. And some of them weren't even on the map- it being old enough to be his grandmother's grandmother.
Still, he felt good about where he was going. She wouldn't pick somewhere that was next to empty, because she was smart, but definately wouldn't pick somewhere heavily populated. He vividly remembered her announcing vehemently every time they arrived back from the market, "I HATE crowds!" Then she'd run up the stairs to her room as if the devil himself was on her tail and not come back down until called for dinner.
"Where the hell are you?" he murmured, twining his fingers behind his head. He wanted badly to prove that he hadn't meant what he'd said. It was years ago. He was just a kid- he didn't know the wounds he'd inflicted upon her. However, that still didn't give him the right to lash out as he did. Stupid, rash, careless child. He'd never make that mistake again. The pain that never really left his chest had faded slightly as soon as he'd agreed to come with Eri- he was actually going to find her. And then he could explain what he couldn't all those years ago.
FLASHBACK:
"Nee-chan, come play pirates with us!" Ten-year-old Will was bashing on his sister's door with enough force to rattle the house. Beside him, his best friend Ryoichi was sighing and dramatically shaking his head. "She won't do it, Will, she's too old to play around with us," he mumbled rejectedly, staring down at his dirty feet. Will simply ignored it. Ryoichi was always a pretty depressed person- or at least, he looked like it. Will didn't think that he was all that sad in reality, though he knew his family at home were pretty rough and tough.
He banged again. "NEEEEE-CHHHAAAANNNN!" The door flew open, and out popped an enraged redhead with the glare of a practiced pirate captain. The two boys comically held eachother and squealed, "She's going to eeeaaattttt ussss!" Paz's glare softened, and she flicked back her hair as she crouched beside them. Her brown eyes gazed steadily at them, though not unkindly. "You should really listen to Ryo-kun, otouto. I'm three years older than you- that means that I've much better things to do than chillax with you kids."
Will glared at her, all hesitation gone. "That's stupid! Thirteen isn't that old! We have ships and stuff already, why can't you play?" Paz jerked her thumb behind her. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm doing anything. I just find it dumb to be powelling around with you losers." Now, Paz hadn't meant that. It was of course a big sister's duty to pick on her brother, and that applied to his bratty friends as well.
Of course, ten-year-old Will didn't understand that. "We're not losers, baka yarou! If anything, YOU'RE the loser!" he cried, balling his fists, "You just sit in your room all day and do nothing! Do you even go to school? Do you even have friends? Where's your dreams, huh?!" He didn't like being called a loser. And having it become like a second name over the years had utterly pissed him off. But he couldn't stop the twinge in his chest as his sister adopted a hurt expression.
"...That doesn't matter. My dreams won't come true," she admitted eventually, straightening until she towered over them again. She seemed a bit tense. "And that's why you lay around all day! Hmph, I just think it's you being lazy. Me and Ryoichi have dreams, right?" Will looked at his friend for help, who wordlessly shook his head. Ryoichi, being the smarter one, knew better than to get into this one-sided argument.
"I'm not lazy, goddamn it. Do you think we have the choice to 'listen to our hearts' and have a 'fist first philosophy' and all that crap? It's ridiculous." She grabbed the collar of his shirt and picked him up off the ground, her muscular arm bulging as she did so. She went nose to nose with him, as if that'd help him see things her way.
"We come from a family of poor shipwrights that breeds like rabbits. We live in a weak kingdom with a weak king and we're more impoverned than the people on the streets!"
Paz sighed, her warm breath tickling his face. "We have no choice. There is no room for advancement from where we are now. We're nothing but mice, and we'll always be mice." She dropped him, and he landed butt-first, tailbone aching.
He glared at her and bushed back the fringe of hair that masked his eyes from view. "You and your pessimistic attitude is why I hate living in this family. If we all thought like that, then yeah, we'll be dirt under everyones' boots. Why do you think I have dreams?"
