I do not own One Piece, Nasuverse or any other show/book/movie or a game that might be mentioned in this story. I only own these couple of words that i wrote.
Warning: Some swearing there and there.
Nobody mentioned the Flying Mint Bunny in the last chapter? *Weeps*
Chapter 3: Forever together, that is a promise!
The four kids carried the large, long scaly animal up above their heads. How had they managed to kill it when neither of them were more than ten? Well... Luffy could tell that story but he is too angry with the rest right now. "I got nearly eaten!"
"Hehehe..." Nervous laugh. "Come on, we got you out of his belly, so you can forgive us?"
"NO!"
It was worth a try.
"Come on Luffy, you will get tons of crocodile meat for dinner! Crocodile meat is really good, right you two?"
Ace and Sabo agreed. Luffy behind them smiled, and his mouth watered. "Then i forgive you."
"That was rather fast..." Sabo sweat-dropped.
"There are a couple of things that Luffy really cares about: One of the most important is having a full belly. Preferably filled with meat."
"Ah! Thank you Scathach, note taken."
Ace in the front grinned upon hearing Sabo's and Scathachs' exchange. Luffy got angry again. "So if we pay him with some meat..."
"NO!"
They laughed again. Luffy was even angrier. "Ok. Let's leave it be before Luffy explodes."
They became silent, enjoying the amusement that was still in the air. Apart from that incident, the day turned out really good. No deadly paths, no people trying to slice them up and all kids were able to strike a conversation. They even got a giant fish for lunch. And later they are going to have some tasty roasted crocodile meat. Scathach felt her mouth water as well.
"Hey, mind if we check something out? Need to know something." Sabo spoke all of sudden.
"Huh?"
"I have been staying over night with one man sometimes up to now. Just want to know how he is doing. In Gray Terminal i mean."
"The old pops with stories?"
"Uh-huh. Hope that he is alright."
"But let's avoid a fight this time."
"What, afraid of a little fist exchange Scathach?" Ace teased.
"No, I am afraid of having a giant mob of murderers and thieves on our tail when we haven't exactly recovered since yesterday."
"Scathach has got a point Ace. We can't afford a fight now."
"That is stupid."
"Come on, let's hide this crocodile somewhere..."
"Awwww! I wanna eat now! Meat! Meat! Sabooo!"
"Sorry, Luffy."
Together they hid the dead animal under some heavy branches and leaves and sprinted through the forest. Oh, how much nicer it looked when one did not have to dodge falling rocks or deadly snakes.
About a half an hour later, Scathach and the rest were crouching behind some greenery, while observing the events before them. Sabo (to displeasure of Ace) earlier explained that he and Ace had saved up a lot of money so that they could get a pirate ship sometime in future, and that they had to move it yesterday. Scathach eyed Sabo for a while, knowing that he was not telling her something. In the end, she just shrugged.
Some men were going about and seemingly searching for something. In was not hard to imagine what they were searching for. Like Sabo said that morning, they stole some money from pirates. Dunno what made Ace do that, or if it was intentional, but it was pretty stupid. Ace now knew that... Scathach unleashed her evil aura to make sure that he knew that. But he saved Luffy so it was fine now.
A number of the men carried real weapons, many were several times bigger than even Ace, and he was the tallest of the newly formed group. Scathach followed behind Sabo as they moved on. They wanted Luffy to go back... he nearly got them spotted.
"NO!"
"He just never listens, doesn't he?"
"Nope." Sigh. They moved on, exited the forest and then walked among the piles of rubbish. They were everywhere. The boys sat on their shoulders to have a better look around, while Scathach snatched a suspiciously looking paper that was on the ground. She had one look at it and grimaced. the rest is not going to like this.
A loud runbling sound made her turn to her right, just to see a mob gathering. Erm... what happened to the 'no men trying to kill them'? And so all of them ran straight back, deep into the green woods. Scathach and the rest sat down, catching some breath a while later.
Scathach looked over the paper again. On it were descriptions of all present. Ace's, Sabo's, Luffy's... and even hers. The pirates were even offering a bag of money for them. Though, funny thing... she was described as an utter devil along with the two older boys. Luffy as their side kick. Wonder how he would react to that.
"Hey, check this out."
Sabo extended his hand and took the paper. If it was possible the blond became even more depressed. "And they even bought pops over..."
"What? If anyone shows up, we can fight." Ace snorted and looked away. Soon he was holding his pipe again, though the annoyed expression was still present.
"We'd better lay low, that is what i meant."
"And we just beat anyone up."
"But we don't necessarily have to look for trouble ourselves."
"Yeah! I agree with Sabo!" Luffy smiled from his tree.
Scathach observed the exchange. While their situation was indeed bad, when it came to Bluejam pirates, now at least there were more people around. She still found it amazing that they got somewhat along. Ace was still in his 'I am cooler than you' mode, but bearable. She hoped that he would warm up to Luffy. She really did... Sabo was clearly the brain of the group, he went from an unknown kid to her favorite pal in a spam of several hours. Luffy was just happy that there are more kids.
When she saw Sabo's depressed expression, she placed one of her hands on his shoulder. He blinked but then smiled, understanding what she wanted to say.
