Disclaimer: I only own only James, Keiko, etc… No one else… but you know that…

A Cat's Instinct

Chapter 12: Father and Son

James headed to the specific place, where, sure enough, Kuro was standing. There was a tombstone under a large oak tree, bent by age. Kuro was in front of the stone looking down at it, as if he were reading it over and over again. The stone read: "Karla Neko; Beloved wife, mother and teacher. An inspiration too many, and she will be missed greatly."

James went next to his father, silently staring at the tombstone, but he then spoke up.

"Father?" he asked, looking at him.

Kuro spun around, utterly startled.

"You…" he said, staring directly at James.

James shrunk slightly at his father's tone, but he stumbled.

Kuro immediately grabbed his son, helping him up.

"James, watch yourself!" he said, his eyes instantly filling with worry, as he helped sit James on the ground.

Kneeling down to his level, Kuro stared into his son's eyes. All the memories flowing back at him.

"Father, are you okay?" he asked.

Kuro shook his head, coming back to reality.

"James, don't move!" he said, his voice firm, "You're injured!"

James winced in pain, as his father leaned him against the oak tree.

"Take it easy, James." He said, "What were you thinking, coming after me in such a state…?!"

James just looked at his father, and smiled weakly.

"I guess I had to see you once more…" he said.

Kuro couldn't help but smile at his son.

"Y'know James… I haven't told you this in a while… but I'm very proud of you…" he said, "You grew to be a finer pirate than I could've imagined, and you have a fine crew. You also kept all the fighting techniques that I taught you, after all these years. James, I really thought you were dead…"

Kuro embraced his son tightly, tears shining in both their eyes.

"I'm sorry…" James said softly, "I thought you were dead too… Why did you let me believe that? Sekorie and Edan thought you were dead also… They still believe that you're a good person."

Kuro smiled once again.

"It's just like them…" he said, somewhat amused.

"Father, before I go, I have one question to ask you…" James said.

"What is it?" Kuro asked, although he already knew what it was.

"How did mom die?" James asked.

Kuro paused, glanced at the tombstone, then back at his son.

"Well… now that you're older, I can tell you the truth…" Kuro said, "Now I loved your mother, I want you to always remember that. It all began with my career. I was a ship builder, when I first married your mother. We were very wealthy, so I didn't have to work hard, but I enjoyed my job all the same. Your mother was a teacher at the local school. One day, I was in an accident, and the doctor told your mother that I had died in the accident, even though they hadn't found my body yet. Your mother, filled with grief…hung herself from that tree you're leaning against…" Kuro said, tears once again shining in his eyes, "They soon uncovered me, and I went to find your mother, since I was perfectly fine. When I found her, she was long dead…"

He paused to take a long shuddering breath, but he continued.

James listened, but couldn't help but feel pity at his father's suffering.

"We cut her down from the tree, and you came into my arms immediately, crying harder than anything. You saw the entire thing James, but we never found out why you couldn't remember that she died or how, for that matter…"he said, "I was crushed after that… when I held her lifeless body in my arms… I couldn't grasp the reality of it… I couldn't believe that she was gone… I mean, why her of all people?! Why couldn't I have died…? I should've protected her, James… I should've been there, by her side… We should've grown older together… in our mansion by the sea… We should've died together… but it didn't happen that way… she died when she was 27…. She didn't have much of a career, and it was all on my account… because of a stupid mistake I made…"

Kuro's face, at this point was streaked with tears,

"James… I never even got to say goodbye to her, and that I loved her…"

James looked at his father, tears in his own eyes.

"Edan and Sekorie were right then… Why did you tell me otherwise?"

"I couldn't fathom you growing up that your mother took her own life…" Kuro tried to explain, as he tried vainly to keep his emotions in check, "It was bad enough not having your mother around to see you grow to become such a fine young man, and she left so suddenly… I didn't want a life of pirating for you, which is why I sent you to live with Sekorie and Edan… but the long for adventure runs too strongly in your veins to live a normal life. I knew that you'd become a pirate. I knew that the sea would call strongly to you."

James smiled slightly,

"Well, I always wanted to follow your footsteps, no matter how quick…" he said, light-heartedly.

"Really?" Kuro said, his voice lined with a fatherly pride, "Well, you've done a good job… but your crew must be waiting for you, and I must go as well. Django will be worried, and who knows what trouble he'll cause… It was great to see you again, and I look forward to when our paths cross once again."

"It was great to see you too, dad…" James answered, wiping his eyes slightly.

"Oh, James, look out for that Usopp. I don't trust him. He might hold a grudge against you." Kuro warned, helping his son off the ground.

"Alright, I'll keep him in order." James said, chuckling.

"That's right." Kuro said, rustling the boy's already messy hair.

James reluctantly left his father's side, but he had to, since Nami and the others would start to worry.

When he returned, they looked at him, totally concerned.

"Are you alright?" Nami asked, going over to him.

"Yeah, what did that monster of a man say to you?" Usopp asked.

James glared at him.

"No, my father is a good man…" he said, "He just needed to talk."

Usopp sighed,

"At least the village is safe." He said, "Now all I'll have to worry about is you, and the other creatures of the sea…"

James growled and lunged for him.

It took Luffy, Namir, and Zolo to hold him back.

