Uta uta no mi the singing doll
Well then, I hope you girls (guys?) are ready for this. So, it's up to me to answer the questions Kidd and his crew might be asking themselves, and that you might be asking even if I didn't receive any in PM or in reviews. So, I shall answer to the questions I wanted to answer at first. I hope things are like they should be with the real characters, so far. Well, here I go.
Smile leads them to a large room. It was obvious she wanted to keep this place in a better state than the entrance. The whole room was clean, the different chairs, tables and sofas were all perfectly placed and seemed to be new. Well, seemed. If you took the time to look at them, you could notice little threads passing in some of the furniture and the paint seemed to have just been done. Smile goes straight for the large white sofa with the golden cushion and sits on it, looking like a kid who absolutely wanted to try something. There was a soft mat next to it and Kan lied down on it, keeping one eye open. Meimu decided to stay on its master shoulder, being happy with that. Smile shows all the comfy chairs and sofa around her:
«Please, take a seat. They have just been stuffed so they should be comfortable enough.»
The pirates sit around her. Kidd took place on another large sofa, making himself "at home". That makes her smile:
«Well, you wanted me to answer some questions. Please go on.»
What kind of question would he ask? Kidd was staring at her in a somehow grumpy way:
«First of all, who are the fuck you exactly?»
She smirks:
«Didn't I already tell you mine name?»
«That's not what I mean and you know it!»
She chuckles:
«Well, if I follow the age and who I come from, I'd say I am your little sister in both age and size.»
«Who you come from?»
She nods, happy to see he noticed this vague part:
«I have the same father as you, but my mother is someone else.»
«So that's where your eyes come from.»
«Hum…nope, her eyes were green.»
Silence on the room. What was wrong with that? She liked her eyes, anyway. It was adding to her character and it usually scared annoying people away. Kidd looks a little annoyed:
«Since when do you know about that? You didn't know about it the first time we met.»
«That's true. I only learned it two years ago, thanks to a newspaper getting lost to my window.»
Her gaze turns dark, but she was keeping her smile:
«Father made such a face when I asked him about you. He's the one who revealed it without noticing. If he knew that not just his son, but his daughter too became a pirate, he would be furious. Such a nice scene.»
She chuckles and gets back a normal expression again. What just happened there? None of the pirates would dare to ask, maybe not for now. Killer lifts one of his blades, making Smile turn to him:
«Yes?»
«These animals staying by your side, where did you find them?»
Smile passes a hand in Meimu's white fur, her face lighting up:
«They were at a market place on my island the day I decided to leave home and search for brother. They were in cages, so I opened the thing and they were free to do whatever they wanted. They followed me, apparently.»
She starts humming a song lightly, making Wire twitch:
«Say…?»
She turns her bloody gaze at him:
«That thing you do…singing and killing people like that…»
Her smile widens in a creepy way:
«It's a devil fruit, appropriate for me, right?»
She chuckles:
«It's the Uta uta no mi, the fruit of songs. It plays with people's mind and body reactions when I sing.»
Killer seems to bend a little to listen to her better:
«Their reactions?»
She nods:
«You know people will usually try to make their bodies react to reality so they can get out of illusions, right? Well, my power goes much farther than illusions. It goes to affect the mind first, showing them what I want them to see, and goes to strike at the body's nervous system or the exact place where they should be hurt. Being hit, the body reacts the way the illusion is showing what is happening. It causes confusion in the persons' mind and they believe even more in the illusion since they have both the vision and the pain that goes along with it. Teehee, I don't really want to leave a single chance to marines, though, so I go with something deathly at the first step. Those who survive are normally killed by Kan afterwards.»
And sometimes her, but she kept that for herself. Heat bends his head on the side:
«You don't really seem to like marines, more than others at least.»
Smile's face turns dark in a second. Oh yes, she hated them. She'll never forgive marines for what they did, even if the ones responsible were already dead with their corpses massacred and burned down with their base.
The aura around the girl was somehow getting darker. Even Killer, who usually doesn't get impressed by his opponents whoever they are, felt a chill down his spine. What in the world is going on?
«Hum…Miss Smile…»
That seems to make her snap out of her thoughts and she laughs:
«Kyahahahahaha! Miss? Never thought someone would call me Miss knowing who I am! Kyahahahahaha!»
She swipes a tear of laugher from her right eye and turns to Killer again:
«I'm sorry for that. You just really surprised me. So…why I hate marines, right?»