"When you two lovebirds are done, remember to come after us."
One of these days, Scathach is really going to murder Ace. Friend or not.
Later on, Dadan and her group were watching with their mouths wide open as the kids brought the giant lizard over. The manly head bandit put his, (pardon, hers) foot down and demanded answers. Scathach smiled sweetly... and Dadan backed off. For about a minute. After those couple of seconds she was back.
Later that evening, when the crocodile meat touched her lips... she felt as if she were in heaven.
Under the boy's watch, the food disappeared faster than one could say Grand Line, the bandits were trying to scramble at least a small piece of it, then Dadan began to scream. Scathach hopes that there would be more evenings like this. Minus the Bluejam pirates of course.
Scathach heard a silent 'thunk' and she turned around. The rest kept on running, not mentioning that one of them stopped. The sole girl of the group picked up a strange pendant. It was mostly of gold with a large flower that looked very much like a daisy. Without a doubt, very expensive. Valuable not only because of the material used to create such a thing, but also because Scathach recognized that it was not just a pendant.
The white flower engraved on it looked very much like a crest of some noble family. People do put all sorts of things on pendants but Scathach faintly remembered seeing crests of some magical families, and the precision and carefulness with which this pendant was made almost screamed: This flower is not just some random decoration!
Also, it was too big to be a regular pendant, and the small chain attached to it was too short, also looking more like a decoration, rather than having an actual purpose.
….
I any of the boys stole an actual pendant with a symbol of nobles on it, it could mean a lot of trouble. For now, she will just keep it with her.
Scathach put the piece of gold into her pocket and ran after the boys, It did not take long to catch up with them.
She had honestly forgotten about it, mostly due to some animal attacking them, that is why she went with the routine. Bring dinner, roast it, eat it, make a mess and suck some life out of the bandits before going to get a bath. Separately from the boys. She only remembered the thing when she saw Sabo swearing mildly and going quickly through his clothes, over and over.
Out of the three kids, Scathach knew least about Sabo. She liked him more than Ace, but in a way he was a mystery. Day before, he stated that he is just an orphaned child of Gray Terminal. Considering how he looked, it wasn't hard to believe. All dirty, bruised, beaten up and he knew how to turn around in order to survive. Normal kids with parents, home and everything else did not know how to survive on streets.
Yet, something bugged her about him. And it was not just that he was the most sane person of the group.
"Damn it! Where is it?!" Sabo made a panicked face while whispering rather loudly. Her eyes trailed down, and stopped at the buckle of his belt, admittedly, her mind froze at the realization. It was the same daisy. White it wasn't golden, it was the same flower. Design and everything.
That means that Sabo is a son of a noble? But if he is, what would be be doing here of all places?
"Damn it!"
"Sabo?" Sabo straightened faster than she could say his name and looked at her nervously. Scathach saw his eyes trailing nervously around.
"Hehehe... yes?"
Scathach pulled out the pendant and handled it to him. The boy's eyes widened, but he quickly took the thing before hiding it into his pocket. "You dropped it as we were running through the forest. Sorry that I have forgotten about it."
"No, I should thank you, hehe... thank you."
He clearly did not want to talk about it, but... Scathach wanted to know why he was there. Was he kicked out like her, did he run away or did he have any other reason to be here? She really hoped that Sabo is a real friend. If only for Luffy's and Ace's sake. Luffy already liked the boy and while she still argued with Ace often, she did not need him in even a worse mood than before.
That is why when he started walking away, she stopped him.
"Sabo... you are a child of some noble, aren't you?"
Scathach could see the boy become very pale, even if the only source of light right now was the moon coming inside through the window. She pierced the boy with her eyes, his reaction said it all.
"S-Scathach... I..."
"Sabo, I only want to know that you don't mean harm to Luffy and Ace. So look me in my eye and tell me that you are a real friend."
"Scathach! I really, really am your friend! I never lied to you, Ace and Luffy... except for this! I promise!"
She looked him up and down, but then stopped on his face. She felt relief flood her. He was honest. No child would be able to lie like that. "Oh... Sorry Sabo. I just wanted to be sure. You know what Ace or Luffy would do if... you know."
"Yeah... sorry for keeping it from you. But, how did you know?"
"I have seen pendants like that before. Not with the same crest, but similar. Also your belt buckle."
"Oh... sorry..." Sabo slid down onto the floor and let out a hefty sigh. "Will you tell others?"
"No. Not like I have told them anything about my past."
"Your... I thought that you were an orphan too. Just like Ace and Luffy."
"Not entirely. Though I don't think that there is a word that I could be called when it comes to relationship between my and my... parents."
Scathach slid down in front of him. She listened for a moment. Ace and Sabo were making commotion in the main room again, so they won't be disturbed. Should she tell him about herself? Well, yes. At least some truth. Or maybe they can exchange their life stories... like some of the old people in Gray Terminal.
"So.. you don't have a good relationship with them?"
"That is putting it mildly. What about you?"
"..." Sabo sighed again and looked down.
"You don't have to talk if you don't want to."
"It's just... It's hard to explain. Being a noble's kid and stuff."
"I know what it's like."
His head shot up and looked at her. "You do?"