He got to his feet, brushing off the seat of his shorts as he did so and fixing her with a stubborn look. "I don't care if you stay a nobody for your entire life. I'm going to BE somebody. Screw your mindset." He stomped off, snagging Ryoichi's arm as he went. The last he saw of her was the wounded look on her still childishly round face. And the last thought of her he had that day was that she'd disappointed him.
If only he'd thought to check on her when she didn't show up for dinner that night.
END FLASHBACK
Ryoichi. Another painful memory that he didn't want to think about. Will shook his head and jolted to his feet. A good light jog around the ship would do him well. His shipmates were all snuggled in their beds, but the wood was so thick he'd doubt they'd hear him. He crept up the stairs, shedding his shirt and his boots as he went. The outdoor air was much more inviting than the stuffy indoors, cool and embracing him gently. The faint scent of salt and pepper wafted through the air, odd yet not unpleasant.
He started off at a jog, like he'd thought he'd do. But then every single thought crashed around him like a tidal wave and he went faster. Suddenly it didn't matter to him that his friends were trying to sleep downstairs. Didn't matter that his lungs were begging him for air, or that his calves were aching almost to the point of a double charlie-horse. If he focused on that pain instead of the pain in his head, then surely he would last until the morning sun.
Paz. Mother. Ryoichi. He tightened his ponytail as it started to slip from its place. As a general rule, Will didn't wallow in self pity. Nothing good came of it. They were gone, and 2/3 of them would never come back. He had to accept the things he couldn't change, and change the things he could. Will knew this; but knowing that he needed to stop thinking of them didn't seem to help. The hurt was still there. Every beat of his heart pained him.
They were gone because of him. Because he wasn't strong enough to protect them, 2/3 were dead and 1/3 hated him with the passion of the sun. Anywhere he went seemed to cause chaos. He had yet to feel whole- there was only a short period of time he'd felt like that, years ago, right before everything fell away. He threw himself onto the ground, chest heaving, and saw spots. Maybe he'd over exerted himself. Maybe he was just too sick to be doing this kind of thing.
Weak.
He got up again, ran again. His stomach cramped, the way it always had when he was either crying, or feeling like retching, or a mixture of both. He figured it was a mixture of both when he had to throw himself at the lip of the ship to empty his stomach into the sea and felt the wind cool the tears on his cheeks. Will shuddered, his knees giving out, and let his torso be supported by the Sonata, arms dangling over one side and legs danging over the other.
And then he cried until his gag reflex was activated and he retched, though his stomach was empty and somehow that was worse than anything that had happened recently. Even when his body wanted to throw up, he couldn't even give it that. He wheezed, trying to cry some more, before realizing that those too had disappeared. His stomach muscles loosed over time, and he was able to think more clearly. Something, he realized, he sorely needed.
Eri. Raiden. Del. Father. He sniffed and plopped onto his back on the ship, staring up at the night above. Stars shimmered like beacons in the sky. He'd promised himself he'd protect these people. So that he wouldn't screw up again. Maybe then he'd be worth something. He still had no doubt he'd find Paz- and when he did, his dream would be accomplished. Back then, the only dream he'd had was rule the ocean with an iron fist.
He shifted onto his side, cheek pressed against the rough planks of wood. Smelt like rubber, sweat and lumber. A bit like home. Will allowed a fleeting grin to cross his lips, before he gave in to the exhaustion he'd worked himself into.
Eri tip toed across the deck, and threw the thick blanket over him, making sure it covered his feet. She then cautiously lifted his head, and placed a pillow underneath it. Really, all she'd gone up to do was get a glass of water- but she figured she could do this. It looked like Will had kinda sorta cracked.
Eri didn't blame him. If she'd lost her sister, and whoever it was in that picture, she'd lose herself soon enough. She was sort of surprised he'd lasted as long as he had. Though, she couldn't imagine herself working out to escape her worries. 'Hey, to each their own,' she thought in slight amusement, and went back down the stairs, without her glass of water.
A/N I didn't like this chapter, to be honest. Like, at all. But whatever. As always, R+R
*- Shikamaru is a ninja from Naruto