She closes her eyes with a smirk:
«Let's just say they did something they shouldn't have to Kan. It is their fault if she got this big, you know? The ones responsible for it are long dead, now, but they were marines and were following the orders sent down from superiors without even considering the poor Kan's feelings.»
She was trembling. It sounded like it was nothing the way she was saying it, but something obviously shocked her. She doesn't want to talk about that, it seems. Killer hopes he won't make a mistake with the change of subject:
«What about the bat?»
Smile smirks. Being curious but also careful by changing the subject. She really appreciated that. She lifts her left arm and Meimu goes to land on it instead:
«Meimu was luckier. She was given a devil fruit. The oto oto no mi, the sound fruit.»
Kidd stares at the animal on Smile's arm. A bat had a devil fruit? Why the hell would it have one?
«What the fuck is that supposed to be?»
He still wanted to know. She looks happy that he's the one who asked:
«Teehee, I'm coming to it. The sound fruit lets Meimu understand and reproduce any kind of sound she hears. Voices, cries, stumping…even the sound of the wind. Since she is a bat, she uses sound waves to send whatever she hears to me.»
She chuckles a little:
«She stood this small because of the devil fruit. She's is as hard to catch as sound with this size.»
Smile smirks. No one had been able to put their hands on the little bat ever since she had this devil fruit. The people had the temple had been really nice to give it to her. Meimu hadn't really liked the taste of it, but she still ate it whole. Smile passes her finger in the white fur again:
«She's a brave bat, for sure.»
She actually looked her age with this calm smile, at least that's what the people with who she had gotten along told her. She trusted trust their words. She stands up from the sofa. Oops, that woken up a little pain. No worries, it doesn't show.
«Well, it is getting late right now.»
She turns to the four pirates with a sweet smile:
«Did you have a place to stay? If not, I'd be happy to give you shelter for the night.»
They all look at Kidd, waiting for him to take a decision.
«We're here. I don't see why we'd move.»
Smile chuckles:
«Alright, then, let me show you to your rooms»
She starts toddling away, but turns to them:
«No worries, the rooms are illusion safe»
She chuckles once more and passes through a door when the pirates are following her.
When Smile woke up that morning, she was overjoyed. She had found him, finally! He was acting exactly the same way he used to when they first met. She jumps out of bed, wearing a t-shirt and pyjama pants. Yes, she dressed like that rather than with a cute night gown to sleep. She could be normal and not always be a doll, right? Kan and Meimu had already gone out to go hunt, so she was alone. She takes a leather hairband in a drawer of her night desk and attaches her hair in a ponytail behind her head. She smirks:
«Time to prepare the breakfast.»
She walks out of the room, passing by the red door, and goes down the stairs to reach the ballroom. She goes to another door then the one from last night and smiles. The kitchen was in a perfect state as well. She looks around and puts her fists on her hips:
«Here goes!»
She takes a deep breath and starts walking around the kitchen, picking up some ingredients as she was singing:
«It's a guest! It's a guest! Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed! Wine's been poured and, thank the Lord, I've had the napkins freshly pressed. With dessert, she'll want tea and my dear that's fine with me. While the cups do their soft-shoein', I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing»
She was so lost in the song herself, making the plates fly to the ballroom's long table and preparing stuff, she didn't even notice someone had just come in after dodging all the plates.
«Hey you! What do you fucking think you're doing throwing plates at me?!»
She stops on the spot as she sees Kidd's glare in her direction. Or at least it was a glare until he seems to look at her hair and eyes:
«Wait…you're…Smile?! Where the hell did your clothes go?!»
She sighs:
«I know this isn't a dress, but they are still clothes»
Kidd looks away, somehow getting a little pink on the cheeks. Smile puts down the plate full of freshly baked crumpets and scones she had in hand on the counter:
«I'm sorry about the plates, by the way. I didn't thought there would be someone passing there yet. You didn't receive any in the face or anywhere else, I hope?»
«Nah…dodged all of them.»
She chuckles:
«Good»
She looks around at the many large plates she had put on the counter. If that wasn't enough, she would do some more. Everything was already cleaned and ready to be used once more. She starts picking up the plates, humming the song she was singing a minute ago. She turns around and looks surprised when Kidd takes what she had in hand to leave the kitchen with them. Passing the surprise, she chuckles. She picks up other plates and goes inside the ballroom. Kidd had put the plates he was holding on the long table with the smaller plates and, now that Smile could see the table, some forks, cutlasses, spoons, cups and napkins. She had really done well, this time. «I guess good feelings can affect my skills» She puts the large plates on the table and turns to Kidd:
«I'm happy for you, Kidd»
He looks at her as if she was saying nonsense, making her chuckle:
«You told me you wanted to make your name heard back then. You did it pretty well, I'd say. Aiming for the pirate King title, I suppose?»