Scathach rose to her feet and made a pose, just like she was thought long time ago. She smiled and began to talk. But the tone of her voice was filled with bitterness, ruining the overall image of a nice girl. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bluebell Roselily Potter, firstborn daughter of James Charlus Potter and Lily Potter, nee Evans of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, descendant of the Most Ancient house of Peverell and a sister of the hero of Great Britain, Harold James Potter."
Sabo's mouth fell open, staring at her as if he saw her for the first time and he remained like that for a couple of seconds before remembering that he needs to say something too. "You.. you are a noble too?! And an Ancient House... you are a higher rank than me."
"Can't really say that I am a noble now, can it?" She saw down again, the bitterness fully shown now. "I tossed that name away years ago. I am far happier as Scathach."
"But.. why? And you said that your brother is a hero?"
"I had a brother that others considered hero... he was more like a symbol of hope, rather than a hero. Something impossible happened when we were still in cribs. But I don't want to talk about it. It made the entire country nearly worship him but it ruined my life."
"Oh..." Silence fell again. Sabo kept sneaking her looks but did not speak. Scathach once again remembered her life in England, but then she tossed the memories back into some faraway corned of her mind and instead listened to some faraway sounds, since the angry noises from below them calmed down.
"I don't know why are you here, but I am sure that you will tell me if you feel like it. Luffy trusts you so I will too. Besides," She grinned. "You are the best at keeping Ace in check."
Sabo blinked but then laughed.
That evening, they have exchanged a couple more words, but nothing specific. The next morning, Scathach unleashed her dark aura on Ace and Luffy. Apparently, she and Sabo looked 'cute' together as they slept.
Dadan was not happy.
So were not the bandits when a pipe found it's way into her hands.
Things flew everywhere, and for the first time Scathach got the pleasure of seeing the look of utter terror on Ace's face. What everyone learned that morning was that Scathach was really mean with a pipe in her hand.
"She is sadistic!"
Or sadistic as Ace said.
From time to time, some people from Gray Terminal walked into the city behind those tall white walls. For business. To trade. To meet someone... there were many reasons. But it was an unwritten rule that all those who come from the scrapyard stay away from the areas where nobles live or spend their daily lives.
A strange duo made it's way inside. One of them a tall man in a white-yellow cape and a hood with some fur, obscuring the face from sight. Next to the man stood a girl, smiling politely but looking only before her like a little proud noble lady.
Behind them, being pulled, was a strange cart with something covered by a gray, faded fabric.
When one of the city guards stopped them and asked what it was, he almost jumped with fright when the saw the crocodile skin. Whimp.
"We are going to sell this crocodile skin." And he let them go without a word.
When Scathach learned what they were planning earlier that day, she grabbed the old piece of rugged cloth they wanted to use originally and tossed it away. Then she pulled out something much nicer looking.
Ace touched the fabric and asked her where she got it. "I found it thrown away. Don't ask me why it was on the scrapyard."
The nobles often threw things away for some ridiculous reasons. Like a small, almost invisible hole that was there in the white-yellow cloak. Scathach sometimes picked things that could be useful for later.
After they sold the skins, they planned to eat something called ramen at some restaurant. The problem was that, from what she learned, the restaurant was in one of those areas for nobles. While the police wouldn't kick them out if they wore something like what they showed earlier, it would attach too much attention.
One more problem. Only three of them would fit under it, and there was no way that they would leave someone out. Ace said that he once managed to get a bowl of it and that the taste was heavenly. Then Scathach pulled out an another thing... the only reason why nobody laughed was the fresh memory of that morning.
It was a dress. A girls dress. Scathach was sure that later on, Ace would make a couple of remarks but it couldn't be helped. Scathach despised such things but she picked this from one of the fresher piles of things couple of days earlier.
A frilly pink monstrosity called dress with a small traveling cape around the shoulders. Once she got a bath and everything, she was hard to recognize. She despised wearing such things but the desire to try out a new dish prevailed and she got in. Besides, it would be fun traumatizing whatever restaurant worker would come close.
So, after beating up a couple of thugs and selling the skins for some nice money (mostly due to Ace's pain promising expression), they started walking through the streets, searching for the restaurant. Soon they found it. When they saw the tall building, Scathach was sure that she heard Luffy making a couple of hungry sounds. And so they entered.
The man there eyed them varily, and grimaced shortly but that was soon hidden behind a polite facade.
"We would like a VIP room."
"I am sorry but we do not serve your kind."
"Oh..." Scathach stepped forward, smiling. "That is too bad. Me and my friend here were hoping to have some of the delicious ramen here... too bad. Who knew that a plain mongrel at such a renowned place could be so brain dead." She chuckled. Scathachs' voice was sweet but at the same time even more venomous than some snake on Mt Corvus. But she needed to perfect it. She was sure that the boys also heard the glee in it.
Well, she will get lots of opportunities.
From her pocket she pulled out Sabo's gold pendant and looked at it with disinterest. The man must have recognized it, because his face gained a very, very unhealthy shade of white.
"After all, someone who was allowed the honor of serving food in this part of Goa Kingdom should be a bit more... understanding. Well, we can always move you to the lower parts. But I am sure that..."