"Calm down, you're still hurt!" Nami said.

"I'm fine…" James said, as he caught his breath, and smiled at her.

Nami's face darkened slightly, but she smiled back.

Keiko saw this, and clung tighter to Zolo.

Zolo just sighed, and tried to ignore the unwanted attention.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go, even though we didn't get that ship…" Luffy said, with some disappointment.

"Wait!' a voice called from behind them.

All of them spun around, to see Merry running after them.

Seeing James, he became frightened.

"Klahadore!!!" he exclaimed hysterically.

"No, I'm James…." He said, rolling his eyes.

Merry sighed,

"I'm sorry… you look extraordinarily like him…" Merry said.

"Don't worry… I've been getting that a lot in this town." James replied.

"Anyway, I have come on behalf of Miss Kaya. She has a present to give you." Merry said, as he pointed to a large ship.

"Is that for us?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Yep, I designed it myself. It's called the Merry-Go, and it's one of the fasted ships ever designed." Merry explained proudly.

"Not a very original name, but it's a great ship all the same." Keiko said, still clinging to Zolo.

"Thanks!" Luffy said.

"It's my pleasure, and Miss Kaya thanks you for saving us from that monster…" Merry said cheerfully.

James snarled.

"Please, don't make a fuss. It looks like your father got at him first… and we don't want Luffy beating you up too." Zolo said, putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"That's right." Keiko said, "Zolo, you're so smart."

Zolo sighed.

"Okay…" he said uneasily.

Merry explained the workings of the ship, and pretty much every minute detail about it.

"Wow, it'll defiantly come in handy when we go to the Grand Line!" Nami said.

"Yeah, defiantly." James answered.

They then settled in and were off.

As the ship sailed, James enjoyed lying back, taking pleasure in the sun, while lying on the banister like a jaguar.

Keiko tried to push him off the edge several times, but she didn't' succeed.

"Damn you James…" she said, scornfully.

James just laughed, and continued to lounge in the sun.

"Go bother Zolo if you're so bored." He said, his eyes still closed.

"Well, then maybe I will…" Keiko said, walking away to find her "true love"

"At least he respects me." She said.

"Well, at least he knows you're a girl…." James said laughing heartily.

"Why I oughta…." She said, but then spotting Zolo, her anger was forgotten.

"Hey Zolo!" she said, happily bolting over to him.

James opened her eyes and watched in total amusement as she stuck her tongue out at him.

When Keiko and Zolo were out of view, James jumped off the banister to walk around.

He sighed as the ship continued to drift on the water.

James felt unusually relaxed that day, and the rocking of the ship just made him calmer.

He then decided to find Nami.

She was in her quarters drawing some maps at a small writing desk.

He knocked on her door,

"Nami, are you in there?" he asked.

"James, sure, come in." she said.

James walked in and gave her a small grin.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Just sketching out a few maps; I haven't gotten to it in a while, but it's nothing really…. Just a hobby." She replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

"That's cool. Can I look at one?" James asked his curiosity peaked.

Nami smiled,

"Sure." She said, handing him a few examples.

James examined them as closely as he could.

"These are really good." He said, "Did someone teach you how to draw them?"

"Thanks." She replied, "But no… I read many books, and sometimes I had to steal, but it was only something I learned by myself as a child."

"That's neat. You really must enjoy it." He said, putting the maps next to her.

"Yeah, I love it." She said, "It keeps me focused. I always wanted to go into navigation, and well, I guess I got it didn't I?"

James smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you did, and you're good at it too." He said, "I know Luffy thinks so, and I know that I think so."

She giggled,

"You really are sweet, y'know that? I don't know why you let Keiko push you around like that." Nami said.

"Well, what can I say? My father told me never to hit girls." James said.

"Really? You talk about your father like he was the greatest person to ever live." Nami said, "But what happened to him that made him so cruel?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I guess we have a lot of time…." James said.

Nami set her maps aside, as he started to tell the story his father told him.

"It all started on the island that we just came from. My mother, Karla Felis, was in her late teens when she met my father. Back then, he was just your average street punk. They met in a park, where they became acquainted, and she invited him to a party. They soon fell in love. My father truly loved her and only her." James said.

Nami watched and listened intently. This was a side of the infamous Captain Kuro that she never could have imagined.

"Well, as you can imagine, they married and had me, but unfortunately something happened…" James said.

"What?" Nami asked.

James paused to take a deep breath.

"My mother killed myself. That threw my father into a rage so he locked himself in his workshop for months. When he finally emerged, he had built a huge boat, which was his pirate ship. He turned to a life on the sea, since he no longer had his wife, and he brought me along." James explained, "And you know the rest."

Nami nodded,

"From that story, I have a whole different understanding of your father, James." She said.

James smiled slightly,

"Yeah; He's pretty misunderstood, but I wish I knew my mother better..." he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Nami put a hand on his shoulder,

"Anyone would want answers like that, but at least your father loved her, right?" Nami asked.

James nodded,

"Yes, he did, but I don't think he ever stopped." James replied.

Nami nodded, utterly touched by what the boy had said.

"Y'know James, you're defiantly right about that…" she said, "You're defiantly right…"

((Hope you enjoyed this chapter... I'll update as soon as possible. . ))