He gets a little annoyed:
«How come you know so much about me and I didn't even know more than your name?»
«I did research so I could find you»
She had answered as if it was the most obvious and simple thing. Well, it was for her, at least. Kidd crosses his arms:
«Then I have other things to ask»
She looks at him, calm:
«Okay, what is it?»
«Your favorite color»
She opens round eyes:
«What kind of request is that?»
«I'm serious!»
«Okay, okay, red»
«Your dreams and fears?»
This time, it was too much.
«Kyahahahahaha! Kyahahahahaha!»
«What the hell are you fucking laughing about?!»
«Kyahahahahaha, sorry, sorry, it's just that you're being so blunt with the questions and it's so personal all of a sudden, I couldn't help it.»
She calms the laugher, although her shoulders were still trembling because of it, and she smirks:
«But it's up to you to find out, teehee»
The door leading to the guest rooms opens on Killer, already with the mask on. He freezes on the spot when he sees Smile. So did the other two who came in after him. Smile pouts a little:
«What's wrong with me looking like a normal person? Seriously…»
She shakes her head in disapproval. Seeing the sorry faces Heat and Wire were doing, she chuckles:
«Don't make these faces. Come! Breakfast is ready!»
Kidd hadn't actually looked at what was on the plates at first, but now that he could see it, he wondered when she had to time to do all of this. Pancakes, crumpets, scones, ham, eggs, she had even brewed some coffee and boiled water. Wait, what was the water for? Smile approaches the table and shows the boiling water pot, smiling:
«Maybe it's too fancy looking for you guys, but I still made some water if you wanted tea.»
«Tea's for fucking nobles»
She looks a little sad behind her smile:
«Should have known. Sorry for asking»
For the first time, Kidd regretted snapping something at someone's face.
Well, she didn't expect him to jump happily. She still liked tea in the morning even if she wasn't one of those annoying nobles. She gets a little away from Kidd before opening some strange pots that were away from the rest of the food. She looks at the names, thinking and opens one written "Assam" on a little label attached to it. She takes some leaves inside and puts them in a tea brewing spoon in a cup, starting humming her little cooking song again. She looks around again and takes a pot filled with some chopped ginger, putting some in the cup. She goes to take the pot and goes back to the cup.
«Miss Smile…»
She stops herself from laughing again, but the smile she sends Killer shows she is obviously amused by the title:
«Yes, "Mister" Killer?»
Killer doesn't seem to react to the title. Maybe he ignored it.
«What is this tea?»
She looks at him with wide eyes:
«You want to know?»
«Is that surprising?»
«Well yes…tea is a drink for nobles, after all»
Kidd twitched a little, but Smile ignored that. She takes the pot in which she had took the tea leaves and hands it to Killer:
«It's a black strong and malty Assam tea. With some chopped ginger, it makes a good morning tea.»
She pours some water in the cup, the leaves and the ginger now infusing in the water. She smiles back at Killer:
«I can give you a sip when it's ready. If you want some, of course»
«Could be interesting»
Smile looks at the four pirates:
«No need to stay up. Sit down, sit down! It will get cold if you don't eat»
Smile happily sees them sitting down at the table to eat. She never had any guests before. Actually, except when she was at the temple, she never had anyone with her at meal times…or any other times. She smiled when she sees the pirates' eyes widening when they taste the food. She was proud of her cooking and it made her happy to see they liked it. When the tea is done, she removes the leaves with the spoon and puts it on a small plate. She blows lightly on the liquid and takes a sip. A soft smile forms on her lips:
«Perfect, although still a little hot»
She decides to sit next to Killer. He was the only one who wasn't eating. She puts the cup on the table and looks a little from under:
«Is something wrong? You're not hungry?»
He turns a little in her direction:
«Well…I don't remove my mask in front of others»
She looks a little curious, but stands up:
«I see, I understand. I'll let you all eat in peace. I'll be back in a moment»
She bows lightly and leaves the room.
When they saw her leave the room like that, the pirates stopped moving. Kidd glared at Killer:
«What the hell did you fucking tell her so she'd leave?!»