"It's and honor to have you here! Please follow me to our best room! P-please forgive me for being so rude! Anything that you order today will be for free! Just, just don't..."
"Ahh! That is so perfect. Thank you for your hospitality. As for what will happen to this place... we shall see. All depends on mine and my friends opinion."
The four kids in disguise were lead up into the best room as promised.
The door closed and Scathach covered her mouth, making sure that she wouldn't burst with laughter. Ace Sabo and Luffy looked from under the cloak, all spotting wide grins on their faces. Luffy had an especially big one.
"Haha! That was amazing. Maybe I will start liking you more Scathach."
"Ah, thank you Ace."
Sabo looked at her nervously when he realized that she still hadn't dropped the evil smile. "That was one of the most deadly sounding things I have ever heard..."
Scathach chuckled and gave him back the pendant.
The room was gorgeous. Red and white, gold rimmed walls with some gold ornaments in them, in vitrines where were some beautiful crystals, including what looked like a large crystal ball (the only thing that it missed was a witch to try and see the future) and at the end was this large window, making the room full with light. In the middle was a single large table with flowers in middle and a couple chairs around it.
Soon, a waitress brought four bowls of something. Scathach smelled the food and she knew that she would love it.
"This is delicious! You were right!"
"Told you!"
And they ordered more and more. The number of empty bowls grew bigger... does Scathach feel sorry for the people working here? Not really. It was quite obvious that people here would be willing to lick feet of those nobles if it meant that they would simply look at them.
Soon, the pleasant meal cam to an end. Due to Luffy's long extending arms which frightened one of the waitresses when it extended from under the white cloak. And they had to bail. Scathach already threw away the pink dress and walked around in the simple clothes that she had underneath it, that is why she had not problem jumping out of the large window along with others.
All of them were laughing madly. They bounced off the marquise and landed without as much as a bruise and then began running.
Who knew that Ace could have a good idea once a while? Even running away like this was fun! With the four of the together... life was so much more enjoyable.
"Sabo?! Sabo is that you?"
All kids stopped and looked around. Scathachs' first opinion of the man was the she did not like him. Expensive clothing and black cold eyes screamed 'Noble', and one of the lest pleasant ones. Scathach looked back at Sabo and from his hateful expression knew right away who the man was. His father.
"Come back home!"
She grabbed his arm and began pulling him away quickly before the police would capture them.
When Ace and Luffy grabbed the poor boy, Scathach jumped in and whacked them both on back of their heads.
For the last half an hour, they were demanding answers from him as now they knew that Sabo was hiding something. Sabo looked at her, eyes begging to help but she couldn't do anything. He needed to tell them the truth. Well, she could protect him from being strangled to deth by them but that was about it.
'You need to tell them.'
Sabo stared into the ground, much like he did yesterday when Scathach questioned him. The girl herself leaned against a tree, right next to the blond.
After a while, Sabo gathered enough courage and began to speak.
"The truth is that I am not an orphan of Gray Terminal like I told you. My parents are still alive. Sorry for lying." He paused. "That man was, the one who called my name was my father. I am a noble's son."
Luffy made a confused face, but then smiled and forgave him. Luffy was always a good soul, of course he would forgive. Ace was a bigger problem. It was only for a second or two, but Ace was shocked. Not shocked as if he saw Luffy doing something really stupid, shocked as if it really mattered to him. Should Sabo say something wrong, he would loose an important friend.
Scathach really enjoyed these past days a lot. It wasn't perfect but she enjoyed every second. And not only her but Luffy too. Sabo was not a bad person and it would hurt a lot of the group fell apart. She will stand on Sabo's side.
Perhaps it was even time to say something as well. About her past. They do have the right to know.
"To be honest, I am surprised. Why would you do all this if you are a noble's son?" Ace turned around. The voice that he used wasn't angry, but it was slightly cold. Scathach bore her eyes into his back.
"Ace, I had to run away!"
That made him snap and look back. Sabo's eyes now spoke of all the pain that he felt, he wasn't looking at any of them, rather, Scathach would bet that he was looking into his memories. She did not know what exactly made him run away, but she could guess. The nobles around here cared ridiculously about their standing and money, often not caring what sort of strain it would place on their kids, while forgetting such basic things as love.
A real child doesn't care about money, it just wants to be loved. Sabo, her, Luffy and Ace. They were not exceptions. In a way, it was the desire to be around others that made this strange group of kids. Hell would sooner freeze than Scathach would admit that loudly, but she also wanted to be around others.
"I had to study entire day so I would marry a girl from royal family. Just for that. Because if I wouldn't, I would be trash. All they care about it money and their standing. I was always arguing with them because of my poor results and even though they were family, I was a nuisance. Sorry if I offended you, but even if I had parents, I was lonely."
"People from the Gray Terminal weren't like nobles. But it was far better that living with nobles."
Sabo looked at Scathach who stared into distance as the sea. This was the edge of the island, meaning that the wind was much stronger and the power of the sea, which was crashing into the island, could be felt even there, reminding her that she is no longer in England.
"Trust me Ace, Luffy. Being a noble's kid is just... you two wouldn't stay around even for a day."
"I underst... wait, what? Scat... You are a noble's kid too?!"
"Unfortunately. Though not of the local nobles. While I do not know exactly what happened to Sabo, my parents never really had any expectations for me. The nobles from society in which I was born, they are born with a special skill and view those without it something less than human. I wasn't very lucky when it came to it, and it was always very shameful if a noble family gave birth to someone without it or with a very weak one... I got more or less kicked out. There were other reasons, but this was one of the biggest ones."
"Huuuh?! Who kick out their own kid? I don't get it." Luffy asked and Scathach frowned.
"Like parents who think that the kid is a monster that would kill their other kid. When I said that they kicked me out, I meant that father deliberately tried to kill me. And the rest agreed with him. I am far more happier wandering the forest with you, I am free, I have friends. And nobody is looking at me as if I shouldn't have been born."
"The nobles may be rich, nobles from wherever you want, but only the outside looks nice. Inside they are rotten people who know little about value of a human life."
For a second, she had a similar hateful expression to the one that Ace sometimes wore but she quickly hid it.
"You three, let's make sure that we will live as we want. Not as others tell us. Ok?"
Scathach had to nudge Sabo to make sure that he would come back to earth. The boy's eyes sharpened again and stopped reliving his memories. The blond looked at her shortly and then smiled.
"Yeah! When we grow up, let's set sail! Let's go far, far away from here! I wanna see so many things, and then I will write a book about all of it! I don't even mind studying navigation! I will become stronger, and I will become a pirate!"
Scathach made a note to do something for Sabo. The revelation about her past shocked them, she told them far more than she intended but his words really seemed to cheer them up. Luffy was making impression of a sunshine with his smile, again, even Ace seemed to brighten up. She did not want to worry about her. She is far away from the hell hole called England, Sabo, Luffy and even Ace now mattered. Mainly Sabo. With his parents being still around... nah. Later on. Now she will enjoy her time with these three crazy boys.
"You know, you don't have to tell me Sabo!" Ace grinned. "I will become a pirate, and I will become the strongest one. I will fight, fight and then fight some more! And then I will be the most famous! That is the way I will prove my existence! I don't care if the bastards in the world don't recognize me. I don't care about how much they hate me! I will become a great pirate and see them to face! I won't run away from anyone, I won't loose to anyone! I will not be afraid of anyone! And everyone will know my name!"
"Haha! Perfect. Who knew that you can crack such a large grin Ace!" Scathach run towards him and threw one of her hands around his shoulders, cracking her own large smile. "You know what? I will compete with you! I can't beat you now, but one day I will stand above you! I will beat you and be more famous than you!"
"You?! HA! Not happening! A little gentle girl like you?"
"Just wait a couple of years Ace! I will show you that even a girl like me can stand on top!"
Luffy rudely interrupted their exchange of words, earning a glare from Scathach. Like Ace and Scathach, he ran towards the edge of the island, sucked some air in and yelled. "I will...!" The last part was was barely hearable in a loud wave that crushed against the rocks below them. But the words he said were clear. "I will become the Pirate King!"
Ace and Sabo stared at the youngest kid of the group, while Luffy just laughed innocently.
Ace just scratched his head. "You are talking nonsense again..."
"Luffy is still a kid... you don't know."
"He? No way. And it would be nice if you put away that hand already. Little girl."
Sabo laughed loudly, forcing him to hold his belly. "That is pretty funny! Luffy! Can't wait what will happen in the future! Wait... if we become pirates, is it alright if all want to be captains?"
"Huh?"
"I did not think about that. Sabo I planned that you would be my navigator. Maybe Scathach on board too..."
Luffy killed the situation very simply. "You will be all on my ship!"
"I refuse!" Ace.
"I refuse!" Sabo.
"Damn, I can't reject." Scathach.
"Come on! Join my crew! Join, join joiiiiin!"
"That will not happen in a million years!"
"No, it wont."
"Whaaaat? Humph. Fine. I don't care."
They just laughed. Then Ace started making fun of Scathach. Sabo had to hold her again.
"Hey, Scathach."
"Huh?"
"Could you come with me? Just for a minute." Scathach finished chewing onto her dinner. It was a couple of days later, after the Ramen dine-and-dash. Scathach got closer to all of the kids. While Luffy was still his dumb self that needed rescuing, Ace was far more manageable. They still fought, yes, but it was still better. Apart from times when she caught him looking at her oddly. And right now he had the same look.
She put the food away and followed him. Ace left the house and walked straight into the forest. Scathach remained silent as they walked. She observed the older boy but did not dare to talk and remained silent even when he stopped and turned around.
"Back then...back then you said that you father tried to kill you. Tell me all."
Scathach rose one of her eyebrows.
"Hmm... Sorry. If you ask all of sudden, I don't really know where to start. Everything was a big mess. There are some things I still can't make heads and tails. Are you sure that you want to hear my story?"
"Yes. If you don't know when to start, then at the beginning."
"..." Ace's face was serious. He wouldn't let her go until she told him, even though he must have known that talking about reasons that would make someone try to kill their own kid would be very hard. This was somehow linked with Ace's own problem, and if Scathach was right, than it kept eating him up. She and him may argue often but she cared about him, in a way. "Fine."