He was a good one to talk. He had insulted her about the tea. Killer sighs:
«Only that I didn't show what was under my mask to others. At least we can talk, now»
Kidd grumbles a little:
«Talk about what?»
«About her»
«How do you want to do that when we don't have a single thing on her?»
«That's what I want to talk about»
«What?»
«I saw her wanted poster. She has the bounty of a supernova, Kidd.»
«So what?»
«All the supernovas have a crew of their own and are sailing to reach the end of the Grand Line. She's alone in an abandoned manor that she obviously took the time to put back in shape and has been working on it for some time»
Silence falls on the table. Where was the girl's crew? Was she part of one or was she the Captain? Did she even have a crew? Heat eats another cheese scone:
«She's a good cook»
That was totally random, but it brought an idea to mind. Killer wasn't sure if Kidd had thought about it, but it was important to ask the girl about a possible crew with her. She was being friendly, although sarcastic and creepy on the side, but it wasn't sure that the people with her, if there were any, would act the same.
Smile finishes attaching the corset and turns on herself, appreciating the skirt's movement.
«Red and Black, today»
She chuckles:
«Never thought I'd appreciate guests like this, before. Kidd found a good crew»
She smiles softly:
«I'm glad, he never really got along with others at that time. At least he's got some good friends with him, now»
Flapping resound and the little bat passes through the window's hole to land on her shoulder.
«Morning Meimu»
The bat cuddles against her neck, making her smile:
«Still in a good mood, huh? That's a good thing»
A growl comes from the side and Kan appears from the shadows. Meimu seems to listen to hear and turns to Smile. A deep women's voice resounds:
«They are talking about you, down there.»
Smile chuckles:
«Is that so? Well, as long as they don't think about fighting me, I don't mind»
«I doubt that's the case. The guy with the scythes is eating, too. He likes the tea you left on the table»
«So he is eating, after all. I had forgotten about the tea, though. Well, I'll do some more»
Smile removes some imaginary dust from her skirt:
«Time to go down, then»
She walks out of the room, followed by Kan. When she opens the door, she is back to her usual appearance, her hair completely free floating around her. She smiles in her usual creepy way:
«Well, I hope I didn't make you wait»
She grabs a scone on the table to nibble on it. Kidd backs up in his chair:
«Oy, Smile»
«Huh?»
«What do you intend to do now?»
«What do you mean?»
«The way you talked, you went out just to search for me. Now that you found me, what' you're going to do?»
«Don't know, never thought about it»
Heat looks up to her:
«Say, Miss smile…do you have a crew?»
She stops just as she was about to take a real bite. Kidd was glaring at Heat, but she ignores him. She looks at Heat, lowering the scone:
«Why such a question?»
«Just asking»
She stays silent, wondering if she should answer or not. Bah, why not? It wouldn't hurt:
«No, I don't. I've been traveling alone with Kan and Meimu from the start»
She approaches the scone again.
«You could come with us, then»
Surprised, she drops the scone. Kan catches it before it would fall to the ground and eats it silently. Kidd stands up, banging the table with his fist and making the chair fall:
«Fuck, Heat! I'm the captain here, damn it! I should be the one saying that!»
Smile's eyes pass from the blue haired pirate to her brother. Did she really hear that right? Kidd stops glaring at Heat to turn to her:
«Well, he already asked»
«Wait, you're serious?»
«I don't joke about this stuff, being sarcastic, maybe, but no joking»
She looks down to Kan, who only looks up to her mistress before purring lightly. Meimu translates:
«It's your decision. We'll follow whatever you say»
The four pirates stare at the bat, making Smile laugh:
«Kyahahahahaha! You should see your faces!»
«What the hell was that?!»
«Kan's voice when Meimu translates her words»
She looks at the four pirates, then smiles in a cute way:
«Well, if my presence won't bother anyone aboard your ship, I'd be happy to be by your side, brother»
Kidd's usual smile appears:
«Then it's settled»
Tada! The singing doll shall follow the Kidd pirates! I hope for them they are ready. It's a girl and she is quite…peculiar, if I can say it that way. Good, next time will be the meeting with the crew! Will that little devil scare the crap out of the crew or will they think she looks like Kidd in some way? We'll see about that! In any case, it raised the prime on the Kidd pirates quite a bit! Well, do you like so far? I'm not doing interaction down here because it would be too dangerous for me if Kidd came around here. I already have trouble with Law, who's not too violent, so I won't take the chance with Kidd. Just have to cross my fingers he doesn't figure it out himself -_-' Well, until next time!