Both kids sat down onto the cold ground and Ace waited, almost with eagerness.
"If I should start at beginning... from start it might not give too much sense. But ask if you'd like. The entire deal started, about fifty years or so. The place where I came from, England, there... aww... I messed up. I'll try again. Remember about the special skill that I talked about?"
He nodded.
"Some people of England, British islands over all, can use this energy to do all sorts of crazy things. I may sound a bit cliché, but they call it magic. And very often those who can control this thing consider themselves above any other person. Often considering those without it something that equals to a talking monkey. It even went as far that they completely isolated themselves from the rest of world, meaning that only very few know what is happening outside their society."
"And about fifty or so years ago, came a man who gathered the worst of the nobles and said that all non magical and those whose parents weren't magical are nothing but animals that would be happy to be killed. But that was only a facade, his goal was to take over the country... while killing as many people as possible. A complete madman. And for several decades, he terrorized the country. Then one day some woman said that around the end of July, a child would be born that would defeat him. This woman was trying to get a job at some school, said that one of her ancestors was a prophet and that she also has got talent." Scathach said the last words with distaste, but continued. "I met the woman, honestly, she was nothing but but a drunk. But the guy, Voldemort heard about it, and actually believed her, and so he started searching for children that were born or would be born around that time."
He nodded again.
"My parents, the Potters were expecting twins at that time, and as they were one of his strongest enemies, that put a large target on their backs. Then me and Harold, my brother were born. He was born couple minutes before midnight, the thirty first of July, while I was born several seconds after midnight, August first. Now this painted even a bigger target on their back and the Potters were constantly attacked, forcing them into hiding. Mother and father began fighting the man even more than before, often leaving us with care takers. But then when we were around a year old, somebody betrayed them and while the parents were away, Voldemort himself came into the house, killed everyone. Well, almost. When he attempted to kill me and Harold something happened. Nobody knows what, but Voldemort disappeared overnight. And nobody knew how or why exactly."
"Somebody tried to kill you while you were still in a crib?"
"Yes. Sometimes as night, I still hear the screams of the people he killed back then, sometimes even see his eyes staring at me and Harold as he was going to kill us. My worst nightmares."
Ace frowned, but he said nothing and looked at her as if he wanted her to continue, so she started to talk again. "Nobody really cared why that happened, but everyone was happy, and everyone suddenly believed the woman. Many families had to flee so that they would protect their children, many lived in fear that someone they knew would die the next morning... They were celebrating for days when they found out that he is gone. I have been told that sometime after that attack, we were check for our potential with magic. While Harold came as a prodigy, I barely had any. With him being a male and born minutes before midnight, he was instantly hailed as a symbol of hope." She snorted.
"Ironically, for something he could barely remember. As for me, it was very hard to accept that I was born so weak, but they still kept me, despite all the suggestions to get rid of me. I believe that I said few days back, many families considered children like me an insult to their lines. Sometimes they are sold, sometimes they are thrown away while in some far away country and forgotten and sometimes they are killed and tortured for fun. My parents... they were considered good people, and they did not throw me away despite what it meant for their standing. It wasn't so bad at start. But I was... always a bit different from others. And over time they became afraid of me. I can't tell you why exactly, but I could see that in their eyes. The Potters also got attacked from time to time, not all people that worked under Voldemort were captured... I remember that Lily Potter got poisoned twice, mother, she survived only because of her quick thinking. James Potter, father, nearly lost both of his eyes and an arm. I can only guess that when they saw danger in me, they were worried. As for Harold? We never really developed a sister and a brother relationship. He was always lead to believe that he was better than me and nobody ever corrected him. I tried to make my family love me, but they always seemed to pull away. I was lonely, spend most of my time in library. Books were my best and only friends at that time."
"Then one day, you see, Harold was being taught how to use a sword. But after the training he sneaked around the house and grabbed one of the real ones, and he thought that it would be fun to attack his sister with it... he nearly kileld me that day. It was a miracle that nobody got really hurt."
"Wait, he tried to kill you too?"
"Doubt that he at that age understood what death really means, so i can't say yes. But i could have died. It happened when we were six." Scathach frowned as she remembered the red heavy spear that she found herself holding at that time. Up to this day, she never figured out what it was, or why it was even there. Was it somehow linked with the green, as Luffy called them, shiny-shiny lines? "I managed to defend myself, but he got injured and began to cry, and when the Potters ran into the room, he told them that I attacked him. That must have been the last straw for them... they locked me in my room for days before taking me away somewhere. They must have done something to me, because the next thing I know I was in this big room. The Potter head was there, my father. James Potter said how ashamed he is that I am of his blood, how mother no longer wants to see me and told me that i should have never been born. And that he should have listened to others and do something about me sooner. He said that i am a monster."
Scathach looked away, absently touching the skin under her eyes. It was that day that her world broke. She never believed that she would hear that from him. It was also that day that she realized, that her eyes gained a new color. Red. "After that incident, my eyes changed color. They were green before, now they are red. I don't know why. But for them, it was generally a bad sign. Red eyes meant that a person messed with something he shouldn't have. They said that Voldemort himself did a lot of things with that energy the people used, which made him go insane before changing his eye color... they must have thought that i did something to myself as well. Like i said, i spent a lot of time alone in a library. Guess they must have been really afraid of me..."
He didn't nod this time.
"Inside the room was this large... like a strange stone arc. It as often said that it connected the land of the living and the land of dead, but nobody really knew. Anyone who stepped through it never returned and eventually considered dead, even though there was nothing on the other side, like if someone bothered to walk around it. Those who have seen death were said to hear voices when near it... that is how it got it's nickname i guess. They called it the Veil of Death, or sometimes just the Veil, due to the strange tattered cloth that moved all the time, even if the wind stood still."
"You father tossed you through it?"
Scathach gave him an exhausted long look. But then nodded. Ace gritted his teeth. "How could... even if... he should have taken care of you!"
"Fear is the only reason that i can see... but, Ace."
"Huh?"
"When i think about it again, it was a bit lucky."
"How could have that been lucky! They denied you existence and tried to kill you!"
"But if they hadn't tried it, do you think i would have even met Luffy... or even have this conversation?"
Ace stopped, but only for a second. He was still to angry to calm down. "But, but you can't possibly be fine with that!"
"Ace! I have long since tossed away the stupid girl that chased after those who would never love her! I am happy to be Scathach! Bluebell Potter was a pitiful creature that knew nothing about life, whose closest friends ever were books! I was scared and hurt when i woke up after that day but since coming here and meeting new people, i have been happy like never before. Got Luffy, the little idiot that needs to be constantly looked after, you, while you draw me mad too often for my liking, you are also a close friend and Sabo, probably the only one with a functioning brain in our insane group. Yes, I am hurt by what they did, but that anger will go away! I wish to just enjoy my time with you and the rest! So cut the crap!"
Ace stared at her with disbelief, his brain must have been working a million miles per hour. The forest became deathly silent after the louder exchange. If the situation would be different, it would be even a little scary.
"Wait, do you think that It's alright for me to live?"
"What is with that question? Of course! You are the mean older brother. We would all cry if you were to die, idiot!"
"So you don't want me to die?"
"What is with you now? No, I don't. One moment I am telling you my life story like some old man and the next you are asking me questions like this. I repeat Ace, so listen well and remember this. I want you to live! Have you not heard me back them?! You are my goal! One day, I will beat you but i want you to beat you as a famous pirate, so make damn sure that you live for long! Because I don't want to win against a whimp!"
"Whim... wait, you called me a whimp!? Do you want to fight?!"
"Bring it!"
Ace and Scathach jumped up and began exchanging fists, neither backing down, no matter how many times they got hit. Scathach was obviously loosing, but every time she hit the ground, she would just jump up and attack again. Both kids lost the track of time while fighting furiously.
Scathach got sent towards the ground one last time, this time she did not get up. Momentarily, Ace freaked out, but then he checked... she was still alive. Oh boy. How will he explain this to others?
Though... he felt much calmer.
"Have you heard? If you drink sake with others they will become your brothers."
"Huh, really?"
Ace put the bottle of sake on a large tree stump, while carrying one of his large grins, one of those that were much like Luffy's. "Yeah! Let's become brothers!"
"Is that one of Dadan's?"
He laughed. "What do you think? Yeah!"
"Brothers, huh?"
"We do not know what the future will have in store for us, but no matter what happens, if we become brothers, we will always be connected. Even if we would sail as pirates on different ships."
Ace opened the bottle and poured some of the content into all four cups. Scathach felt her fingers twich. It was a similar feeling like she felt when Luffy got his hat, the one that was now permamently with him. This moment was important, but she honestly ignored it. Just a little. She was about to get new brothers. A family.
Luffy's eyes already sparkled like some little stars as he looked around with eagerness. Sabo was also smiling brightly, just like Scathach.
"No matter what we do or where we are, no one will break that bond!"
Everyone picked their cups, with large smiled. Technically, she would be their sister... but who cares about that now?
And they brough the red cups together with a 'clink'. The sake spilled a little, leaving small droplets on their fingers. "And from now on we are brothers!"
Scathach, like the rest, drunk the entire cup in one go. "Yeah!"
"Hahaha!"
She has got sibling. Real siblings. Her brothers. She really can't wait to see the future before them now. She really did not know why, all of sudden Ace proposed this but it made her happy. The moment she swallowed the liquid, it was as if some place inside her, that she did not know that existed warmed up. It could have been because of the alcohol, who knows?
All that she knew now was the she is happy.
Like wow. +9k words. My record. Once again, this chapter should have ended at a later point, but then i relized that them becoming brothers wouldn't seem that important if i started writing about next events right away. I still don't get how i managed to write so many words.
So...
You will have to wait for more. Got bad headaches lately, dunno why. So it might take a while, i don't want to force things. I hope that you like this chaper and it isn't too chaotic. Scathach got closer to both Sabo and Ace, not much Luffy now. But he will have loads of time in future. It's not exactly a secret that they will travel together. Also, i revealed my version of things what happened at Potters. I prefer a believable reason, rather than 'they stopped caring because she/he wasn't famous'. Don't want to write about the same things over and over so i will just gloss over things if someone asks about her past. There will be discussions about it, at least one more time. I surprisingly found it quite boring to write about her past but it had to be done at some point.
I would like to thank Gashadokuro Amanojaku for his help, even though he did not have to.
More than 30 favs in less than 2 weeks. Wooo!
Omake number 1: I am not a chicken!
Scathach cracked an evil laugh last evening when she heard that Ace and Sabo spar every day, that was the reason why some of the bandits looked rather sleepy this morning. All were shooting her and the rest wary looks. Luffy loved the sight, Sabo sweat dropped and Ace did not seem to care.
And later when Ace and Scathach stood against each other on a small grassy are in forest, Scathach felt her fingers twitch. Ace grimaced. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to hit you. Again."
"Repeat that after I send you flying, Ace."
"But don't you dare to cry girl! You asked for it!"
And Ace dashed towards her. Admittedly, Scathach had little practice fighting against actual people. Much less those of her size. If a person was tall, it was so easy to sneak around him and deliver a hit, for example, from behind. Scathach can't perform such stunts now. But heck no she is backing down. Even though it's obvious that Ace has got much more experience that she.
She allowed the first punch to go above her shoulder, then she bent her knees and put her arm back in order to deliver a punch to his ribs. But he was faster, using his other hand he attacked. Scathach managed to block at last second, but there was so much power in it that she lost her footing.
"Hah! Got you!"
Before his finishing blow landed, she threw herself to ground and rolled away. But she wasn't fast enough in getting up. Well, more like she got up but by time she was able to assume a fighting position, a fist connected with her face. Scathach skidded on the floor, leaving a trail of dust behind.
"Ha! What were you saying earlier?"
"Don't be worried Scathach! I will avenge you!" Luffy... you are not helping!
"Come on, she was quite good Ace..." Said Sabo.
"For a chicken."
Sabo had to hold her back so that she wouldn't attack him again. The battles continued. Each of them sparred a hundred times a day, that was the rule. Scathach won only against Luffy... which wasn't much of a victory really. Lufft kept experimenting with his Gomu-Gomu fruit.
"Gomu-Gomu Shield!" And he grabbed his fingers and extend them. Well... That time, Scathach swiped under his feet, knocking him over. She once almost won against Sabo whose fighting style was less aggressive than Ace's, but experience proved itself better than raw power and she got an another bruise. But every time she lost, she was on her feet quickly again, something which couldn't be said about Luffy. If he could only stop experimenting and try some regular punches... but nope. He wanted to use his 'awesome powers'.
One especially bad time was when he crashed into a tree and a snake fell onto his head. How it got there, nobody knows. But the snake turned out to be a nice snack.
Later that evening, they hunted down an another crocodile, while saving Luffy. Again. This time they did not have to pull him from the animal's stomach at least.
Omake number 2: How Scathach got a pet.
At the first, Scathach thought that she is seeing things, but then others saw it too.
Scathach blinked a couple of times, seeing it up close for the first time, others also eyes it warily as it lied in her lap. A light green colored fur almost shone in the couple sun-rays that managed to get through the thick tree tops. When Scathach touched it, she almost purred when she realized how soft it is. The small wings flapped and it rose it's head to have a look at her, then it clocked it's head as if wondering about the girl. The long straight ears moved around a little, creating one of the cutest sights known. Heck, this bunny just beat Luffy! What a feat.
It took off and just settled on her shoulder. "WEEEE! That is so cool! I want one!"
"Any idea what it might be?" Sabo asked, ignoring Luffy with the rest.
"I know! I'll call it the Flying Mint Bunny!"
"Isn't that a bit long Luffy?"
"But it sounds good!"
"How about shortening it a bit... Mint sounds like a good name."
"Wait, do you plan to keep that thing?"
"Maybe, looks cute. And can fly."
"Just make sure that it doesn't get eaten."
The Flying Mint Bunny looked at Ace... and then Ace blinked. "What the! Where did it go?"
"What are you talking about Ace? It's right there."
"Then how come i don't see it?!"
The green animal took off and while Ace was freaking out, it attached itself to his back. Then it picked him up. All of the jaws present (except Ace's) hit the ground. Ace rose higher and higher, then it hung him by his T shirt one of the branches. While Ace raged, it flew before his face, and kissed his cheek. Soon, it was sitting onto the girls shoulder, as if decided that it was her home now.
Scatahch had one look at Ace and the bunny and nodded. "I am definitely keeping it."
"NO!"
Mint closed it's eyes and slept.
"I FORBID IT!"
Ace protested the entire day, but his other siblings loved the green animal too much. In the end, he sat down in some faraway corner where he kept saying a couple mean things under his nose. He only snapped out of it and Luffy jumped at his back. Dadan got some more work cleaning up. Again.
Speaking of Dadan, she was starting to get very twitchy around them. Like extremely. Scathach even spotted some circles under her eyes, Though that could have been her imagination. Whatever...
Ace forgave Mint after it helped them to get away after beating a gang of thieves. The bunny thing was pretty useless in battle, but it could do things. Like become invisible to anyone it pointed it's paw at. And that was something very useful, also the reason why Ace couldn't see it while the rest could. Scathach had no idea where it came from, but she loved it.